Mind the monkey mind

In 2005, in a lab at the Yale Hospital there was an unusual meeting of zoology and economics. Seven capuchin monkeys were taught how to use money. The economist, Chen, who was conducting the experiments on monkeys, concluded that their behavior was indistinguishable from most stock-market investors.

Recently, Netherhall saw Aik-Wee give a talk about monkeys in Malaysia. I will try and ape him and shed light on monkeys in India.

Last year, the famous Delhi Metro (very similar to the London Underground) hired a langur to frighten off monkeys from boarding trains and upsetting passengers. The ‘langur’ is a close cousin of the ordinary monkey but with sharper teeth and a long, muscular tail. This cost effective way of dealing with the troublemakers has proved quite successful. The platform manager no longer announces, “Please mind the closing doors… and the overhead monkeys.”

A couple of months ago, the Deputy Mayor of Delhi fell off his balcony and died while trying to fend off monkeys. In a recent statement after monkeys rampaged through houses in east Delhi, the Deputy Commissioner said, “As police, we're experts dealing with mad bulls but monkeys are more difficult." There may soon come a time when every person in Delhi has a pet-langur.

One reason why the municipality is finding the wipe-out operation difficult is because of animal-rights activists. More significantly, these efforts fly in the face of Hindu religious sentiments that associate monkey with their god Hanuman, who is believed to have helped Lord Rama defeat Ravana, the ten-faced king of Lanka. In the recent cricket series between India and Australia, Andrew Symonds said he was being a made a victim of racism when he saw crowds in Nagpur dressed in monkey masks. It has now emerged that the Nagpur crowds weren't being racist; they were simply worshipping the monkey god, Hanuman.

United States and France have used monkeys as part of their space exploration programmes. I think India would do well in sending the simian gods to heavens above. It may even help the space programme.

Monkeys have also been linked to spirituality. Buddhists practice meditation to quell the Monkey mind, a situation where thoughts become obsessive. A popular mantelpiece in Indian homes has three monkeys sitting with their hands over their eyes, ears, and mouth. The gestures signify that they do not see, hear or speak evil. Mahatma Gandhi is known to have had few material possessions: a pair of sandals, his glasses and a trio of ‘no evil’ monkeys.

Here’s the mind-boggler question (based on an ancient Indian riddle):

A hat seller in Delhi finds that a group of monkeys have taken all his hats to the top of the tree. In anger he takes off his own hat and flings it to the ground. The monkeys, in imitation, throw down the hats, which the hat seller then collects. Half a century later his grandson, also a hat seller, sets down his wares under the same tree. After waking from a nap, he discovers that monkeys have taken all his hats to the treetop. Recalling his grandfather's story, he hurls his hat down. What do you think happens next? (Hint: Think rationally!)