Jungle Tales 2.0.3 : Rad — Crash Course in Junglestanics
Chapter 3: Rad — Crash Course in Junglestanics
The drone continued its journey. I glued myself against the window, mesmerized, savouring the scenery outside. But the idyllic facade had crumbled. The unease I’d felt earlier was back with a vengeance, pulling me in a tug-of-war between the familiar chaos of democracy and the alluring, yet untested, promise of a perfect monarchy. It was too early to pick sides. Junga’s arguments were heavy, but so were the questions they raised. Deciding to hold off on judgement, I turned to him. “So, what happened exactly? Was there a specific event that led to this ..um .. situation?” I left the question hanging, hoping for more information.
Junga glanced at the control panel. “We’re running low on power,” he announced. “Let’s take a break at a charging station. We could both use a refresh.” I realised it had been three hours since we took off.
“Two more hours to go,” Junga added, sensing my unspoken question.
“Right,” I said, grinning “I need a crash course in Junglestanics to fully understand the dynamics of what’s going on here.” His eyes flickered to the control panel as he began preparing to land the drone .
The Drone settled down on the dronepad like a dragonfly on the lily leaf. An attendant appeared from nowhere and disappeared below the drone. “Powering down… cable locked,” a voice boomed through the cabin speakers. The attendant’s microphone connected wirelessly, I surmised. I was relieved that we didn’t have to get down and the attendant had brought some refreshments. There is no coffee here, as expected. Ever since I came here, I’ve been craving a Timmies coffee. But instead, there were tall glasses of pineapple milkshakes and two big slices of watermelon. Junglestan… What do you expect? I teased myself mentally.
Sensing my eagerness to learn more, Junga spoke with a hint of nostalgia in his voice. “Honestly, Junglestan was a model state before the current leader. Everything was picture perfect. Back then, under the rule of Queen Aleah , a traditional lion clan leader, Junglestan had no state religion. It was a truly secular state. Religion was considered a personal matter, and every animal practised what resonated with them. Why do bats hang upside down? It’s simply their culture, their belief… who knows what nature planned for them? It all worked in perfect harmony.”
Junga paused, his gaze darting to the window. “There was a religion called Prithvism in Junglestan, meaning ‘Oneness with Earth.’ It stemmed from ancient Animistic practices. Basically, everything synced with nature — a simple way to put it. Over time, as animals developed a deeper understanding of their environment, the spirits and gods associated with Animism faded away. In their place, a more rational and objective form of Animism emerged — Prithvism. Its principles appealed to most animals, with only minor adaptations that were never a point of contention.
“Wow. Heavy stuff. But he hadn’t spilled the beans yet about what went wrong. Still, Junga’s way of explaining things was crystal clear — not a word wasted, not a single unnecessary flourish. I knew he’d get to the heart of the problem, and he did.
“The leader of the jungle is chosen by an informal debate in the Vana Sabha,” Junga explained. “This ensured the king had a firm grasp of the problems and solutions facing the animals. It wasn’t quite an election, though anyone could challenge for the position. Typically, it was the heads of the various animal clans who contended. Then came the ceremonial chess match… supposed to be an indicator of intelligence and the deciding factor”.
Unique, I’ll give them that, but effective? I wasn’t so sure. Debates, yeah, we have those in our political circus too. But they’re just glorified shouting matches, each candidate spewing their own dogma and beliefs.
Chess, though…” My inner voice trailed off with a snort. “Any half-decent crook could be trained to win a chess match, wouldn’t you say? Intelligence might be a factor, but cunning counts for something too. Besides, wasn’t chess an ancient game, some called it Chaturanga back in the day? A game for kings and strategists? Makes you wonder what Vana Varman did to win his match…”
Seeing the doubt in my eyes Junga continues “Some four years back there was this debate between Aliah — the lioness and Vana Varman — silver back gorilla for the leadership. That’s when things went sideways.”
Junga took a deep breath, his voice hardening. “Vana Varman challenged the very foundation of Junglestan. He introduced a new religion called Maha Prithvism, one that reintroduced the concept of gods and spirits. Prithvism, with its emphasis on logic and reason, had discarded these beliefs. Vana Varman argued that a higher power was necessary, appealing to the animal’s more emotional side.”
He leaned closer, a dark glint flickering in his eyes. “Ingenious, wouldn’t you call it?” he mused, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. “These grand tales spun from thin air — gods, spirits, all promising favour for the obedient. Logic surrenders to these fantastical yarns, replaced by blind faith. A tool of exquisite control, really. Forget earthly rewards or punishments — dangle the carrot of an afterlife paradise or threaten the abyss of eternal damnation, and the people come crawling. The king? He cares nothing for your salvation. This is a grander game, a play for divinity. By manipulating their fears and desires, he slowly weaves the illusion — the illusion that he himself is the source of their salvation, the one and only god they should worship.”
A glint of amusement danced in his eyes as he leaned forward. “Simple rules, wouldn’t they be a bore?” he scoffed. “A dusty old book filled with ‘don’ts’ and ‘shoulds’? No one remembers those! But weave a tale of powerful gods and spirits, promise rewards beyond imagination for the obedient, and threaten fiery pits for the disobedient — now that’s a story people listen to! Logic gets tossed aside like a broken toy. Fear and hope become the new rulers, all thanks to these fantastical yarns. The king? He cares nothing for your soul — this is about power. Blind faith keeps the people in line, their minds filled with fear of the unknown and dreams of paradise. Far more effective than a dull rule book, wouldn’t you say?”
A heavy silence descended upon the drone’s cabin. The idyllic facade I’d witnessed from the window was cracking open, revealing a web of complexity and potential conflict. Vana Varman’s rise to power and the emergence of Maha-Prithvism felt like a ticking time bomb. Junga finally broke the silence, his voice a low murmur. “Here’s the real kicker. Now history is going to repeat itself. The only difference is that this time there is no real contender. The real contender is a fake and the debate is rigged to make Vana Varman win. The chess match is also likely to be rigged like last time. We really don’t know what happened last time, but we suspect the hand of the technology mogul Husk in all this.”
With that, Junga rose and moved to the controls. “It’s time we made a move.” I nodded in agreement. As Junga prepared for takeoff, the attendant hurriedly collected the tray and glasses and retreated.
A curt “All clear” echoed through the cabin. Junga’s smile held a hint of grim determination as he steered the drone forward. My crash course in Junglestanics had just begun, but the secrets it revealed were far deeper than I ever imagined, pondering about the new player, Husk the technology mogul, and the role he might play in all this……….
About : Jungle Tales 2.0 : The awakening
