Lately, I had an opportunity of viewing the latest OTT presentation on the much loved Paddington Brown Bear,“Paddington in Peru” (Paddington series 3).The bear who came from the “deep, dark jungles of Peru”, found himself, after a whirl of circumstances, at Paddington station in London. The Brown family, who were passing by, took pity on the lost and lonely bear and sheltered him in their residence at 32, Windsor Gardens, naming him Paddington in the process.
The bear, with his trademark brown Bowler, blue overcoat and the ubiquitous marmalade sandwich tucked away below his hat, has since become a favourite of both young and adult readers as well as movie watchers all over the world. In the latest screening of “Paddington in Peru”, the bear goes in search of his missing Aunt Lucy and thereby begins his quest for the ever elusive El Dorado or the “country of fabulous riches and expectations”.
The movie ends with an unexpected twist, but it does teach us important lessons in our endless search for prosperity. El Dorado is a Spanish legend, owing its origin to the folklore of Spanish colonists of the sixteenth century, in deference to a mythical king, the fabulously rich El Dorado, who was reputed to be covered in gold dust to be washed off in a sacred lake. Many attempts have been made by the adventurous to reach the mythical El Dorado.
In 1537, adventurer Gonzalo Quesa da entered the territory of Muisca, presently located in Colombia, aspiring to plunder vast quantities of gold from the palaces and temples of the indigenous tribe of traditional goldsmiths. Lured by the plunder and being enamored of further discovery of the golden land, Quesada’s quest was first followed up, although unsuccessfully, by his descendant, Antonio de Berrio. In 1541, Gonzalo Pizzaro, the brother of the Governor of Quito, who was lured by the discovery of the Cinnamon valley, journeyed up to the Cocoa and Napo rivers and the latter’s confluence with the Amazon, and eventually arrived at the Atlantic Ocean.
Their primary discovery was, however, the Omagua tribe, with their legacy of skillfully crafted pottery and well settled trading routes. The mythical golden land of El Dorado, however, continued to elude them. Thereafter, in early 1542, a German nobleman, Von Hutten accompanied by Bartholomew Welser from Venezuela decided to follow the route chartered by Quesada. In their quest, they too came across the Omagua tribe with their reputed stores of wealth, but attempts to capture the tribesmen and to plunder their possessions were rebuffed by the locals. Both Von Hutten and Welser were later beheaded in a Spanish revolt and thereby ended their search for gold.
The reputation of the Omagua tribe, their wealth as well as trading routes, however, had spread, and in 1559, Pedro de Ursua obtained permission from the Viceroy of Peru to undertake an expedition to the Amazon. The journey, however, was riddled with internal strife and rampant killings of Urs`ua and his successors, leading to the abandonment of the expedition to El Dorado. In 1569, Quesada, who had become the Adelanto (Governor) of New Granada, made an abortive expedition which came to no good. Finally, in 1595, the renowned British explorer Sir Walter Raleigh decided to get into Guiana and to find the golden city of El Dorado.
Raleigh believed that El Dorado was inhabited by fugitive Incas from Peru and followed up his first abortive attempt with another expedition in 1616, which ended in the death of his son and his being put to trial on grounds of misrepresentation and conspiracies against the state.
Another myth surrounding the elusive golden city was around Lake Parime, provoking ambitious adventurers who continued their abortive explorations until abandoned conclusively in the early nineteenth century by Alexander Von Humboldt. The concept of El Dorado, as an elusive golden city, has led not only to numerous losses and killings by avarice-driven men and their followers, but has also continued to influence the global literary and artistic community. Voltaire, the French philosopher, who had penned his satirical novel “Candide” in 1759, described the golden city as purely Utopian, which, however, was abandoned due to disillusionment with moral perfections.
Candide, a young man, lives his cocooned life in paradise and is indoctrinated with a sense of optimism attributable to Leibnizian thinking that our world is the best possible world created by God. The lifestyle having abruptly ended, Candide is rapidly disillusioned as he faces the harsh realities of life and comes to realize that the paradise that he had supposedly inhabited is nothing more than an illusion. Further, in 1849, Edgar Allen Poe composed El Dorado where the metaphorical Gallant Knight in search of El Dorado remains a conceptual myth in the real world. The poem ends thus: “ Over the mountains Of the Moon, Down the Valley of the Shadow, Ride, boldly ride, The shade replied, If you seek for El Dorado”. Paddington 3, however, is refreshing in its optimism and it overcomes the literary disillusionment with El Dorado.
The story begins with Paddington falling into the river while trying to pluck an orange, and ultimately being saved by Aunt Lucy, a geriatric, be spectacled bear. Paddington is called back to duty when Aunt Lucy is reported missing. He chanced upon adventurer Hunter Cabot who surmises Paddington’s bracelet to be the answer to the riddle to reach El Dorado. Cabot is propelled by his blood-thirsty, greedy ancestors while his daughter Gina remains his conscience keeper. After many (mis) adventures and ursine clumsiness, Paddington uses his bracelet to find his destination. And, after holding our breath during the twists and turns of Paddington’s adventure, we, the viewers, discover the mythical El Dorado, to realize that it’s a massive greenery full of orange trees of resplendent golden hue! Mrs Brown, whose family has been accompanying Paddington with unfailing loyalty, in response to her husband’s query as to where the real El Dorado is, prosaically responds “this is it, an Orange Grove”. Quite removed from Voltaire’s description of El Dorado as Utopia, the Orange Grove is the residence of El Dorado bears, ones who wear a special bracelet on their feet to distinguish them from other bears. Paddington is the only outsider to gain entry as his bracelet has been carefully preserved by his Aunt Lucy to be handed over to him at the right time. In “Candide”, Voltaire penned the community’s disenchantment with moral perfections.
In Paddington 3, Paddington, while acknowledging the community’s harmony and the temptations of orange marmalade, wants to return to his adoptive family, the Browns. El Dorado, we surmise, is ephemeral in its charms and enticement. Edgar Allen Poe portrayed his Gallant Knight’s search for El Dorado as an unreality, a myth not found in the real world. In Paddington 3, the presence of the metal gold is no longer a reality, not worth the blood thirsty battles and lost lives of avarice-ridden men. It’s actually plentiful nature that glorifies the sought after land, with never ending expanses of greenery and succulent orange-laden golden groves. With some help from Paddington’s adoptive brother, a make – shift structure cum juice crusher is set up and out comes some very fresh marmalade. Another lesson: Nature’s gold can be turned into preserves for future keeping , as gifts, and with endless possibilities.
The cinematic interpretation of El Dorado as in the Dougal Wlison directed Paddington 3, does leave us with some memorable messages: That there is indeed a golden land at the end of the horizon but you get in only with purity of purpose; that, one can reside in El Dorado only with a profound sense of harmony; that, gold is not only metallic, but nature’s gold is also priceless; that, it’s not worth struggling for the unattainable, when there are so many captivating elements that surround us, and that, the environment needs to be dearly protected and that’s why there is so much secrecy around El Dorado.
(The writer is a development economist and commentator on economic and social affairs)