Red Berries by Dr.B.S.Patil

The plains of Central and South Central India possessed entirely unique scenic beauty. The dense forest of the Western Ghats gave way for shrubs and bushes. Scantily scattered shrubs, gave the look of a ‘two day old beard’ on an old man’s face. The black soil looked rich with nutrients which were forced down its throat by the sun.

In this sparse dry, hot, sunny place there was a spot known for sweet ‘red berries’. The small, oval, juicy fruit was known for its sweetness. It was so addictive that even the tiger was fond of eating it after each meal. The trees were grown in the size of a bush, struck to each other. The berry trees looked like a close knit family.

One day a fully grown, adult, strong and beautiful tiger was merrily munching the berries. He was relaxed and had pushed his belly against the ground indicating his time for a nap. After enjoying the berries, when he was getting ready for a nap, he heard a coarse voice from behind.

“Don’t eat all; there are others in the line to enjoy it.” A young adolescent tiger was standing incautiously near the relaxed tiger.

“Hey, I didn’t see you coming, what is your name?” The adult tiger asked sportively.

The youngster, imprudently and injudiciously answered back, “That is not the issue here. You leave the place. You are eating since long.”

The adult tiger felt insulted, but regained his composure and said “Even then, I am curious to know your name”.

The youngster again said unwisely, “Why do you want to know?”

Adult reacted angrily, it roared at high pitch. The youngster’s legs trembled.

“I am the king of this jungle; I will not allow anybody to come near these berries”. While saying this, the adult tiger stood up. The long and well-built body covered with shiny fur made it look elegant. The ferocity in the eyes terrorised the youngster.

The youngster escaped from the place and ran straight to the mother tigress. He took a deep breath and narrated the incident to his mother. At the end of it, the mother looked worried.

With tear filled eyes, the youngster said, “I won’t be able to eat those berries again”. Looking at him endearingly, the mother said, “Don’t worry, take me to that place, I will speak to that tiger.”

Reluctantly, the youngster escorted her to the place.

The old tiger was still resting; body posture had now changed to stiffness and alertness. The mother asked the youngster to stay back and went near the tiger. While walking carefully and making minimum noise, she thought, these were our fruits for so long. Now we have stronger contender for the same. I should ensure that, these berries remain with my family. Drawing herself out of her thought process, she shouted.

“Hey Mighty Tiger… it seems something is annoying you”, she said, attracting his attention.

The ever alert tiger, responded in a sure enough manner, “It’s none of your business.”

Unhesitatingly, the mother said, “I know you must be upset with that youngster”.

Fuming with anger, the tiger retorted, “What kind of animal is he?”

Emotion changing from anger to frustration, he said, “Doesn’t he understand whom he is speaking to and what?”

“He is still young; he doesn’t know how to talk to others.” Mother said calmly.

The adult tiger did not mellow down.

The Mother continued, “Like you, he too is upset. …that he won’t be able to eat those red-berries again.”

The adult Tiger said unapologetically, “He will never get it; I will be here for the whole season. If I get to see him, I will kill him.”

“This is not staple food. Why so much of anger? We can always share.” Mother said with hope gleaming in her eyes.

But there was no response from the other side… not even a nod. She waited…

After second thought, the adult tiger said, “Ok, your family will eat only after I finish eating… and leave the place.”

The Mother seemed to have other plans. Disapprovingly she said,

“We were enjoying the fruits from so many seasons. I don’t think it is appropriate to shunt us out.” The statement came with sternness in the voice, calmness in the eyes and firmness in the posture. All these appeared as indications of high moral ground.

Now the anger of the adult tiger got contaminated with the attitude of the mother. He spoke with little anger and more of a conciliatory note, “I will not leave this place; you will never have full enjoyment of these red-berries.”

“I have three children, and this is the only tree in the nearby area”, Mother made one more attempt on red-berries and said, “Don’t react harshly to my son’s behaviour. He is a child.”

The Mother continued, “Whatever he said or did is due to my inappropriate upbringing. I will teach him etiquettes. Please leave the berries for us.”

The Tiger got up and walked a distance… looked back and said, “In case you want more red-berries feel free to come to my place, they taste even better.”

Negotiation Principle: ‘Aggressive negotiation’ is the most common mistake.

Aggressive negotiation involves being ‘harsh on the other party’, as well as ‘on the problem’.

The young tiger behaved aggressively with the adult and therefore the discussion turned to fight of ego and position. They could never discuss the problem at hand. On the other hand the Mother never attacked the person. However, she was unrelenting as to the ‘subject matter’ (red berries). She kept appealing, but never conceded. Therefore, the moral of the story is - In negotiation, “be aggressive only with problem never with the person”.