Keep Running

Stories and novellas by writers such as Enid Blyton, Ruskin Bond and Rumer Godden fascinated me immensely in my childhood. The magical tales set in India and far-away lands among children, animals and nature effortlessly transported me away to realms totally disparate from my own. These writers used a great deal of imagination to infuse their stories with characters, societies, philosophies, et al so much so that sometimes they succeeded in creating a whole new universe.
I remember Blyton’s ‘Shadow, the Sheepdog’ from my childhood - a riveting tale of a boy and his dog set in a farm in England, a universe where animals could talk, form alliances, unite against a common foe, act out the moral codes of duty, love, friendship – a heady premise for so young a mind as mine.

All those feelings of wonderment, thrill and awe came rushing back as I watched the mini-series ‘Watership Down’ on Netflix. I discovered ‘Watership Down’ quite by accident, never having heard of the novel or its creator, Richard Adams. Anyway, once I started the series, I could not stop, and I finished all 4 episodes at one go, so engrossed I was in the world of
rabbits and their warrens. It is obvious that Adams sought to explore the ‘human condition’ by transposing it to the universe of rabbits; he comes up with an interesting story of the origin of rabbits, the emergence of antagonistic elements, the hierarchies in the rabbit society, the all-too-common pitfalls of organized structures, motifs of human qualities like struggle, self-determination, the metastasizing of tyranny, etc.

It is interesting that the novel actually sprang out of tales that the author used to regale his 2 young daughters – tales that Richard actually confessed to improvising as they story moved along. The story is essentially about a motley band of rabbits who flee from their warren fearing imminent destruction, their travails when they hop out into the unknown world meeting strange characters, mortal enemies in their search for a new home, making unlikely friends and their final success in surmounting numerous odds to secure a happy, peaceful warren.

First published in 1972, the epic motifs in the book still ring true, tethered as they are, to the enduring realities of human existence. I guess I got attracted to the characters and the story because they are so allegorical and therefore, easy to identify with. Take for instance, the main protagonist, Hazel, who struggles through self-doubt, the barbs of his fellow-rabbits, his own physical limitations and lack of fighting abilities, instead choosing to trust his own instincts and the sage advice of his younger brother, Fiver.

Richard used great imagination to imbue his rabbit world with compelling mythology, its own language, ‘lapine’, sweeping adventures and a hierarchical structure built on gender, individual physical attributes, skills. I have not read the book but the mini-series makes for very enjoyable viewing and a ready interest into the goings-on of the rabbit world – does look after the kits and maintain the warren, bucks guard the perimeter and sound warnings, rabbit councils decide on important matters, the military rabbits act as enforcers and above all, the rabbits run. Mythology reveals that their fleet-footedness is their prime defense against most dangers – they run, hop, and skip away to safety.

Hares are quite common here and there is a particularly intrepid brown one who ventures into my backyard most mornings, nibbling on the succulent greens. Whenever he senses my presence however, he dashes off in a blur of brown….