“Grandpa, yesterday we had lot of fun. It was our annual sports day. But it was not a good day for Tom, the hammer throw champion of our school. He was consecutively holding the title for the last three years. The previous day he had a ligament tear near the right-hand elbow. So, he could not take part in the competition. He is very arrogant and rude too towards everyone, so nobody likes him.
Sam who is known as joker in the pack, approached him and said in an incredibly sad tone, ‘We all feel sad since you cannot take part in the competition. We all want to boycott the event if that can make you happy.’
Tom knows that nobody likes him because of his behaviour. He understands that though they are showing off that they are sad, they feel happy inside their hearts. He could not tolerate their show of sadness anymore. He shouted in the top of his voice, ‘I know that all of you are happy because I could not take part. Now stop shedding crocodile teras.’
We could not contain our laughter, and we had to try hard to conceal it.”
“Rani, can you tell me why you want to drag crocodile into this?”
“Grandpa, crocodile tears mean fake tears, not borne out of emotions. Looks like you are so fond of crocodile; if you want to plead the case of crocodile, how will you go ahead?”
“You made me the devil’s advocate, so now I must plead the case for crocodile. The crocodile can sue you all for defamation of character.”
“You mean to say that the crocodile is innocent. Then please prove your point.”
“Crocodile tears are not fake. It is entirely biological and has nothing to do with emotion. It is genuine.
Tears flow profusely from its eyes while eating and when it is not in water. When crocodiles are out of the water for prolonged periods, their eyes begin to dry out. Their tear ducts produce moisture to keep their eyes lubricated and clean.
Additionally, when they open and close their heavy jaws to eat, the mechanical movement puts pressure on their glands, causing tears to spill down their face. People think that it is shedding tears because of the guilt, as it hurt its prey before it was killed. Thus came the myth that crocodile tears are fake. This is only the interpretation given by the public without hearing the side of the crocodile.
So, the crocodile will be freed from all charges. It is also eligible for suitable compensation for damaging its reputation.”
“Grandpa, you are great. You have presented your case nicely and you have won the case. I just want to know one more thing. You always come up with your closing statement with ‘moral of the story’. What is the moral of the story here?”
“First, don’t be judgemental before hearing both sides of the story. Everyone should get a fair chance to present their case.
Secondly, don’t take everything for granted on the face of it.”
