Our Relationship With Monkeys

Our less-civilised cousins...

Hey friends,

Greetings from NCR, India!

I looked over the viewfinder and grinned. There were close to ten monkeys, most of them huddled together. The youngsters were playing amongst themselves, wrestling and biting each other. They were loud, joyous and carefree. In some manner, they reminded me of myself.

The Bonnet macaque is endemic to South India. They inhabit a spectrum of environments, from the wildest jungles to most modern cities. Along with their northern cousins, the Rhesus macaque, Bonnet macaques have colonised many townships across India. You can even find them outside stores eating from plastic food packets.  These adaptable animals have grown to become quintessential of the Indian milieu.

These monkeys are diurnal (active during the day), and are both terrestrial and arboreal. They have evolved to feed on fruits, nuts, leaves and flowers, but have recently taken to human packaged foods and beverages. 

Bonnet macaques are quite laid back creatures. Unless provoked, they show little signs of outward aggression. This is at odds with the Rhesus Macaque, that is far larger and more aggressive by nature. Over  the years, they have begun to take over lands typically occupied by the Bonnet macaque, decreasing its wild population. This gradual but ever present invasion of the Rhesus macaque poses a grave threat to the survival of wild Bonnet macaques (Read more about it here).

These animals are treated in a variety of ways by the Indian crowd. Some walk past them with indifference while others chase them with a vengeance. And in some parts, people worship these creatures. Believed to be the incarnation of Lord Hanuman , monkeys are regarded as holy and divine.

This paradox has gone unnoticed by many. I too never realised our contradictory treatment of these monkeys. It was when I read a chapter in Neha Sinha’s book “Wild and Willful”, that I questioned this notion.

By feeding monkeys in certain places, and chasing them away in others, we have created a deep satire. In this cycle of raised and broken expectations, we alter their behaviour, making them more aggressive and unpredictable. 

In many places, monkeys enter houses and steal food. This happens in marketplaces as well, with simians hanging from wires, swooping in and stealing fruits. This has deepened the divide between man and his less civilised cousin.

The growing dislike for monkeys is because they are too much like us. Their uncanny similarity is too much to tolerate.

Prior to this book, I was drawn to monkeys purely for novelty. Their eerie similarity to us makes them a uniquely interesting species. I find it fascinating to watch their antics. Much like us they groom one another, play together and occasionally reprimand their young. Their myriad expressions make them highly photogenic. 

It is a pity that most wildlife photographers give them a hard pass. What is so special in photographing monkeys, they would ask. Such people are drawn only to tigers and elephants; the stars of India’s wildlife. They’d waste no time photographing simple monkeys.

Endeavouring to capture their shenanigans, I began to capture them whenever I got the chance.  I consider it my duty to show them in a better light. They aren’t the vermin many paint them out to be. Their curious mannerisms mirror ours, and are fascinating to watch. I spend hours observing them, and have never once been disappointed.

In reading about this rocky relationship between our species and theirs, I wonder if there is any chance at reconciliation. What will be the future of our interactions? 

Postcard

This week, I had the opportunity to present my work to Sanjeev Bikhchandani.

For those of you who don’t know him, Sanjeev Bikhchandani is one of the most prominent Indian’s on the world’s stage. He is an Indian entrepreneur and philanthropist, and the founder and executive vice chairman of Info Edge, a leading internet company in India, which owns popular websites like Naukri.com, 99acres.com, and Jeevansathi.com.

He is also a co-founder of Ashoka University, the most prestigious liberal arts and sciences institution in India (where I currently study) and he is a recipient of the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors.

I gave him a copy of the Ashoka Fauna Field guide. This is a book about all the wildlife found in and around the campus. I made this by compiling my findings over the last 2 years from roaming around and documenting the wildlife I found.

I actually made this book because it is the kind of resource that I wished existed when I joined the university. And when I was done making it, I never thought it would amount to anything. I just thought of it as a cool thing that I got to do.

But now, making that book for the university has opened so many doors for me. Professors from different departments are reaching out, and the news of this guide has reached the founders and all the higher-ups. I’ve gotten preferential access in many forms, just by seeing this passion project to the finish line.

I guess the bottom line is that you never know what might end up happening if you make something and put it out there. So I’m going to continue doing this.

I was interviewed by my university about this guide, and you can check that out by CLICKING HERE.

Favourite Quote

"Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” - Stephen King

Have a creative, wild and inspiring week!

If you’re new, welcome to The Owlet! My name is Ishan Shanavas, and I am an Artist, Photographer, Writer and Student of the Natural World.

Here I talk about my work, along with curating the most interesting ideas on the internet. I confine them to topics like Nature, Culture, Photography, and Art but often fall prey to other genres.

I would greatly appreciate it if you shared my newsletter and work with your friends. It really helps me out :)