Meeku the Mouse’s snoring shook the class. The children burst out laughing. But, nothing

could distract Meeku as if he was well-focused on his sleep.

“Look at his face, how innocently he sleeps,” Poppy the Puppy barked funnily.

“I can’t resist laughing while looking at his tummy moving up and down,” said Jumpy the Monkey, banging Meeku’s large tummy.

Meanwhile, Toto the Tortoise started tickling Meeku here and there. Meeku just shook his body once and continued sleeping,

“Urrr... Ngurrr... Durr... Urrr...”

“After a long lockdown, our classes only recently began.

The final exam is approaching. Is he not bothered at all?” Jumbo the Elephant wondered and trumpeted just near Meeku’s ears.

“Elephant Ghost!” Meeku screamed and jumped out of fear. 

The animals clapped while the birds flapped, making a joke out of Meeku. An angry and annoyed Meeku started fighting with Jumpy. By then, the class teacher Miss Pihu the Parrot entered the classroom, and the history class began.

“Today, we will learn about Kumbhakarna, a highly interesting character in Ramayana who slept for six months continuously,”

Miss Pihu started her class.

Suddenly, the children started laughing uncontrollably.

Miss Pihu squawked, “Silence, please. Can anyone say something  about Kumbhakarna?”

“Ma’am, Kumbhakarna is sitting at the backbench,” Jumbo shook his trunk funnily. 

Pillu the Python hissed, “Ma’am, Meeku Kumbhakarna has been busy fighting with Jumpy Hanuman all this while.” The entire class was full of laughter.

“Stop your pranks. The final examination is approaching,”  Miss Pihu began her class. 

A few minutes later, Meeku’s funny rhythmic snoring started again, “Urrr... Ngurrr... Durr... Urrr...”

Once again, the entire class burst into laughter.

Miss Pihu asked everyone to keep quiet and approached Meeku. The children somehow controlled their laughter. 

Suddenly, Jumpy placed a toy whistle close to Meeku’s nose.

“Urrr... Ngurrr... Durr... Urrr...”

The toy whistle’s sound banged the classroom walls.

The children screamed in uncontrollable pleasure. 

Meanwhile, Headmaster Gillan the Giraffe rushed into Miss Pihu’s class, “What’s going on here?”

The fun and laughter came to a halt at once, but not Meeku’s snoring, “Urrr... Ngurrr... Durr... Urrr...”

“Who is that Kumbhakarna?” angrily asked Gillan. 

Even Miss Pihu could not control her laugh.

“Sorry, Sir,” Miss Pihu said, “He is Meeku Kumbhakarna.” 

Gillan, though completely confused, asked with a smiling face, 

“It seems a Ramayana practical class is going on today!”

“Grraa... Grraa...” Jumbo trumpeted shaking his large belly. The children clapped. 

Meeku suddenly got up and screamed, “Give me food; I am hungry.”

Gillan and Miss Pihu laughed to their heart’s content with the children. 

Realising what had happened, Meeku stood with a shy face trying to avoid Miss Pihu and Gillan.

Jumpy wanted to give everyone more details as to why Meeku was sleeping. He said, “I am his neighbour. Yesterday, Meeku was scolded by his Ma for sleeping all the time at home.”

“I saw Meeku’s Papa chasing him with a stick a few days ago,” intervened Poppy.

“What’s the problem with you, Meeku? Why are your Ma and Papa angry with you?” asked Miss Pihu. 

Meeku remained silent for a while and hesitantly replied, 

“My parents don’t like me sleeping most of the times.”

“Why do you have to sleep so much that you get scolded by parents or teased by your friends?” asked Miss Pihu, patting Meeku on his cheek.

“I am preparing to break the sleeping record, Ma’am,” Meeku’s reply burst out.

“What?” was the sudden response from both Miss Pihu and Gillan.

The children again started laughing. 

“Silence!” Pihu shouted at the class. 

Suddenly, Pillu was found trying to escape from the class. Jumbo stopped Pillu when ordered by the headmaster. “Ma’am, please don’t blame me. I never told Meeku to sleep the whole time at home or in the class,” Pillu said politely.

Now, completely confused, the children and teachers stared at both Pillu and Meeku.

Meeku looked angrily at Pillu as if he had to face all this due to Pillu. 

“Both of you come here,” Miss Pihu said, “I want an explanation.”

“Ma’am, I have been observing Pillu and the other snakes sleeping more,” Meeku replied. “I was really not too keen to sleep more; I preferred to play and do pranks with the others.”

Pillu interfered at once, “Ma’am, I told him once that he must have a proper sleep. But, I never asked him to sleep for any record like Kumbhakarna.” 

The class again burst out laughing.

“I got it,” Miss Pihu said, “I remember once Meeku’s Ma complained that Meeku was getting sick quite often from not sleeping enough.”

“I don’t understand why everyone has a problem even when I

started sleeping well. Will you take action against Kumbhakarna?”

Meeku retorted.

Jumpy waved his tail and said, “Let me check with Hanuman.” Once again, the classroom was full of laughter.

“Silence... Silence...” Gillan ordered.

“I would like to know how Meeku came to know about this sleeping record.” 

Pillu replied hesitantly, “I told him about the sleeping competition for those who can sleep the longest.”

“Since then, I have been preparing to become the winner,” Meeku said, “I know there will be a competition to award the Best Sleeper.”

“I never said that,” Pillu’s reply was sudden. Before Miss Pihu asked the class, everybody started shouting, “I didn’t say that...

I didn’t say that...” “Nobody told me, but I wanted to win that title, so I started practising daily to win the Best Sleeper Trophy,” Meeku said confidently.

“This is what happens to a person with little or half-knowledge,” 

Miss Pihu said. “There is no such competition, Meeku.”

Everyone fell quiet.

The importance of sleep

“But yes, inadequate sleep can weaken your immune system, cause thinking issues, lead to weight gain and many other health issues. Most of us are forced to compromise with our sleeping time because of our lifestyle, and that causes various health hazards,” Miss Pihu explained.

“Then, why should I be questioned for sleeping?” Meeku asked. 

Before anyone could play pranks with Meeku, Miss Pihu replied, “Anything beyond what we require is not good. Over-sleeping leads to various issues.”

Headmaster Gillan got up. The children raised their heads and stared at him. “Sleep is important, but too much or too little is not good,” he said.

“Too much... too little... Oh! Why is sleeping so confusing?” Meeku laughed, making the others laugh too.

“Haha...” Headmaster Gillan laughed.

The children clapped happily. But, above the claps, once again, there was something that shook the class, and it was Meeku’s snoring, “Urrr... Ngurrr... Durr... Urrr...”

Miss Pihu pecked Meeku, “Get up and get ready for a new responsibility.”

“What?” asked Meeku innocently. 

“From today, you are to note down the names of students who sleep during class hours,” replied Miss Pihu sternly. 

Even Headmaster Gillan couldn’t resist laughing loudly with others. 

Meeku stood there embarrassed but smiling!