<p>The bus to Hutti stopped on NH-4 in Tumkur. My parents and I alighted to grab some refreshments. On a bench, under a tree, sat a man holding the cutest baby monkey with soft golden fur. Five years old and curious, I made a beeline towards it. The adorable simian inspected the glittering gem on my ear intently; then went for my hair in a big way. It started yanking the tresses hard before my parents whisked me away to the safety of the bus. I guess they didn’t want to have me looking like Sinead O’Connor!<br />This is the first tryst I remember having had with the primates; our ancestors. There has been many a monkey encounter since. My paternal grand-parents’ house with its plethora of fruit trees was a dream haven for these ultimate mischief-mongers. They used to gaily swing from one branch to another chattering gleefully, ruthlessly wrench unripe guavas, sapotas and pomegranates; take a bite or two testily before flinging and spitting them away in conclusive rejection.<br /><br />Our dog used to gape in amazement at these incorrigible, dexterous creatures, so resembling humans; yet somewhat different — not knowing what to make of them. He would then go barking and chasing after them, then stand beneath the guava tree hoping to get hold of their tails. He would get hard guava pot-shots from atop for his troubles! In this Canine vs Simian battle, the latter were the indisputable victors!<br /><br />I was feeling quite blue when we’d visited Nandi Hills a few years ago. As I listlessly moved towards the window, something snapped me to attention. Monkeys! — Hoards of them performing like professional trapeze artistes using the chairs kept outside as props! My spirits soared. My mom sensed this and promptly narrated an incident which had me rolling on the floor with laughter.<br /><br />A part of her childhood, I believe, was spent in a colony called US club in Shimla. The clothes used to be hung on the terrace of their flat and one fine day they found some of their habiliments gone. An army of monkeys sitting some distance away had seized them. One of them was trying to drape my grand mum’s sari on and another had worn my baby aunt’s knickers on its head like a bonnet! Soon weary of this pastime, they threw the clothes and marched off in search of more worthwhile pursuits.<br /><br />By association, one remembers the ‘Bogeyman monkey scare’ that had gripped Delhi in 2001. These series of incidents, I think, have been portrayed by Rakesh Omprakash Mehra who has given them a symbolic connotation in his film ‘Delhi-6’. Author Kiran Desai’s ‘Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard’ has many a hilarious moment revolving around monkeys.<br /><br />Inspiration to creative people, sheer fun for the others… at age 5, 25, 50 or 100, clearly monkey antics never cease to fascinate humans!</p>
<p>The bus to Hutti stopped on NH-4 in Tumkur. My parents and I alighted to grab some refreshments. On a bench, under a tree, sat a man holding the cutest baby monkey with soft golden fur. Five years old and curious, I made a beeline towards it. The adorable simian inspected the glittering gem on my ear intently; then went for my hair in a big way. It started yanking the tresses hard before my parents whisked me away to the safety of the bus. I guess they didn’t want to have me looking like Sinead O’Connor!<br />This is the first tryst I remember having had with the primates; our ancestors. There has been many a monkey encounter since. My paternal grand-parents’ house with its plethora of fruit trees was a dream haven for these ultimate mischief-mongers. They used to gaily swing from one branch to another chattering gleefully, ruthlessly wrench unripe guavas, sapotas and pomegranates; take a bite or two testily before flinging and spitting them away in conclusive rejection.<br /><br />Our dog used to gape in amazement at these incorrigible, dexterous creatures, so resembling humans; yet somewhat different — not knowing what to make of them. He would then go barking and chasing after them, then stand beneath the guava tree hoping to get hold of their tails. He would get hard guava pot-shots from atop for his troubles! In this Canine vs Simian battle, the latter were the indisputable victors!<br /><br />I was feeling quite blue when we’d visited Nandi Hills a few years ago. As I listlessly moved towards the window, something snapped me to attention. Monkeys! — Hoards of them performing like professional trapeze artistes using the chairs kept outside as props! My spirits soared. My mom sensed this and promptly narrated an incident which had me rolling on the floor with laughter.<br /><br />A part of her childhood, I believe, was spent in a colony called US club in Shimla. The clothes used to be hung on the terrace of their flat and one fine day they found some of their habiliments gone. An army of monkeys sitting some distance away had seized them. One of them was trying to drape my grand mum’s sari on and another had worn my baby aunt’s knickers on its head like a bonnet! Soon weary of this pastime, they threw the clothes and marched off in search of more worthwhile pursuits.<br /><br />By association, one remembers the ‘Bogeyman monkey scare’ that had gripped Delhi in 2001. These series of incidents, I think, have been portrayed by Rakesh Omprakash Mehra who has given them a symbolic connotation in his film ‘Delhi-6’. Author Kiran Desai’s ‘Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard’ has many a hilarious moment revolving around monkeys.<br /><br />Inspiration to creative people, sheer fun for the others… at age 5, 25, 50 or 100, clearly monkey antics never cease to fascinate humans!</p>
