short moral stories Archives - Champak Magazine

Hunt for a Nest

Mikki mynah was getting restless to lay her eggs. Since she didn’t have a nest of her own, she set out in search of a suitable nest to lay them.

First, she went to Mili mynah and begged, “Mili, I am starting to have pains. Please allow me to lay eggs in your nest.”

“Oh no, Mikki, I can’t! I have to lay my eggs too and I do not have enough space in the nest for both our eggs,” apologised Mili. She was also annoyed with Mikki’s laziness. Mikki would not build her nest and every time asked to lay them in someone else’s.

Mikki then went over to the tree where Saini mynah lived with her husband.

“I’m sorry, Mikki that I can’t offer you space in my nest. My husband lives with me and I will be laying eggs in a few days too,” Saini stated her helplessness.

Disappointed, Mikki flew to Sonu mynah’s nest who lived on a banyan tree, at a short distance from there.

Mikki was surprised to see Sonu laying eggs in her nest. She knew there would be no space in Sonu’s nest for Mikki to lay her eggs, but since she was there Mikki asked formally, “What are you doing Sonu?”

“I am laying eggs,” replied Sonu from her nest.

“Oh! I just came by to see you. I shall leave now,” said Mikki and flew to a branch of a nearby peepal tree. Kalu crow was also sitting on one of the branches of the peepal tree and asked, “Mikki, you look upset. You want to tell me what is bothering you?”

“I have been looking for a nest to lay eggs with no success,” Mikki responded.

“Oh, you can lay your eggs in my nest. It is big and you can even sit on them till they hatch,” offered Kalu.

But, it did not take long for Mikki to understand what Kalu really wanted.

“Thank you, brother Kalu,” she expressed gratitude and flew away from there.

During the next hour, Mikki looked into each big and small tree in Shantivan but could not find an empty nest. And nobody allowed her to lay her eggs in their nests.

Feeling disappointed, Mikki flew further away from Shantivan. On the way, she saw a big shady tree and she flew and sat on one of its branches with hope in her heart.

Mitthu parrot was sitting on the same branch. There was a big empty nest on another branch of that tree.

Mikki saw the empty nest and asked Mitthu, “Brother Mitthu, whose nest is this? I am in urgent need of a nest right now.”

“What do you need it for?” asked Mitthu. “I have to lay eggs,” said Mikki.

“Don’t you have your own nest to lay eggs? This nest belongs to Shika eagle. You will be inviting death, if you lay eggs in it,” said Mitthu.

Hearing Shika’s name, Mikki immediately flew away from there to save her life.

A little distance from there Mikki saw a dry sal tree. She flew towards it and saw Bhura woodpecker there. Mikki expressed her need to find a nest to Bhura.

“Brother Bhura, I am in dire need of a nest. I have to lay eggs, but I don’t have a nest of my own. Can you peck a hole for me in this tree?”

“I cannot help you at this time because I am leaving for Khushalvan just now,” Bhura expressed his helplessness.

“Oh! What should I do now?” Mikki muttered to herself in despair.

Sensing her helplessness Bhura suggested, “Mikki, there is a cavity in the trunk of this sal tree. It belongs to Blacky snake, but he is staying in Kundanvan these days. It is difficult to say when he will come back and meanwhile, the hole is lying empty. If you want you can lay eggs there and sit on them while they hatch and then take your chicks somewhere safe.” Bhura then flew to Khushalvan after giving Mikki this suggestion.

Mikki saw that the cavity was neat and clean. It was perfect in terms of safety. She laid eggs with a carefree attitude in the cavity. Days passed while she waited for them to hatch. Mikki could not leave the eggs and go out to get food and she became weak with hunger and thirst.

When she could not bear it anymore, she flew out of the cavity to look for food and water. She was shocked to see Blacky snake in the cavity when she came back and started screaming seeing him.

Hearing her scream, other birds too came and screamed. Blacky heard them screaming and came out and asked, “Why are you all making so much noise?”

“This cavity is my home and I have laid my eggs in it and have been waiting for them to hatch,” said Mikki in a quivering voice.

“But this is my house. I had left this cavity while I was visiting Kundanvan,” Blacky challenged Mikki.

Suddenly Mikki remembered Bhura’s words. Bhura had told her that it was Blacky’s house. She became quiet after she realised that.

“But my eggs?” Mikki enquired.

“There were two eggs in the hole and I swallowed them as my reward,”
said Blacky.

Mikki was scared and she regretted her laziness. The other birds became quiet too.

“Mikki, it is unfair to lay your eggs in someone else’s nest or cavity. You
should lay eggs in your own nest,” said Boogi bulbul.

“But I don’t have a nest of my own that is why I laid my eggs here and was waiting for them to hatch. I am paying the price for my laziness and carelessness,” said Mikki in a sad voice.

“Have you learnt a lesson now?” said the swallow bird. Mikki then vowed that she would give up being lazy and careless and build her own nest and only then think of laying her eggs.

This was a new start for her.

Hassan Cooks Halwa

The chinar trees were dotted with snow, glistening like crystals. The whooshing winds signalled winter was here. It was a Sunday and usually, the children would have been running, chasing each other through the maze of the narrow streets of Srinagar. But Sundays had been deserted for more than three months in this city.

Hassan came and plopped himself on the soft carpet. The school was shut and Hassan missed his friends.

He looks at the clock and wonders if it’s time for lunch. He can hear marching sounds coming from the street. These sounds startled him but before he could react, he heard the sound of pots and pans coming from the kitchen.

He grins and pats his belly and tiptoes to peep in.

Though there had been rationing of potatoes for the last month and a half, because markets had been shut, yet Ammi had been able to cook his favourite dum aloo, this Sunday.

When he peers in, Hassan is surprised to see Abba not Ammi in the kitchen.

“Hassan, have you finished the lesson for the day?” asks Abba as he turns around with a ladle full of dum aloo in his hand. Abba and Ammi have been taking turns at homeschooling Hassan.

“Yes, Abba. But, where’s Ammi?” he asked.

Abba used to ferry tourists on the Dal Lake in his beautiful shikara during the summers and used the boat to transport flowers during the winters. But there had been no tourists for the past three months, forcing him to lock the shikara and help Ammi to weave shawls.

“Where is Ammi and why are you cooking?” Hassan asked suspiciously. While he has seen Abba cook before, he always associated cooking with Ammi.

“It’s my cooking Sunday, beta. Ammi has gone to find some work. Shall I set the table for lunch?” Abba asks and smiles.

“Yes Abba. But what’s for dessert?” Hassan looks at Abba and asks, impatient to hear his answer.

“Ammi didn’t have time to cook dessert and I didn’t cook one,” Abba says, sadly.

Hassan could feel his heart drooping like an autumn flower. Sundays were always about dum aloo and halwa.

Abba pats Hassan’s head, “Do you think we can make some halwa, together?”

“Yes, Abba,” he said, his face lighting up.

“Okay. Which halwa would you like me to make? How about apple halwa?” said Abba and pointed to the huge sack of apples lying in the corner of the kitchen.

Amir chacha had gifted them two sacks of apples a few days ago and Abba had accepted one. Hassan was used to fresh apples from the market in the autumn and winter seasons, but markets had been shut and he was glad to receive the gift.

He remembered the expression on chacha’s face when he had come home. Walking on roads was forbidden, crowds were forbidden, schools and colleges were closed, playing on the roads were not allowed and Hassan barely remembered the ring of a mobile phone.

And then there was a curfew at odd times. He hadn’t experienced silence like this, ever before.

“Abba, why did Amir chacha give us a sack full of apples?” he asked.

“Amir chacha is trying to distribute all his apples because the markets have been shut and he doesn’t want the apples to rot. He sells apples to earn money.”

“But why are the markets shut every day, Abba?” Hassan asks the same question for the nth time.

Abba turns around and looks at Hassan, his eyes bleak, “There have been some huge changes in our lives. It will all be back to normal soon, beta. Let’s make some apple halwa.”

“What changes, Abba?” Hassan asks again.

Abba sighs and responds, “There has been a major constitutional change
in our state, the state of Jammu and Kashmir.”

“What constitutional change, Abba?” Hassan tries to remember if he was taught the meaning of the Constitution at school.

“There was an Article 370, which was specially made for our state of Jammu and Kashmir that has been revoked.”

“What’s revoke, Abba?”

“The meaning of revoke is to cancel, Hassan.”

“Why was the Article cancelled, Abba?”

“Because the Indian government felt that was the right thing to do.”

“What does this ‘revoking’ change mean?”

“Hassan, in simple words, there was a law, which provided Jammu and Kashmir with a special status and a separate set of laws. That has been cancelled.”

“Does that mean we are not special anymore?” Hassan’s asked with his eyes open wide.

Abba says nothing.

“Abba, I miss school. I miss my friends,” says Hassan, his eyes welling up and
he sniffles.

Abba envelops Hassan in a tight hug and wipes his eyes. “Shall we make some halwa, beta?

“How can I help?” Hassan nods vigorously as he wipes his face on his sleeves.

Abba picks up some apples and slices them. “Can you get me some sugar?”

Hassan looks at the colourful jars and sees sugar and lifts his arm and pulls down the small tin.

“Now, we let the apples boil and soften and then add some ghee,” Abba picks some orange strands from a small metal tin.

“What’s that, Abba?” Hassan asks as he pulls the ghee bottle from the counter.
“This is saffron. It’s not only tasty but also very good for digestion. So are apples, they are very healthy,” Abba replies.

“I will have two bowls of halwa today.” Hassan grins back at Abba.

Abba ladles ghee into the pot of stewing apple. The kitchen smells of fresh sweetness and Hassan takes a deep breath. Abba adds sugar and stirs again.

Stirring, stirring, stirring. Hassan looks at the way Abba moves the ladle around. Abba cuts some pistachios and almonds and sprinkles them along with the saffron on the top of the cooked halwa. He scoops up some and gives it to Hassan. Hasan tastes the freshness of saffron, the crunch of pistachios and the sweet deliciousness and feels he is in food paradise.

“Do you like it, Hassan?” Abba asks as he lays out the table for lunch.

“I love it, Abba.” Hassan hugs Abba around his waist and looks up at him.

There’s laughter and chatter as they eat lunch. Later, taking a big bowl of halwa, Hassan holds Abba’s hand and walks up to Amir chacha’s house. Ringing the bell, Hassan waits impatiently.

Amir chacha opens the door and smiles looking at Hassan.

“Chacha, we made halwa from the apples you gave.” Hassan jumps up and down with excitement as he gifts the bowl to Amir chacha who invites them in.

As Hassan walks into the courtyard and looks at the piles of apple bundles lying in an adjacent room, sacks bursting at the seams.

“Chacha, there are so many apples. What are you going to do with them?” Hassan bursts out, unexpectedly.

Amir chacha attempts to cover the look of dejection on his face. “I don’t know, beta. I really don’t know.” Abba places his hand on chacha’s shoulder.

Hassan and Abba return home. With two bowls of halwa, they sit down as the crows’ caw. Hassan bites into the almonds with a loud crunch.

“Do you know about the goodness of pistachios and almonds?” Abba asks Hassan. Hassan shakes his head.

“Almonds are full of vitamins and pistachios have minerals.”

“What do vitamins and minerals do, Abba?”

“They will make you a strong boy, Hassan.”

Hassan grins and gives a generous scoop of his halwa to a beady-eyed crow.

“Do we need vitamins and minerals to become a good person, Abba?”

Abba looks adoringly at little Hassan.

“You just need a good and kind heart for that, Hassan.”

“Abba, I just made up a poem. Would you like to listen?” Hassan bursts into a song before Abba could say anything.

Halwa, yummy and hot, Apples, stewed and soft, Almonds, sprinkle a bunch, Pistas, for that crunch, Saffron’s orange to greet, Halwa, oh so sweet!

The house echoes with their sound while dusk slowly sets in and all is silent again. The sound of marching feet faintly fills up the void.

The Hasty King

King Rudranath’s was sitting in his palace when two men entered, quarrelling with each other and stood before the King and bowed.

“Who are you and what is your problem?” he asked.

“I am Nathu and this man Meshu is my neighbour.’’

“This morning, when I was feeding my chickens outside my house, Meshu was eyeing them from the other side. Our houses just have a wall between them. Then he said something about feeling hungry.

I did not pay attention to his words. But to my horror, in the afternoon, I found one of my chickens that has a limp, missing.”

At first, I didn’t suspect Meshu, but later when I thought what he said in the morning, I realised Meshu had stolen my chicken and had eaten it for lunch. I want justice, my King! It pains me to hurt Meshu but the guilty should be punished.”

Saying this Nathu bowed once again.

The King looked at Meshu and asked sternly, “Did you steal his chicken?”

Shaking his head, Meshu pleaded, “No. No. I am not a thief, Your Majesty. I didn’t steal his chicken.”

“Believe me, Majesty. Nathu is lying,” cried Meshu.

Trying to corner Meshu, the King asked, “But didn’t you mention that you were feeling hungry when you saw his chickens?”

Meshu again shook his head helplessly and said, “No, Sir, you have it all wrong. Please let me explain…”

Nathu grew angrier and said, “Please don’t listen to him. He is nothing but a thief and a liar. Punish him, Your Majesty or else he will only end up fooling you with his smart talk.”

Prime Minister Shabir who had been silent up till now, suggested, “Maybe we should send someone to Meshu’s house to see if a chicken was eaten for lunch. There will be feathers and bones in his house if he stole and ate it.”

Nathu glared and said, “No use. I went to his house and searched well. Meshu was very intelligent and cleared all evidence.”

Meshu pleaded with tears in his eyes, “Sir, I am a poor man and I haven’t stolen anything from anyone. Moreover, I…”

Before he could say anything further, the King said harshly, “Enough. This is what all the guilty say. I, hereby order my men to throw you in jail.”

“No… but… I am not a thief… please listen…” Meshu cried, horrified.

Pleased, Nathu whispered to Meshu “Serves you right.” And then he went
his way.

However, Prime Minister Shabir felt something was wrong. He thought, “This is not right. The King should have ordered further investigation instead of simply believing Nathu’s words. What if Meshu is innocent? The King would have then done injustice.”

Later that evening, the King and the Prime Minister were strolling in the Royal Gardens. A little further, the King spotted a chicken that was limping.

“From where did this chicken come in my garden?” the King asked, surprised.

“It must have strayed into the garden, Your Majesty,” said Prime Minister Shabir.

Looking at it, the King said, “I am feeling hungry.”

“Be careful of what you say lest this chicken goes missing. Nathu might
accuse you tomorrow of stealing and eating it. Jail life is not what Your Majesty is used to if I might say,” Prime Minister Shabir said.

“What are you babbling? Have you taken leave of your senses? You know, I am a vegetarian. It was by chance that I said that I was hungry while looking at it. After all, it is nearing dinner time. And what has Nathu and jail got to do with it?” the King asked, annoyed.

“The same thing happened this afternoon with Meshu. It was by chance he said that he was hungry while looking at the chickens. After all, it was afternoon and nearly lunch time. I sent someone to his house and found out that he and his wife are vegetarians. Nathu accused Meshu to jail him. As you can see, this chicken is limping. I am sure it is Nathu’s chicken. I will ask one of our men to find out.”

Just then, a woman came running.

She bowed and said, “Oh King, someone mentioned that they had seen a limping chicken wandering here. It has been missing since morning. Is it here?”

She then spotted and grabbed it.

“Who are you?” The King asked curiously.

“I am Nathu’s wife. Now, may I please go?”

“Yes, you may,” said the King.

The Prime Minister said, “See, it is all clear. Nathu’s wife was not aware of her husband accusing Meshu, or else she wouldn’t have come here.”

“Then why didn’t Meshu tell that he was a vegetarian?” The King asked, puzzled.

“He tried to, but you didn’t let him speak. You punished him, simply by believing Nathu’s words. An innocent man is now in jail. Do pardon me for saying this,” said Prime Minister Shabir.

The King realised his mistake.

“I have committed a big blunder,” he said, “Poor Meshu. I shouldn’t have passed a judgment without a proper enquiry. Had it not been for you, an innocent man would have suffered and a guilty man would have gone unpunished.”

Then the King ordered, “Prime Minister, have Meshu released immediately and give him a gold coin to compensate for his troubles today. And make that Nathu do community service for a year.”

Needless to say, never again did the King act hastily.

Joys Of Letter Writing

Priyanshi was helping her Grandmother in cleaning the house.

They had started early in the morning and by late afternoon, everything was dusted and old newspapers were collected and neatly stacked.

While dusting Grandma’s diary, Priyanshi found a few old envelopes. She tried reading what was written on them, but the writing had faded over the years.

“What are you reading, Priyanshi?” asked Grandma seeing the envelopes in her hand.

“Look, Grandma, what I found! These were in your old diary. Something is written on them, but the writing is not clear enough to read. What are these, Grandma?” Priyanshi asked showing Grandma the envelopes.

“Oh, so you are reading my letters?” asked Grandma.

“Letters? What are they, Grandma?” Priyanshi said, surprised.

“These are my letters that my friend Indu wrote to me. They are from days before mobile phones, SMS’s, WhatsApp and Facebook came into this world. We really enjoyed writing, sending and receiving letters! We used to wait eagerly for letters. What days those were!” said Grandma remembering the old days.

“So Grandma, you used letters to communicate?” asked Priyanshi.

“Yes, dear. In those days, letters were the only means to communicate. The envelopes that you have in your hand are called ‘inland letters’. Letters were written on them. When Indu and I got married, we moved to different cities. We could talk over phone, but it was very expensive. Letters were the only way to communicate with each other. Our letters were full of love, details about our daily lives, and our emotions and feelings. Tears flowed from our eyes when we read letters,” Grandma said, wiping her moist eyes.

“Grandma, I don’t like to see you cry,” said Priyanshi wiping her tears.

“I am not really crying. My eyes have become watery remembering those old days. You children are lucky that you can easily talk on social media and emails, and also through phone calls,” said Grandma.

“Yes, that’s right, Grandma. But is it wrong to communicate through them?” asked Priyanshi.

“No. there is nothing wrong. But one should not be glued to them the whole day. During our time, we had to wait for weeks to get a letter and the joy of waiting was something else. Now people cannot wait even a minute. That waiting taught us patience,” explained Grandma.

“Yes, that is true. Even before Papa reaches office Mummy phones him four times to ask if he has reached or not,” Priyanshi said smiling.

“Ho-ho-ho! In our time, sometimes letters reached us after months. Once, your Grandpa was posted in Kashmir and I received his letter after six months. By that time he had already come home,” Grandma said laughing.

“Then the days of letters were very slow. Modern days are fast. Things happen now instantly. These days are the best and today’s means of communication are better,” said Priyanshi.

“My dear, every era is better than its previous times. In ancient times letters were sent through pigeons. In our times the postman brought the letters. Our hearts danced with joy when we saw the postman at the door.”

“Grandma, tell me one thing. How do the letters reach their correct destination?” asked Priyanshi.

“Through the magic of the PIN code,” Grandma said.

“What is that, Grandma?” asked Priyanshi.

“My dear, PIN code stands for Postal Index Number. In India, it is a special number of six digits. For instance, the Pincode of our Bhiwani Post Office is 262572. Its first digit 2 indicates Northern Region and 26 indicate our state Haryana, the third digit 2 is for our city and the rest three digits denote our post office. So, the letters easily reach the designated post offices,” Grandma explained.

“I didn’t know that, Grandma. So all post offices have a unique 3 digit number,” said Priyanshi.

Yes. There are in total 155,015 post offices in India.

“PIN Code truly is a magic number,” said Priyanshi.

“Like instant messaging is magic for us,” Grandma laughed and said.

“Grandma, will you teach me how to write letters?” said Priyanshi.

“Yes, sure. But on one condition,” said Grandma.

“What condition?”

“The condition being when you go back home, you will write letters to me,” said Grandma.

“Of course, Grandma. That is why I want to learn to write letters. But you will send me the first letter.”

“Alright dear! Firstly, letters should be written in a legible writing so that the receiver can read them easily. The language should be simple. We may express our feelings in detail in letters. They help us stay connected emotionally. I’ll write a letter and show you, how to do it,” said Grandma.

After a few days, Priyanshi returned home. One day while she was sitting in the balcony, the doorbell rang. Priyanshi opened the door and saw a postman standing outside. He handed her a letter that had her name written on it. She jumped with joy at seeing the letter.

She started running around the house with the letter and shouted “A letter has come…. A letter has come.”

After reading the letter, she wrote back to Grandma and ever since they continued exchanging letters.

Miraculous Curtain?

Dhangarh was a small village in the south. On the outskirts of the village, there lived a farmer with his daughter Dhanni.

The farmer was very poor. He managed to live somehow, working hard on little plot of land he had. In spite of this, he never allowed any hungry person to go away hungry.

One evening a fun looking person came to their hut and asked for something to eat. Dhanni and her father had very little food with them. But Dhanni got the man inside the house and gave him her food. Then they felt that the man was still hungry. So Dhanni’s father gave him his food as well.

It was late in the evening man. Dhanni insisted that the man spend the night in their house. And so, he slept in the hut.

Late into the night, the man heard some sound and opened his eyes. He heard Dhanni’s father telling his daughter to try sleeping and consoled her by saying that he would get some food to eat, as soon as it was morning. Dhanni could not sleep because of hunger. But she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

The man now realized that they had given him their own food. Dhanni and her father were hungry because there was nothing to eat in the house. He felt pity for them and decided to do something for them. He looked around but because of their poverty, he found nothing other than a small cloth that served as a curtain on their small window.

Dhanni and her father did not know that the man was a magician. He filled the curtain with special power and said the curtain would solve their problems if any difficulty or need came. But it would do so, only if they said something good after what they asked.

He then went to sleep. The next day he got up very early and went away. When Dhanni and her father got up, they did not find the man. After they finished their morning chores they were hungry.

Dhanni said, “Come, Baba, let us go to the field and search for something to eat.”

“Let us go to find food for you and all the others who come to the house,” her father said.

Hearing this, the curtain presented before them good tasty food.

Dhanni and her father were very amazed, at first. But because of their hunger, they quietly ate the food.

Now, whenever they needed something they wished it and said good things after it, their wishes were fulfilled. They understood that this was due to the blessings of the man. Even after getting all their wishes fulfilled so easily, Dhanni and her father were not greedy and did not stop doing hard labour. They did not take advantage of the powers of the curtain.

Slowly the news that Dhanni and her father had a miraculous curtain that gave them whatever they wanted, spread in the whole village.

This news also reached the robber Shakti. He became greedy and decided to steal the curtain from them and get all his wishes fulfilled.

So, one night he came with his band of robbers to the Dhanni’s and forcefully took the curtain from them. Dhanni and her father could not do anything. Once again,they depended on their hard labour to help themselves and others.

Now at his den, robber Shakti asked the curtain to bring and give a lot of gold. But he did not say anything good, as was ordered by the man. So, the curtain did not fulfil Shakti’s wish.

He made his demand a few times and still when his wish wasn’t fulfilled, he became angry. He moved forward and took out his sword with the intention of tearing the curtain into pieces. The curtain wrapped it around Shakti choking. Seeing this, the other robbers got frightened and pleaded it to go away from them.

The curtain came back to Dhanni’s house. Dhanni and her father were happy to see the curtain in their house again. They started helping needy and poor people with its help, and also continued with their hard labour.

Angel Of Forest!

One day in Chandanvan forest, many four-legged animals gathered together. They were unhappy. Seeing them unhappy, Mittu parrot who was sitting on the tree, asked, “What happened friends, why do all of you look so sad today?”

“Mittu, nature has been unfair to us,” replied Teju horse.

“How has nature been unfair? It has given us a good life, good health and energy. What else could we want?” asked Mittu.

Before Teju could say something, Golu elephant interrupted, “Injustice has been done with us!”

“What kind of injustice?” asked Mittu.

“Nature has blessed human beings with two legs and has taught them to walk upright. They look so beautiful and stately. They can wear different kinds of clothes. But we have to walk on four legs. If we too had two legs, we could walk straight and wear fashionable clothes.”

“But, in spite of having four legs, we all still look so good,” Mittu tried to explain.

“You are only saying this to make us feel better. We don’t look good at all, walking on four legs,” said a disappointed Golu.

The animals started complaining amongst themselves. They were all looking for a solution.

Suddenly, an angel appeared and asked them, “How can I help you all? There seems to be some problem.”

Lambu giraffe asked excitedly, “Can you teach us how to walk on two legs? We want to walk on two legs.”

“Of course! That’s a very simple wish. I can easily make you all walk on two legs,” said the angel.

Saying this, she turned her wand around and chanted something. Then, she asked all the animals to close their eyes for two minutes. After two minutes when they opened their eyes, they were excited to see that they were standing on two legs.

“Thank you, angel! Today our wish has been fulfilled. We are very happy now!” they said excitedly.

“I am leaving now. If you need anything in the future, you can call me by saying ‘Hey forest angel, please come and fulfil my wish and I will appear in front of you,” said the angel and she left.

Teju, Lambu, Bholu, Golu and Ballu were overjoyed, walking on two legs.

After walking for a while, Golu started panting. Mittu came to sit on his back and asked him, “Why are you panting?”

The truth was that, Golu was panting because his two legs could not bear the weight of his body. Without his other two legs, he felt heavier and could not take Mittu for a ride on his back.

“Since morning, I’ve been feeling very tired because I haven’t got a chance to rest. Once I lie down, I will be fine.” lied Golu, as he sat on the ground panting.

Lambu was in a similar situation. As he was tall, walking on two legs increased his height, and his head kept banging against the trees. This was hurting his head. He too sat down in one place to take a rest.

Billu ox was very happy walking. However, his happiness was short-lived.

“You are good for nothing now! At least you could help the farmer earlier to plough the field. Modern machines like the tractors have taken your place,” said Teetu bird, seeing Bittu walk on two legs.

Ballu donkey also started to think about what Teetu had said as he too was in a similar situation. Because he was walking on two legs, no one could use him to carry things on his back.

“If I am not of any use, then what’s the point of being beautiful!” he thought to himself.

Ballu could not hold himself any longer and cried, “Hey forest angel, please come here and fulfil my wish.”

As soon as he spoke, the angel appeared before him.

“What’s the matter Ballu? Is there something that you want me to do?” asked the forest angel.

Ballu said, “Dear angel, please make me walk on four legs like before.” Listening to him, Lambu, Golu and Teju requested for the same, “Yes, make us walk back on four legs.”

The angel asked, “Why, what happened? All of you wanted to look nice. Then, why are you suddenly changing your wish?”

“We have realized that we are of no use if we walk on two legs. We don’t want to live like this. We want our lives to have meaning.” they cried together

The angel smiled when she heard the animals speak. She turned her wand and chanted, and asked the animals to close their eyes. When they opened their eyes, they saw that they were back to standing on four legs.

“We have become like before! Now, all of us have a purpose,” said the animals cheerfully.

They understood that being useful was more important than being beautiful.

Sabarmati Ashram!

Dhruv’s Grandpa was a retired army officer and a patriot. He always told Dhruv stories of bravery of the Indian Army and of India’s freedom fighters. Mahatma Gandhi was Grandpa’s favourite and he would narrate stories on Gandhi’s life and work to Dhruv.

This year, on October 2, which is Gandhi Jayanti, or Mahatma’s birthday, Grandpa, Grandma, and Dhruv decided to visit Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad.

Grandpa and Grandma had visited the ashram many times before, but this was Dhruv’s first time.

“Please tell me about this ashram, Grandpa,” said Dhruv.

“Sabarmati Ashram was initially known as Satyagraha Ashram. Mahatma Gandhi established it in 1915 at Kochrab, Ahmedabad. In 1917, it was shifted to the banks of Sabarmati River and since then, it is known as Sabarmati Ashram.”

“It’s so quiet and peaceful here. There are so many trees around,” said Dhruv.
“Let me tell you about the history of Sabarmati Ashram,” offered Grandma.

“Yes, nani, please do tell me.”

“When it was founded, Sabarmati Ashram had living rooms made of canvas and the kitchen made of tin sheets. By the end of 1917, there were 40 residents living here.

Life at the ashram was based on Gandhiji’s principles of truth, non-violence, self-control, justice, and equality.

Spinning khadi and other village activities were encouraged to improve their economic status. Parts of Gandhiji’s spinning wheel were also built here.

Sabarmati Ashram was an inspiration for the Indian public and leaders. Many movements relating to India’s independence started here at the ashram.

It is from here, that he wrote a letter to the Viceroy of India on March 2, 1930, informing him about the start of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

On March 12, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi set out for the historical Dandi March with 80 others to protest against the tax imposed on salt. He did not return here until India was independent.”

“Yes, I did read about the Dandi March in school. But I did not know so much about the history of Sabarmati Ashram. Thank you, nani!” said Dhruv.

They walked ahead a little, and Grandpa said, “We will now see some important spots. I’ll tell you all about them.”

“Great, Grandpa!”

“That’s the National Memorial. It was established after the death of Gandhiji to preserve his memory.”

Grandma pointed to the left and said, “And that’s Hriday Kunj. It’s a small house located in the centre of the ashram. Kakasaheb Kalekar, an activist, social reformer and follower of the philosophy and methods of Mahatma Gandhi had named it.

Gandhiji and his wife, Kasturba lived in Hriday Kunj for about 12 years. It still has Gandhiji’s desk, his khadi kurta, and his letters.

Another attraction of the ashram is Kasturba’s kitchen. The stoves, utensils, and cabinets used in Kasturba’s kitchen are still kept there.”

“Oh, I see!” said Dhruv.

They walked a little ahead and Grandpa pointed out, “And that’s the Vinoba-Meera Kutir. This is the place where Acharya Vinoba Bhave spent some months of his life from 1918 to 1921. Also, Madeleine Slade, a British woman who was influenced by Gandhiji’s ideals and his beloved disciple, lived here from 1925 to 1933. Gandhiji named her Mirabehn. The cottage was named after these two personalities.”

“That’s interesting!” said Dhruv and they walked towards the prayer ground.

Grandma said, “All members of the ashram assemble at this prayer ground every morning and evening to pray. This prayer ground has witnessed many crucial decisions made by the Mahatma.”

Dhruv stood silently on the prayer ground.

Walking ahead, Grandpa pointed at a hut and said, “That’s the Nandini guesthouse. It’s located a short distance away from the main gate of the ashram. Many well-known freedom fighters of the country lived here when they came to meet Gandhiji. They include Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, a lawyer and comrade of Gandhi’s, who also became the first President of our country, C Rajagopalachari, an independent activist, lawyer, writer and historian, Charles Freer Andrews, Mahatma’s friend, educator and social reformer, and Bengali poet and writer Rabindranath Tagore, who was also Gandhi’s close friend.”

“Whoa! So many great people have lived here,” said Dhruv.

“Grandma! What’s that?” asked Dhruv.

“That’s Udyog Mandir! Gandhiji had pledged to make India independent by being self-reliant through the khadi industry. He worked using his hands as symbols of self-reliance and self-respect.

At the Udyog Mandir, he started spinning the charkha to make strings for khadi clothes. Gandhiji’s followers from all over the country would come here and stay at the ashram and get trained in using the charkha and in making khadi clothes.

The Udyog Mandir was established in 1918, during the strike by the employees of the textile mill in Ahmedabad.”

“So Gandhiji taught the swadeshi principle by making khadi?” asked Dhruv.

“That’s right!” said Grandpa.

“There’s a Gandhi Memorial Museum here. On May 10, 1963, Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated the museum near Hriday Kunj. Gandhiji’s letters, photographs, and other documents are kept there.

The collection includes 400 articles written by Gandhiji in magazines like Young India, Navjeevan, and Harijan. Also, there are photographs covering Gandhiji’s life from birth until his death, copies of Gandhiji’s speeches during his travels in India and abroad.

This museum also houses a library that contains 4,000 books of Sabarmati Ashram and a collection of 3,000 books by Mahadev Desai. There is an index of 30,000 letters written by Mahatma Gandhi. The original copies of some of these letters are preserved while the others are preserved in microfilms. Let’s go visit the museum.”

Dhruv really enjoyed the museum.

After completing the tour of all the important places around Sabarmati Ashram, Dhruv said, “I will remember Sabarmati Ashram more than the other places we have been to. I have learned so much today! Can we please visit such places in the future?”

“Of course,” smiled his grandparents.

The Right Path

In 1910, an ashram was established in Phoenix, a town in South Africa. The ashram housed a school for children of all ages. One of the teachers in the ashram had an unusual way of teaching. He believed that education should affect the heart along with the mind.

One day, the teacher gave a questionnaire to all his students. The bright students quickly wrote the answers and returned the questionnaire.

When all the students had submitted their answers, the teacher began correcting them. After correcting all the sheets, he picked up one and announced Sanjay’s name.

When Sanjay came forward, the teacher patted his back and said, “Well done! It seems to me that you have worked very hard.” Then, he showed the answer sheet to the full class. Sanjay had scored 5 out of 10 marks.

Seeing this, Rahul and Vikas, two of the smartest students, who knew they must have scored more than him, were bewildered. “Why is sir praising Sanjay? He scored much less than us,” said Rahul.

Vikas nodded in agreement. He couldn’t understand why Sanjay was being praised for scoring less marks. He asked, “Sir, we don’t understand that instead of praising us, you are praising a student who has got lesser marks than us.”

The teacher smiled at Vikas’ question and said, “I didn’t praise Sanjay for the marks he scored. I praised him for his hard work. He did better than the last time, which is proof of his hard work. I’m hoping this motivates him to work harder in future.”

“And as for praising you, I did not do so because with continuous success and praise, any person can become proud and arrogant. Arrogance is an obstacle to progress. I do not wish that you all stop working hard due to brief moments of success. Stay on the right path and you will be successful,” the teacher explained.

The students understood what their teacher said and this was an important
life lesson.

This teacher was, none other than, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, whom we lovingly call ‘Bapu’.

Unity Is Strength

Champakvan forest was quiet and peaceful. The animals and birds lived happily. They shared and helped each other in times of need.

A few days ago, a group of hunters came inside the forest and started hunting birds and animals, using guns. The animals were scared and cried over the loss of their friends. The fear of being hunted down troubled them the most.

They all decided to go and meet the king of the forest, Shersingh. King Shersingh heard them patiently and said, “I too am worried about your safety. But these hunters are armed with guns. Even I am afraid of guns. We will have to find a way to fight these hunters,” said Shersingh.

Honey hippo who was listening quietly said, “Your Majesty, I have a plan that can drive the hunters away from the forest.”

“What is you plan Honey?” asked Shersingh “Your Majesty, we must all stand together and fight these hunters. We must show – Unity is Strength,’’ said Honey.

“But even if we stand united, we can’t fight them. They have guns to shoot us,” said Lamboo giraffe.

“I know. We must plan cleverly before we act. My thick skin makes it difficult for the bullet difficult to pierce through it. I will go towards the hunters and distract them by walking towards them and the rest of you can attack from behind,” said Honey.

“If I get hurt, Dr Damru needs to be there to quickly remove the bullet from my body,” said Honey.

“You are putting your life at risk. Let us hope we don’t fail you,” said king Shersingh.

As planned, the next day, the crow took up the duty of a spy. He found out the camping spot of the hunters and passed the message to king Shersingh. All the animals hid in different places as planned by Honey.

Lamboo giraffe hid behind a tree, Fatty elephant hid behind a cluster of tall trees and Jumpy hid behind the bunch of bushy leaves. Cheeku rabbit took cover inside a bush. His Majesty, King Shersingh concealed himself behind a big mound.

The hunters were walking with guns in their hands. They looked alert and ready to shoot at the slightest sound.

As planned, Honey came before the hunters, then turned back and started running in the direction of his friend’s hiding places.

The hunters chased Honey, but Honey quickly gave them an escape and hid between the tall grasses.

One of the hunters reached the mound, where king Shersingh was hiding. As he climbed onto the mound to take a better look, his gaze fell on Shersingh. A chill ran down his spine. He dropped the gun and fell down rolling over the mound. The hunter managed to run away. Seeing the plight of the hunter, King Shersingh could not control his laughter.

The other hunters too were shaken when they saw their friend running. Taking charge of the situation, all the animals came out of their hiding places and attacked the hunters. In the chaos that followed, the hunters dropped their guns and ran away. The animals chased them out of the forest.

When the animals returned back to the forest, they saw the guns lying there on the ground. Jumpy collected all the guns and started imitating the hunters. He held a gun in his hands and by mistake pulled the trigger. The animals were in for a shock when they heard the sound of the gun shot. King Shersingh hid himself in a pit.

All the animals started laughing when they found out the reason behind the gun shot. Lamboo said, “We too have guns to fight now and need not be afraid of anyone.”

But Shersingh was lost in his thoughts. He thought about what could have happened if Jumpy had shot anyone.

He said, “We don’t need these guns that take the lives of others. I don’t want any of us to be killed by a gun shot. Let’s not create a situation where someone thinks they are more powerful because they have a gun. It’s better to dump them in the lake.”

Everyone agreed with Shersingh and they collected and threw the guns deep into the lake.

Minti’s Initiative

As soon as Minti mynah came out of her nest, she saw Bizy hawk circling the sky. Seeing him, she flew away in the other direction. After she had flown a short distance, she felt someone was following her. It had to be Bizy, she knew.

Minti suddenly changed her course. Instead of going towards the village, she went in the opposite direction. She increased her speed. She did not lose courage and flew with full might. Bizy chased her for quite some time but when Minti started flying over a barren and deserted region, he stopped chasing her. Bizy knew that it was difficult for him to fly in the open sky on barren land. So, he turned back.

Minti kept on flying. She did not turn her head to see if Bizy was still chasing her. After some time, her strength gave up and she fell down.

For a long time, she laid there motionless. When she came to her senses, she found herself on a barren hill. There were no trees there, not even a plant. All one could see were a few stumps of dry grass. Her throat was parched and she was feeling very thirsty. With great difficulty she pulled herself up. Her wings ached and she was not in the condition to fly. Somehow she managed to drag herself under the shade of a rock.

After resting for a while, she felt better. She said to herself, “Which place is this?”

“This is the Dry hill.” a voice spoke.

She looked around but could not see anyone. “Who is that?” she asked.

“I am the Dry hill,” came the reply. “A living creature has come here after a very long time. Tell me, how can I help you?”

“Just give me some water. I am very thirsty,” said Minti.

“There is no water on this hill,” said the hill.

“Oh, you are really very dry!” said Minti.

“I know. But I wasn’t always like this,” said the Dry hill sadly.

“Really!” exclaimed Minti.

“I am telling you the truth. There were beautiful trees here and greenery everywhere. Birds sang on the trees and water flowed in the rivers,” said the hill.

“Looking at you, no one can believe that!” said Minti.

“Not only you, there’s no one else who believes this. My present condition is due to my beauty,” said the hill.

“How come?” asked Minti.

“Many people from different places came here and settled. Slowly, this place became overpopulated. People started cutting trees for space and other needs. Large scale tree cutting led to a reduction in rainfall,” said the hill.

“What happened then?” asked Minti.

“As long as there was greenery, people stayed. But with no water and trees, I became dry and everyone left. My land became barren. And now, there are no trees and no bushes. There’s only a little dry grass here and there,” said the hill sadly.

“I feel sad for you. You witnessed your destruction with your own eyes. I came here to save my life. I did not know where I was going,” said Minty.

“Who were you saving your life from?” asked the hill.

“A hawk was chasing me. I came to this place because I knew that Bizy hawk would not follow me here.”

“Why?” asked the hill.

“Because, there are no trees here and he would not be able to fly with such a big mynah for too long. He would need to sit down on a tree. So, he stopped chasing me. If there was a tree here, then I wouldn’t be alive today,” explained Minti.

“Well, at least after all these years I have been of use to someone!” said the hill.

“Don’t say that. You can be of use to anyone even today,” said Minti.

“I was saved because of you and for this, I will certainly do something for you,” said Minti.

“After summer is over, I will come here with my friends,” she said.

“And then, what will happen?” asked the hill.

“Just wait and see. This is my promise to you,” saying this, Minti gathered her strength and left the place, bidding goodbye to the dry hill.

After some distance she saw a river and had a good drink.

Dry Hill was very pleased after his talk with Minti.

There were still two months left before summer got over. He remembered Minti and her promise every day. Sometimes, a doubt would come to his mind if she would keep her promise and come back. But he could just wait and see.

Summer ended and it started raining. Dry Hill felt relief from the heat. Then one day, he saw a hoard of mynahs flying towards him. He was overjoyed to see them.

“Hello, do you recognize me?” asked Minti, as soon as she came on the hill.

“Of course! I have been thinking about you all this time,” said the hill.

“I was waiting for the rains. I came here as soon as the rains started,” said Minti.

And she and her friends scattered many seeds that they had brought with them, on the hill.

“What are you doing?” asked Dry Hill.

“We have come here to scatter seeds. They will sprout with the rains and one day, become big trees.”

“Will this really happen?” asked the hill.

“Yes! With rains, the seeds can get a chance to germinate. We will come again and bring more seeds. One day you will see that you have become green again and that you no longer are a dry hill. Lots of creatures will come and live here.” promised Minti.

Whenever Minti could manage, she visited Dry Hill and every time she brought seeds with her.

That year, the rains were good and many seeds sprouted. Then, they started growing. Minti had scattered different varieties of seeds. Some became bushes and shrubs. Others started growing as trees.

Minti visited Dry Hill regularly and saw it becoming green. The dry hill slowly changed to a lush green hill. Small creatures came there and later, bigger ones followed them. Her efforts had given new life to Dry Hill.

One day Minti came there with her children. “These are my children. I will not live long enough to see these plants become big trees. I got my children here to meet you. It will take some time for a forest to grow here. When it does, my children and their children will live here. Promise me, that you will take care of them,” said Minti.

“I promise that I will take care of them,” the hill said in a choking voice.

A small mynah had changed a dry hill to a green forest.

A Lesson Learnt!

Keggy kangaroo ran a grocery store in Champakvan. He was a greedy and shrewd shopkeeper.

He would cheat his customers by charging higher prices for everyday items and would also weigh them incorrectly.

Since there was no other grocery store in the forest, everyone was forced to buy their supplies from Keggy’s store.

One day, Meeku mouse came to the store to buy some rice.

“Two kilos of rice, please.”

When Keggy started weighing the rice, Meeku said, “Keggy, please weigh it properly. Something is wrong with your scales as last time you gave me less quantity of rice.”

Keggy was furious. “Meeku, the scales are just fine! If you don’t trust me, go buy rice from another store,” he yelled.

Meeku quietly took the rice and left as he did not have any other option.

Next day, Blacky bear went to Keggy’s store with his children. It was his son’s birthday. He gave a list of items to Keggy and said, “Please give me these, quickly!”

Keggy put everything in a bag and said, “Blacky, your total bill is `1000.”

“One thousand? But I had calculated the bill to be `800,” Blacky replied.

“The prices of some of the items have gone up. So, it’s `1000 now,” said Keggy.

“How is that possible? The prices were less until yesterday. How can they suddenly increase today?” asked Blacky.

“I don’t know all that. If you want to buy from here, then do so, otherwise, go elsewhere,” said Keggy, arrogantly.

Jumpy monkey was also present at the store. “Keggy, how can the prices go up in one day?” he asked.

Keggy glared at Jumpy and said, “I don’t need to explain anything to anyone. Buy your stuff and leave.”

Finally, Blacky had no option, but to pay `1000.

Two days later, a monkey came to Keggy’s shop. He looked like an outsider with his sunglasses, hat, suit, and boots. A backpack hung from his shoulder.

“Yes? What do you want?” asked Keggy.

“My name’s Peter. I’ve come from abroad. I’ll be staying in this forest for a month. So I need a month’s worth of groceries,” said the monkey, handing over a list to him.

Keggy packed everything and said, “Your bill is `5000.”

Peter took the packets and said, “I’ve spent all my money to come here from abroad and I have no money to spare. But I do have a statue, which I can offer you in exchange for the groceries.”

He then took out a gleaming statue from his bag and handed it to Keggy.

Keggy’s eyes widened when he realised that the statue was made of pure gold.

“This gold statue is worth lakhs! I’ll take it at once!” he thought.

“It’s all right if you don’t have the money,” said Keggy, “I’ll keep this statue and you can take the groceries.”

“Thanks a lot! Here, let me keep the statue safely inside this bag for you.”

Peter put the statue inside the bag and gave it to Keggy. He then took the groceries and went.

Keggy was excited after receiving the statue. He decided to go to the city and sell it.

The next morning, he went straight to the goldsmith, Hatim horse’s shop in the city.

“I have a gold statue worth lakhs and I want to sell it.”

“Show it to me,” said Hatim.

Keggy took the statue out of the bag and showed it to him.

“Keggy, this is a fake statue. It doesn’t even cost `50,” said Hatim, examining the statue.

The ground beneath Keggy’s feet shattered. “A foreigner monkey came yesterday to my shop and bought groceries worth `5000. He didn’t have money so he gave me this gold statue. But I had examined it carefully when he showed it to me—and it was pure gold!”

“These con men are very crafty. He must have shown you a real gold statue but then he must have exchanged it with a fake one, before handing it to you. You have been cheated,” Hatim explained.

“I will not spare him!” said Keggy, furiously.

Keggy went to Shersingh lion, the Prime Minister of the forest. “Sir, I have been cheated by a foreigner monkey named Peter. He bought groceries worth `5000 from my store and in exchange gave me a fake gold statue.”

Shersingh called for Peter and the other animals of the forest.

Peter arrived soon. Seeing him, Keggy shouted, “Thief! He’s the one who gave me a fake statue and cheated me!”

“Sir, I did not cheat Keggy!” said Peter defensively, “After taking the groceries, I asked him if he would accept the statue as payment. I never said that it was made of gold. Keggy agreed to take the statue on his own. I did not force him.”

“Yes, but I had examined the statue and found that it was made of gold and so I agreed to accept it,” Keggy argued.

After hearing both of them, Shersingh said, “It is Keggy’s mistake that he accepted the statue in his greed. Peter didn’t make any promise that it was a gold statue. He only showed him the statue. So, Peter is not at fault.”

Keggy did not have anything to say. He sat down and started crying.

Seeing this, Peter removed his wig, sunglasses, and hat, and everyone was shocked. “Hey look! It’s Jumpy!” they said.

“I disguised myself as Peter to teach Keggy a lesson. I was sure that a gold statue would make Keggy greedy. I wanted to show him that just the way he cheats his customers, it’s possible for someone else to cheat him too. I showed him a real gold statue first, then later while giving it to him, I replaced it with a fake one. If Keggy promises never to cheat his customers in the future, I will give him his `5000,” said Jumpy.

Keggy realised his mistake and apologised to everyone.

“I’ve realised my mistake and I promise to never cheat my customers again. I’ll weigh and charge for the goods honestly,” Keggy promised

I Can!

“I don’t think I can do it,” Dodo donkey brayed loudly. Milo monkey woke up from his evening nap and complained, “Oh, Dodo, you woke me up!”

“How can you be concerned about your sleep, when I can’t do what others can do?” Dodo cried.

Still sleepy and annoyed, Milo asked, “Now, what happened?”

“I can’t walk long distances while carrying heavy loads on my back,” Dodo said,
“I am sure, my bones will break if I do.”

“Can you do anything in your life?” asked Milo, exasperated.

Dodo kept quiet. “You must have some confidence in yourself, Dodo,” said Flora flamingo, who was sitting nearby.

Flora was famous for her bright pink feathers, thin long legs and her S-shaped neck. Flora gave two lotuses to Dodo and asked, “Do you think you can give one lotus to Milo?”

“Yes, I can,” said Dodo, and gave one lotus to Milo.

“Hurray… Hurray… Finally, I heard Dodo say ‘I Can’,” clapped Flora. Both Milo and she laughed, and congratulated Dodo, who also smiled.

“Why are you not confident, Dodo?” asked Flora.

Making a sad face, Dodo replied, “Everyone makes jokes on us, as if donkeys are of no use. Also, people often use the term ‘donkey’ or an ‘ass’ to insult others, to say they are slow or stupid and crack a joke on them.”

Flora flapped her pretty wings and thought for a while.

“Come on, let’s go for an evening stroll,” she suggested, and the three of them started walking towards the lake.

On the way, they met Ansy ant and her friends who were carrying food home.

“Dodo, do you see the load on Ansy’s back? Ants can carry weight that is 10 to 50 times their own body weight.” Dodo watched Ansy and friends, with awe. “Such tiny creatures can do such a wonderful job!” he thought.

“Croak… Croak…” Suddenly Futtu frog came along. “I am practicing for the long jump event in the next Annual Sports Meet,” said Futtu.

“That’s really amazing. Best wishes, Futtu” said Flora.

“A frog can jump almost 44 times its body length,” explained Flora.

Though, Dodo had seen frogs jump earlier, he noticed Futtu’s jumping talent only today.

“Such a small creature can do such a wonderful job!” thought Dodo again. “But, they are talented by birth and I am born a fool,” Dodo still believed.

“You must realise your strength and appreciate yourself,” said Flora. “Because if you believe in other’s negative comments about you, you will always doubt yourself and remain in fear.”

“Dodo you don’t even live with other donkeys,” said Milo.

He then pointed his fingers to the hill and continued, “Donkeys are strong and carry logs and grass. Do you know how long they need to walk and carry the load?”

“I know, yet nobody appreciates them. They are still called fools,” Dodo replied glumly. “I simply cannot bear the pain of being called a fool. So I just walk around and eat and drink whatever I find.”

“Do you know that donkeys are incredible animals who have excellent memory and tremendous physical strength? Believe that about yourself and work hard with a positive mind. Always say ‘I Can’.”

Dodo brayed suddenly, “Incredible animals!” he repeated.

“That’s the problem. Most of us criticise others without knowing their facts,” Flora explained.

“Studies have shown that donkeys can remember a place they have been to or recognise other donkeys who they met, even after 25 years. A donkey will not do something if it considers it to be unsafe. It can live more than 40 years and in various types of places.”

Dodo was quite stunned to hear about his own talents.

Holding his large ear, Flora said, “Donkeys have large ears that help them hear across distances in deserts. In case they sense something wrong while traveling, they will simply not move ahead and will start digging in their heels.”

“Am I really so strong and special?” Dodo wondered. “I just can’t believe it. I have heard something good about me for the first time.”

Flora sat on Dodo’s back and pecked him gently, “Never compare yourself with others or try to copy them. Instead, find your own strengths and talents and believe in yourself. Always say ‘I Can’ so ‘You Can.”

Milo too jumped on Dodo’s back and screamed, “Yes, we can!”

Dodo brayed, “Yes, I can…” and started running, jumping and dancing cheerfully with Flora and Milo on his back.

Dodo thanked Flora. This was a turning point in Dodo’s life. He realised his own strengths and talents that made him smart, strong and confident!

Discovering Talent

Rahul and Ryan lived with their parents in a small town. Rahul, the elder brother, studied in class 4 in a reputed school in the city. Seven-year-old Ryan studied in a special school.

Ryan could not speak or hear. But one could not make out he had any disabilities just by looking at him. His parents Tina and Pawan did not let Ryan feel any less of himself. Everyone communicated with Ryan with the help of hand gestures, a special sign language.

Ryan went to a school for children with special needs from an early age and started learning sign language. There he learnt to read and write using their own way.

Rahul and Ryan never skipped school and were always excited to meet their friends.

Then, suddenly, due to the coronavirus pandemic, all the schools were shut and children had to stay at home due to the lockdown and could no longer meet their friends.

Rahul spent his time playing games on his mobile phone and chatting with his friends. But Ryan was more upset for not being able to go to school.

Ma did not give him a mobile phone to play games, but would talk to him using sign language. But she realised it was getting very difficult for Ryan to stay at home all day.

But she was unable to explain in detail about the pandemic to him. She made him understand that schools were shut due to an infectious disease, and no one was allowed to step out of their homes.

The two brothers would play together for a while in the evenings. However, Rahul would soon get bored and found it hard to play with Ryan since he was unable to communicate with him like other children who could hear and talk.

Rahul spoke to his friends over the phone and often complained, “Mom, I’m getting bored at home! What can I do?”

“Do whatever you like! You anyway play games on the phone and chat with your friends all day.”

“But talking on the phone is one thing, but talking in person is the real deal!”

“Until such a time that this pandemic is over, everyone has to live this way. Why don’t you learn a new hobby during this time, like painting or craft?”

“But I want to play on the playground.”

“I know! But you can play as much as you like with Ryan inside the courtyard of the house. During times like these, none of your friends can come to play with you, neither can you go out.”

“Yes, you’re right!” said Rahul.

Rahul loved playing cricket. But there was not enough space in their house to play cricket inside it. And Ryan was too young to play cricket with him. He could only fetch the ball when his brother hit it too hard and sent it far away.

Rahul could still manage his time, but it was getting difficult for Ryan. He tried drawing, but he would hardly draw two or three criss-cross lines and then would get bored. He could not do it for too long.

Tina tried her best to keep Ryan happy, but could not do it all the time as she also had to do the household chores.

Ryan followed his mother around all day, observing her doing the housework. In the kitchen, Tina would give him some work like peeling vegetables, or washing them. He would sometimes arrange the plates on the dining table and be overjoyed after doing it.

One day, Tina cut some cucumbers, radishes and carrots, placed them in a bowl and gave it to Ryan and signaled him to keep it on the dining table.

Ryan carried the bowl to the dining table. He looked at the salad carefully, then he picked up the pieces one by one and started arranging them on a plate. He decorated the salad on a plate beautifully.

Tina came out of the kitchen after a while and saw Ryan carefully decorating the plate with the vegetables of three different colours. She smiled and put a hand on his head affectionately and praised him with a hand gesture. Ryan too was very happy.

In the evening, Tina cut some more cucumbers, radishes, carrots and onions, and gave it to Ryan. He picked up a plate and again started decorating it on the dining table.

After some time, his father came out to the dining room after finishing his work. He saw the plate of salad and asked, “Who decorated this?”
“Ryan did it,” praised Tina.

Pawan too was pleased to see Ryan’s creativity.

“We should enrol Ryan in a cooking class, Tina. I’m sure he’ll be great at it,” said Pawan.

He kissed Ryan’s cheek affectionately and hugged him.

Tina started adding more ingredients to the salad every day. She would cut everything and give it to Ryan and he would decorate them in different styles. She did not give him a knife yet because he was still very young to cut the vegetables.

Soon other family members and relatives came to know of Ryan’s skill. Tina recorded videos of Ryan decorating the salad and sent it to them. She made a social media account for Ryan and posted videos on it. Ryan was thrilled to read other people’s comments and suggestions. He had found a way to keep himself happy during the lockdown.

Pawan and Tina encouraged Ryan with his creative endeavours. Though he could not speak, his talents definitely spoke for him.

Umbrella To Save Us!

Jeena jackal was one of the richest animals of Bandipur forest. She owned many factories where most animals of the forest worked and earned a living from.

No one in the forest objected to her building more factories as that meant more animals would get jobs.

She had a say in everything that happened in the forest. And to build factories, she kept cutting more and more trees within the forest.

The old Banyan tree was disturbed to see this. He requested Gogo gorilla to call a meeting of all the animals to discuss the matter.

The animals respected the Banyan tree and immediately agreed.

Next evening, the Banyan tree shared his concern about the building of new factories by cutting trees in the forest, as that was leading to a rise in the air pollution levels and was causing breathing problems for all animals.

“We have to control the increasing pollution levels before it is too late and it becomes dangerous and harmful for all of us,” he said.

The Banyan tree reminded everyone that Jeena had promised to plant trees in the open spaces in the forest when she had cut trees to build the factories. Thus far she hadn’t planted a single tree.

His words had a huge impact on all.

After listening to the Banyan tree, Rancho monkey, who was sitting on a tree nearby, said, “We are going to celebrate Ozone Day in our school and have been asked to bring a sapling on that day.”

“Ozone? What is that?” asked Gingy goat, curiously.

“Ozone layer is like a huge umbrella around the Earth that saves us from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun,” Rancho explained.

“That is right, Rancho! If we did not have an ozone layer, then life on Earth would not exist. The increasing smoke and pollution from the factories are causing a hole in this ozone layer, which is harmful to animals and plants on Earth.”

Romi squirrel asked, “How is it harming us, Grandpa Banyan?”

“The increase in the size of the hole in the ozone layer is creating an imbalance in the temperature of the Earth. It is making the winters colder and the summers hotter. The glaciers and the frozen caps in south and north pole are melting slowly and sea levels are rising. These imbalances are very dangerous for life on Earth,” explained the Banyan tree.

Roro rabbit also added, “And our teacher also told us that carbon-monoxide from the ACs and the refrigerators is harming the ozone layer.”

Doctor Giraffe, who was sitting there added, “That is correct and that is why it is important that we reduce the usage of ACs and other such things in our daily life.”

Nina sparrow chirped in, “Oh! That explains why we are facing skin problems when we fly higher.”

“Yes, Nina. This umbrella prevents the harmful ultraviolet rays from reaching the Earth. But since the hole in this layer is increasing, these rays are penetrating our atmosphere and reaching us. This is causing skin problems and if we do not pay attention to it now it can create further dangerous problems like skin cancer,” said Doctor Giraffe.

“So, how can we stop this hole from becoming bigger,” asked Deepu donkey.

“We can prevent this hole from becoming bigger by controlling air pollution, not using chemicals that are harmful to the ozone layer and not cutting trees. We have to plant as many trees as we can instead of cutting them. If we fail to do this then the results will be hazardous,” said the Banyan tree.

Gogo was listening to all this and decided the animals had to find a solution to save the Earth. He asked everyone to reach Jeena’s new factory the next day.

Next morning, the animals reached the factory when Jeena was instructing her workers to cut more trees.

“Jeena, have you taken the permission from the forest department to cut these trees?”

“Y…e…sss, Gogo,” said Jeena Jackal.

“Good, let me see the papers,” said Gogo.

Jeena was taken aback by this, but she regained control of herself. Placing a hand on Gogo’s shoulder, she said, “I will build another factory here, which will give jobs to more of your animals.”

This made Gogo furious and he said, “First you want to build a factory without proper papers. Last time when you built a factory and cut trees, you had promised to plant the same number of trees, but you did not plant a single tree. It is because of your mistakes that the rest of us have to pay such a heavy price.”

Jeena jackal laughed guiltily and said, “Oh! If it is only about planting the trees I promise to do so it if you allow me to cut these trees now.”

“It seems you will not give up that easily,” said Gogo and he whistled. Rancho monkey immediately brought Ellie elephant to the site. Ellie was a Police Officer. Her arrival made Jeena nervous. Ellie checked all the documents of the factory and sealed the factory as they were not complete.

“We should not punish Jeena. The mistake is ours too, that we allowed her to go on without understanding how cutting trees is so harmful to all of us. We should make her realise her mistake by asking her to plant more trees in the forest,” said the Banyan tree.

“I agree with grandpa, it is only by planting more trees that we can save this umbrella that saves us,” added Rancho monkey.

Everyone agreed with the Banyan tree and planted more trees with Jeena in the forest. She too understood her mistake and only built factories that were safe for the environment.

Gitti’s Little Friends!

Gitti squirrel was annoyed with her friend Pinky pigeon because Pinky had been so busy. She hadn’t met Gitti. Gitti had begun eating and playing on her own. But sometimes she would get bored and lonely and run around every corner of the house looking for Pinky. Not finding her, she would get back to being on her own again.

Pinky and Gitti lived in a large house in the city. Rohit was the owner of the house who lived alone. He would get ready early, eat his meal and leave for work.

He really loved his little friends, Pinky and Gitti, who ran around the house all day, so no matter how late he would be, he would always put out plenty of food for them on the roof. Pinky, Gitti and their friends lived their days in happiness.

When Gitti had newly arrived at the house to live in, she and Pinky had chanced upon a piece of bread at the same time, but Gitti reached it before Pinky. But Gitti did not touch the bread and instead she stepped back and said, “Pinky, take this one. I’ll look for another one.”

“All right, I’ll take it. But not the whole piece. Let’s share it.” replied Pinky.

Thus the two of them became friends. And they started playing, eating and running around the house together. Pinky would sometimes fly away and cry out to Gitti asking her to catch her. Gitti would again run and catch her, but Pinky would fly away again.

When it was Gitti’s turn to trouble Pinky, she would hide in a narrow space and Pinky would say, “Come out, Gitti! You know I can’t get in there!”

But one day suddenly, Pinky started being aloof. Gitti could not understand what had made Pinky to withdraw. She looked for Pinky all around the house.

When she reached the roof, she saw that on the garret beside the stairs, in a nest made of pieces of paper. Pinky was quietly sitting with her eggs. She called out to her, but when Pinky did not respond, she had her meal alone and went to sleep.

A few days later, Pinky came and took Gitti to her nest. Gitti was surprised to see two little pigeons inside it, who became excited hearing Pinky’s voice.

Gitti was amused, and she said, “Oh, so they are the ones who kept you busy! I’m so happy for you. Can we take them to the roof?”

“Not now, Gitti! They’re too weak and tiny. They can’t even fly. So we must wait some time more to be able to play with them. When they learn to fly, they can come with us to the roof.” explained Pinky.

Pinky brought food grains to feed the babies. Gitti too took some grains and approached the babies, but they stopped crying and stepped back.

“People think babies are clueless and naive. But they’re very smart. See how they stepped back—they know who their mother is and will only take food from her.” said Pinky.

“That’s really smart! Why don’t you feed them? I’ll just watch from a distance.”

Pinky took care of her kids and Gitti watched them grow up.

When the babies grew wings, Pinky took them out and started teaching them how to fly. Gitti, too, came along. Slowly the kids started knowing Gitti.

Rohit, the owner of the house, gave them food and came and sat on the roof with his tea. He would enjoy watching all the pigeons and squirrels eating and playing together. Seeing the baby pigeons, Rohit too decided that he should now get married and get settled.

One day, Gitti told Pinky, “Pinky, I really love your two kids. It’s so much fun playing and spending time with them.”

“Gitti, you mustn’t be under the impression that the kids will always be there to play with you. As soon as they grow up to be adults, they will leave us and go on their own path looking for friends. And then just you and I will be left to play together.”

“But that’s so sad, Pinky. The same kids whom you took so much care of as they grew up, would leave you alone when they become independent,” said Gitti, sadly.

Pinky explained: “That’s the law of nature, Gitti. Along with the kids, the parents also grow up to be healthier, more independent and confident. They too lead their individual lives happily and meet each other whenever they want. We don’t to become a burden for each other.”

“That’s wonderful, Pinky. Those kids are such lovely gifts. As long as they are with us, we’ll enjoy their company. When they fly away, we’ll be there for each other to play with.” said Gitty.

The days passed. The pigeon’s kids grew up and flew away. Now there was only Pinky and Gitti in the house to play and run around. They remembered their earlier days. Kullu too joined in with them and the fun multiplied.

Where’s The Rain?

All the animals at Shantivan were eagerly waiting for the monsoons. Everyone had made plans for the season and shared them with each other.

“Raindrops make me happy! When it rains, I will dance to my hearts content,” said Peeko peahen.

“This scorching heat is making my flesh burn. When the monsoon arrives, I will bathe all day long,” growled Bholu bear.

“Even I cannot wait any longer. How exciting will it be if it rains tomorrow!” Charlie monkey exclaimed.

A week had passed and not even a drop of rain was in sight. Peeko anxiously gazed at the sky, wondering where the rain had gone.

She saw Charlie hanging from a branch and said, “The monsoon season should have been here by now. When will I get a chance to dance?”

Charlie comforted her, “Maybe, the monsoons are late. But don’t worry, it will rain soon.”

A few more days passed and still there was no sign of the rain. Peeko couldn’t take it and thought Harry horse would have an answer.

“Oh Harry, when will the monsoon arrive?” asked Peeko. “Peeko, have some patience. The arrival of monsoon is certain,” neighed Harry.

Peeko walked ahead and saw Bholu bear staring at the sky. Peeko asked Bholu the same question.

“I can’t explain. There are some dark clouds in the sky. But I don’t understand why it’s not raining,” replied Bholu.

Peeko looked up at the sky. The dark clouds were visible.

“Let’s ask Kitey eagle. Perhaps, she will know where the rain has gone,” Peeko said as she saw Kitey fly closer to the clouds.

Peeko called out to her, “Kitey! Kitey!”

“What happened, Peeko? Why are you calling me?” Kitey asked as she landed near Peeko.

“Kitey, there are so many dark clouds in the sky. Then why is it not raining?”
asked Peeko.

“Let me check,” Kitey replied.

Kitey flew up into the sky and returned soon. She explained, “Peeko, the dark clouds that you’re seeing in the sky are not rain clouds.”

“What do you mean? We all know that dark clouds are rain clouds,” interrupted Bholu.

“Yes, Bholu. But these aren’t rain clouds. They are clouds of smoke that have gathered here because of pollution in the environment. The poisonous smoke looks like clouds and has spread like a blanket all over Shantivan. Until this smoke clears, it will not rain,” said Kitey.

Peeko and Bholu were terrified. They began to think of a solution.

“Bholu, we must clear out these polluted clouds. Otherwise, we will never receive rain and our rivers and ponds will dry out,” said Peeko.

“Peeko, how do you intend to clear out these clouds? I think it’s impossible,”
said Kitey.

“It might be a difficult task but I will try. In fact, if we all work together, we will be able to reduce pollution,” said Peeko, confidently.

“What can we do, Peeko? How can we reduce pollution?” asked Bholu.

“The biggest reasons for pollution are the increased number of vehicles, burning of garbage and cutting of trees. We need to make the animals of Shantivan aware of these causes so that they stop polluting the air,” replied Peeko.

They immediately got to work and made posters and pamphlets that listed the causes of pollution.

To make the posters attractive, Peeko added pictures of plants, trees, mountains, barren land and rivers. Kitey helped to distribute the pamphlets.

Peeko and Kitey also hung the posters on the branches of roadside trees. Bright and colourful posters caught the attention of many animals.

Bholu and Peeko went around Shantivan and made announcements of the benefits of being eco-friendly. They appealed to the animals to use bicycles instead of cars and motorcycles to reduce pollution and welcome rain.

Kitey spread the word that if more trees were planted, pollution would lessen. She also monitored illegal activities like cutting trees.

All the animals of Shantivan took up these eco-friendly initiatives. With the help of Peeko, they planted trees and stopped using cars to work. Soon enough, their hard work showed results. The dark clouds of smoke began to clear and the clouds of rain made their way.

The rain clouds rumbled and soon began to pour. Peeko could finally dance! It was the best dance the animals of Shantivan had ever seen. All the animals joined Peeko and danced with joy

Our Jungle?

There was chaos and confusion in Champakvan.

“Don’t crowd around him. Leave him alone. Look, he’s frightened,” said
Jumpy monkey, asking everyone to move to the side.

“He is a stranger. He is not from our jungle. We should send him away,” said Vivi wolf.

“Vivi is right. He could be a spy from another jungle,” agreed Baddy fox.

“We shouldn’t give shelter to refugees. Outsiders shouldn’t be allowed in our jungle,” added Jugoo jackal.

“Friends, let him rest and let his wounds heal. Then, we can find out who he
is and why he has come here,” said Cheeku rabbit.

All the animals stepped back. After a while, Blacky bear came in running and said, “This is a panda. He fell from a tree into the river and ended up here. I don’t think he’s a threat to Champakvan. We should be kind and helpful towards him.”

“Who told you this?” asked Baddy.

Hopping forward, Harry squirrel replied, “I saw him fall into the river. He struggled to get out. Before I could tell Blacky, he came here. I think we should feed him. He looks tired and hungry.”

“We cannot just share our food with him,” retorted Baddy.

“Why not? We don’t have a shortage of food and we should try and do everything to save a fellow being,” said Blacky.

“Harry and Blacky are right. Panda is helpless. We should save him first,” added Cheeku. Baddy, Vivi and Jugoo walked away. Harry, Cheeku, Jumpy and Blacky began cleaning panda’s wounds and dried his wet fur.

“He is shivering. I think because he was in the water for so long, he is also finding it difficult to breathe,” said Jumpy.

“You are right. Let’s take him to my den. We can keep him safe there. I do not trust Vivi, Baddy and Jugoo. They might try to harm him,” said Blacky.

Charmy eagle, sitting on the tree, said, “I too will help. I will sit near the entrance of the den and let you know if anyone is coming.”

Many animals visited the den to see panda and one day, after he had recovered, they asked him his name.

He said his name was Poh and he was from China.

Next day, Baddy said to Blacky, “Now that panda has recovered, ask him to leave Champakvan. Otherwise, it will not be good.”

“Is this your jungle? And his name is Poh. Don’t call him panda. If Poh wishes to leave, then he will go. Till then, we’re his friends and we will take care of him,” said Jumpy.

“Till when will you keep him coddled inside the den? He doesn’t belong here. The day I get my claws on him, he won’t be spared,” threatened Baddy.

Poh had grown stronger, he played in the den and started climbing the tall trees around the den. Blacky showed him where he could get bamboo, Poh’s favourite food.

One day, Baddy saw Poh step out of the den and walk towards the hill. He called Jugoo and they followed him silently. “Today, we will finish Poh. The moment he climbs down the tree, I will grab him. His caretakers are busy bathing in the river,” hissed Baddy.

Suddenly, they heard Poh scream, “Move aside, move aside, a huge rock is falling from the hill.”

Baddy and Jugoo ran out of their hiding places, just missing the huge rock by a second. Otherwise, they would have been crushed under it. Charmy came flying towards Baddy and Jugoo and said, “You should be ashamed. Poh, who you were planning to kill, saved your lives. If he hadn’t warned, you both would have been crushed to death.”

Baddy and Jugoo wondered how Poh knew they were on the hill behind him. As if reading their minds, Poh said, “I could see you both following me, but didn’t want to say anything.”

“We did leave Poh alone on purpose. After all, till when could we protect him. In the end, he has to learn the laws and dangers of the jungle,” Blacky said.

“The Earth belongs to all of us. Thinking that this is ‘my jungle’ or ‘your jungle’ is incorrect. This is ‘our jungle’,” added Charmy.

Baddy and Jugoo walked away after thanking Poh who climbed up the tree to complete his meal!

United We Stand

Putru owl lived in Champakvan forest. One night, he set out to look for food and saw a tent on the outskirts of the forest. A jeep was parked beside it.

“These weren’t here before!” muttered Putru. Before sunrise, he woke everyone and told them about the jeep and the tent.

Blacky bear had interacted with humans before when he was in a circus and had then escaped to the forest. He quietly went to the tent and peeked inside to see guns, axes and a few men sleeping inside. He immediately understood why they had come.

“They are here to cut down trees of the forest,” said Blacky.

Everyone was shocked. If the trees were cut down, there would be no forest for them to live in.

“You used to say that humans are clever creatures. Do they not know that cutting down trees will bring harm to them as well? Trees make up the forests, give us our homes, and bring rainfall. Trees hold the soil together and also clean the air,” said Cheeku rabbit.

“That’s not all. Trees provide food, medicines and many other things,” said Jumpy monkey.

“But today, humans are being short-sighted. They want to cut down the trees for wood to make homes, furniture and paper,” said Blacky.

“We won’t let them cut the trees!” said Jumbo elephant, angrily. “But they have guns. They can kill us!” said Blacky.

“We must be brave but careful. Let us make a plan to save our forest,” said Jumpy.

“Yes, we must do something quickly! Once they wake up, they may start cutting the trees!” said Jumbo.

Meanwhile, Cheeku had come up with a plan. “If we take those guns and axes, the humans will not be able to bring any harm to us or to the trees,” voiced Cheeku.

They all agreed with his plan and started acting accordingly. Meeku called the mice family to use their razor-sharp teeth to make holes in the tent. Jumpy and Monty entered the tent through the holes and took the guns and the axes, and gave them to Blacky who was standing outside.

Jumbo picked the axes and guns with his trunk and dropped them into the river. “Our trees are safe now. We must scare the humans so that they don’t come here again,” said Cheeku.

All the animals surrounded the tent and started making scary noises. The men sleeping inside woke up with a start.

“Animals have surrounded us. Quick, get the guns!” shouted their chief.

“But there are no guns here! Did we leave them in the jeep?” asked another. “I brought them inside the tent myself!” said the third.

“The axes are gone too! What’s going on?” said their chief.

Jumbo pulled the tent from the ground and now the frightened men were surrounded by animals.

Upon receiving a signal from Jumpy, all the animals started moving towards them.

The men didn’t wait anymore. They ran into their jeep and drove away, promising never to return to the forest.

Blacky said, “We stood with each other bravely and defeated those who were stronger than us. We prevented our forest from getting destroyed. I am proud of us all.”

“If anyone ever comes back here with bad intentions, we will drive them away again, together,” said Jumpy.

All the animals then celebrated their victory that day.

The Boy Who Hopes

The cold breeze envelops the sleepy valley of Srinagar. The pine trees with mountain peaks in the background look picture perfect. Hassan sits at his window, staring at the stillness.

The calendar flutters on the wall and Hassan looks at the date. It’s August 15. This is going to be the second year that Hassan hasn’t stepped out to celebrate Independence Day at school. In fact, he can’t remember the last time he stepped outside. Everywhere he turns, he hears the words lockdown and coronavirus.

Over the past year, he has also learnt that lockdowns in Kashmir aren’t new. When the lockdown was announced all over India because of the virus, Kashmir had already been under one for months.

Sneaking out to meet Ali and Imran was strictly not allowed by Abba and Ammi. Ammi’s phone had rung only once or twice over the past couple of months and then there was silence again. The internet connection started and stopped without any notice.

He thinks of the last time he had halwa, yummy delicious halwa. Everything was rationed. This Ramzan, he didn’t get any new clothes, but Hassan understands that clothes are not important. Things were changing; he was growing up.

“Hassan, I am headed to Rukhsar aunty’s home.” Ammi’s warm voice reaches him from the kitchen.

“Ammi, I want to go with you.” Hassan pleads. He hasn’t been to the bazaar or anywhere in a long time.

Ammi looks at Hassan and lets out a deep sigh. She, too, only went to the market, following rules and ensuring everyone’s safety, but looking at Hassan’s face she said, “Okay, go put on your mask and wear the full-sleeved shirt.”

Hassan throws his arms around his lovely Ammi who is frail, thinner than before.

Hassan skips along Dal Lake as he looks around. During summers, Dal Lake usually had the world-renowned floating market, with shikaras floating on the lake carrying flowers, vegetables and people. This year, Dal Lake is deserted. He wonders if this was how Srinagar would always be.

Hassan breathes in the cool mountain air and feels his lungs opening. “Ammi, why are we going to Rukhsar aunty’s?” he asked.

“She offered to give us some vegetables from her garden, Hassan,” replied Ammi.

Hassan looks around and spots a makeshift stall full of bright, red and juicy tomatoes. He tugs at Ammi’s sleeves. Ammi shakes her head and leads him on.

Hassan looks at Ammi and questions, “Why have Abba and you been eating less?”

Ammi swallows a lump in her throat and turns to Hassan. “We don’t have work right now, beta. We are just saving some money.”

“Will you always have to eat less, Ammi? Is it this virus? Will you never be able to go back to work? Will the bazaar never open again?” Hassan asks questions that have kept him wondering for days now.

“The times are a little different, Hassan.” Ammi lovingly touches his face.

“Why are times always different for us?” Hassan almost screams.

He looks around and sees the shops with their shutters down. The tour and ticketing shop run by Uncle Akhil is shut. The photo studio run by his friend Imran’s Abba, where he and his friends went to get their school identity card photograph clicked, is empty. The big building, which had people with heads bent on computers looked haunted by ghosts.

He looks at the small number of people rushing to their destinations, silently. Once upon a time, each one on the street had a mobile and would be talking loudly. Was that just a year ago? Everything feels like a distant memory and that scares Hassan.

“Why don’t we still have proper phone connections, Ammi? Will it always be like this? Will we always stay disconnected? When can I go back to school and write my exams, Ammi?” Hassan’s young voice is pained with his questions.

Hassan can see Ammi’s eyes flood up from behind the mask. Taking a deep breath, she braves the cold wind and turns to Hassan.

“Hassan, we live on hope, on umeed. That’s the only thing that keeps us going. We will continue to believe that one day Kashmir will be back to normalcy and so will this world.”

Hassan hugs his mother tight and both make their way to Rukhsar’s house. The only sound that accompanies the shuffle of their footsteps is the distant sound of the army patrol and the whistle of the wind.

Aunty Rukhsar is Ammi’s close friend. They used to work together with carpet weaving artisans.

“Alia, Hassan. I was waiting for you.” Rukhsar looks at them with eyes full of love but maintains distance. Hassan feels that warm hugs were also exchanged a lifetime ago.

“Here you go. I hope they are enough to get you through the season.” Rukhsar hands over a big bag of green vegetables to Ammi. Hassan sees Cabbages, haak, and green peppers in the overstuffed bag. With quick goodbyes and nods, Ammi and Hassan walk back home.

“What will we have for dinner today, Ammi?” Hassan asks as soon as they step inside their house.

Ammi smiles and adds, “Haak, we will have a yummy, filling and nutritious meal today.”

Once home, Hassan changes into his kurta and pyjamas and puts on a thin woollen pullover. He steps into the warm kitchen where Ammi is picking out the green leaves.

“Ammi, what’s special about haak?” Hassan asks, seeing Ammi clean delicate and tender leaves and stalks.

“Haak is a food of respect, most of the leaves used would be thrown out otherwise, but for this dish, we use all of them. It’s called a poor man’s meal. The ones we are using today is Kaatchie Dal Haak.”

Hassan watches as Ammi heats mustard oil in the pan. The sputtering and simmering remind Hassan of firecrackers.

“Are we poor, Ammi?” Hassan asks quietly. He knew the past one year had been the toughest in his ten years.

“Why do you ask, Hassan?”

“We are eating a poor man’s meal, Ammi.”

Ammi smiles at Hassan and adds asafoetida and dried, long red chillies into the pan.

“Hassan, the times are tough and while abbu and I do not have jobs, at the moment, we are still doing better than so many other people around us. So, can we call ourselves poor?”

Hassan thinks of the stories he has been hearing over the months about people dying, both because of the virus and otherwise.

Ammi switches off the flame, adds water, then switches it back on and adds the haak to the boiling mix. The kitchen is filled with a tangy fragrance. Hassan feels his eyes smarting but enjoys the feeling.

Ammi crushes some green chillies and adds them, covering the simmering greens and letting them cook slowly.

“Aatichooo!” Hassan sneezes in response. Both of them burst into laughter.

Ammi switches off the stove and adds some salt. Hassan’s mouth waters. Laughing, Ammi ladles out a huge bowl of rice and puts haak right in the middle.

Handing it over to Hassan, she waits as Hassan tastes the simple Kashmiri haak and rice.

“Ammi, this tastes magical,” Hassan grins as he gulps the entire bowl.

Ammi laughs, “See Hassan, we got something nutritious and simple out of what we would have been throwing into the dustbin.”

“Ammi, I want to go back to school and lead a normal life. I want to go back to playing with my friends. I want to go back to a year ago.”

Ammi stands speechless as Hassan spells out his wishes and looks out of the window at the starkness of the city, holding his bowl of rice close. He can smell despair and sorrow.

Four seasons have passed but in his little heart, he still hopes for better news. That he will go back to learning lessons, playing games and most of all, living normally like other children of his age are. Hassan hopes that he will again get a chance to celebrate August 15 at school in Kashmir.

Baby Snatcher

Shrishti and Tanmay had been wanting to go for a picnic to India Gate. But with their Dad busy, their picnic would get postponed every time. But finally they decided that the following Sunday they all would definitely go to India Gate with their parents.

When their Dad returned home in the evening, they announced, “Dad, this Sunday we’re definitely going for the picnic to India Gate.”

To their surprise, Dad readily agreed.

“All right, then! Sunday it is, at the India Gate. I have asked my colleague Mr. Tiwari and his family to join us. He has two kids, Romu and Rohit and you may enjoy the picnic even more playing with them.”

Khushi and Tanmay readily agreed.

Soon it was Sunday. Both the children packed football and their badminton kit in a bag and asked Mom if she could make chole and puris for lunch.

At 4 p.m, Dad drove everyone towards the Raj Path.

“Mr. Tiwari and his family are also on their way. I just spoke to them,” said Dad while driving.

“Drive faster, Dad! We want to reach there quickly!” said Tanmay and Shrishti, in excitement.

Since it was a Sunday, the gardens near India Gate were crowded. Many balloon and toy sellers were selling things on the side walk along the Raj Path. Several kids were playing football and badminton and many other picnic goers were sitting on a blanket and enjoying themselves.

Mr. Tiwari had already found a spot and was waiting for them. Shrishti’s Dad coordinated with him and together both families placed their picnic baskets with food on the blankets, which they had carried from home. Shrishti and Tanmay took out the football and badminton kit and started playing with Romu and Rohit.

Rohit was just five years old. He was the youngest. The older kids were instructed to keep an eye on him, and not to let him go too far while playing. Because Rohit could not catch the ball easily, soon Tanmay, Shrishti and Romu started playing with each mostly.

A stranger was observing the children. He slowly walked towards Rohit, and asked him quietly, “Do you want to play with a balloon? I’ll play with you.”

Rohit jumped in excitement and started walking with the stranger.

While Shrishti was playing, she would keep watching out for Rohit. But when she had looked in the direction where Rohit was standing, she realised that he was not there any more.

Shocked, she cried out to Tanmay and Romu, “Where’s Rohit?”

Tanmay and Romu quickly scanned the ground with their eyes but could not see him.

Suddenly, Shrishti spotted Rohit walking away with a stranger and immediately called out loudly to her Mom who was sitting, “Mom! Look! Someone’s taking Rohit away!”

The elders quickly ran towards the stranger. Sensing danger, the stanger left Rohit and fled the scene.

Mr. Tiwari screamed, “STOP! STOP! THIEF! Catch him! He was trying to kidnap my child!”

The crowd responded quickly and caught hold of the man before he could escape. The two families also reached the spot by then. Rohit flew into his Mom’s arms.

The stranger was a baby snatcher. He would spot little kids who were not being watched and promise them balloons and toys, and then kidnap them. The crowd handed him over to the police who too had reached the spot by then.

“We all need to be careful about young children,” said the inspector to the
crowd.

He looked at Shrishti and said, “Shrishti, you are smart and brave, and saved Rohit. If you had not spotted them on time, we could have lost Rohit today.”

Everyone praised Shrishti and Rohit gave her a big hug and a kiss.

Caught In The Snare

Jaggu wolf, Tima jackal and Pengu rhinoceros were skilled thieves.

One day, they were walking down a narrow bylane when they noticed a board hung outside an office that said, ‘Employment for Thieves – Contact this office.’

“Look! Look! This board says, ‘Employment for Thieves’,” Pengu pointed at the board, excitedly.

Jaggu and Tima stared at the board with their eyes wide open. They could not believe it.

“Come, let’s go inside,” said Tima, and all three of them went in.

Montu rabbit was sitting in the office. On the table lay sample applications and stacks of old and new files.

Jaggu, Tima and Pengu did not recognise Montu. Though he belonged to Shantivan, he had spent his childhood in the city.

“Are you looking for employment?” Montu asked when he saw them inside his office.

“Yes. But is the board true?” Jaggu asked him doubtfully.

“Yes, it is true. We provide employment for thieves. If all of you are thieves and have adequate experience in theft, pickpocketing and loot, then you can apply here for work,” replied Montu.

Jaggu, Tima and Pengu felt hopeful of getting a job here.

“What work will we have to do?” asked Pengu.

“Work of theft and loot. A company in a foreign country provides employment to thieves, gangsters, dacoits, pickpockets and robbers. I represent that company,” said Montu.

“Three of us are skilled thieves. It is difficult now to live on small thefts and pickpocketing. Hence, we would like to take up employment. What do we have to do for it?” asked Jaggu.

“Once you fill this application form, you have to appear for a written test and an interview. If you are successful, then I will send you to the foreign country on an airplane. You will be paid a salary and will be given all the comforts in this company.”

Listening to Montu, their eyes brightened with hope and joy.

“But how do we give you proof of our theft, loot and pickpocketing? We have no proof of our work,” asked Jaggu.

“Don’t worry about that. On this form, write the number of thefts, who did you loot and whose houses you broke into. Mention all this in the interview too. That’s all!” said Montu.

The conditions for employment seemed easy. So, all of them submitted their applications and went home.

After a week, all of them came back to Montu’s office for the test and interview. In the test, they wrote about the details of theft, pickpocketing, and loot.

In the interview, Montu asked Pengu, “Tell me the names of the people who were your victims.”

“Tengu tortoise, the teacher, was buying vegetables in the market. I stole his
wallet that had his full month’s salary,” said Pengu.

Then Montu turned to Tima, “And what have you done?”

Tima replied, “It was Diwali night. Kalu bear had gone to the hills to celebrate with his family. I made a tunnel into his house and crawled out with his jewellery, mobile and 20,000.”

Then Montu looked at Jaggu who said, “Actually, all the incidents of theft, loot, dacoity and pickpocketing in Shantivan have been our doings. We have stolen 10,000 from Dodo dog’s shop.

When contractor Ganju elephant was coming out of the bank after withdrawing 10 lakh, we looted him and ran off with the cash. We had worn masks, so no one recognised us.”

“Very well, this is enough proof! All of you have passed the test and have got
the jobs. You all are truly skilled thieves! Next Monday, come with your luggage here. First, we will go to Delhi and then get on a flight. Congratulations!” said Montu.

Next Monday, Jaggu, Tima and Pengu arrived at Montu’s office with their luggage.

Just then a closed van stopped in front of the office too. “Go and sit in the van with your luggage,” said Montu.

All three of them got in the van.

About half an hour later, the van stopped at the main police station.

Jaggu, Tima and Pengu peeped through the window.

“Is this Delhi or a police station?” asked the three of them.

“We are caught in a snare!” Jaggu stammered.

The door of the van opened. “Get down,” ordered Inspector Jagdal elephant. Seven constables were standing around the van with their rifles.

“Why, what have we done?” Tima asked the inspector in a trembling voice as he got down.

“You have committed criminal acts of stealing and pickpocketing. You picked the pocket of Tingu teacher, stole Kalu’s jewellery and mobile and looted Ganju contractor. You yourselves have admitted to these thefts in writing. Therefore, you are arrested,” said Inspector Jagdal and put them behind bars.

Montu was happy with his achievement. He had recently moved to Shantivan and after completing his training as a detective, this was his first successful assignment.

Unforeseen Drama!

Raj stepped out of his house, swinging his cricket bat and placing a cap on his head, dashed to his friend, Vineet’s house.

As soon as he rung the doorbell, the door was immediately opened by Vineet.

“Hey, I was just waiting for you. Let’s go,” Vineet said excitedly tossing the cricket ball up in the air.

Laughing, both of them headed to the ground.

They took their positions and started to play.

At one point, Raj hit the ball so hard that it went flying through the air.

“What a shot, Raj! Superb!” clapped Vineet.

Raj grinned and said, “Thanks. How about going and getting the ball now?”

“Very smart.” Vineet made a face and left.

Vineet looked for the ball but was unable to find it.

Puzzled, he wondered where the ball could have fallen.

Then he looked at the huge building next to the ground where construction work had stopped and hesitated.

From the ground, one could see the back of the building.

Vineet wondered whether the ball could have gone through one of the back windows.

He decided to go inside the building and find the ball. As he entered the building, a man with a gruff voice came out from inside it and ordered him to stay out.

“Uh…I wanted to come and find my ball that may have fallen in through
the back windows of the building,” Vineet explained.

Glowering, the man barked, “Go away.”

Vineet got scared and turned away reluctantly.

He wondered who that man was and why he looked so angry.

Vineet walked away and then looked back.

He saw the man was shouting at someone on his mobile phone, looking very tense.

Vineet hid around the corner and waited patiently.

After a few minutes, the man disconnected the phone. With his eyes on the road, the man started walking to and fro, as if waiting for someone to come.

The area around the building was deserted. Suddenly Vineet saw an old beat-up car come in speedily and brake near the gate of the building.

From inside it, three men jumped out, dragging a bound and gagged boy who looked as old as Vineet.

The four men then dashed inside the building with the boy.

Wide-eyed and horrified, Vineet realised that this was a scene right out of a movie. The only difference being that this was no movie but real life.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Scared and ready to scream, he turned around. To his relief, he saw Raj and Vineet felt himself go weak at the knees.

“Gosh, you scared me!” Vineet gushed.

“Let’s get out of here,” Raj whispered.

Soundlessly, the boys ran away from there and went to Vineet’s house. In his room, they discussed what they had seen.

Raj too had seen the men drag the boy inside the building and they knew the boy had been kidnapped.

It was decided that Raj would get permission to sleep over at Vineet’s house that night so they help the kidnapped boy.

After everyone had gone to sleep, the boys crept out and walked towards the building site. Both were wearing black clothes and carried backpacks. They paused near the corner of the building and looked around.

Finding the lot empty, they went towards the front. Apart from a scarecrow tied to a pole on the first floor to ward off evil, there was no one around.

They bravely tiptoed their way in. As they went in, they could hear faint sounds of laughter coming from the far end of the building.

Cautiously, the boys reached the end and peeped inside a room there.

The four men were playing cards and cracking jokes. Next to them on a chair, the boy was gagged and tied to it.

Without making a noise, and placing his phone on silent, Raj took several snaps
of the kidnappers and the boy on his mobile phone.

Asking for help, he forwarded the photos and their location to the local police station number that he had saved on his phone earlier in the evening.

Just as the boys were feeling relaxed, one of the men asked, “Is the car ready, Dev? We have to leave from here in half an hour.”

“Yes, all ready,” nodded Dev.

The boys were shocked to hear this as they hadn’t expected the men to leave.

Vineet whispered, “Now what?”

Raj’s mind raced and then his face brightened.

He whispered, “Go and deflate one of the tyres of the car. And wait there for me.”

Vineet nodded and dashed off.

Raj soundlessly made his way up the steps to the first floor. He reached the edge of the building and untied the scarecrow.

Grabbing it, he went downstairs and flattened it against a tree.

He took out a can of kerosene from his backpack and drenched the scarecrow. And then he left a trail of kerosene from the tree to a faraway bush, where he had planned to hide with Vineet.

Then going up to Vineet, Raj signalled him to follow him to the bushes and wait for the kidnappers to come out.

They came out of the building after some time, pulling the boy with them.

As they neared the car, Dev exclaimed, “Oh no! We have a flat tyre!”

The boss roared, “You idiot! You said the car was ready. Change the tyre immediately.”

While they all waited impatiently, Raj lit the trail of kerosene which caught fire and soon the scarecrow was also on fire.

Horrified, the boy forgotten, the men ran towards the scarecrow.

Taking this opportunity, Vineet and Raj came out of their hiding place and took the boy to their hiding spot. They quickly freed him.

When the men realised the boy was missing, they started shouting at each other.

Just at that moment, with sirens blaring, the police arrived and captured the men.

Raj and Vineet came out of their hiding place and took the boy to the police who then called the boy’s parents.

The police praised Vineet and Raj but also told them that next time, instead of capturing the kidnappers themselves, they should immediately alert the police and their parents.

Both boys nodded at that because they realised they could have risked their and the kidnapped boy’s lives in trying to save him by themselves.

A Lesson Learnt

Cheeku rabbit, Meeku mouse and Jumpy monkey were having lunch in their classroom.

“Wow Meeku! The kachoris you bought for lunch are tasty!” said Cheeku, munching on the piece.

“My mother cooked these. She packed enough for all of us,’’ said Meeku, delighted.

Just then Baddy fox passed that way. “What’s that aroma?” sniffed Baddy. He glanced in the direction of the trio. They quickly tried to hide their lunch boxes. But it was too late.

“Hey Meeku, don’t hide your lunch box. Kachoris are my favourite!” said the sly fox, quickly swooping into Meeku’s lunch box.

“Baddy! You cannot snatch someone’s lunch without asking first. It’s not good manners!” said Jumpy.

“Snatch?” mocked a shameless Baddy. “I would never use my strength against my dear friends.”

He dipped his paw into Meeku’s lunch box again for another helping of kachoris.

The three friends felt helpless and angry.

Baddy was a greedy fox. Often, he helped himself to the lunch of others. Yet, no one had the courage to utter a word to him.

Many of the students had complained about his behaviour to the school authorities. But he never tried to mend his ways. He was turning more troublesome by the day.

“Baddy’s behaviour is terrible. I find it rude!’’ said Cheeku.

“Yes, we have had enough of his bad behaviour,” said Jumpy, agreeing with Cheeku.“But, what can we do?”

“Let’s teach him a lesson,” said Jumpy.

He quickly gathered his friends around and whispered a plan.

The next day, they sat in class with their lunch boxes spread out in front. They waited for Baddy to walk into the trap.

As soon as they spotted Baddy approaching, Cheeku began munching a paratha. “Jumpy, this paratha is very tasty!” said Cheeku, between mouthfuls.

“Yes, this is the most delicious paratha I have tasted by far!” said Meeku as he licked his lips.

Hearing this, Baddy’s mouth started to water. He grabbed a paratha from Jumpy’s lunchbox. “Let me taste these delicious parathas too!” he said.

He gobbled up the first paratha and then reached for the second. That’s when things went crazy.

“Oh! It’s spicy! My tongue is on fire! Give me some water! Please!” begged Baddy. He had tears in his eyes.

“Here, Baddy,’’ replied Meeku, handing him a water bottle.

Baddy gulped the water. Little did he know that it was laced with chilli powder.

Now Baddy was huffing and puffing.

“What did you offer me?” said Baddy, panting heavily. “Someone please give me some water. My mouth is on fire!’’

“No, Baddy!” replied Cheeku, “You snatch our food without the least concern. Now, enjoy the fruits of your actions.’’

The rest of the class gathered around Cheeku and nodded in agreement.

“I am sorry! I promise to never take anyone’s lunch again!” cried Baddy.

Cheeku gave Baddy a box of sweets and a glass of chilled water. “You must stop snatching food from others, Baddy,” said Cheeku.

Baddy felt relieved after drinking the water and eating the sweets. He then apologised to his classmates.

He vowed never to take what did not belong to him.

From that day on, the three friends never had to worry about Baddy stealing their lunch again.

Anti-Child Labour Day

Myra was sitting deep in thought that afternoon when her elder sister, Mandira, who was studying law came into their room. Seeing her sister sitting quietly, Mandira asked, “What’s the matter, Myra? What are you thinking about?”

“In school today, we were given a topic, ‘Anti-child labour Day’. We have to collect and share information about this day. We also have to paste some pictures. Didi, you are studying law. Do you know about ‘Anti-child labour Day’?” asked Myra.

“Yes, sure! But let’s eat our food first, and then we’ll talk,” replied Mandira.

After lunch, Myra cleaned up and went with her sister to sit on the lawn in front of their house. Her sister pulled up two chairs at the table. Mandira had carried fruits and milk as an afternoon snack for them.

“The International Labour Organization-is an international body formed to study and talk about labour. It started the ‘Anti-child labour Day’ in the year 2002. Many people take work from small children under 14 years. This is called ‘child labour’. Children are kept as servants in homes. Some children are employed in shops, hotels and garages. Children clean and wash cars. Some children are employed in hazardous jobs like mining; though this has become much less these days. In the olden days this was more common,” said Mandira.

“But why do people take work from small children?” asked Myra. “There may be some compulsions for these children, like they may be poor and may require money. Also, people pay less to small children and hence, don’t mind employing them,” replied her sister.

“But didi, then how do these children go to school? And what about their life, like play and games. What about those activities?” asked Myra.

“This is the objective of ‘Anti-Child Labour Day’, so that we recognize rights of children. Every child has the right to go to school, to play and enjoy life. We cannot deny them these rights by employing them for work. Childhood has a great impact on a person’s personality. The people who employ them often do not treat them well. For their small mistakes, they shout at them. Very often, they beat them. That is why Anti-child labour day is celebrated,” explained Mandira.

“Didi, after hearing you, I just remembered one thing. Near our school there is a hotel. I have seen a small boy working there,” remembered Myra.

“Really? Tomorrow I will come to pick you after school. Then we will go to the hotel and meet the boy. In the meantime, you can use the information I shared with you and prepare your report. I will help you download pictures from the internet or take them from magazines,” said her sister.

Next afternoon after school, Mandira and Myra went to the hotel. They saw the boy cleaning tables and serving food to the customers.

Mandira asked the hotel owner, “Who is that boy?” The hotel owner replied, “He is Ram, my elder brother’s son. My brother who lived in the village passed away last year. His mother also lives in the village. His education cost had increased and she was unable to meet the expenses. So I brought him here. He goes to school in the morning and helps me with my work in the afternoons. In the morning my wife stays here to help me. But she has the house to look after. So, Ram helps me take good care of the hotel.”

Mandira said, “You brought Ram to study here. That is very good. But along with the studies you are taking work from him and this is wrong. Do you pay him? Does his mother know all this? It is a crime to take work from him. From tomorrow you must stop asking him to work for you.”

Then the hotel owner said, “How does this matter to you? He is my own nephew. His mother will not say anything.”

“You are snatching his childhood from him. He needs rest after coming from school. Besides, he needs to complete his homework and studies. And for him play and games are also necessary. His childhood will not come back,” insisted Mandira.

The hotel owner then said, “Alright, didi. From tomorrow I will not take work from him.” They saw a smile on Ram’s face.

While going away Myra told her sister, “At least, Ram benefited from my project.” “Yes!” said Mandira and they returned home happily.

The Spotted Puppy

Abhay was fond of puppies. He demanded and pleaded with his parents to get a pet dog, but every time they gave him some reason and turned him down.

“It’s not easy to have a pet, Abhay! It’s a lot of responsibilities. Humans can speak and ask for what they want, but pets can’t.

Just imagine if we do not understand the needs of the animal, how miserable it will be for him here,” dad explained.

“That’s not all! If we go out on vacation, there will be no one to take care of it. We won’t be able to take it with us, nor leave it alone,” said mom.

Abhay would get sad. He knew his parents were right, but he really wanted a pup.

One day, Abhay left for school when he heard a low cry. He looked around. In a shallow drain near Uncle Sharma’s house were some tiny puppies! Abhay carefully looked at them. They were of different colours—black, grey, white, spotted—all huddled together.

Abhay stared at them for a while and then started counting them. Before he could count, the puppies huddled together, making him forget his count.

Abhay giggled. He separated them and started counting again.

While he was counting, their mother came back and looked at Abhay, bared her teeth and growled.

Abhay stepped back. He knew the mother was being protective about her babies.

His school van also arrived so he left for school. But throughout the day, Abhay’s mind was occupied by the puppies.

After returning home, he quickly changed, had his lunch, and sat down to finish his homework. Mom was pleased to see him studying and went for her usual rest.

“Mom will take a nap for an hour now.

I’ll go and play with the puppies till she wakes up,” thought Abhay as he smiled and went out.

Bobo, the mother of the puppies, was not around. She had probably gone out to eat.

Abhay picked up the puppies and started petting them. He loved the spotted puppy and picked it up and walked home with it.

Mom was still asleep when he entered.

Abhay took an old shoebox, placed some towels inside and put the puppy in it. He put some milk in a bowl and tried feeding it to the puppy, but it could not drink properly.

Abhay could not take the puppy inside the house, for if mom came to know she would ask him to take it back. And Abhay did not want that.

He started thinking of ways to convince dad and mom so they would let him keep the puppy.

An hour passed. Abhay was still playing with the puppy. He heard his mother wake up. He covered the shoebox and quickly started riding his bicycle. Mom did not suspect anything.

When dad came home from work and called Abhay, he went inside the house, keeping the shoebox covered with the puppy still in it.

Meanwhile, Bobo came back and started looking for her lost puppy who heard his mother and came out of the shoebox.

Bobo realised that her puppy was inside Abhay’s house but couldn’t get in as the door was shut.

Bobo stood outside the main door, barking. The pup ran to the door but could not go out. Bobo tried to get inside but she could not either.

Mother and child, each on one side of the door, were helpless.

Bobo’s barking made a lot of noise. Mom went out and saw the puppy and the shoebox.

She realised what had happened. She opened the door and the pup ran out to its mother. Bobo picked up the puppy gently by its neck and went back to her other pups.

Abhay saw the whole thing. He was upset when he saw the pup leave. Mom called him inside the house but did not say anything about this.

“Abhay, I’m going to grandma’s place for a few days. She’s not keeping well. You will be here with your sad,” she said, while packing her bag.

Abhay started thinking. He had never been away from mom. From the time he woke up in the morning till he went to bed at night—mom was there for his meals, homework and games. The thought of spending even one day without her around gave him shivers.

Then he saw the pups and Bobo pass by the house.

“How selfish of me! I can’t live a day without mom, and I was planning to separate the pup from its mother forever,” thought Abhay, feeling bad about what he had done.

“Abhay! Let mom go! We’ll bring the spotted pup home tomorrow. You can play with him and you won’t even notice that mom’s gone,” said dad.

“No, dad! Even that pup wouldn’t want to stay away from his mom. I saw how much he was crying today. I don’t want the pup to be separated from his mom just like how I don’t want mom to go,” said Abhay and hugged his mom.

“I’m not going anywhere! I was just trying to show you that just like you can’t stay away from me, baby animals also need to stay with their mothers,” smiled mom.

The spotted pup stood outside the door and wagged its tail.

Owlie Finds a Home

“Who is making noises here? Let me sleep,” said an irritated Owlie.

Upon hearing Owlie’s voice, all the birds started looking here and there. Just then, Merlin, the mynah noticed Owlie.

“Look at this owl. He didn’t even take our permission before sleeping here,” said Merlin.

“We cannot let him stay here,” said Gini, the sparrow.

“Let’s throw him out of here,” said the other birds collectively.

“No, let’s not ask him to leave now. Owls can’t see in the morning. We should tell him to leave in the night,” Coco, the parrot explained to the other birds.

“All right then. But if he doesn’t leave by night, it will not be good,” all the birds said and got back to doing their daily chores.

Owlie thanked Coco and slept off. Owlie slept the whole day, but he was feeling sick. He was afraid that once all the birds come back to their nest, they would ask him to leave. So, he quietly hid behind the leaves.

Fearless Mongoo Gets a New Home

Soon the birds were returned home. Nobody noticed Owlie. They thought he was gone. Everybody got inside their own nests.

It was night and all the birds were about to sleep. Just then, Gini’s little baby was bitten by ants. The little sparrow was so scared that she went out of her nest. Gini got worried and started calling out for help. All the birds came to help. As it was dark, nobody could find Gini’s baby.

“Gini, we will not be able to do anything right now because it’s dark. Let’s try in the morning,” the dejected group of birds said.

“But the wild animals might harm my baby in the night. I can’t leave her alone,” Gini said.

“You’re right, Gini, but we’re all helpless,” Merlin said.

Upon hearing that, Gini was very disappointed. All the birds quietly went inside their nests.

Owlie who was hiding behind the leaves, all this while, felt relieved.

Just then, he heard the leaves move. He noticed that a small sparrow was sitting on a branch and shivering in cold.

“Oh, I think, she is Gini, the sparrow’s baby, who everyone was looking for,” Owlie thought.

“What are you doing here? Go back to your nest?” Owlie told the little sparrow.

But she did not move and kept trembling.

“Look, I know that you’re scared of the dark. I’ll help you, come with me,” Owlie said. But the little sparrow refused to move and kept sitting on the branch. Owlie thought it wouldn’t be safe to leave the little one alone, so he decided to stay with her. He stayed with her all night long and took care of her.

Next morning, the little sparrow got back to her nest. She narrated everything to her mother and Gini was relieved.

“Is Owlie still here? We need to talk to him,” Gini said.

“You’re still here? Did you think if you hide behind the leaves, we will not be able to find you?” Merlin asked Owlie.

Coco Learns A Lesson

“I am sorry! I was not well last night. I promise to leave today,” a scared Owlie said.

“Where will you go from here?” Coco asked.

“Wherever I get a place to stay,” Owlie said.

“But we will not let you leave this place,” Coco said.

“What do you mean?” Owlie asked.

“Yes, you will stay with us from now on. We don’t want to lose somebody who helped us. We all know what happened last night,” Coco said.

Owlie’s face lit up in happiness, and everyone was happy to have Owlie with them. They all lived on the tree happily.

Coco Learns A Lesson

“Oh my, look at all the idlis and dosas over there. Are you ready to have the feast of your life?” Coco, the crow asked his wife, Kiki, as he looked down at the idli stall from a tree.

Just as he was about to swoop down on the stall, his wife stopped him and said, “We’ve been here a few and I noticed that this city is full of mice and other little animals for us to eat. Do we really e really need to spend our days stealing food from the humans when we could feast on all the food we hunt? Besides, what if the humans caught us stealing?”

“Listen, your words have no effect on me. Whether it’s a mouse or free food, I still put in the effort of going and getting it. If you’d rather starve, then be my guest. Just don’t make me feel bad when I work hard to fill my stomach,” said Coco and swooped down.

Sonu’s Ball

A man had just purchased a plate of hot idlis and was having them with sambar. Coco flew past him and in a flash, grabbed an idly with his beak and flew away. The man and all the other people standing nearby were dumbfounded and simply stared at Coco as he perched on a tree and ate the idli.

Kiki shook her head as she watched Coco eat the idli. “It’s not nice to eat food that’s stolen from another,” she said.

“You worry too much,” said Coco after finishing his meal. “Let’s go to the market.

I hear there’s a store called Kallu’s Sweets and that their rasagullas are the best.”

“You’ll never change,” said Kiki, shaking her head. She reached into her back and fished out a golden crown. Placing it on top of her head, Kiki began admiring herself in a pocket mirror.

“Where did you get that from?” asked Coco curiously.

“I was down by the lake, looking for some food and I found this under a tree,” Kiki said.

“Well, I must say, you look fabulous in it. It really brings out your eyes,” said Coco.

Together, the two crows flew back home for the night. Early the next day, Coco was ready to raid Kallu’s sweet shop. Despite Kiki clearly telling him that she wasn’t interested, Coco insisted that she accompany him.

They perched on a lamppost just outside the shop and Coco keenly observed what was going on at Kallu’s shop.

“It looks like Kallu has placed all the rasagullas in that drum full of sugar syrup. I’ll wait here until the moment is right. When Kallu is busy with something else, I’ll swoop down and grab the biggest rasagulla. In a few minutes later, we’ll be enjoying the most delicious meal of our lives,” said Coco.

Even though Kiki tried to dissuade him, Coco was determined to make his plan work. In just a few minutes, the perfect moment had arrived and Coco swooped down towards the rasagullas.

Coco perched on the edge of the drum full of rasagullas and was about to pick out the biggest piece he could see. Sadly, Kallu noticed Coco trying to steal a rasagulla.

Kallu reached for a ladle nearby and in one swift move, threw it at Coco. Coco was a little too slow to realise what was happening and the ladle hit him squarely in the face.

Both the ladle and Coco landed noisily on the sweet shop’s floor. Kallu stepped out from behind the counter and approached Coco.

When Kiki saw Coco fall to the floor, she was shocked. She saw everything that had happened and knew that if she didn’t act fast, her husband would be in some serious trouble. She swooped down from the lamppost and into Kallu’s shop. Fishing out the crown from her bag, she threw it at Kallu. The golden crown caught his eye and he immediately jumped at it.

More from Champak: Fearless Mongoo Gets a New Home

Kiki swiftly landed near Coco and helped him up and the two of them flew away to the safety of the shop’s terrace.

“Thank you for saving my life, Kiki,” said Coco. “If only I had paid heed when you warned me of stealing. If I had agreed to hunt for our food like you had suggested, not only would I have not been hit by a ladle, but you would also still have your crown. Please forgive me.”

“Don’t worry, Coco,” said Kiki. “I’m glad that you’re not hurt and that this turned out to be a learning experience for you.”

Having learnt his lesson, Coco gave Kiki a hug, and the two flew off to hunt for food.

The Mystery of the WATERMELONS

In the forest of Champakvan, Jumpy, the monkey sold watermelons every summer. His watermelons were bright red, juicy and sweet, but for some reason, things looked bleak this summer.

Not only did he not have as big a yield as last year, his watermelons didn’t taste as nice as they did last year.

Jumpy’s friend, Cheeku, the rabbit munched on a watermelon and said, “Your watermelons this year aren’t quite as nice as the ones you had last year.”

“You’re right,” said Jumpy. “It’s giving me sleepless nights. If my watermelons are going to taste like this, nobody is going to come to my shop. I’ll barely be able to make any money.”

Right next to Jumpy’s store, Baddy, the fox had opened his store. He had opened it only a few days after Jumpy had opened his for the season and had placed red, juicy watermelons on display.

The mere sight of these watermelons made all the animals’ mouths water and they all lined up in front of Baddy’s store for some.

The Proud Watermelon

“Your watermelons are so tasty, Baddy,” said Meenu, the cow.

“Thank you, Meenu. I had them imported from another forest. That’s why they taste so good,” said Baddy.

Even Kamli, the camel couldn’t help but praise Baddy’s watermelons. “Juicy watermelons like these are just what the doctor ordered for this heat. I have never tasted such nice watermelons in my life.”

Soon, all the praise led to lots of customers for Baddy. His watermelons were the perfect treat for the hot, sunny days and his business was doing very well. Sadly, this was eating into Jumpy’s business and only Jumpy’s friends came to his shop.

The next day, Cheeku came to Jumpy’s shop. “Why don’t you try importing your watermelons like Baddy?” he asked Jumpy.

“That sounds like a very good idea. If I keep trying to sell these watermelons, I’ll never be able to make any money at all. I’ll go ask Baddy where he gets his watermelons from tomorrow,” said Jumpy.

The next morning, Jumpy asked Baddy where he bought his watermelons. “No way am I going to tell you,” said Baddy immediately. “If I did, you’ll take away all my customers.”

Jumpy was disappointed that Baddy didn’t want to help, but he was determined to find out where the watermelons came from. So, Jumpy started keeping a close eye on Baddy.

A few days later, Jumpy came running to Cheeku’s house. When Jumpy told Cheeku what he had seen, Cheeku was left speechless.

The next day, Cheeku and Jumpy went to Baddy’s shop. They ordered two watermelons and started eating them. As they enjoyed the watermelons, Jumbo, the elephant came to meet them.

“It’s so hot, Jumbo. Would you mind spraying us with some water from your trunk?” asked Cheeku.

Jumbo put his trunk in a bucket of water and sprayed all the water on Baddy’s shop. As soon as the water splashed on the watermelons, they began to lose their colour. Red colour began to flow down to the ground and all the watermelons looked pretty bad.

“What is the meaning of this? Are you trying to sabotage me?” asked Baddy.

“This is us exposing you to the forest as a cheater!” said Cheeku.

Turning to Meenu, Cheeku said, “If you don’t mind, Ma’am, could you please sample some of Baddy’s watermelons?”

Meenu took one bite and spat it out. “These watermelons taste terrible,” she said.

“Exactly,” said Cheeku. “He’s been injecting the watermelons with red colour and sugar syrup. He’s been cheating you all.”

“That’s a lie! I’m being framed,” cried Baddy.

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“Then how do you explain what I saw? I followed you home last night. After closing your shop, you went straight to Blacky, the bear’s shop and bought some sugar and red colouring. Then late at night, when no one else was around, you came back to your shop and one by one injected all the watermelons with sugar syrup and red colouring. I’ve been observing you for a few days. To teach you a lesson and let the other animals know that you’ve been cheating them, I came up with this plan with Cheeku and Jumbo,” said Jumpy.

Now that everybody was aware of his plan, Baddy decided to make a run for it. But, he wasn’t fast enough and the crowd was too thick for him to make his way out. Jumbo picked him up with his trunk brought him back to the shop.

Baddy was trembling in fear. “Please forgive me. I only did it because my crop of watermelons had come out badly this year. I just wanted to make them taste juicy. I promise to never do this again,” said Baddy.

It seemed like Baddy had learnt his lesson. Jumpy asked Jumbo to let Baddy go. Baddy apologised to all the animals and ran away from the forest.

Clever Cheeku

Champakvan was going through a massive heatwave. The sun beat down upon the earth, making it terribly hot. It felt as if the animals were living in a furnace. As a result, all the animals spent most of the day indoors and only ventured out in the evenings. The evenings were no cool dip in the pond either. The ground was still as hot as before, but the shade under the trees made life a little better.

Over the years, the summers were getting worse. This year was the hottest, and every evening, all the animals would plan for the next day.

Meeku, the mouse stepped out to stock up supplies for the next day. As he was walking around, looking for some food, he saw that his friend Cheeku, the rabbit was digging a hole.

Meeku found this to be very strange. While the rest of the forest was looking for supplies to last them the next day, Cheeku seemed to be wasting his time digging. After some debate, Meeku decided to go over to Cheeku and find out what he was doing.

Saving Rainwater

“What are you doing, Cheeku?” asked Meeku.

“Digging a hole of course,” said Cheeku.

“I can see that, but what are you digging?”

“A lake,” said Cheeku, continuing to dig.

“You’re joking right?” asked Meeku. “The entire forest is reeling under the heat of the summer and instead of gathering supplies for tomorrow, you’re digging a hole? Why are you doing such a silly thing?” Meeku burst into laughter.

“It is not silly. I’m very serious about digging a lake,” said Cheeku. Meeku stopped laughing

“What’s the matter, Cheeku? What’s wrong with our lake?” asked Meeku.

“Our lake is fine for now, but do you realise that every year, just after the summer, we face a severe water shortage? I’m digging this lake so that there will be enough water for all of us,” said Cheeku.

“I don’t understand one thing though,” said Meeku. “How do you intend to fill this lake up?” “With rainwater of course. Every year when it rains, we let so much water go to waste. In fact, my plan is to dig a pit near my house and send all the water from the drains of my terrace to this pit,” said Cheeku.

“What for?” asked Meeku.

“This will raise the water table and recharge the groundwater instead of letting all the rainwater flow away back to the ocean. Imagine if we saved all that water, we’d never have to worry about going thirsty ever again,” said Cheeku.

“Hmm, you make a good point. But do you really think you’ll be able to finish digging before the rains start?” asked Meeku.

More from Champak: Where Are The Rains?

“No, I don’t think so, but if you work hard now, you can reap the rewards later,” said Cheeku.

Meeku was deeply moved by Cheeku’s actions. After gathering all his supplies for the next day, Meeku came to Cheeku and said, “I would like to help you with your cause. You seem to be doing something great and I want to be a part of it.”

Cheeku was very happy to see that Meeku was also interested and together they began to dig.

Blacky, the bear and Jumpy, the monkey, who were passing by, stopped when they saw Cheeku and Meeku hard at work. “What are you guys doing?” they asked.

When Meeku and Cheeku explained, Blacky and Jumpy wanted to help too. Each grabbed a pickaxe and helped loosen the soil for Meeku and Cheeku to dig. Jumbo, the elephant joined in as well and started digging. Soon, the word spread across the forest and animals joined in from far and wide. Even the King of the jungle, Shersingh, the lion was there.

Seeing all the animals working together, Shersingh said, “Looks like next year we’ll have enough water to last us more than a year. All the rainwater will no longer go to waste.”

However, Jumpy had something to say, “Cheeku has started a good thing, but this is only to save water. What will we do about the heat that rises every day? We won’t be able to escape this heat just by digging.” All animals started thinking the same.

Teetu, the butterfly chimed in, “We can plant more and more trees, and this will bring down the heat. We should get started now.”

Cheeku then said excitedly, “Yes! This is a good idea. Before today, all we did was talk about bringing change, but from now on we will dig for water and also plant trees sincerely. This will help reduce the heat.”

After listening to him, all the animals became excited as they had got the solutions to all their problems. All of them started working enthusiastically towards these solutions.

Dr Jeru Giraffe

Dr Jeru Giraffe practised medicine at Champakvan. He was a surgeon and would perform complicated surgeries. Animals would come from faraway places to be treated by Dr Jeru. But, as talented as he was, Dr Jeru was also absent-minded.

One morning, Jumbo, the elephant came in for an appendix operation. He was taken to the operation theatre for surgery before being shifted to the ward. It was only at lunch that one of the doctors asked Dr Jeru what happened to his ring.

Dr Jeru realized that the ring he always wore on his finger was missing. He searched his office, his bag and even his pockets before realizing that he had left it inside Jumbo while he was operating. Jumbo was rushed back to the OT and the ring was retrieved. Fortunately, Jumbo was still under anaesthesia and didn’t remember a thing.

The Greatest Treasure

If you thought that was the end of that story, Jumbo was back in a couple of days with a stomach ache. Dr Jeru was worried that he might have left something else behind. He took an X-ray and realized that he had left the scissors he used to cut the stitches inside him.

Jumbo was rushed to the OT once again and the scissors were quickly removed. Jumbo was shifted back to the ward. He sat in his bed and wondered how much the hospital bills were going to come up to when his phone started ringing.

Jumbo reached into his pocket and pulled it out to answer, but his phone wasn’t ringing. Yet, he could hear the sound of ringing phone loud and clear. Jumbo decided that he was just tired and turned in for the night.

Unfortunately, Jumbo woke up every five minutes to the sound of a ringing phone. It was only at two in the morning that Jumbo finally fell asleep. But three hours later, he woke up to the sound of an alarm.

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The lack of sleep and the ringing alarm had driven Jumbo crazy and Jumbo ran along the corridors waking everybody up. Dr Jeru calmed him down and Jumbo explained what was happening. Dr Jeru slapped his forehead.

“Jumbo, I think we’ll have to take you in for another operation,” said Dr Jeru. “I think it’s my phone that’s been ringing. I may have left it inside you.”

Jumbo was prepped once again and as he was about to be given anaesthesia, he said, “Doctor, maybe you shouldn’t put stitches this time.”

“Why do you say that?” Dr Jeru asked.

“Every time you stitch me up, you have to open me up again. It’s painful. I was hoping you could install a zipper instead,” said Jumbo.

Dr Jeru laughed and apologised to Jumbo for all the trouble. “This time I’ll be extra careful,” he said. “Also, because I’ve caused you a lot of trouble, I promise not to charge you for your stay here.”

Jumbo was relieved and as he fell asleep because of the anaesthesia, there was a big smile on his face.

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