Tackling the Bully

Bullying may be fun to the bully but the one who bears the brunt of it may not find it funny. What does one do in such a situation?

A tale from the Panchatantra offers a creative recourse to deal with such situations and people in an effective manner. A pair of crows lived on a large, leafy tree.

A poisonous snake also lived in the groove of its trunk. The reptile helped itself to the eggs of the crow every now and then. The helpless pleas of the crows to spare their progeny, yet to open their eyes to the world, fell on the deaf ears of the adder. The birds were frustrated.

They recognised their inability to deal with their problems on their own. Therefore, they shared their worries with a jackal who was their friend. He counselled them. He proved to be their strength. Accordingly, the crow flew to the bathing ghat looking out for an opportunity.

He picked up a gold necklace that the princess had left on the banks along with her clothing and other accessories. The bodyguards who noticed the pilferer followed the bird all the way up to the tree.

The crow tossed the ornament into the hole of the tree and flew away. When one of the bodyguards tried to reach out for the necklace, the serpent slithered out. The men immediately beat the reptile to its death and retrieved the lost property.

The crows were relieved of their continuous anxiety. The crows did try to befriend their threat.

They also considered moving away from the threat. However, they realised that running away from a problem cannot prove to be its solution.

When they found that they were at a loss about finding a plausible solution, they decided to repose their faith in their well-wisher and followed his counsel. Consequently, they were able to iron out the situation in their favour.

When we apply the essence of this tale to our predicaments, we must remember that doing away with an enemy is certainly not a solution to any problem.

However, no one can stop us from extricating ourselves from a sticky wicket resourcefully, while sending an effective message to our tormenter.