THE DOG WHO LED ME HOME

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It was too dark to go up the hill.
Filling the void inside me was even harder to avoid.
It was not heartbreak, nor was it helplessness.
It was an unknown force pulling me down.
Being in the third year of research, I began to question my worth.
My mother tongue was heard only through phone calls.
There was no one to tap my back and say, “I’m there for you.”
Even God felt distant.
My thoughts were louder than the silence.
I switched everything off — the lights, the induction stove, the noise inside me —
And I walked out.
I dared to walk out.
Tenhrill, Aizawl
I barely saw anyone.
Only a small shop was open in Tenhrill, Aizawl, Mizoram.
I went in and bought a packet of biscuits.
While paying, I felt something move near my feet.
A puppy.
Hardly three or four months old.
No parents. No dog parent around.
Even the shopkeeper said he had never seen the dog before.
Now, I had company.
I fed him biscuits.
His tiny teeth checked every bite carefully.
For the first time that night, my heart felt lighter.
The Walk
Hunger knocked on my stomach.
The puppy stayed beside me, walking slowly as the mist covered the hills.
Every small restaurant was closed by 8:16 p.m.
He kept walking with me.
As if he knew where I had to go.
Then he led me to a chemist shop.
Kapi
There stood an 80-year-old lady, with a warm smile.
I said softly,
“Kapi…” — Aunt in Mizo.
I asked where I could find food.
She did not understand my words, so she called her grandson.
He tried his best to speak in Hindi.
Gestures became our language.
Then she surprised me.
She invited me for dinner.
A stranger.Five minutes of knowing me.
And yet, she offered me a home.
I felt what no bachelor can buy
A family feeling.
A Simple Meal, A Deep Memory
She asked if I was vegetarian.
Then if I was pure vegetarian.
I laughed and said yes — by choice.
She smiled and began to cook.
“Alu, alu,” she said, showing with her hands.
Steam rose.
Mizoram spices filled the room.
She served rice, dal, and potato fry
On white china clay plates with european essence.
It felt like Atithi Devo Bhava.
Her grandson kept checking if I was comfortable — just as she had instructed him.
Home, Led by a Puppy
I said goodbye with gratitude in my eyes.
That little puppy…
Maybe he was not just a dog.
Maybe he was the reason I found warmth that night.
I smiled, closed my eyes,
And slept — ready for a fresh beginning.
 Why Mizoram Stays in My Heart?
In many places, parents wait for their daughters’ calls.
They ask if she reached safely,
If she is home on time,
If she is okay.
It is not control —It is concern.
But in Mizoram, something changed inside me.
Here, my parents were calm.
Not because they stopped worrying —
But because they trusted this land.
The quiet streets,
The respectful people,
The way strangers treat you like their own…
Mizoram did not just make me feel safe.
It made my family feel safe too.
This is not just a state.
This is a feeling.
This is Mizoram.

Jai Hind.

Author -
Swati Balivada
Teacher ,
 NCC ANO,
 Wellness & POCSO Counsellor.

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