Ayusha Erdyneev - Stories about elephant calf Lanchenkar

It happened a long time ago when India was a part of Africa. It’s hard to believe this but India was not then in south Asia but in the western part of Africa. Millennia ago India broke away and took a long way to join the Asian continent.

***

Since Africa and India were one once, similar animals can be found there such as huge elephants with their big, round ears and a long nose which is called the trunk and which they use as an arm and a water pipe.

Elephants inhabit both India and Africa. In India they serve people devotedly: they carry logs for building homes and give a ride to humans on their broad backs. African elephants do not help people. If they are too many, they can destroy all trees around. No less dangerous are African wild elephants for villagers: a herd of 16-foot giants can trample down a village without noticing it.

***

So, India was one with Africa, only a narrow river separated the Indian jungle from the African tropical forest.

On the day this happened a scorching wind was blowing from the African shore. It was unbearably hot.

The Indian elephant’s calf, Lanchenkar, was taking a walk around the jungle, as usual. It was hot and he was thirsty. He came to the frontier river, sank his trunk deep to reach the cool stream and quenched his thirst. Like other elephants, he pumped water with his trunk into his mouth.

After that he had a shower. He took in some water, tossed back his head and hosed his hot sides. He felt so good that he even closed his eyes. When he opened them, he saw an African elephant calf on the other bank. The elephant was tall and tanned.

“Look at this underling and his small ears. It’s not an elephant, it’s a dwarf,” the African exclaimed arrogantly.

“What matters is not the size of the body and ears but what’s in your head,” parried Lanchenkar calmly.

“I am the smartest elephant in Africa!”

“Oh really? Then tell me: Was one of us born in Africa?”

“Of course he was!”

“Was one of us born by an elephant?”

“Sure.”

“Is one of us a living creature with his specific features?”

“No doubt.”

“Is one of us one being and not several?”

“Right.”

“Does it follow from this that one of us may be an elephant because he has a trunk?” continued Lanchenkar.

“Granted.”

“Then one of us wasn’t born in Africa!”

“Why not?”

“Because one of us was born in India.”

“Why so?”

“Because I am one of us!”

“And who am I then?” asked the African, scratching his head with his trunk pensively.

“I’ll show you that one of us completely depends on me.”

“How’s that?”

“If there is no me, there won’t be one of us, right?”

“I won’t deny that.”

“It means he is my slave.”

“Suppose one of us was born in both Africa and India?”

“Which of them has a trunk?”

“What do you mean?”

“You said one of us has only one trunk, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did. It means he was born just in one place, not necessarily Africa and India.”

“Right. But since he is an elephant, he should have parents, shouldn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“How can it be if he wasn’t born?”

“How come?”

“He wasn’t born because he wasn’t born in Africa, in India or elsewhere.”

“Well, he does have a place of birth. And I was wrong when I said that one of us has only one trunk,” the African elephant said in confusion.

“Then one of us has two trunks. He must be using one when eating bananas and the other when drinking water. Where is he? Do you see this monster anywhere around?”

The little African was embarrassed. He had never met any elephants with two trunks. So he decided to agree with Lanchenkar.

“You are right. One of us was born in India, it seems.”

“Are you sure?” asked Lanchenkar with a smile.

“I am sure.”

“Just in one place?”

“Just in one.”

“And where is that place?”

“One of us was born in India.”

“Then one of us must be me,” concluded Lanchenkar triumphantly.

“Because I was born in India and you were not.”

***

The befuddled African shook his head. His thoughts were all jumbled up, but one thing was clear: one should not boast of one’s size or strength; what matters is one’s wits.

“Well, one of us is going to be an African. On the other hand, why should I go there if I wasn’t born in Africa?” asked the little African but he still made for his home shakily.

As for Lanchenkar, he headed to the Indian jungle wishing that the heat would subside.

Lanchenkar was curious by nature. It was his mother who most often answered his questions. Wisdom personified, the Queen of All Elephants tried to teach her dear son life subtleties.

Owing to Lanchenmo, the Elephant Prince grew up bright and clever, fathoming things ordinary creatures couldn’t.

Since Lanchenkar was not an ordinary elephant and not an ordinary prince, he asked difficult questions.

“Mom, please close one eye. Now tell me: is your eye closed or open?”

“Closed.”

“But I see that one eye of yours is open.”

The Queen’s eye that was open, became round with surprise.

“Don’t you see that my eye is shut?”

“Can you see me?”

“I can.”

“With just one eye?”

“Yes, of course.”

“How can it see you if you closed it?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Then, close your eye.”

“Yes.”

“Is one eye of yours shut?”

“Shut and open.”

“How can it be both shut and open? Can a jar of jam be closed and open at once?” Lanchenkar argued.

“No, a jar of jam can never be open and closed at the same time; nor any other things,” replied the Queen.

“So you will agree that one eye is one thing, not two?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then one jar of jam can be either shut or open and there is no third way?”

“Everybody knows it.”

“So what about one eye of yours?”

“It’s neither shut, nor open.”

“That means a jar of jam is neither shut nor open and you can’t eat the jam because if you don’t close the jar, you can’t open it.”

“This makes no sense… What I mean is one jar is closed and the other open.”

“I had in mind just one jar.”

“I was wrong, there was no second jar,” the Queen conceded.

“Let’s begin anew. Is your eye closed or open?”

“It’s open.”

“Now I ask you to close your eye. Tell me is your eye closed now?”

“No, my eye is open.”

“But I see that one eye of yours is closed. No use arguing with you. You don’t honor our bargain to close one eye.”

“Very well, I’ve closed one eye,” said the Queen, and then she cried: “Oh, I can’t see anything!”

One day, being in a state of meditation 4 4 In this state he could feel and understand things he normally didn’t and, on the other hand, he was oblivious of the world around him. , Lanchenkar acquired a divine auditory gift, when he could hear all sounds in this world.

– Black?

– No, red.

– And why white?

– Because it’s green.

After the meditation the Elephant Prince did not forget those phrases. He kept thinking what all that might mean. What things could have so many colors? Lanchenkar asked many wise men but none could give him an answer. It seemed that there could never be such things in this world! But Lanchenkar didn’t lose hope and continued his quests.