The Gentlemen of the Jungle - notes

 1. Why was the Commission of Enquiry appointed by the king of the jungle?

Once, an elephant made a friendship with a man. One day there was a heavy thunderstorm. The elephant went to his friend and requested him to give shelter to his tfunk. The kind man agreed. But, the cunning elephant pushed his head inside and flung the man out. The man started to grumble and started to argue with his friend. The lion came roaring. He wanted to have ‘peace and tranquillity’ in his kingdom. So, he commanded his ministers to appoint a Commission of Enquiry to solve the dispute between the elephant and the man.

 2. Why do you think the animals decide not to have anyone from the man’s side on the Commission of Enquiry? Explain.

Ans: There was no one from the man’s side in the Commission. The man protested. He was told that man was not well-educated to understand the intricacy of the jungle law and the members of the Commission were chosen by God and they were endowed with teeth and claws. So, they would investigate the matter with greatest care.

3.How did the elephant justify its act of occupying the hut?

The elephant said that his friend had invited him to save his hut from being blown away by a hurricane. Since the hurricane had entered his hut because there was lot of space in the hut. The elephant considered it necessary, to turn the undeveloped space to a more economic use by sitting in it. He felt that it was his duty to help his friend.

4. What fate awaited the man each time he built a new house?

Ans: The Commission gave the judgement that the man had to look for a site to build another hut and the elephant should live in his hut.  The man did as suggested, for he feared the teeth and claws of the Commission. So, he was helpless.  He built a new hut. Mr. Rhinoceros occupied it. A Royal Commission was appointed only to give the same finding. This procedure went on till all were accommodated with new huts.

5. How did the man ‘buy peace' finally?

This lesson narrates the story of late nineteenth century Africa that was divided by the European powers among themselves. This story begins in a context where an ‘act of kindness misunderstood as weakness’. The man was kind enough to offer the elephant shelter from torrential rain but the shrewd elephant flung the man out of the hut. This led to the disturbance and the man appealed for justice. The Lion appointed a Commission of Enquiry which comprised members from the animals whereas there was no representation from man’s side. He was told that no one was well educated from his side to understand the intricacy of the jungle law. The Commission heard evidence from both the parties and finally passed its judgement.

They defended Mr. Elephant’s actions saying that he had fulfilled his sacred duty of protecting man’s interests. They considered that the space should have been put to its most economic use. As man had not yet reached the stage of expansion, they arranged a compromise to suit both parties. Accordingly, Mr. Elephant would continue to occupy his hut whereas the man was advised to look for a site to build another hut. It was very evident that the members of the commission were biased. Accordingly, the judgement was in favour of the animals.

The man did as suggested, for he feared the teeth and claws of the Commission. But, the same fate was awaited. A new hut was built; Mr. Rhinoceros occupied, a Royal Commission was appointed only to give the same finding. This procedure went on till all were accommodated with new huts. The man by now had decided to adopt an effective method. When the huts already occupied by the jungle lords were beginning to decay, he built a bigger and better hut. As soon as the animals saw it, one by one came and occupied the space they found. They soon started to fight over their rights of penetration. The man found the perfect opportunity and set the hut on fire and burnt it to the ground while the animals were all inside. He was finally relieved to find ‘Peace is costly, but it’s worth the expense.” Thus, the man’s act at the end proves that people cannot be tested of their patience for long.