Ginger Tom on a Dog Day Afternoon

This sleeping ginger tabby must not have heard of the idiom “Cat on a hot tin roof”. Which describes those who are restless, anxious and on edge all the time. There is not an ounce of such agitation here. Instead, sprawled atop a Samsung air-conditioner compressor in soft dappled sunlight, this equable feline seemed to possess a perfect understanding of what truly constitutes a “dog day afternoon”. And having understood it, wisely decided to sleep through it.

Whether a humming outdoor AC unit is genuinely the coolest place to be on a 38-degree afternoon is something only the cat, and perhaps the engineers at Samsung, can answer. I certainly was not about to question feline wisdom. Cats appear to have mastered a philosophy of living that humans spend entire lifetimes chasing: contentment without urgency, leisure without guilt, companionship without dependence. They move through the world as though time itself belongs to them.

I watched this ginger tom waking up from its sun bath. Stretching itself with a fluid, liquid grace. Smooth as marmalade on a slice of hot buttered toast. Each movement a slow and staged stretch. Like it was practicing yoga. Yawning prodigiously in between. Watching me with slow-blinking tolerance. And the unmistakably smug expression of a creature entirely satisfied with its lot in life. The very picture, I thought, of the cat that got the cream.

The lady downstairs adores cats. She feeds them without attempting to own them, shelters them without imprisoning them, and offers affection only when they seek it. They are of all sizes, colours, temperaments. Domestic and feral simultaneously, like Mumbai itself. At night, their quarrels erupt dramatically: puffed tails, flattened ears, rigid postures and operatic yowls echoing through the compound. Yet no matter how fierce the nightly disputes sound, there always seem to be more kittens appearing a few months later. Perhaps that, too, is part of the secret wisdom of cats: fight loudly, sleep deeply, and forgive quickly…

About Mark Manuel

The above thoughts/content has been proudly copied from the wall of Sir Mark Manuel. Being interviewing almost every role model of this country and going stronger each day. Mark Manuel is a respected Mumbai editor, writer, and columnist.

With over three decades of journalism in leading publications. This includes the Free Press Journal, Times, Dainik Bhaskar, Mid-Day, and Afternoon. He is famous for his brilliant pen interviews. He himself is a TEDx speaker.

Further

His interviews have featured in several leading media houses. They include the Hindustan Times, Huffington Post, BBC, and Network 18. Almost every famous person has been interviewed by him in the country from Mother Teresa to Muhammad Ali. His first book is just out. It’s titled Moryaa Re! It is a crime thriller that is perhaps the country’s first police procedural. He began his career covering crime. And in a tribute to his experience and knowledge of this beat.

Several distinguished officers of the Mumbai Police and its Crime Branch collaborated with him to make this book possible. Amitabh Bachchan wrote the forward in a statement of friendship for Mark Manuel and admiration for his work.

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