Patana: We all have heard stories of love and trust between human beings and animals. However, this heart-wrenching tale will certainly bring tears to your eyes. A couple who did not have a kid, loved their pet goat to the hilt. When the animal died, the couple performed the animal’s last rites with the same love and respect they would show after the demise of a close member of the family.
Dhaneswar and Minati Nayak of Tentala village of Budhikapudi panchayat under Patana block in Keonjhar district have been married for 30 years. However, they haven’t been blessed with a child.
They felt sad and depressed, but they reared their goats with the same kind of love they would have for a kid. However, among the 30 goat they had, one was very special to them and they named it ‘Matal’.
Unlike the other goats they reared, Matal always got special attention. While the other goats were restricted to the pen, Matal would roam around the house freely and would even sleep in the same room with the couple. The animal also would reciprocate its love towards Dhaneswar and Minati. The couple spend long hours playing with the goat and responding to its needs.
As luck would have it, ‘Matal’ died Wednesday. The couple performed the last rites of it in their backyard in presence of relatives and villagers.
The couple did everything, starting from preparing a bier for the carcass and then taking it the pyre and lighting it. The bereaved couple is learnt to have carried out all the rituals done in case of any relative’s death.
In Covid-19 times when cases of kids refusing to touch the body of their parents are plentiful, the couple’s gesture is sure to touch hearts.
PNN