Welcome Chil!

Image courtesy Wikimedia commons.

For the last few years, one of our youth members has been helping our Cub Pack leaders. Graham is continuing as an assistant leader and has taken a Jungle Book name. Welcome Chil (pronounced Cheel).

Chil is a kite -- a family of old world raptors.

In some US editions of the Jungle Book, you'll find Rann the kite instead of Chil.

Both Mang and Chil appear in the opening "Mowgli's Brothers":

Now Chil the Kite brings home the night
That Mang the Bat sets free--
The herds are shut in byre and hut
For loosed till dawn are we.
This is the hour of pride and power,
Talon and tush and claw.
Oh, hear the call!--Good hunting all
That keep the Jungle Law!
Night-Song in the Jungle

Both Mang and Chil assisted in the rescue of Mowgli from the Bandar-log by alerting Bagheera, Baloo, and Kaa to his kidnapping.

The Jungle Book is also available online for free from Project Gutenberg (It's a US edition).

One of my pet peeves with the Disney movie was the way they changed Kaa's character.

Why Mang?

A few people ask me about my cub leader name. Why Mang they ask?

When I joined the 433rd, we had our Akela and our Bagheera. And since Baloo was taking some time off and might return, I had to find something that else that fit from the list of characters. In other packs, a common fourth was Kaa, Chil, Hathi, or even Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.

Mang doesn't get much mention in the Jungle Book. All of the names above get more play in the book, but they didn't feel right. Mang was a great choice given my interests and the fact that both astronomers and bats are nocturnal. There was also the wonderful rhyme :

Now Chil the Kite brings home the night
That Mang the Bat sets free.

And, I always liked a good party!

Hut 33 finds Mowgli

The BBC premiered a new radio comedy called Hut 33 based on a group of code breakers at Bletchley Park in 1941. Very funny stuff from James Cary.

Here's a snippet from episode 6 "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?" where we find out that Gordon may have been a Cub. Gordon and Archie are both codebreakers. Josh, the head of the hut, has a good heart; although, he's a bit out of his depth when it comes to details, concepts, directions, and codebreaking.

Gordon: Archie's very cynical about religion.
Josh: But Archie, our whole fabric of society is based on the teachings of the Bible. There's a very inspiring story of that baby who grows up to be really really famous.

Archie: You mean Jesus.
Josh: No, no, no, no. It starts with an M. I think he's separated from his parents and brought up by wild animals.
Gordon: Are you thinking of Mowgli!?
Josh: That's it! Which book is that in?
Archie: Jungle Book!
Josh: You mean, The Book of Jungle. Is that the old or new testament?

Hut 33 was extended for another season.