Chapter 16: chapter 16

When the Monkeys Decided to Go on a FastThe monkeys in the sacred forest of the Khasi Hills in the northeast of India decided that they had had enough of living wild and an indulgent life. They decided they should all become pious and start praying to Lord Hanuman, their patron deity, the epitome of discipline and faith.In a community meeting, the monkey chief declared, ‘We are all going to behave in a civilised fashion from now on. No more swinging about like wild creatures and snatching food from here and there.’The wise elephant who overheard them quipped, ‘To be pious, one must fast like our wise rishis and sages do. Not eating for a whole day can sharpen your brain and instincts and can earn you brownie points with Lord Hanuman, who goes on fasts to stay healthy and fit.’The troop of monkeys heartily agreed. Spirits were high that day, and all the monkeys quickly finalised a date for the fast. It was decided that they would pray, meditate and keep a twelve-hour fast; they would start at dawn the next day and end at dusk. They also decided that they would keep their food ready, so that they wouldn’t have to spend time looking for food after breaking the fast.The whole troop went to look for bananas for the end of the fast. They returned with hundreds of sweet, delicious bananas, which were stored in the centre of the forest clearing, where they would all fast.At dawn, the monkeys gathered to begin the fast. Knowing that everyone’s eyes were on the ripe bananas and that they would all pounce on them the minute the fast was over, the monkey treasurer declared, ‘I think everyone is going to get distracted by the sight of the bananas and worry about someone snatching their share. Let each monkey keep their share of bananas before we begin the fast. This way we won’t waste time distributing the food after we break the fast.’The troop loved this idea, so the bananas were distributed between all the monkeys. Just as they sat down to pray and meditate without distraction, one of the young monkeys chimed in with an idea. ‘Why don’t we all peel one banana and keep it ready to eat? This way we won’t waste even a single minute peeling the banana when we are done with the fast.’The monkey chief agreed but also sternly warned, ‘No one will eat even a single bite before the fast is declared over at dusk.’All the monkeys readily agreed and quickly peeled a banana each, carefully keeping it ready to eat in the evening. Just as they each sat still again, a baby monkey said in a tiny voice, ‘Can I keep my banana in my mouth? I promise not to eat it till dusk. But just looking at the bananas is making my mouth water.’‘Yes, yes, why not? We can all put a banana in our mouth and wait. It is fine as long as we don’t eat it. This way we won’t waste any time putting the food in our mouth when the fast is over,’ replied the chief’s wife, who was only going on a fast because her husband was insisting on it.All the monkeys quickly placed a banana in their mouths and waited. They all sat silently. It was already their usual breakfast time. The smell and taste of the ripe bananas in their mouths made their hunger swell. They all looked at each other, afraid to move lest they gulped down their banana. The next eleven and a half hours of hunger loomed ahead of them. Their eyes flitted from one to another, wondering how the others were controlling their appetite. Till … till they heard a loud gulp from one among them. All the monkeys looked here and there and quickly swallowed their own bananas as well. Lord Hanuman, of course, well aware of what to expect from this troop of monkeys, blessed them nonetheless.