Monkeys are an integral part of the IIT-Madras campus. They are everywhere... jumping from one banyan tree to another. I came to IIT along with my daughter Avani to start on research about 18 months ago.
The day Avani stepped on the campus, she was very happy to see the wildlife: deer, monkeys, squirrels, sparrows. But eventually her excitement dwindled when it came to monkeys. They were a constant threat to her lunch box and water bottle, pursuing her from all sides on her way back from school. The school is located within the campus. She would come out of the gated space of the quarters and scan the entire area. Avani can spot any threat even at a far distance.
When no threat seemed to be on the horizon, she would start her walk to school with the lunch kit hidden behind her bag. The monkeys could sense which bag carried food. They never attacked backpacks with laptops or books. They seemed to know the colour, pattern and size of lunch kits that were ordered on Amazon. Many of the kids had similar bags. We saw different coloured kits of similar makes hanging from banyan trees in and around the school. But even after much precaution, Avani’s kit was snatched away by the monkeys one afternoon. She cried her heart out because it was her favourite kit that her achan had bought her .
