The ancient hill shrine of Sholingur still upholds its sanctity as one of the 108 Divyadeshams and is the home of the sacred Yoga Narasimha Swamy Temple atop its peak.

As we ascend the steep steps, we’re confronted with a melee of monkeys, whose population perhaps rivals the human inhabitants of the town. Their greedy focus is steadfast on the offerings of fruit and coconuts that the devotees take with them. Woe begone if the devotee’s attention weans for even a fraction of a second. The term “pressure tactics" acquires a wholly new meaning on those steps.

And so it happened right before me.

A local woman was mobbed by quite a large bunch of these avaricious apes who climbed all over her and even after they took her bag away, they refused to clamber back to their places. They took their time inspecting it, strewing its contents all over the place. They didn’t scratch or hurt her in the least.

On her part, she spoke to them, addressing them as if they were family: “Narasimha! Anjaneya! Return my bag! Now! The temple will close," she said as she kept climbing. At a bend, three or four monkeys ran up behind her and flung her bag in front of her. Its fruity contents had been cleaned out and all that remained were some flowers, a garland and money. She picked it up, rearranged the flowers, and scolded them in mock anger, “Narasimha, if you do this again, I’ll beat you, Narasimha!"

Then she paused, looked at them, did a small Namaskaram and continued to climb.

I’m sure you’ve also seen something similar.

This incident occurred less than two years ago and to my mind, it counts as a sign of hope and optimism. Its significance lies in the fact that it is among countless such living proofs of an........

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