Monkeys

It is said that we all have evolved from primates. Monkeys are said to be one of our most resembling animals in the world. There are a lot of expressions and sayings related with monkeys like cheeky monkey, don't monkey around, monkey business, and many more. We often call the naughty members in our family or friends as 'monkeys'. Monkeys have also been portrayed in many movies. In the 'Night at the Museum' franchise, the monkey, Dexter is shown as a very funny and sometimes irritating monkey. In the 'Jungle Book', monkeys are shown in the 'Monkey Temple', under the leadership of King Louie. I don't really like monkeys, but in India, they are available all around. On the pavement, near ancient monuments, in small, shady alleys and basically everywhere. In New Delhi, you will find monkeys with light brown fur and reddish-pink faces. In Ahmedabad, most of the monkey population is dominated by langur, a monkey with white fur, black faces and extra-long tails. Over the years, I have had quite a few interactions with monkeys. So, here are some of the anecdotes related to monkeys and human interactions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mr. A ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He hears a weird noise. A knock at his window. A. was in a shock after hearing it as he was the only person in the periphery. Half asleep, he looks over at the window. There he sees not one, but two monkeys, looking at him mischievously.

Those were the monkeys he fed peanuts to yesterday, he realizes, trying to wake up. After a while, he gets up and goes over to the roof. He brings some more peanuts to feed the monkeys.

The next morning, the monkeys return to wake A. up and get their breakfast. A. continues to feed them. This little interaction goes on for a few days.

One day, A. gets up very late. He was in a very sound sleep and didn't remember if the monkeys had come or not. Dressing himself, he went downstairs and found the monkeys waiting for him, in front of the main gate. He smiles and goes into the kitchen. He finds just what he was looking for - watermelons!

He breaks one into two and gives it to the monkeys to eat. They eat happily.

Now the monkeys come regularly and A. feeds them breakfast every day. He has got his natural morning alarm ready!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mrs. M ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She goes up to the balcony of her house, looking outside. A big tree lies in front of her eyes. There, she sees a langur. White fur, a black face and an extra-long tail.

She calls her father and says in the cute voice of a child, "पापा, बड़ा मंकी आ गया! बड़ा बड़ा मंकी आ गया!"

{Papa, a big big monkey has come! A big big monkey has come!}

Her father laughs at her.

Years later, he talks about these short encounters of the child with the monkey on the tree to his granddaughter who laughs and imagines her mother saying this when she was a child.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ms. D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She was in the balcony, watching the view. An apartment, a big park which flooded into a lake in the monsoons, and a main road. Just as she was about to turn back and go into the house, she feels something on my nose.

Something soft.

And fuzzy.

Her eyes could see the gray colour of the object near her nose. Turning around, D. was in full view of a real life gravy langur.

Terrified, she ran into the house, screaming at full volume. Her parents run and come to console her. D. tells them what happened.

When her father went out to investigate, he saw nothing. The langur was probably scared by the commotion caused by her high-pitched screaming.

~~~~~~~~~~~~ MR. A AND MS. D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mrs. M had left the house to go for taking a workshop. A. and D. were left alone. They decide to take an afternoon nap. A. was trying to put his daughter, D. to sleep, but ended up sleeping himself!

Slowly, D. gets up and starts reading on her study table.

She hears the utensils clanking.

She gets up and goes into full Detective mode. She walks quietly across the corridor and leans against the wall at the corner. Turning her neck to look towards the kitchen, she find a monkey, no, a langur! It was simply sitting there, near the basin.

She had several lollipops in their packets on the fridge for her to enjoy later, peacefully. The langur was literally chewing the plastic wrapper of the lollipop. She slowly went into my room, shaking her father mercilessly to wake him up. He gets up and D. says, "पापा, घर में एक लंगूर है , जल्दी उठो!!!"

{Papa, there's a langur in the house, get up fast!!!}

He gets up, quick as a wink and goes over to console the langur. He shoos it away bravely, like a warrior. D. become so happy that the langur was finally out of the house.

Suddenly, she realizes the reality: THE LANGUR CHEWED HER LOLLIPOPS!!!

She went to the dustbin and to throw them away.

They brought some more lollipops for her later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These are some anecdotes that I could recall from the recent few years. In favour of the monkeys, I believe that monkeys are shown to be very mischievous and child-like in the movies and in books, but in reality, they are a mix of naughty and patient. I have seen monkeys patiently eating bananas, like humans, after peeling them. Baby monkeys look so cute when they hang on to their mothers, when they learn to climb or have little fights with each other, they look so funny and interesting. It is truly like seeing a silent comedy, with occasional fits of monkey laughter. What do you think of monkeys? Do you have as many monkeys in your country as I have in India? What are your weird monkey anecdotes?