Unni ran into the woodshed at the appointed time the following day and whistled three notes.
“Wow!” he cried as the King of Ants came up through the eye of a coconut shell.
“ I’m afraid, I don’t know anything of court manners and etiquettes,” he said.
“Don’t worry,” said the King, “etiquettes are artificial, innocent love is something more valuable.”
“A story?” reminded Unni.
“Okay,” the King said. "As a rule, we ants do not befriend anybody outside our clan. Ants are most practical creatures and we’ll have little time to waste meddling with the affairs of others, unless the activities of the other animals in the forest affect our interests."
"For example, when the beautiful garden planted jointly by the monkeys and bees was destroyed by fire, we made inquiries into the causes of the fire. And you could guess why. In the large garden, there were many ant colonies. Millions of ants perished in the great fire. Both the monkeys and the bees were almost exterminated."
"How did the fire start?" inquired Unni.
"Envy and greed cause many evils. This time it appeared in the form of fire.
It not only consumed their precious garden but killed almost everybody involved.”
While Unni sat engrossed, the King of Ants told him the story of the Bees and the Monkeys.
In a deep forest in the Western Ghats in Kerala there lived a clan of monkeys. They subsisted on roots, tender bamboo leaves and fruits - and fruits were very scarce in the forest.
There used to be frequent quarrels among the monkeys – mostly on account of fruits. These incessant quarrels became a headache to the Chief of the monkeys. He would have a dispute or two to settle every day and most of these were about fruits. ‘The neighbor stole some plantain fruits, the wife ate up all the bananas meant for the entire family, the husband did not share jack fruits with his wife and children, the children ate pine-apples before they were ripe’ - these were some of the sample petitions the Chief received every day.
In the forest in which the monkeys lived there were very few fruit trees. The Chief knew that the quarrels were due to the scarcity of fruits rather than to the monkeys' ungodly love for food.
The Chief thought of many ways in which the problem could be solved. No animal in the forest knew agriculture. The swine, the deer, the bison and the elephants expressed their ignorance and helplessness. Besides, some of them laughed at the old monkey for his insatiable appetite for fruits.
Now the Chief remembered the bees. He knew that they were travelers and travel always improved the mind. The Chief decided to seek the advice of the bees.
At first the bees were very skeptical about the intentions of the Chief. But they were very soon convinced of the innocent ambition of the old monkey.
The bees informed the Chief that fruits were mostly found in villages. The farmers grew fruit trees and they would not let anybody steal fruits from their trees. In forests fruit bearing trees were very few and the demand for the few fruits was great.
"My monkeys should get a steady supply of fruits of different kinds. How can I ensure this?," asked the Chief.
Growing fruit trees was the only way, said the bees.
But the monkeys knew nothing about agriculture.
The Chief suggested that the monkeys and bees should jointly undertake the planting the fruit bearing trees.
The Queen of the bees said, "What help can we render in this matter? Agricultural operations involve a great deal of labor. Beds will have to be prepared, fertilization and irrigation will be required. We are tiny creatures and we can't share such hard labor."
The Chief said, "We shall manage all the labor. Your duty will be to report to us where the fruit bearing trees grow. We will collect the seeds and plant them. During your travels, you can learn much about agriculture that you may share with us monkeys. You people can build your hives in the plantation. We can't collect honey from flowers; so also you have no need for fruits. You can ward off the jungle thieves. Thus we will share fruit and honey and live peacefully in the large plantation that is in my mind."
Once the bees were convinced that they could be real partners with the monkeys, the bees readily agreed. They saw that they could collect honey from flowers without the bother for long trips especially during the rainy days.
The monkeys cleared a large area. They burnt the twigs and branches and planted different kinds of fruit bearing trees and plants according to the advice of the bees. They collected seeds from different places and grew them in plastic bags for a while. Then they transferred the plants to carefully prepared beds under the supervision of the bees.
When the other animals saw this strange venture, they laughed. But the monkeys did not so much as notice such derisive laugher.
As soon as the seeds sprouted the jungle thieves began to arrive in groups. The deer and hares came to taste the tender leaves. For elephants the plantain and banana leaves are choicest dishes. They also would flock in not only to see the unheard of project, but if possible to have a bite of plantains.
But the bees would not allow any body to enter the garden.
“Who are you to stop our way to the estate?" asked Tusker, the rogue bull elephant.
The bees replied, "The monkeys and the bees have jointly undertaken this enterprise. The task of protecting the plants is with us. Come in and you will catch it."
The bees advised the monkeys to fence up the plantation, for they were so annoyed by the numerous visitors and thieves. The monkeys did accordingly and they put up a notice board at the entrance:
TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED
The trees grew up very fast. Within a year the plantains and bananas gave out large bunches. The mango trees flowered in the third year and the jack trees and the tamarinds followed. The trees began to give the monkeys fruits and the bees honey.
The bees stopped going out except on jolly trips. The quarrels among the monkeys became things of the past.
The monkeys gave the surplus fruits to goats and cows in exchange of wool, milk or milk products. The swine and the porcupines would come with delicious roots to get fruits and nuts in exchange.
Thus the success in agriculture paved the way for a brisk trade. The monkeys became civilized. The days of poverty over, the monkeys had enough leisure for music and the arts.
But when the old Chief died, things began to change and change for the worse.
The old Chief had a vision and the bees had great respect for him. Occasionally they used to give him bottles of excellent honey - special honey extracted from selected flowers - as a token of their respect and goodwill.
But the young monkeys began to consider the gift from the bees to be their birth right. The new Chief and the elders in the monkey clan started demanding honey and this strained the relation between the partners.
The monkeys would try to steal honey from the hives. But the reaction of the bees was never so sweet as the honey they produced. The bees would punish the thief then and there. Such isolated incidents ended in widespread enmity between the two parties.
"It was we that planted the trees. The bees enjoy the honey. It is only fair that they should share the honey with us," said the monkeys.
The bees said, "It was we that guarded the estate from thieves. Besides we arrange the pollination of flowers free of charge. Above all, just think who taught the monkeys to plant trees. In the original unwritten agreement, the monkeys and the bees were partners with equal rights and status.”
One day a group of young monkeys, while trying to steal honey from a hive, was punished severely by the bees. As they fled from scene their faces had become so swollen that even their parents failed to recognize them at first. The angered monkeys, in retaliation, stoned the hives. Now the bees hummed out in great swarms and attacked the monkeys. The monkeys had to flee from their estate and take refuge in the forest.
After prolonged talks between representatives from both the sides a settlement was reached. The conditions of the truce were simple - fruits to monkeys and honey to bees.
But peace was short lived. The monkeys thought that they should exterminate the bees to ensure undisputed ownership of the estate.
The bees thought that if all the monkeys were killed they could live in peace for ever in the great garden.
The monkeys collected dried leaves, twigs and husks of coconuts and stored them near each hive. The bees discovered a deadly toxic material from a tree in the forest. The substance that flowed from the bark, if injected into a monkey's body, would kill it instantly.
In a summer evening some of the young monkeys stoned a hive. The bees attacked the monkeys with the poison they had collected and all the monkeys stung fell dead.
The bees attacked each and every monkey systematically with the poison. They were out to exterminate the monkey clan.
The monkeys lighted the hidden hoards of inflammable materials and the hives, without a single exception, burnt out in the raging fire.
The fire spread far and wide and the beautiful garden was reduced to ashes in a short time.
In a tree in the forest, not far away from the garden ruined by the fire of rivalry, assembled a group of bees who had flown out and saved their lives. They were deliberating what could be done now.
Underneath a group of monkeys also were found. Most of them had sustained severe burns and they were groaning in great pain.
An old monkey saw the bees above her hanging from a branch and she said, "This is the end of every war."
“Wow!” he cried as the King of Ants came up through the eye of a coconut shell.
“ I’m afraid, I don’t know anything of court manners and etiquettes,” he said.
“Don’t worry,” said the King, “etiquettes are artificial, innocent love is something more valuable.”
“A story?” reminded Unni.
“Okay,” the King said. "As a rule, we ants do not befriend anybody outside our clan. Ants are most practical creatures and we’ll have little time to waste meddling with the affairs of others, unless the activities of the other animals in the forest affect our interests."
"For example, when the beautiful garden planted jointly by the monkeys and bees was destroyed by fire, we made inquiries into the causes of the fire. And you could guess why. In the large garden, there were many ant colonies. Millions of ants perished in the great fire. Both the monkeys and the bees were almost exterminated."
"How did the fire start?" inquired Unni.
"Envy and greed cause many evils. This time it appeared in the form of fire.
It not only consumed their precious garden but killed almost everybody involved.”
While Unni sat engrossed, the King of Ants told him the story of the Bees and the Monkeys.
In a deep forest in the Western Ghats in Kerala there lived a clan of monkeys. They subsisted on roots, tender bamboo leaves and fruits - and fruits were very scarce in the forest.
There used to be frequent quarrels among the monkeys – mostly on account of fruits. These incessant quarrels became a headache to the Chief of the monkeys. He would have a dispute or two to settle every day and most of these were about fruits. ‘The neighbor stole some plantain fruits, the wife ate up all the bananas meant for the entire family, the husband did not share jack fruits with his wife and children, the children ate pine-apples before they were ripe’ - these were some of the sample petitions the Chief received every day.
In the forest in which the monkeys lived there were very few fruit trees. The Chief knew that the quarrels were due to the scarcity of fruits rather than to the monkeys' ungodly love for food.
The Chief thought of many ways in which the problem could be solved. No animal in the forest knew agriculture. The swine, the deer, the bison and the elephants expressed their ignorance and helplessness. Besides, some of them laughed at the old monkey for his insatiable appetite for fruits.
Now the Chief remembered the bees. He knew that they were travelers and travel always improved the mind. The Chief decided to seek the advice of the bees.
At first the bees were very skeptical about the intentions of the Chief. But they were very soon convinced of the innocent ambition of the old monkey.
The bees informed the Chief that fruits were mostly found in villages. The farmers grew fruit trees and they would not let anybody steal fruits from their trees. In forests fruit bearing trees were very few and the demand for the few fruits was great.
"My monkeys should get a steady supply of fruits of different kinds. How can I ensure this?," asked the Chief.
Growing fruit trees was the only way, said the bees.
But the monkeys knew nothing about agriculture.
The Chief suggested that the monkeys and bees should jointly undertake the planting the fruit bearing trees.
The Queen of the bees said, "What help can we render in this matter? Agricultural operations involve a great deal of labor. Beds will have to be prepared, fertilization and irrigation will be required. We are tiny creatures and we can't share such hard labor."
The Chief said, "We shall manage all the labor. Your duty will be to report to us where the fruit bearing trees grow. We will collect the seeds and plant them. During your travels, you can learn much about agriculture that you may share with us monkeys. You people can build your hives in the plantation. We can't collect honey from flowers; so also you have no need for fruits. You can ward off the jungle thieves. Thus we will share fruit and honey and live peacefully in the large plantation that is in my mind."
Once the bees were convinced that they could be real partners with the monkeys, the bees readily agreed. They saw that they could collect honey from flowers without the bother for long trips especially during the rainy days.
The monkeys cleared a large area. They burnt the twigs and branches and planted different kinds of fruit bearing trees and plants according to the advice of the bees. They collected seeds from different places and grew them in plastic bags for a while. Then they transferred the plants to carefully prepared beds under the supervision of the bees.
When the other animals saw this strange venture, they laughed. But the monkeys did not so much as notice such derisive laugher.
As soon as the seeds sprouted the jungle thieves began to arrive in groups. The deer and hares came to taste the tender leaves. For elephants the plantain and banana leaves are choicest dishes. They also would flock in not only to see the unheard of project, but if possible to have a bite of plantains.
But the bees would not allow any body to enter the garden.
“Who are you to stop our way to the estate?" asked Tusker, the rogue bull elephant.
The bees replied, "The monkeys and the bees have jointly undertaken this enterprise. The task of protecting the plants is with us. Come in and you will catch it."
The bees advised the monkeys to fence up the plantation, for they were so annoyed by the numerous visitors and thieves. The monkeys did accordingly and they put up a notice board at the entrance:
TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED
The trees grew up very fast. Within a year the plantains and bananas gave out large bunches. The mango trees flowered in the third year and the jack trees and the tamarinds followed. The trees began to give the monkeys fruits and the bees honey.
The bees stopped going out except on jolly trips. The quarrels among the monkeys became things of the past.
The monkeys gave the surplus fruits to goats and cows in exchange of wool, milk or milk products. The swine and the porcupines would come with delicious roots to get fruits and nuts in exchange.
Thus the success in agriculture paved the way for a brisk trade. The monkeys became civilized. The days of poverty over, the monkeys had enough leisure for music and the arts.
But when the old Chief died, things began to change and change for the worse.
The old Chief had a vision and the bees had great respect for him. Occasionally they used to give him bottles of excellent honey - special honey extracted from selected flowers - as a token of their respect and goodwill.
But the young monkeys began to consider the gift from the bees to be their birth right. The new Chief and the elders in the monkey clan started demanding honey and this strained the relation between the partners.
The monkeys would try to steal honey from the hives. But the reaction of the bees was never so sweet as the honey they produced. The bees would punish the thief then and there. Such isolated incidents ended in widespread enmity between the two parties.
"It was we that planted the trees. The bees enjoy the honey. It is only fair that they should share the honey with us," said the monkeys.
The bees said, "It was we that guarded the estate from thieves. Besides we arrange the pollination of flowers free of charge. Above all, just think who taught the monkeys to plant trees. In the original unwritten agreement, the monkeys and the bees were partners with equal rights and status.”
One day a group of young monkeys, while trying to steal honey from a hive, was punished severely by the bees. As they fled from scene their faces had become so swollen that even their parents failed to recognize them at first. The angered monkeys, in retaliation, stoned the hives. Now the bees hummed out in great swarms and attacked the monkeys. The monkeys had to flee from their estate and take refuge in the forest.
After prolonged talks between representatives from both the sides a settlement was reached. The conditions of the truce were simple - fruits to monkeys and honey to bees.
But peace was short lived. The monkeys thought that they should exterminate the bees to ensure undisputed ownership of the estate.
The bees thought that if all the monkeys were killed they could live in peace for ever in the great garden.
The monkeys collected dried leaves, twigs and husks of coconuts and stored them near each hive. The bees discovered a deadly toxic material from a tree in the forest. The substance that flowed from the bark, if injected into a monkey's body, would kill it instantly.
In a summer evening some of the young monkeys stoned a hive. The bees attacked the monkeys with the poison they had collected and all the monkeys stung fell dead.
The bees attacked each and every monkey systematically with the poison. They were out to exterminate the monkey clan.
The monkeys lighted the hidden hoards of inflammable materials and the hives, without a single exception, burnt out in the raging fire.
The fire spread far and wide and the beautiful garden was reduced to ashes in a short time.
In a tree in the forest, not far away from the garden ruined by the fire of rivalry, assembled a group of bees who had flown out and saved their lives. They were deliberating what could be done now.
Underneath a group of monkeys also were found. Most of them had sustained severe burns and they were groaning in great pain.
An old monkey saw the bees above her hanging from a branch and she said, "This is the end of every war."
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