The Fourth Monkey

 The fourth monkey

              “Ours is the most peaceful forest in the world,” said Mariappa, the proud teacher monkey of the kadi forest school.

              Thimmappa, the student monkey said, “But, Sir! I have heard that some hunters have come to hunt us....”

              “Shut up! Thimma , haven’t I taught you not to see, hear or speak evil things.”

              “But sir! This is a serious matter. Our life can be in danger.”

              “Don’t worry, Thimma, as far as you don’t see those evil hunters or hear their gun shots or speak ill of them, we are out of danger.”

               ‘Dun Dun,’ the bell rang. It was lunch break.

              Bharathi Thimma’s friend also asserted on teacher’s words, by saying, “Look at the forest floor, it’s so peaceful, no sign of hunters nor any beast. Don’t you hear the lovely singing of the birds! So, there is no need to worry. Believe the teacher, he knows the best.”

              Still confused he jumped from branch to branch to go to his home for lunch. On reaching home, he asked his mother, “Mummy! I heard that hunters have come to hunt us down.”

              “Yes, Thimma, I did hear it from your father. He was saying that our guards have spotted four hunters near the great river,” affirmed his mother.

              “That’s bad. Mummy! Do you believe in my teacher’s old saying that as far as we don’t see those bad hunters or hear their gunshots or speak ill of them, we are out of danger?”

              “Yes. It’s true. Oh! Thimma you are wasting your time. You will be late to school. Have your lunch. Mangoes are very juicy.”

              As Thimma grabbed his share of mangoes, he said, “So, you too believe it. But I don’t believe it. How can we be safe if they are constantly searching for an opportunity to hunt us down?”

              “Oh! Thimma, you are worrying unnecessarily. You may not believe in the saying, but you can have trust in our guards. They will warn us of any danger, even before it comes.”

              “Yah! I know that. But...”

              “Thimma! You will be late get going, stop worrying and focus on your studies.”

              “Ok! Mom, Bye!”

              Bharathi was looking out of the class room wondering about Thimma. Teacher noticed her and asked, “What’s the matter, Bharathi?”

              “Sir, Thimma has not yet come back. I wonder where he is!” replied Bharathi.

              Thimma was on his way to the great river. He was determined to find out, what the hunters were up to. But, he had to be careful not to be noticed by the monkey guards as well as the hunters. So, he took the long route through the dense forest. As he reached the eastern part of the forest, he could hear some wired sounds.

              “What kind of beast is this!” he thought.

              As he cautiously moved towards the sound, he was horror struck, to see a huge iron beast ruthlessly cutting down the trees. He also noticed that the hunters were controlling the beast. One of the hunters noticed Thimma and aimed at him. But before he could shoot, Thimma began to swing back towards the great tree.

              As Thimma made his way, he sounded the alarm, “Ki Ki Hee Hee Ki.” He was so loud that all the guards along the river bank heard him. Thus, all those who heard the alarm rushed to the great tree.

Now the great tree is a meeting spot for all the monkeys when the alarm is sounded. Before Thimma could reach, the monkeys and some other animals had gathered at the great tree. Everyone was confused as to why the alarm was sounded.

Finally Thimma reached. He silenced the crowd and spoke up, “I had been to the eastern edge of our forest. There I saw a great iron beast, controlled by the hunters. It was destroying trees. And it is making its way towards us.”

There was a total silence. Everyone was terrified. Then the teacher monkey shouted at Thimma, “You idiot Thimma, how many times I have told you not to see, hear or speak evil things. Let those evil hunters bare their own sins.”

“But!”

Thimma was interrupted by a great wise owl, “You monkeys are fools. You think by not seeing or hearing or speaking evil, you can be safe. No, you cannot. How come you have forgotten the great fourth monkey of your race? He was the one who overheard the evil plans of the masters of the great river to send the flood to the forest. He had not kept quiet, but rather he had spoken of it to your ancestors. That’s how they got to the higher grounds and saved themselves.”

By then the monkey king, Raja, had reached the spot. He rebuked the owl by saying, “So, now you owl of bad omen! Are you saying our three wise monkeys were fools to tell us not to see, hear or speak evil?”

              “No! my Lord, not at all. I am just saying, what your great fourth wise monkey had said. Didn’t he say that unless you see or hear the evil, you will not know, how evil it is and how to defend yourself against it. And that you need to speak of the evil you have experienced so that others may be ready to face it, when it comes.”

              The great Prophet monkey, Nathan, spoke up, “That’s true. Today Thimma has become our fourth monkey. He has spoken the evil that he has seen and has warned us. We must prepare to defend ourselves.”

              One of the guards said, “But we cannot fight the hunters, they have guns. We will die for sure.”

              “Defending does not mean fighting. We must flee from here before we are hunted down.”

              Timma said, “But! Where can we go?”

              Nathan looked at Raja and said, “We cannot keep running forever.”

              Raja felt helpless and said, “Oh! The great wise owl, you have roomed the earth. You know more than us. Please help us to find a safe place.”

              Since the owl didn’t respond, Nathan too requested it by saying, “You are our only hope, my friend.”

              Owl thought for a while and said, “Yes, I think I can help you. Yesterday, i had been to the other side of the great river. There I had seen some humans with guns.”

              Thimma interrupted, “What! Are they hunters?”

“I too doubted. But for my surprise, they did not hunt; rather they chased away the hunters and saved a bear from being hunted.”

Raja interrupted, “So you think they will save us.”

“I don’t know. But when I followed them I saw that they lived at the edge of the forest.”

“So, how does that help us?”

“May be if all the animals from this part of the forest migrate to their part, they may notice us. If the forest spirit wills, they may help us by chasing away the hunters.”

“That’s a good idea. Listen! My fellow monkeys and freinds we shall move towards the river. The guards will lead us,” announced Raja.

So, all the monkeys along with other animals and birds moved towards the river. Owl and other birds scanned the entire forest to see if anyone was left behind.

“River is too strong for the young babies and the old like me,” expressed Nathan.

The commander of the guards commanded his team to form a floating monkey bridge across the river. The young and the old monkeys and some smaller animals walked on the monkey bridge. While the other stronger beasts crossed on their own.

The Owl looking at the large number of animals, crossing over commented, “This is the largest exodus I have ever seen.”

It took almost entire night for all the animals to cross over to the other side. So many, had crossed that not a single leaf shed by the trees could reach the ground.

“Listen, You animals of kadi forest, we need to make lot of noise to draw the attention of those humans,” announced the owl throughout the forest.

The humans, who heard the noise, were horrified and ran away. Owl noticed it and communicated to others.

“What will we do now? Who will save us?” expressed Raja.

Then out of nowhere they heard a sound coming from above. All saw up. It was a giant iron bird. It was scanning the forest for something.

“Is it searching for prey? May be our noise attracted it,” said Thimma.

“No, I don’t think so. I have seen it before. Let me find out,” said the owl.

It was a helicopter of those humans. They were trying to figure out the cause of the exodus. The owl was happy and satisfied to see them. It tried to get the attention of the humans and guided them to the region were the hunters where. On finding the hunters, they got more men to get hold of the hunters. Thus, after a long gun fight, some hunters were killed and others were arrested.

“Finally we are at peace. We have our forest back,” proclaimed the owl. With great joy and a sense of peace, the home return journey began.

Ever since that day of exodus, Thimma was called by the greatest title of the forest, the fourth monkey. The Teacher monkey too was impressed. From that day onwards he began to teach the principle of the fourth monkey, “See, Hear, Speak and Act. In other words, know the evil, let other know it and finally act against it like the fourth monkey. ”

 

 

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Dog or God!

No vehicle passed by that street. And no street light was on. Savita was walking in the dark.

"Oh! Isn't this the street where Ranjini was murdered? ” She thought.

She trembled with fear, as she heard the footsteps.

“My God I should have stayed at the railway station.”

Her heart beat increased as the footsteps increased.

“Oh God! Uncle promised he would personally pick me up. Goal……."

She was horrified as the footsteps got quicker. Suddenly the barking of a dog was heard. 

"Ha! The footsteps seem to fade away. ”

Barking became louder. She was frightened, when the dog jumped on her.

“Help! Help! ” She screamed.

But to her surprise the dog was friendly. Street lights came on. She was staring into the dog's eyes.

“Now I remember you, Jimmy. You have grown a lot. ”

She was filled with gratitude for Jimmy's presence and whispered, “Thank you god.”

Autumn or spring, the roots are the same…

 

Rajdhani Express bus halted at Hosabettu bus stop. A beautiful young lady, Niru alighted from the bus and began to walk hurriedly towards the west. In no time she was standing in front of the Ashram, which had given her a new life. Her mind began to recollect with nostalgia those days, which she had spent in the Ashram. She could vividly remember her first day at the Ashram. On that day, for the first time in her entire childhood, she had a permanent roof above her head. She was just 10 then. Even now after 16 years, her heart is filled with gratitude, as she recalls her happy days at Ashram.

Her eyes began to search for her Guruji, Ravi Shankar. She had longed and longed to see him. She ran towards his room, only to find him on his death bed. With her trembling feet, she moved closer to the bed, touched her guru's feet, and cried, “Guruji!”

Guruji opened his eyes and immediately recognized Niru. Tears rolled down his eyes as his mind recaptured those days when he had found Niru begging for food on the street. Those were the days when he was young and had a great desire to serve the street children and to give them a bright future. Niru was one of the first batches of children, he had gathered from the city's streets. Today that same Niru was before him with her degree. He was overwhelmed to see Niru after a long time and found no words to express his joy. But his eyes communicated this to her and he asked her in his feeble voice, “How are you, my child?”

Niru with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face replied, “Guruji, by your grace, I have completed my MSW. Now I am back to be your servant and to be sister to those children like me in the street. ”

The smile faded away from Guruji's face, as he struggled to say, “Bheti, I know that you love our Ashram more than yourself. I clearly remember, during your holidays you used to come with me to the city to seek and find the lost children. You took care of them like a mother. But, my child, I am saddened to tell you that our Ashram no longer exists. It's almost a year, since we closed it down. ”

Niru lost her balance and she held the edge of the bed and looked at Guruji with anxiety. She was horror-stricken for she could not believe what she had heard.

“Bheti, I was helpless. That day while returning to Ashram, after you boarded the train to Mumbai, I met with a fatal accident. My back and my legs were paralyzed forever. I was no longer fit to run our Ashram. Moreover, my own son Raju, refused to be my successor and went back to London. I had no other person, whom I could trust …………. ”

Recovering from the shock, Niru inquired, “What happened to our cook, warden and watchman?”

“Bheti, the funds had dried up. So, as I could not pay their salary, all left the place, except Tanu, our cook, she cooks for me and takes care of me like a mother. As you know she has no one. Ever since she came here as a cook she has loved this place and she has great regard for me just like you. ”

“Yes, Guruji, she has been my mother ever since I came to the Ashram. I learnt the meaning of life in her lap. She loves every single child who walks into this Ashram. Speaking of the child, where are our children? ”

“As I could no longer take care of them, I had approached a NGO in the city for help and they agreed to take our children to their orphanage. They are happy there. ”

“Guruji! Why did you do that? Why didn't you tell me, when I had phoned you so many times? Am I not worthy of your trust! ”

“No, Bheti… You have been my dear child ever since you came to this Ashram. You have been my faithful disciple. How can I not trust you! Furthermore, I did not want to interrupt your studies. I knew that you would leave everything and come here to help me. ”

Niru falling on her knees said, “Guruji, now that I have come back, I will not stop till I restore our Ashram back to life as it was before. Bless me, Guruji. ”

Moved with joy and gratitude Guruji whispered with tears, “May God be with you, my child. From now onwards you are my son and my successor. ”

Niru, with Guruji's blessing, set to work immediately. She used Facebook to contact her college friends. Funds began to for in for the Ashram. She even formed a network of volunteers for the Ashram. She used this network to gather street children. She also opened a Website which attracted more volunteers and funds. Within a year Ashram was back to life.

Guruji's joy knew no bounds, when he realized that his Ashram was restored with new life. But he knew that his end was at hand. So, he longed to spend his last moments with Niru. He said, “Now, I am ready to rest in peace. But my heart only aches to know that I could not make my son as human as you… ”

Surprised by the sudden change of tone, Niru interrupted, “That's not true, Guruji. Your son has realized the value of life. He wants to come back to help you with your great works. But he has his responsibility as a father and as a husband. By the way, 40% of the funds of the Ashram are his contribution. To add to that he has arranged for more funds through his friends. ”

“Niru, my child, are you trying to comfort me with these lies?” exclaimed Guruji in utter disbelief.

“Guruji! You know that I would never lie to you, ”said Niru, as her heart skipped a beat.

“Is it true? Goal! How can I believe it? He has never called me ... I have longed to hear from him. And when did he marry! ”

“How could he face you, Guruji? He feels guilty for having refused you to take charge of the Ashram. He is afraid that you may not forgive him… Moreover, he has very limited holidays… ”

Before she could finish, there was a knock on the door.

“Dad, forgive me… I know father, I don't deserve it…” a voice was heard from the doorstep.

“My son, Raju, you have come back… My ears are blessed to have heard your voice before I breathe my last. Come, my son, come. ”

Raju refused to enter the room and pleaded, “Father unless you forgive me, I will not step in.”

As the tears rolled down his eyes, Guruji said, “My son, you know that I cannot keep a grudge against anyone. Then will I not forgive you, my son. Come in my son I have forgiven you. ”

“Dad, I had longed for this day. Father, I could not wait to see you and confess a truth that was hidden within me. So, I flew as soon as I got my leave, ”said Raju as ran and hugged his father.

Guruji was stunned and exclaimed, “A truth!”

“Yes, Papa, the truth behind my return to London. That day I didn't have the courage to tell you the truth. But now, I want you to know the truth. Papa, during my studies in London, I had loved a girl called Gena, who is the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in London. Her father was planning to get her married to one of his business partners. But she loved me and wanted to marry me. If not she was ready to commit suicide. Even I loved her and wanted to marry her. So, I had to go back to London on that day. Father, now I have a three-month-old daughter. ”

“My son, forgive me, I never thought of your future and I never asked what you wanted to do with your life. I always made choice for you and never placed a choice before you. It's all my fault. ”

“No, father, no. It's nobody's fault, it's only our fate. Maybe I don't deserve to be your successor. It's Niru, who should be your successor, father. Moreover, she has commitment and love for the Ashram. She will give her entire self for the Ashram. ”

“Yes, Raju, you are right, it's all our fate. And it's Niru's right that she should be my successor. Niru, come here… You are my successor… or rather you are the founder of the restored Ashram. ”

“No! Guruji, I am only a servant. I am not worthy of it. You should remain the Master of this Ashram and I should serve you, ”exclaimed Niru with an anxious tone.

“No Niru, my time has come. My child, don't refuse your guru's last wish ... As your Guru and father I have never given you anything… and now I have nothing to give to you, except the tree of wisdom. Do you remember Niru, I had planted it when you came to this Ashram. Today it has become a mighty tree. Niru, mark my words. It's the tree of wisdom. It has taught me many life lessons. One of those lessons is this: it becomes lifeless during autumn by shedding all its leaves. And spring brings it back to new life with new shoots. But the roots of the tree remain the same throughout. So, also this Ashram has gone through autumn and now it's in spring. So, don't forget, autumn or spring, the roots are the same ie Faith, Hope and Love, ”with those golden words Guruji breathed his last.

After the funeral, Raju went back to London and continued to help Niru, with the funds for the Ashram. Niru took over the Ashram as the successor of her Guruji. She renamed the Ashram as 'Guruji's Wisdom Tree.'

The ashram was flourishing with newness. Everything was at peace, except Niru's heart. She longed to do more for humanity. She built a network of all the organizations which worked for social development. In this network, there was an organization, which worked for sex workers. She thought that the sex workers, who wanted to free themselves from their past, would be able to do it along with her children, who were trying to build a better future. So, she built small house-like structures and placed a recovered sex worker with two or three children to live as a family. It worked a wonder. As a result of Niru's faith, the Hopeless women had found hope of life in their new children, and the children had found a love of a mother.

Slowly her work attracted the attention of the world. She became the icon of hope for many children and women, who had no hope of the future. She was on top of the world when it came to social work. She won many awards. But, she never forgot her Guru's last words. In fact, no one could ever forget those words, because she had inscribed them on the entrance of the Ashram.

“Autumn or spring, the roots are the same ie Faith, Hope and Love.”