War of Apes

This gang war story did not make it to the celluloid though it was not of any lesser fierce. Ramgopal Varma may not have noticed this because it did not happen in the dark alleys of Mumbai but in the serene divine backdrop of Sasthamkotta. And the characters are not the customary, predictably rough looking guys with stubs but otherwise innocent monkeys, and that too hundreds of them. One gang belongs to where pretty much all gangs belong to. Bazaar. What is unusual is the headquarter of the second gang. They have a divine backing as their think-tank operates out of the famous Lord Ayyappan temple. You know that gangs are territorial and they are very intolerant about intruders. Things are not vey different here too. The temple gang tempted by their lower instincts strays into the souk. The need of prayer is indeed a need. Even for criminals. The bazaar gang hence visits the temple. And the commandment, thou shall not cross the territory, is broken. Let there be war, proclaims the chieftains. For a moment there is a silence and a sudden squeal. The populace of the town cringes and shivers as the war progress.

Like Mumbai gang war, here too the government interferes once in a while. The entire simian community recalls such an intrusion with terror. A bunch of encounter specialists, specially hired from Delhi, efficiently trapped hundreds of them couple of years ago. Their potent weapon, a machine that mimics the screech of a monkey who is in danger, was too much for the chimps. They were trapped in huge metal cages. The tendency to help those who are in trouble is an animal instinct. Fortunately Mother Nature did not pass this unproductive behavior to human beings. Lucky we.

The godfather of the temple gang however is not a monkey but a rich NRI. He has stashed heaps of money in the bank to feed this herd. The downtrodden bazaar folks rely on their skills to lift bananas or other edibles from the shops. They get sandwiched between the irked shopkeepers and the other gang. They take life as it comes.

I could not spend much time in Sasthamkotta as it was late in the day. I was not planning to reach here inthe first instance. But what I saw and felt was so very charming thatI want to go back. It’s a collage of stillness, verdant topography, incredibly clean freshwater lake and unpretentious people. Folks, I am love-struck.