THE BAGHEERA AND THE BALOO

In the Disney movie, The Jungle Book, the hero is our little Mowgli. Yes, our chaddi buddy – the cute, little Mowgli. His two steadfast friends and well-wishers are Bagheera, the black panther… and, Baloo, the big bear. 

Now, what is so endearing about this amazing relationship is that Bagheera, has a no-nonsense outlook towards life. He is exceptionally sensitive, concerned and cautious. He wants the best for Mowgli, the man-cub. He is extremely focused on his mission – coasting  little Mowgli to where he belongs: the Man-village. It is in his blood to express his anxieties and concerns. Counseling comes naturally to Bagheera; caring and standing by his loved ones is very, very important to him. He is ready to walk any distance, meet any challenges which he may have to encounter along the mission. 

Laughter doesn’t come to Bagheera, easily. He sounds serious about life… almost a dead-pan!

Mowgli’s other care-taker, the best friend, is the incorrigibly-laid-back Baloo. The big, fat and happy-go-lucky bear. Baloo adores the little man-cub… Loves him, can’t live without him. Still, this never-say-serious big fellow cannot live, even for a second, dropping his jaw. He is serious when it comes to what he wants for Mowgli… but, he can’t do it the way Bagheera does…

Nor can Bagheera do for Mowgli, what Baloo does!

The little Mowgli can not live without these two… He wants both of his friends… yes, to make him happy in his world. The jungle. 

In the end, the mission is accomplished. Of course, Baloo’s carelessness lands our little one in hell lot of troubles… Monkeys kidnap him to their King, King Louie, who wants fire-making secret out of the man-cub; Kaa, the python, seduces the little kid to sleep by her black magic - just me, trust me… And, above all, there is that dreaded-by-all Shere Khan, the tiger. The man-eater. Mowgli has to survive all these odds… 

Can Bagheera, the serious friend, alone accomplish this task? 

Can Baloo, the casual freak, do on his own?

The mission is: the man-cub should be taken safely to his real home – Man-village… Yes, through the harsh, unpredictable realities of the jungle… Through every imaginable odd!

When I was in school, I was told this Rudyard Kipling’s timeless tale by one of our favouite teachers. It was in my village school… some five decades ago! Out there, we had no books to read, or videos to watch… Leave alone the YouTube. Our village-school teacher had narrated this story with all her heart, to us, the little Mowglis… And, our hearts had come alive dancing when she had done that!

Many years later, here in Mumbai, when our son was a little baby, we would play the Jungle Book video for him, over and over again. We would read out the story. Incidentally, in school, the first fancy-dress act our son had done was - he had become the Mowgli! Just a little ‘chaddi’, a wig and a junglie stick. “I am Mowgli’, was all what he had said, that morning, from the stage… to delight the packed hall. And, to his parents' delight, our Mowgli had own the first prize for this ‘bare-necessities’ act!

Today, I, suddenly, remembered our mission as parents:  Yes, to ferry our own Mowgli to his safe haven. His man-village!

Both, my amazing wife and myself, are committed to this mission. Both of us contribute to the mission in our own – God-designed-and-willed – way. I love my little – now young – Mowgli. I want him the best. My wife is ready to give her life to fight the Shere Khans of the jungle. Yes, both of us are serious about our mission. Both of us are committed. 

Still, I look at the way we go about our mission and laugh… 

“Who is the Bagheera here? Who is the Baloo?”… I wonder with a deep sense of happiness.

This morning, as I wrote this tale, I played the song Baloo had sung… just for the sake of the little Mowgli in my own heart, who is still coasting through his own jungle… Yes, to his own Man-village!

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life

Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants
Then maybe try a few

The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life

Now when you pick a pawpaw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Next time beware
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear
Try to use the claw
But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big pawpaw
Have I given you a clue ?

The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!

So just try and relax, yeah cool it
Fall apart in my backyard
'Cause let me tell you something little britches
If you act like that bee acts, uh uh
You're working too hard

And don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it
I'll tell you something true

The bare necessities of life will come to you

They will come to you!

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pics.: Roopa Sushil