Jai Anjaneya!!!
Hi folks,
Something is keeping me away from this beloved space. Writer's block? ;) ...About 1&1/2 months back, I posted that nostalgic article on terraces. After that, there is this period of lull for no particular reason. Of course, regular activities or pass times keep happening like browsing, playing games online. The other day, when I was sitting and browsing and relaxing, I heard this sound of a bucket falling down. I jumped from my seat to go and check what I guessed. Yes, it was a monkey (Jai Anjaneya!!!) searching our trash can to find something to eat. The service area door was open and I immediately locked it. Otherwise, the bananas from our fruit basket would have vanished the next second.
My sense of hearing has become sharper these days. Not that I am very old or have any hearing problem. But some everyday experiences are good to make our sense organs sharper and be alert. We live in a rented apartment in Bangalore and it has glass windows, balconies and service area. All these are not covered with grills. Due to urbanization, lot of land is acquired by builders and real estate companies for high rise complexes. Lots of trees are cut and so our poor monkey cousins who jump from tree to tree are left with no option but to join and be part of these high rise buildings in search of food and water. As they are experts in climbing and jumping from tree to tree, they do not have any problem jumping from window to window and climbing up any number of floors. And yes, we have 2 to 3 monkeys in our complex. Earlier, they were there around only during summer months, but now they seem to be very fond and familiar with our building, that they have made it their home.(No need to pay in lakhs or crores or EMIs!!) They will open the taps in the service area to quench their parched throats. They know the layout of every apartment. If we keep any of the doors or windows open, the fruits are gone in the next second. Even if we keep the window glasses closed, there is no guarantee that the fruits and other food items are safe. These monkeys have become experts in opening the lock of the window from outside and they do that deftly with their hands. Whenever I manage to take an afternoon nap any time, one part of my hearing is always directed to that sound!! Any small sound, and I get panicky. Are those bananas or papayas still in the basket?? Sometimes those fears turn to reality. I find that my friend is ready to grab that bunch of bananas. I scream loudly and the monkey opens its mouth to show the beauty and sharpness of its teeth. I feel that I have developed 'monkyophonopbobia'!! These monkeys have made many of our neighbors burn their pockets as they have put grills for more safety. Even then, if the gap between grills is big enough, they manage to squeeze in. It has been noticed that they have become quite plump by having the rich food from our houses. These monkeys also need to join a weight loss program if they want to squeeze between the grills. It is always a delight to watch these monkeys' pranks like nibbling the clothes hung in balconies, trying to enter other apartment's windows as long as they are not in our houses. As for me and my friends who used to keep doors and windows open now and then to enjoy the fresh air, we see that they are closed and locked securely. Many methods were tried to drive these monkeys out like bursting crackers, catching them in a net, but nothing worked out. Sometimes, I feel we are in Kishkinta jail.
Hey, did I hear that sound again???? Jai Anjaneya!!!
Deepa.
Something is keeping me away from this beloved space. Writer's block? ;) ...About 1&1/2 months back, I posted that nostalgic article on terraces. After that, there is this period of lull for no particular reason. Of course, regular activities or pass times keep happening like browsing, playing games online. The other day, when I was sitting and browsing and relaxing, I heard this sound of a bucket falling down. I jumped from my seat to go and check what I guessed. Yes, it was a monkey (Jai Anjaneya!!!) searching our trash can to find something to eat. The service area door was open and I immediately locked it. Otherwise, the bananas from our fruit basket would have vanished the next second.
Yes, this is a monkey in our own building and not an image borrowed from google!!!
My sense of hearing has become sharper these days. Not that I am very old or have any hearing problem. But some everyday experiences are good to make our sense organs sharper and be alert. We live in a rented apartment in Bangalore and it has glass windows, balconies and service area. All these are not covered with grills. Due to urbanization, lot of land is acquired by builders and real estate companies for high rise complexes. Lots of trees are cut and so our poor monkey cousins who jump from tree to tree are left with no option but to join and be part of these high rise buildings in search of food and water. As they are experts in climbing and jumping from tree to tree, they do not have any problem jumping from window to window and climbing up any number of floors. And yes, we have 2 to 3 monkeys in our complex. Earlier, they were there around only during summer months, but now they seem to be very fond and familiar with our building, that they have made it their home.(No need to pay in lakhs or crores or EMIs!!) They will open the taps in the service area to quench their parched throats. They know the layout of every apartment. If we keep any of the doors or windows open, the fruits are gone in the next second. Even if we keep the window glasses closed, there is no guarantee that the fruits and other food items are safe. These monkeys have become experts in opening the lock of the window from outside and they do that deftly with their hands. Whenever I manage to take an afternoon nap any time, one part of my hearing is always directed to that sound!! Any small sound, and I get panicky. Are those bananas or papayas still in the basket?? Sometimes those fears turn to reality. I find that my friend is ready to grab that bunch of bananas. I scream loudly and the monkey opens its mouth to show the beauty and sharpness of its teeth. I feel that I have developed 'monkyophonopbobia'!! These monkeys have made many of our neighbors burn their pockets as they have put grills for more safety. Even then, if the gap between grills is big enough, they manage to squeeze in. It has been noticed that they have become quite plump by having the rich food from our houses. These monkeys also need to join a weight loss program if they want to squeeze between the grills. It is always a delight to watch these monkeys' pranks like nibbling the clothes hung in balconies, trying to enter other apartment's windows as long as they are not in our houses. As for me and my friends who used to keep doors and windows open now and then to enjoy the fresh air, we see that they are closed and locked securely. Many methods were tried to drive these monkeys out like bursting crackers, catching them in a net, but nothing worked out. Sometimes, I feel we are in Kishkinta jail.
Hey, did I hear that sound again???? Jai Anjaneya!!!
Deepa.
Interesting...Monkeys in cities !!I remember we had monkeys running around freely in our hometown but I was always damn scared....They would come to the muttam, open part of the kitchen etc but never into the house. We had to watch out when coming back from temple with archana thattu :) with bananas etc...
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