The Blind Dog is a short story written by Famous Indian author, R.K Narayan. The story was originally published in 1947. The central theme of story is companionship, Selfless love and allegiance.
The Blind Dog Summary By R.K Narayan
Summary of The Blind Dog By R.K Narayan
R.K Narayan’s “The Blind Dog”s story begins with the description of stray dog who was white in color when he was born. The Dog color has changed from white to brownish as he is a stray dog and lives in dust and soil. He was born in street. There is some wound on Dog’s tail.
The Dog lives near market and eat leftover food. He has many wounds on all over his body. When Dog was 3 years old, a big change comes to his life when a blind beggar comes to the street where Dog lives. The Blind beggar comes in market and started begging. The Beggar is drop by an old woman who drop him in morning and pick him at evening.
When blind beggar comes in marketplace, dog started licking his hands, blind beggar learns that dog is licking his hands so he does his petting and gives him food to eat. After eating food, dog’s heart filled with gratitude and he become good friend of blind beggar.
The Dog started helping Blind Beggar in everything like he protect his money from thief. One day at evening, Blind Beggar was waiting for old woman to pick him but someone comes to him and inform him that old woman is dead. The Blind beggar is upset as who would help him now with food and other things.
The nearby shopkeeper was looking at Blind Beggar and felt pity for him. He decides to help him. So he ties a ribbon around dog’s neck and gives it to the beggar. The dog become guide of blind person and wherever Blind beggar wants to go, dog takes him.
This idea of shopkeeper made Blind beggar life better but it made dog’s life miserable as he lost his freedom. The dog has to be with Blind beggar all the time, and beggar hits him with stick anytime he wants to. The Blind beggar doesn’t let dog goes anywhere, he just keep him in chains. The dog has lost his freedom and when he see other stray dogs roaming, he feels very bad for him.
The Blind Beggar’s income is increasing day after day as he is using dog to go different places and earn money. He has so much money now that he has started giving money to people on interest. On the other side, dog is stuck with Blind Beggar as he doesn’t even let him to take rest.
One day, the shopkeeper who tied ribbon to dog saw his poor condition with beggar. He saw how badly blind beggar is treating dog. He feels very bad for dog as he is stuck with beggar because of him. The shopkeeper ask for help from perfume seller for dog, perfume seller cuts the ribbon of dog and dog immediately runs away from Blind beggar.
As the dog runs away, perfume seller feels good as he freed the dog from Beggar. But the blind beggar started crying as he is helpless without dog and who would help him in going to different places and who would take him to his home.
The Blind beggar cries continuously but shopkeeper doesn’t care about it as they believe he deserve it. Since twenty days neither beggar was seen nor dog, shopkeeper thought Dog is enjoying his freedom. After 20 days, shopkeepers saw Blind beggar coming with the same dog.
They were shocked to see that. The shopkeepers ask Blind beggar how it happened, how dog come back to him. The Blind Beggar tells them that this dog return to him last night and started licking his hands and face, so at first I hit him with stick but then I forgive him.
He added the dog returns to him because of his hunger. I used to feed him with something which he is habitual now. The dog would never leave him again as I have put a iron chain on his neck which will never broke.
The moral of the story is that dogs are very faithful and loyal animal who never betray their owners no matter what.
Recommended Reading
A TIGER FOR MALGUDI BY R.K NARAYAN
A HORSE AND TWO GOATS BY R.K NARAYAN