Some lesser known facts about the these tourist spots. Shimla is a beautiful place but it suffers from the ‘monkey menace’. More specifically from the rhesus macaque monkey menace (the rhesus antigen or rh antigen by which our blood groups are classified into rh +ve and  -ve was first discovered in them and then in humans) . All over the city you find boards warning you about the ‘Bandaro ka Atank’. The warning says in a confrontation with a  monkey over the food in your hand, just hand over the food to the monkey. Don’t attempt to monkey with the monkey because you will end up at the receiving end. I used to take a morning with my children and what we observed is the locals either carried sticks or stones (not to break any bones) in their hands. At first we were a little puzzled at the utility of these objects. But it became adequately clear. During a  walk a group of monkeys surrounded us. Luckily for us a group of good samaritans locals were nearby, they began shouting at the monkeys and pelted them with stones. Rescuing us from a potentially dangerous situation. We discovered that the locals don’t share the pacifistic ideas of the authorities of turning the other cheek. For them its an eye for an eye. On our visit to Jakhu temple which is appropriately dedicated to Hanuman, the monkeys rule the roost. We were warned to remove our spectacles and not to carry any food. Well apparently the monkeys steal your spectacles and barter them with you for food. A friend of mine disregarded this warning and entered the temple wearing his glasses. They were stolen by the monkeys and he could only get them back when he offered them food. Along with the prasad items which you can buy at the entrance, you get a complimentary stick to prevent the monkeys getting to it before it is offered to the Monkey God. This monkey menace exists in a lot of cities even in our capital Delhi. They have taken over some government buildings and the government has hired monkey catchers. A bounty of Rs. 100/- per live monkey head is placed. They are caught and taken to a forest and released only to find their way back. The other solution was to have specially trained ‘kale muh ka bandar’ (black faced langurs) patrol the property. The rhesus monkeys are wary of these black faced commandos and will give them a wide berth. However it has had limited success. But why do these primates invade our cities? The same reason our cities are getting over crowded by people from the villages, a better life, easier pickings, shrinking habitat and an easy life of crime.