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Sapna was the monitor of class 7A. She was active and chirpy as a parrot. Ever willing to lend a helping hand to her classmates, she was the joy of her class.

Anyone who had any issue or wanted to solve any problem came to Sapna for a solution. This was because, according to Sapna, “Wherever a problem exists, the solution also exists. You just have to persist.” This earned her the tag of ‘Scintillating Sapna’.

The final exams were just two months away. It was recess time and Krisha, Hrithika, Aisha, Vaibhav, Kiran and Michael were looking tense. Sapna, who had just finished some work that the class teacher, Ms. Fernandes, had given her, walked into class. “What’s up? Has the sky fallen or is there going to be a tsunami?” she asked, trying to lighten the situation.

“Sapna, Why do we even have exams? It’s so boring to study, and give exams every year,” complained Krisha.

“Yes. Sapna. What are they for? Why can’t they just give us marks for our understanding of the subject?” asked Kiran.

“That would make things so much easier for us. Also, the teachers will not have to correct so many answer papers,” said Hrithika.

Michael, who loved nature, said, “Yes. It would save so much paper. We have to think of nature conservation first, not exams.”

Vaibhav, who was a voracious reader, said, “I would be able to read so many interesting novels, rather than delve deep into the geography of hills and mountains I would never explore.”

Aisha, who loved trekking, glared at him. “I love geography. I would throw a rock at you for saying such things. The hills and mountains are so beautiful. It is interesting to know about the type of rocks, trees and the topography of regions.”

Sapna smiled at them. She said, “Oh…so that’s it. The exam monster has attacked you. That’s why you are all looking tense.”

She then sat down with them. She continued, “Ok, I have an idea. Let’s make our studies interesting.”

To this, Vaibhav said, “Nothing can make me love geography.” Aisha looked at him in anger.

Michael, who loved the subject English and also nature, said poetically,

“Take me to a park, or a playground, Take me outside in nature, Everything is over there, All the poetry of English, All the problems of Maths, All the mysteries of Science, All the forts in History or All the mountains in Geography.”

Krisha laughed and said, “He plans to travel the world, when the exams are coming nearer!” The rest of them also started laughing and the atmosphere lightened.

“Okay, Sapna, tell us how we can make our studies interesting,” said Kiran.

“Yes. After all, studies do take up most of our time. It would be good to make it interesting,” said Hrithika.

All of them were all ears for Sapna. She was, after all, ‘Scintillating Sapna’.

Sapna said, “Look, let’s set up weekly goals for our studies. More important, let’s help each other clear doubts. None of us is an expert in all subjects, but each of us does like a particular subject more than the others.”

Krisha said, “That’s true. I like History very much.”

“So you could be the group head for History. Michael could be the head for English. Aisha shall be the group head for geography… and so on. If any of the group heads are not able to clear a particular doubt, then we shall meet and clear the doubt from the respective subject teachers,” said Sapna.

Vaibhav said, “That’s a good idea. It’s time I delved deep into my school books rather than my novels.”

Sapna announced in class about the group. She told the whole class to form different study groups, and see that no student was left out.

Each student was now filled with energy and hope. They prepared their own study charts, set up weekly goals, and looked forward to seeing each other’s progress in studies.

The teachers were also told about the study groups and they were very happy about it.

Earlier the students were looking tired, dull and tense. Now, they had got back their zest for life, all sparked by the bubbly Sapna.

Sapna said, “Let us try to understand what we read, then it makes writing the answers easier. Let’s compete with ourselves, so that we can better the marks we got in our previous exam.”

Vaibhav, who almost always got the highest marks, said in an amused tone, “Sapna, can I get 51 out of 50?”

The rest of them laughed. Sapna also laughed. She said, “By trying to improve our own marks, at least, we won’t be trying to get each other’s throats!”

All the students in the class were very happy. “I think we do require a name for our group. What shall we call them? Any suggestions?” asked Sapna.

A voice came from a girl who usually spoke less, but loved doing Karate… “The Stress Busters.” It was Disha, who packed the last punch.

Exam fever was now lesser and all the students had written their exams with confidence and with much less stress.

The results showed a marked improvement from the previous term. They had all passed in every subject and many more students had come into the merit list. Together, they had helped each other succeed.

All the children in the class were happy. Krisha said to Sapna, “You truly are scintillating. Studies don’t seem to be boring anymore.”

The teachers praised the class for their whole-hearted group effort in studying.

‘The Stress Busters’ group were a hit. They set an example for the other classes, who were inspired by them to form such groups in their classes too.

“Money on a tree?” asked everyone. Blacky bear had been telling the animals about this. They knew about flowers and fruits growing on trees, but this was the first time they’d heard someone mention trees on which money grew.

“I don’t believe a word of what Blacky said. He’s trying to fool us,” said
Jumpy monkey.

“If he had asked us to get money, I’d have thought that he was fooling us. But he is offering us such a tree in return for some help. Why do you think he’s playing a prank?” asked Dora.

Jumpy could not answer Dora. He decided to get a money tree and went to see Blacky.

“Though I hate even the thought of doing work, I should get this wonderful money tree. Then I’ll just relax and rest throughout my life,” thought Damru donkey.

Behind Blacky’s house was a large plot of unused land that could be used as a farm but the land was uneven and full of gravel and stones. It needed a lot of work for it to be ready for farming. Blacky spoke to the animals in the forest about his farming idea. But most of the animals didn’t want to work, so nobody offered to help Blacky. That’s when he got this bright idea to offer money trees to all helpers!

Very soon, there was a long queue of animals at Blacky’s door. Blacky was excited to see them.

“If your promise turns out to be false, we’ll bury you right here in this ground. To get a tree on which money grows, we can dig not just this piece of land but the entire forest,” Zimba leopard roared.

“Stop worrying about that and quickly start working. We have very little time,” said Blacky, looking up at the cloudy sky.

The animals got out their spades and hoes and began digging. Some removed stones, while others made the surface smooth. The barren, rocky land became a smooth plot, fit for farming.

“Now you all may go home. After exactly two months, you’ll get your money trees,” Blacky thanked the animals and they left.

After they had gone, Blacky sowed seeds of various fruits and vegetables in the soil. After some time, it started raining.

In a few weeks, the whole field was lush green. The grain was swaying in the wind and the place was full of fruits and vegetables.

Blacky took the harvest to the market and sold everything. He kept aside the money and waited. At the end of two months, the animals came to him. “Blacky, where are our money trees?” they asked impatiently.

“They are here, right in front of you. Why don’t you see for yourself?” Blacky showed them the swaying plants. “And yes, money has already started growing on these trees. Here it is.”

Blacky distributed the profits he made by selling the crop. The animals now understood that the flowers and fruits that grew on trees are what got converted into money trees and that hard work is the first step to success.

Golu elephant was enjoying his bananas when his friends Zebu zebra and Honey deer arrived and said, “Come Golu, let’s play.”

“Yes, let’s. What shall we play today?” asked Golu.

“The weather is pleasant and cloudy. Let’s play catch me if you can,” suggested Honey.

Just then, Sona duck and Casty tortoise arrived.

“This is not the time to play! We have just heard on the news that in the next one or two days, heavy rains and thunderstorms are expected in our forest,” said Sona.

“Golu, last year when it rained heavily, remember that the low lying areas of our forest were underwater. Trees also fell due to the storms, which led to big losses,” said Casty.

“Yes, you are right. We should do something so that we don’t face such loss again!” said Golu.

“Golu, your father is the king of the forest. Tell him and he will take care of everything,” suggested Zebu.

“That’s the problem. He has some work and is not in the forest for a few days,” Golu replied.

“Now what can we do?” asked Honey, worried.

“We will definitely do something,” said Golu. “Let’s go to Prime Minister Gingy Rhino.”

They all went immediately to Gingy. “Gingy uncle,” began Golu. “Heavy rains and thunderstorms are expected in our forest.”

“How do you know?” asked Gingy, looking at the clouds with a worried look.

“It was on the news a while ago,” Sona said.

Before Gingy could think of anything, Golu said, “Uncle, shall we set up relief camps in the upper areas of the forest and shift the residents of the lower areas there to safeguard them?”

“That’s a very good idea. I will get people working on it immediately,” Gingy said.

“We will also help you,” said the kids and joined Gingy.

In the next two days, the animals living in the lower areas were shifted to the relief camps in the upper areas.

Golu and his friends helped Gingy a lot. By the time the job was done, it had started to drizzle. Soon, the drizzle became a heavy shower. It rained heavily for two days. Right through that, Golu kept visiting the camps to check if the food and other arrangements were in place and that nobody had any troubles.

After two days, the rain stopped and the sky cleared. Golu’s friends were happy. “Come Golu. Let’s play today!”

“It’s still not time to play,” said Golu. “We have some work left.”

“Work? But everyone is safe. The sky is clear. What is left now?” asked Zebu.

“When I visited the relief camps, some of the animals told me that their friends were missing. But because of the rain, I couldn’t do anything. But now that the weather is good, we need to find them. Who knows where and in what condition they are in!” said Golu.

First, Golu asked the crows to help. “Fly in different directions. See if anyone is stuck anywhere and tell us,” he instructed them. Then he and his friends went to hunt for the missing people.

After walking for some distance, Golu came across a place filled with water. In the middle of that was a squirrel sitting on a stone, shivering. “Sona, in so much water, we don’t know where there could be stones and pits, so I can’t go there. Since you know how to swim, you go and bring the squirrel,” said Golu.

Sona immediately got into the water and reached the squirrel. The little creature was wet and shivering and seemed to have a fever. “Come, sit on my back and I will take you to safety,” said Sona, and the squirrel could barely climb on.

In no time, Sona was back to her friends with the squirrel. Golu picked up the squirrel with his trunk and placed her on his back. They went to Dr Babloo bear who was taking care of people in the relief camp.

Babloo immediately examined the squirrel. “There is no need to worry.

She has a fever because she got wet. And because she has had no food or water,
she is very weak. By tomorrow, with food, water, and medicine, she will be a lot better.”

Just then, Kaku crow flew in. “There are people stuck on the cliff near the old banyan tree,” he said. “They are wet and scared.”

“How many are stuck there?” asked Golu.

“Maybe 20 or 25,” replied Kaku.

“They may be in the same condition as a squirrel. Till the water settles, we will not be able to bring them here. So we will have to take food, water, medicines, and warm clothes to them,” said Golu.

Immediately, the eagles and crows took those items to the people on the cliff. That was a huge relief to those who were stuck. For the next three or four days, Golu made sure that food items were sent to the cliff regularly. Meanwhile, everyone was taken care of in the relief camp as well.

Finally, the water level went down and all the animals were rescued. Golu got the entire place cleaned. Dr Babloo made sure everyone was vaccinated against diseases spread by infected water. People started moving back to their homes and were advised to boil water before drinking.

King Gajraj also returned to the forest and heard about the entire incident. “Golu, I have heard about how, in my absence, you and your friends carried out the relief work during the floods. I am proud of you.” Golu smiled and hugged him

Shersingh lion was the king of Champakan. He tried to do the best for the animals of the jungle, who were very happy with their king. Whenever someone had difficulty, they would go to King Shersingh, who would listen patiently and solve their problem.

Blacky bear was the Health Minister of Champakvan. He was proud and did not talk nicely to others. He did not respect anyone and felt that all the other animals were inferior to him. Baddy fox, Jumpy monkey and Kimi koel would flatter him and say things to please him. They did whatever Blacky asked, and in return, took benefit of his being a minister.

One evening, Blacky, dressed in fine clothes, with perfume on him, went for a walk by the riverside. There he saw Henko hyena with others, taking things out of a garbage dump and eating them, even though there was a foul smell coming from the garbage.

Seeing Blacky, Henko greeted him but proud Blacky did not return the greeting.

“What awful stench!” said Jumpy monkey, covering his nose with a handkerchief.

“Because of this stench, fragrance of the expensive perfume that Blacky sir sprayed on him is no longer there.”

“I hate to look at his ugly face,” said Kimi koel pointing at Henko. “I wonder how they can eat filthy!”

“Such ugly creatures in our beautiful Champakvan! These dirty animals spread filth, ugliness and diseases in our forest,” said Baddy fox.

“They are blemishes in our beautiful Champakvan,” said Jumpy monkey.

“How can they do this in front of our honourable minister! Look how they are chewing and enjoying the bones,” said Baddy looking at Henko and then pointing him to Blacky.

“You are right,” said Blacky. “These low-class animals are a disgrace to our society. They have no right to live in Champakvan.”

Covering his nose with his hands, Blacky went to Henko hyena and said, “You all must immediately leave Champakvan!”

“Your Highness, why should we leave? What have we done?” asked Henko
in astonishment.

“You all are ugly and live in filth. You eat dirty things and because of you, disease will spread in Champakvan. If you do not leave immediately, you will be punished,” said Blacky arrogantly.

Henko had no choice and left Champakvan with his companions.

But in a few days, diseases started spreading in Champakvan. One after the other, everyone started falling sick. There was confusion everywhere. There was hardly a family that did not have a sick member in the house.

When King Shersingh came to know that the residents of his kingdom were falling sick, he became concerned and asked the medical teams to immediately treat the sick. But animals continued to fall sick. There seemed to be no end. The sickness became an epidemic.

King Shersingh called the Health Minister, Blacky bear.

“Sir, we should leave Champakvan and start living in another forest. The epidemic cannot be controlled by our medical team,” advised Blacky.

“But we cannot abandon our animals in this condition and run away!” said
King Shersingh.

The wise Cheeku rabbit also lived in Champakvan and was concerned about the sudden epidemic. He wanted to know the reason behind it and took a tour of the whole forest. He saw dead bodies of different animals everywhere, with worms, maggots and germs growing on them.

Cheeku had never seen something like this before. When animals died in Champakvan, hyenas ate them and ensured that there were no dead bodies rotting. He remembered his friend Henko hyena, whom he had not seen for a long time. He went to look for him but he couldn’t find him anywhere. He met Kallu crow at the riverside.

“Who are you looking for, Cheeku?” Kallu asked.

“Friend, Henko hyena is not to be seen anywhere,” said Cheeku. “Have you seen him?”

“Oh, Henko? Minister Blacky insulted and threw him out of Champakvan about two months ago. Henko and all the hyenas went to Sundarvan,” Kallu said.

“What?” Cheeku exclaimed, now understanding the reason for the epidemic.

Cheeku immediately went to King Shersingh and shared this information with him.

“Your Majesty, Henko and the other hyenas never harmed anyone. They are scavengers who eat dead animals. Since they are not here, diseases are spreading. Hyenas consume all parts of the dead bodies. They eat all rotten and decayed things. When hungry, they even eat leather boots, bones, different types of filth, foul-smelling corpses, even those with worms and germs, that can spread diseases. In this way, they keep our forest clean and disease-free.”

King Shersingh asked Cheeku to go to Sundarvan and bring back Henko and
his friends.

Henko and his companions were happy to come back to their home and immediately got busy cleaning the forest. The epidemic was halted and the animals started recovering.

King Shersingh was pleased with Henko and rewarded him by making him the Health Minister. Cheeku was appointed the court Counselor in appreciation of his wisdom.

Blacky was asked to resign and think about how he could help the animals without being arrogant.

Ever since the residents of Champakvan heard about the World Music Championship, they couldn’t stop talking about it. A large banner had been put up in the forest, which said that participants would have to form a band if they wished to participate in the championship.

“The monkeys are surely going to win this championship!” said Jumpy Monkey, jumping with joy.

“No, the deers are winning it!” said Sona Deer, making a face at him.

“The elephants are going to sweep the trophy and the rewards!” said Jumbo Elephant, thumping his leg.

“We birds aren’t any lesser! Everyone knows I have the sweetest voice in the whole forest!” said Pinky Cuckoo, refusing to be left behind.

They all began arguing about who would win and who sang the best and were shouting so much that Professor Blacky bear had to come out and quiet them.

Everyone started preparing for the music championship seriously. They formed bands with their friends and relatives and began practising. But not a single band was melodious!

The deer band didn’t have anyone who could play the drums, the monkey band had nobody to play the piano, and the elephants could play nothing but trumpets! As for the tortoise band, it played such slow music, the listeners fell asleep before the first paragraph was half done. The foxes didn’t have a guitar player, and the snakes and squirrels couldn’t decide which instrument to play. Though the cuckoo could sing melodiously, her band could not play any instrument. Not a single band was complete!

In despair, they went to Professor Blacky for help. “I’d like to hear you all play,” said Blacky, after listening to the problem. “Each band come up here and play
for me!”

The animals were again excited and began playing different tunes together. “Cacophony!” exclaimed the poor Blacky covering his ears. “Stop! All of you, stop!”

Everyone stopped and looked at the professor. “You call this music? You’ll only get rotten tomatoes and eggs for playing like this,” said Blacky.

“What can we do, professor?”

“We need your help!”, said Rinku snake.

“I want each of you to come up and play or sing something for me,” said Blacky thinking about what to do.

He listened to them all carefully, and when the last one had finished, Blacky had a huge smile on his face.

“My friends, I have a solution,” he said. “You have all been trying to do things you aren’t good at. A monkey can play the drums but not the guitar. A cuckoo can sing but cannot play the trumpet. Instead of creating many bands and making a ruckus, we should create one band and make music!”

No one understand what Blacky was saying. Each one plays the instruments they are good at. Instead of forming different teams, let’s create a band together and you may just win this championship.

Now they realised their mistake. “Would you help us by guiding what we should play,” requested Jumbo. And so, listening to all of them again, Blacky created a band and named it The Jungle Band. He made them practice regularly, and soon it was time to leave for the world music championship.

On that day Champakvan, along with King Shersingh, gathered around a huge screen to watch the live telecast of the championship. The other forests too had sent some marvellous bands! Some played marching tunes, some played dance music, and some played soulful songs. And then, it was ‘The Jungle Band’s’ turn.

Jumpy played the drums like an expert, while Sona played the guitar skillfully. Twinkle Squirrel played the piano with flair, and Bobo Tortoise mesmerised everyone with his violin. Rinku played the mouth organ and Jumbo a marvellous trumpet solo. Pinky sang in her sweet voice and waved her wings along. The entire performance had the audience on its feet, cheering and screaming for more!

The judges announced the winner and it was The Jungle Band of Champakvan. Shersingh announced that the band would be rewarded, and the animals cheered loudly again.

Sona Deer held the trophy they had won, and Jumbo said. “This trophy that we received really belongs to Professor Blacky. He pointed out where we were going wrong, and he set up ‘The Jungle Band.’ Professor, please accept the trophy many behold,” he said, as Sona handed it over to the beaming professor.

The forest sky lit up with fireworks and the air was filled with cheering, as Champakvan celebrated the first music championship.

It was lunchtime at Champakvan school. Blacky bear, Damru donkey, Gillan giraffe and Baddy fox were relaxing under the big banyan tree after their lunch. Blacky, Damru, Gillan and Baddy never mixed with other students, and they never enjoyed school.

Blacky and Damru were telling stories about ghosts. They had recently read a novel written by Dr Fero Python, a famous writer of Champakvan.

Gillan giraffe and Baddy fox held each other’s hands listening to their scary talks.

“Don’t worry! Ghosts don’t appear in daylight!” said Blacky bear.

“Yes… yes… Ghosts never attack people who are together. They only attack when one is alone,” added Damru.

Blacky and Damru continued talking about Dr Fero’s latest novel, The Dracula Python. Suddenly, Gillan felt something crawling on his neck.

“Ghost! Ghost!” he screamed.

None of them could see anything unusual. Blacky teased Gillan for being scared for no reason. After a while, Baddy howled, “Dracula Python is trying to swallow my head!”

“I also saw the Dracula Python slithering down just now to swallow us. But it has suddenly disappeared!” Damru donkey brayed loudly.

Blacky, Damru, Gillan and Baddy tried to run but could not move. Blacky whispered, “This is exactly what Dr Fero wrote about the python ghost who attacks unexpectedly and then disappears.”

The school bell rang and they could see others returning to their respective classes, but none of them could move or even shout. They were frozen in fear.

“Hisssss! I never got a chance to eat someone in daylight! Today, I am lucky to have found four of you! I will eat the one who closes his eyes first!” hissed the Dracula Python.

“Dr Fero’s python ghost is here!” Blacky and Damru shuddered.

The four friends tried their best to keep their eyes open. Their throats dried up, their bodies became numb, and they began sweating a lot.

They could hear the branches of the big banyan tree shake. “The python ghost is coming…” whispered Blacky. All of them kept their eyes wide open even though they were afraid of seeing the ghost.

The Dracula Python appeared in front of them. It was hanging from the banyan tree, staring at them. All of them were trembling. Somehow, Blacky gained a little courage and begged, “We are little children! Please don’t eat us!”

“We can take you to our principal’s office! He is a big lion! You can eat him if you want!” suggested Gillan.

Damru cried, “We will never read Dr Fero’s novels! We won’t talk about ghosts at all! Please leave us alone.”

Baddy was determined to keep his eyes wide open to escape from the python ghost for as long as possible. The Dracula Python looked at him and hissed, “You seem to be really brave. I would like to hug you.” The python ghost moved towards Baddy.

“I am not brave! Please don’t hug me!” Baddy screamed.

The Dracula Python twisted his body in scary movements, hissed loudly and opened his mouth wide.

The frightened children closed their eyes in fear. A few minutes later, they heard, “Sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star… How I Wonder What You Are…”

All of them sang in full volume, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star… How I Wonder What You Are…”

Blacky and Damru repeated the rhyme because they knew that Dr Fero said in his book that chanting rhymes help children to escape from ghosts.

A few minutes passed. Nothing happened to them. Absolute silence surrounded them. Wondering what was going on, they stopped singing and opened their eyes.

The Dracula Python had disappeared! But they saw their teachers and other children standing in front of them like statues.

“Dr Fero is right! Sometimes Dracula Python doesn’t kill at once but waits for others who come to the rescue of his victims. Our friends and teachers must have come to help us and they are under the spell of the Dracula Python,” said Blacky.
“Let us chant Twinkle Twinkle Little Star… How I Wonder What You Are… once again just to be sure,” said Blacky

“Yes,” Dolu said. “Perhaps our friends and teachers will be released from his spell.”

Blacky, Dolu, Gillan and Baddy started singing the rhyme again.

They saw the teachers and students move. “Wow! We have saved our school!” clapped Baddy. Gillan danced. Blacky and Dolu felt proud of themselves at their ghost wisdom.

Suddenly, everyone started laughing. Some whistled, some howled. The teachers controlled themselves, trying not to laugh loudly.

“Hello ghost-busters!” called out Jumpy monkey.

Everyone liked Jumpy monkey, who loved laughing and making others laugh.

“Sorry brothers!” Jumpy said to Blacky, Damru, Gillan and Baddy. “I just wanted to have some fun at your ghost stories! I knew you were crazy about Dr Fero’s novels and the four of you always remained in a ghost world. You never enjoyed playing with others.”

“So?” asked Blacky. Dolu was so annoyed that he wanted to beat Jumpy. Gillan and Baddy caught hold of Jumpy and asked, “What is your problem? Why do you care if we laugh or cry!”

Seeing this, Principal Shersingh interrupted and said, “Gillan, were you sending Dracula Python to my office to eat me!”

Gillan became red-faced and mumbled. “Dracula Python is a traitor! He told everything to our principal.”

Jumpy whistled and Pillu python, their classmate, arrived. Jumpy began singing, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star… How I Wonder What You Are…”

Hearing Jumpy, Pillu python slid away and hid behind the big banyan tree. Once again, everyone laughed and whistled.

Blacky, Damru, Gillan and Baddy now realised that they had been fooled by Jumpy. They were embarrassed because they had not recognised their classmate Pillu python who pretended to be Dracula Python. They now understood that it was Jumpy’s way to show them reality.

When Pillu python came dancing and hissing, everyone chanted, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star… How I Wonder What You Are…”

Even Blacky, Damru, Gillan and Baddy could not control their laughter. They too whistled in joy and danced with Jumpy, Pillu and others.

“Lord Byron said we must laugh when we can. We are sometimes forced to face hardships and challenges, but they don’t last long. Blacky, Damru, Gillan and Baddy never participated with others. That’s why I told our naughty Jumpy to trick them!” said Principal Shersingh.

The four friends held Pillu python and put him on their shoulders. The children laughed as they all sang, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star… How I Wonder What You Are…”

Dr. Singh was a famous surgeon who lived in Civil Lines in Jodhpur with his wife and two sons. In their garden there lived a cat with her four kittens. The kittens were furry with green eyes and the boys loved having them around.

The kitchen had a door that opened to the garden. The cat and kittens would live in that part and would come near the kitchen step for food that Mrs Singh would keep outside for them.

The kittens were very playful. They loved playing hide and chasing each other. Once tired, they would lick and caress each other. Dr Singh’s family loved watching their cats play.

Slowly, the kittens began to grow up. The mother cat would leave the home early in the morning after eating milk and bread and would only return at night.
All the four kittens would move around the garden but now, they too wanted to go out, learn to climb the trees and jump from one branch to the another and become independent.

Finally, the day came when the mother cat took the kittens out. The kittens were excited to be outside and see lush green parks, giant trees, plenty of people, lot of birds and squirrels.

They ran to catch the birds and butterflies and chased the squirrels. Chotu, the youngest of the four brothers, was scared to run and chase them. He was tinier and smaller than the rest and hence the name.

Seeing the cat with her kittens, the birds on the trees started making calls to alert the other birds about danger. The mother taught the kittens to walk without making a noise, climb a tree, and catch birds.

All the kittens watched, listened and understood but Chotu’s attention was somewhere else. He was thinking it was cruel to kill others.

Somehow, Chotu got through the day’s training but during supper at night, he told his brothers, “Other animals too have a right to live. Is it fair to kill them?”

As soon as they heard the question, the three brothers burst out into laughter.

“If a horse becomes friends with the grass, what will it eat?” they asked, making fun of him.

Young Coco said, “You mean to say, cats should become vegetarian?”

Brownie told Chotu, “If cats turned vegetarian, rats would rule.”

Chotu became quiet and scared. He had not expected such replies from his brothers.

Chotu was extremely nervous every time his mother took the four of them for hunting. He was not able to pounce, catch and kill any animal.

The mother cat was extremely worried that on one hand, Chotu was skinny and on the other, he did not want to hunt. How would he survive?

Chotu tried to climb the tree but became scared and fell when the birds began to
make noise. Chotu was always lagging behind whenever their mother took them out.

Slowly the kittens started going out on their own. The other three brothers would look for prey in the grassy meadows and shrubs. They would walk into nearby homes but at night, all of them would come back to Dr. Singh’s house.

Chotu would join them at night but, no one knew where he was during the day.

One day, when Chotu did not return at night, all the others became worried.
They mewed to call out.

Dr. Singh’s family, who understood that Chotu was missing, searched for him in every possible place. The mother cat feared that Chotu had been attacked by other animals.

After some time, everyone gave up the search. The mother cat’s search, too, yielded no results. Dr Singh’s children got tired and fell asleep.

The mother cat felt that she could not protect her weakest son. She felt that she should have paid more attention to him.

When they woke up the next morning, the mother cat could hear Chotu’s voice. She ran in that direction.

Chotu was sitting in one of the houses in the colony. There was a bowl of milk, bread and chapatti in front of him. A small boy was patting him gently. And, Chotu was drinking milk from the bowl.

As soon as Chotu saw his mother, he came running to her. His mother started licking Chotu. Chotu too hugged his mother back. Happy to see her son safe,
the mother cat forgot to scold him for not coming home.

Their mother reached home with Chotu. Dr Singh’s family found out where Chotu spent the night. They felt happy that Chotu had found a cat lover and people to love him.

Chotu’s mother was also happy that her son was in safe hands and that Chotu was happy at his new home.

They all understood that Chotu wanted to spend his life without having the need to hunt.

“Look, it’s better that you don’t argue with me. Don’t you know where I stand and where you do? You are not even equal to me,” said the mirror stubbornly to the door.

“Too much pride is not good for you. Let’s work as a team to give this house its look and beauty,” said the door to the mirror in a good-natured way.

“Sorry, what did you say? It’s only because of my beauty that this house is filled with grace. Your work is only to open and close, but the beauty of the house is because of its mirror,” said the mirror, putting the door in its place.

Fights between the mirror and the door would go on day in and day out. The mirror was full of pride as he was always shining. The house staff cleaned the mirror every day very carefully, and they did not allow any dust to gather on it. And due to this, the mirror remained quite proud and kept arguing all the time with the door.

The mirror’s pride kept increasing with every passing day.

Eventually, the mirror would only open its mouth to fight with the door.

One day in the house there was a small party going on and some of the guests had come to Mrs. Gupta’s house.

One of her friends complimented her and said, “Mrs. Gupta your mirror is shining and spotless. How do you keep the mirror so clean?”

Mrs. Gupta smiled and thanked them.

Hearing this, the mirror swelled with pride.

The mirror taunted and said to the door, “Look how everybody is talking about
my beauty and nobody is even asking about you!”

The door started to cry as it couldn’t say anything in reply.

When the seasons changed, everyone was happy with the onset of the winters. But one day, a thunderstorm arrived. Sonu, the younger son, opened the front door and went to play in the park without closing the door behind him. The door started to open and close because of the strong wind and before someone could shut it, the door banged shut by itself.

The impact of this loud thud caused the mirror on the wall to fall and it cracked and broke into several small pieces.

“What have you done?” the mirror screamed in pain.

“I did not do anything; I shut all by myself as a result of the thunderstorm. Please forgive me, it’s not my fault,” said the door as he looked at the mirror.

Tears started rolling down from the mirror’s eyes. The mirror had finally realised its mistake.

The thunderstorm had stopped, but the mirror, who was so proud of its beauty, was gone for good.

It was a Sunday morning and Tinku was still in bed. “Tinku, Tinku! Wake up! It’s already 8 O’clock,” his mom called out.

Tinku woke up rubbing his eyes, and peeped through the window. He saw a strange animal walking past the street and a man riding it. “Mom, come fast. A new animal is here. It’s wearing colourful flowers too!” said Tinku excitedly.

His mom and elder sister Pinki came running.His mom looking out of the window smiled and said, “Tinku, that is a camel. It is not wearing flowers, but is decorated with colourful tassels,” explained his mom.

“It is so big, mom! But why is there only one camel? Where are its parents?” asked Tinku.

“Tinku, his parents are in Rajasthan. We will go to the Pushkar Camel Fair after Diwali. There, you will see many camels,” said his mom. Tinku jumped with joy on hearing this.

His parents had got train tickets booked. Both Tinku and his sister waited impatiently for the trip. They arrived in Pushkar at night after a day-long journey, checked into their hotel rooms, had dinner and went to bed.

Tinku was very excited! He could not sleep the whole night. He woke Pinki and his parents at 5 am itself! They put on their sweaters and went out for a stroll.

The air was cool and pleasant and the morning dew had wet the sand. It was
still dark and few stars could be seen twinkling in the sky. There were hundreds of camels all around, grunting and bellowing. In the dark, they looked like ghosts.

The camel traders wore colourful turbans. They milked their camels, dug up pits in the sand, lit up small fires and made tea from camel milk in copper vessels.
With the break of dawn, Tinku could clearly see the camels in the sunlight. Some were black, some were white, but most of them were brown.

The front legs of some camels were bent and tied with a rope. “Papa, why are camel’s legs tied with ropes? They are crying in pain!” asked Pinki.

“Pinki, the men tie the legs so that they don’t run around here and there,” replied their father.

Tinku was watching everything in awe, while Pinki was capturing the scene on her camera. They could also hear a folk song with music, which gradually became clearer. They noticed a man and woman, dressed in traditional Rajasthani costumes. The woman was singing and the man was playing music on an instrument called iktaara.

Many young girls dressed in colourful Rajasthani ghaghra-choli or skirts and tops, joined them and started dancing to their music. A snake charmer was playing a special kind of flute. He let a snake out of his basket. The snake started moving his head in sync with the tune of the flute. Many foreign tourists were also there, clicking pictures of these beautiful sights.

“Why are they taking pictures of our dances, papa?” asked Tinku.

“Because, they like our country’s rich and beautiful culture and heritage, Tinku!” explained papa.

“What is culture and heritage, papa?” asked Tinku.

“They are our good habits and practices, Tinku,” replied papa.

Caravans of camels were coming from all directions. Majestic looking camels kicked the golden sand as they marched in, creating thin clouds of orangish dust, that looked stunning.

“What are those carts?” asked Pinki, pointing towards a caravan of camel-carts, decorated with pink and green canopies.

“They are camel carts Pinki. We will go on a safari in one of them in the evening. Let us go back and have our breakfast now,” said mom.

After a light breakfast, they visited the fair in Pushkar. They saw a camel dance competition! Decorated with colourful tassels, silver bells and jewellery, camels also competed in a beauty contest!

Later that day, post a brief afternoon nap in the hotel, the family went on a safari in one of the camel-carts. The cameleer would make strange sounds and the camel seemed to understand his language and obey his commands!

After a short ride, they reached the sunset point. Many tourists were capturing the camels and the desert, against the backdrop of sunset. The orange sun slowly dipped, spreading a crimson glow all around. It was a beautiful sight.

The safari then took them to gardens of roses and amla in a small Rajasthani village. Here, Rajasthani costumes were available on rent. Tinku, Pinki and their parents wore colourful Rajasthani attires and clicked pictures. The children were overjoyed after their camel-cart ride.

They also visited the Pushkar Lake and saw many people take a dip in its waters. The entire market around the lake was glowing in colourful lights. People dressed in colourful costumes could be seen walking all around. Pinki and Tinku bought wooden toys and colourful clothes from the market.

At night, they relished mouth-watering malpuas. The children bought sweets for their classmates too.

Early next morning, they left Pushkar with memories of camels and beautiful sunsets.

One day, there were heavy rains in the jungle. It rained continuously day and night. Most of the houses were flooded. The river of the forest was overflowing and a flood was imminent. All the inhabitants of the jungle were anxious. No one could figure a way out.

“Friends, there’s a forest on the other side of the river! The land there is on higher ground. If we all swim to the other side, we can save our lives,” said Nikki parrot. She had flown and seen the forest land on the other side of the river.

“Is that forest safe and free from danger?” asked Zimba tiger, the king of the jungle.

“Yes, your Majesty! That forest is peaceful and safe. We can stay there for as long as we want,” assured Nikki.

“All right, then! All animals of our forest can swim. Let’s all swim to the other side of the river as soon as we can,” announced King Zimba.

Everyone was relieved.

“Your Majesty! There are strong currents in the river. The adults may be able to swim across the river easily, but little children will not be able to do that,” said Bunty monkey.

“Yes, Your Majesty! The children will not be able to handle the strong currents of the river. They will be swept away by the current,” added Rancho bear.

The children could not be put in danger. King Zimba pondered over this. So did the other animals.

Hoiti camel was also present amongst the animals. He had come to the jungle a few days ago. He had become friends with Lambu giraffe, and stayed back. He turned, looked at his friend, and asked him, “Well, what do you think?”

“I think what you think!” said Lambu, smiling, and they both approached the king.

“Your Majesty, the children can ride on our backs. My friend, Hoiti and I will make three or four trips and ensure all the kids are safely taken to the other side of the river. The adults can swim across without worrying about their little ones,” said Lambu.

“That’s a great idea!” said King Zimba.

All the kids gathered and Lambu and Hoiti started taking them across the river. The adults started swimming across it. It took the two friends four trips to take all the children to safety. King Zimba crossed the river after everyone got to the other side.

“I hope no one is left behind,” said King Zimba, looking at the crowd.

“Your Majesty! We will go back and look again. If anyone is left behind, we will bring them along,” said Lambu giraffe.

“Thank you, Lambu” said King Zimba.

The two friends crossed the river once again. They scanned the jungle quickly and called out to check if anyone was left behind. But there was no one.

When they returned to the river, they were shocked! The river had swollen up suddenly. Now, it was impossible even for them to cross it!

Hoiti looked at Lambu anxiously. They both were nervous. “You too, it seems?” said Hoiti.

“Yes, me too!” nodded Lambu sharing Hoiti’s fear.

Both of them stood there thinking of a way out, but could not figure out anything.

“What are you two doing there? Come over here quickly!” called out King Zimba from the other side.

“Your Majesty! We don’t know how to swim. The river has swollen so much that it’s impossible to walk across it!” said Lambu.

“You don’t know how to swim?” asked King Zimba surprised.

“We always walk across rivers and lakes using our long legs. We never need to swim,” explained Hoiti.

“Both of you saved our lives, and now you are in danger. But don’t worry! I am coming to get you,” said King Zimba.

“No, Your Majesty! Do not come to this side. It is dangerous.” said Lambu.

“But I cannot leave you both when your lives are in danger!” said King Zimba and stepped into the river.

“Wait, Your Majesty! You need not take the trouble to go there, when I’m here. I will bring them here,” said Rambo hippopotamus.

But, Rambo, even you don’t know how to swim! How will you help us?” asked Hoiti camel.

King Zimba could not believe his ears. “Rambo, is it true that you don’t know how to swim?” he asked, surprised.

Before Rambo could answer, Hoiti interrupted. “Your Majesty, the only three animals in the world who cannot swim, are the giraffe, camel and hippopotamus,” he said.

“I know camels are called ship of the desert because they can walk through a desert for days together. But a hippopotamus is the horse of the river and he is always inside water! If he cannot swim, then why is he called horse of the river?” asked a puzzled King Zimba.

“Your Majesty! Our bodies are so heavy that we cannot swim. But we can hold our breath for a long time inside the water, and so we go to the bottom of the river and walk across it easily,” explained Rambo.

“Is that so?” asked the king in amazement.

“Yes, Your Majesty!” nodded Rambo.

“If we walk leisurely, we can cover fifteen miles of a river in an hour. If we run, we can cover thirty miles. That’s why we are called the horse of the river,” he explained.

“I didn’t know that,” said King Zimba. “But how will you save Hoiti and Lambu?” he asked.

“They will stand on my back one by one. I will simply walk across the river and bring them here,” answered Rambo.

It seemed like a good idea. King Zimba gave his consent to Rambo who then went inside the river and walked towards Hoiti and Lambu on the other side.

“Lambu, you go first,” said Hoiti camel.

“No, my friend! You are our guest. Your safety is our duty. You must go first,” insisted Lambu giraffe.

Hoiti stood on Rambo’s back. As Rambo went inside the river, Hoiti’s body too was submerged into it. Only his face could be seen sticking out of the water.

The other animals waited for them with bated breath. Rambo successfully helped the two friends come to the safer side.

“You are a great friend, Rambo!” said Lambu, hugging him.

“Both of you put your lives in danger to save all the children. You both are wonderful!” said Rambo, smiling.

“Yes, you two have done a great deed! I want to reward you for it. Tell me, what you want?” asked King Zimba.

Hoiti looked at Lambu and said, “Well, what do you think?”

“I think what you think!” said Lambu, and then he addressed the king.

“Your Majesty! Rambo cannot stay long without water. Once the floods have receded, please make a pond in our forest so that Rambo can stay there here he visits us. That’s all we want,” said Lambu giraffe.

“Yes, Your Majesty! If there’s a pond, I can come and meet my friends more often,” said Rambo hippo.

“You all have done a great job and your reward will be granted!” smiled King Zimba and entered his new forest with all the animals. They were now safe and waiting for the flood to recede.

Loud music blared from a roadside tea stall. Dinu donkey was crossing from there. His ears perked up at the sound of music. He loved dancing and considered himself to be a great dancer!

He started to sway gently and got so immersed in the music that he broke into a wild dance!

A donkey kicking his legs here and there caught the attention of people who were enjoying a cup of hot tea at the tea stall. They were puzzled by the donkey’s behaviour. This was something they had not seen or heard ever! A child pointed to Dinu and laughed.

“What’s he laughing at?” he thought Dinu, continuing his wild dance.

“Do you think the donkey is having a seizure?” said one of the men at the tea stall.

Dinu was shocked to hear this.

“What a moron! Doesn’t he recognise a great dance when he sees one?” he thought to himself.

As the volume of the music went up, Dinu’s dancing became more energetic.

He danced so wildly that the people got afraid that something was wrong with him.

“Hey! We have to help the poor creature. Let’s hold him still from both ends.

Maybe then he will stop these weird movements,” suggested a kind man.

“Oh no, oh no, you idiots! You fools! This is a dance and not weird movements,” thought a horrified Dinu.

Before he could think further, some men pounced on him from behind and some held him tightly from the front.

Poor Dinu started to suffocate. He started making weird sounds but the men maintained their hold on him.

Finally, out of sheer exhaustion, Dinu stopped moving and making noises and stood still. Satisfied that he was better, the men let him free from their hold.

Dinu immediately ran away from there, braying at the top of his voice. Only when he ran far enough and was completely out of breath, he stopped and settled down under a tree. “Maybe they couldn’t bear the thought of me being a better dancer than them!” thought Dinu as he sat down to rest.

Raju lived in a village with his mother and younger sister, Chanda. His mother worked in the village while Raju and Chanda went to school.

Ten-year-old Raju was wise for his age. He cared for his mother and sister. Being an intelligent student, he excelled in his studies. At home, he helped his mother with housework and Chanda with her studies. Everyone in the village praised him.

One day, Raju’s mother had to go to the nearby town.

“I will be back by tonight. Both of you take care of yourselves,” she told her children. “Raju, have your lunch on time and make sure Chanda eats hers too,” she added.

“Yes mom! Don’t worry, I will take good care of Chanda and myself,” assured Raju.

“I will bring sweets for both of you on my way back,” she promised.

Chanda was delighted to hear this. “Mom, come back as soon as possible,” she said excitedly.

After his mother left, Raju thought of doing something special for her. “Mom works so hard for us. We should also do something to make her feel special,” he said to Chanda.

The cashew tree in front of the house caught his eye. “Mom wanted to collect cashews and roast them. But she’s not got the time to do that. Why don’t we collect some cashews today, break the shells and roast them before she comes back!” he said.

Raju and Chanda went outside and Raju took a stick and started beating the tree so that the cashews would fall off the tree.

Chanda collected them in a basket. It was almost evening by the time the basket was full. They went inside to roast the cashews. Both were excited at the thought of their mother’s reaction. Just as Raju put the pan on the stove to roast the cashews, there was a knock at the door. Chanda ran to open it, thinking mother was back.

To her shock, there stood a lion at the door. The lion roared, “I am starving. Your aroma dragged me here. I shall eat you now!”

“Uncle lion, the fragrance is of the roasted cashews. If you want, you may eat them,” Raju said pointing at the pan.

The greedy lion thought that he would first eat the cashews and then the children later.

He leapt on the hot pan that was on fire and in his greed, put his mouth on it. The lion’s mouth got burnt.

“Help! Help!” he screamed.

The kids ran out of the house and climbed the tree next to the well. The lion barged out, looking for them. Clever Raju got an idea. “Lion uncle, there is water in the well. You may drink the water to cool your mouth,” he said.

As the lion bent over the well to drink water, he saw reflections of both the kids in the well. The angry lion thought they were hiding in the well and jumped inside to eat them but later realised that he was stuck.

The children climbed down the tree. Mother was also back by then. Both the kids narrated the whole story to her. She was happy with Raju’s quick thinking and hugged them both.

The lion who was stuck in the well called out and apologised. “Please help me out of here. I will not harm you or come back to the village ever again!” he pleaded.

Hearing his cry, their mother said, “Let’s get him out and free him.”

The three of them took the lion out with the help of a rope. The mother took out the sweets that she had brought from town and gave him a piece too. The lion ate the sweet and went back to the jungle, never to come back again

“Mom, hurry up! I am getting late. You will have to drop me at the bus stop today because I have a lot of things with me. I cannot carry them all by myself,” said Raghav, quickly putting his lunch box in his bag.

Raghav’s mom saw that Raghav’s hands were full with his school bag, water bottle, umbrella and a big model of Red Fort for his history project.

“Sending a child to school isn’t easy these days. Schools were so much simpler in our lives. We would run straight to school, near our homes, and needed to carry only books with us. Nowadays, there are so many activities at school. Along with children, even parents are busy,” she murmured to herself. But she couldn’t drop Raghav as she had to leave for work early.

“Son, ask grandpa if he may walk you to the bus stop today,” she said.

Raghav scorned at this idea. “Ask grandpa to drop me at the bus stop?” he mumbled. “Mom does not understand that all my friends make fun of him. I shall better go alone,” he thought.

Ever since grandpa had come to live with them from the village, Raghav had been having a difficult time.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like his grandfather. Like all grandkids, he loved to listen to his stories, chat with him and take his advice. Although grandpa was old, he kept himself updated about the modern world by reading. Raghav loved this about him. From studies to health, grandpa had a solution for everything.

But Raghav was embarrassed by the way his grandpa dressed and spoke. He would always be in his dhoti, kurta and chappals. Grandpa believed in old customs and rituals and he would keep asking Raghav to follow them. Raghav found it strange to greet guests and relatives with a Namaste and folded hands instead of a ‘hello’, but grandpa would insist Raghav did so.

Grandpa also insisted he eat more vegetables and fruits instead of noodles and burgers. He would raise his eyes when Raghav ate those. Raghav did not like this.

He would also discourage Raghav from drinking cold drinks and would always explain to him how cola drinks were harmful for health. This irritated Raghav who often thought it would be better if grandpa went back to his village. He
did not want to be seen with grandpa.

“It’s fine, mom. I’ll go by myself,” said Raghav.

Grandpa was sipping his tea and heard Raghav. “Wait, how will you carry everything alone? The model may break if you are not careful,” said grandpa who instantly put on his kurta, kept his cup of tea aside and got ready to drop Raghav to the bus stop.

With a heavy heart, Raghav walked to the stop with his grandpa. “I hope all my friends are already seated in the bus when we reach the stop so that no one sees grandpa,” thought Raghav all through the way.

However, when Raghav reached the bus stop, he saw his friends standing at the stop, carrying their models and waiting for the school bus.

“What’s the matter Raghav? What made you late! Looks like you have been busy working on the model even in the morning. It is fabulous,” said his friend Shrey.

“The model looks exactly like the Red Fort with our flag flying on it! I am not surprised it’s so perfect. Your grandpa must have helped you,” said Shrey, admiring Raghav’s model.

Grandpa was proud of Raghav and felt moved by Shrey’s words. “Your model of Tower of Pisa is also beautiful, Shrey! However, it is straight. You may tilt it a little and then it would look exactly like the real Leaning Tower of Pisa,” said grandpa.

“You are right grandpa. Once I reach school, I will tilt it slightly. Then it would resemble the real tower, won’t it, grandpa?” thanked Shrey.

“Yes, then it would be perfect,” assured grandpa. Another friend Deepak asked grandpa about his Taj Mahal model. “Very nice, Deepak. It seems Shah Jahan came back to help you build this model!” said grandpa and everyone laughed.

“However, the model looks too white. The marble at Taj Mahal is not pure white. Also, due to pollution over the years, it has brown stains. Efforts are on to clean the stains. So, if you add a bit of brown shade to your model, it will look both real as well as raise awareness about the need for conserving our monuments against pollution,” suggested grandpa.

Deepak listened to grandpa very carefully. “You are a genius, grandpa. I would have never thought of it. I will add a shade of brown to it,” he said and thanked grandpa.

The other children too discussed their models with grandpa. Soon, their school bus arrived. Everybody waved goodbye to grandpa and settled into the bus.

“Now I know why you are so intelligent? You have a great-grandpa,” said Shrey who was sitting next to Raghav.

“Really Raghav, you are very lucky that your grandpa lives with you. I wished my grandfather stayed with us. He lives with my uncle’s family. I miss him a lot. I visit him every summer. I sleep with him in the evenings and he tells me many interesting stories.

Every time he comes here, I ask him to stay with us forever. I wish I had two grandpas, one who could live with my uncle and one who would stay with me forever,” said Deepak wistfully.

Everybody laughed when Deepak said that.

Raghav pondered over all the conversations and his feelings about grandpa. His complaints against grandpa seemed to have vanished! He only thought of grandpa with the love and respect he had when he visited him in their village. He realised his friends were impressed with his grandpa’s intelligence and not how he looked or spoke.

“I was unnecessarily worried about what grandpa wore. I will never be embarrassed of him again. When I return home today, I will tell him not to leave me ever and how much I love him,” thought Raghav and promised not to judge anyone by their appearance

It was a usual Saturday at Suhani’s house. Her father had gone to work in the morning and she was having breakfast.

After eating, Suhani went to the kitchen to drink water and screamed, “Rat! Rat! Ma, there’s a rat in the house.”

Her siblings who were playing in the backyard heard her scream and ran into the house. “What happened, Suhani didi?” asked Jay and Akash, her brothers.

“Come here, quickly. There’s a rat in the house. Chase it away,” said ma who came running out of her bedroom.

Her aunts, Palak and Pari, stood on the sofa, afraid the rat would run over their feet while being chased.

Ma and Suhani pointed towards the cabinet where they last saw the rat.

Jay and Akash quickly took a broom and a stick and forced the rat out of its hiding place.

The rat first ran all around the kitchen, then in the hall, then towards the cupboard and then hid under the bed.

Everyone screamed each time they spotted the rat. The tables in the house were turned upside down to ensure the rat had fewer places to hide.

When Krish and Mohit, aunt Pari’s sons entered the house, they couldn’t stop laughing looking at the chaos.

After about 25 minutes, Jay and Akash managed to shoo the rat outside the house. Then everyone settled down.

Akash and Jay kept the broom and stick aside and sunk into the sofa, exhausted.
“I don’t know who chased whom but it seemed like the rat chased us,” said Jay who was out of breath.

“Yes, we need to ensure we keep the door shut or the rat may come back,” said Suhani.

“I wonder why these creatures exist. They do us no good,” complained Akash.

“Don’t say that, Akash. I know the rats are a menace but they are also an integral part of our life-cycle. They may roam inside our houses and trouble us but that’s because they are looking for food. We should shoo them and not hurt them,” said Jay.

“I don’t think they are an integral part of our life-cycle. We can’t always shoo them away. We should put an end to all rats,” retorted Akash.

“Rats are scavengers. They eat trash or any food that is left unprotected. They have a good sense of taste and can identify certain substances, including rat poisons, after tasting just a little bit of it,” informed Jay.

“Also, a man, inspired by rats, became a billionaire,” he added.

“What? Rats inspired someone?” asked Krish and Mohit together.

“Yes, Mickey Mouse, a beloved character, is a mouse. Walt Disney was inspired by a mouse and created this character that made him a billionaire,” replied Jay.

“That’s true. And here I was thinking that rats are only a menace,” said Akash.

“That’s an interesting fact, Jay,” said ma.

“Now, who wants to go out and watch an animated movie?”

“Let’s all go,” said aunt Pari.

“Let’s watch a movie that has rats in it,” giggled Akash.

Everyone laughed, and got ready to watch the movie

“O Harsh! Please switch it off now. You have been watching the television since morning,” Mummy shouted from the kitchen.

It had been raining erratically the whole day. The sun would shine for some time and then it would rain suddenly.

The washed clothes were hanging out on the clothesline to dry.

Mummy wished that Harsh would get up and bring them in. But he was busy watching the television and the clothes were wet again.

Harsh was in grade 9 and he preferred watching the television and playing games on his mobile.

If he was not outside the house, he would spend his whole time inside watching TV. His favourite channels were Discovery, National Geographic, BBC Earth and Animal Planet.

His parents approved of these channels as they were helpful in imparting knowledge. But they also thought that such excess screen time was damaging his eyes.

He often tried to explain to them that LED televisions did not harm the eyes as much as the earlier televisions. But they were not convinced.

Different kinds of programmes were shown on the Discovery channel, from cookery lessons to unknown facts about animal life.

Harsh was thrilled by watching these programmes. He loved animals and birds. He also liked the various cartoon channels, but his parents did not allow him to watch them much.

Harsh often wondered that if J L Baird had not invented the TV, then what would have happened? We would never be able to see the remote forests, the deep oceans and the snow-covered mountains.

Harsh’s house was near the park. Since it had been raining a lot the past week, there was abundant greenery all around. A rainbow could also be seen in the sky today.

Harsh’s father was at the office and Mummy was busy in the kitchen. Harsh was on the terrace watching the rainbow when he suddenly heard Mummy’s loud scream.

He came running down and saw that she was shocked, unable to form any words. She was pointing towards the can of flour in front of her, with eyes wide open.

Harsh looked in that direction. A snake was coiled on the flour can. His heart started beating fast, but he did not lose courage.

He quickly pulled out his mobile and dialled the phone number of the snake catcher. But no one picked the phone, so he left a voice message asking for help. There was no one in the neighbourhood who could help them.

He slowly signalled his mother to move away from the snake, while he kept a watchful eye on it. A little mistake could endanger their lives.

Just a few days ago, he had seen a snake exactly like this one on the Discovery channel. He knew it was not a poisonous species of snake. But he noticed that the snake’s tail was hurt and hence it was hissing.

Harsh and Mummy were both frightened, but the snake could not be left alone until help arrived.

Harsh quietly picked up a stick and an empty container from the storeroom.

He then switched on all the lights in the kitchen. He gave Mummy the responsibility to keep an eye on the snake, while he proceeded cautiously and cleared the path between the kitchen and the main door.

With his heart beating fast, he slowly approached the flour can. Mummy was shocked and could not understand what Harsh was doing.

He opened the lid of the empty container that he was holding and placed it in front of the snake. Then he carefully tapped on the snake’s tail. The snake entered the can straight away and Harsh closed the lid quickly.

Mummy looked at him in astonishment. She did not expect Harsh to be so brave and courageous.

Harsh put the container in a big paper bag and went out through the front door. Fortunately, the snake catcher also arrived at the same moment.

He praised Harsh’s bravery profusely. The snake was not a poisonous one, but catching a snake safely was a praiseworthy deed, especially if done by a child. The snake catcher assured them that the snake would be released in the forest.

By now the neighbours had also gathered outside the house. They were all praising Harsh wholeheartedly. After everyone left, Mummy asked him, “How did you manage to do that?”

Harsh pointed to the television. Mummy did not understand it. He then explained, “I had seen this kind of snake on the Discovery channel a few days ago. I knew this snake was not poisonous and that it was to be caught by its tail. I learned this by watching the television.”

Mummy looked lovingly at Harsh and thought to herself, ‘After all the television is not all that bad’

One day, Sona deer, Balu bear and Tilu fox were standing near a lake looking at a distant run-down house.

Sona whispered, “The house looks spooky.”

“There are… stories about it,” said Balu, nervously,

“Those are just rumours to keep people away from it,” scoffed Tilu.

“Yes, there could be some gold boxes waiting for brave Tilu,” mocked Balu.

“Or maybe, there’s some treasure kept for you,” replied Tilu.

“No. I have no intention of going in,” said Balu, firmly.

“Why would you! You’re scared of your own shadow. You won’t be able to step in,” joked Tilu.

Balu was irritated but said nothing. He was scared but didn’t want to admit to it. Unfortunately, so did Tilu.

“How about we go inside the house tonight? Each of us will enter alone. The one who fails to enter will have to treat the others,” said Tilu, challenging everyone.

“I am ready to take up the challenge. You two be prepared to treat me tomorrow,” said Sona, excitedly.

“You wish! I will be the one to receive treats,” said Tilu. And Balu had no choice but to agree.

“As a precautionary measure, I will wear my lucky locket or maybe, I can show that I am entering the house but not go inside. Sona and Tile will not know because it will be so dark outside,” he thought.

Balu felt relieved thinking he could sneak out of the challenge and still keep his dignity intact among his friends. He smiled to himself.

As though reading Balu’s thoughts, Sona said, “How will we know the others haven’t cheated?”

Balu was startled. He felt his heart sinking. He glared at Sona for reading his mind. Now, there was no escape.

All three of them started thinking.

Then suddenly, Sona cried, “I got it! The first one who enters the house leaves a paper with his name written on it. The paper has to be kept at the entrance. The second one who enters will write his name on the same paper and so will the third. Now, you both bring your torches, pencils and I will bring the paper with me.”

Tilu agreed.

Balu brightened as he found a loophole in their idea.

“Sona is a real fool. And so is Tilu. The third person can still cheat by not entering the house and writing his name. And there is no one to check on him. Maybe, I can be that person,” he thought and couldn’t contain his excitement. That night, they all met by the lake. But their enthusiasm had dampened by now.

Fear was written all over their faces. But none could admit that they were scared and call off the challenge.

Each one was waiting for the other to do it but pride forced them to look brave.

Somewhere an owl hooted making them jump. Balu’s hand instantly went around his locket.

They glanced towards the house looked threatening against the dark sky.

Sona asked meekly, “Who is going first?”

“I am going to be the last person,” said Balu.

Suspicious, Tilu asked, “Why last?”

Balu realised that he had no reply and it was difficult to fool Tilu.

Balu stammered, “I…I…”

Not knowing what to say, he cringed.

“We have to play this fair and square. I am going to toss a coin to see whose turn it is to go first,” said Tilu.

Balu felt like banging his head for his haste foolishness.

Tilu tossed a coin and it was decided that Sona would go first, followed by Balu and then Tilu.

Balu looked miserably at the house.

Sona cautiously walked towards the house using her torch to throw light in the darkness.

When she went near the house, she thought she could hear a loud sound. She realised that it was her heart pounding loudly. The house looked scarier as she came near it.

Sona cursed herself for agreeing to the challenge. She thought, “What if something happens to me?”

She looked through the window and saw something move inside but couldn’t make out what it was.

“Bet or no bet. I am not going inside,” she said and sprinted back to her friends. When they enquired whether she had gone in, she managed a silly smile and didn’t reply to them.

Now, it was Balu’s turn to go. Sick with fear, he reached near the house. Suddenly, he heard a door creak and without a second thought, he ran back screaming with his hands tightly grasping his lucky locket.

Once at the meeting place, he breathed heavily and stood with his legs trembling like rubber pillars.

Sona stood silently wondering whether Balu knew that she hadn’t entered the house as there was no paper at the entrance.

“Did you see anything?” asked Tilu.

“I managed to get in somehow. Saw your name on the paper, Sona,” lied Balu.

Sona was astonished to hear this and knew Balu was lying but kept quiet.

Now, it was Tilu’s turn. He had tried to be bold but was sweating with fear.
As he walked to the house, his shirt became damp.

Peeping inside the house, he thought he caught a glimpse of something in white. Absolutely petrified, he yelled and ran back.

Panting, he reached his friends and shouted, “I saw your names on the chit. What do you think of me? No one can scare Tilu.”

Both Sona and Balu knew that Tilu was lying.

Feeling relieved they went home swearing that this was the last bet they would
ever make,

Chandanvan suffered from a drought this year because of which most birds and animals had left their homes and travelled to other forests to build new homes.

Kerry koel also shifted to a nearby forest with her family to build a
new house.

Kerry was a shy bird, but she was also talented. She soon made many friends in her new school.

Peeku pigeon was a proud bird who also went to this school. She always made fun of others.

She saw Kerry was making new friends. This made her jealous and she started looking for an opportunity to demean Kerry.

Peeku started teasing her because of her dark skin and sometimes called her a coward because she was shy. But Kerry never said anything and always laughed it off.

A few weeks later, on her birthday, Kerry brought a lot of chocolates to school and distributed them among her friends.

Peeku too took a piece of chocolate and said, “You should have told me about your birthday. I would have brought you a gift.” Everyone was surprised when she said that.

The next day, Peeku gave Kerry a gift wrapped in bright golden paper and said, “This is for you. You can open it in now.”

All the friends gathered and Kerry eagerly opened the gift in front of them. There was a small soap bar and a fairness cream bottle in it.

Kerry’s eyes welled up with embarrassment and hurt. Peeku was unaffected by Kerry’s reaction, instead, she laughed heartily.

Kerry’s friends were mad too and told her to give a befitting reply to Peeku, but Kerry did not want to fight. She said, “Mummy has taught me that sometimes silence can solve hundreds of our problems. If I say something now, then the quarrel will become fiercer. Therefore it is better that I keep quiet.”

Days later, all the classmates drifted away from Peeku because of her pride. While Kerry’s friend circle kept growing because of her kind behaviour.

Over time, Peeku became lonely, but this did not change the way she was.

Soon, the Annual Day celebrations arrived. A music competition was organised by teachers this year.

Seeing Kerry getting her name registered for the competition, Peeku also decided to register for it.

On the day of the competition, as soon as Peeku’s name was called out, she proudly went on the stage and started screaming in a harsh tone.

All the children started laughing hysterically. They shouted, “Down
with Peeku. Down with Peeku.”

She somehow completed her song and left the stage.

It was Kerry’s turn and she performed beautifully. The whole auditorium applauded her performance and also demanded that Kerry sing again. Everybody enjoyed her melodious singing.

Peeku was sad, but since she also enjoyed Kerry’s victory, she congratulated her. Kerry smiled and thanked her. Peeku knew that she was wrong. She knew that outward appearance and beauty is not everything. Kerry had a good heart and was nice to Peeku even though she was mean to her.

Peeku apologised to Kerry who forgave her easily. From that day, Peeku and Kerry became good friends.