GILLU

To be very specific, It was the 10th of September’ 2026. We found him dead. Replaying the whole situation. I thought again an animal has fallen down. I live on the ground floor, and for us, this has become quiet very normal. Every few days, a pigeon, squirrel, or some other small creature finds its way into our shaft and gets trapped because it cannot climb back up. A day ago, in afternoon I heard some voice coming from the shaft. I went and saw a squirrel sitting in a corner, terrified and shivering. I had rescued more than two squirrels over the past year, so I thought I could help her as well.. I went, took water, nuts with me to make her feel comfy and tried my best for her to trust me. But she didn’t come near me. So after 30–45 minutes I finally gave up and went back to my room. In the evening, my father returned from work and happened to open the shaft window. There he saw the squirrel lying motionless. We thought that she might have died so he asked for a polythene to put her in it and bury her in the tree outside my house. As he touched her, the squirrel moved slightly. He immediately called me. I gently picked her up and began rubbing her body to keep her warm. At that point of time, I remembered my 9th class Hindi chapter “Gillu” by Mahadevi Verma. Ever since I read that chapter, I had always wanted to rescue a squirrel. And today was the day. I dipped a cotton ball in water and gently squeezed a few drops into her mouth. I gently rubbed her body and gave her warmth from my hand. But it was not enough. I quickly asked my brother to get a woollen cloth and a carton or bowl. Then I gently placed her in the container and wrapped her in the woollen cloth. I searched the internet and got to know that at this time it is very important to give the squirrels warmth and keep them in hot temperature. I tucked her inside my blanket and continuously rubbed her gently to keep her warm .Of course, a part of blanket was kept open to let oxygen come in properly. I did this process for 1.5–2 hours. She became stable and was breathing properly. It was around 11 pm, I kept her near with me only in the blanket and went to sleep. Around 1 am, I woke up and checked on her. I was devastated, I was heart broken. Despite all my efforts, I couldn’t save her. I don’t know what went wrong that I couldn’t give her a new life. took her outside and buried her beneath the tree in front of my house. At that moment, I felt helpless and worthless. I kept blaming myself and asking God why he had given me such love for animals if I could not save them when they needed me the most. Looking back now, I realize that not every life can be saved. For a long time, I blamed myself for not being able to save her, but maybe that was never in my control. What mattered was that she wasn’t alone. I may not have given her a new life, but I gave her warmth, care, and love in her final moments.

~Shambhavi