Motherf@$# monkeys on the motherf$#$! train

Black-faced Langur, originally uploaded by Ananda Debnath.

In an attempt to keep monkeys off the subway, Indian officials are fighting simians with simians:

NEW DELHI (AP) -- In an effort to keep monkeys out of the New Delhi subways, authorities have called in one of the few animals known to scare the creatures - a fierce-looking primate called the langur, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported Wednesday.
The decision to hire a langurwallah - a man who trains and controls the langurs - came after a monkey got into a metro car in June, the newspaper reported.

Comments

[John Lucid]

Those simians look disturbingly similar to the chilled-monkey-brains">http://www.propmasters.net/images/indy2monkeyheadscreenshot.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.propmasters.net/popup_image2.php%3FpID%3D262%26osCsid%3Dcead761c0bed115e35dba1a32e026696&h=289&w=653&sz=39&hl=en&sig2=SdQjgjiML2lGv0v9K154_w&start=5&tbnid=2ctvB647zijV_M:&tbnh=60&tbnw=136&ei=JnnRRJPxGo2yiAHX7ojOCg&prev=/images%3Fq%3DTemple%2Bof%2Bdoom%2Bmonkey%2Bbrains%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG">chilled-monkey-brains monkeys in Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom. They're supposed to be a delicacy. Why aren't the passengers just killing them and taking them home for dinner?
Mmmmmmmmm....monkey brains! Still, living out here on The Range I gotta stick with something more civilized: Bull testes.

[togolosh]

I've always dreamed of being a Langurwallah.

[cfrost]

I assume the monkeys they're talking about are macaques, specifically rhesus macaques which are common in many Indian towns and cities. Ages ago, I got college credit for a few semesters observing (documenting male/female interactions) rhesus macaques. This was at the California National Primate Research Center, where the monkeys were housed in giant 1/3 acre enclosures with 30 – 70 or so animals per enclosure. After many, many hours of watching the macaques I came away with an understanding that they really do live in a very complex and subtle society, that you would never, ever, want one for a pet, that they can be quite gentle and even solicitous, and that they can also be shockingly nasty, ferocious little bastards. Which last stands to reason, as they evolved as raccoon-sized, largely terrestrial animals in an environment lousy with leopards, tigers, dholes and competing troops of macaques. Like their African cousins baboons, their defense when they can’t run away is to group together and be as fierce as cornered weasels. In the urban environment of modern India it’s not hard to imagine that they might be a bit more aggressive than your average Central Park squirrel.

[ajay]

I have always thought it an excellent idea to have job titles that simply consist of the main concern of the job followed by the word "wallah".

"Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, left-wing political blogwallah"
"Stephen Jay Gould, renowned Harvard fossilwallah"
"Ken Lay, convicted fraudwallah"
"Hugh Hefner, septuagenarian pornwallah"

[Republic of Palau]

The -wallah usage was very common in the British Raj and after at the Foreign Office and Army, bumf-wallah meaning a paper-pusher for instance. [I should explain bumpf too I suppose - suffice it to say it's what you wipe your bum with, ie bum-fodder.]

My favourite Hindi/English expression has to be 'Yes, but how big's his dunda?", a question that could be usefully asked of any male politician in these pissing-contest times.

[trixiecat]

We have to fight the monkeys abroad so we don't have to fight them at home!

[ajay]

What's great is that, as with Smith, Carver, Wright, Fisher, Fletcher etc, the *wallah names have become surnames in their own right. There are families of Boatwallahs, Bottlewallahs etc, and my aunt had a pupil in her class called Yasmin Brollywallah, whose Raj-era ancestor presumably sold umbrellas.

I must admit, I rather look forward to about 2050, when you won't be able to throw a brick in India without hitting a Sanjay Managementconsultantwallah, an Arjun Blogwallah, a Balvinder VLSIdesignwallah, or a Krishnan Advertisingwallah.

[Bruce]

mother^#@*$#@!!

[kerr]

Re: -wallah comments

%Yes. Is not colonialism cute and funny. See how amused we are.%

[Tom Hilton]

Shakespeare's Sister turns this into an inspired political metaphor. Great post; check it out.

[Richard Tribou]

I can't wait for the film, except i don't think Sam Jackson would be best, maybe someone more Bollywood. Monkeys on a Train the musical.

I posted about this same story on my new blog with a couple other photos in case anyone's interested. OrlandoSentinel.com/whattheblog keyword: Monkeys.

[Trystero]

Yes. Is not colonialism cute and funny. See how amused we are.

I would describe it as post-colonial cultural blending, which IS neat.

I recently saw a movie (Code 47) set 50 years in the future, where all the characters spoke a mish-mash of multiple languages. The movie was trying to establish a point about the degree of globalization that had taken place.

[Gaijin Biker]

A Jewish baker chould be a challahwallah!

[Tom Hilton]

A Jewish baker chould be a challahwallah!

Living in (of course) Walla Walla (Washington).