Author: rgsind
Merry Waves
Jumbo: What’s the difference between a teacher and a train?
Meeku: Tell me.
Jumbo: A teacher says, “Spit out that gum!” and a train says, “Chew! Chew!”
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Sher Singh: Teacher, would you punish me for something I didn’t do?
Henry: Of course not.
Sher Singh: Good. Because I didn’t do my homework.
The God in the Mirror
Cheeku rabbit was very happy today, as he was carrying a plate of puja offerings and in it, there were two Rs. 500 notes as well.
Meeku mouse saw him and asked, “Where are you going with the puja plate and money?”
“My wish has been fulfilled. I have been cured now. The Baba had promised that he would solve everyone’s troubles. For something like this, I would not hesitate to offer the Baba even Rs. 5000. I was saved in the nick of time from dying. Nothing can be greater than that,” explained Cheeku and continued walking towards the temple.
Baddy fox had come to Champakvan in the guise of a new Baba a few days ago.
Baba claimed to solve the problems of people and in return, they would offer him money and sweets. Baba’s ashram was always very crowded. Some people would come to get their wishes fulfilled and some to make an offering after their wishes were granted.
“God did not listen to me. I’ve failed this time too. What should I do now?” cried Jumpy monkey, standing next to Cheeku.
“You need to work harder. When the right time comes, your problem will be solved,” said Baba while hitting Jumpy on his head with the holy broom. Saying this Baba turned to the next person. As Cheeku came out after giving his offerings, Damru donkey, came to him shouting “Jai ho! Jai ho!”
“What happened Damru? You look very happy,” asked Cheeku.
“I saw God! I found God! I saw the miracle of God,” said Damru dancing with joy and moved ahead.
Everyone was surprised to hear this.
The news that Damru saw God spread like fire in the jungle.
“How is that possible? What does God look like?” everyone was curious to know. Everyone headed to Damru’s house in a group. “If Damru can see God, then why can’t we?” some of the animals thought.
“Damru, will you not make us see God too?” asked Teetu butterfly pleadingly.
“Why not! Anyone can see God. Let me show you now,” said Damru as he put a hand in his pocket and gave a mirror to Teetu.
“You can see God in this,” said Damru.
“But this is a mirror. I can only see my own face in this. Where is God in this?” said Teetu.
Cheeku too peeked into the mirror and saw his own face instead of God.
Damru went near Cheeku so his reflection too appeared in the mirror. Damru jumped up and said, “See! See! There are two Gods now.”
“Silly! These are our own faces,” said Cheeku angrily.
“How do you know these are our own faces?” said Damru.
Everybody laughed when they heard Damru say this.
Jumpy shook his head and said, “Damru there is a scientific reason behind seeing our faces in the mirror. It happens due to the reflection of light and we can see our face in the mirror. This is not called seeing God.”
“If you understand all this then why do you go and bow down in front of the Baba?” asked Damru angrily.
Everyone was surprised to know the relationship between devotion to Baba and the reflection in the mirror.
Damru took a deep breath and said, “Friends! There was a time when people did not know about mirrors.”
“Yes,” said Cheeku in agreement.
“They did not understand that light reflection makes us see our face in the mirror. But today we know about this. Science has helped us. But why do we still believe in things like miracles by Baba?”
“For occurrences where there is a reason, we do not think of them as a miracle of God. But for things which we don’t know a scientific reason, we think them to be miracles of God,” said Damru. “Everyone runs to the Babas and temples and they trap you.
We make offerings to them saying that God should fulfil our wish. The work gets done through a scientific reason but people will think the work has been done through the miracle of a Baba. If their work does not get completed, people will think it is not time yet. Baba will get the work done when the time is right.” Listening to Damru, everybody was shocked.
It was the truth. Work or no work, everyone was running to the Baba, but why? Truly, what good can a Baba do, except being a crook.
“We should stop this foolishness,” said Meeku immediately.
“Damru is right. Thank you for making us see the truth about Babas, Damru. From today onwards, nobody will go to the Baba, and follow them blindly,” said Cheeku, loudly.
All the animals agreed and then returned to their homes.
Damru & Moving Train
Party Time in Champakvan
New Year was only a month away. Preparations were on in full swing for the New Year party celebrations.
The local market was full of activity and different shops and stalls were selling decorative items, delicious snacks and were open day and night.
Meeku mouse bought traditional hand-crafted cushions, Blacky bear bought some exquisite copper and brass jars filled with honey, and Teetu butterfly picked up some shiny and colourful bangles.
Meanwhile, Jumpy monkey looked very pleased bringing an expensive, embroidered carpet and scented candles.
Baddy fox was decorating his cottage with ornate lighting fixtures and mirrors.
King Shersingh was not too fond of grand celebrations and huge spending.
In the first week of December, Shersingh called for a meeting,
Shersingh said, “Dear friends! Thank you for coming on such short notice. I wanted to talk to all of you regarding the upcoming New Year celebrations. While it is great to see everyone so happy and festive, it concerns me that a lot of hard-earned money is being spent on buying harmful crackers, toys and items made from toxic plastic substances.”
“These things are dangerous to one’s health and also bad for the environment,” said Shersingh with a serious expression.
Cheeku rabbit was now puzzled. He asked, “In that case, what will we gift our friends and relatives? Most shops are selling these items.”
“You may present them fresh fruits, dry fruits, honey, flowers, and fresh saplings for their gardens,” Shersingh suggested.
“Sir, what about you? We were thinking of giving you a gift. What would you like for New Year?” asked Blacky.
“Hmm. I would prefer something environment-friendly. In fact, this is a great moment for everyone in Champakvan to come up with some really good eco-friendly ideas.”
Everyone was excited now. They all asked, “What do you want sir? Tell us!”
“I want a crystal jar full of dew, a pumpkin fitted in a surahi (a bottle-necked earthen pot), and a bright New Year night without using any electric bulbs, oil and candles. Whoever manages to accomplish this, I will declare that person to be the pride of Champakvan and also my environment minister!”
“Wow! This is unbelievable!” many animals exclaimed, surprised by the unique contest that Shersingh had announced and also the huge reward accompanying it.
“This is impossible,” said Jumpy monkey.
“I have never heard of such a thing before!” Cheeku said, scratching his head with his furry paws.
Meanwhile, Meeku mouse was excited. He was always coming up with new and unique solutions to different problems.
Days went past quickly and it was finally New Year’s Eve.
Everyone arrived in their best outfits, carrying flowers and bouquets, to Sher Singh’s palace lawns.
A grand spread of tea, coffee, muffins and other food items were laid out.
However, Meeku was nowhere to be seen. It was strange because everyone had been expecting a lot from him. The animals started whispering among themselves.
“What a shame! After so much promise, Meeku didn’t even come.”
“Meeku should have never taken upon himself such a difficult task. Now regretting, I am sure.”
It was soon night. According to Sher Singh’s orders for the contest, all artificial lights were switched off around midnight. It was pitch dark. Suddenly, the entire jungle became bright and lit.
There was Meeku mouse standing among them, with a beautiful crystal jar full of dew and an earthen mug with fresh and ripe pumpkin.
Everyone, including Shersingh, exclaimed in wonder.
“How did you manage all of this? This is a miracle!” said Shersingh.
Meeku said, “I will explain all of it step by step. It was a long process and involved a lot of mental work. So, for the first task, I took a thick layer of cotton and spread it on my terrace every night, for three weeks. In the morning, I squeezed and poured the dew from the cotton into the vase. Drop by drop, the crystal jar was filled with dew.”
Blacky bear had his doubts.
Blacky said “How do we know this water is dew? You could have simply filled it from the riverside. Show some proof!”
Meeku replied “I knew this would be asked so I got it certified from the laboratory of water testing, located in Madhuban jungle across the valley. You may confirm it with them if you like!”
“We believe you. The Madhuban jungle laboratory is well-known across the country. Now tell us about your second task!” said Shersingh, full of curiosity.
“For the second task, I placed this earthen vase near the climber of the pumpkin and put a very tender sapling inside the vase. Day by day, it became bigger and now the surahi is filled with the pumpkin,” explained Meeku.
“It didn’t take much, to be honest. Just a simple, logical puzzle,” said Meeku, humbly.
The crowd was quite impressed.
“And what about these bright lights all over? This looks like a natural glow! No electric light or candle is on right now,” said Shersingh.
“Yes, this was quite a difficult task. However, with a little brainstorming, I took phosphorus, a non-metallic element that occurs naturally in different phosphate rocks and appears luminous in the dark and applied it on thousands of small, dry twigs and requested my friends, the sparrows and the sunbirds, to carry these twigs to their nests on the occasion of New Year’s Eve.
I also requested the fireflies to come. Huge thanks to all of them. That is why this was possible!” said Meeku mouse.
“Three cheers for the birds and the fireflies and for Meeku!”, everyone applauded again.
Shersingh honoured Meeku in front of the entire jungle, pleased with his hard work, efforts and declared him as the new environment minister of Champakvan.
There were happiness and laughter everywhere.
Damru & Homework
Golu Learns to Think for Himself
Gabbru, Dhenchu and Golu were three donkeys who worked for one master.
Gabbru was the wise one. He feared no one. Dhenchu was the clever one. He worked smart, not hard. Golu, on the other hand, was the simplest of them. He would listen to anybody.
One day, all three of them were walking toward the market carrying their master’s goods. There was a river on their way, which they had to cross.
Clever Dhenchu could smell the goods and figure out what he was carrying. If the master put heavy bags on his back, he would pretend to feel dizzy. So his master would not put the heavy bags on his back.
Today, he had a sack of salt on his back.
While crossing the river, Dhenchu suddenly dipped himself in it.
“Hey, Dhenchu! What are you doing?” asked Golu, surprised. “Are you taking a bath?”
“No, no, Golu! I’m reducing my weight by taking a dip in the river,” said Dhenchu.
“Can the load become lighter by dipping in the river?” asked Golu.
Golu did not realise that by dipping in the river, the salt on Dhenchu’s back would dissolve and the weight of the bag would reduce.
“Oh yes,” said Dhenchu. “If you want, you too can take a dip and see for yourself,” said Dhenchu and laughed. He was amused by Golu’s foolishness. He had seen the empty jars packed on Golu’s back.
Gabbru cried out, “Golu! Don’t listen to him! He always makes losses for our master. And now he’s just taking you for a fool.”
“What? But how is this making a fool out of him?” said Dhenchu, angrily to Gabry. “Come on, tell me!”
“You took a dip in the river, to lessen the load on your back. Our master is clearly going to face losses,” Gabru replied.
“I don’t care. The weight on my back got reduced. I now have to carry less weight!” saying so Dhenchu turned towards Golu and said, “If you want to reduce the weight on your back, you too should take a dip.”
“Really?” asked Golu, in excitement.
“Yes, it worked for me! Ask Gabbru if you don’t trust me. When the salt dissolved away in the water, did the weight of the sack get reduced or increased?” asked Dhenchu.
But before he could finish, Golu said, “I too will take a dip in the water. Gabbru, you too should take a dip if you want to lose some weight.”
Gabbru had cotton sacks on his back, which were lightweight anyway. He did not take a dip in the river. He knew that if he did, the cotton would become wet and heavier.
He screamed at Golu, “Hey, wait! Listen to me…” But Golu had already taken a dip.
There were empty jars on Golu’s back which were now filled with water. As soon as he came out of the water, Golu realised that he was now carrying three times the weight as earlier. He began feeling dizzy.
His legs shook but somehow he managed to walk ahead.
“What’s this? I took a dip, but my weight increased!” Golu said to himself.
“That’s exactly why I was shouting. But you did not stop to listen! And now you must bear the consequences,” said Gabbru, as he walked with him.
Golu somehow reached the marketplace. His waist and legs were aching severely.
Since then, Golu stopped simply copying others without giving it a good thought.
Golu realised that unless you use your brains, merely copying others is useless. It could actually be harmful.
Welcome 2019
How Bees Prepare Honey?
THE LITTLE DOVE
Little Rudra lived in a small house, with his parents, near the city garden. His parents loved him very much.
Now that he was five years old, he thought himself to be very big. Sometimes, he would not listen to them.
One day, Rudra saw a small dove in his lawn. He approached it. It was bleeding. Rudra’s mother also came out to the lawn, when she saw that it was injured. She took the baby dove inside the house. She cleaned its wounds. She gave the bird something to eat.
Rudra was very curious. So many questions came to his mind. From where had the bird come? Where were its parents? Why couldn’t it fly? How did it get hurt? He wondered.
That night, Mother made the bird sleep in a cardboard box. She fed it the next day. She took good care of it. The next day, Rudra went to school very reluctantly. At school, Rudra kept thinking about the bird.
As soon as he returned home, he went to see the dove. It seemed to be recovering. Mother had put it back into the lawn. It was walking.
Suddenly, Rudra saw a big dove approaching. The baby dove ran towards it. The mummy dove had something in her mouth. She fed her baby.
Rudra called out to his mother. Both of them were very happy to see the mummy dove feed the baby dove throughout the day. That night, his mother kept the baby dove inside the house. It still could not fly. If it was kept outside, they feared that the cat would kill it.
His mother explained to Rudra that the baby dove must have disobeyed his parents. It might have come out of the nest when its wings were not strong enough. Therefore, it must have fallen down and hurt itself.
Every day, his mother took the baby dove out and put it on the lawn. Its mummy used to come and feed it. The baby dove soon recovered.
One evening, while Rudra was watching, mummy dove fed the baby. A little later, both of them flew away. Rudra thought to himself, “Perhaps its wings become strong.”
Rudra felt sad after his friend, the baby dove, had left. He was also happy that at last the little dove would be with its family.
Rudra vowed never ever to disobey his parents. He had learnt that whatever the elders say, they say so for our good. We must follow them.
The Poem Feat
Sundarvan’s King Shaatir Lion was very fond of poems. He would reward anyone who recited even average poems.
When Bunky Monkey came to know this, she said to her husband, Beeru Monkey, “You should go and narrate a poem to get the reward from the king.”
Beeru said, “That’s fine, but the problem is I don’t know any poem. What will I say in front of the king?”
Bunky was clever. She suggested, “While going there, just narrate whatever you see on the way, in the form of a poem. Be confident. You will definitely be rewarded.”
Beeru liked her suggestion. He immediately set out for the king’s palace.
On the way, he saw a crow sitting on a rock, near the pond. He was repeatedly filling water in his beak, pouring it on the rock and rubbing it with his beak. Beeru instantly made up a poem.
“Rub, rub and rub, While pouring water, I know, O Blacky, What is there in your heart?”
After creating the poem, Beeru felt good. He went to the palace. He narrated his poem in front of the king. The king appreciated his effort. He rewarded him suitably.
The king’s minister, Lukkhu Hyena, wanted to kill the king. He wished to become king himself.
The king’s barber, Blacky Bear, was also involved in this conspiracy. Lukkhu had made a plan.
When Blacky would go to the palace to shave the king’s beard the next day, he would slit his throat with the razor.
Blacky, as per the plan, did reach the palace. However, he couldn’t muster the courage to kill King Shaatir. He kept pouring water on the slab and rubbing the razor against it.
Seeing him do so, again and again, King Shaatir remembered the poem that he had heard from Beeru the day before. He repeated that poem
“Rub, rub and rub, While pouring water, I know, O Blacky, What is there in your heart?”
Blacky was stunned when he heard these words from King Shaatir. He fell at the king’s feet. He pleaded, “Maharaj, I am innocent. Minister Lukkhu Hyena asked me to do this. Please forgive me. I am not at fault.”
The king was taken aback by Blacky’s words. Blacky revealed the entire plan. The king set him free. He ordered that Lukkhu should be arrested. He punished him for his deeds.
The king received Beeru in his palace with great respect. He told him how his poem had saved his life. The king applauded Beeru. He gave him credit for saving his life through his poem. He gave Beeru very high remuneration. This ended all of Beeru’s problems.
Words And Logic
Fun at School
Henry Hen: How can we keep our school clean?
Jumbo: By staying at home.
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Meeku: Why was the teacher wearing sunglasses to school?
Cheeku: Because she had bright students!
Lion Disguise
WE ARE FRIENDS
After searching for a long time, Minni Mynah found a grain of maize. She sat on a branch of a tree to eat it. As soon as she tried to eat it, the grain slipped out of her grip. It fell down.
Before Minni could pick it up, Ginni Sparrow flew away with the grain.
“Wait, this grain is mine,” Minni called out. However, by that time Ginni had flown away. Minni felt bad. Someone had taken her food and she couldn’t do anything. Once again, she flew in search of food.
She didn’t find a single grain. She just found a piece of a chapatti. She tried to satisfy her hunger by eating it and drinking water. Then, she flew back towards her nest.
Minni was angry with the sparrow who had taken her grain. Minni was tired. She fell asleep.
The next morning, when Minni woke up, she felt another bird’s presence on the tree that was in front of her nest. When Minni looked closely, she recognised the bird.
“You! You are the one who took my maize grain yesterday. How dare you come here?” Minni shouted in anger.
“Which maize grain?” the sparrow asked.
“Hmm, yesterday you took my grain and today you’re acting innocent.” Minni reminded the sparrow of the incident that had happened the day before.
Ginni questioned, “What’s my fault in that? I saw a grain on the ground. I picked it up. I didn’t know that the grain had fallen down from your grip.”
Minni said, “Don’t lie. I called after you but you didn’t answer.”
Ginni replied, “Did you call me by name? No… then how could I have known that somebody was calling me?”
“Well, you can’t stay here!” Minni was still furious.
“Who are you to stop me? I am not going anywhere, I will stay right here,” said Ginni.
“Don’t you dare come near my nest in this rubber plant!”
“I am not even interested,” said Ginni. She flew away.
Minni and Ginni could never see eye-to-eye. Minni wouldn’t go to the guava tree where Ginni lived. Ginni never visited Minni’s nest on the rubber plant.
A few days later, Ginni noticed that Minni had stopped coming out of her nest. She would go out only for a short while.
“Does she want to harm me?” Ginni wondered.
She became alert.
One day, Ginni could hear the chirping of birds from Minni’s nest.
“Oh, it’s the sound of babies chirping! Minni has laid eggs that have hatched. That is why she was not leaving her nest. I was unnecessarily getting worried,” thought Ginni.
She flew out to pick grain.
Ginni found some grains nearby. She returned to her nest.
Just as she sat down to eat the grains, she heard Minni’s babies crying for food.
Ginni looked towards Minni’s nest. She saw that Minni was not there. She said, “It seems as if their mother has gone to get grains for them. Meanwhile, these poor chicks are very hungry. Should I feed them? What if the mother sees me near the nest? Well, I will wait and see what happens.”
Within a few minutes, Ginni thought, “I can’t watch these chicks in distress.”
Just as she was about to go, Minni returned. This made Ginni feel a little uneasy.
Ginni said in a hesitant tone, “I am sorry, I came near your nest by mistake.”
Minni said with a choked voice, “I should be the one asking for forgiveness. I fought with you. Yet, you fed my hungry chicks. I saw you feeding them while coming.
Ginni replied, “I am happy that I was able to help you.”
“Will you be able to forget what happened earlier? Will you be friends with me?” Minni asked with hesitation in her voice.
“Yes, why not? We should live in harmony. After all, all of us need each other at some point of time,” said Ginni with a smile.
Thereafter, Minni and Ginni became good friends.
Thank you very much
Two garbage bins had been placed across a street. The street houses dumped their garbage into these bins.
The road sweepers also used the same bins to dump the waste collected from the roads. Every evening, a large dumping van came by. It emptied these bins. Thus, the two bins were empty at the end of each day.
The kind of domestic waste that was put into the bins said a lot about each household. Egg peels in the bins showed households that consumed non-vegetarian foods. The two bins used to discuss the type of waste inside them.
“Yesterday, house number 3 had cooked lady’s finger,” said the first bin.
“I am sure that number 9 had cooked kebabs,” said the second The broom that was kept nearby heard the conversation. It said, “Both of you are destined to live with dirt and garbage. How are you so happy?”
The bins replied, “We have no complaints whatsoever with our job. We gather all the waste inside us. Thus, the entire colony is clean. This gives us immense happiness and satisfaction.”
The broom had nothing to say.
One day, as usual, the garbage collector dumped the waste into one of the bins. Along with the garbage, he accidentally dropped in a diamond necklace. The bin was shocked to see this.
“Such a beautiful necklace!” exclaimed the first bin. “It must be worth a few lakhs.” …
…“True,” said the other bin. “We serve people every day. Someone must have sent this as a reward. Now, you are the owner of this beautiful necklace. Congratulations!”
The first bin happily said, “Thank you. It feels good to own something as precious as this.”
Just then, the first bin heard an inner voice speak. It said, “The person who owns this necklace must be sad right now. Think about her.”
The bin felt a sense of guilt.
“If you do not wish to keep this necklace, then give it to me. I am waiting to put it on,” said the second bin.
The first bin said, “It’s not right to keep someone else’s property. Recollect the time when you had lost one of your handles. You were so tense and upset. Right now, the owner of this necklace must be going through similar pain. I am going to return this to its owner.”
“Stop talking like a fool,” said the other bin. “Hide the necklace in a corner. The van will arrive soon. It will take the necklace along with the garbage.”
The second bin tried to convince the first one to hide the necklace. The first bin did not act. It looked around as it wanted to speak to Golu, the dog. Golu couldn’t be seen anywhere. However, his wife Julie was walking on the other side of the road. The bin called out to Julie. It put the necklace around her neck.
Julie was amazed to see such a pretty necklace. She said, “Wow! It’s so cute. Thank you. Is it for me?”
The bin said, “It’s neither mine nor yours. It belongs to someone else. We have to return it to the owner. Will you help me do so?”
“Yes. I will,” said Julie.
The bin hid Julie behind it so that no one could see her wearing the necklace.
Just then the bin saw a lady. She seemed to be searching for something. She was very tense. She was weeping. The bin understood that the lady must be the owner of the necklace. She was crying because she has lost it.
The bin told Julie, “Go and return the necklace to that lady.” |
Julie walked towards the lady. She stood in front of her. When she saw her necklace, the lady stopped crying. She was happy. She picked up the necklace from Julie’s neck.
She said, “Thank you very much.”
She hugged Julie and patted her. She also gave her biscuits to eat. She said that she would feed Julie every day.
Julie turned to the bin and said, “Thank you. You deserve the credit. The work that you have done today is praiseworthy.” The bin smiled. It said, “Good work always pays. It brings immense joy and satisfaction.”
Farm trouble
Teddy bear
Lyrics :
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Turn around!
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Touch the ground!
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Polish your shoe
Teddy bear, teddy bear
Off to school
Teddy bear, teddy bear
Jump up high!
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Touch the sky!
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Bend down low!
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Touch you toes!
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Turn out the light!
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Say good night!
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Two Old Friends
Ring…ring…’ the doorbell was ringing. Jambu, the jackal was shaving his beard. He came out with shaving cream still on his face.
“Who is it?”
Again he heard, ‘Ring… Ring…’
“Yes, I am coming.” Opening the door, he recognised his friend.
“Bhalla! When did you come?” He hugged his close friend so tightly that Bhalla’s neck was smeared with half of the cream.
Bhalla, the bear had taken a day’s off from his job. Early that morning he had thought of meeting his old friend.
Jambu caught hold of his hand and pulled him in, saying “Are you going to stand outside? Come in. Have some snacks and tea before going home.”
Bhalla started smiling while drinking tea.
“What is the matter?”
“I am recollecting our childhood days. Leave the snacks aside. Come, let us go and kick up a racket in the forest just like the good old days.”
Both of them looked at each other and within minutes they were off.
In front of the bazaar where the four tamarind trees stood, a monkey selling icecream shouted, “Milk, frozen milk. Buy one to feel cool!”
The naughty friends looked at each other. Bhalla asked, “How much is the mango bar?” “Ten rupees!” “Oh! This is daylight robbery!” Bhalla said and sat down. Now Jambu took over and said, “Brother, have some pity on him.”
“Uncle, this is the rate,” said the monkey.
“Okay! Take this.” Jambu took out money from his pocket and handed it to the monkey and gave the ice cream bar to his friend.
Bhalla was enjoying the ice cream with closed eyes. Now Jambu nudged him and said, “Greedy old man! Will you eat alone? Give me some of it.”
Bhalla turned his face away.
“Will you not give me some?” asked Jambu facing him. This went on for quite a while. Jambu started circling Bhalla.
“Sir, you also take ice cream,” said the monkey, trying to pacify him.
“You will give me one?” Jambu acted surprised.
“Yes, why not?”
Jambu was delighted. He took the ice cream from the monkey. Then the monkey extended his hand and asked, “Sir, money. Please pay for it.”
“Money for what?” Both the friends asked slapping their chest.
“Oh! For the ice cream. What else?” The terrified monkey stammered.
Both their voices grew loud. “You gave it yourself. Did we ask you?” Jumbu shouted.
The monkey was shocked. He shouted, “You tried to trick me!”
The two mischief makers laughed and walked away. In the same way, they cheated the snacks vendor. They were playing their childhood pranks even now.
Finally, they reached the playground where the children of the hippos, wolf, rabbit, and kangaroo were playing gulli danda.
Bhalla asked his friend, “Would you like to play?”
“Why not? I am no beginner.” Jambu replied stroking his grey moustache.
“Hey, just give me the stick. Watch how we play.”
Bhalla threw the gulli. Jambu swung and hit it so hard that the children were astonished. The game progressed. Then Bhalla picked up the stick. He tossed the gulli in such a way that the children were speechless. Oh! These old men were good. They could compete with anyone.
The gulli shot like an arrow from Jambu’s hand. Bhalla struck it really hard. The gulli flew like a hawk. Far away on a mango tree there hung a honeycomb. Instantly the gulli hit it like a bullet. Within minutes an army of honeybees emerged… Booo… booo…
“Run! It’s dangerous!”
The children started to run away. The two old men also started to run. But could not run as fast. Both of them suffered from pain in their legs. They were groaning and running.
Soon they started panting. The bees were chasing them too. The news of the broken beehive spread in the forest. Everyone came running. Mr. Hippo, Mr. Wolf, Mirza, the rabbit, and Babu, the kangaroo were very angry. “Whose mischief is this? Our children were playing quietly. Who did this?”
“These two are the culprits.” All the fingers, of the children and the snacks vendor, were pointing towards Jambu and Bhalla.
“Is this your doing Uncle? What a shame!” said Mirza, the rabbit.
The monkey also chipped in saying, “Brother, they took an ice cream from me and ate it. They did not even pay for it.”
The two friends stood downcast. The other animals of the forest surrounded them.
Jambu quietly asked, “Did you hit the honeycomb on purpose?”
Bhalla said shamefacedly. “Yes. The moment I saw the honeycomb my mouth started watering. Instinctively I hit the gulli on the honeycomb.”
“You have long hair. The bees got entangled in them.
Think about me? See my state?” said Jumbu. Big rashes had appeared on his body.
“Sorry friend, but what is a bear’s child if he does not put his life at stake for the sake of honey?” said Bhalla.
They apologised to all for their behaviour and the ice-cream monkey.
All the animals walked away
.
Jambu winked and said, “If the end is sweet then everything is sweet. Isn’t it true? Come friend we will soon eat honey and not create any mischief in the future.”
Hero Trouble
The Winner
Bill and Tarun were neighbours and attended the same school. Moreover, they shared similar habits too. They came from two well-to-do families and enjoyed all the comforts. They had everything a child could wish for. Too much indulgence and pampering by their parents had made them spoilt kids. For them, life was nothing, but enjoyment and fun.
Both of them went to school every morning, or at least their parents believed so. In the afternoon, when they returned home, they groaned and complained about their studies. But that was far from the truth. They hardly ever attended school and regularly bunked classes. If any teacher spoke to the Headmaster about their behaviour, it made no difference. The Headmaster called them to his office, scolded them and warned them not to do it again. It became a routine.
However, the teacher who complained against them was in for trouble, as they then teased him in class. The teachers, therefore, let them have their way. A report to their parents was ineffective too. In fact, it was their parents who were responsible for their bad behaviour.
Both of them were strong and clever. They were leaders of their groups and led their followers into all kinds of new mischief every day.
The neighbours were fed up of their activities. Sometimes they complained to their parents, but it didn’t matter.
Creating trouble was their only pastime. What fun they had!
Although they were close friends, they always wanted to prove who was more superior than the other. They thought of some new tricks to surprise each other. They bragged about their ‘brave deeds’ and tried to impress one another.
One day, as they sat together with their group, Bill said, “Tarun, our old mischievous ways does not amuse me any longer. How do we decide who is superior?” “Think of a new activity,” replied Tarun. “You always say you are more creative than I am.” Bill thought for a little while. Then his face beamed with smile.
“I have a wonderful idea,” said he. “Look here, let us start our activities tomorrow morning and meet here with our groups in the evening. We’ll then describe our day. Two members from each group will be appointed as judges. They will decide which group has performed better. The leader of the other group will have to accept the superiority over the other.”
“That’s a good idea!” shouted everybody in unison, “It would be fun.”
That the evening both the groups met at the appointed place. A big crowd had gathered there. Bill’s group was in the high spirits. His boys were shouting, howling and whistling in excitement.
On the other hand, Tarun’s group looked, confused and worried. Tarun had not arrived as yet. Nobody could understand the reason for his absence. How could he abandon his group on such an important occasion? It was a matter which involved the honour and dignity of the group.
“Where’s your great Tarun?” Asked Bill. “I think he’s here but is invisible.”
His boys burst into a loud laugh and gave various answers, “…Has turned a tail…can’t show his face…accepted his defeat…is a coward….”
All of a sudden, there was silence. Tarun was coming toward them. His eyes were downcast, his neck was bent and he looked upset.
He sat in a corner lost in deep thought.
Amidst the shrieking and whistling of his group, Bill said. “Let us hear what deeds we have done during the day and decide who’s greater. The first group, I’ll describe the achievements of my group. Here they are:
Tied crackers to a donkey’s tail and made him run. Threw stones at the madman and had great fun. Broke two nests of crows, stole ripe mangoes from Kallu’s garden, misguided a stranger who wanted to go to the railway station, snatched the biscuit packet from a child and made him cry, smeared Bholu’s newly painted wall with dirt.
“These are wonderful deeds,” shouted his group joyfully, as he completed the list. “Come on, Tarun tell us what achievement you can boast of?”
Tarun simply answered. “I’m sorry I’ve come to accept my defeat and Bill’s superiority. I can’t be his equal.”
Everyone was stunned. “At least tell us what happened to you,” asked Bill. “What have you been doing today?”
Tarun spoke with a sigh. “I left home in the morning to join my group. I wanted to begin the day with a ‘great deed. Suddenly, I saw an old blind man moving toward a deep pit dug in the middle of the road. I thought I’ll push him into the pit.”
“As I placed my hands on his shoulders, he spoke out, ‘An angel has come to support a blind man. You must be a great man who thinks about a helpless old man.” His words struck me like lightning. I felt ashamed of myself. I pulled him away from the pit. His body was burning with fever. I took him to a doctor. I paid for the medicines with my pocket money.
Then I took him to his old and broken hut where I found his wife. The old man showered me with his blessings. He said, “I wish you all the joys of life. You seem to be a noble boy; you’d be the pride of your parents. I can’t thank you enough.” His wife held my face in her hand and kissed my forehead. Bill…I take back the challenge.”
The boys shouted in joy, “Bill has defeated Tarun. Come on judges, what have you to say?”
A garland of flowers was put around Bill’s neck amidst the noise of his group. Then everyone was stunned to see what seemed unbelievable. Bill took his garland and put it around Tarun’s neck and said in a chocked voice. “Tarun you are a great leader. Lead both the groups to greater heights. I salute you.”
Ingenious comic
Sher Singh: What do prisoners use to call each other?
Blacky Bear: “Cell phones”
Sher Singh: What kind of shoes do all spies wear?
Blacky Bear: “Sneak-ers”
Damru: What goes up but never comes down?
Jumbo: Age
Snowy Squirrels
Math in Nature
Mathematics is everywhere around the world. We observe it rarely and enjoy nature instead of understanding the mathematical concept behind it. Below are some examples which exhibit Math in Nature beautifully.
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The Italian mathematician Leonardo Pisano Bigollo, born in Pisa was also known as Fibonacci. French historian Guillaume Libri gave the name Fibonacci to Leonardo. Leonardo introduced a unique sequence of numbers that was then named the Fibonacci series or sequence after him. Fibonacci introduced to the world a sequence of numbers, that start with zero and one, and the next number in the series is obtained by the addition of the first two numbers. Zero and one when added gave one. 1 added to 1 gave 2, the fourth number in the series, and then 2 added to 1 gave 3, then 3 added to 2 gave 5 and simply put, adding the last two numbers gave the next one till infinity. So, the series would be 0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34 and so on. When these numbers are represented in a diagram form, it is called The Golden Ratio.
The Fibonacci sequence became famous because patterns were found in nature that followed this sequence.
Fibonacci Series and the Nautilus Shell
In a particular kind of seashell called the Nautilus shell the size of the spirals in the shell, when measured in proportion to the previous one, follow the Fibonacci sequence. A Greek mathematician, Phidias, developed the golden ratio diagram that illustrates the Fibonacci sequence. When this is superimposed on the shell, we can see the spiral in the shell, grows from smallest at the centre to be bigger as it gets towards the shell’s opening.
The spirals of the shell follow the Fibonacci sequence.
Latin word Nautilus means sailor. It is a marine mollusk (a shellfish) that is found only in the Indo-Pacific waters. They “live among the deep slopes of the coral reefs. The shell structure of the Nautilus has been unchanged more or less, for millions of years. Belonging to the cephalopod family (symmetrical and soft-bodied sea creatures), the shape of the chambers in the shell matches the Fibonacci sequence.
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Trees
Fibonacci sequence is found in the way trees grow. Unlike a mess of tangled branches, we see a pattern in the way the number of new branches that sprout from the previous branch. In the diagram, if we consider the trunk as one, then we can see how two branches form, then three, followed by five branches and so on. The number of branches keeps on increasing as long as the tree continues to grow.
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Hurricanes
Hurricanes also display the Fibonacci sequence in their formation. When we superimpose the golden ratio diagram over a satellite image of a hurricane, the way the hurricane spirals out again matches the number ratio of the Fibonacci sequence. In this case, a lot of factors make it look like that, the way the wind blows, air temperature, air pressure and so on. It’s just another manner in which mathematics expresses itself in nature.
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Roses
Fibonacci sequence is also seen in the way the rose petals are delicately wrapped around each other from the time it’s a rosebud till the time the rose is fully in bloom. No one really knows why this pattern is followed, but it just does. There is order even in chaos.
New Friend
The Elephant is huge and hungry. They get talking and eventually Bantu helps the new animal find food to satisfy his big appetite.
Story: Manoj Roy
Illustrations: Helena
Tit for tat
Blood Donation Camp
Jumbo, the elephant walked out merrily one morning. While on his way, Leelu, the kangaroo met him and asked, “What is the matter Dadu? You seem very happy. Where are you going?”
“I am going to the grounds for the camp,” told Jumbo.
“Which camp?”
“Blood donation camp,” said Jumbo, as he walked away.
“Blood donation camp!” Leelu was excited. “I will go and see for myself whether Jumbo Dadu is really donating blood or not?” Leelu skipped and hopped towards the grounds. Damru, the donkey saw her on the way and asked, “Leelu, where are you going early in the morning?”
“I am going to the blood donation camp. You can come along if you want.” As soon as he heard this, Damru joined Leelu.
When Jumpy, the monkey saw them, he inquired, “Where are both of you going this morning?”
“We are going to the blood donation camp.” Damru shared. Jumpy laughed and asked, “Are you going to take blood or give it?” Damru’s face fell.
Jumpy spread the news to his friends. Some laughed, while others made fun. When Blacky, the bear heard it, he became serious and said in anger, “When this small lanky Damru can donate blood, why can’t we?”
“Blacky is right.” Geetu, the rhinoceros said. “We should go there too,” said Geetu and both of them walked to the camp. There was a big crowd outside. All the animals, whether small, fat, thin or lean were standing in a queue.
Leelu and Damru soon got a chance to enter. Blacky and Geetu were upset about seeing them go in.
“Big animals like us are standing out, while that tiny Damru is inside.” The two charged in elbowing aside others in the queue. Inside they saw Damru and Leelu talking to Mili, a member of the camp.
“Can we donate blood too?” asked Damru.
“Yes, why not! If all tests are clear you can easily donate blood. By giving blood you maintain good health. You will also come to know how healthy your body is,” Mili explained.
“There is no problem in donating blood?” questioned a scared Damru.
“There is no need to worry if your body is healthy. Besides we take blood from a healthy person only. Blood is not taken from a weak body. We take only one unit of blood which is produced again in two days. There is no discomfort to the donor,” Mili said with a smile.
“Can the donated blood be given to anyone?” Damru inquired.
“Yes! Only to them whose blood group matches the donor,” Mili replied. “Blood group?” he asked.
“Yes. Blood also has groups. They are of four types.” Mili explained.
“I think I have heard about them. Perhaps there are four groups. ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘AB’ and ‘O”, “Damru said thoughtfully.
Mili smiled and glanced at the place where the blood tests were being conducted. A few people were waiting there. She looked at her watch and said, “Come I will show you. You are right. There are four types of groups-A’, ‘B’, AB’ and ‘O’. ‘AB’ is the only blood group which accepts blood from any group, but can give blood only to someone with “AB”. Therefore, it is called the universal acceptor.
“Like our Jumbo Dada who eats everyone’s lunch, but does not give anyone,” Leelu said and all three laughed.
Mili continued, “O’blood group is just the opposite of AB’. It can give blood to anyone, but cannot accept blood from any group. A patient with ‘O’blood group needs blood from ‘O’only.”
“Then this blood group must be very useful. It can help anyone.” They said.
“Yes! That is why it is called the ‘Universal Donor’. No special condition is required for other groups. ‘A’ blood group can take blood from ‘O’or ‘A’ and give to ‘A’ and AB”. Similarly ‘B’ blood group can take from ‘B’ or ‘O’ blood group and be given to ‘B’ or ‘AB’. Therefore the blood group is checked first. Once the blood is collected, it is stored safely and can be used anytime. Now I am taking your blood sample for the test. Do not be afraid,” said Mili and brought the needle near Damru’s finger.
As soon as she did this Blacky, immediately rushed and said, “I will donate blood first, then this tiny one.”
“Okay brother you can get it done first,” said Damru as he stepped aside.
Mili took Blacky’s blood sample. It was sent for testing
First Kanny, the tortoise put the blood sample in a liquid. Within minutes the blood went down, formed a ball and rose up.
She said, “If this comes up in the form of a ball, then the hemoglobin is alright, and if it stays at the bottom then it is less.”
Then she performed three more tests, and then said, “Everything is fine. Get your Blood Pressure checked”.
“Why do I have to check that? It must be alright too. Don’t you see how healthy and strong I am?” murmured Blacky. Then he got his BP checked.
“Your blood pressure is very high therefore you cannot donate blood. Only those who have normal blood pressure can donate blood. It should be 120-90,” Sikku, the fox, a worker at the camp explained to Blacky.
Blacky was staring at her in astonishment. He could not believe that someone as healthy and strong as he could not donate blood. He went and sat in a corner crestfallen. By now Damru’s blood sample was taken and the tests were conducted.
“Everything is normal,” informed Mili and asked for the BP checkup.
Sikku checked and said, “Your blood pressure is normal 120-90. You can donate blood.”
“What if the pressure was low?” Damru asked.
“It would be an issue, as pressure too high or low is not good,” Sikku explained.
“Then there is no problem if I donate blood.”
“No! No! There is no problem. You are absolutely healthy. Go ahead,” said Sikku.
Damru went eagerly towards the bed. Blacky was watching all this with a downcast face.
“Blacky why are you sad? Damru is absolutely fit though he is thin. If you are fat doesn’t mean you are healthy,” said Mili.
Geetu saw Blacky’s fallen face and said, “Forget it! Instead of growing fat, we should look after our health. We should become healthy and strong like Damru. Look he is donating blood. We came here for the sake of our pride, but he had come to help the needy. We should also think similarly.”
Blacky looked at Damru. He went up to Damru and said, “Friend you are doing a very noble thing. We should all come forward to do this without fear. Please forgive me. I tried to trouble you for no rhyme or reason.”
Blacky said this and went out of the camp. Damru heaved a sigh of relief. He was happy for doing a good deed, as well as for bringing about a change in Blacky’s thinking.
Deru has fun in the Snow
Winter had arrived and it started to snow. All the leaves were completely covered with snow.
Seeing this, little Deru bear was scared.
“Papa, what will happen now? It is very cold here. Where will we stay?” asked Deru.
Deru had accompanied his father, Bholu, who was visiting a friend Motu, the polar bear. They had woolen coats, scarves and gloves and were looking for Motu’s house.
“Deru, we will reach there soon,” Deru’s father tried to comfort him.
“But Papa my feet are sinking in this snow, and I can’t walk. My shoes are full of snow. I am feeling hungry, too. I am unable to see any pond where I can catch some fish,” Deru cried.
Suddenly, his eyes fell on a frozen pond. There was a small hole on the surface and some fish were swimming there.
Deru, without a second thought, jumped. Although there were fishes in the water, they were swimming beneath the frozen layer, causing Deru to get hurt.
“Son, be careful. Our destination is close. Look Uncle Motu is coming,” said Bholu pointing to the big, white bear running towards them. Motu patted Deru on his back, but Deru did not smile. He was in a sour mood, as he had hurt himself on the ice.
“Where will we stay? There’s so much snow.” Deru whined.
“In a snow house called the igloo,” said Motu laughing and the three walked off.
“Won’t we shiver in the cold?” Deru asked tearfully. They had reached around the house made from snow, which had a small door. The three entered the house.
“Oh! It is not cold here!” Deru was surprised. “Why is this house not cold even though it is made of snow?”
“Son, because the construction of this house is like the concave lens. The heat from the lamps inside strike the walls.
The warmth is trapped inside instead of going out. This keeps the house warm,” Motu explained.
Deru was relieved. He was happy to finally find a warm house.
“Uncle, I am very hungry,” Deru said.
“Come, let’s catch fish,” said Motu said taking his snow cart.
“There is no pond here. The fishes are swimming in the water that is covered with a layer of ice. How will we catch the fish?” Deru asked Uncle.
Motu explained. “Come with me. I will show you how we can catch the fish.”
Deru was about to leave but suddenly stopped.
“No, Uncle! I will not come, my feet will sink in the snow. I am unable to walk,” Deru said sadly.
Motu took out his sledge and said, “You can sit on this. Now, let’s go.”
“But it has no wheels.”
“Don’t worry son! My friends will move it. You need not to walk.” Then they got out.
Motu’s friends helped pull the cart. Soon they reached a pond where they found many fish swimming beneath the ice. Motu kicked the ice and it broke after a tries, causing the fish to jump out.
“Oh! This is how the fishes are caught!” Deru said surprised.
Deru caught many fish and everyone had a hearty meal. Now he was enjoying himself. After eating the fish, they went for a drive. The snow cart raced along the ice. They saw many spots, snow-covered trees, houses and even an apple orchard. All the houses were igloos. They came home after seeing many beautiful sites.
“Uncle you catch fish every day in this cold after so much work,” said Deru, removing his shoes.
“We don’t work the entire year. We polar bears eat and roam for most of the year. The rest of the year we sleep,” said Motu.
“Why?” Deru was surprised.
“We spend some months sleeping to escape from the cold. It is called hibernation,” Motu said.
“The long hair on our body protects us from the cold. In the summer months, we store enough fat in our body so that we do not have to worry about the winter months. We sleep most of the time to conserve energy. This is the lifestyle of polar bears,” Deru was listening carefully to Uncle Motu.
Though both were bears there was a vast difference between the two.
“It seems that both are created to suit the environment they live in. My friends will be very surprised when I tell them about all that I have learnt,” Deru said.
The next day, Deru wanted to go for a drive again and wouldn’t sleep, as he was enjoying listening to Uncle Motu talk.
“Son, won’t you sleep?” asked Motu.
“Uncle, I will sleep soundly once I return home. At the moment let me enjoy talking with you,” laughed Deru.
Motu also laughed. The three of them continued to exchange stories.
Hilarious comeback
Meeku: How do you know carrots are good for eyes?
Henry Hen: Have you ever seen a rabbit wearing spectacles?
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Cheeku: Which book has helped you the most in your life.
Harry Frog: My father’s Cheque book.
Improving the Eyesight
