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Dinku & Bobo’s Eatery

Dinku bear and Bobo monkey were sitting on a log, wondering how to earn their living.

“I can’t think of anything, Can you?” asked Dinku, glumly.

“Stop disturbing and let me think,” snapped Bobo.

Bobo scratched his head thoughtfully.

Suddenly, he snapped his fingers and excitedly cried, “I got it! Why don’t we start our eatery? We wil need to pitch in some money to buy utensils and ingredients.”

“But which one of us will cook?” asked Dinku.

“Hmm…how hard can it be! I think you should cook and I will serve food,” said Bobo, confidently.

Horrified, Dinku asked, “What do you mean? I do not know how to cook. I can’t even boil milk. It won’t work.” “So, who asked you to boil milk? Just serve it unboiled. No one would know the difference. I have my grandma’s old cookbook at home. I will get it for you. Just follow the instructions written in it, that’s all,” said Bobo.

Dinku didn’t raise any more questions as he feared Bobo’s anger. He just went along with the plan.

Soon, the duo set up a small eatery named, ‘Dinku & Bobo’s Eatery’. Tables and chairs were set up for the customers and a slightly nervous Dinku was all set in the kitchen with the cookbook and vegetables spread around him.

Dinku opened the cookbook curiously and came across the words teaspoon and tablespoon many times.

He looked at the different sizes of spoons in front of him and wondered what was the difference.

Instead of asking Bobo who himself was unaware of these things, Dinku decided to experiment.

Next, he started making chappatis and ended up making dry, burnt ones.

He was proud of at least being able to make something, even though it was inedible.

The eatery was due to open soon and Dinku had somehow managed to make simple gravies and sandwiches.

On the day of the grand opening, Bobo asked, “Ready?? The customers are beginning to arrive.”

“I am not too sure. I made a few dishes but I don’t know what it tastes like,” said Dinku, nervously.

“Who cares? We are just giving customers new choices of food!” said Bobo, offhandedly.

Then Bobo picked up some sandwiches and hurried outside.

He served the sandwiches to Pinky and Chinky rabbits.

Chinky smacked her lips and said, “Hope there are some juicy grated carrots inside.”

Her smile vanished as she picked the slice of bread to see what’s inside.

“What’s this? It looks weird,” cried Chinky.

Bobo took a peek and wondered what Dinku had made as none of the sandwich contents looked familiar.

“That’s our speciality,” Bobo smoothly said, with a smile.

Chinky stared suspiciously at the sandwich and took a whiff.

“It smells horrible. I don’t want it,” she said and pushed the plate away.

But Pinky wanted to taste it. She took a big bite and instantly spat it out.

“Blecchhh! It’s pathetic. You call this food?” she demanded.

At once, Bobo called Dinku out to explain to the complaining customers. Not knowing what to say, Dinku mumbled, “As he said, it is our speciality. It is very nutritious…and we…we had these…secret ingredients…ordered from far off. This will make your skin glow. Trust me.”

The word ‘glow’ caught their attention and they hesitantly ordered another sandwich and ate them. After paying the bill, as soon as they were about to leave, both of them caught their tummy and howled in pain.

“It must be those horrible sandwiches,” wailed Chinky.

“We will complain. Oooohh…,” Pinky threatened.

“The nutritious food doesn’t agree with some people and maybe you are one of those,” Bobo replied cheekily.

The rabbits, unfortunately, were in no state to argue further, so they rushed from there.

Next day, Sanjah wolf arrived and ordered a vegetable soup. When Dinku got the order, he quickly flipped through the cookbook. Unfortunately, the page with the recipe was torn.

He looked blankly at the vegetables and thought, “What to do now?”

Since he couldn’t back out of it, he just decided to make a puree of vegetables and water.

He picked up some vegetables and pureed them in the mixer. Then he diluted the paste with water and seasoned it. It was ready to go!

Unfortunately, the soup was not well received by Sanjah who felt his stomach churn at the very bitter taste of it.

Similarly, things didn’t go well with the other customers too.

The gravies served were either too hot or too sour, the vegetables uncooked or burnt. Sometimes funny looking things crept up in the plates.

Everyone yelled at them and left, promising to never return.

Bobo sadly went to meet Dinku in the kitchen to inform him about the mess.

Dejected, Dinku lectured, “I warned you before that it would be a disaster.”

Bobo snapped, “Don’t blame me. It is all because of your lousy cooking.”

“Why don’t you simply admit that it is because of your lousy idea that the whole thing flopped? Now, what are we to do with all these vegetables? They will rot if kept for long,” retorted Dinku.

Bobo thought for a while and brightened up and said, “Let us offer a 50% discount. I will put it up on the board outside. Hopefully, we get some customers. In two days, we have only earned `50!”

Their discount didn’t work as the news of their bad food had spread like wildfire. Not a single customer was seen near their eatery.

Tired of waiting, they decided to eat at somebody else’s restaurant and spent `30. With the remaining money, they decided to buy a lock for their eatery!

Sallu Learns A Lesson

Khainchu mule ran a sweet shop in Gopavan forest. He was an expert confectioner. The aroma from his sweet shop was famous to everyone in Gopavan.

Next to his shop lived Sallu fox. His house would always be filled with the aroma of the sweets and he could never resist them.

One day, when Sallu came out of his bath, the smell of tasty jalebis reached him. “Wow! jalebi!’’ he exclaimed in excitement. He could name the sweet just by its scent!

He started thinking of a plan to gobble jalebis as he put on his clothes.

“Mom… Mom,” he called out.

“What is it?” questioned Sallu’s mother, knowing what Sallu wanted.

“Mom, I feel like eating jalebis today,” said Sallu, innocently.

“Sallu, you feel like eating sweets daily! But I cannot buy sweets every day.” explained his mother.

“But I saw you keeping some money in the cupboard yesterday. Give me some,” pleaded Sallu.

Not wanting to argue with him any further, his mother took out a few coins from the cupboard and gave them to him. Sallu was disappointed “This can buy me only 100 grams of jalebi,” he said. “Buy whatever you get for this money. Your teeth will decay if you eat too many sweets,” said his mom.

“Fine! I am going,” said Sallu and rushed towards Khainchu mule’s sweet shop.

He was overwhelmed to see the sweets on display! Kalakand, as white as snow, the jar filled with brown balls of Badusha, a bowl full of spongy Rassogullas. His mouth started watering on seeing all of them! Rassogullas were his favourite. He was desperate to eat them but with the money he had, he could only buy jalebis.

Suddenly, he had an idea! “Uncle, can you please give me 100g of jalebis?”
he requested.

As soon as Khainchu went to weigh the jalebi, Sallu moved to the corner where the bowl of Rassogullas was kept. He glanced around, put his hand into the bowl and quickly gobbled up one piece of Rassogulla! However, he didn’t notice that he had also gobbled up a wasp that was sitting on that piece. As Sallu tried to swallow the Rassogulla, the wasp gave him a sharp sting in his throat. Sallu shrieked in pain!

“What’s the matter son?” he asked Khainchu who was concerned by Sallu shrieking. He then saw the Rassogulla and the wasp that Sallu coughed outlying
on the ground and understood what had happened.

“Oh! This is why you screamed. You do have to pay for your misdeeds,” said Khainchu and smiled.

A huge crowd gathered near the shop hearing Sallu scream. All of them broke into laughter when they understood what had happened! Sallu felt ashamed and promised himself that he would never steal anything thereafter.

True Friendship!

Jumpy monkey and Gingy squirrel were good friends. They stood by each other, no matter what.

But Kaalu jackal envied their friendship. He spread false rumours about them among other animals. However, his actions made no difference to Jumpy
and Gingy.

The animals of the jungle were well aware of Kaalu’s wicked and mischievous nature.

One day, Kaalu was standing outside Blacky bear’s sweets shop. Just then, Meeku mouse arrived, riding his favourite bicycle.

While parking, Meeku forgot to lock the bicycle as he was eager to purchase his favourite carrot halwa from Blacky’s shop. Blacky’s sold the best carrot halwa in the whole jungle. Many customers would go to his shop to buy it.

Kaalu saw Meeku carelessly park his bicycle. This was the chance he had been looking for. He saw the crowd at Blacky’s shop and knew Meeku would take time, which would be enough for him to steal the bicycle and flee.

But as Kaalu was about to ride away, Meeku turned around and saw him
steal it.

Meeku chased Kaalu, shouting, “Thief! Thief! My bicycle! Thief! Thief!” The other animals heard Meeku shout but because Kaalu rode fast, no one could get hold of him. Meeku, too, couldn’t catch him.

The animals surrounded Meeku. A few of them asked, “What was stolen? Did you get to see who was the thief?”

Meeku narrated the entire incident while sobbing bitterly. Jeetu cheetah, Jumbo elephant, Lambu giraffe, Sheru dog, Rattu rat and other animals assured Meeku that they will catch the thief.

Meeku had not seen the thief clearly so they didn’t know where to start. They
just followed the road and looked for the bicycle.

After riding for a while, Kaalu was tired. He saw a children’s park close by and thought he could take some rest. Suddenly, he realised that Jumpy and Gingy stayed near the park.

He saw Jumpy standing in one corner waiting for someone. He grabbed this opportunity and went to Jumpy with the stolen bicycle.

“Jumpy, I need to go to the toilet urgently. Can you please take care of my bike?” asked Kaalu and before Jumpy could respond, he handed the bike to him and went across the line of houses and hid behind the bushes.

Meanwhile, the crowd of animals chasing the thief reached the park. Seeing his bicycle standing there, Meeku screamed, “Here is my bicycle and this is the thief!”

Jumpy was shocked. The crowd of animals surrounded him. The sky above the park started to fill with noisy uproars. No one was paying attention to what he was trying to say. Everyone thought he was the thief! Hearing so much noise
in the park, Gingy came down from her treehouse.

Jeetu had grabbed Jumpy’s collar. He was about to hit him when Gingy cut through the crowd and reached the scene. Howling in a sharp voice, she said, “Stop! If anyone tries to touch my friend, there will be consequences.”

Hearing the sharp voice of Gingy and seeing her rage, Jeetu put his hand down and grunted, “Your friend, Jumpy, has stolen this bicycle. He deserves a beating and then we will hand him over to the police.”

“Jeetu uncle, you know Jumpy quite well. Do you think he can be the thief? I can say with certainty that Jumpy can’t be the thief. I believe in him. At least, give him a chance to explain,” said Gingy.

“She is right. We should give Jumpy a chance to explain. He has been trying to talk but we weren’t listening,” said Jumbo.

Jeetu released Jumpy from his grip and let him speak.

Jumpy narrated what had happened and pointed towards the bushes indicating that Kaalu had walked in that direction.

Kaalu was watching closely from behind the bushes. When Jumpy pointed in his direction, he tried to sneak without being caught. But the moment he moved, Jeetu grabbed him and dragged him out. Kaalu didn’t realise that Jeetu was quick.

Scared of the angry animals, Kaalu admitted to his mistake and apologised
to Meeku who immediately called the police.

Jumpy thanked Gingy for helping him.

“Jumpy, there is no need to thank me. I’m your friend and I will always help you in times of need,” cheered Gingy.

Filled with joy, Jumpy hugged Gingy and they went together for a ride around the forest

A Lesson For The Cat

Bhanku bear delivered milk in Gopavan forest. Every morning, he would wake up early and deliver milk to all the forest dwellers.

Like every day, he reached Moosram mouse’s house to deliver milk. “Moosram ji, it’s me, with your supply of milk!” he called, knocking at the door.

While Bhanku waited for Moosram to open the door, he heard some strange sounds coming inside the house. When the door opened, Bhanku saw a cat at Moosram’s door with a pan in her hand!

“How on earth is a cat here?” thought Bhanku to himself.

He smelled something fishy. “Who are you and what are you doing here in Moosram’s home?” he asked the cat.

“Uh…Mmm…I… I am his relative,” murmured the cat.

“What!” said a startled Bhanku. “How could a cat be the relative of a mouse?” he questioned.

The cat quickly tried correcting herself! “I am not his relative. I am his friend’s relative,” she said.

“Fine!” said Bhanku and thought for a moment. “Where is Moosram? Please call him out for a moment,” he said after some thought.

“He has gone out for some work. He asked me to take the milk from you,” said the cat, extending the milk pan towards Bhanku.

“Is that so? Fine then!” said Bhanku and poured the milk into the pan half-heartedly.

Just then he heard a voice from inside, “No Bhanku! Don’t give her the milk”. It was Moosram’s voice!

“She is a liar! She burried me inside my burrow. Thankfully I dug out another hole and came out. She is my enemy and not my relative. She has been chasing me and wants to eat me up,” shouted Moosram. “Please call the police!” he said gasping as he was now out of his confines.

Hearing this, Bhanku was shocked.

Now that the truth was out, the furious cat flung the milk pan on Moosram.

Moosram ran inside his burrow, managing somehow to save his life. “Bhanku ji, save me!” he screamed from his burrow.

Meanwhile, Bhanku gathered his courage and had acted wisely. He parked his milk-cart at the roadside and rang the police station.

After receiving information about the fraudulent cat, two police cars arrived at Moosram’s house immediately.

Seeing the police force, the cat jumped out of her skin. She fled as fast as she could and never returned to Gopavan again.

Meeku’s Fridge

Long, long ago, in Champakvan, the animals were not aware of any advancements in technology. They lived simple, happy and satisfying lives in
the forest.

Meeku mouse was a resident of the forest. He had completed his education in England and recently returned to Champakvan.

He had brought back with him a box, three times larger than himself, and called it a ‘fridge’.

After he settled in, his neighbour Skippy squirrel came to visit him. “Oh! What have you brought with you? It is huge! What will you keep in it?” she asked, laughing heartily.

“This? It is called a fridge. It will cool things in no time. I can keep whatever I want to store, like vegetables and fruits. Open it and see,” Meeku replied, looking proudly at his shining new fridge.

Skippy opened the door of the fridge and was filled with joy when she got a cold blast of breeze. “Wow! This fridge is wonderful!” she exclaimed.

She was called a tale-carrier in the forest as she was good at spreading news. So the news of the new fridge spread in the forest like a wildfire.

Soon crowds started gathering outside Meeku’s house to see the fridge. After all, it was the only fridge in the forest. Everyone would enter the house one-by-one and enjoy the cold blast of air from the fridge.

Meeku was forced to demonstrate his fridge to everyone. He would say to himself, “If only I had not told Skippy about the fridge! I should have told her that it was a simple box to store things. Then the word would not have spread this fast. So many animals wouldn’t gather and I would use my fridge for storing
my food.”

Soon, as time passed the number of visitors to see the fridge declined and now he could easily use it for storing.

One day, Skippy said, “Meeku, do you know my house is under the open sky?”

Meeku nodded his head in agreement.

“The tree I stay on is placed right under the harsh sun. My house becomes an oven in the afternoon and I get baked like bread. Can I live in your fridge instead?”

“How can you live in a fridge?” Meeku was shocked at this unusual request. “That is a fridge, not a hotel. You will be frozen inside.”

“Oh! I have enough warm clothes with me,” said Skippy, waving her sweater. “I will squeeze in a small corner, please….”

How could Meeku refuse her? “Okay. Bring your luggage,” Meeku frowned.

Skippy was overjoyed. She ran and quickly gathered her belongings. She came and dumped them in the vegetable container of the fridge and closed it from inside.

The very next day, Cheeku rabbit arrived at his house. He was a farmer and Meeku bought vegetables from his farm.

“Hello, how are you? I need a little help from you,” he said and Meeku understood, looking at the juice bottles in his hand that he needed his fridge for storage.

“This is carrot juice. Will you keep these bottles in your fridge? In my home, we all are very fond of cold drinks.”

Meeku was frustrated and it was now visible on his face.

“What happened, Meeku? Any problem?” asked Cheeku.

Meeku didn’t want to refuse Cheeku’s request. What if he stopped selling him vegetables. So, he managed a weak smile and said, “Keep them inside and consider it your own fridge.”

Cheeku promptly filled the fridge with his containers and made this a daily routine.

Skippy loved her stay in the fridge. She only went out to gather food and quickly returned. All the vacant place in the fridge was taken up with Cheeku’s juice jars. Meeku was unable to completely utilise his fridge.

Frustrated with the situation, he went to Blacky bear’s ice shop.

“Oh, Meeku, why are you here? You have a fridge at home, don’t you? What do you need here?”

Meeku narrated his plight.

“You are too nice, Meeku. These people are not bad, however, they are taking advantage of your hospitality. Sometimes you have to learn to refuse,” said Blacky.

“They have been good to me. I don’t understand how I can refuse them,” Meeku said to him.

“I have a plan. Come close and I will tell you.” Meeku’s face brightened when he heard Blacky’s plan.

He quickly reached home and set the freezer at maximum. Soon Skippy came out shivering and almost frozen.

“How did this fridge suddenly become as cold as Antarctica?” she asked.

Continue reading Meeku’s Fridge

The Naughty Lamb

Bholi goat and her son Monu lived in the Rajghat forest near the river. When he was young, Monu used to listen to his Mom, but as he grew older, he became mischievous and stopped listening to his mother. His behaviour worried the neighbours because sometimes, he broke their things and stole their food. He troubled many animals of the forest and their young ones.

As the matter grew serious the forest chief Basanth wolf met Bholi, to talk about Monu.

“If Monu does not mend his ways, I will be forced to go and complain to the police inspector Bhima bear. Either he will punish Monu or will make sure that Monu is not allowed to move around freely in the forest,” said Basanth and left.

Bholi was worried now. She did not want Monu to go to jail.

Her friend Polly parrot saw her and asked her why she looked sad. Bholi told him everything about Monu.

“So, this is the matter. Bholi, you have already told Monu but he still does not listen. I think the only way, is to use fear to make him understand,” said Polly.

Polly noticed the uncertain look on Bholi’s face and whispered something in her ears. When Bholi finished listening to Polly, she was hopeful that Monu would change.

The next day, Polly and her friends kept an eye on Monu who was busy disturbing Lucky rabbit. Lucky was running around, trying to hide from him.
Watching this, Polly and her friends signalled Rocky, asking her to go towards the forest. Monu followed Lucky. He thought that Lucky was escaping from him and that is why, she was going towards the forest.

Polly and her friends, Manu firefly, Dolly deer and Bhanu wolf, closely followed Monu.

When Monu reached the forest, night had fallen and the forest was dark. On Polly’s whistle, Lucky quietly hid behind the bushes.

Monu could not see anything because, it had become pitch dark. Now, Polly and her friends started working as planned.

Polly changed her voice, and screamed like a cheetah. The scream was a cue for Bhanu to walk close to Monu.

Polly’s scream left Monu horrified. He thought it was a cheetah and started sweating profusely. While Manu and some of the other fireflies shone brightly, Sonu deer stared at Monu with her eyes wide open.

“Help me please!” cried Monu.

“Monu, today I am going to eat you,” said Polly, changing her voice.

“Who are you?” asked Monu.

“I am the witch of this forest,” said Polly in a hoarse voice.

Monu started shivering, feeling even more scared.

“Please forgive me. I will not create trouble with anyone ever again,” cried Monu.

“I don’t believe you,” said Polly.

“I am telling you the truth. I will not trouble anyone. Please leave me,” begged Monu.

“Okay. There is a green tree behind you. Go and write on the tree, ‘If I trouble anyone in the future, a complaint will be sent to the king Lion and I will be punished’,” replied Polly.

“Okay, I will write that. But, how will I write in the dark?” asked Monu.

It was then that, Manu and the other fireflies gathered together and spread some light. Their light allowed Monu to write on the tree as instructed by Polly.

“I will show this to the king Lion, if you trouble anyone again. Please follow the light coming from the fireflies and go back home. Do not come back here again,” ordered Polly.

Monu quietly obeyed Polly and ran away to his house. As they watched him run away, Polly and her friends feel happy that they had taught Monu a lesson.

Next day onwards, Monu gave up troubling the animals of Rajghat forest. All the animals were surprised and happy to see a change in Monu’s behaviour.

The Hasty King

King Rudranath’s was sitting in his palace when two men entered, quarrelling with each other and stood before the King and bowed.

“Who are you and what is your problem?” he asked.

“I am Nathu and this man Meshu is my neighbour.’’

“This morning, when I was feeding my chickens outside my house, Meshu was eyeing them from the other side. Our houses just have a wall between them. Then he said something about feeling hungry.

I did not pay attention to his words. But to my horror, in the afternoon, I found one of my chickens that has a limp, missing.”

At first, I didn’t suspect Meshu, but later when I thought what he said in the morning, I realised Meshu had stolen my chicken and had eaten it for lunch. I want justice, my King! It pains me to hurt Meshu but the guilty should be punished.”

Saying this Nathu bowed once again.

The King looked at Meshu and asked sternly, “Did you steal his chicken?”

Shaking his head, Meshu pleaded, “No. No. I am not a thief, Your Majesty. I didn’t steal his chicken.”

“Believe me, Majesty. Nathu is lying,” cried Meshu.

Trying to corner Meshu, the King asked, “But didn’t you mention that you were feeling hungry when you saw his chickens?”

Meshu again shook his head helplessly and said, “No, Sir, you have it all wrong. Please let me explain…”

Nathu grew angrier and said, “Please don’t listen to him. He is nothing but a thief and a liar. Punish him, Your Majesty or else he will only end up fooling you with his smart talk.”

Prime Minister Shabir who had been silent up till now, suggested, “Maybe we should send someone to Meshu’s house to see if a chicken was eaten for lunch. There will be feathers and bones in his house if he stole and ate it.”

Nathu glared and said, “No use. I went to his house and searched well. Meshu was very intelligent and cleared all evidence.”

Meshu pleaded with tears in his eyes, “Sir, I am a poor man and I haven’t stolen anything from anyone. Moreover, I…”

Before he could say anything further, the King said harshly, “Enough. This is what all the guilty say. I, hereby order my men to throw you in jail.”

“No… but… I am not a thief… please listen…” Meshu cried, horrified.

Pleased, Nathu whispered to Meshu “Serves you right.” And then he went
his way.

However, Prime Minister Shabir felt something was wrong. He thought, “This is not right. The King should have ordered further investigation instead of simply believing Nathu’s words. What if Meshu is innocent? The King would have then done injustice.”

Later that evening, the King and the Prime Minister were strolling in the Royal Gardens. A little further, the King spotted a chicken that was limping.

“From where did this chicken come in my garden?” the King asked, surprised.

“It must have strayed into the garden, Your Majesty,” said Prime Minister Shabir.

Looking at it, the King said, “I am feeling hungry.”

“Be careful of what you say lest this chicken goes missing. Nathu might
accuse you tomorrow of stealing and eating it. Jail life is not what Your Majesty is used to if I might say,” Prime Minister Shabir said.

“What are you babbling? Have you taken leave of your senses? You know, I am a vegetarian. It was by chance that I said that I was hungry while looking at it. After all, it is nearing dinner time. And what has Nathu and jail got to do with it?” the King asked, annoyed.

“The same thing happened this afternoon with Meshu. It was by chance he said that he was hungry while looking at the chickens. After all, it was afternoon and nearly lunch time. I sent someone to his house and found out that he and his wife are vegetarians. Nathu accused Meshu to jail him. As you can see, this chicken is limping. I am sure it is Nathu’s chicken. I will ask one of our men to find out.”

Just then, a woman came running.

She bowed and said, “Oh King, someone mentioned that they had seen a limping chicken wandering here. It has been missing since morning. Is it here?”

She then spotted and grabbed it.

“Who are you?” The King asked curiously.

“I am Nathu’s wife. Now, may I please go?”

“Yes, you may,” said the King.

The Prime Minister said, “See, it is all clear. Nathu’s wife was not aware of her husband accusing Meshu, or else she wouldn’t have come here.”

“Then why didn’t Meshu tell that he was a vegetarian?” The King asked, puzzled.

“He tried to, but you didn’t let him speak. You punished him, simply by believing Nathu’s words. An innocent man is now in jail. Do pardon me for saying this,” said Prime Minister Shabir.

The King realised his mistake.

“I have committed a big blunder,” he said, “Poor Meshu. I shouldn’t have passed a judgment without a proper enquiry. Had it not been for you, an innocent man would have suffered and a guilty man would have gone unpunished.”

Then the King ordered, “Prime Minister, have Meshu released immediately and give him a gold coin to compensate for his troubles today. And make that Nathu do community service for a year.”

Needless to say, never again did the King act hastily.

Joys Of Letter Writing

Priyanshi was helping her Grandmother in cleaning the house.

They had started early in the morning and by late afternoon, everything was dusted and old newspapers were collected and neatly stacked.

While dusting Grandma’s diary, Priyanshi found a few old envelopes. She tried reading what was written on them, but the writing had faded over the years.

“What are you reading, Priyanshi?” asked Grandma seeing the envelopes in her hand.

“Look, Grandma, what I found! These were in your old diary. Something is written on them, but the writing is not clear enough to read. What are these, Grandma?” Priyanshi asked showing Grandma the envelopes.

“Oh, so you are reading my letters?” asked Grandma.

“Letters? What are they, Grandma?” Priyanshi said, surprised.

“These are my letters that my friend Indu wrote to me. They are from days before mobile phones, SMS’s, WhatsApp and Facebook came into this world. We really enjoyed writing, sending and receiving letters! We used to wait eagerly for letters. What days those were!” said Grandma remembering the old days.

“So Grandma, you used letters to communicate?” asked Priyanshi.

“Yes, dear. In those days, letters were the only means to communicate. The envelopes that you have in your hand are called ‘inland letters’. Letters were written on them. When Indu and I got married, we moved to different cities. We could talk over phone, but it was very expensive. Letters were the only way to communicate with each other. Our letters were full of love, details about our daily lives, and our emotions and feelings. Tears flowed from our eyes when we read letters,” Grandma said, wiping her moist eyes.

“Grandma, I don’t like to see you cry,” said Priyanshi wiping her tears.

“I am not really crying. My eyes have become watery remembering those old days. You children are lucky that you can easily talk on social media and emails, and also through phone calls,” said Grandma.

“Yes, that’s right, Grandma. But is it wrong to communicate through them?” asked Priyanshi.

“No. there is nothing wrong. But one should not be glued to them the whole day. During our time, we had to wait for weeks to get a letter and the joy of waiting was something else. Now people cannot wait even a minute. That waiting taught us patience,” explained Grandma.

“Yes, that is true. Even before Papa reaches office Mummy phones him four times to ask if he has reached or not,” Priyanshi said smiling.

“Ho-ho-ho! In our time, sometimes letters reached us after months. Once, your Grandpa was posted in Kashmir and I received his letter after six months. By that time he had already come home,” Grandma said laughing.

“Then the days of letters were very slow. Modern days are fast. Things happen now instantly. These days are the best and today’s means of communication are better,” said Priyanshi.

“My dear, every era is better than its previous times. In ancient times letters were sent through pigeons. In our times the postman brought the letters. Our hearts danced with joy when we saw the postman at the door.”

“Grandma, tell me one thing. How do the letters reach their correct destination?” asked Priyanshi.

“Through the magic of the PIN code,” Grandma said.

“What is that, Grandma?” asked Priyanshi.

“My dear, PIN code stands for Postal Index Number. In India, it is a special number of six digits. For instance, the Pincode of our Bhiwani Post Office is 262572. Its first digit 2 indicates Northern Region and 26 indicate our state Haryana, the third digit 2 is for our city and the rest three digits denote our post office. So, the letters easily reach the designated post offices,” Grandma explained.

“I didn’t know that, Grandma. So all post offices have a unique 3 digit number,” said Priyanshi.

Yes. There are in total 155,015 post offices in India.

“PIN Code truly is a magic number,” said Priyanshi.

“Like instant messaging is magic for us,” Grandma laughed and said.

“Grandma, will you teach me how to write letters?” said Priyanshi.

“Yes, sure. But on one condition,” said Grandma.

“What condition?”

“The condition being when you go back home, you will write letters to me,” said Grandma.

“Of course, Grandma. That is why I want to learn to write letters. But you will send me the first letter.”

“Alright dear! Firstly, letters should be written in a legible writing so that the receiver can read them easily. The language should be simple. We may express our feelings in detail in letters. They help us stay connected emotionally. I’ll write a letter and show you, how to do it,” said Grandma.

After a few days, Priyanshi returned home. One day while she was sitting in the balcony, the doorbell rang. Priyanshi opened the door and saw a postman standing outside. He handed her a letter that had her name written on it. She jumped with joy at seeing the letter.

She started running around the house with the letter and shouted “A letter has come…. A letter has come.”

After reading the letter, she wrote back to Grandma and ever since they continued exchanging letters.

Miraculous Curtain?

Dhangarh was a small village in the south. On the outskirts of the village, there lived a farmer with his daughter Dhanni.

The farmer was very poor. He managed to live somehow, working hard on little plot of land he had. In spite of this, he never allowed any hungry person to go away hungry.

One evening a fun looking person came to their hut and asked for something to eat. Dhanni and her father had very little food with them. But Dhanni got the man inside the house and gave him her food. Then they felt that the man was still hungry. So Dhanni’s father gave him his food as well.

It was late in the evening man. Dhanni insisted that the man spend the night in their house. And so, he slept in the hut.

Late into the night, the man heard some sound and opened his eyes. He heard Dhanni’s father telling his daughter to try sleeping and consoled her by saying that he would get some food to eat, as soon as it was morning. Dhanni could not sleep because of hunger. But she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

The man now realized that they had given him their own food. Dhanni and her father were hungry because there was nothing to eat in the house. He felt pity for them and decided to do something for them. He looked around but because of their poverty, he found nothing other than a small cloth that served as a curtain on their small window.

Dhanni and her father did not know that the man was a magician. He filled the curtain with special power and said the curtain would solve their problems if any difficulty or need came. But it would do so, only if they said something good after what they asked.

He then went to sleep. The next day he got up very early and went away. When Dhanni and her father got up, they did not find the man. After they finished their morning chores they were hungry.

Dhanni said, “Come, Baba, let us go to the field and search for something to eat.”

“Let us go to find food for you and all the others who come to the house,” her father said.

Hearing this, the curtain presented before them good tasty food.

Dhanni and her father were very amazed, at first. But because of their hunger, they quietly ate the food.

Now, whenever they needed something they wished it and said good things after it, their wishes were fulfilled. They understood that this was due to the blessings of the man. Even after getting all their wishes fulfilled so easily, Dhanni and her father were not greedy and did not stop doing hard labour. They did not take advantage of the powers of the curtain.

Slowly the news that Dhanni and her father had a miraculous curtain that gave them whatever they wanted, spread in the whole village.

This news also reached the robber Shakti. He became greedy and decided to steal the curtain from them and get all his wishes fulfilled.

So, one night he came with his band of robbers to the Dhanni’s and forcefully took the curtain from them. Dhanni and her father could not do anything. Once again,they depended on their hard labour to help themselves and others.

Now at his den, robber Shakti asked the curtain to bring and give a lot of gold. But he did not say anything good, as was ordered by the man. So, the curtain did not fulfil Shakti’s wish.

He made his demand a few times and still when his wish wasn’t fulfilled, he became angry. He moved forward and took out his sword with the intention of tearing the curtain into pieces. The curtain wrapped it around Shakti choking. Seeing this, the other robbers got frightened and pleaded it to go away from them.

The curtain came back to Dhanni’s house. Dhanni and her father were happy to see the curtain in their house again. They started helping needy and poor people with its help, and also continued with their hard labour.

Fullu Learns A Lesson

Shantivan, was a beautiful forest. All the birds and animals lived peacefully and followed the law of the jungle.

One day, Fullu fox from Rock hills came to Shantivan. He had lost his way while hunting and unknowingly entered Shantivan.

Gillan giraffe, on seeing Fullu asked him, “Who are you and where have you come from?”

“I am Fullu fox, from the faraway Rock hills. I lost my way while hunting and,
I am exhausted and hungry,” cried Fullu fox.

“Oh, please don’t cry! You have come to one of the best forests. We are famous for our love and kindness,” said Gillan giraffe, consoling Fullu fox.

Gillan took Fullu to the animal colony. From his conversation with Gillan, Fullu realized innocent animals and birds lived here. He thought that he would be able to fool them and eat good food without any struggle. Gillan wasn’t aware that he was taking a cheater with him.

Seeing Fullu, little rabbits and monkeys got scared and hid behind their parents. Doves and parrots also screeched. Hearing the chaos, Sambhu elephant, Mottu monkey, Bunny bear and Nicy peacock, the elders of the forest, came out.

“Please meet, Fullu fox. He lost his way from Rock Hill and reached our forest. He is hungry and exhausted. He won’t do us any harm. Let us welcome him as our guest, for a few days,” said Gillan.

Seeing everyone, Fullu started sobbing for gaining their sympathy.

“We respect Gillan’s decision. Fullu will stay as our guest till he wishes,” agreed Sambhu elephant.

Bunny bear’s little son Teddy, welcomed Fullu with a jar of sweet honey. Nicy peacock put a garland around Fullu. Sweety deer and Rinki rabbit gave him lots of fruits and nuts. While drinking the sweet honey, Fullu looked greedily at all the fat rabbits and deers.

All the animals and birds then returned to work. Fullu sat under the big banyan tree and thought for a long time. Finally, he got an idea.

He walked to Sambhu elephant and said, “Sir, you are really powerful and strong. You look like a king. Yet, nobody respects you. I feel sad. Gillan giraffe is trying to show off, by making all the decisions on his own!”

Sambhu sat silently, even though, he was shocked to hear Fullu.

Fullu then went to Bunny bear, Mottu monkey and Nicy peacock and repeated the same sentence, creating confusion and disturbing thoughts in all of them.

Sambhu elephant walked to the bamboos and sat alone. Bunny bear sat on the topmost branch of the big banyan tree. Mottu monkey sat silently, on the river bank. Nicy peacock walked by himself in the green meadow.

Fullu also spread rumours amongst other animals, that there would soon be a fight amongst the elders which would cause danger to the life of small animals. He wanted the smaller animals to hide in the faraway dens of Rock hills. Where he would easily hunt them.

Fullu then, sat on the large roots of the jackfruit tree and laughed. He was confident his trick which would disturb the peaceful life of all the animals, and spread fear and hatred amongst them. He said to himself, “Well done, Fullu! You are great. You can enjoy good fights and delicious food now.”

But suddenly, all the animals surrounded him. Birds sat on the lowest branch of the jackfruit tree waiting to keep a watch if he ran. By then, Sambhu, Mottu, Bunny and Nicy reached the place.

Fullu started shivering fearing for his life. Sambhu elephant asked everyone to remain calm. He walked to Fullu and picking him with his strong trunk said, “How dare you try to cheat us?”

“Please forgive me, sir. I thought all of you would fight for becoming king. I never expected such a strong unity amongst all of you. I wanted to break the peaceful united life of Shantivan as I was jealous of your happy life.”

“Then, why did you ask our little animals to hide in the rock hills?” asked Bunny bear sternly.

“I wanted to trap them in my area so that I could enjoy tasty meat daily with my family and friends. I could also have become a Chief of Rock hills,” said Fullu fox owning up.

Scratching his head, Mottu monkey laughed and said, “Ha-ha, cheater Fullu!

Gillan giraffe had a soft corner for you and brought you to this colony. We considered you as our beloved guest. This showed our generosity and not our weakness. How could you feel that your rumour would split us apart? Regardless of our type, size, eating habits, colour and gender, we live together by respecting the law of nature and the law of the jungle. Unity in diversity is our strength.”

Nicy peacock asked the audience, “What should we do with Fullu now? Should Sambhu kick him out of our jungle with his heavy foot, or should all of us beat him to pulp?”

“I am sorry. Pardon me, please. I will never repeat such betrayal acts in my life,” cried Fullu fox helplessly.

Gillan giraffe suddenly intervened, “We have already shown him our strength. He has learnt a lesson for life. Let us now give Fullu fox a grand farewell. Let Damru sing for our guest.”

Damru donkey came forward happily as he got an opportunity to sing officially. Animals and birds whistled loudly and started running away quickly. Sambhu elephant controlled his laughter and ordered Fullu to enjoy Damru’s song for half an hour. Bunny bear warned Fullu that he would be watching him from the top of the tree.

Damru donkey stood near Fullu and started his horrible song “Brey-brey,
he say.”

The helpless Fullu fox said to himself in tears, “It would have been much better if Sambhu elephant had kicked me off!”

Kabbadi Match!

Every year kabaddi matches were played between Ashokvan and Nandanvan. And like every year Ashokvan defeated their rivals because of their captain, Lara langur and his team.

Everyone was congratulating Lara and presenting him with gifts and flowers. Pistu monkey gave Lara a bouquet of beautiful white roses.

“What an excellent captain you are, sir! I have never seen such a set of skills. May I take a selfie with you?” asked Pistu as he gave the flowers to Lara.

“Yes, yes, Why not! But I did not recognize you,” said Lara.

“I am Pistu and a big fan of yours. I have come all the way from Paragvan to see your game. You are very agile and nimble-footed and you have magical control on your breath. You managed to out, all the players from the other team,” Pistu said praising Lara.

“All this is possible because of yoga and control of breath,” Lara said shyly. After taking the selfie, Pistu took Lara’s phone number and went away.

Next year, once again, it was time for the kabaddi match. Lara called his team and started the training. This time, there were two new players in his team of seven players.

He was explaining the rules to the new members. “The kabaddi court’s length is 13 meters and breadth 10 meters. The match is divided into two halves of 20 minutes each. After the first half, the teams change their sides. In this game, control of your breath and agility, are very important. You have to go into the other team’s side and try to make as many players ‘out’ as you can, without losing your breath” etc.

Just then, Pistu arrived there. “Hello sir, how come you have started preparing so early?” he asked.

“We have to start early if we want to win. How come you are in Ashokvan and how come you remembered me?” asked Lara.

“My friend, I never forgot you. You have been on my mind every day. I have come to take you to Paragvan. I want to invite you for my birthday which is just after two days.”

“Forgive me, my friend, it won’t be possible for me to go anywhere now. I have to train my team,” said Lara.

“What kind of friend are you? You call me your friend and at the same time, you break my heart as well! I have come from so far to personally invite you to my birthday party and you refuse to come. It is a question of only two days. After that, you can do as much practice as you wish.” Pistu forced so much, that Lara went to Paragvan with him.

Lara helped Pistu prepare for the party and in the meantime, ate well. He ate delicious cakes, sweets and delicacies. He knew this kind of food was not good for him, but Pistu pressed him so much, that he could not refuse.

On the fourth day, Pistu planned a picnic. Lara didn’t want to go, but Pistu again forced him. Pistu’s homemade food was delicious. Lara enjoyed it and even went for a second helping.

Lara was tired when he came back from the picnic. But Pistu kept talking to him till the night had settled in.

Next morning, Lara got up late. He was tired and so, he could not return to Ashokvan. In the evening, Pistu’s aunt came to meet them and invited them to her house to eat chhole-bhature.

“No Pistu, I am a sports player. I have to eat healthy food to be fit and active. I have already eaten too much,” saying this, Lara declined the invitation.
“But there is no harm in homemade food. My aunt makes the best chhole-bhature in the whole world,” said Pistu. And Lara postponed his departure because they were going to Pistu’s aunt’s house. The bhaturas were really very tasty and Lara ate a lot that day too.

The next day when Lara was returning to Ashokvan, Pistu again told him, “There is a very beautiful waterfall just a little distance from here. I’ve been wanting to go and visit the place. But, it is no fun going alone. Now that you are here why don’t we go together?”

“No, friend. You know that the kabaddi match will be held soon. I haven’t done any practice and I haven’t even trained my team. Two of the players from my team are new and they need to be given extra coaching. I should leave now,” said Lara.

“Why do you need any practice? No one can defeat you. You just need to take a deep breath and go to the other side, and defeat everyone,” said Pistu.

Lara was filled with Pistu’s praises. He had never eaten such tasty food which Pistu was feeding him and he was enjoying every bit of his stay there. So, he agreed to remain there for a few more days.

After visiting the waterfall and the springs, Pistu took him to eat pizza and noodles. While they were eating noodles Pistu asked Lara, “My friend, have you ever seen a 3-D movie?”

“No. I have heard that we have to see it wearing special glasses. But I have never seen one,” Lara replied.

“It is very lively, interesting and enjoyable. It almost feels like the actors have come out of the screen and are right on us. There is a cartoon film being screened now. We can go and watch it tomorrow,” said Pistu.

Lara could not resist the temptation of watching a 3-D cartoon film. During the film, Pistu offered him samosas and cold drinks.

This way, by eating and drinking, visiting places and enjoying life, Lara spent a many days in Paragvana.

When Lara returned to Ashokvan, there was rarely any time left for the match. Before leaving, he thanked Pistu for such an enjoyable stay and his excellent hospitality. He invited him to visit Ashokvan.

“Yes, surely. But first, I will come to Nandanvan to see your match. And then we will go to Ashokvan together to celebrate your victory,” Pistu promised.

On the day of the match, Lara’s team did not play well due to lack of practice. Lara was quite confident that like always he will defeat all of the others. But because he had been eating a lot of food and due to lack of exercise, he had gained weight. He was unable to run fast and soon became breathless.

With great effort he managed to tap every opponent player. But when he was returning to his side, they caught hold of him and pinned him down. He lost his breath and his team lost the match.

Lara felt terrible on losing the match. Then, he was just amazed to see the captain of the Nandanvan team, Mastu monkey, hug Pistu and look very happy.

“What are you looking at us for? Mastu is my brother. It was because he had asked me that I took such good care of you,” Pistu said smiling.

“So, all this was your trick to make me gain weight and miss my practice sessions. You cheated me,” Lara said sorrowfully.

In reply Pistu just showed him his teeth.

“Actually, it’s my mistake. I believed in your false praises and got tempted by the tasty food. Not only me, but the whole team has to pay a price for it,” Lara said loudly.

Lara decided that in the future he would not be swayed by others’ words and started practising from the very next day itself.

Angel Of Forest!

One day in Chandanvan forest, many four-legged animals gathered together. They were unhappy. Seeing them unhappy, Mittu parrot who was sitting on the tree, asked, “What happened friends, why do all of you look so sad today?”

“Mittu, nature has been unfair to us,” replied Teju horse.

“How has nature been unfair? It has given us a good life, good health and energy. What else could we want?” asked Mittu.

Before Teju could say something, Golu elephant interrupted, “Injustice has been done with us!”

“What kind of injustice?” asked Mittu.

“Nature has blessed human beings with two legs and has taught them to walk upright. They look so beautiful and stately. They can wear different kinds of clothes. But we have to walk on four legs. If we too had two legs, we could walk straight and wear fashionable clothes.”

“But, in spite of having four legs, we all still look so good,” Mittu tried to explain.

“You are only saying this to make us feel better. We don’t look good at all, walking on four legs,” said a disappointed Golu.

The animals started complaining amongst themselves. They were all looking for a solution.

Suddenly, an angel appeared and asked them, “How can I help you all? There seems to be some problem.”

Lambu giraffe asked excitedly, “Can you teach us how to walk on two legs? We want to walk on two legs.”

“Of course! That’s a very simple wish. I can easily make you all walk on two legs,” said the angel.

Saying this, she turned her wand around and chanted something. Then, she asked all the animals to close their eyes for two minutes. After two minutes when they opened their eyes, they were excited to see that they were standing on two legs.

“Thank you, angel! Today our wish has been fulfilled. We are very happy now!” they said excitedly.

“I am leaving now. If you need anything in the future, you can call me by saying ‘Hey forest angel, please come and fulfil my wish and I will appear in front of you,” said the angel and she left.

Teju, Lambu, Bholu, Golu and Ballu were overjoyed, walking on two legs.

After walking for a while, Golu started panting. Mittu came to sit on his back and asked him, “Why are you panting?”

The truth was that, Golu was panting because his two legs could not bear the weight of his body. Without his other two legs, he felt heavier and could not take Mittu for a ride on his back.

“Since morning, I’ve been feeling very tired because I haven’t got a chance to rest. Once I lie down, I will be fine.” lied Golu, as he sat on the ground panting.

Lambu was in a similar situation. As he was tall, walking on two legs increased his height, and his head kept banging against the trees. This was hurting his head. He too sat down in one place to take a rest.

Billu ox was very happy walking. However, his happiness was short-lived.

“You are good for nothing now! At least you could help the farmer earlier to plough the field. Modern machines like the tractors have taken your place,” said Teetu bird, seeing Bittu walk on two legs.

Ballu donkey also started to think about what Teetu had said as he too was in a similar situation. Because he was walking on two legs, no one could use him to carry things on his back.

“If I am not of any use, then what’s the point of being beautiful!” he thought to himself.

Ballu could not hold himself any longer and cried, “Hey forest angel, please come here and fulfil my wish.”

As soon as he spoke, the angel appeared before him.

“What’s the matter Ballu? Is there something that you want me to do?” asked the forest angel.

Ballu said, “Dear angel, please make me walk on four legs like before.” Listening to him, Lambu, Golu and Teju requested for the same, “Yes, make us walk back on four legs.”

The angel asked, “Why, what happened? All of you wanted to look nice. Then, why are you suddenly changing your wish?”

“We have realized that we are of no use if we walk on two legs. We don’t want to live like this. We want our lives to have meaning.” they cried together

The angel smiled when she heard the animals speak. She turned her wand and chanted, and asked the animals to close their eyes. When they opened their eyes, they saw that they were back to standing on four legs.

“We have become like before! Now, all of us have a purpose,” said the animals cheerfully.

They understood that being useful was more important than being beautiful.

Sabarmati Ashram!

Dhruv’s Grandpa was a retired army officer and a patriot. He always told Dhruv stories of bravery of the Indian Army and of India’s freedom fighters. Mahatma Gandhi was Grandpa’s favourite and he would narrate stories on Gandhi’s life and work to Dhruv.

This year, on October 2, which is Gandhi Jayanti, or Mahatma’s birthday, Grandpa, Grandma, and Dhruv decided to visit Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad.

Grandpa and Grandma had visited the ashram many times before, but this was Dhruv’s first time.

“Please tell me about this ashram, Grandpa,” said Dhruv.

“Sabarmati Ashram was initially known as Satyagraha Ashram. Mahatma Gandhi established it in 1915 at Kochrab, Ahmedabad. In 1917, it was shifted to the banks of Sabarmati River and since then, it is known as Sabarmati Ashram.”

“It’s so quiet and peaceful here. There are so many trees around,” said Dhruv.
“Let me tell you about the history of Sabarmati Ashram,” offered Grandma.

“Yes, nani, please do tell me.”

“When it was founded, Sabarmati Ashram had living rooms made of canvas and the kitchen made of tin sheets. By the end of 1917, there were 40 residents living here.

Life at the ashram was based on Gandhiji’s principles of truth, non-violence, self-control, justice, and equality.

Spinning khadi and other village activities were encouraged to improve their economic status. Parts of Gandhiji’s spinning wheel were also built here.

Sabarmati Ashram was an inspiration for the Indian public and leaders. Many movements relating to India’s independence started here at the ashram.

It is from here, that he wrote a letter to the Viceroy of India on March 2, 1930, informing him about the start of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

On March 12, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi set out for the historical Dandi March with 80 others to protest against the tax imposed on salt. He did not return here until India was independent.”

“Yes, I did read about the Dandi March in school. But I did not know so much about the history of Sabarmati Ashram. Thank you, nani!” said Dhruv.

They walked ahead a little, and Grandpa said, “We will now see some important spots. I’ll tell you all about them.”

“Great, Grandpa!”

“That’s the National Memorial. It was established after the death of Gandhiji to preserve his memory.”

Grandma pointed to the left and said, “And that’s Hriday Kunj. It’s a small house located in the centre of the ashram. Kakasaheb Kalekar, an activist, social reformer and follower of the philosophy and methods of Mahatma Gandhi had named it.

Gandhiji and his wife, Kasturba lived in Hriday Kunj for about 12 years. It still has Gandhiji’s desk, his khadi kurta, and his letters.

Another attraction of the ashram is Kasturba’s kitchen. The stoves, utensils, and cabinets used in Kasturba’s kitchen are still kept there.”

“Oh, I see!” said Dhruv.

They walked a little ahead and Grandpa pointed out, “And that’s the Vinoba-Meera Kutir. This is the place where Acharya Vinoba Bhave spent some months of his life from 1918 to 1921. Also, Madeleine Slade, a British woman who was influenced by Gandhiji’s ideals and his beloved disciple, lived here from 1925 to 1933. Gandhiji named her Mirabehn. The cottage was named after these two personalities.”

“That’s interesting!” said Dhruv and they walked towards the prayer ground.

Grandma said, “All members of the ashram assemble at this prayer ground every morning and evening to pray. This prayer ground has witnessed many crucial decisions made by the Mahatma.”

Dhruv stood silently on the prayer ground.

Walking ahead, Grandpa pointed at a hut and said, “That’s the Nandini guesthouse. It’s located a short distance away from the main gate of the ashram. Many well-known freedom fighters of the country lived here when they came to meet Gandhiji. They include Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, a lawyer and comrade of Gandhi’s, who also became the first President of our country, C Rajagopalachari, an independent activist, lawyer, writer and historian, Charles Freer Andrews, Mahatma’s friend, educator and social reformer, and Bengali poet and writer Rabindranath Tagore, who was also Gandhi’s close friend.”

“Whoa! So many great people have lived here,” said Dhruv.

“Grandma! What’s that?” asked Dhruv.

“That’s Udyog Mandir! Gandhiji had pledged to make India independent by being self-reliant through the khadi industry. He worked using his hands as symbols of self-reliance and self-respect.

At the Udyog Mandir, he started spinning the charkha to make strings for khadi clothes. Gandhiji’s followers from all over the country would come here and stay at the ashram and get trained in using the charkha and in making khadi clothes.

The Udyog Mandir was established in 1918, during the strike by the employees of the textile mill in Ahmedabad.”

“So Gandhiji taught the swadeshi principle by making khadi?” asked Dhruv.

“That’s right!” said Grandpa.

“There’s a Gandhi Memorial Museum here. On May 10, 1963, Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated the museum near Hriday Kunj. Gandhiji’s letters, photographs, and other documents are kept there.

The collection includes 400 articles written by Gandhiji in magazines like Young India, Navjeevan, and Harijan. Also, there are photographs covering Gandhiji’s life from birth until his death, copies of Gandhiji’s speeches during his travels in India and abroad.

This museum also houses a library that contains 4,000 books of Sabarmati Ashram and a collection of 3,000 books by Mahadev Desai. There is an index of 30,000 letters written by Mahatma Gandhi. The original copies of some of these letters are preserved while the others are preserved in microfilms. Let’s go visit the museum.”

Dhruv really enjoyed the museum.

After completing the tour of all the important places around Sabarmati Ashram, Dhruv said, “I will remember Sabarmati Ashram more than the other places we have been to. I have learned so much today! Can we please visit such places in the future?”

“Of course,” smiled his grandparents.

The Right Path

In 1910, an ashram was established in Phoenix, a town in South Africa. The ashram housed a school for children of all ages. One of the teachers in the ashram had an unusual way of teaching. He believed that education should affect the heart along with the mind.

One day, the teacher gave a questionnaire to all his students. The bright students quickly wrote the answers and returned the questionnaire.

When all the students had submitted their answers, the teacher began correcting them. After correcting all the sheets, he picked up one and announced Sanjay’s name.

When Sanjay came forward, the teacher patted his back and said, “Well done! It seems to me that you have worked very hard.” Then, he showed the answer sheet to the full class. Sanjay had scored 5 out of 10 marks.

Seeing this, Rahul and Vikas, two of the smartest students, who knew they must have scored more than him, were bewildered. “Why is sir praising Sanjay? He scored much less than us,” said Rahul.

Vikas nodded in agreement. He couldn’t understand why Sanjay was being praised for scoring less marks. He asked, “Sir, we don’t understand that instead of praising us, you are praising a student who has got lesser marks than us.”

The teacher smiled at Vikas’ question and said, “I didn’t praise Sanjay for the marks he scored. I praised him for his hard work. He did better than the last time, which is proof of his hard work. I’m hoping this motivates him to work harder in future.”

“And as for praising you, I did not do so because with continuous success and praise, any person can become proud and arrogant. Arrogance is an obstacle to progress. I do not wish that you all stop working hard due to brief moments of success. Stay on the right path and you will be successful,” the teacher explained.

The students understood what their teacher said and this was an important
life lesson.

This teacher was, none other than, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, whom we lovingly call ‘Bapu’.

Unity Is Strength

Champakvan forest was quiet and peaceful. The animals and birds lived happily. They shared and helped each other in times of need.

A few days ago, a group of hunters came inside the forest and started hunting birds and animals, using guns. The animals were scared and cried over the loss of their friends. The fear of being hunted down troubled them the most.

They all decided to go and meet the king of the forest, Shersingh. King Shersingh heard them patiently and said, “I too am worried about your safety. But these hunters are armed with guns. Even I am afraid of guns. We will have to find a way to fight these hunters,” said Shersingh.

Honey hippo who was listening quietly said, “Your Majesty, I have a plan that can drive the hunters away from the forest.”

“What is you plan Honey?” asked Shersingh “Your Majesty, we must all stand together and fight these hunters. We must show – Unity is Strength,’’ said Honey.

“But even if we stand united, we can’t fight them. They have guns to shoot us,” said Lamboo giraffe.

“I know. We must plan cleverly before we act. My thick skin makes it difficult for the bullet difficult to pierce through it. I will go towards the hunters and distract them by walking towards them and the rest of you can attack from behind,” said Honey.

“If I get hurt, Dr Damru needs to be there to quickly remove the bullet from my body,” said Honey.

“You are putting your life at risk. Let us hope we don’t fail you,” said king Shersingh.

As planned, the next day, the crow took up the duty of a spy. He found out the camping spot of the hunters and passed the message to king Shersingh. All the animals hid in different places as planned by Honey.

Lamboo giraffe hid behind a tree, Fatty elephant hid behind a cluster of tall trees and Jumpy hid behind the bunch of bushy leaves. Cheeku rabbit took cover inside a bush. His Majesty, King Shersingh concealed himself behind a big mound.

The hunters were walking with guns in their hands. They looked alert and ready to shoot at the slightest sound.

As planned, Honey came before the hunters, then turned back and started running in the direction of his friend’s hiding places.

The hunters chased Honey, but Honey quickly gave them an escape and hid between the tall grasses.

One of the hunters reached the mound, where king Shersingh was hiding. As he climbed onto the mound to take a better look, his gaze fell on Shersingh. A chill ran down his spine. He dropped the gun and fell down rolling over the mound. The hunter managed to run away. Seeing the plight of the hunter, King Shersingh could not control his laughter.

The other hunters too were shaken when they saw their friend running. Taking charge of the situation, all the animals came out of their hiding places and attacked the hunters. In the chaos that followed, the hunters dropped their guns and ran away. The animals chased them out of the forest.

When the animals returned back to the forest, they saw the guns lying there on the ground. Jumpy collected all the guns and started imitating the hunters. He held a gun in his hands and by mistake pulled the trigger. The animals were in for a shock when they heard the sound of the gun shot. King Shersingh hid himself in a pit.

All the animals started laughing when they found out the reason behind the gun shot. Lamboo said, “We too have guns to fight now and need not be afraid of anyone.”

But Shersingh was lost in his thoughts. He thought about what could have happened if Jumpy had shot anyone.

He said, “We don’t need these guns that take the lives of others. I don’t want any of us to be killed by a gun shot. Let’s not create a situation where someone thinks they are more powerful because they have a gun. It’s better to dump them in the lake.”

Everyone agreed with Shersingh and they collected and threw the guns deep into the lake.

Minti’s Initiative

As soon as Minti mynah came out of her nest, she saw Bizy hawk circling the sky. Seeing him, she flew away in the other direction. After she had flown a short distance, she felt someone was following her. It had to be Bizy, she knew.

Minti suddenly changed her course. Instead of going towards the village, she went in the opposite direction. She increased her speed. She did not lose courage and flew with full might. Bizy chased her for quite some time but when Minti started flying over a barren and deserted region, he stopped chasing her. Bizy knew that it was difficult for him to fly in the open sky on barren land. So, he turned back.

Minti kept on flying. She did not turn her head to see if Bizy was still chasing her. After some time, her strength gave up and she fell down.

For a long time, she laid there motionless. When she came to her senses, she found herself on a barren hill. There were no trees there, not even a plant. All one could see were a few stumps of dry grass. Her throat was parched and she was feeling very thirsty. With great difficulty she pulled herself up. Her wings ached and she was not in the condition to fly. Somehow she managed to drag herself under the shade of a rock.

After resting for a while, she felt better. She said to herself, “Which place is this?”

“This is the Dry hill.” a voice spoke.

She looked around but could not see anyone. “Who is that?” she asked.

“I am the Dry hill,” came the reply. “A living creature has come here after a very long time. Tell me, how can I help you?”

“Just give me some water. I am very thirsty,” said Minti.

“There is no water on this hill,” said the hill.

“Oh, you are really very dry!” said Minti.

“I know. But I wasn’t always like this,” said the Dry hill sadly.

“Really!” exclaimed Minti.

“I am telling you the truth. There were beautiful trees here and greenery everywhere. Birds sang on the trees and water flowed in the rivers,” said the hill.

“Looking at you, no one can believe that!” said Minti.

“Not only you, there’s no one else who believes this. My present condition is due to my beauty,” said the hill.

“How come?” asked Minti.

“Many people from different places came here and settled. Slowly, this place became overpopulated. People started cutting trees for space and other needs. Large scale tree cutting led to a reduction in rainfall,” said the hill.

“What happened then?” asked Minti.

“As long as there was greenery, people stayed. But with no water and trees, I became dry and everyone left. My land became barren. And now, there are no trees and no bushes. There’s only a little dry grass here and there,” said the hill sadly.

“I feel sad for you. You witnessed your destruction with your own eyes. I came here to save my life. I did not know where I was going,” said Minty.

“Who were you saving your life from?” asked the hill.

“A hawk was chasing me. I came to this place because I knew that Bizy hawk would not follow me here.”

“Why?” asked the hill.

“Because, there are no trees here and he would not be able to fly with such a big mynah for too long. He would need to sit down on a tree. So, he stopped chasing me. If there was a tree here, then I wouldn’t be alive today,” explained Minti.

“Well, at least after all these years I have been of use to someone!” said the hill.

“Don’t say that. You can be of use to anyone even today,” said Minti.

“I was saved because of you and for this, I will certainly do something for you,” said Minti.

“After summer is over, I will come here with my friends,” she said.

“And then, what will happen?” asked the hill.

“Just wait and see. This is my promise to you,” saying this, Minti gathered her strength and left the place, bidding goodbye to the dry hill.

After some distance she saw a river and had a good drink.

Dry Hill was very pleased after his talk with Minti.

There were still two months left before summer got over. He remembered Minti and her promise every day. Sometimes, a doubt would come to his mind if she would keep her promise and come back. But he could just wait and see.

Summer ended and it started raining. Dry Hill felt relief from the heat. Then one day, he saw a hoard of mynahs flying towards him. He was overjoyed to see them.

“Hello, do you recognize me?” asked Minti, as soon as she came on the hill.

“Of course! I have been thinking about you all this time,” said the hill.

“I was waiting for the rains. I came here as soon as the rains started,” said Minti.

And she and her friends scattered many seeds that they had brought with them, on the hill.

“What are you doing?” asked Dry Hill.

“We have come here to scatter seeds. They will sprout with the rains and one day, become big trees.”

“Will this really happen?” asked the hill.

“Yes! With rains, the seeds can get a chance to germinate. We will come again and bring more seeds. One day you will see that you have become green again and that you no longer are a dry hill. Lots of creatures will come and live here.” promised Minti.

Whenever Minti could manage, she visited Dry Hill and every time she brought seeds with her.

That year, the rains were good and many seeds sprouted. Then, they started growing. Minti had scattered different varieties of seeds. Some became bushes and shrubs. Others started growing as trees.

Minti visited Dry Hill regularly and saw it becoming green. The dry hill slowly changed to a lush green hill. Small creatures came there and later, bigger ones followed them. Her efforts had given new life to Dry Hill.

One day Minti came there with her children. “These are my children. I will not live long enough to see these plants become big trees. I got my children here to meet you. It will take some time for a forest to grow here. When it does, my children and their children will live here. Promise me, that you will take care of them,” said Minti.

“I promise that I will take care of them,” the hill said in a choking voice.

A small mynah had changed a dry hill to a green forest.

Tickling Kabbadi!

“Let’s play kabaddi,” said Rohit as soon as he reached the playground. Rahul promptly agreed as it was his favourite game too. He was a star player, scoring winning points for his team.

Both were captains and teamed up with their friends, forming two teams.

Rahul was a great kabaddi player. He always came back without being caught, but in spite of it, his team lost.

His team gathered around and they figured that Rohit, the other team captain, was good at playing ‘tickling kabaddi’, and that is why their team always won.

Vikas, a friend who wasn’t playing, overheard Rahul and his friends’ conversation and asked, “What is this tickling kabaddi? How is it played?”

“Play with us and you will know,” said Rahul who knew Vikas was a good player and would help them beat the other team.

Vikas substituted for one of their friends who was tired and they started a new game.

Rohit from the other team took the first turn to raid and headed towards Vikas, continuously murmuring ‘kabaddi…kabaddi’ under his breath. Vikas tackled him and held him tight around his waist. Rohit started tickling him while still murmuring ‘kabaddi…kabaddi’. Due to the tickling, Vikas lost his grip on Rohit who broke free and ran back to his own side.

Vikas now knew what was tickling kabaddi.

But he wasn’t willing to give up. He called for a discussion and they huddled together in a circle and began discussing a game plan. “We have to win this round. If everything goes according to plan, we may have a chance of winning,” he said, explaining the plan to his team.

The game resumed. As soon as a player from Rohit’s side raided the opponents, Vikas and his team tackled him, winning a point.

Now, it was Vikas’s turn to raid. When he was tackled, he used Rohit’s tickling technique and tickled his opponent, who lost his grip over him. Vikas scored another point for his team.

It was Rohit’s turn to raid again but he lost because he couldn’t tickle anyone as Vikas and Rahul held his hands behind his back. Vikas’s team scored and Rohit was sent out.

After Rohit went out, all other members of his team crumbled one after another.

In the second half of the game, as per the rules, the teams changed sides. Rohit tried to use his tickling trick but it didn’t work. The other team knew how to pin his hands behind and hold him there. His team members wondered what was going wrong. Rohit wasn’t scoring anymore.

What they didn’t know was that Rohit used this trick but never shared it with them. But the opposing team members now knew it and were using Rohit’s tickling trick against him.

The game came to an end with Rahul and Vikas’s team winning.

Rohit was disappointed. He couldn’t call out on the opposing teams’ method of tickling as cheating because he too was guilty of it. He was about to leave when Rahul called him.

“Do you think you may have been flouting the rules?” he asked.

Rohit gave it a thought and said, “I knew that tickling wasn’t part of the game but when I tried it the first time, it worked so well. I scored for my team and became popular. But now I know it’s not an ethical way to play.”

“It’s okay, Rohit. As long as you accept your mistake, you have nothing to be sad about. We just wanted to show you that tickling in kabaddi was wrong,” said Rahul, putting his arms around Rohit.

Rohit was happy and said, “You’re a good friend, Rahul. I promise that I will never play tickling kabaddi again.”

“Bravo! Congratulations!” said Vikas. “Friends, this is a great victory for Rohit who too understands what is a true sportsman!”

Everyone clapped for Rohit and Rahul. The two teams finished another match, and this time, it sure wasn’t tickling kabaddi

A Lesson Learnt!

Keggy kangaroo ran a grocery store in Champakvan. He was a greedy and shrewd shopkeeper.

He would cheat his customers by charging higher prices for everyday items and would also weigh them incorrectly.

Since there was no other grocery store in the forest, everyone was forced to buy their supplies from Keggy’s store.

One day, Meeku mouse came to the store to buy some rice.

“Two kilos of rice, please.”

When Keggy started weighing the rice, Meeku said, “Keggy, please weigh it properly. Something is wrong with your scales as last time you gave me less quantity of rice.”

Keggy was furious. “Meeku, the scales are just fine! If you don’t trust me, go buy rice from another store,” he yelled.

Meeku quietly took the rice and left as he did not have any other option.

Next day, Blacky bear went to Keggy’s store with his children. It was his son’s birthday. He gave a list of items to Keggy and said, “Please give me these, quickly!”

Keggy put everything in a bag and said, “Blacky, your total bill is `1000.”

“One thousand? But I had calculated the bill to be `800,” Blacky replied.

“The prices of some of the items have gone up. So, it’s `1000 now,” said Keggy.

“How is that possible? The prices were less until yesterday. How can they suddenly increase today?” asked Blacky.

“I don’t know all that. If you want to buy from here, then do so, otherwise, go elsewhere,” said Keggy, arrogantly.

Jumpy monkey was also present at the store. “Keggy, how can the prices go up in one day?” he asked.

Keggy glared at Jumpy and said, “I don’t need to explain anything to anyone. Buy your stuff and leave.”

Finally, Blacky had no option, but to pay `1000.

Two days later, a monkey came to Keggy’s shop. He looked like an outsider with his sunglasses, hat, suit, and boots. A backpack hung from his shoulder.

“Yes? What do you want?” asked Keggy.

“My name’s Peter. I’ve come from abroad. I’ll be staying in this forest for a month. So I need a month’s worth of groceries,” said the monkey, handing over a list to him.

Keggy packed everything and said, “Your bill is `5000.”

Peter took the packets and said, “I’ve spent all my money to come here from abroad and I have no money to spare. But I do have a statue, which I can offer you in exchange for the groceries.”

He then took out a gleaming statue from his bag and handed it to Keggy.

Keggy’s eyes widened when he realised that the statue was made of pure gold.

“This gold statue is worth lakhs! I’ll take it at once!” he thought.

“It’s all right if you don’t have the money,” said Keggy, “I’ll keep this statue and you can take the groceries.”

“Thanks a lot! Here, let me keep the statue safely inside this bag for you.”

Peter put the statue inside the bag and gave it to Keggy. He then took the groceries and went.

Keggy was excited after receiving the statue. He decided to go to the city and sell it.

The next morning, he went straight to the goldsmith, Hatim horse’s shop in the city.

“I have a gold statue worth lakhs and I want to sell it.”

“Show it to me,” said Hatim.

Keggy took the statue out of the bag and showed it to him.

“Keggy, this is a fake statue. It doesn’t even cost `50,” said Hatim, examining the statue.

The ground beneath Keggy’s feet shattered. “A foreigner monkey came yesterday to my shop and bought groceries worth `5000. He didn’t have money so he gave me this gold statue. But I had examined it carefully when he showed it to me—and it was pure gold!”

“These con men are very crafty. He must have shown you a real gold statue but then he must have exchanged it with a fake one, before handing it to you. You have been cheated,” Hatim explained.

“I will not spare him!” said Keggy, furiously.

Keggy went to Shersingh lion, the Prime Minister of the forest. “Sir, I have been cheated by a foreigner monkey named Peter. He bought groceries worth `5000 from my store and in exchange gave me a fake gold statue.”

Shersingh called for Peter and the other animals of the forest.

Peter arrived soon. Seeing him, Keggy shouted, “Thief! He’s the one who gave me a fake statue and cheated me!”

“Sir, I did not cheat Keggy!” said Peter defensively, “After taking the groceries, I asked him if he would accept the statue as payment. I never said that it was made of gold. Keggy agreed to take the statue on his own. I did not force him.”

“Yes, but I had examined the statue and found that it was made of gold and so I agreed to accept it,” Keggy argued.

After hearing both of them, Shersingh said, “It is Keggy’s mistake that he accepted the statue in his greed. Peter didn’t make any promise that it was a gold statue. He only showed him the statue. So, Peter is not at fault.”

Keggy did not have anything to say. He sat down and started crying.

Seeing this, Peter removed his wig, sunglasses, and hat, and everyone was shocked. “Hey look! It’s Jumpy!” they said.

“I disguised myself as Peter to teach Keggy a lesson. I was sure that a gold statue would make Keggy greedy. I wanted to show him that just the way he cheats his customers, it’s possible for someone else to cheat him too. I showed him a real gold statue first, then later while giving it to him, I replaced it with a fake one. If Keggy promises never to cheat his customers in the future, I will give him his `5000,” said Jumpy.

Keggy realised his mistake and apologised to everyone.

“I’ve realised my mistake and I promise to never cheat my customers again. I’ll weigh and charge for the goods honestly,” Keggy promised

I Can!

“I don’t think I can do it,” Dodo donkey brayed loudly. Milo monkey woke up from his evening nap and complained, “Oh, Dodo, you woke me up!”

“How can you be concerned about your sleep, when I can’t do what others can do?” Dodo cried.

Still sleepy and annoyed, Milo asked, “Now, what happened?”

“I can’t walk long distances while carrying heavy loads on my back,” Dodo said,
“I am sure, my bones will break if I do.”

“Can you do anything in your life?” asked Milo, exasperated.

Dodo kept quiet. “You must have some confidence in yourself, Dodo,” said Flora flamingo, who was sitting nearby.

Flora was famous for her bright pink feathers, thin long legs and her S-shaped neck. Flora gave two lotuses to Dodo and asked, “Do you think you can give one lotus to Milo?”

“Yes, I can,” said Dodo, and gave one lotus to Milo.

“Hurray… Hurray… Finally, I heard Dodo say ‘I Can’,” clapped Flora. Both Milo and she laughed, and congratulated Dodo, who also smiled.

“Why are you not confident, Dodo?” asked Flora.

Making a sad face, Dodo replied, “Everyone makes jokes on us, as if donkeys are of no use. Also, people often use the term ‘donkey’ or an ‘ass’ to insult others, to say they are slow or stupid and crack a joke on them.”

Flora flapped her pretty wings and thought for a while.

“Come on, let’s go for an evening stroll,” she suggested, and the three of them started walking towards the lake.

On the way, they met Ansy ant and her friends who were carrying food home.

“Dodo, do you see the load on Ansy’s back? Ants can carry weight that is 10 to 50 times their own body weight.” Dodo watched Ansy and friends, with awe. “Such tiny creatures can do such a wonderful job!” he thought.

“Croak… Croak…” Suddenly Futtu frog came along. “I am practicing for the long jump event in the next Annual Sports Meet,” said Futtu.

“That’s really amazing. Best wishes, Futtu” said Flora.

“A frog can jump almost 44 times its body length,” explained Flora.

Though, Dodo had seen frogs jump earlier, he noticed Futtu’s jumping talent only today.

“Such a small creature can do such a wonderful job!” thought Dodo again. “But, they are talented by birth and I am born a fool,” Dodo still believed.

“You must realise your strength and appreciate yourself,” said Flora. “Because if you believe in other’s negative comments about you, you will always doubt yourself and remain in fear.”

“Dodo you don’t even live with other donkeys,” said Milo.

He then pointed his fingers to the hill and continued, “Donkeys are strong and carry logs and grass. Do you know how long they need to walk and carry the load?”

“I know, yet nobody appreciates them. They are still called fools,” Dodo replied glumly. “I simply cannot bear the pain of being called a fool. So I just walk around and eat and drink whatever I find.”

“Do you know that donkeys are incredible animals who have excellent memory and tremendous physical strength? Believe that about yourself and work hard with a positive mind. Always say ‘I Can’.”

Dodo brayed suddenly, “Incredible animals!” he repeated.

“That’s the problem. Most of us criticise others without knowing their facts,” Flora explained.

“Studies have shown that donkeys can remember a place they have been to or recognise other donkeys who they met, even after 25 years. A donkey will not do something if it considers it to be unsafe. It can live more than 40 years and in various types of places.”

Dodo was quite stunned to hear about his own talents.

Holding his large ear, Flora said, “Donkeys have large ears that help them hear across distances in deserts. In case they sense something wrong while traveling, they will simply not move ahead and will start digging in their heels.”

“Am I really so strong and special?” Dodo wondered. “I just can’t believe it. I have heard something good about me for the first time.”

Flora sat on Dodo’s back and pecked him gently, “Never compare yourself with others or try to copy them. Instead, find your own strengths and talents and believe in yourself. Always say ‘I Can’ so ‘You Can.”

Milo too jumped on Dodo’s back and screamed, “Yes, we can!”

Dodo brayed, “Yes, I can…” and started running, jumping and dancing cheerfully with Flora and Milo on his back.

Dodo thanked Flora. This was a turning point in Dodo’s life. He realised his own strengths and talents that made him smart, strong and confident!

Discovering Talent

Rahul and Ryan lived with their parents in a small town. Rahul, the elder brother, studied in class 4 in a reputed school in the city. Seven-year-old Ryan studied in a special school.

Ryan could not speak or hear. But one could not make out he had any disabilities just by looking at him. His parents Tina and Pawan did not let Ryan feel any less of himself. Everyone communicated with Ryan with the help of hand gestures, a special sign language.

Ryan went to a school for children with special needs from an early age and started learning sign language. There he learnt to read and write using their own way.

Rahul and Ryan never skipped school and were always excited to meet their friends.

Then, suddenly, due to the coronavirus pandemic, all the schools were shut and children had to stay at home due to the lockdown and could no longer meet their friends.

Rahul spent his time playing games on his mobile phone and chatting with his friends. But Ryan was more upset for not being able to go to school.

Ma did not give him a mobile phone to play games, but would talk to him using sign language. But she realised it was getting very difficult for Ryan to stay at home all day.

But she was unable to explain in detail about the pandemic to him. She made him understand that schools were shut due to an infectious disease, and no one was allowed to step out of their homes.

The two brothers would play together for a while in the evenings. However, Rahul would soon get bored and found it hard to play with Ryan since he was unable to communicate with him like other children who could hear and talk.

Rahul spoke to his friends over the phone and often complained, “Mom, I’m getting bored at home! What can I do?”

“Do whatever you like! You anyway play games on the phone and chat with your friends all day.”

“But talking on the phone is one thing, but talking in person is the real deal!”

“Until such a time that this pandemic is over, everyone has to live this way. Why don’t you learn a new hobby during this time, like painting or craft?”

“But I want to play on the playground.”

“I know! But you can play as much as you like with Ryan inside the courtyard of the house. During times like these, none of your friends can come to play with you, neither can you go out.”

“Yes, you’re right!” said Rahul.

Rahul loved playing cricket. But there was not enough space in their house to play cricket inside it. And Ryan was too young to play cricket with him. He could only fetch the ball when his brother hit it too hard and sent it far away.

Rahul could still manage his time, but it was getting difficult for Ryan. He tried drawing, but he would hardly draw two or three criss-cross lines and then would get bored. He could not do it for too long.

Tina tried her best to keep Ryan happy, but could not do it all the time as she also had to do the household chores.

Ryan followed his mother around all day, observing her doing the housework. In the kitchen, Tina would give him some work like peeling vegetables, or washing them. He would sometimes arrange the plates on the dining table and be overjoyed after doing it.

One day, Tina cut some cucumbers, radishes and carrots, placed them in a bowl and gave it to Ryan and signaled him to keep it on the dining table.

Ryan carried the bowl to the dining table. He looked at the salad carefully, then he picked up the pieces one by one and started arranging them on a plate. He decorated the salad on a plate beautifully.

Tina came out of the kitchen after a while and saw Ryan carefully decorating the plate with the vegetables of three different colours. She smiled and put a hand on his head affectionately and praised him with a hand gesture. Ryan too was very happy.

In the evening, Tina cut some more cucumbers, radishes, carrots and onions, and gave it to Ryan. He picked up a plate and again started decorating it on the dining table.

After some time, his father came out to the dining room after finishing his work. He saw the plate of salad and asked, “Who decorated this?”
“Ryan did it,” praised Tina.

Pawan too was pleased to see Ryan’s creativity.

“We should enrol Ryan in a cooking class, Tina. I’m sure he’ll be great at it,” said Pawan.

He kissed Ryan’s cheek affectionately and hugged him.

Tina started adding more ingredients to the salad every day. She would cut everything and give it to Ryan and he would decorate them in different styles. She did not give him a knife yet because he was still very young to cut the vegetables.

Soon other family members and relatives came to know of Ryan’s skill. Tina recorded videos of Ryan decorating the salad and sent it to them. She made a social media account for Ryan and posted videos on it. Ryan was thrilled to read other people’s comments and suggestions. He had found a way to keep himself happy during the lockdown.

Pawan and Tina encouraged Ryan with his creative endeavours. Though he could not speak, his talents definitely spoke for him.

Umbrella To Save Us!

Jeena jackal was one of the richest animals of Bandipur forest. She owned many factories where most animals of the forest worked and earned a living from.

No one in the forest objected to her building more factories as that meant more animals would get jobs.

She had a say in everything that happened in the forest. And to build factories, she kept cutting more and more trees within the forest.

The old Banyan tree was disturbed to see this. He requested Gogo gorilla to call a meeting of all the animals to discuss the matter.

The animals respected the Banyan tree and immediately agreed.

Next evening, the Banyan tree shared his concern about the building of new factories by cutting trees in the forest, as that was leading to a rise in the air pollution levels and was causing breathing problems for all animals.

“We have to control the increasing pollution levels before it is too late and it becomes dangerous and harmful for all of us,” he said.

The Banyan tree reminded everyone that Jeena had promised to plant trees in the open spaces in the forest when she had cut trees to build the factories. Thus far she hadn’t planted a single tree.

His words had a huge impact on all.

After listening to the Banyan tree, Rancho monkey, who was sitting on a tree nearby, said, “We are going to celebrate Ozone Day in our school and have been asked to bring a sapling on that day.”

“Ozone? What is that?” asked Gingy goat, curiously.

“Ozone layer is like a huge umbrella around the Earth that saves us from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun,” Rancho explained.

“That is right, Rancho! If we did not have an ozone layer, then life on Earth would not exist. The increasing smoke and pollution from the factories are causing a hole in this ozone layer, which is harmful to animals and plants on Earth.”

Romi squirrel asked, “How is it harming us, Grandpa Banyan?”

“The increase in the size of the hole in the ozone layer is creating an imbalance in the temperature of the Earth. It is making the winters colder and the summers hotter. The glaciers and the frozen caps in south and north pole are melting slowly and sea levels are rising. These imbalances are very dangerous for life on Earth,” explained the Banyan tree.

Roro rabbit also added, “And our teacher also told us that carbon-monoxide from the ACs and the refrigerators is harming the ozone layer.”

Doctor Giraffe, who was sitting there added, “That is correct and that is why it is important that we reduce the usage of ACs and other such things in our daily life.”

Nina sparrow chirped in, “Oh! That explains why we are facing skin problems when we fly higher.”

“Yes, Nina. This umbrella prevents the harmful ultraviolet rays from reaching the Earth. But since the hole in this layer is increasing, these rays are penetrating our atmosphere and reaching us. This is causing skin problems and if we do not pay attention to it now it can create further dangerous problems like skin cancer,” said Doctor Giraffe.

“So, how can we stop this hole from becoming bigger,” asked Deepu donkey.

“We can prevent this hole from becoming bigger by controlling air pollution, not using chemicals that are harmful to the ozone layer and not cutting trees. We have to plant as many trees as we can instead of cutting them. If we fail to do this then the results will be hazardous,” said the Banyan tree.

Gogo was listening to all this and decided the animals had to find a solution to save the Earth. He asked everyone to reach Jeena’s new factory the next day.

Next morning, the animals reached the factory when Jeena was instructing her workers to cut more trees.

“Jeena, have you taken the permission from the forest department to cut these trees?”

“Y…e…sss, Gogo,” said Jeena Jackal.

“Good, let me see the papers,” said Gogo.

Jeena was taken aback by this, but she regained control of herself. Placing a hand on Gogo’s shoulder, she said, “I will build another factory here, which will give jobs to more of your animals.”

This made Gogo furious and he said, “First you want to build a factory without proper papers. Last time when you built a factory and cut trees, you had promised to plant the same number of trees, but you did not plant a single tree. It is because of your mistakes that the rest of us have to pay such a heavy price.”

Jeena jackal laughed guiltily and said, “Oh! If it is only about planting the trees I promise to do so it if you allow me to cut these trees now.”

“It seems you will not give up that easily,” said Gogo and he whistled. Rancho monkey immediately brought Ellie elephant to the site. Ellie was a Police Officer. Her arrival made Jeena nervous. Ellie checked all the documents of the factory and sealed the factory as they were not complete.

“We should not punish Jeena. The mistake is ours too, that we allowed her to go on without understanding how cutting trees is so harmful to all of us. We should make her realise her mistake by asking her to plant more trees in the forest,” said the Banyan tree.

“I agree with grandpa, it is only by planting more trees that we can save this umbrella that saves us,” added Rancho monkey.

Everyone agreed with the Banyan tree and planted more trees with Jeena in the forest. She too understood her mistake and only built factories that were safe for the environment.

Gracy’s Boutique

Gracy chimpanzee lived with her grandmother in the Ashokvan forest. Her parents had passed away when she was small. Gracy studied very hard but couldn’t score high marks. Her classmates, Teddy bear, Horny rhinoceros, Nancy and others, were top performers. They would boast about becoming a doctor, an engineer, a scientist or a professor. Gracy always kept quiet.

After high school, all students moved out of Ashokvan for college. But Gracy did not get admission in any of the colleges, because of her low marks. She was very sad. Her grandmother asked, “Why is my darling so upset?’’

“Granny, some of my friends have left Ashokvan for further studies, while some others are joining their family businesses. I too want to achieve something in my life but I am unable to get admission in any of the colleges because of my low score,’’ said Gracy tearfully.

“Not getting admission in a college is not the end. You can also think of a career for yourself with your skills or talent!’’ explained Granny.

“But I don’t know anything. Nor can I do anything,’’ replied a sad Gracy.

“Gracy, you have a hidden talent within you. Think about it,’’ encouraged Granny.

“What hidden talent do I have, Granny?’’ asked a stunned Gracy.
“Try to remember. You used to score A+ in crafts in your school. You made a mat out of old rags and a painting out of broken bangle pieces. The colourful paper flowers made by you were decorated all over the school building. Have you forgotten that?’’ Granny recounted.

“But you had helped me in making all those things,’’ replied Gracy.

“Of course! But you had designed and crafted them. I am ready to help you even now,” said Granny encouragingly.

“I just like making those things!’’ exclaimed Gracy at Granny’s idea.

Without wasting any time, Gracy chalked out a schedule to start her work. First, she went online to know how to set up her own business.

Then she went on to meet her art and craft teacher, Chimpy baboon. Chimpy liked Gracy a lot. She felt happy when Gracy expressed her desire to learn painting from her. She said, “I am free in the evenings between 4 to 6 p.m. You can come and learn during that period.’’

During the day, Gracy would learn ‘Phulkari’, ‘Chinkankari’, ‘Crotio’ and other types of embroidery originally from different states. In the evenings, she would go to Chimpy to learn painting from her.

In the afternoons, she would browse the internet and learn making flowers out of cloth and paper. Not only did Gracy have talent, but she was highly committed and hardworking. It didn’t take her long to master all these skills. Soon she became an expert in making all types of handicrafts. She started making artificial flowers, art pieces, paintings on old bottles and turned them into vases. She also made wall hangings out of coconut coir and ice cream sticks. Gracy started selling her handicrafts from home.

She also enrolled herself in a statue making class. She was a keen observer too. She would engrave beautiful concepts on her crafts. She introduced new and novel designs every day. The demand for her products grew rapidly so did her business. She started employing a few workers to help her out too.

Gracy’s handicrafts were the talk of the forest. One day, Bhoori monkey, Shilpi wolf and Disco duck met her in the market.

“I like the view of the sea. So I got a sea view painted on my bedsheet by Gracy,’’ said Shilpi.

“And I got a scene of a river flowing through the mountains on my dupatta,’’ said Bhoori.

“There’s no doubt in it. Whether you need to decorate your house or gift something innovative to someone, you get them all at Gracy’s store,’’ added Disco.

Gracy’s business expanded in no time. And Gracy opened a store that was the talk of the forest!

Summer holidays started and Gracy’s classmates were back home from their colleges. They were surprised to hear about Gracy. “This is just miraculous Gracy! We still have to pursue our studies for two more years and then we have to search for a job. But you have achieved a lot in such a short span of time. You are already running a successful business,’’ said everyone praising her.

After a few days, Gracy decided to join the Institute of Design. It was a part-time course.

Granny asked Gracy, “You are running such a successful business. Why do you have to enrol yourself for anything else?’’

“Granny, this way I will fulfil my dream of achieving higher studies. I can also learn new techniques to develop my career. My business will run more successfully,’’ replied Gracy.

Granny felt happy that Gracy had taken such a wise decision of fulfilling her dreams.

Birthday Aeroplane

Priyanshi was excited as her birthday was approaching in a few days. Last year, her father had gifted her a bicycle. This year, she was expecting an even bigger gift.

She said, “Papa, this year, please give me something that no one else has.”

“Yes, Priyu. This time, too, I will get you something special. Don’t worry about your gift. Just concentrate on your studies,” replied papa.

Priyanshi was happy to hear this. She couldn’t wait for her birthday. She focused on her studies but kept getting distracted with the thought of her birthday gift.

On the day of her birthday, her parents threw a party and invited all her friends who came with gifts. She was thrilled to see all her friends who had come to celebrate her special day, but she couldn’t find her father’s gift.

Just before it was time to cut the cake, papa walked in with a big box. Priyanshi was elated to see such a big gift and wondered what was inside it.

But she knew she could only open her gifts after the party. So, she cut her birthday cake, ate the delicious snacks with her friends and once they left, she sat amidst all her gifts and opened them one by one. She always opened papa’s gift last. She carefully peeled the wrapping paper and was thrilled to see a colourful, remote-controlled aeroplane inside the box.

Priyanshi hugged her father and thanked him for the gift.

She started playing with the aeroplane immediately. Her grandfather saw the multi-colour aeroplane and asked, “Wow! Since when did we get such colourful aeroplanes?”

“Grandpa, this is my aeroplane. Absolutely unique! Papa bought it for me,” replied Priyanshi.

Grandpa laughed and said, “Ah! I have only seen white aeroplanes until now. Do you know why our real aeroplanes are white and not colourful?”

“I don’t know, grandpa. But I think they should be colourful so that they look like beautiful birds soaring in the sky,” replied Priyanshi.

“Priyu, there’s a reason why our planes are white and have less colour on them,” said grandpa.

“Why is that, grandpa?” asked Priyanshi.

“White colour on the plane keeps it cool as the rays of the sun bounce away from it. The machines that run the plane have to be kept cool so they function without a problem,” grandpa explained.

“I did not know that. But there are many other light colours so why is white chosen?” asked Priyanshi.

“White is a standard light colour. Engineers can easily catch sight of cracks, dents or any kind of damage on the body of the plane and fix it. If they don’t fix these, then even a small crack can lead to an accident,” said grandpa.

“You are right,” said Priyanshi.

Grandpa added, “Yes, we only see white aeroplanes and don’t know how important the colour is.”

“Grandpa, I don’t think you told all this to papa, which is why he brought me such a colourful aeroplane and not a white one,” said Priyanshi.

Grandpa and papa laughed.

“Priyu, this is just a toy for you to play with. But it’s good to know these facts. You wouldn’t know this if you didn’t ask so many questions,” said grandpa.

“Yes. I will share these facts with my friends. Right now, I need to find white paint for my aeroplane,” said Priyanshi.

Grandpa laughed loudly and hugged her.

Forgive And Forget!

Cheeku rabbit and Meeku mouse were playing cricket with their friends on the playground.

Meeku wasn’t paying attention to the game because he was busy talking to Jumpy monkey.

“Meeku, catch! It’s your turn to throw the ball,” said Cheeku, throwing the ball to him. The ball hit Meeku’s head as he didn’t hear Cheeku.

“Ouch! Cheeku, why did you hit me?” asked Meeku, angrily.

“Meeku, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I threw the ball for you to catch it. You weren’t paying attention so it’s not my fault,” said Cheeku.

“Who throws like this? Couldn’t you wait for me to look at you? You knew I was busy talking and still, you threw the ball at me!” shouted Meeku.

“Are you here to play or to talk?” asked Cheeku and they started arguing.

Cheeku pulled Meeku’s tail and Meeku pulled Cheeku’s ear.

Their friends somehow pulled them apart and stopped the fight. Angry, the two of them went home.

They did not talk to each other for several days. One evening, Cheeku went to the playground and saw Meeku sitting alone.

Cheeku picked a corner on the playground and sat there without talking to Meeku. Their other friends hadn’t come.

They both waited for some time for others to show up but no one did.

Bored, Meeku decided to leave the ground and go home. Just then, Cheeku asked, “Meeku, if you want, we can play.”

“You want to play with me?” Meeku replied, shocked.

“Why is that shocking? We used to play together before,” replied Cheeku.

“I thought you were angry with me because we fought,” said Meeku.

“Meeku, you were angry because I hit you with the ball,” said Cheeku.

“No. I know you didn’t hit me purposely and it was my fault too. I should have concentrated on the game. I was hurt that’s why I yelled at you. I am sorry,” apologised Meeku.

“Ah! It’s alright! How foolish of us to not talk to each other for so many days,” said Cheeku.

“Let’s forget what happened in the past! We are friends again and that’s what matters,” said Meeku, smiling.

“Yes. We should try not to fight and if we do, then we should forgive each other,” said Cheeku.

And they both started playing together again.

Soon, their friends came and saw the two playing, just like before. “We purposely didn’t show up as we wanted you two to forgive each other today as it is World Forgiveness Day. Your friendship is so strong. You should not let any small fight break it,” said Jumbo elephant.

Saying this, Jumbo lifted Cheeku and Meeku with his trunk and everyone cheered for them!

Ranu Has Changed!

Ranu was very happy that day. He had just won the 100-metre race in school. Ranu had been the school running champion for the past two years. He was a rich child who boasted about his wealth. His friends followed his lead and troubled other children in school.

Rohan studied in the same class as Ranu. He was an intelligent student. All the teachers in the school loved him. He was helpful, contributed to the cleanliness of the school, conserved plants and inspired others to do so. He gave his best in every competition—be it in drawing or debate.

Ranu was jealous of Rohan. He wanted everyone to love and follow him around. And to achieve that, he looked for ways to trouble Rohan.

One day while Ranu was sharpening his pencil in class, he deliberately threw the pencil shavings on the floor. Rohan saw him doing that and scolded him, “What is this, Ranu? You should not throw trash like this in the class.”

Before Ranu could respond, Dipesh mockingly said, “If it is bothering you so much, why don’t you pick the shavings up yourself?”

“Yes, you should pick them up. As it is you are an expert in cleanliness,” Deepak too mocked.

This was not the first time when Ranu and his friends, Deepak and Dipesh, had picked on Rohan.

Rohan quietly picked the pencil shavings from the floor and threw them in the dustbin.

“Ranu, you will have to pay a price for your wrongdoings one day. Just wait and watch,” Rohan told Ranu. As soon as Rohan said that Dipesh pushed him to the ground.

“What is happening here? Everybody go back to your seats.” They heard the teacher come in and everyone went back quickly.

Rohan could have complained to the teacher but he kept quiet.

The other kids in the class too kept quiet in fear of the teacher and Ranu and his friends.

“Children, I have some good news for you. Ranu has been chosen from our school for this year’s inter-state running competition. Ranu, will you please stand up?” asked the teacher.

Ranu stood up and everybody clapped for him. Ranu was overjoyed.

“Ranu, you have to start practising with dedication. I am confident that you will give this competition your best.” Ranu stood arrogantly when the teacher announced.

“Children, I am going to the principal’s office for some time. Meanwhile, please finish your revision. Ranu, please come with me,” said the teacher.

Ranu followed his teacher while his friends started teasing Rohan. They crossed all limits when they emptied the dustbin in the classroom.

“Come on, Rohan; get down to your favourite job for which you get the prize every year.” Rohan won the first prize for cleanliness every year. He was teased for that by Ranu and his friends.

Rohan understood that only time would teach them a lesson. He could have complained but he did not want to. Rohan picked up the garbage and threw it back in the dustbin and then sat on his seat and started studying.

The inter-state competition was just around the corner. Teachers and students were busy preparing for the competition. Rohan did not participate in sports because he had a foot problem. He either stayed back in his class and studied or took rounds of the school to check for cleanliness. He was on rounds that day too, when suddenly someone threw a banana peel in front of him. He saw Dipesh laughing at him.

“Pick this up too, you cleaning staff,” Dipesh mocked. This made Rohan angry and he said, “Pick it up, Dipesh; otherwise I am going to complain to the principal about you.” This turned into a heated argument between the two of them when, suddenly, Ranu came running towards them and pushed Rohan aside. But unfortunately, he stepped on the banana peel and fell down.

“O dear!” cried Ranu in pain.

Seeing Ranu fall, Rohan helped him to get up and asked, “Are you hurt, Ranu?”

Rohan saw Dipesh quietly getting away from the scene.

“Oh, I think I have sprained my leg. I cannot stand up,” Ranu cried in pain.

Soon, some of the teachers came there and asked, “What happened? How did you fall, Ranu? Who threw the peel here?”

Before Rohan could say anything Ranu said, “Ma’am, Dipesh threw the peel.”

Not only was Dipesh scolded, he was fined for throwing garbage outside the dustbin.

Ranu’s foot had swelled and the doctor instructed three weeks of rest as he had torn his foot ligament. Ranu was upset as he had to withdraw from the inter-state competition but had no choice.

He felt guilty about his behaviour. He never realised he would have to pay such a heavy price for it and started maintaining distance from his good-for-nothing friends.

After his foot healed, he went back to school as a transformed person. During lunch break, when all the children were playing and eating, a boy threw a napkin towards the dustbin that fell outside it. Before Rohan could get up, Ranu picked up the napkin and threw it in the dustbin.

“Thank you, Ranu” said Rohan.

Ranu could not control his tears and started crying.

“It is alright Ranu, there is always a next time. You will definitely win the trophy next year,” Ranu heard Rohan’s encouraging words and hugged him.

He was a changed person now.

The New Teacher!

Bonny Singh had recently become the Prince of the forest. One morning, he decided to take a tour of the forest to learn about his kingdom, especially the state of education.

He disguised himself to look like an old lion with a grey beard and moustache.

He walked slowly with the help of a stick so that no one could recognise him.

As he walked around, he saw many children, both young and old, playing around and disturbing other animals.

A few naughty ones tried to snatch his walking stick. Bonny was taken aback by this nasty behaviour.

“What is going on here? Why are the children behaving so badly and not in school? They are being very unkind,” he thought to himself.

He went to the palace and called Jacky jackal, the Education Minister to ask about the education system in the forest.

“My Prince, we do have a school in the forest, but no teachers are ready to teach despite us giving them high salaries.

Any teacher we hire, resigns within one week of them joining the school. The students too are not interested in studying so we had to shut down the school.”

Prince Bonny spoke to various retired teachers of the school and they too said the same thing, “There is nothing we can do. The children just do not wish to study.”

“What could possibly be the reason for the children not being interested in studies?” thought Bonny to himself.

He decided to understand the problem in-depth and asked permission from the King to do so.

Next morning, Bonny called his school friend Charlie cheetah.

Charlie had just completed his training in child psychology. He loved teaching and being with children.

Bonny requested Charlie to take over the responsibility of teaching the forest children.

The next day, Charlie reopened the school doors and got the entire school cleaned. He hired Chinki cat as an assistant.

A week passed, but no child came to school. Charlie then sent Chinki cat to meet the animals personally and find out why the children were not interested to come to school.

Chinki met and interacted with a lot of children and their parents.

“School is no fun. One has to only study and read books, memorise them and write an exam. What good is going to school then?” complained Robbie rabbit.

“And there are no games, sports, or fun activities and we have to only sit on the bench the entire time. I always have a backache after school,” added Ghazi goat.

“There is no fun during lunch either.

The food that mom prepares for us in the morning goes cold by lunchtime
and doesn’t taste good at all,” said Romi puppy.

“The children are not taught any practical skills and we want our children to know skills like plumbing, carpentry, sewing, and not textbook knowledge only,” added Romi’s father.

Chinki noted all the complaints and came back to school to discuss them with Charlie who smiled as he read all the concerns. He now understood the root cause of the problem.

After a few days, the animals of the forest were surprised to see a variety of swings on the school grounds.

Various sports equipment like balls, footballs, and cricket kits were arranged neatly in sports boxes.

A table had been arranged with colourful books and games like Carrom Board
and Ludo.

Charlie waited for the children to come to school after making all the arrangements.

A few of them circled around and looked curiously at the interesting items. They could not gather the courage to enter the school premises.

Charlie signalled Chinki who ran and kicked a football.

The football flew high and fell out of the school boundary, where Ghazi goat was standing.

“Please pass me the football, but make sure you kick it and not throw it with your hands,” said Chinki, encouraging Ghazi.

Ghazi looked around and kicked the football with all her strength.

The ball went straight inside the school. Ghazi was so thrilled, she called all her friends. Soon, a full-fledged football match started on the school premises.

It was a fun experience for all children.

Next morning, Charlie was pleased to see a few children coming to school.

He allowed them to play, paint and read stories along with studying the school subjects. Soon, the children started to enjoy coming to school.

They learnt tables in the form of songs. Lessons were taught using plays and skits.

Basic mathematics like addition and subtraction were taught by exchanging fruits among the students.

Science was explained using practical experiments while examples from real life were used to teach moral values.

Charlie asked the parents of the children to run the school kitchen for the children.

The meals were sponsored by the King who wanted the children to have fresh and nutritious food.

Soon, the school became popular and started running at full capacity.

As the number of students increased, a need for another school rose in the forest.

When Charlie went to meet Prince Bonny to open another school, Bonny asked, “How did this miracle occur, Charlie?”

“The children were always curious to learn new things. Textbook learning makes studies boring. They find education fun and interesting when practical examples are used. When we included fun activities to classroom learning, the children got interested along with adults,” explained Charlie.

Bonny was delighted to hear this. Charlie truly knew his role as a teacher was to make studies interesting.

He was appointed to handle the education department of the entire forest.

He trained many animals to his method of teaching so that all the children of the forest were happy to attend school daily.

Elephant In The Pit

Leo lion, the king of the jungle, was sitting in his palace when Monty monkey came to him and said, “Your Highness! Jojo elephant has fallen into a pit and we are not able to bring him out!”

“Jojo knows the forest at the back of his trunk! How did he fall into a pit?” asked King Leo.

“The hunters had recently dug a new pit and covered it with grass and dry leaves. Jojo didn’t realise and fell in it,” explained Monty.

“Jojo is such a kind elephant, always helping others. We must all go and get him out at once,” roared King Leo and marched out with Monty.

A big banyan tree with its spreading branches stood at the center of the forest. The pit was near the tree and many animals stood surrounding the pit.

Leo saw that Jojo was injured. He shouted, “Jojo! Don’t worry! I’m here! I’ll take you out of this pit immediately.”

Before anyone realised what was happening, Leo jumped inside the pit. “Jojo, move aside. I’ll push you from below and you climb out,” he instructed.

Jojo shifted a little. Leo grabbed him by his waist and pushed him up with all his might, “Out of the pit you go.’’

Leo began huffing but was not able to move Jojo an inch out. He wiped his brow on his sleeve and huffed, “Oh! Jojo, you haven’t moved even a bit! You’re quite heavy. But don’t worry. I’ll try again. When I push, you too try jumping out. I’m sure this time I’ll be able to push you out.”

Minister Brownie bear, was observing this. When Leo pushed Jojo again, he said, “Your Highness! We have all tried. But Jojo is heavy and difficult to be pushed out. We, too, haven’t been able to move him an inch. You should come out of the pit.”

“But we all love Jojo. We can’t leave him when he’s in trouble,” said Leo.

“We have to come up with another plan. You should come out,” said Brownie.

Leo jumped out and looked at the crowd. He said, “Everyone is gathered here. But I can’t see Rancho rhinoceros.”

“Your Highness! He sleeps all day. He probably doesn’t know about Jojo, otherwise, he would’ve been here,” said Monty.

“He is strong enough to bring Jojo out of the pit. Go and call him quickly,” said Leo.

Soon Monty came back with Rancho.

“Your Highness! Do not worry! I’ll go inside the pit and push Jojo out at once,” said Rancho as soon as he came.

Jojo heard him and screamed, “Rancho! Don’t come inside the pit!”

“Don’t worry, my friend! I’ll climb in carefully. I won’t stamp on you!” said Rancho, laughing.

“Wait! Wait! Listen to me first!” screamed Jojo.

“I’ll listen to you only after you’re out of the pit!” said Rancho, walking towards the pit.

“Oh, you silly animal! If you push me out, who will push you out?” said Jojo exasperatedly.

“Oh! I didn’t think of that!” said Rancho and stopped abruptly.

It was a complex problem. All the animals started thinking.

Dubdub donkey was standing among the crowd and observing everything. He said, “Rancho, don’t worry! It’ll be easy to bring you out of the pit.”

“How will that happen?” asked Rancho.

“You go in and push Jojo. Then Jojo will go inside again and push you out!” said Dubdub.

“And then I’ll enter the pit once more and push Jojo out, is it?” said Rancho raising an eye.

“You’re so smart! You understood my plan!” said Dubdub and laughed.

But Rancho cried out in anger, “Do you think we are fools like you that we’ll keep pushing each other out like in a circus?”

Dubdub realised he must have said something foolish so he kept quiet.

Leo put his paw on Rancho’s shoulder and said, “Calm down, Rancho! And think of a way to bring out Jojo.”

Neelu parrot suggested, “Your Highness! If we fill the pit with water, Jojo can swim his way out.”

The animals nodded liking the idea.

“Neelu, your idea is good but the pit can’t be filled with so much water, that a heavy animal like Jojo can swim out of it,” explained Leo.

“So then, we can fill the pit with mud. Jojo can step on the mud and come out,” said Titu rabbit.

“Jojo isn’t light-footed like you. He can’t step on top of loose mud. In fact, he’ll get further stuck in it,” said Leo.

Time passed, but no one could figure out a way to help Jojo.

Sally serpent was sitting there and seeing her Dola deer said, “Your Highness, if Sally lowers her tail inside the pit, Jojo can hold it and climb up.”

“Well, a light animal like you could climb out of the pit with the support of Sally’s tail. But if Jojo pulls it, Sally herself will fall into the pit,” said Leo.

“I didn’t think of that!” said Dola, disappointedly.

Something sparked in Dubdub as he heard Dola’s idea and he raised his hand and said, “I know the way!”

“Keep quiet! We don’t have time for your nonsense!” snapped Rancho.

“Just listen to me! This time I have a great idea!” said Dubdub, excitedly.

Rancho was about to snap at him again, but Leo interrupted him and said, “Rancho! Listen to his idea first!”

Then he looked at Dubdub and said, “Tell us your idea.”

“The world knows that donkeys are very strong when it comes to carrying loads or pulling heavyweights,” said Dubdub.

“That’s right!” nodded Leo.

“Tie Sally’s tail to my waist and let her hang with her face down into the pit.

When Jojo holds on to her, I’ll pull him out of the pit with all my strength.”

Hearing him, Sally screamed, “Hey! What are you saying? Whether Jojo comes out or not, I’m sure to be split into two pieces!”

“I told you Dubdub is always talking nonsense!” said Rancho angrily.

“Don’t be so angry, Rancho,” said Leo, patting his shoulder. “Dubdub’s idea may be nonsensical, but he has shown us the way to rescue Jojo.”

Sally was scared. She started pleading, “Your Highness, please have mercy! If you listen to Dubdub, I’ll end up in two pieces!”

“Don’t worry, Sally! What I mean is that we will follow Dubdub’s plan but instead of you, we will use strong banyan tree branches to pull Jojo up,” said Leo pointing at the hanging branches of the banyan tree.

Rancho was overjoyed hearing this idea. He said, “Wow! That’s a very simple solution! Why didn’t I think of it?”

“He, he, he! We donkeys are doing all the thinking these days!” said Dubdub, baring his teeth.

Leo addressed the crowd and said, “Dubdub’s plan is great! But instead of tying the branches to Dubdub, we will tie them to Rancho’s feet. He’ll easily be able to pull Jojo up.”

“Yes, yes, Your Highness! I’d have pulled Jojo, but your plan is better,”
said Dubdub, nodding his head.

The branches of the banyan tree were cut and tied together like a rope. One end was tied to Rancho’s feet and the other end was lowered into the pit.

Jojo tugged at the rope to test its strength. It was strong enough.

Monty called out to him, “Jojo! Are you ready?”

“Ready!”

Monty whistled signalling Rancho to walk ahead. With the support of the rope, Jojo too started coming out of the pit slowly. The other animals kept cheering for them.

Jojo was halfway out of the pit soon but his lower half was still inside the pit. He was quite heavy and could not completely pull himself out, no matter how much Rancho pulled.

Rancho now pulled with extra effort.

Jojo had now managed to come out almost completely when the rope started breaking. The other animals screamed in fear, but before the rope could break, Leo quickly caught hold of Jojo’s hands and pulled him out in one swift move.

“Hail our king, Leo!” cried all the animals together.

“Not me, you should praise Dubdub! It’s his plan that ultimately helped us rescue Jojo,” said Leo, smiling.

Jojo’s eyes had tears. He hugged Dubdub and said, “My dear, Dubdub! Please forgive us! We always make fun of you! But we are glad that you’re our friend.”

“Jojo and Dubdub! Best friends!” said Rancho and the other animals repeated it.

Leo had the pit filled with mud and put guards in the forest so that the hunters would not come this way again.

King Of Art!

Blacky bear loved painting. He would draw pictures during his free time. And sometimes when he drew during class, he would get a scolding from his teacher.

Blacky loved drawing sceneries like sunrises and snow-clad mountains. He drew flowers, plants and trees. He needed colours and brushes to finish these paintings.

But whenever he asked his parents for them, they would not buy them and instead tell him, he should concentrate on his studies.

At school, other children were busy with their studies that they hardly looked or paid any attention to Blacky’s drawings.

Blacky continued to draw different pictures to fulfil his hobby.

Everyone was fond of the banyan tree in the forest of Champakvan. Blacky would sit in its shadow and make drawings. Whenever Blacky felt sad, he would take his drawing book and sit in the shade of the banyan tree and draw.

The banyan tree would be pleased to see Blacky drawing.

One day, the banyan tree said to Blacky, “Blacky, you make such good drawings! I’m such a big tree! Can you draw me on that small paper?”

Blacky was happy that someone praised his drawing.

“Yes, Banyan tree! I can draw you! But I will need some time for that,” he replied.

That evening he went to draw the banyan tree.

One day, it rained heavily so Blacky could not go out.

Sitting at home, Blacky was drawing when his father came.

His father said, “What are you doing, Blacky? You keep drawing something or the other all the time. Pay attention to your studies. Only your studies will be helpful, not these drawings!”

Blacky stopped drawing and opened a book.

The banyan tree waited for Blacky to show the drawing.

But since Blacky had exams at school, he could not visit the banyan tree.

Once his exams were over, he went to the banyan tree to show him the drawing.

The banyan tree praised the drawing a lot. He said, “Blacky, why don’t you send your drawings to Champak magazine? They often have drawing competitions and you should participate.”

Blacky had no idea about it. The banyan tree would often read stories in Champak, so he was aware of it.

The banyan tree gave Blacky the address of Champak magazine and asked him to send his drawing there.

Blacky sent his drawing to Champak and won the first prize. Everyone in Champakvan loved his artwork!

As a prize, he received the same colours and brushes, which he often asked his parents to buy for him.

The news that Blacky was a great artist spread through the forest like wildfire.

At the assembly hall in school, the headmistress honoured Blacky by calling him on stage, giving him a prize and the title of ‘The King of Art’.

Blacky’s parents realised their son’s talent and promised to support him along with his studies.

A Collective Effort!

Rimpy rabbit was sitting at home, thinking deeply about something. Just then some of his friends knocked at the door.

Rimpy invited them in but was still lost in thought.

“What’s the matter, Rimpy? You seem to have forgotten your friends in the jungle after you have returned from the city. Our summer vacations are almost over and you are not meeting anyone! We have been waiting for you in the park forever!” said Monty monkey dramatically.

Rimpy replied, “Sorry, Monty, I was lost in thought and didn’t check on the time.”
Momo mouse teased, “Oh really, we did not know that you can think!”

“Momo, I am not in a mood for jokes just now,” said Rimpy, jumping up.

“Rimpy, has aunty discontinued your pocket money?” Jacky elephant teased.

“Yes, without the pocket money, how will he eat carrots now?” Momo added.

This annoyed Rimpy but he kept quiet and said, “No, friends, it’s nothing
like that.”

“Okay then, has the price of honey soared in the market?” growled Bunty Bear.
Rimpy replied, “Neither has my pocket money been discontinued nor has the price of honey soared in the market. The problem is much bigger.”

His friends realised that Rimpy was talking about something serious.

“What has happened? I haven’t heard of any big problem in the jungle,”
asked Jacky.

“The problem is of water,” replied Rimpy.

“Oh, this is like digging a mountain only to find Momo,” said Bunty.

“Bunty, the idiom is ‘digging a mountain only to find a mouse’,” interrupted Monty.

“Yes, that’s what I was trying to say. Momo is a mouse so digging a mountain only to find him. Rimpy, you’re unnecessarily getting worried over such a small matter. If there is no water in your house today, you can take some water from my house,” offered Bunty.

“What all of you think to be a small matter is not small. There is a huge problem of water shortage, which I got to know once I visited the city,” said Rimpy.

“What about water shortage? Tell us more about it,” asked Momo.

“When I visited the city this time, I saw that most houses were getting water through tankers. This was not the case when I had gone to the city a couple of years ago. Right now, they are not getting enough water for basic needs and this is bothering me,” replied Rimpy.

“Rimpy, this is a matter of the city. This problem is not going to arise in our jungle,” said Bunty.

“A few months back, I’m sure even the people of the city thought like this. But now, they have no water and regret why they didn’t do enough to save water,” explained Rimpy.

“So what can we do about this?” asked Momo.“Find a solution to save water,” replied Rimpy.

“What kind of solution, Rimpy?” Monty asked.

“We can start by harvesting rainwater in our homes. This water can be used for several purposes,” Rimpy said.

“Surely, we can do this,” everyone agreed.

“In addition to this, we should replace or repair all leaking taps. We should use a bucket of water for bathing and turn off the taps while brushing our teeth. Even the smallest effort carried out by each one of us can significantly help in conserving water,” Rimpy added.

“You are right, Rimpy. From now onwards, each one of us will save water,” pledged everyone.

“Now, let us go to the park,” said Rimpy as he watched the animals standing with troubled faces.

“To play?” asked Momo.

“Yes, and also to figure out how we can create a big rainwater harvesting tank in the park,” replied Rimpy.

All the animals burst into laughter.

Detective Pinky!

Piggu pig ran a poultry farm with healthy hens that laid many eggs. Piggu took good care of the hens and sold the eggs in the market.

One evening, when Piggu was getting ready to leave for the market to sell eggs, it began pouring. Piggu thought he’ll wait for the rain to slow down and then leave. However, it didn’t stop till dusk and Piggu decided to go to the market the next day.

Next morning, when Piggu came to collect eggs from the farm, he was shocked to see them missing. He looked everywhere but couldn’t find them.

Sad and disturbed, Piggu came back home. His daughter, Pinky saw him and asked, “Daddy, I thought you had gone to the market. How come you are back
so soon?”

“I have no reason to go to the market now,” Piggu replied sadly.

“Why don’t you have a reason to go to the market? And why are you sad? Please tell me,” Pinky asked, concerned.

“The eggs I was supposed to sell at the market have been stolen. I looked for them everywhere in the farm but couldn’t find,” replied Piggu.

“What! How did this happen? Let’s go back to the farm. I will help you look for the eggs again,” said Pinky.

Piggu and Pinky went back to the farm.

“I should have gone to the market yesterday. If I had taken the eggs yesterday, they wouldn’t have been stolen,” Piggu berated himself.

Pinky consoled her father, “Don’t worry daddy. We will find the thief who stole the eggs. The rain will help us.” And, she started observing the marks in the wet mud near the farm.

Piggu didn’t think the eggs would be found. “I know that you are fond of reading detective stories and watching such movies, but this is not a child’s play. I know I will never get the eggs back,” he said, hopelessly.

Pinky didn’t pay attention to what her dad said. She keenly observed the wet mud. “Look there, daddy! There are some tyre marks and footprints coming out of the farm. It looks like someone took the eggs in a handcart,” she pointed.

Still not hopeful of getting the eggs, Piggu asked, “How will this clue help us find who took our eggs?”

Pinky replied patiently, “We will follow these marks to where they lead. It will take us to the house of the thief who has stolen our eggs in this handcart.”

Somewhat convinced, Piggu followed the marks with Pinky. After a while, they reached a grassy stretch over which the tyre marks disappeared.

“Now, what should we do?” said Piggu losing the faint flicker of hope.

“Don’t lose heart, daddy. At least we got a direction. Let’s go ahead and look for more clues,” replied Pinky.

After walking for some more distance, they noticed three carts that were kept in front of three different houses.

Pinky observed the tyre marks carefully and said, “Daddy, out of the three, the tyre marks on two of the carts match with the one we have been following. But one handcart’s tyres are clean, while the other one still has fresh mud on it. This is it! The house with the dirty handcart is where our thief lives and he used it to steal the eggs.”

“This is Danny donkey’s house. I caught my thief! Let me teach him a lesson,” said Piggu marching towards the door and thumping on it loudly.

“Wait, I am coming. You will break the door!” said Danny’s voice from inside as he rushed to open the door.

Piggu pushed Danny down and asked, “Where have you hidden my eggs?” and stomped inside, looking for them in Danny’s house but not finding them.

“What eggs? I do not understand what you are saying,” said Danny getting up.

“Don’t act innocent. We followed the tyre marks from my poultry farm and saw your muddy cart outside your house. Isn’t that your muddy cart outside?” asked Piggu.

“Yes, that is my cart. But I am unwell and haven’t left my house at all. That’s why the wheels are muddy,” explained Danny.

“You are lying! You have hidden my eggs somewhere,” Piggu accused Danny.

Danny tried to convince him and said, “Why would I lie, brother? We are friends and I would never steal eggs from you.”

Pinky quickly interrupted and said, “Daddy, please have patience. Danny uncle is right. He has not stolen our eggs.”

She looked at Danny and asked, “Uncle, do you know someone who has hurt his left leg and is limping?”

Danny thought for a moment and replied, “No child, I don’t know anyone.”

“Hmm. Is there any hospital or doctor’s clinic nearby?” Pinky asked.

“Yes, Dr Bhallu bear’s clinic is ten minutes away,” replied Danny and shared the doctor’s address with Pinky. Pinky thanked him and rushed towards the clinic with Piggu.

Confused, Piggu said, “Why are we going to the clinic instead of finding the thief who stole the eggs!”

Before Pinky could answer, they had reached the clinic.

She went to the desk where the doctor and nurse were sitting and politely asked, “Doctor, we are looking for someone who has hurt his left leg and is limping. Can you please tell us if anyone like that has come to your clinic?”

The doctor paused for a moment and said, “Yes, Belu hyena’s left hind leg is wounded. He comes here to get it bandaged.”

Pinky asked, “Will he be coming today also?”

“Yes, he comes in the evening,” Kerry cat, the nurse, replied.

Pinky was now restless. “We can’t wait till evening. Can you please share his address?” she asked.

“We can’t share his address but he must be living nearby as he comes walking in spite of the injury,” Kerry replied.

Pinky thanked Kerry and left the clinic.

Still confused, Piggu asked, “Why did you want to know who was injured? Why are we after Belu?”

“Because Belu is the thief,” Pinky said, confidently. Pigu and Pinky asked around and they found Belu’s house.

When Piggu and Pinky reached Belu’s house, he got scared.

“Belu, did you steal our eggs?” asked Piggu.

When he didn’t say anything, Piggu angrily went in to search the house and found the eggs. Since Belu was hurt, he couldn’t run away.

“Do you accept your crime?” asked Piggu looking at Belu.

“Yes, I stole the eggs. When I saw you leave the eggs at the farm because it was pouring, I found the perfect opportunity to steal them. I saw that Danny wasn’t around and took his cart to steal the eggs and run away.”

Piggu handed Belu over to the police.

While returning home, Piggu praised Pinky and said, “You have become a great detective. But how did you know that Belu stole the eggs?”

“Daddy, along with the tyres marks, I looked closely and studied the footprints also. While three of the four footprints were deep, one was barely visible. I understood that the thief had one injured leg and was limping,” replied Pinky.

“Danny uncle wasn’t injured, so I understood that he wasn’t the thief. Since Danny uncle didn’t know of anyone who was injured, I figured that the thief must be someone who has been hurt recently. That’s the reason I took you to the nearest clinic to find out who had been injured,” added Pinky.

Piggu was proud of his daughter and thanked her for not losing hope.

Thereafter, talks about Pinky’s wisdom spread throughout the forest

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