India 2010
An Indian woman on the beach in Goa called one of my friends a monkeyheart when he didn’t want to buy anything from her.. it stayed as a word for the rest of the trip and we would use it as a joke when somebody was being “bad”.. Today however, in order to be able to set the title for the picture above, I decided to do some research about the term. Apparently “a monkey’s heart” is an old Indian tale about a monkey and a crocodile with a demanding wife.. and in the end.. being a monkey actually means being smart… and possibly having a tasty heart.
“The crocodile thought that now he could reveal his real intentions to the monkey, as it was impossible for him to escape from the middle of the river. The crocodile gullibly said to the monkey, “I am taking you to my home to please my wife. She wants to eat your heart. She says that since you eat tasty fruits day and night, your heart must be ten times tastier than those fruits.”
The monkey was taken aback to hear these words. He had never expected this type of a request from a friend. He kept cool and said wittingly, “Oh dear! Why didn’t you tell me earlier? It would be my privilege to offer my heart to your charming wife. I usually keep my heart safely in the burrow of the tree. In order to serve my heart to your wife, I have to go back to get my heart.”
The foolish crocodile swiftly then swam back to the tree where the monkey lived. On reaching the bank the monkey quickly jumped off the crocodile’s back and climbed up his home tree. The crocodile was in a hurry and realized that the monkey was taking too long in getting his heart. Impatiently he asked, “What is the delay? Get you heart. My wife will be very happy.”
By the time, the monkey had realized that this was a rebirth for him. The monkey laughed and answered, “My dear foolish friend. You’ve deceived me as a friend. Can any one take out his heart and keep that in a burrow. It was all a trick to save my life and teach a lesson to an unfaithful friend like you. Now go away and don’t ever come back.” The crocodile was ashamed for his act and went home with his head bent down.”
Monkeys for the win!