Drummer monkey | By: shweta yammada | | Category: Short Story - Children Bookmark and Share

Drummer monkey

Jumpy - the monkey lived on a blue-berry tree at the foot of a hill on which was the famous Ragiguda temple of Lord Hanuman (the monkey God) in Bengaluru. It lived very happily on the blue-berry tree that was its home. The tree had wide branches that spread wide and also housed a variety of birds that had made their nests on its various branches. Jumpy played around with the birds its neighbours all day and when it was hungry it would eat the ripe blue berries with much relish.


One day its cousin Chimpu that lived on a tree atop the Ragiguda temple came to visit Jumpy. Jumpy welcomed his cousin and gave him the juiciest of the blue-berries. They exchanged pleasantries and played and fooled around for a while. Soon it was noon and lunch-time. Again Jumpy plucked some blue-berries both for Chimpu and himself. Chimpu ate them without a murmur. After the meal was over Chimpu asked Jumpy what he would eat at night for dinner. Jumpy replied that he would just pluck some more blue-berries. The tree gave so many that he had no need to go looking for food - he beamed.


Chimpu said that it was all very fine but how long could anyone eat the same blue-berries day-in and day-out. He told Jumpy monkey that life atop the temple was much more exciting and fascinating. Pilgrims who came to the temple would first feed the monkeys with a variety of fruits and sweets before offering their prayers and obeisance to Lord Hanuman. They believed that by so doing the Lord would be pleased with their worship and grant them their boons. Moreover there was a sweet shop owner named Moturam who came daily to the temple and fed the monkeys with freshly prepared sweets. He believed that by so doing his business prospered and flourished. He invited Jumpy monkey to his home atop the hill and accept his hospitality. Bidding good-bye he took leave of Jumpy monkey leaving him pondering over what he had just said.


So after a cople of days Jumpy monkey decided to repay his visit to his cousin Chimpu. But he discovered that it was a long way up the hill. On his way up he saw a piece of rope. Jumpy picked it up and with it as hopped and ran, jumped and romped up the hill. He came across a wood-cutter who had gathered a bundle of sticks. The wood-cutter saw Jumpy monkey and his pice of rope. "Please give me the piece of rope to tie my bundle of sticks", he begged. "In return i you can take this nice long stick", he offered. So Jumpy exchanged his rope with the stick and just as happily hopped and ran, jumped and romped up the hill. And on his way he came across an old woman who was trying to keep a fire burning by huffing and puffing. "Huff - Puff, Huff - Puff".Her face was flushed and red and she looked like her lungs would explode any moment. She looked and Jumpy monkey and his nice long stick. "PLease give me the nice long stick", she begged. "In return you can have this piece of bread", she offered. So Jumpy monkey exchanged his nice long stick with the piece of bread and just as happily hopped and ran, jumped and romped up the hill. And on his way he came across a Lambadi woman (a tribal woman) trying to pacify and quieten her little child who was crying due to hunger. She saw Jumpy monkey and his piece of bread. "Please give me the piece of bread", she begged. "In return you can have this drum", she offered. "It plays really well, Dum-Dum-Dum", and she showed him how to beat it. So Jumpy monkey exchanged his piece of bread with the drum and reached Ragiguda. He showed off his drum to his cousin Chimpu beating and singing along as he did,


                                                      Gone Rope Got Stick


                                                      Gone Stick Got Bread


                                                      Gone Bread Got Drum



He seemed to like his own tune as he played and so he was seen beating his drum and singing the tune when he was not eating. He played it all day from many a tree or from atop the Ragigudas temple. One ca still hear Jumpy monkey beating and singing his tune to the amusement of many a pilgrim at the Ragiguda temple.






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