Raghu Dixit’s followers on social media were surprised when his latest announcement wasn’t about his next album. Instead, they were greeted by a picture of their favourite singer with a button-eyed rescued Indian puppy called Thunti.
Dixit recalls the awe he felt the first time he saw a video of her, when his friend connected him to the NGO Let’s Live Together (Bengaluru). “She was just 20 days old and harassing a much bigger dog,” he laughs. “The dog patiently pushed her away and she came back with full force.” The video turned out to be a metaphor for her resilience, for she and her five siblings were all rescued after being found orphaned near a dustbin.
While the siblings found other homes, Thunti (meaning mischief in Kannada) dazzled Dixit at first sight, and before she knew it, she was being introduced by him on Instagram as a ‘total rascal who beats my energy levels’. Her growing popularity led him to start a separate Instagram account for her titled, Life and Adventures of Thunti.
Over 3,000 people follow her everyday antics, as Dixit maps his journey as a first-time pet parent. “She’s become an Internet sensation — moms read out these stories to their kids,” he says proudly. He uses the platform to promote adoption of rescued animals, irrespective of breed, and notes that four people have already adopted rescues, inspired by Thunti. He is often startled by how close dog behaviour is to human behaviour. “It’s unreal to watch,” he says of his pup, who has mastered the art of the head tilt, and often waits outside his studio, sometimes scratching the door with her paws, urging him to take a break to play with her. Adopting a puppy brought out a side of his personality that he wasn’t known for — patience. He now calls home regularly to check on her when on tour, and smilingly pardons puppy messes, including the one time it was on his guitar cover. “She’s too young. And it was not expensive,” he says quickly, adding that his companion is a sensitive soul who’s eager to learn dos and don’ts, despite being just 50 days old.
He hopes that people will not stop at admiring rescued puppies, and that they will choose to bring one home if they ever decide to get a pet, and urges them to treat companion animals as family members, rather than style statements. Dixit feels that the easiest thing to do is visit an adoption NGO, as they foster pups, clean them up, vaccinate them and also ensure that the new home is a loving one. He describes the moment during their first meeting that he knew it was forever — it was when the furry whirlwind suddenly stopped zipping about and sat at his feet, just gazing at him silently — “there was no looking back”.
