Jun 16 2014 : Mirror (Pune)
No country for thinkers
SHANTA GOKHALE
|
SEPARATING THE BEST FROM THE BANAL ON OUR CULTURESCAPE Liked/hated her column? Write to Shanta Gokhale at punemirror.feedback@gmail.com Writers, particularly historians, have been persuaded, in the interests of peace in the jungle, not to think, write or even speak
Manu lived in a house of straw, believing it to be built of stone.Donny lived in a house of sticks, also believing it was built of stone. Bandy lived in a house of mud. He too believed it was built of stone. The houses had been around for decades, so the three writers naturally felt safe and protected in them. And so they were too, till a wolf began to prowl around their jungle.
This wolf was sharp-eyed and razortoothed and abhorred writers, particularly historians. Instead of walking docilely down the many well-trodden paths in the jungle, these disruptive spirits had to go climbing trees, looking at the vast world beyond and writing about it. The wolf was convinced that such writings would pollute young wolfminds.
The thing about the trees was true though. Manu did climb many trees and discovered that there were 300 Ramayanas over and above the two that the wolf knew. The fact that even two existed, disturbed the wolf greatly, since his elders and betters had taught him to strictly follow the rule of one: one jungle, one language and one animal species.
Manu on the other hand, had felt a surge of excitement at the thought that an epic written and revered in the jungle of his birth centuries ago, was so inspirational, that it had spawned 300 versions across the country and the eastern world. Could
you say that about The Iliad or The Odyssey? Nope.Manu’s discovery of 300 Ramayanas made the wolf angry. Very very angry. So angry that he rushed to the house of straw (HOS), and howled at the chief, “Ohyoupig, don’t you know that I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll bring your house down if you don’t throw Manu out onto the garbage heap where he and his tribe belong? “For a while, the chief of HOS thought nothing of the threat. He was even heard singing, “Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf.” But he soon discovered that the wolf’s anger had the full support of the laws of the jungle. The wolf simply had to say his feelings were hurt and the house of law would throw its doors wide open to him.
That silenced the HOS chief. Manu was ejected from the house, and the wolf sang, “Sacredyboo, scaredyboo / Who is stronger, me or you?” Prompt came the fearful answer from HOS, “You, my master, youyouyou.” Emboldened by this victory, the wolf trotted over to the house of sticks, popularly known as HOST, and howled, “Out with Donny who thinks there’s more to my religion than meets my eye. Out with her or I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll bring your house down. “The chief of HOST flapped around for a while, uncaringly as it were, and was even heard to sing, “Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf.” But when the wolf, aided by the law of the jungle, huffed and puffed, HOST not only threw Donny out, but PULPED her.
Imagine the cruelty of the act! The world outside the jungle cried, “Murder most foul!“ But the wolf merely rubbed his paws together and chortled, “Sacredyboo, scaredyboo/Who is stronger, me or you?” Prompt came HOST’s answer, “You my master, youyouyou.” The wolf, now confident of his powers, soon bent his gaze on the house of mud (HOM), and whispered in the chief’s ear, “Psst. You need to take another look at Bandy’s Plassey to Partition: A History of
Modern India.There are things there that have made me very angry. “Instantly, all the people in HOM went into a huddle and pored over not just Bandy’s book but many others, scissors at the ready to cut and pare.
In time, what was bound to happen, came to pass. One day The Jungle Times carried this front page news: “The chiefs of HOS, HOST and HOM have been persuaded to step down in favour of the wolf.
Writers, particularly historians, have been persuaded, in the interests of peace in the jungle, not to think, write or even speak.
They may, however, hold hands and sing, “Here we go round the mulberry bush, the new jungle anthem.”
This wolf was sharp-eyed and razortoothed and abhorred writers, particularly historians. Instead of walking docilely down the many well-trodden paths in the jungle, these disruptive spirits had to go climbing trees, looking at the vast world beyond and writing about it. The wolf was convinced that such writings would pollute young wolfminds.
The thing about the trees was true though. Manu did climb many trees and discovered that there were 300 Ramayanas over and above the two that the wolf knew. The fact that even two existed, disturbed the wolf greatly, since his elders and betters had taught him to strictly follow the rule of one: one jungle, one language and one animal species.
Manu on the other hand, had felt a surge of excitement at the thought that an epic written and revered in the jungle of his birth centuries ago, was so inspirational, that it had spawned 300 versions across the country and the eastern world. Could
you say that about The Iliad or The Odyssey? Nope.Manu’s discovery of 300 Ramayanas made the wolf angry. Very very angry. So angry that he rushed to the house of straw (HOS), and howled at the chief, “Ohyoupig, don’t you know that I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll bring your house down if you don’t throw Manu out onto the garbage heap where he and his tribe belong? “For a while, the chief of HOS thought nothing of the threat. He was even heard singing, “Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf.” But he soon discovered that the wolf’s anger had the full support of the laws of the jungle. The wolf simply had to say his feelings were hurt and the house of law would throw its doors wide open to him.
That silenced the HOS chief. Manu was ejected from the house, and the wolf sang, “Sacredyboo, scaredyboo / Who is stronger, me or you?” Prompt came the fearful answer from HOS, “You, my master, youyouyou.” Emboldened by this victory, the wolf trotted over to the house of sticks, popularly known as HOST, and howled, “Out with Donny who thinks there’s more to my religion than meets my eye. Out with her or I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll bring your house down. “The chief of HOST flapped around for a while, uncaringly as it were, and was even heard to sing, “Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf.” But when the wolf, aided by the law of the jungle, huffed and puffed, HOST not only threw Donny out, but PULPED her.
Imagine the cruelty of the act! The world outside the jungle cried, “Murder most foul!“ But the wolf merely rubbed his paws together and chortled, “Sacredyboo, scaredyboo/Who is stronger, me or you?” Prompt came HOST’s answer, “You my master, youyouyou.” The wolf, now confident of his powers, soon bent his gaze on the house of mud (HOM), and whispered in the chief’s ear, “Psst. You need to take another look at Bandy’s Plassey to Partition: A History of
Modern India.There are things there that have made me very angry. “Instantly, all the people in HOM went into a huddle and pored over not just Bandy’s book but many others, scissors at the ready to cut and pare.
In time, what was bound to happen, came to pass. One day The Jungle Times carried this front page news: “The chiefs of HOS, HOST and HOM have been persuaded to step down in favour of the wolf.
Writers, particularly historians, have been persuaded, in the interests of peace in the jungle, not to think, write or even speak.
They may, however, hold hands and sing, “Here we go round the mulberry bush, the new jungle anthem.”
