Author: Editor Melissa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everyone was relieved.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Thank you, Lambu” said King Zimba.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes, Your Majesty!” nodded Rambo.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dinu was shocked to hear this.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Help! Help!” he screamed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everybody laughed when Deepak said that.

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

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