You'll Be in Jane's (If not Tarzan's) Heart*

One of my friends sent me a song entitled, "You'll be in my heart" by Phil Collins, the other day. It was a nice song; but I didn't pay much attention to its lyrics. At least, not until she told me that it was from the Disney movie, Tarzan, and that the song was picturized on a Chimp momma and her baby boy.

After her telling that, I listened to the lyrics carefully. Yeah, it's a sweet song, suitable for a mom to sing to her kid as a lullaby.

"Come stop your crying, it will be all right
Just take my hand, hold it tight
I will protect you from all around you
I will be here don't you cry

For one so small,you seem so strong
My arms will hold you keep you safe and warm
This bond between us can't be broken
I will be here don't you cry

cuz you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart
Always

Why can't they understand the way we feel
They just don't trust what they can't explain
I know we're different but deep inside us
We're not that different at all

cuz you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more

Don't listen to them, cause what do they know
We need each other, to have and to hold
They'll see in time, I know

When destiny calls you, you must be strong
I may not be with you, but you gotta hold on
They'll see in time, I know

We'll show them together cuz...

You'll be in my heart
I believe, you'll be in my heart
I'll be there from this day on
Now and forever more

You'll be in my heart
no matter what they say
you'll be here in my heart always

Always...
I'll be with you
I'll be there for you always
Always and always
Just look over your shoulder
Just look over your shoulder
Just look over your shoulder
I'll be there always"

But what touched me more was the realization that in addition to his mom, the baby would also be in another heart: the heart of Jane.

And no, I'm not talking about the Jane, who is Tarzan's mate; but the Jane, who made tremendous contribution to the study of the Chimps over a period of 40 years! Yes, I'm talking about Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall, better known simply as Jane Goodall!

I've been fascinated with her work ever since I watched a documentary by her on her Chimps. It made me feel that one needs a certain kind of dedication (and more so for a young woman in the 1950's) to pursue relentlessly the behavioural pattern of the Chimps for over four decades, that too in a foreign country, and a different continent! Perhaps her contribution towards our understanding of the Chimps and their behaviour is comparable to that of that crazy old Frenchman (which Frenchman is not crazy anyway?), Jacques-Yves Cousteau's study of the sea-life!

Goddall's name was so much associated with the Chimps that a cartoon by Gary Larson showing two Chimps grooming had a comment, "Doing a little more 'research' with that Jane Goodall tramp?" when one of them finds a human hair on the other. This led to a major hue and cry from the Goodall Institute, whose lawyers drafted a letter to Larson and his distribution syndicate, describing the cartoon as "atrocity". Goodall herself however found the cartoon amusing. This proved to be beneficial to the baby Chimps and their mothers, because all profits from sales of a shirt featuring this cartoon go to the Goodall Institute ever since. Goodall also wrote a preface to The Far Side Gallery, in which she praised it for Larson's creative ideas.

Epilogue: Now as I write this, I regret the fact that Jane Goddall presented a 2-hour seminar/slide show 3 stories below where I sit 5 days a week, and yet I failed to attend her show, because (due my ignorance) I came to know about it only after it was over!

Further reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Goodall