“Tiger”

The day a dog became “Tiger” is one of my favourite stories, and today I’m sharing it with you.

Years ago, at Northpoint Centre of Learning (Mumbai), visiting faculty Adi Pocha (ex-Creative Director Lintas; founder Squircle Productions) shared a story that permanently rewired my understanding of positioning.

Imagine the first time in human history someone named a dog “Tiger.”

Adi took us to a small village long ago. A man insists on calling his little dog “Tiger.”

The villagers mock him. 
Ridicule him.

“That’s not a tiger. That’s just a dog!”

The man becomes an outcast for this absurd naming. His neighbours avoid him. The name becomes a village joke.

Then one night, while everyone sleeps, a real tiger approaches the settlement.

The little dog (tied outside, alone) sees it first.

He barks. And barks. And doesn’t stop. Fierce, relentless, unafraid. His barking wakes one villager, then another, then everyone. The commotion builds. The real tiger, facing an awakened village, retreats into darkness.

The village survives because a little dog had courage when it mattered.

That morning, something shifts. The same villagers who mocked now understand. They don’t just accept the name “Tiger” they insist on it.

Because the dog didn’t just claim courage. He demonstrated it when everything was at stake.