It was a mid-day. Bhunte’s herd was near the river bank. Everyone in the herd was lazily grazing. They were scrapping out the grasses with their front foot and smashing the grasses on another front foot to get rid of mud and dirt and then, were feeding on them. While Bhunte was dawdling around smelling dungs, shooing away Mynas and playing with his trunk, he felt thirsty and went to the nearby river. While he was drinking, he saw a large fellow somersaulting and splashing amidst the river. Bhunte was curious, again. This fellow with a snout and the soft shiny-coat came floating towards Bhunte and jumped again. Bhunte too got drenched with that splash. With a very friendly attitude, this fellow whistled and introduced himself- “Hellooo, my brother, I am Chantu. A river dolphin. I am very happy to meet you.” He whistled again. Bhunte too spread his ears and trumpeted and started randomly running and following his new friend- Chantu. Chantu used to dive in and whirl on the air and again- ‘Splassshhh’. Bhunte was so happy- he ran along the river bank, while Chantu floated swiftly. Chantu whistled and Bhunte trumpeted. The entire forests and river bank joyously relished a new symphony! However, both Bhunte and Chantu were unaware about the fate of their abodes and their existence. Many of Chantus get trapped in the fishing nets, embankments/ dams, and lose their lives. Over-exploitation and river-poisoning caused by booming populations of humans have risked their existence and survival. Known for their human-like personality and intelligence, dolphins are also called ‘non-human persons’. While Bhunte and Chantu were engrossed in enjoying their new friendship- their future hushed!