---------- Forwarded message --------- From: 'N Sekar' via iyer123 <[email protected]> Date: Sat, Dec 2, 2023 at 6:45 PM Subject: [iyer123] Snippets - Sitendra Kumar - Monkeys of Vrindavan To: Chittanandam V. R. <[email protected]>, Rangarajan T.N.C. < [email protected]>, Mathangi K. Kumar <[email protected]>, Iyer <[email protected]>, Kerala Iyer <[email protected]>, Yeddanapudi Markandeyulu <[email protected]>, Srinivasan Sridharan < [email protected]>
Thanks Chittanandam Sir. I *endorse totally* what has been written and particularly about the monkeys as I was a victim myself when we went to Vrindavan in 2017; except in my case the monkey snatched it after we sat in an auto rickshaw (where I felt it was safe to wear them) - where it came from, how it saw me wearing my glasses AFTER I sat in the auto, how it snatched my glasses in a jiffy, are beyond me - maya jal. I was careful from the beginning, heeding my Guide's suggestion to keep my glasses in a bag and not wear/ display them, but wore them after I sat in the auto as I felt more comfortable as they were tinted glasses. After the usual "negotiations" as described in the article, I got them back - not handed over politely but it threw them after chewing them a bit so I had to get them repaired before I could wear them again. The problem was when I chose to throw the mango carton ( I was confident of my throwing ability as I had played street cricket in my school days) but to my anguish and dismay, the carton fell well short of the short distance; (he / she was sitting on the roof of a nearby building and we were on the street). Some other monkey came in between and took the juice. My wife added salt to my injured ego as she had told me beforehand to give the carton to our Guide and not to try anything silly. I could see the "I told you so" expression on her face although she never uttered a word. I remembered the Tamizh film song starring Jaishankar and Jayalalitha (Yaar Nee?) "Parvai Ondre Podhume, Pallyarim Sol Venduma?" meaning Öne look is enough who needs words?". Then to my relief my Guide chose to throw it and horror of horrors, he also faltered and the same story was repeated and seeing all these, some passer by helped us by an accurate throw. It was sight to be seen, laughed at and enjoyed thoroughly except that you should not be the victim. Your readers might have enjoyed the article penned by Atul Joshi and sent by Sri Sitendra Kumar more but my feeling was one of sympathy and commiserations, as I have first hand experience. For others it might a laughing matter; Poor Souls - they know not what it means to get your glasses snatched from you violently and in a fraction of a second. I will pardon them. More than the temples we visited at Vrindavan this incident became the talking point when I narrated it to my relatives and friends. It is a small consolation to know I am not alone and have good company. Regarding the last line in the article, there is a saying in Tamizh "Kurangilirundu pirndavan manithan" - parinama valarchi. So I feel we humans have inherited this trait than the other way around. N Sekar On Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 05:15:16 PM GMT+4, Chittanandam V R < [email protected]> wrote: *Received from Shri Sitendra Kumar* *Doing business with smart simians* Atul Joshi *ON a recent visit to Vrindavan, two observations were unmistakable. One involved the all-pervasive, sweet manner of salutation. Whomsoever we met greeted us with a chant of Radhey Radhey. From rickshaw-pullers to shopkeepers, from priests to beggars, everyone would say the same magical words with uncanny familiarity. Once, when I said ‘thank you’ to someone, I was immediately instructed to say Radhey Radhey instead. In a couple of hours, we were imbued with this amiable local custom.* *The other practical advice given to us was to take our spectacles off and keep them safely tucked in our pockets. There were monkeys all around and they had devised an ingenious method to grab people’s eyewear. Anyone venturing in the streets, ignorant of their modus operandi, was an instant victim. Suddenly, an adventurous simian would appear from nowhere, take off the glasses of the unwary person and perch on a nearby building, well within the blurred sight of the sufferer. The ‘negotiations’ to get back the spectacles would then start. No amount of bullying or cajoling seemed to work. A knowledgeable local resident would then step in and disclose a workable plan. At his erudite suggestion, a yellow carton of mango juice of a popular brand needed to be procured and handed over to the guileful monkey. The way this exchange would take place was a sight to behold. The creature would mimic a cordial business exchange as if two high-ranking emissaries were swapping files after signing an agreement. The monkey would hand over the spectacles and gleefully take the carton to enjoy the juice at the expense of the hapless victim.* *Such incidents occurred with clockwork precision during the two days of my stay. Every couple of hours, I would see from my room’s window a crowd watching the unfolding drama whose protagonist was an enterprising ape with its prized possession. One could not help marvelling at the ingenuity of our ‘brethren’ separated by an evolutionary cycle. At the same time, it was amusing to see some devotees stagger on the uneven streets without their spectacles. One of them commented in exasperation when he stumbled on missing a step: ‘Cannot wear spectacles for fear of being robbed, but cannot see clearly without them.’* *On the day of my departure, I was witness to another memorable episode. I was startled to note that our very own victorious ape had refused the mango juice carton. While I stood there transfixed, the watchman came and replaced the yellow carton with a red one of mixed fruit juice. Now, the exchange proceeded as smoothly as before. The watchman explained that some monkeys might have got bored of the mango juice and changed their preference to the mixed fruit variety. I wondered that perhaps these monkeys were not lagging too far behind humans in greedily satisfying their needs.* - Atul Joshi ******************************* Chittanandam -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "iyer123" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/iyer123/203880704.457818.1701528316493%40mail.yahoo.com <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/iyer123/203880704.457818.1701528316493%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> . -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CABC81Zf9puxANYnUYScg4-Z-nA2Z_pbYHxDapzOX6UEyQvYtrg%40mail.gmail.com.
