Author: rgsind

Do Good and have Good

One afternoon, Bunty Monkey was returning home from school. He was crossing a tree over the river when he heard the sound of crying.

“I wonder who’s crying here?” Bunty said as he looked around. “Hello? Is there anyone out here?”

A little tortoise crawled out from behind a tree. Bunty saw that he was crying.

“Why are you crying, little one?” Bunty asked, looking very concerned

“I am hungry. My stomach is growling,” the tortoise wept. “My mum and dad are not at home right now and there is nothing for me to eat.”

Bunty Monkey felt very sorry for the little tortoise.

“Don’t cry,” he said gently. “I have two ripe guavas in my schoolbag. You can eat them both.” Bunty then took two guavas out of his schoolbag and gave them to the tortoise.

The tortoise ate both the guavas very quickly.

He then looked up at Bunty and said, “My stomach is still growling. I am still very hungry.”

“Don’t worry,” Bunty told the tortoise. “There are some guava trees here. I will get you some more guavas to eat.”

Bunty then jumped around and plucked more guavas for the tortoise to eat.

He gave them to the tortoise who started gobbling them up.

Bunty was amazed.

“This little tortoise is finishing all the guavas I have given him,” Bunty thought to himself. “He really is greedy. I am much bigger than him but can hardly eat more than one or two. If he asks me for more guavas now, I will refuse.”

The tortoise finished the guavas. He then quietly crawled back behind the tree.

Bunty was surprised.

“What? He didn’t even thank me! What a rude little tortoise he is!” Bunty muttered as he picked up his schoolbag and walked home.

The next day, Bunty was returning from school when he met the tortoise again.

“I am hungry,” the tortoise said as soon as he saw Bunty.

“Aha!” Bunty said. “So you are hungry and alone again!”

Bunty put his schoolbag down and plucked many guavas for the tortoise.

The Finder Of Lost Things

He then watched as the little tortoise gulped them down and crawled back behind the tree.

The same thing happened the next day. And the day after that. And for many more days.

The tortoise would see Bunty returning from school everyday and tell him that he was hungry.

Bunty would pluck the guavas and give them to the tortoise who would eat them very quickly.

Bunty didn’t mind for a few days. But plucking guavas for the tortoise everyday after school tired him no end. He found it difficult to refuse the hungry little tortoise too.

One day, Bunty decided that he wouldn’t pluck guavas for the tortoise anymore.

“Why don’t you tell your parents that you get hungry when they are away? They should leave some food for you before going out. I can’t pluck guavas for you everyday, you know,” Bunty told the little tortoise.

The little tortoise looked up at Bunty and said, “My mum and dad leave a lot of food for me to eat at home. But Kittu finishes it all and then wants more food.”

“If Kittu eats all of your food, why don’t you complain about him to your parents?” Bunty asked surprised.

“Well, I am Kittu!” the little tortoise said innocently. He then quickly ate all the guavas Bunty had plucked for him and crawled away before Bunty could say anything.

“Wow! He has quite an appetite!” Bunty muttered and returned home.

A few days later, Bunty was very tired. He had a long and tiring day in school. He was on his way home when he saw Kittu waiting for him on the other side of the river.

“If he asks me to pluck guavas for him today, I will firmly refuse,” Bunty thought as he started to cross the river.

“Hey! You’re late today! Did it even cross your mind that your friend must be hungry and waiting for you?” Kittu said as soon as he saw Bunty.

“Which friend of mine is hungry and waiting for me?” Bunty asked surprised.

“Who else but Kittu?” Kittu said innocently.

Bunty couldn’t help smiling. He immediately put his schoolbag down and plucked some guavas for Kittu to eat.

More From Champak: Jamun’s Prudence

Bunty didn’t see Kittu for many days after that. He assumed that Kittu’s family had shifted to another part of the river.

It was a rainy day a few weeks later. Bunty was returning home from school when it started pouring heavily. There was thunder and lightning too.

Bunty jumped onto a tree and began crossing the river. The tree’s branches were wet and slippery because of the rain and Bunty found it difficult to balance himself. He slipped and fell in the river.

“Are you all right?” a small voice asked as Bunty lay on the river bank.

“Yes, I am,” Bunty said, wondering who had saved his life. He sat up and looked around to see who his rescuer was.

“Kittu? You saved me?” said Bunty surprised to see the little tortoise. “Where have you been?”

“Yes, I saved you!” Kittu laughed. “I was on a holiday. I returned just today. In fact, I was hiding behind the tree and waiting for you so that I could surprise you. I saw you fall into the water and jumped in to help you.”

“Thank you, friend!” Bunty said gratefully.

“Please don’t thank me! Friends are supposed to help each other,” Kittu said cheerfully. “Your clothes are wet. Why don’t you come to my house? I will give you my clothes to wear.”

“OK, friend!” Bunty said.

“We will meet tomorrow then. I hope you will pluck more guavas for me!” Kittu said.

Do-Good-and-have-Good

“Of course!” Bunty said and waved. He then walked home happily. He was glad that he had met Kittu.

Plucking a few guavas now and then for a hungry little tortoise had made him a friend who had saved his life.

 

Jamun’s Prudence

Peepal was a young tree rooted near the banks of the Dhara River in Champakvan. He had grown very tall in a short span of time. He had many green leaves on his broad and strong branches too. Whoever saw Peepal stopped to admire him and said, “Wow! What a strong and beautiful tree! What lovely leaves! What broad branches!”

Peepal felt proud every time he heard someone praising him.

Jamun was a tree too. He grew right next to Peepal. The two of them were good friends even though Jamun was much older.

Jamun genuinely felt happy whenever his young friend received any appreciation.

“You deserve it, my friend,” Jamun would smile and say. “You are a fine-looking tree indeed!”

When the rainy season began, small plants, creepers and shrubs started to grow under some of the bigger trees.

Some of the creepers held on to Jamun’s trunk too, since they were weak and couldn’t stand up without any support. Some small plants too felt secure under Jamun’s broad and leafy branches and began to grow under Jamun.

Peepal was very surprised when he noticed them. One day, he turned to Jamun and whispered, “Jamun, my friend. Why are you letting these useless plants grow under you? They are making you look so ugly. Look | at me! I have kept myself smart and neat. I shoo the small plants away if they try to grow under me.”

“Well, Peepal…” Jamun started to say but Peepal cut him short.

“Please don’t make excuses for these weaklings, Jamun,” Peepal said harshly. “Just get rid of them. Tell them to grow far away from you!”

Jamun kept quiet. He didn’t say a word to the small plants and creepers either, which annoyed Peepal no end.

The same evening, a storm hit the forest. Heavy rains and strong winds lashed the trees.

The river began to swell like never before. All the animals who lived near the river ran to save their lives. There was great danger for everyone who lived near the river.

All the trees and plants that grew near the river were terrified too. The heavy rainfall was making the river rise.

Jamun was worried too. His friend Peepal was in great trouble.

The soil holding Peepal’s roots was being washed away by the river water that was now flowing through the forest.

Peepal was finding it tough to hold on. And even though he was trying his very best, a strong wind blew and made him lose his balance. Peepal started to fall down.

But to his surprise, Jamun quickly stretched his branches out and saved his young friend from being uprooted completely.

The next morning, after the storm had passed by, the sun rose and lit the forest. Jamun at once turned to look at his friend.

“Are you ok, Peepal?” Jamun asked with concern. “I’ve been worried about you all night!”

“I’m fine, my friend,” Peepal said weakly. “But if it wasn’t for you, I would have surely been uprooted and washed away. Thank you for saving my life. But tell me something. How is it that you are standing tall and upright while I was almost uprooted and washed away?”

Jamun smiled and said, “Peepal, the small plants that grow under me have helped save me.”

“Is that so?” Peepal asked, looking very surprised.

“Yes,” Jamun said. “The small plants that grow under me held the soil of my roots firmly and withstood the fast flowing river water. If it wasn’t for them, my condition would have been as bad as yours. I would have been uprooted and washed away.”

Jamun then looked down and humbly thanked all the small plants who grew under him for their help.

 

Peepal hung his head low. He realised his mistake.

He understood that Nature had made everyone equal, no matter how great or small they appeared.

“There is place for everyone in this world. Nobody is big or small,” Jamun explained. “And so, it is best to make friends with everyone.”

Jamun’s words changed Peepal’s attitude towards the small plants and creepers.

And after a few days, Jamun saw his young friend welcoming the tiny plants that were trying to grow under his branches.

Marvellous Aunt Maneka

Aunt Maneka loves birds and animals. She is an environmentalist and a Member of Parliament, but her love for animals supersedes both.

___________________

 

Q. Do trees age like humans? How can we tell their age?

-Ishaan Ahuja, 7 years, Mumbai

Marvellous Aunt Maneka

A. Dear Ishaan, Yes. Like humans, trees do age but their lifespan varies for different species. One of the ways of finding out the age of a tree is by counting the rings within their branches and the trunks. These rings usually appear as alternating rings of dark and light shaded wood; you will need to count the number of dark rings to find out the tree’s age. For example, if a tree has 65 dark circles, it is 65 years old. These unique rings are known as growth rings. They are created every year when a new layer of wood is added to the branches and trunk of the tree. The light-coloured rings are known as the springwood and are generally wider in size because trees grow most during spring. The darker rings are known as summerwood and are relatively thinner because the growth of trees slows down during summer.

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Q. Why does my cat shed his claws?

Marvellous Aunt Maneka

-Parul Jha, 11 years, Mumbai

A. Dear Parul,When you see a claw lying around the house, there is no need for alarm. Cats shed claws regularly. It’s a natural process that takes place every two to three months. Claws are essential for cats and other members of the cat family, as they use them for defense, climbing and hunting. As the older, outer layer of the claw gets worn out, it is shed, revealing a newer, sharper claw. You can help your cat by making sure there are plenty of options like a door mat or other rough surfaces where it can scratch to remove the older claw.

 

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If you have questions about pets/animals/birds, write to us and we’ll ask Aunt Maneka to answer.

writetochampak@delhipress.in

Grandparents

Grandparents are a gift of god, They love their grandchildren a lot.

Their hearts are filled with love and kindness, They always teach things with politeness.

Parents are special to us, But grandparents are precious to us.

We always need their advice Because they are always understanding and are truly wise

When we achieve things to pride, They never forget to give us praise,

Grandparents are a gift of god, They love their grandchildren a lot

Meenal Khemchandani

Vishwa Bharati Public School,

Ghaziabad

The Two Rats

Lajo Cat was famished. Her stomach was growling and she hoped that she would come across a plump rat soon. She tiptoed into a house and crept inside the kitchen.

Lajo Cat wished that she would find a few rats scampering there. If there were no rats, she hoped that she would at least find some milk or curd.

But to Lajo Cat’s dismay, there weren’t any rats in the kitchen. And the milk and curd were inside the refrigerator. “Sheesh,” Lajo Cat muttered.

“Why do people use refrigerators?

Refrigerators have doors that are hard to open. They deprive us cats of milk and curd.”

Lajo Cat felt disappointed and turned to go when a sound startled her. She turned to see if somebody from the house had spotted her and was coming after her with a stick. But Lajo Cat saw something that made her grin from ear to ear.

Two plump rats named Janu Rat and Manu Rat were drinking oil from an oil can. They were dipping their long tails, one at a time, in the oil can. They were then licking the oil off their tails.

Lajo Cat’s joy knew no bounds. “These rats are brilliant,” she said and giggled. “They are drinking oil from the can, without even touching it. I’m really lucky to have found them. I will catch hold of one of them for my dinner.”

Janu Rat and Manu Rat heard Lajo Cat giggling and looked up. They began trembling as soon as they saw her. They were sure that she wouldn’t let them escape.

But Janu Rat didn’t want to give up so easily. He gathered all the courage he had and said, “Aunty Cat! Come and look inside this box! It contains some buttery chapattis. I think you’ll like them. They are quite delicious!”

“I am not your aunt,” Lajo Cat hissed. “So, stop calling me that! I have made up my mind to feast on one of you today. Nothing can change that. Not even buttery chapattis!” |

“Er… Feast on one of us?” Manu Rat asked. He was shaking like a leaf in the wind. “Yes, I will definitely eat one of you,” Lajo Cat said and laughed. “And remember, there can only be one relation between us. That of a hunter and prey!”

“A hunter, huh?” Janu Rat said, thinking quickly. “Aunty Cat, have you heard of King Venkatraman Singh of Reeva? He was a great hunter too. My grandmother has told me many stories about him. He was very strong. It seems that every time he threw a spear, it would tear open the trunk of a tree.”

I’ve heard that too,” Lajjo Cat said, showing off. “I know what a good hunter King Venkatraman Singh was. I know many stories about him too.” Lajo Cat then tried to recollect what else she knew about King Venkatraman Singh. Janu Rat and Manu Rat noticed that she was distracted and tried to slip away. But Lajo Cat was quite sharp.

The two Rats

“Hey!” she hissed angrily. “Stay where you are! I am going to eat one of you now.”

Janu Rat decided that he would keep Lajo Cat talking. He then said, “Aunty Cat, did you know that the real hunting was done by King Venkatraman Singh’s favourite white lion? His name was Mohan. By the way, have you ever seen a white lion? I have heard that white lions are found in Reeva. Have you ever been there? I have always wanted to go to Reeva and see if it’s true.”

“No, I haven’t seen a white lion or been to Reeva,” Lajo Cat said. “But I am quite sure that white lions exist. We cats are related to lions, you know. We are cousins. And if white lions exist I’ll definitely meet them whenever I go to Reeva.”

Lajo Cat continued talking. She didn’t notice Janu Rat and Manu Rat tiptoeing out of the kitchen and running far away from her.

The Clever Turtle

There were a few families of turtles that lived in a river that flowed through a jungle. These families would come out of the river every morning and swim to the riverbanks. The older turtles would lie there and bask in the sun. But the younger turtles were far more energetic and would look forward to playing games.

Sometimes, they would jump into the river water and race with each other. Some other times, they would play games like hide and seek and hopscotch along the riverside. This was the turtles’ little world and they were always happy here.

One morning, when the young turtles were playing, as usual, a vixen came to the riverside. She spotted the young turtles laughing and playing. The vixen’s mouth began to water. She was very hungry and the sight of the young turtles seemed very tempting.

Turtle meat was the vixen’s favourite delicacy too. She licked her lips and slyly made her way towards the young turtles. The vixen was just about to reach the young turtles when she sneezed loudly.

“ACHOO!” The vixen wiped her mouth and kicked herself.

The turtles, who had heard the vixen sneeze, became alert. They looked around cautiously to see where the sound came from. They spotted the vixen standing quite close to them.

“Run!” the turtles cried and ran towards the water to save their lives. Tiny Turtle was the littlest turtle. He was lying in a faraway corner, basking in the warmth of the sun. He heard his friends’ cries and wondered what had happened.

The vixen spotted Tiny Turtle and pounced on him before he could reach the river. But Tiny was a clever little turtle. He pulled himself into his shell before the vixen could catch hold of him and hid there. The vixen was hungrier than ever now. She tried her best to break the shell open. She tried every possible shell-breaking trick she knew but just couldn’t break Tiny Turtle’s shell open, or even manage to crack it.

Tiny Turtle’s little body was trembling with fear inside the shell. He knew that it wouldn’t be long before the vixen would find a way to break the shell open. And so, he came up with a plan that he hoped would help him escape.

“Miss Vixen,” Tiny Turtle said politely from inside the shell. “I’m sorry but my shell is very hard to break. You will have to soak it in water if you want to soften it. Why don’t you put me in the river for some time? I’ll call out to you as soon as my shell becomes soft. You can pick me up and break my shell and eat me then.” waited.

Clever-turtle1

The vixen was starving now. Her plump little stomach was growling loudly. She had been hunting all morning and was feeling quite weak and tired. She couldn’t think clearly on an empty stomach either.

“Very well then,” the vixen told Tiny Turtle. “I will put you in the water. But promise me that you will call out to me as soon as your shell turns soft enough for me to break.”

And so, the vixen put Tiny Turtle into the river water.

“How long will it take for your shell to soften?” the vixen then asked Tiny Turtle. Tiny Turtle was a clever little fellow. “It will take half an hour,” he said. “Why don’t you sit down for a while? You must be tired and hungry.”

The vixen sat under the shade of a tree and waited patiently. After a few minutes, Tiny Turtle peeped out of the shell and saw that she was a good distance away. The vixen’s eyes were closing and she was about to fall asleep. Tiny Turtle pulled his little head and arms out of the shell and waved to the vixen.

“Thanks for putting me in the water,” he said. “I’m going to swim home now. Please find yourself something else to eat! Goodbye!” Tiny Turtle then dived into the water and disappeared. The vixen jumped up.

“Oh no! What have I done?” she cried. “How could I forget that turtles live in water? And that water can’t soften their shells! How silly of me!”

But it was too late for the vixen to do anything. Tiny Turtle was deep in the river, swimming towards his house near the riverbed. The vixen kicked herself hard and decided that she wouldn’t be so foolish the next time she met a clever little turtle.

Find the hidden Objects

Find the hidden objects

Find 11,284, record held for kites flown in a line, 6 aeroplanes inspired from thine

3 eyes, Chinese say looking at kites improves eye sight

A harp, a rule book, 2 letters, a newspaper, all friends with kites

14th January Makar sankranti, India’s flag, a symbol for shanti

India gate, two boulders folded hands, round spectacles, symbolize THAT soldier.

Kirtivan Becomes Hi-tech

“Chamku, will you get down or not? How long will you hang like this?”  Lion Singh roared at Chamku Bat. He was hanging down the roof out of fear. What else could he do? It was a big thing that at least his life got saved. He was cleaning the palace along with Janglu the Jackal a little while back when Singh the Lion pounced on them in anger, accusing them of not working properly. Janglu got caught, but Chamku managed to escape.

Janglu pleaded for his life. Even Queen Liona requested Lion Singh to leave Janglu, but he did not relent. Janglu had to die. The King made him his prey. Had Chamku gotten caught, even he would have faced the same consequence. In order to save his life, Chamku kept hanging on the roof. He was aware that Lion Singh couldn’t reach there. And for him, it was not a problem at all. After all, he was a bat!

This was happening very frequently. If Lion Singh would get annoyed with any of his servants, he would kill and eat them. On the days when he would not find any prey, these incidences would further increase. Due to this the animals of the jungle stopped working in the palace.

Queen Liona was very upset with the happenings in the palace. She even tried to make sense with the King, but he would not listen. So the poor Queen had to live without a single helper and had to do all the chores herself, despite being a Queen.

Prince Leo came home during his vacations. He was studying in a city college. He saw his mother doing household chores all through the day. He asked in surprise, “Mother, you are the Queen of Kirtivan and you don’t even have a single servant…?”

Queen Liona told him everything and said, “Now tell me, Son, who would want to work with us?”

The prince felt very bad at his mother’s situation. He contemplated on the problem and assured his mother, “Don’t worry, Mother. When I come back on Jungle Day’, I will bring 3 servants with me.”

“No, Son, no…don’t do that. Your father will eat them up. I don’t want any animal to lose his life unnecessarily.” Liona refused her son’s offer.

Leo laughed loudly upon hearing his mother’s words. He said, “Don’t worry, Mother. The servants whom I will bring will work a lot. They will do whatever you will ask them to do. And father would never be able to prey on them!”

“Son, what are you saying? Can any animal be stronger than the lion that he will be saved from being prey to your father?” Liona was surprised. She began wondering which animals Leo was bringing as servants. However, Leo kept mum about it. He told his mother again, “I promise that this time I will definitely bring servants with me.”

Prince Leo was studying computer engineering in the city. He built three robots after getting back and gave them the appearance of animals. They looked and behaved like real animals. And they could do any work!

When the prince took them home on Jungle Day’, nobody could make out that they were not animals. Queen Liona got worried, “Son, how will these poor animals stand in front of Maharaj? He will make them too his prey.”

The prince said, “Mother, don’t worry. Forget killing. Maharaj won’t be able to go even near to them.” Then Leo explained that these were robots. They neither felt hunger nor thirst They were not scared of anyone and nobody can eat them.

The prince put a computer in the Queen’s room. Bluetooth devices and cameras were installed in the robots. The Queen could see everything because of that. They even had GPS System. The prince had put in the maps of their palace and the jungle and the programs of the chores to be done inside the robots. He had even explained to his mother how to get work done and keep a control on them. Meanwhile Maharaj Lion Singh was very happy upon seeing the servants.

Prince Leo returned back to the city after Jungle Day’. By that time, the Queen had learnt to control the robots very well. Maharaj wasn’t told about the reality of the robots.

Kirtivan-Becomes-Hi-tech

One day, Lion Singh was in a furious mood. He pounced on a robot, but what was this? He received a jolt and was thrown away and hit the wall. Lion Singh couldn’t understand what happened. He thought that he was imagining things and so he pounced again, but this time the jolt was even more powerful.

It was an electric shock. The robots had a system which caused high electric current when somebody attacked them. Lion Singh’s entire body shook violently. He felt so weak that he had to rest for many days to recuperate. It was then that Queen Liona told him everything about servant robots. Ironically, Maharaj became better after being cared for by those servant robots.

Lion Singh was very impressed with those robots. The electric shocks too had a favourable effect on him. He calmed down and began behaving nicely with everyone. He made a plan with the help of the prince to tighten up the security of Kirtivan. Robots were deployed everywhere in the jungle, even at the border. All activities were monitored with the help of the GPS System of the robots. They even had guns installed in their mouths which could be used if required by Cheetah Singh, who remote-controlled them.

Kirtivan-Becomes-Hi-tech

This is how Kirtivan’s security system became excellent under the able guidance of Lion Singh and Cheetah Singh. Kirtivan became the ‘hi-tech’ jungle of the twenty first century. Nobody could harm animals in any way in Kirtivan due to this ‘hi-tech’ security.

Kukku’s Car

Kukku Crow lived on a Neem tree. He had the habit of showing off. Sharmaji’s family lived in a bungalow near the tree. Sharmaji had bought a new red-coloured car. He began parking his car under the tree.

Kukku loved the car. Every day Sharmaji would drive in it to his shop. By the time he returned, Kukku would have fallen asleep. So the crow used to get up early every morning to play on the car.

One morning, when Kukku woke up, he saw Sharmaji and his entire family boarding a taxi. They had a lot of luggage. Kukku realised that they must be going for a long vacation. He knew that the car would be parked all the time under the tree. He spent the entire day on the car.

A pigeon, who lived on a tree nearby, asked, “What is the matter, Kukku? Why are you sitting on this car?”

Kukku told him that he had bought the car. Hence, he would stay on it.

“Really? Where did you get so much money from?” the pigeon questioned.

“I had saved money. Who are you to ask?” Kukku said.

The pigeon wondered, “We can’t even save a few grains. How could he have saved so much money?”

Chinchin Sparrow asked, “Won’t you go for a ride in it?”

Kukku replied, “What fun can we high-fliers have on the road? I have bought it to spend some time on it.”

Within three days, all the birds living nearby got the news. They came together and asked, “Kukku, won’t you let us sit in your car?”

“First go and look at your face in the car mirror. Are you worthy of sitting in it? Don’t you even dare to look at it,” said Kukku.

Everybody went back, disappointed.

The next Sunday, Kukku informed his relatives and friends that he was giving a party on his new car. In the evening, nearly 20 crows were perched on top of the car. They were feasting on the food brought by Kukku. Their cawing could be heard everywhere.

Meanwhile, Sharmaji’s family returned from their trip.

Kukku's-Car

Sharmaji thought, “What is this noise?”

When he saw the crows on top of his car, he was furious. He waved his stick towards the crows. He chased them away shouting, “How dare you dirty my car!”

Kukku fled. His guests also flew away after making fun of him. Sharmaji soon built a garage in his bungalow’s backyard. He began parking his car in it.

Kukku didn’t have the guts to meet anyone or show off.

All his neighbours were saying, “This is what happens when one tries to show off.”

Kukku had learnt his lesson.

 

Termite mounds

Termites are insects that live in colonies with a hierarchy similar to that of the bees: Queen, soldier, worker and larval termites. They live in either nests or mounds.

The mound-building termites build strong mounds that can be as tall as 25 feet and live in the lower part of the mound that is underground. Irrespective of the weather outside, the inside of the mound always remains cool at 30 degree Celsius because of a network of tunnels that make up its ventilation system. The tunnels extend across the length and breadth of the mound and are all connected to one big central tunnel that runs through the centre.

During the day, when the temperature rises, the air near the opening of the mound becomes warm. As hot air rises up through the tunnels, the cool air, being denser, sinks lower through the central tunnel. This keeps the temperature inside the mound cooler than outside. Termites control the temperature of their mound because they farm a type of fungus, which grows only in this temperature. This fungus is their main source of food.

Termite mounds can outlast the colonies that built them. Some mounds have lasted even up to 2000 years.

HOW TO DRINK SALTY WATER

Stuff

  •  A small cup (glass or steel)
  •  A big mixing bowl
  • A small, smooth stone
  • Plastic wrap
  • String or scotch tape .
  • 4 cups of drinking water
  • 2 tablespoons of salt

 

Do

1. In the big mixing bowl, pour 4 cups of water and add 2 tablespoons of salt to it. Mix well till the salt dissolves.

HOW TO DRINK SALTY WATER

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2. Place the empty small cup in the centre of the bowl as shown. Make sure the salt water does not get into it.

HOW TO DRINK SALTY WATER

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3. Take the plastic wrap and cover the bowl. Seal the edges with string or tape.

HOW TO DRINK SALTY WATER

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4. Place the stone over the plastic wrap directly above the small cup so that the wrap slopes towards the centre. Now, place the bowl under the sun for a few hours.

 

HOW TO DRINK SALTY WATER

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See

HOW TO DRINK SALTY WATER

In a few hours, water droplets will start forming beneath the plastic wrap. These droplets will slide towards the centre of the bowl and collect in the cup. If you drink this water, you will notice it does not taste salty.

Think about

How does salt water become drinkable?

Water can exist in three states: solid, liquid and gas, depending on how much energy the water molecules have. When the bowl is placed under the sun, the water particles at the top of the water surface gain energy from the sun and turn into gas (water vapour). This process is called evaporation. As the water vapour is blocked by the plastic wrap, the water particles begin to lose energy and transform back into water and collect beneath the wrap as water droplets. Since the wrap slopes towards the centre, so do the water drops which then collect in the cup. This water is pure because only water can evaporate and not salt, which is then left behind in the bowl.

Let’s Find Out

How is desalination useful?

The process of removing salt from saline water to make it suitable for human consumption or agriculture is called desalination. As the world’s population continues to grow, there is a need to find alteranate sources of drinking water since fresh water resources are limited. Scientists are tapping the sun’s energy and creating largescale structures similar to our experiment to get drinking water from the oceans, which make up more than 70 percent of the surface of Earth. If fresh water contains 1000 ppm (parts per million) of dissolved salts, ocean water contains about 35,000 ppm of dissolved salts.

The Pitcher’s Stomach Ache

A small clay pitcher was lying in the corner of a field. The farmers who worked on the field, stored water in it on hot summer days, so that the water would remain cool for them to drink.

The pitcher had now been empty for a few days since the farmers were on a holiday. The water it contained had evaporated with the heat.

One day, Chunmun Sparrow was flying above the field when she heard the sound of wailing. She looked down and saw the pitcher weeping. Chunmun Sparrow flew down to the pitcher and asked, “What happened to you, pitcher? Why are you crying?”

“Oh!” the pitcher groaned. “My poor stomach! It has been aching since a few days! I can’t bear the pain anymore!”

Teetu Parrot heard the pitcher talking and flew down to the field.

“Well, Chunmun Sparrow,” Teetu Parrot said. “Whenever I am hungry, my stomach starts to ache. I think the pitcher must be hungry too.”

“I don’t think that pitchers feel hunger, Teetu,” Chunmun Sparrow explained.

Kagu Crow, who had been watching the scene from a nearby tree, flew to the spot too. 

“I think the pitcher must have a swelling on its intestine,” he suggested. “Usually, the stomach aches when there is a swelling on the intestine. I had a similar problem some years ago too!”

Chunmun Sparrow sighed and replied, “Kagu Uncle, I don’t think pitchers have intestines. So, there’s no chance of any swelling.”

Soon, Munmun Starling, Pintu Pigeon, Rinky Butterfly and Rangeela Peacock heard of the pitcher’s problem and flew to the field to offer their opinions.

But Chunmun Sparrow wasn’t convinced with anything they said.

Suddenly, the pitcher began screaming at the top of its voice.

“Aargh! My poor stomach!” it shrieked. “The pain is becoming unbearable! I think I’m going to die.”

The pitcher’s cries made Sweety Ant creep out of her house. She climbed to the top of a vine that was growing near the pitcher and shouted to get the others’ attention.

“Please do something! Call a doctor or else the pitcher’s stomach will burst open!” she begged.

“Sweety Ant is right. We should consult Dr. Chuheram,” Chunmun Sparrow suggested. “He’s a good doctor and will cure the pitcher’s stomachache, no matter what the ailment is!”

Chunmun Sparrow and the others then went in search of Dr. Chuheram.

They found him in his clinic and brought him to the field as soon as they could. But to everyone’s great surprise, the pitcher had disappeared from the field.

“Where could the pitcher have gone?” Chunmun Sparrow said, scratching her head. “It was right here when we left a few minutes ago!”

“This is a mystery,” Kagu Crow said.

“Hey! What is this pumpkin doing here?” Teetu Parrot said, pointing to a big, fat pumpkin that was snoring loudly in the pitcher’s place. “It wasn’t here when we left!”

Chunmun Sparrow poked the pumpkin with her beak. “Pumpkin!” she twittered. “Wake up, you sleepyhead!”

The pumpkin opened its eyes and yawned.

“Why did you wake me up?” the pumpkin asked sleepily.

“Have you seen a pitcher on the field? It was on the very spot you were sleeping in,” Kagu Crow inquired. “Have you any idea where it could have gone?”

The pumpkin then gestured to some broken clay pieces that were scattered all around.

“This is very strange!” Sweety Ant said. “I noticed that there was a pumpkin vine here earlier. But there was no sign of the pumpkin then. Pumpkin, where did you suddenly come from?”

“Well, I was sleeping here all along,” the pumpkin said, yawning again.

“Huh? Sleeping here?” everyone asked together. “Why didn’t we see you earlier? Where exactly were you?”

The pumpkin smiled and said, “You would have surely seen me had you looked inside the pitcher’s stomach!”

“What?” everyone asked, sounding very surprised.

“Yes,” the pumpkin said. “When I was just a tiny seed, the pitcher swallowed me and kept me inside its stomach. And now, when I’ve grown bigger, it cracked and fell apart. That’s how I’ve came out.”

“Does that mean that you killed the pitcher?”

Dr. Chuheram asked and looked at the pumpkin rather sharply.

“No, I didn’t!” the pumpkin said sternly.

The-Pitcher's-Stomach-Ache

“I had warned the pitcher several times even when I was a baby seed. I had told it not to swallow me. But the pitcher didn’t listen. All it wanted to do was fill its empty stomach. It laughed and didn’t believe me when I cautioned that tiny pumpkin seeds grow into rather big pumpkins.”

Chunmun Sparrow, Teetu Parrot, Kagu Crow and the others looked at the broken pieces of the pitcher and felt very sorry for it. They shook their heads sadly and returned home with heavy hearts.

The pumpkin simply closed its eyes and started to snore once again.