An old story retold..
Recently,I had to give a talk to some MBA students on the subject of Strategic Management.I thought of making it interesting by using some old story from Panchtantra and giving it a modernistic touch.I recalled the famous story about the cap seller and the monkeys, from my childhood days and narrated it to the class.They all loved it.You might have heard it earlier,but I feel there is no harm in an encore. I have also seen the story enacted on a stage, by some tiny tots, in a school.The audience just loved it and gave a standing ovation to the young”monkey” actors.The teacher,who prepared the students for this drama, was also felicitated and of course,the parents too had helped their wards in dressing up in monkey uniforms and dresses for the occasion !
Here is the story then :
Old version :
Once upon a time,a cap seller was travelling through a jungle.After having his lunch,he felt sleepy and lying down under a shady tree,he soon fell asleep.After a short nap,when he woke up and looked around, he saw that all his caps were taken away by some monkeys around him, and they were all jumping on the tree, wearing his caps. He was perplexed and in a state of shock.Then, as if in a frenzy,he started stoning the monkeys.In return, monkeys picked fruits from the trees and threw them at him.Soon, he realized that the monkeys were imitating him.So,he took off the cap he was wearing and threw it down.In return,the monkeys too did the same.The cap seller very happily and promptly, collected all the caps,filled up his sack and went along his way,smiling at his clever strategy.
New version:
Now, it so happened that after several years,this cap seller’s grandson happened to pass through the same jungle.He also fell asleep after finishing his lunch.When he woke up and looked around,much to his dismay,he found that the same thing had happened with him-that is just as it had happened with his grandfather.However, his grandfather had told him, how to deal with such a situation. So, he too started stoning the monkeys.In return ,the monkeys started throwing fruits at him.Next he pulled off his cap and threw it down.However,the monkeys first took off their caps but then put them on again.At this sudden turn of events,the cap seller’s grandson was simply nonplussed and confused. Suddenly, one old huge monkey came down from the tree, and said to the cap seller’s grandson: “Kya sirf terey hi dada thay?” (“Were you the only creature to have a grandfather?”)
Moral of the story/Management Lessons from this tale :
Don’t repeat old solutions to deal with old problems.Every solution has an expiry date.So, keep your mind sharp,learn new techniques and keep yourself uptodate.
Note : There is a nice animated video on this story,but it is with a slight twist at the end.Go to the following link:
Wah Wah, Sir!
Great innovation.You are a real management Guru!
Hats off to you.Yahan tau kuch monkey aur nahi hain except jo type kar raha hai.
Hope some monkeys some where too observe and do the same.
Bahut badiya !Supreeeeeemely happy.
cheers.
mouli.
Hyderabad 17th Nov 2010
Nice one Uncle Jee!! 🙂
To add more, I also have one small story to share!! There was a lady who used to cook fish every time without the tail. So one day, his husband inquired the reason for not cooking the tail of fish..as it was very much eatable, her wife replied that she dint know the reason as such….She has been following what her mom had been doing over the years and so this way it was a tradition which was being followed over one generation to another.
The husband was really curious to know the exact story, and thankfully her wife’s great grandmother was alive. So, he asked her why she used to cut the fish’s tail before cooking and she said her cooking pan was not that big that it could cook the whole fish at one time, so she used to cut the tail.
So the moral of story is every generation has its own limitations and in turn solutions. Also, it is imperative to question the basic rational behind any solution before you apply that in your context.
Regards,
IP
new delhi 17TH NOV 2010
A good fabrication of a new story inside the old story “The monkey and the cap seller.” Old order changes yielding place to new–this is unfortunately not known to the grandson of the cap seller. One more joke from your JOKE FACTORY.
Rajaram Ramachandran, Juhu, Mumbai
Nov 17, 2010
HATS-OFF to you 🙂 for presenting the moral in such an innovative way 🙂
Sir, What was the reaction of your students to this remake? What were the interpretations made by them. I know now that every solution has an expiry date. Well said, Regards.
Pooja G Bhuyar, Bijapur
Nov 18, 2010
Dear Rajaram ji and dear Doctor Pooja,thanks for your responses to my story-retold ! Yes, when I discussed this story in the class there was a very gratifying response and a variety of many thoughtful responses, fit enough to be compiled and posted as another posting ! Motivated by the responses from the Gen Next I am now re-telling another story this week end.Keeps me in good spirits !
j s broca
new delhi
19th nov 2010
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The info on this post is beneficial.
A feather on your CAP.
Jatinder ji, They say Monkeys are our ancestors; so logically when we progress in our thinking, they too should. The updated version you have given to the story has a very intelligent twist .. story ka story aur lesson ka lesson bhi.