Language for perception

"Sir, when tiger wants to tell that I am here, he marks by stretching and marking on the tree. Also, jab dusra tiger iske ilake mein aata hai to, it comes to know that bigger tiger is here. It is his territory. Jo jitna ucha marking karta hai, usi ka dab-d-ba rehta hai."

This is what the guide had to say about the claw marks by a tiger on a tree trunk in his tooti-fhooti english language to my acquaintance.

It was a case of our Bandhavgarh National Park safari early this year. During the safari tour, my acquaintance, a middle aged fellow, was not ready to accept his theory. "Everybody has heard about tigers' urine spraying act as a way to mark their respective territories and sharpening of claws. But, he seems confused. I doubt if he is to be believed on this theory. He is just trying to make a story, " he said.

A lot of speculation went on the subject after returning to hotel but we were still waiting for the right answer, which is cent per cent true. We thought, on reaching back to Delhi, there is every reason to google the confusion. But the answer came a lot quicker than we predicted. On our return journey, we bumped into a person returning from the same destination, who happens to work with another safari hotel retreat in Bandhavgarh (in MP). He possessed a lot of knowledge about the flora and fauna of this park. In his unique style, eloquent english, he made us understand the reasoning behind the claw marks apart from the reasons for sharpening them. He, truly, made us believe his reasoning, which appeared correct and logical.

He had the same thing to say what that semi-literate guide in the park told us. Tigers stretch a great level and try to make marks of their claws on a tree trunk as high as possible to send a clear message that this zone belongs to a strong male. "Can you match my strength and physique?" The discussion continued and we talked a lot about the animal and its behaviour in the wild. My acquaintance now believes the theory that the guide had to say.

The two cases of understanding a single subject taught me how our perception is so much dependent on language and the mannerisms a person use while speaking and explaining something to others. Use sophisticated english language - the logic appears hip, righteous and reasonable. Use Hindi language or less purfied English, the argument seems illogical to us, imperfect at times and something, not be believed at all. Seems, believing something depends on our will to accept reasonings. I only want people to forget the way a reasoning is being put forward to (for a brief moment) to comprehend reality, rightly.