Tito’s Memoir

The heritage campus of IIMA is known for its architecture. The most celebrated structure is the iconic Louis Kahn Plaza (LKP), named after the famous architect who created the campus. The plaza is a raised paved platform that is surrounded by three buildings. The Vikram Sarabhai Library, the building in the middle, is flanked on […]

At over three years of age, Tito had grown to his full size. He weighed over 30 kilos. I still recall the day we witnessed the gentler side of Tito’s nature. Both Alka and I were standing out on the front veranda after Tito’s afternoon meal on a winter afternoon. Tito was standing on the

After my father passed away, my mother (Dumpy’s Didu) opted to live alone in Nagpur, despite my requests to live with us. She did, however, spend some time with us in Ahmedabad every year. She planned her visits to coincide with Dumpy’s presence in Ahmedabad. Though initially uneasy with a dog in the house, Didu developed an

Tito was about four years old when the brown female dog, younger to Tito arrived at our place. Her left ear had been cut at the corner, indicating that she had been vaccinated and neutered. Tito’s first instinct was to be all over her as he greeted her enthusiastically. Our attempts to chase her away

After Tito joined the family, Alka and I avoided being out of town at the same time as much as possible. Whenever it was unavoidable for both of us to be away, we would engage someone from Nagpur to come and stay home to look after Tito during our absence. We made several road trips with Tito

After Dumpy left Ahmedabad, Tito would be locked up at home when Alka and I left for work in the morning. We’d be return home for lunch. After he was fed, we would take Tito out in the garden to relieve himself, stretch his legs, and enjoy some exercise before we left him at home again till we

In 2006-07, we spent a year away from Ahmedabad, in L&T South City, Bangalore. At that time Dumpy was pursuing his MBA at IIM Bangalore. We were living on the fifth floor of one of the nineteen story buildings. The sprawling 22-acre complex housed approximately 2,000 flats. Residents had access to well-kept gardens and lawns

Dogs have descended from wolves. Wolves live in packs with a rigid hierarchy within the pack. As pets, dogs consider their owners to be the pack they belong to. As they grow older, they try to establish their place in the pack’s hierarchy. Tito had instinctively assigned me the position of the pack leader, the alpha male.

The year was 2009. Tito had passed the age of ten. He was over 70 years old in terms of human age. Dumpy began working in April 2008, after graduating from IIM Bangalore with an MBA. His visits to Ahmedabad had become more infrequent, and Tito had fewer opportunity to spend time with him. Tito