Living with Monkeys: A Gypsy Family's Journey to Kishkindah

Deva's Gypsy Family and Monkey Companions

• 🐒 Deva, a descendant of a gypsy family, travels across India with his wife Gauri, daughter Elama, and their monkeys.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Deva considers himself the "grandfather" to the monkeys, viewing them as his own children and part of his family.
• Tradition dictates that Deva's family has lived with monkeys for generations, a practice passed down from father to son.

The Journey to Kishkindah

• 🗺️ The family's destination is Kishkindah, a mythical monkey kingdom in the mountains, sacred to Hanuman.
• 🚶 They travel mostly on foot, occasionally using trains where they entertain passengers for passage.
• 🏙️ Deva avoids cities, as his monkey companions dislike the hustle and bustle.

A Legacy of Performance and Tradition

• 🎭 Deva's uncle, Mamu, revolutionized the family's tradition by teaching monkeys tricks, lifting them out of poverty.
• 🥁 Deva was taught by Mamu to communicate with monkeys and developed a successful show.
• 🍌 Monkeys often collect coins from shows, which they then exchange for treats like bananas or cake.

The Monkey Kingdom and Hanuman

• 🏞️ Kishkindah is described as the ancestral kingdom of monkeys, ruled by the monkey god Hanuman.
• 🌳 The kingdom encompasses rivers, lakes, forests, and mountains, all protected by monkeys.
• 🕉️ Deva visits a temple where humans and monkeys share food peacefully, reflecting devotion to Hanuman and the divine couple Rama and Sita.

Human-Animal Bond and Daily Life

• 🧠 Deva trains his monkeys daily, with each new routine taking about a month to learn.
• 📸 Shankar, one of the monkeys, is noted for his intelligence, curiosity, and ability to perform tricks, even showing an interest in photography.
• 🌌 Deva and his monkeys sleep under the stars, with the monkeys preferring higher perches due to fear of predators like panthers and tigers.
• 🍲 Deva shares all his meals with the monkeys, who store food in cheek sacs and eat quickly due to a fear of scarcity.
• 🏞️ Deva finds his purpose in living with, watching, protecting, and loving his monkeys.