Author: rgsind

Chintu’s Astuteness

Chintu Monkey and his friends studied in a school in the jungle. The school was located far away from where the animals lived. The young animals would have to walk a long distance to reach the school everyday.

Chintu Monkey didn’t like walking even though he was very adventurous by nature.

There were big trees on both sides of the path that led to the school.

One day, Chintu noticed them and had an idea.

“Hey!” he thought. “I can go to school by swinging from one tree to another tree. If I do that, I won’t have to walk to school like the others do.”

So, Chintu Monkey began swinging on the trees. It saved him a lot of time and also saved him the trouble of walking.

All the other animals watched Chintu Monkey with awe.

One day, Tiny Tortoise saw Chintu swinging on the trees and said, “Look at Chintu! He is bold and fearless. He reaches school in just a few minutes by swinging on the trees. Isn’t he lucky? We have a long distance to walk! It takes all our time!”

All the animals applauded Chintu’s decision of swinging to school. They would whistle and clap and cheer for him when they saw him swinging from tree to tree.

But Chintu Monkey had grown very proud of himself and his clever thinking. He would often make fun of his friends and bully them.

It rained very heavily one morning. There was a strong wind blowing too. Like every day, Chintu Monkey and his friends left their homes to go to school.

“My, the wind is really strong today!” Chotu Rat said. “It will surely blow me away. It’s even blowing the leaves and twigs away from the trees!”

Chotu Rat then turned to Chintu Monkey and said, “Chintu, why don’t you walk with us today? The wind is strong and it’s raining heavily.

It will be safer if you walk.”

Chintu Monkey ignored Chotu Rat’s suggestion. “I am an expert swinger!” he boasted and continued swinging on the trees.

“Ah! This wind is so pleasant,” Chintu thought. “The branches are swaying with it! I’m enjoying the raindrops too! Chotu Rat was silly to suggest that I should walk with them to school today!”

But when Chintu Monkey tried to hold the branch of the next tree, he was in for a rude shock. The branch had bent with the force of the wind and grown weak. It snapped as soon as Chintu caught it and broke into two.

Unfortunately, this branch was right above the river and Chintu Monkey found himself falling into the water below.

Fortunately, Chintu was a good swimmer. He managed to save himself from drowning and swam to the river bank.

But he was soaking wet. His books and school bag were drenched too.

“What shall I do now?” Chintu thought worriedly. “I am as wet as a sponge! If my friends see me in this condition, they will surely laugh at me. We are having a school test today so I really can’t turn around and go home!”

Chintu Monkey panicked and looked around, wondering what to do.

He spotted Tiny Tortoise walking slowly and had an idea.

“Tiny, come here!” Chintu ordered. “I want your help!”

Tiny Tortoise ignored Chintu and continued walking. It took him a very long time to reach school and he couldn’t waste even a precious moment by stopping.

Besides, Chintu had made fun of him and bullied him so many times.

“Come here, Tiny!” Chintu Monkey commanded. “If you don’t, I will tell the teacher that you haven’t studied for the test.”

Tiny Tortoise was startled. He knew that Chintu Monkey was capable of doing such things.

“Please, don’t do that!” Tiny Tortoise said and stopped. “I will do as you say.”chintu

“Good,” Chintu Monkey said. “Now listen carefully, Tiny. I am going to tell all our friends that you were drowning in the river. I will also tell them that I got wet because I jumped in to save you. You have to nod when I tell them that. I do not want anyone to know that I had fallen into the river because of a broken tree branch. Is that understood?”Chintu said sternly.

“But…but we tortoises live in water,” Tiny Tortoise said.

“We feel very safe in the water. In fact, we can swim very well. Everyone knows that!”

“Don’t worry, Tiny!” Chintu said with a laugh. “Our friends are quite stupid. They will believe my story!”

Soon, Chintu Monkey’s friends came along. They were shocked to see how drenched Chintu was.

“Chintu, what happened to you? How did you fall in the river? Did you fall from the tree?” Chotu Rat asked, looking very shocked.

“Oh! I can’t fall off a tree!” Chintu lied. “I am an expert swinger! I saw Tiny Tortoise falling in the river. He was drowning. I jumped into the water to save him. That’s how I got wet.”

Tiny Tortoise nodded as he had promised.

All the young animals began to clap. “Oh Chintu! You are a hero!” they said. “You saved Tiny Tortoise’s life! Come on! We will tell the teacher about your brave deed. You should be rewarded in front of the entire school.”

Chintu’s friends then ran to school and told Teacher Dumbo Donkey all that they had heard.

“Well done, Chintu!” Teacher Dumbo Donkey said lazily.

“As a reward for saving your friend’s life, I am giving you a holiday today. I will even exempt you from the test. Go home and play.”

Chintu Monkey ran out of the school gates happily. “Ha Ha! I fooled everyone! They think I’m a hero! And guess what? I don’t even have to appear for the test!” he said and laughed.

He then began swinging on the trees again. •

MANU AND TINU’S BRAVERY

It was a Sunday morning. Manu and Tinu were playing cricket on the playground near their house. Suddenly, the ball bounced hard and went into the adjoining house.

“Oops!” Manu said. “Tinu, our ball has gone into Seth Malmalram’s house. Come on! Let’s go and get it back!”

Both the boys then ran towards Seth Malmalram’s house to look for their ball.

“Look! There’s our ball,” Tinu said and pointed towards the ball that had fallen near a window.

The two boys then went closer to the window to retrieve their ball.

It was then that they heard the strange noises coming from inside the house.

Manu and Tinu were curious. They knew that Seth Malmalram was a quiet person and rarely made any sounds. They peeped through the window and looked inside.bravery

The two boys were horrified by what they saw.

Seth Malmalram was gagged and tied to a chair. There were two men in the house besides him. They both looked very shady.

“Oh no! Seth Malmalram has been gagged and tied to a chair!” Manu said, looking very shocked.

“Those two men must be thieves!” Tinu said as he watched the two men.

“I can see them opening the drawers and cupboards. They are stealing jewels and money from the house.”

“We should do something and save Seth Malmalram from being looted. He is our neighbour after all,” Manu said, looking very concerned “Tinu, why don’t you run to the police station? Tell Inspector Shyam what we’ve just seen. I will stay here and teach these fellows a lesson!”

Tinu did as he was told and ran towards the police station.

Manu stood still for a moment, wondering what to do. He spotted a motorcycle that was parked outside the house.

“Aha! This motorcycle must belong to the thieves!” Manu thought. He found a sharp stick and punctured both the tires of the motorcycle. “This will slow down their escape.”

Manu then looked around and found some stones. He picked them up and put them in his pockets. He then went back to the house and sneaked in after opening a bathroom window.

Manu found a small bucket of water lying in the bathroom.

“This will come handy,” he said, picking the bucket up.

Manu then tiptoed and went into one of the bedrooms. There was a big almirah kept there.

“Hmm,” Manu thought. “The thieves haven’t come into this room as yet. But I’m sure they’ll be here soon.”

Manu climbed on a chair and kept the bucket on the almirah’s top. He then climbed to the almirah’s top and sat there, quite sure that the thieves would come soon.

Manu had guessed correctly. After some time, the thieves entered the room.

“We will get a huge booty today, Chunty!” the thief whose name was Bunty said. “Only this almirah is now left for us to loot!”

“Yes! Let us open it and take whatever we can, Bunty,” Chunty said and grinned.

The two thieves put their hands forward to open the almirah but to their surprise, something fell on them. It was the bucket of water that Manu was taken from the bathroom.

“Ow!” the thieves screamed. They were startled and stepped back at once.

“Who’s there? Who has thrown water on us?” Bunty shouted.

Manu spoke in a throaty voice and said, “I said that. I am the almirah. You both have dared to open me without asking for my permission. I will punish you for doing that.”

The two thieves were astonished. They had never heard an almirah talk before.

“Bunty, did… did this almirah just say something?” Chunty nervously asked.

Bunty was nervous too. But he didn’t want to show his friend or the almirah who he believed could talk, that he was scared. He tried to sound as bold as he could and said, “We are not afraid. You cannot stop us from opening you.”

Bunty put his hand forward to open the almirah again. Manu, who was crouching on the top of the

Manu, who was crouching on the top of the almirah and clearly out of the thieves’ view, pelted the thieves with the stones he had picked up.

The two thieves were terrified now. They were shaking like leaves and wondering how an almirah had stoned them. They ran towards the door.

“Let’s get out of here!” they both shouted. “The almirah must be haunted!”

The two thieves opened the door and ran towards to their motorbike.

But to their dismay, they found it punctured.

“The tires are punctured!” Chunty cried. “What bad luck!”

“Forget about the motorbike! Let’s run instead!” Bunty shouted.

The two thieves turned to run. But they had a rude shock when they saw Tinu standing there. Tinu had arrived at the nick of time with Inspector Shyam.

Bunty and Chunty panicked when they saw Inspector Shyam. He was already pulling handcuffs out of his pocket.

“Going somewhere?” Inspector Shyam asked and arrested the thieves at once.

Manu and Tinu then ran to untie Seth Malmalram who thanked them and praised them for their bravery and intelligence.

Inspector Shyam then invited the two boys to the police station where he rewarded them with a medal and a certificate each.

Manu and Tinu were very happy that day. Whoever thought so much adventure could come from a lost cricket ball!

BLOW HORN

Riya and Manya had gone to their grandparents with their parents. Their car was left alone in the garage.

‘All of them have gone for a vacation but have left me alone here. Now for 20 days, I will be stuck in this darkness. Riya was telling Manya that they are going for 20 days to the grandparents,’ the car thought and felt sad.

The car looked around in the garage to see if there was somebody to talk so that it could pass time. It spotted a rat who was busy eating something.

“Brother Rat, how are you?” When the car called, the rat got terrified and hid inside a box.

“Why are you getting frightened? This is me, the car. You are getting so scared hearing my voice as if I am a cat,” the car laughed, “Anyway leave all these things. For 20 days its just the 2 of us in the house. Everyone has gone out.

Will you play something with me?”

“Later, right now I am going to the kitchen. I won’t get a better opportunity to eat to my heart’s content in the kitchen. I will rule the kitchen for the next 20 days,” the rat said overjoyed and ran out of the garage.

‘I shouldn’t have told him about everybody is out. Now he will not come to the garage,’ the car thought.

It was 12 at night. The car too was trying to sleep. Just then the rat came back running to the garage. “Phew, life saved

“Phew, life saved,” he was panting.

“What happened?” the car was startled.

“You had told me that there is nobody in the house and all will come after 20 days, so I was sleeping in the kitchen. But now 2 people came inside the kitchen. I was about to be crushed under their feet.”

“That’s very nice.”

What? I was about to get killed and you are saying that it is nice.”

“No Brother, the man must be Riya and Manya’s father. I am feeling happy thinking that I won’t have to stay locked in the garage for 20 days,” the car said joyfully.

“But none of them was Riya and Manya’s father.”

“Then they must be the neighbours whom they must have asked to keep a check on the house.”blow-horn

“Might be possible,” the rat said. The garage opened at that time and 2 people entered inside.

“Appu, there is a car in the garage. Instead of taking 10 small things from the house, it’s better that we take the car itself,” One man said to the other.

“Pappu, in that case, get inside the car. Let us take the car.”

“Stupid, if we start the car then the neighbours will come to know that there is somebody in the house. This can put us in a loop. We will have to push the car and take it away,” Appu hit Pappu’s head with his hand and said.

“They are thieves,” the car panicked.

“Raise an alarm to chase them away,” the rat said and started shouting loudly saying ‘Thief, thief.

“Stop it. Your voice is so soft that nobody will be able to hear you and even if they do, no human would understand you. It’s anyway good that they are not able to understand you, otherwise, these thieves would have beaten you dead.”

“So what shall we do now?”

“Till they don’t start the car, I can’t do anything, but you can do something.”

“What?”

“You blow the horn which will cause a loud sound and the neighbours will wake up. Then these thieves will have to run away,” when the car said this, the rat went inside and stood on the horn but it didn’t blow. By that time Appu and Pappu had pushed the car outside the garage.

“Brother Rat, do something.”

“What should I do? I am standing on the horn but it is not blowing,” the rat said.

Appu and Pappu were taking the car towards the gate. When the rat couldn’t think of anything, he bit Appu’s hand and again stood on the horn. Appu saw the rat inside the car and wanted to punch him.

The rat moved from the horn and Appu’s hand touched the horn which started blowing loudly.

“What are you doing, you stupid? If you will blow the horn at this hour, the neighbours will wake up,” Pappu shouted furiously.

“A rat bit me and I was hitting him.”

“Appu, leave the rat and quickly get out from here,” Pappu said, pushing the car. As soon as they reached the gate, they found the police waiting for them.

“How did the police come here?” Appu was shocked.

“We are here because of your stupid behaviour. We were taking rounds over here when we heard the sound of the horn. We came here wondering who was the horn at this hour and found you two,” the policeman said, putting handcuffs in their hands.

“That means we got caught just because of a rat,” Appu-Pappu said, holding their heads.

By that time, the neighbours also came over. They put the car back in the garage and put new locks to the garage and the house.

“Thank you, Brother Rat. You saved me from those thieves.’

“That was my duty, Sister Car. Now you take rest and I will also leave.”

“Where are you going at this hour?”

“In the kitchen! When else will I get the opportunity to live and eat in the kitchen,” the rat laughed and said. The car too started laughing.

Arrogant Cloud

Cloudy Cloud was a young cloud. He liked floating in the sky and causing trouble wherever he went. One day, when Cloudy took a whole lot of water from The Old Sea, The Old Sea felt that it was important to give the young cloud an important lesson.

“When you come across people craving for water,” The Old Sea said, “or farmers standing in the fields who are waiting for you to shower raindrops, don’t disappoint them. Open your heart and quench their thirst. For that is the real purpose of being a cloud. And please, don’t cause trouble or harm anyone.

“Well, I shall see,” Cloudy Cloud said and quickly drifted away. He didn’t like The Old Sea telling him what to do.

“Ha! Everybody wants to give you a lesson and impose their thinking on you,” Cloudy Cloud grumbled. “I will shower raindrops wherever I want. I will do what I please. Let The Old Sea say whatever he wants. I don’t care!”

The people of a village saw Cloudy floating in the sky. Their eyes shone with joy. “Look there! There’s a rain cloud in the sky! It will shower raindrops on our lake! We will have lots of water to drink! Our thirst will be quenched!” the villagers said happily.

But Cloudy Cloud ignored the villagers and drifted away. “Why should I bother if you are hungry or thirsty, huh?” he said and left the poor villagers pining for water.

Cloudy Cloud then floated ahead arrogantly.

After some time, he stopped over a field. The farmers in the field looked up and clapped their hands. They were overjoyed. Their field was parched and they had been eagerly awaiting the rains.

“Now we will get the elixir of life! Our field will receive rainfall! Our crops will grow! We will have grains to eat! This cloud will surely shower rainfall!” the farmers sang and danced.

“Surely shower rainfall, huh?” Cloudy muttered. “Why should I shower rainfall on your field? Am I your servant? Do you think I’ve brought the water especially for your field from so far, huh? Well, I really don’t care about you or your crops!”

Cloudy then made a rude face and moved on. The farmers below blamed The Wind.

“Oh! The rain cloud was blown away! Wind, why did you do that? Our crops won’t grow now! We won’t have food to eat!” they wept.

The Wind who had been watching quietly felt very bad. He scolded Cloudy, “Cloudy, I am being blamed for your mistakes. Why aren’t you showering rain? You are disappointing everyone.”

“Mind your own business!” Cloudy Cloud told The Wind rudely. “Don’t you dare meddle with me or poke your nose in my affairs.”

“Don’t be so arrogant, young fellow” The Wind told Cloudy Cloud. “People will be grateful if you shower rain in places where it ! is needed.” Saying so, The Wind went away, hoping Cloudy would understand.

But Cloudy Cloud didn’t care. He had made up his mind to do what he wanted. He wanted to play pranks and have fun.

He found an old potter who was making mud pots and drizzled all over him.

“Oh no!” the potter cried. “All my efforts have been wasted. The rain has softened all my pots even before they could dry and take shape. I am ruined!”

Cloudy Cloud grinned. He enjoyed seeing the old potter cry. The Wind noticed this and felt very upset. But he knew that no matter how he tried, explaining anything to Cloudy was quite useless.

Cloudy Cloud decided that he would cause more mischief. He showered big drops of rain right above a lawn where a marriage reception was being held. The tents fell apart with the rainfall and the guests at the reception found that they were drenched. The food too was soaked with water and became inedible. There was chaos as everyone was running for shelter.

Cloudy Cloud laughed. He enjoyed having fun at the expense of others. He then drifted ahead, looking for more places to cause trouble. The Wind who had decided to follow Cloudy couldn’t bear to see the damage he was causing. He was very annoyed now.

The Wind then went to his old friend, Tall Mountain. “Tall Mountain, we must do something or this wicked, young cloud will go on troubling everyone.”

“You are right,” Tall Mountain said. “I have been watching Cloudy too. He really is wicked. Don’t worry. I have an idea. We will stop Cloudy from doing any further harm.”

Tall Mountain then explained his idea. A short while later, The Wind found Cloudy Cloud. He was showering raindrops above a clothesline full of dry clothes. “Cloudy Cloud, I won’t stop you from doing what you want! But I have a special request!”

The Wind said politely. “I hope you will listen.”

Cloudy stopped and turned around. He was curious and wondered what The Wind would say. “What is it?” he asked arrogantly.

“Please don’t go close to Tall Mountain! He has a high fever and a bad cold! The doctors have warned him not to get wet,” The Wind told Cloudy. “Is that so?” Cloudy Cloud asked mischievously.

“Yes,” The Wind replied, knowing exactly what Cloudy would do. Then, just as Tall Mountain had predicted, Cloudy enthusiastically drifted towards Tall Mountain’s peak. “I will shower raindrops on Tall Mountain’s peak and make him wet,” Cloudy Cloud said and laughed.arrogant-cloud

Now Cloudy Cloud didn’t know how high and strong Tall Mountain was. He rushed towards Tall Mountain’s peak with all his might and collided into it with a loud bang.

To Cloudy Cloud’s dismay, all the water he had within him splashed out in the form of heavy rain. And soon after that, he began breaking into pieces, like cotton balls.

“Help! I am vanishing! Please help me,” Cloudy Cloud cried as he slowly faded away “I don’t want to disappear!”

The last words that Cloudy Cloud heard before he faded away completely were, “This is what happens to those who cause trouble and try to harm others.”

Cloudy Cloud realized that The Wind and Tall Mountain were talking about him. “I wish I had been a good cloud and listened to The Old Sea and The Wind!” Cloudy Cloud said. He then disappeared completely.

Brave Baby Rabbit

Baby Rabbit was sitting under a tree. He couldn’t concentrate on anything. It was time for him to return home from school. But Baby Rabbit didn’t feel like going back home. His school bag and lunch box were in front of him. He stared at them blankly and remembered the incident that had occurred just a few days ago…

Baby Rabbit had been strolling in Nandanvan. His favourite grass had grown there after the rains. Baby Rabbit was nibbling on the grass when a ripe mango had suddenly fallen from a tree. Baby Rabbit had been startled. But when he had realized that it was just a mango, his mouth had watered. He had picked the mango up and washed it carefully. Baby Rabbit had just started to suck on the mango when a vixen had leaped on him.

Baby Rabbit had thrown the mango aside and hidden inside bush. Well, who doesn’t love their life? He had then watched with baited breath from inside the bush. The vixen had sat down to eat the mango.

Baby Rabbit’s eyes had filled with tears. He had wanted to scream and tell the vixen that the mango belonged to him. But he had not been able to utter a word. The vixen had gone away after eating the mango. She had sucked the kernel fully too and not left a morsel or a drop of juice.

Baby Rabbit had come home and wept. He had narrated the incident to his mother. Baby Rabbit’s Mother had listened patiently. “Son,” she had then said lovingly. “There is no need to cry so much for a mango. I will go to the market and buy a crateful of mangoes for you. You can eat them to your heart’s content.” Baby Rabbit had not been consoled.

“Mother, I’m not upset because I didn’t get to eat the mango,” he said softly. “I’m upset because the vixen took something that was rightfully mine. What if I took away something that the vixen was eating? Would that be right?”

“You are not wicked,” Baby Rabbit’s Mother had said. “You are a brave child, Baby Rabbit. Why would you do something so mean?”

Baby Rabbit sighed. “That’s not the truth, Mother,” he said sadly. “The truth is that I’m weak. I’m even scared to go to school. There is no justice in this jungle. Please don’t call me brave. Everyone fears brave creatures. But no one fears me. If I was brave, no one would have dared to bother me and everyone would have feared me.”

Baby Rabbit’s Mother shook her head sadly. She had no answer for her son. The very same day, Baby Rabbit saw his best friend Snehi Deer running for his life. A tiger was chasing him. Baby Rabbit had hidden behind a tree and watched. Snehi Deer had managed to save himself but had fallen sick after that. The fear of the tiger had given him a high fever.

Like Baby Rabbit, Snehi Deer too thought he was a weak animal and had to struggle to save himself.

Both these incidents had disturbed Baby Rabbit no end. He had not been able to study or play games after that. The fear of being attacked by a vixen or a tiger at any time had shaken him up badly. He often thought of going to King Sher Singh with his fears but was too afraid to do so.

Baby Rabbit began to believe that he was very weak. “I am a coward!” he would cry and say. “I am weak. I am afraid of everyone.” Baby Rabbit picked up his school bag and lunch box and stood up. He slowly walked towards his house. He was still very upset.

There was a pond on the way to Baby Rabbit’s house. He decided to stroll along it just to divert his mind. It was a peaceful and brightly lit spot. Moreover, no wild animals ever came to the pond. So, there was no danger there.

Baby Rabbit saw some frogs in the pond. They were sitting on the lily pads and croaking happily. A cool wind started to blow. It made Baby Rabbit feel like running. He hung his school bag on a tree branch and started to run.

As soon as Baby Rabbit began running, he heard splashing sounds coming from the water. He turned around and saw that all the frogs in the pond had noticed him. They looked very scared of him and were leaping and jumping into the safety of the water.barve boby

Baby Rabbit was astonished. He stopped to watch. “What?” he said. “There’s no one else here but me! Are those frogs afraid of me?”. Baby Rabbit smiled. He couldn’t believe that there were creatures who were afraid of him too. He took his things and ran back home. He rang the bell continuously till his mother answered the door. “Mother!” he said happily as soon he saw his mother. “I have something to tell you!”

“What is it, Baby Rabbit?” Baby Rabbit’s Mother asked. “You’ve rung the bell so many times. Good children ring the bell only once.” Baby Rabbit hugged his mother and said, “Guess what, Mother? I am brave! I am very brave!”

“Yes, Baby Rabbit! I know that. But what has suddenly made you realise that?” Baby Rabbit’s Mother asked, looking surprised. “All the frogs in the pond dived into the water when they saw me!” Baby Rabbit said and laughed. “I was all by myself but there were at least a dozen frogs. They looked terrified of me!”

“Son, you now know that there are creatures who think they are weaker than you,” Baby Rabbit’s Mother said softly. “Will you stop calling yourself weak now?”

“I will never call myself weak again!” Baby Rabbit said with a smile.

“Very good,” Baby Rabbit’s Mother said. “You are a brave and strong child. But don’t scare the frogs just like the vixen scared you. Being strong and brave doesn’t mean that you should scare others. It means protecting those who are weaker than you. Go back to the pond now and make friends with the frogs. They will stop fearing you and come to play with you.”

“I will do that, Mother!” Baby Rabbit said, running out of the house.

Baby Rabbit then went to the pond and made friends with the frogs who stopped being afraid of him.

Friends Of A Feather

 

Browny, the weaver bird, helps little chicks stranded in the rain but her neighbour, Blacky, the crow is against the idea.

Watch to find out how Blacky has a change of heart.

____________________________

Story: Indrajit Kaushik

Illustrations: Helena

Flashing Fireflies

There was no electricity in Satpudavan. Darkness gripped the whole forest as soon as the sun went down. There was nothing but pitch blackness after sunset. The animals that lived in the forest faced a lot of trouble during the nights without any light.

One day, Makalu Fox went up to King Sher Singh of Satpudavan. “Maharaj,” he said. “I saw a huge colony of fireflies near a swamp outside the forest last night. They made such a bright sight. I think these fireflies have a lot of electricity. If they come to our forest and give us their electricity, we won’t have any trouble seeing at nights.”

King Sher Singh sent his messengers to call the fireflies to his palace. The fireflies were humble and came as soon as they received the message.

“Please give us whatever electricity you have,” King Sher Singh said to the fireflies. “We will pay you whatever you ask for. We want to utilize your electricity to light up our forest at nights.”

“I am sorry, Maharaj. But this cannot be done. We have inherited the light. It is part of our bodies. We cannot just give it away,” Jagmag Firefly said. He was the leader of the colony of fireflies.

“How dare you decline our King’s request? Makalu Fox said in a threatening voice. “Give us your electricity or you will be punished!”flashing-fireflies

“Please don’t get angry,” Jagmag Firefly pleaded. “You must understand. Even if we give you the electricity we have within us, it won’t be of any use to you. It won’t work without us. We will perish if we give it to you.”

Minister Gajju Elephant heard the commotion and came to see what was happening.

He greeted the King and then said, “Maharaj, the fireflies are right. It is true. The light fireflies have is made by a biological action. They can’t give it away.”

“Is that so? King Sher Singh said. “I don’t understand. Please tell me more.”

“Maharaj, the fireflies belong to the arthropods community,” Gajju Elephant explained. “I read about them in an encyclopedia. They have a special element coming out of their bodies which can be seen at night. It is because of this element that they appear to flashlight at night.”

“That is why I have called them here. I want them to illuminate our forest with their light,” King Sher Singh said. “They must share their element with us.”

“Maharaj, the fireflies can’t give you their element even if they wanted to,” Gajju Elephant explained patiently. “The fireflies’ light is known as ‘bioluminescence’. It means ‘organism light’ which is emitted because of a special kind of chemical product found in the fireflies’ bodies.”

“I will tell you more about this, Maharaj,” the leader of the fireflies said respectfully.

“That’s a good idea, Jagmag,” Gajju Elephant said. “It will be best if you explain.”

“The chemical element in our bodies is called ‘Luciferin’ It is present in our cells. We can use it as many times as we want. It doesn’t get over.”

“So, the Luciferin stays constant and doesn’t get over?” Sher Singh asked, looking very surprised.

“That’s correct, Maharaj! The Luciferin supply in our cells remains even after we make light.” Jagmag Firefly explained.

“Okay, but how does the light go on and off?” King Sher Singh said.

“Maharaj, this entire process is governed by our nervous system. Luciferin is present in the inner surface of our respiratory tracts.” Jagmag Firefly continued. “When we breathe in and out, our nerves let the air go out with gaps. And so, it seems like our light is flashing or going on and off.”

“I think I understand now,” King Sher Singh said.

“Maharaj, please understand our problem. If we give this chemical substance of ours to you, it will be of no use. We will perish instead,” Jagmag Firefly folded his hands and said.

“I won’t let you perish, Jagmag,” King Sher Singh said kindly. “But can you and your friends do me a favour?”

“Of course, Maharaj!” Jagmag said. “Please tell us what we can do for you?”

“Spread out in our forest instead of staying together in one place during the nights. The whole forest will be lit up that way.” King Sher Singh requested.

“Yes Maharaj, we will do that,” all the fireflies said together.

From that day onwards, the fireflies scattered themselves throughout the forest at nights. The whole forest was illuminated with little sparks of light.

All the other animals thanked the fireflies and rejoiced.

Greater Happiness

Chulbuli Squirrel considered herself very lucky. She had a big banyan tree for a house. She lived there by herself in great comfort.

There were lush green pastures and fields near the banyan tree. The crops would sway in the fields when the wind blew. And grains scattered and fell on the grass every single day.

This made things very easy for Chulbuli Squirrel. All she had to do was to climb down the tree whenever she was hungry and help herself to the grains.

There was a small pond near Chulbuli’s tree too. It never went dry. In fact, the pond was full of cool and clear water throughout the year. Chulbuli Squirrel had to simply skip to the pond and drink its water whenever she was thirsty.

The weather too was always pleasant. The skies above the tree were covered with soft, white clouds. And a cool and gentle breeze always blew around the tree.

Chulbuli Squirrel would run up and down the tree and enjoy herself thoroughly. She didn’t have a care in the world. “I am so happy!” Chulbuli Squirrel would often say to herself. “Nothing can make me happier!”

A short distance from Chulbuli’s tree was a field with a barn. Babloo Rabbit and the barn owner’s dog who was called Tommy Watchdog lived there. They were Chulbuli’s friends and often played with her.

Tommy Watchdog worked very hard during the day. He was also very alert during the night. If he ever saw anyone coming near the field or barn, he would start barking loudly and alert the barn owner.

One day, Chulbuli Squirrel met Tommy Watchdog near the field. He hadn’t slept too well the previous night and looked very tired.

“I feel very sorry for you, Tommy,” Chulbuli Squirrel said. “You guard the field all day and night. You have to bark all the time. Your jaws must be aching with all the barking you do. Its hard work, isn’t it?”

Tommy Watchdog kept quiet. He listened as the little squirrel went on. “Look at me! I am so happy!” Chulbuli Squirrel went on cheerfully. “There’s no happiness greater than mine. There’s nothing that can make one happier than living in a comfortable house and having an easy life.”

Tommy Watchdog who had been listening patiently all this while finally said, “You are wrong, Chulbuli. A day will come when you will know there are other things that can make you happier. You will realise that there are other things that can warm your heart besides living in a comfortable house and having an easy life.”

The Boring Day of Pickly Wibble the Hedgehog

Chulbuli Squirrel didn’t understand what the dog meant. “Er… Tommy, my friend,” she said. “Let’s discuss this some other day. It’s lunchtime now. I must go to the field. There are golden grains of corn waiting for me.”

The grains of corn lying on the field was soft and sweet. Chulbuli Squirrel ate them all and then rested on the grass below her tree.

She looked up at the sky and saw that there were soft, clouds above her. The breeze too was cool and refreshing. Chulbuli Squirrel felt very happy.

“Ah! What beautiful weather! My life is perfect!” she thought. “There is nothing else that can make me happier!” She closed her eyes and fell asleep on the grass.

Suddenly, the sound of screaming pierced Chulbuli Squirrel’s ears. She opened her eyes at once and looked around. She quickly hopped towards the direction where the sound was coming from.

More From Champak: Chirag’s Feathered Friends

Chulbuli Squirrel hopped further and stopped. “Oh no!” she cried as she spotted her friend Babloo Rabbit.

He was wincing and groaning in pain. Chulbuli saw that a big thorn had pricked Babloo Rabbit’s paw. It was bleeding and Babloo Rabbit looked very distressed. There was nobody around to help pull the thorn out of his paw.

Chulbuli Squirrel quickly hopped towards Babloo Rabbit and tried to pull the thorn out with her teeth. But the thorn was thrust deeply and did not come out easily.

Chulbuli tried harder. But the thorn still didn’t come out. In fact, it pricked Chulbuli’s mouth. “Ouch!” Chulbuli Squirrel cried in pain. The thorn had stung and scratched her mouth badly but she decided to ignore it. She was more concerned about helping Babloo Rabbit. She couldn’t bear to see her friend in such great agony.

Chulbuli Squirrel tried to console Babloo Rabbit. “Don’t worry, my friend!” she said in a reassuring tone. “I know that I am small but I will try my best to help you.”

Chulbuli Squirrel then held the thorn tightly with her teeth. She loosened it at first by pulling it from all sides. She then pulled as hard as she could. To Babloo Rabbit’s great relief, the thorn now came out in one go. But Chulbuli Squirrel lost her balance in the bargain. She fell against a rock and injured her little back.

Babloo Rabbit felt relieved as soon as the thorn came out of his paw. He stopped groaning and smiled. Chulbuli’s mouth was still stinging. And her back was badly injured too. But the moment she saw Babloo Rabbit smiling, she forgot all about her pain and watched her friend.

Tommy Watchdog, who had heard the commotion, came along.

He saw his two friends and immediately understood what had happened.

“Chulbuli, you are hurt.” Tommy Watchdog told the little squirrel with concern. “Let me apply some medicine on your wounds.”

“Forget about my wounds, Tommy!” Chulbuli Squirrel smiled and said. “They really aren’t bothering me. I’m feeling very happy now. I helped remove a thorn from Babloo Rabbit’s paw. It was causing him great discomfort.”

Tommy Watchdog smiled. “I’m sure you’re feeling very happy now, Chulbuli,” he said.

“But is this happiness greater than the one you get from living on your comfortable tree?”

Chulbuli Squirrel thought for a moment and then said, “No, Tommy! This happiness is far greater. I am happier to have helped a friend in need than living the same old comfortable life. I now understand what you tried to tell me. The greatest happiness comes from helping a troubled friend.”

Tommy Watchdog smiled. Chulbuli Squirrel had finally understood what he meant.

Indeed, the greatest happiness comes from helping a troubled friend.

Moon

Up in the sky
In the dark misty night
Above your height
You will find a moon that shines

It seems as white as milk
And as smooth as silk
Sometimes half and sometimes crescent
Sometimes up and sometimes down

The craters are the holes
Which are formed by big stones
It moves and it halts
No matter what Falls

No air no Fair
And no bit of atmosphere
It moves every year half inches away
As the astronomers say

– Ayush Kumar

Dwarka, New Delhi

Sonu’s Ball

When Sonu came to his grandparent’s house, he was 10 years old. His uncle knew whatever Sonu liked.

“Take this plate of rasgullas and your favourite ball,” Sonu was overjoyed when Uncle gave him the things he liked.

“Thank you, Uncle, You are great,” Sonu popped a rasgulla in his mouth and went out of the house to play with the ball.

He hadn’t made any new friend here, so he started playing alone in the park. Sonu’s Ball

“Such a big ball! I am sure its weight must be more than yours,” When a girl, who was playing there with her friends, commented, Sonu blushed. The girl laughed out loud.

Just then a beautiful butterfly came there and settled on the branch of a plant. Its wings were very colourful. Sonu had seen such a big and beautiful butterfly for the first time.

He ran behind it to catch it but the butterfly flew away. Sonu tried for a long time but the butterfly evaded being caught.

A monkey was sitting on the branch of a tree in the same park. He had been watching Sonu play with his colourful ball for a long time.

When Sonu got distracted with the butterfly, the monkey came down stealthily and quickly climbed back the tree after taking the ball with him.

A monkey was sitting on the branch of a tree in the same park. He had been watching Sonu play with his colourful ball for a long time.

When Sonu got distracted with the butterfly, the monkey came down stealthily and quickly climbed back the tree after taking the ball with him.

“Oh my ball? I forgot all about it getting diverted by the butterfly. I don’t know whether I will find it or not,” Suddenly Sonu remembered about his ball. He turned back and reached the place where he had left it.

But the ball was not there. “Where did my ball go?

That girl with the red ribbon must have taken it,” Sonu muttered.

It was late evening now. The entire park was deserted. Perturbed on losing his ball, Sonu began crying.sonu's-ball

“What will I tell Uncle?” Sonu was sobbing sitting on a bench.

After some time 2 robbers came to the park carrying with them stolen goods. Taking advantage of the darkness, they began dividing the booty among themselves sitting under a tree.

Just then Sonu’s ball slipped out of the monkey’s hands, who was sitting on the same tree, and fell on a robber’s head.

“G…G…Ghost.” The robber got frightened when he got hit suddenly and shrieked and fainted.

“Something is definitely fishy. Before anything happens to me, I should get out of here,” The other robber too got frightened and ran away leaving the loot and his unconscious partner.

When Sonu came there on hearing the shriek, he was taken aback. Just as he had picked up his ball, the police arrived there. They arrested the unconscious robber and seized the stolen assets.

“We were on the lookout for this thief since a long time. Well done Son, you helped us nab him. You will be rewarded for this brave act,” The Inspector said, patting Sonu’s back

“Sonu, are you all right? You have been out for so long. We have been searching for you,” Sonu’s Uncle too reached there.

“Brother, your little but brave child has done a daring act of helping us to nab the thief. You should be proud of him,” On hearing the Inspector’s words, Uncle held his head high with pride while Sonu was wondering how all that happened.

BEST STUDENT

Mehak and Sakshi were going to school on their bicycles. They I had barely reached the school gate when Akshay pushed their bicycles.

Both of them fell down. Brushing their clothes with their hands, they got up.

“I will complain about you to the Principal,” Mehak said in anger.

“Do that he won’t believe you. Don’t you know that I am going to receive this year’s ‘Best Student’s award?” Akshay said proudly and ran away, laughing.

“He is right, Mehak. He never misbehaves in front of teachers or Principal. Just acts to be a good student,” Sakshi said, “You are a more deserving candidate for this award. You are equivalent to Akshay in both studies and sports. But you are not wicked like him.”

“I know but still I will complain about him.” When Mehak complained, the Principal said, “I have heard that Akshay is a very good boy. All the teachers too say so. Then why are you complaining about him?”

“I knew, Sir, that you won’t believe me but this is the truth. The teachers don’t know how much Akshay bosses around in the school.”

“Okay, if you bring even a single witness against him, I will cancel his award.”

Mehak tried a lot but nobody came forward to support her out of fear.

Buntu told her, “Are you seeing my swollen cheek, Mehak? Akshay had hit ! me. If I complain, he will hit me on the other cheek too.” At the end, Mehak gave up. Everyone was terrified of Akshay.

Very soon Winter Dale High Schools Annual day came close by. Many sports and programs were held in the school. That day the ‘Best Student’ award was also to be given.

Akshay got dressed up very smartly and was singing happily riding his bicycle, “Today I will get the Best Student award. La..la..la..”

Just then his bicycle got punctured. Chandu’s repair shop was nearby. Akshay took his cycle there.best-student

“Chandu, leave everything else and repair my bicycle. I have to reach school soon.”

“You will have to wait, Akshay. I am repairing Shunty’s bicycle. He came before you,” Chandu said.

“Who Shunty? What Shunty? First repair my bicycle,” Akshay said furiously. Shunty, who was standing close by, said, “You are not doing the right thing…”

“Shunty, wait, I will teach you a lesson. How dare you argue with me,” Akshay caught hold of his collar and punched him twice. Suddenly somebody caught hold of his collar and punched him twice.best-student

Suddenly somebody caught hold of his hand from behind. He looked a middle aged rich man. He scolded Akshay, “I have heard everything. You have no right to hit anybody.”

“No, first my work will be done. You mind your business. There is no need to interfere.”

“Oh, so you are bad mannered too. If you don’t stop bullying, I will take you to the police station.”

Now Akshay became mum and waited for his turn. Soon he reached school. Walking towards the function hall, he met Mehak and Sakshi. Akshay took his tongue out and teased them. Then Sakshi said, “I am sad that this year’s ‘Best Student award is going to the worst student.”

All the guests were sitting with the Principal on the stage. He got up and said, “Now I put forward Akshay’s name for the ‘Best Student award for this year.

He is not only good in studies and sports, but also helps everyone and respects elders.

“I request our school’s chairman Mr. Brajesh Mehta to give this award to Akshay.”

The entire hall echoed with the sound of applause. Akshay came to the stage very proudly.

But as soon as he saw the chairman’s face, he started sweating. He was the same man who had caught his hand at Chandu’s shop.

“What are you doing, Principal Sir? You are giving the Best Student’ award to him? He should get the Biggest FoulMouth award,” Mr. Mehta said and narrated the whole incident.

Principal Sir cancelled Akshay’s name glowering at him furiously. Then the award for the ‘Best student’ went to Mehak.best-student

Akshay came back with wet eyes and heavy heart. He had never felt so much insulted. This incident completely changed Akshay for the good.

He stopped bullying and began living with everybody very cordially. He got a good result for that. His dream was fulfilled when he got the ‘Best Student award the next year.

A Dangerous Doctor

Doctor Dunky Donkey was very sad. No patient would come to his hospital now. The reason was that whatever operations Dunky had done, had all been unsuccessful. Now all the animals had started calling Dunky as Dangerous Doctor.

One day Doctor Dunky was relaxing in his hospital. He thought, ‘No patient came today too. All animals think I am a dangerous doctor. Now I will have to do something else so that patients come to my hospital.’

Thinking so, Doctor Dunky went out in search of patients. All of a sudden, he heard a cry of pain from behind the bushes, “Meow…meow…somebody help me.”

“Who’s that? Catty, is it you?” Seeing Catty Cat writhing in pain, Dunky asked, “What happened, Catty? It seems you are sick. Tell me, I am a doctor. I have treatment of all diseases.”

Catty thought for a while, ‘If I go to Dunky’s hospital, I will die of his wrong treatment and if I don’t go, I will die of pain. What should I do now? There is no hospital nearby. I have no choice but to go to this dangerous doctor.’

Catty screamed in pain and said, “Doctor, I was running behind Chunchun Rat. I was just going to catch him that all of a sudden he jumped into my open mouth and reached my stomach. Doctor, please do something. Take out that rat from my stomach.”

The doctor was very pleased to hear Catty’s story. He thought, ‘I have to prove myself to be a good doctor this time.’

Then Doctor and Catty quickly went to the hospital.

The Doctor got engaged in the operation. Many animals gathered together in front of the hospital.dangerous-doctor

“Now Catty’s life is really in danger,” One animal said.

Doctor Dunky operated Catty with trembling hands and took out Chunchun alive. Then he put stitches on Catty’s stomach.

After that Doctor Dunky came out and happily told everyone, “My operation was successful.”

Oh, Catty is alive. This is a miracle.”

Everyone was surprised. “Wow, Doctor, you have done a good operation.”

Dunky was overjoyed. He started thinking, ‘Now many patients will come to my hospital. I will keep busy. Hahaha…’

But Dunky’s happiness couldn’t stay for many days. The next day itself Catty Cat came back with the complaint of stomach pain, “Oh Doctor, what did you do to my stomach?”

Then all animals together took Catty to Doctor Sheru Lion’s hospital in Champakvan.

When Sheru operated Catty, he found a scissor in her stomach.

Actually, Doctor Dunky had carelessly left the scissor in Catty’s stomach during the operation. That is why Catty’s stomach was paining so much.

When other animals came to know about Dunky’s blunder, they pelted his hospital with stones and shouted, “Dunky, close your hospital. You are not fit to be a doctor.” Humiliated, Dunky lowered his head and went to Dighu Dog.

WHY AM I LIKE THIS?

That day Chunky Rat was very sad when Cheelu Eagle came there.

“Why are you sad, Brother Chunky?” Cheelu asked.

“What shall I say? Everybody wants to kill me. Crows and the other birds or snakes and cats, all frighten me as I am small in size. If I was big, they couldn’t have done so,” Chunky said in a dejected voice.

“Okay, tell me what would you have done if you were big?” Cheelu smiled.

“If I was big, I would have bitten the cats, caught the tails of snakes and threw them in the air and I would have been so bad with the crows, hawks and the eagles that they would have never forgotten,” Chunky said overzealously.

“Oh, so along with other birds, you are thinking of making bad state of eagles too. Now I will show you how to make a bad state of somebody,” When Cheelu ran behind Chunky, he hid inside his hole.

Chunky didn’t come out of his hole for a long time. Only when Cheelu went away, did he come out.

He saw a giraffe coming.

“Wow Brother Giraffe, you have an amazing height. I wish I was as tall as you, and then I wouldn’t have to be afraid of anyone. On the contrary, others would have been scared of me.

“You think being tall is good? Do you know that because of my height I can’t hide and my enemies spot me easily? If I was small like you, I could have hidden anywhere,” giraffe said in an unhappy tone.

“So you are not happy with your height?”

“Not at all,” giraffe said. Just then he heard the roar of a lion and got frightened.

“It seems the lion is coming here,” giraffe said and ran away.

‘Wow, a lion must be the strongest. A big animal like a giraffe is also scared of him,’ Chunky thought. When the lion came there, Chunky hid inside his hole.

“You are looking anxious. What’s the matter?” Chunky asked from inside his hole.WHY-Am-I--LIKE-THIS

“Hide me somewhere. Hunters have arrived in the jungle and they are looking for me.”

“You are the king of the jungle, but still you are scared of humans?” Chunky was surprised.

“If the humans catch me, I will be no king,” the lion said and started looking for a place to hide. When he didn’t find a suitable place, he left.

“How’s that, the animal who is the king of the jungle and so strong is petrified of ordinary humans, even I am not scared of humans,’ Chunky thought.

Chunky came out from his hole and reached the riverside. He saw an elephant in the river.

“Why are you roaming about so carelessly? Don’t you know that there are hunters in the jungle?” Chunky said.

“I am not scared of hunters,” the elephant said unconcerned. “What? You are not afraid of the hunters? Even the king of the jungle lion is scared of them. Okay, you must be definitely scared of the lion?”

“I will wrap my trunk around the lion and throw him away. Why should I be scared of him?”

“That means you are not scared of anyone?”

“It’s not like that. I am very scared of ants,” Chunky was astonished to hear this.why am i like this

‘This elephant is scared of those ants of which even I am not scared. That means I am stronger than him,’ Chunky thought and came back to his hole.

“But I am afraid of Cheelu. That means Cheelu is the strongest. She is not scared of anyone and she can fly high in the sky without any fear. I wish I could be like Cheelu,’ Chunky was thinking when he heard somebody whimpering in pain. He came out of his hole and saw. Cheelu was sitting on a tree branch and moaning. She was badly hurt.

“Cheelu, what happened, how did you get hurt? You are so strong that everyone is scared of you, then who did this to you?”

“I got hurt by a kite string while flying,” Chunky began laughing when Cheelu said this.

“I am injured and you are laughing?” Cheelu said angrily.

“I am not laughing on you, but on thinking that the animals that I thought to be very strong are weaker than even me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lion is afraid of hunter, elephant of ant and you got hurt by a mere string. That means I am stronger than all of you because I am not scared of hunters or ants. Tearing threads is a daily thing for me. So whether its sky or the earth, I am strong both up and down. I was unnecessarily thinking myself as weak,” Chunky said happily and went back to his hole, leaving Cheelu perplexed.

Tikki Tikki Tambo

In a remote village of China, there lived 2 friends. One was named Sam and the other was, Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako.

Oh, such a long name! Yes, that was his name. People in China used to have such long names in the past. Sam’s ancestors were from a different country; therefore he had a short name.

One day both friends were playing near a well in the garden. All of a sudden Sam fell down the well. Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako ran towards his mother and shouted, “Mom, come soon, my friend Sam has fallen down the well.”

“What? Your friend Sam has fallen down the well? Let’s go and tell your father,” Mom panicked and said.

Both ran and approached Dad, “Come soon, Sam has fallen down the well. We should do something.”

“What? Sam has fallen down the well?” Dad asked, alarmed.

All three of them ran towards the gardener.

“Gardener, Sam has fallen down the well. Pull him out,” They shouted.

The gardener quickly brought a ladder and pulled Sam out of the well. Sam was shivering with cold, but they were all pleased that they had managed to save him.

After a few days, both friends were again playing near the well. This time Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako fell down the well.

Panicking, Sam ran to his mother and shouted, “Mom, My friend Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen down the well.”

“What? Your friend Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen down the well? Let’s go and inform your father.”

Both ran towards his Dad and shrieked, “Run fast. Do something. Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen down the well.”

“What? Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen in the water?

Run fast, we’ll tell the gardener. He will pull him out with the help of a ladder,” Dad said.

All of them ran towards the gardener.

“Gardener, Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen down the well. Quickly take him out,” they shouted.

“What? Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen down the well?” The gardener ran and brought a ladder.

All of them rushed towards the well to save Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako.

Don’t you think so that because of such a long name, it might have taken them more time to reach him?

Yes, this is true but Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako was a very brave child.

He didn’t get frightened even after falling in the water. He kept swimming in the water and shouted for help.

The passersby heard him and took him out of the well.

By the time his parents and the gardener reached the spot, he was already out of the well. Thus a big mishap was averted.

This incident was discussed a lot in entire China. After that, short names were kept for children in China.kids story

Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako’s parents too realized their mistake and shortened his name to just Tikki.
And yes, since then the practice of calling children with their pet names actually became prevalent.

Tikki Tikki Tambo No Saribo Hari Kari Bushki Peri Pem Do Hai Kai Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako. Memorize this name and tell your friends. Then ask them to repeat it.

This name has appeared in the story 12 times. Read this story with your friends and say this strange name loudly. See who learns this name first. Isn’t it an interesting game?

The Ride

One day Tuffy Elephant’s son Golu went to Chunchun Rat’s house early morning itself and called him out. Chunchun had got up from sleep at that time and came out, rubbing his eyes.

“What is the matter, Brother Golu? Everything is all right?” he asked.

“Yes, everything is fine. I just came to tell you that from today onwards I will ride on you and roam everywhere.”

At first, Chunchun thought that he was still not completely awake, so he might have heard it wrong. But then he understood everything.

Actually, from the past few days, the schools were having summer vacations. Most of the children watched television in their homes. Golu too was fond of watching television. Ever since he had seen the people of cities driving fast cars, he wanted to ride on Chunchun who would run very fast. So he came early morning to Chunchun’s house to tell him about his thoughts.

Chunchun was very small, but he had a very sharp brain. So without getting petrified, he told Golu, “Brother Golu, today I am not well. You come after 3-4 days.”

“All right,” Golu said and left.

Chunchun delayed the problem for 3-4 days, but he knew that Golu will come again and he will have to be prepared beforehand.

Chunchun was wondering on whom to ask for help when he remembered Peelu Monkey. Peelu was his good friend and they would help each other.

He got ready and went to Peelu’s house and told him everything.

After hearing the whole story, Peelu laughed and said, “You don’t worry, Chunchun, I have a solution to this.”

Then Peelu told Chunchun about his plan and they both started working on it. After 3 days of hard work, they were ready to deal with Golu.

When Golu came to Chunchun’s house on the fourth day, he found Chunchun to be very happy. Golu asked, “Chunchun, are you ready?”.

“Yes, of course,” Chunchun said, “I will just come in a minute.”The-ride

Then Chunchun went inside the house and came out with something the size of a rat.

“What is this?” Golu asked.

Chunchun said, “Brother Golu, these days I am not keeping good health. That is why I have called my cousin from Sundervan to take you for a ride. Its name is ‘Skate Board’. You climb on it and kick. Then it will take you everywhere.”

Golu liked Chunchun’s idea. He enjoyed the ride on the ‘Skate Board’ so much that he forgot Chunchun.The-ride

Chunchun took a breath of relief and went towards Peelu’s house to thank him.