Jane, Goodall

Spoke to an eager audience @ the British Council, yesterday.

She started with a chimp noise, which was answered by an Indian tiger in the audience.

We learnt of how young Jane got into the chimp line-
I wanted to. I liked Tarzan, but not the wimpy Jane he fell for. When a vacancy for a secretarial position came up, I applied. So, I reached Africa.

We also saw her soft toy-
A chimp with a partly peeled banana. A 25 year old who went blind gave it to me, fo inspiration.

We heard of Dr. Jane-
Scientists did not look upon chimps as living. I knew less than nothing about taxonomy. i just felt the pain in a young gorilla's eyes, when he was seperated from his mother.

Kids-
I knew a gorilla who used a blade of grass as a tool. Another big, broad hottie tried to maul me. Well, we have a Tshirt now- I survived Friedo. As far as human kids go, Nat Geo sent a photographer- and we had a kid as well.

On saving the planet from the apes-
As humans are the fifth kind of apes, it is important that we be sensitive towards our big brothers. Kofi Annan made me a UN Ambassador of Peace so that I could spread the message of sweetness and light all round the globe in an apolitical way.

What more could we say to that irrefutable logic?
We gave her a standing ovation.

Lucky chimps.
Aside- The emcee called her John Goodall. Ah well, perhaps somewhere, there is one :)
Disclaimer- the above post is an impressionistic rendition of her keynote address, not a verbatim rendition of an original.