As I look from the edge of the ocean,
Glimmering golden, for it’s almost dawn,
So many waves coming towards me,
And yet I know, there’s a lot more going on.
The ocean stretches for miles around,
So many creatures with fins and gills,
So many miles below the ground.
The waves are splashing closer and closer,
As I realise the world is bigger than it seems,
As I stare into the ocean,
In golden light, it gleams.
-Harshita Das
11 years, Noida
Note: For this experiment parental guidance is required.
For that You will need:
1. Old Soap Bottle
2. Vinegar
3. Tissue Paper
4. String
5. Scissors
6. Baking Soda
It was afternoon. The books in the library were resting. The story book was the laziest of all and just lay down where it was. Its pages were fluttering in the fan’s breeze, but the lazy one was not at all worried to take care of the pages. The thin Mathematics Book standing just opposite to Cheeky, the story book was looking at its condition of the book.
“Cheeky set your pages properly!” She said.
“Let it be. I want to sleep for the moment,” Cheeky was just saying when Venkat quickly picked her up. “I will read this book. It has many interesting stories.” Venkat said happily. Cheeky was irritated.
“Oh! This Venkat troubles me every day during my rest time. Whenever I think of resting he picks me. I cannot rest during the day or sleep at night because of him. I do not know how to get rid of him?”
Cheeky was upset. She had wanted to rest the whole day and here she could not rest for a moment. What could she do? She went along with Venkat with a long face.
The next day Cheeky, saw Venkat coming towards her as she was about to rest.
“Oh! He has come again today. Let me run away.” Cheeky ran and hid behind some thick books.
“I am safe here.” Cheeky thought. However Venkat was removing the thick books in search of her.
“Where do I hide now?” Cheeky came out of there and went and sat on the topmost shelf of the cupboard.
“This is just right.”
Venkat was not leaving even the higher shelves. He took the help of a stool to climb up to the shelves that were out of his range.
“Now I will be caught.” Cheeky ran in confusion. “Be careful,” the other books cried out. But Cheeky pushed the other books in such a manner that all the books of that row fell. In bewilderment Cheeky jumped off the shelf.
“Wow! This is a good place. No one will ever know I am hiding here, because no books are kept here.” Cheeky exclaimed looking at the place underneath the almirah. She sneaked and hid herself. The Mathematics book was watching all this. At last it could not keep quiet any longer and said, “Why are you doing all this? Do you not understand the meaning of books? They are not meant for just themselves. Their life is meant to educate others. To show them the right path and you are a story book, full of morals. Whoever reads your pages will learn something or the other. He will find something new in life.”
“The joy one gets in being useful is more than in resting. Venkat likes you because you have a special importance in his life. You should try to go to Venkat. You should not do this, come out.” The Mathematics book tried to make her understand.
Cheeky was listening to her talk. After a long fruitless search Venkat went away empty handed, when he could not find her. Cheeky got a chance to rest. She lay down to sleep. She slept for a while in comfort.
However, soon she felt an emptiness. She was bored for no one was there beside her. She became restless after some time. She came out from under the almirah. She looked at the Mathematics book and said, “You told the truth my friend! But how should I climb up?”
“Now you will have to wait for someone to come. But do not worry, this is a library where someone or the other always comes in. In any case Raju, the cleaner will come even if no one turns up. Be patient and do not panic,” said the Mathematics Book.
Cheeky calmed down. She smiled and said, “From where have you learnt such good things, my friend?”
“I read all these from your pages, when you were too lazy to put your pages together.” On hearing these words of the Mathematics book, Cheeky felt ashamed. Now she just waited for someone to come, pick her up and place her back in the almirah so that Venkat could read and be happy.
Chikki, the squirrel, Lonu, the lamb, and Dimpy, the duck were playing with a ball, when Chintu, the monkey arrived and said, “I want to play too!”
“No, you will create some trouble like you do every time you play with us,” said Chikki.
“You always cheat and end up fighting with us. We don’t want to play with you,” pitched in Dimpy.
“How dare you refuse to let me play!” fumed Chintu.
“Just sit quietly and watch us play until you learn to play fair,” said Lonu.
At that moment, one of them threw the ball up in the air. Chintu caught it in a flash and ran away shouting, “Ha ha! Now I’ll see how you continue to play without me.”
Chintu was notorious in the forest of Sonavan for causing trouble. Many animals would fall prey to his mischief. Once during the monsoon, there was a puddle of muddy water under a tree. Chintu sat on a branch of that tree and threw stones into it whenever any animal walked by, splashing muddy water all over them.
“I see that your clothes have gotten dirty,” Chintu commented cheekily after splashing muddy water on Dina, the deer. “But don’t worry; get them dry-cleaned at the laundry. I’ll pay for it!”
A little later, he threw a stone that splashed muddy water on Koni, the fox’s face. Chintu laughed and said, “That make-up looks good on you, Koni! You should do this every day, or just go to the parlour to get yourself cleaned up. I’ll pay for it!”
Koni walked away grumbling, “This Chintu is nothing but a menace.”
Another time, Chintu had pushed Kitty, the cat off her bicycle because she wouldn’t let him ride it first. Chintu laughed at Kitty, who was moaning in pain and said, “Don’t make a big deal out of this. Go to the doctor and I’ll pay for it.” Such was his behaviour.
One day, after the incident with Chikki, Lonu and Dimpi, Chintu was sitting on a tree and eating fruits when he spotted the three huddled behind a bush and whispering something among themselves.
Chikki whispered something which Dimpy was unable to hear. So she asked loudly, “What did you say? On the tree? What’s in the large bag?” “Shhh! Be quiet, Dimpy! Someone might hear us,” cautioned Lonu.
The three of them started speaking in whispers again. Chintu was curious to know what they were talking about secretively. He tip-toed close to the bush to listen in on their conversation.
“We must reach the spot before anyone else does, otherwise we will lose out on the opportunity,” said Lonu.
“There are three date palm trees behind the mound at the other end of the lake. A short distance from there, you’ll find a lone peepal tree. That’s where we’re going,” said Chikki.
“So, it’s settled then! We will meet tomorrow morning by the lake. But remember, no one should know about this. It should stay just between the three of us,” said Lonu. The trio agreed and left for their homes.
As soon as they left, Chintu thought to himself, “What could be in that large bag? Money? Food? Whatever it is, it must be something very special. And don’t they know that it’s impossible to hide something from someone as clever as me? When the three go there tomorrow, they will return empty handed because I am going to get my hands on it before them.”
Chintu left for the mound at once. He found the date trees and the peepal tree as described by Chikki. He climbed up the tree and began searching for the bag. It was getting dark, but he continued to search and finally found it. Chintu immediately opened the bag
Dimpy, Lonu and Chikki, who were hiding in a bush nearby, came out and said, “What’s the matter, Chintu?
Are you hurt? It looks like you have been stung by bees. Why don’t you go visit a doctor. We’ll pay for it.”
“You tricked me into coming to this place!” said Chintu, writhing in pain.
“But aren’t you’re the cleverest animal in the forest? Who can trick you?” said Chikki.
Chintu finally felt the pain of all those whom he had troubled and laughed at. “I am sorry,” he said, realising the folly of his ways. “I have been blinded by my own arrogance. Thank you for making me realise it.”
“We just wanted to show you how it feels to be on the receiving end of your pranks. We are happy it worked,” said Dimpy.
The three of them helped take Chintu to the doctor and too care of him for the next few days. Then on, they all remained friends and Chintu did not revert back to his old ways.
Foxy Fox: Jumpy, why are you solving your math sums on the floor?
Jumpy Monkey: Because you told me to solve them without tables!
_______________________________________________
Ted Toad: When do you stop at green and go at red?
Henry Hen: When you are eating a watermelon.
Skippy, the squirrel lived on a tree in the forest of Aria. Next to the tree was an anthill in which his friend Tiny, the ant and her family lived.
One day, Vicky, the rabbit moved into the forest and made a home for himself near the tree where Skippy and Tiny lived. Soon, the three became good friends.
During spring that year, Vicky said, “The soil here is fertile. Why don’t we cultivate something?”
“Yes, that’s a good idea. But what shall we sow?” asked Tiny.
“Since we like rice, why don’t we cultivate paddy crops?” suggested Skippy.
“Rice is mostly cultivated in the south of India because the soil there is smooth and retains a lot of moisture, which is necessary for paddy crops. If we were to sow rice here, then the crops will need a lot of water and additional care,” said Vicky.
“How about tea? I love drinking tea!” said Tiny’s cousin Teeny.
“I like spicy food; let’s plant some spices,” said Tiny.
“A hilly terrain is best suited for tea, coffee and spices. They can be grown only by way of terrace farming and they require a chilly climate. It’s too hot here to grow these crops,” said Vicky.
A Taste of Their Own Medicine
“How do you know so much about the different types of crops?” asked Skippy in awe.
“I love horticulture. It is the art and science of growing plants. I have read many books on this subject. Currently, I am reading one on the different types of soil,” said Vicky.
“That sounds very interesting. I thought they were all the same. How many different types of soil are there?” asked Tiny curiously.
“Broadly, there are six different types of soils in India classified according to their characteristic, composition and region: alluvial, laterite, red, black, desert and mountain soil. Our forest has alluvial soil which is extremely fertile. It is so because rivers like Ganga and Yamuna flow down from the mountains bringing with them rich minerals and rocks. Wheat, sugarcane and pulses are best grown in this soil,” said Vicky
“In that case, how about we plant wheat crops?” asked Skippy.
Everyone agreed and began planning. Next day, Vicky brought along his friend Annie, the mole.
“Hello friends, meet Annie. She will also help us with the farming,” said Vicky.
Skippy and Tiny were not happy about Annie joining them. They did not mention it to Vicky, but later that evening, the two met alone to discuss the situation.
“What work will the mole do in the farm?” Skippy asked Tiny. “You and your family will sow the seeds. Vicky and I will water the crops. We will also use our sharp teeth to harvest them later and you will carry them back to our houses. But what will Annie do?”
“Even I don’t understand why Vicky had to bring her along. The more people there are, the lesser will be our share of the crops. But what can we do? Cultivating crops was Vicky’s idea and we can’t tell him not to bring his friend,” said Tiny.
As the two wondered what to do, Tiny suddenly had an idea. She shared her plan with Skippy, who agreed to it delightedly. The following day, all four of them set to work, ploughing the land, planting the seeds and watering it. As weeks passed, the seeds began to sprout. In a matter of months, the tiny saplings had become full-grown wheat crops. They had to take extra care of the crops for fear that it would get stolen or damaged by pests.
During the day, Vicky would take care of it and at night, it was the responsibility of Skippy and Tiny to keep an eye on the crops.
One morning, Tiny and Skippy frantically came running to Vicky and said that some of the wheat crops had disappeared.
More From Champak: Tit for tat
Vicky was shocked. “But how is that possible?”
“I suspect Annie. Two days back, I heard her talking to her friends and plotting to steal some of the crops. We must remove Annie from our group immediately,” said Skippy.
“I think it’s you two who should be removed!” said Vicky.
“Why should we be removed?” asked Tiny and Skippy surprised.
“That is because it was your responsibility to keep an eye on the crops at night. If the crops were stolen during the night, it means that you have not done your work properly,” replied Vicky.
“Even otherwise, while we three were doing all the hard work, Annie was just roaming among the crops and playing in the soil,” said Skippy angrily.
“So, that is the real reason!” realised Vicky. “I began to sense your growing dislike for Annie because you think she does not help with the farming. What you both don’t know is that she is the reason this crop has grown so well,” said Vicky.
On hearing this, Skippy and Tiny were taken aback. “How is that possible?” they asked.
“Moles are good at digging. Because of the holes she dug around the land, water and air could mix well with the soil. This ensured that the soil’s nutrition and minerals were replenished, thereby making our crops grow well,” explained Vicky.
Skippy and Tiny realised their mistake and were ashamed about their behaviour. They apologised to Annie and returned the crops they had stolen at night to put the blame on Annie. That day on, the four of them worked together with cooperation and respected each other’s hard work.
Sunny, the bear had opened a sprawling supermarket in Sunshine Woods. The supermarket had everything that the inhabitants of the forest required.
The small shops that were already there in the forest did not sell all the items. So, the animals would order from the neighbouring forests, and that would cost them a lot of money. Now, since Sunny had opened a supermarket, the animals could buy whatever they needed from the supermarket directly.
Sunny was an honest entrepreneur. He personally oversaw all the operations of his business. Some animals grew envious of his success. Bongo, the bull was one of them.
Bongo had a small grocery store next to the supermarket. He would cheat his customers by tampering with the measurements and giving the customers less than what they had paid for. Soon, word about Bongo’s fraudulent activities spread throughout the forest, and the animals stopped going to his store. Now, hardly one or two customers visited his store in a day.
Bongo grew more envious of Sunny’s success as his supermarket was teeming with customers every day.
A Taste of Their Own Medicine
“If I don’t do something fast, I’ll soon become bankrupt,” Bongo thought to himself. He then came up with a plan and went to meet Sunny that very evening.
“Hello, Bongo! What brings you here?” said Sunny.
“I’m in distress, Sunny! My grocery store is not doing well. So, I want to close it and open a hardware store instead,” said Bongo.
“I am happy that instead of giving up, you are trying something else. Tell me, how can I help you?” asked Sunny.
“I have a lot of unsold stock lying in my warehouse. If you buy them from me, I will have enough money to set up my new store. And don’t worry about the price; I will charge less for you,” said Bongo.
Sunny agreed. “All right, deliver the stock today, I have to go out urgently now, so my manager will collect them and then, tomorrow I shall issue you a cheque, said Sunny
That night, Bongo delivered the unsold stock to Sunny’s manager, Max, the dog. When Max was about to check the stock, Bongo interrupted him saying, “Look, Max, the stock is new. Here are the receipts for them. Anyway, it’s quite late in the night and too dark as well. You won’t be able to check the stock properly.”
“You’re right, Bongo. Just give me the receipts. I’ll check them tomorrow,” said Max. The two then left for home.
More From Champak: Tit for tat
The next morning, Bongo reached Sunny’s house before he left for the supermarket.
Good morning, Sunny. Sorry to disturb you so early in the morning, but I’m going to buy the stock for my hardware store today. I’ve delivered stock worth Rs. 5 lakhs to Max last night.
Here is the delivery receipt and your manager’s signature below,” said Bongo.
Sunny trusted Bongo and handed over a cheque for Rs.5 lakhs to him. Bongo immediately went to the bank and encashed the cheque.
Later that day, when Max started checking the quality of the stock that Bongo had delivered, he was shocked. Not only were they old, but many of the products had also become stale. He quickly called up Sunny and informed him.
Sunny was angry. “Bongo has tricked us! He deliberately delivered the stock late at night so we wouldn’t be able to check their quality right away,” he fumed. Sunny then came up with his own plan to teach Bongo a lesson.
The next day, Bongo went to the market to look for hardware products to buy at a cheap rate.
“Hello, Bongo! I heard you are looking for hardware supplies for your new store. Why don’t you buy them from me?” said Rocky, the bear who was a supplier of hardware products. “I’ll give them to you at the cheapest rate you’ll find in this market!”
Bongo was tempted. They were just what he was looking for. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get these products at a better price.
“Why are you thinking? Don’t you trust me? You can check the products yourself,” said Rocky, showing his some samples.
“Of course, I trust you, Rocky. Please deliver the products to me today itself,” said Bongo.
“Okay, but I can deliver them only at night as there’ll be too much traffic right now,” said Rocky.
Bongo agreed and handed over all the money he had got from Sunny. That night, Rocky delivered the products to Bongo as promised.
The next day, Bongo opened the boxes to set up his new store. To his shock, he realised that all the products were rusted and some were badly damaged.
“Rocky has fooled me! No one will buy these products,” he thought angrily and went straight to confront Rocky.
“You should be ashamed of yourself, Rocky. I trusted you and made full payment of Rs.5 lakhs, but you’ve sent me poor quality products! I am going to lodge a complaint with the police,” said Bongo.
Rocky started laughing.
“That’s exactly what you did as well! Have you forgotten already?” said Sunny suddenly stepping forward.
Bongo was left speechless. He now understood that Rocky and Sunny were in it together. Beaten at his own game, Bongo apologised to both of them.
“Bongo, you should not cheat others to make a profit. If you promise not to do so, you can set up a counter in my supermarket,” offered Sunny.
“Thank you, Sunny. I promise not to cheat anyone again,” said the grateful Bongo.
Jumpy Monkey: What starts and ends with an ‘e’ but has one letter?
Meeku: An Envelope.
___________________________________________
Cheeku: Why do hummingbirds hum?
Damru: Because they forgot the words.
Deep lived with his parents and grandfather in Delhi. Every evening he played with his beloved pet dog Toto in the park.
After a while, many people stopped playing sports and flew kites. Deep also stopped going to the park with Toto. Instead he started flying his kite on the roof with his friends. Deep loved to fly a golden kite. Many people recognized Deep’s kite because of its unique colour.
Days passed. Toto was bored. He felt neglected. One day, when Deep’s mother went shopping in the morning, she forgot to lock the main gate. Toto saw this as an opportunity to run to the park.
He slipped through the door and ran out. Toto used to accompany Deep to the park. Hence didn’t know the way to the park himself. Luckily he saw Deep’s friend Shyam going towards the park and followed him.
After reaching the garden, Toto ran through the bushes. He was so excited that he ran happily throughout the park.
He was glad that he could return to the park.
Soon it grew dark. Dark clouds covered the sky. Everyone in the park rushed home.
Toto realised that he should get back home through the front gate. But Toto was lost. He looked left and he looked right, but he didn’t know which way to go. Everyone in the park had already left, so Toto couldn’t ask for help. He began to panic and felt a little afraid. He walked around aimlessly.
It started to rain and Toto was walking alone on the streets. Meanwhile, Deep had come down, as he had thought of playing with Toto. He searched for him everywhere in the house, but he could not Toto.
The whole family wondered where Toto was. As soon as the rain stopped Deep and the other family members went out on the streets, calling Toto’s name.
More From Champak: Damru And The Pet Snake
They went to the park, the market, the badminton grounds, but were unable to find Toto. Deep returned home disappointed and sad.
The family members returned too, failing to find Toto. They were heartbroken and tensed and began to think on ways to find Toto.
Suddenly Deep’s grandfather exclaimed, “I have an idea!” He told the others the plan. Everyone agreed and hoped it would work. Deep and his mother got a big golden kite and attached golden sparkling papers to the thread.
Deep took the kite and ran to his roof. The whole family followed him.
Deep flew the kite higher and made it go further.
Toto in the meantime was crying as he couldn’t find his way back. He was hiding under a bench when he suddenly noticed something.
Looking carefully, Toto noticed a big golden kite flying in the sky. He was thrilled! Toto knew that only Deep flew golden kites.
Toto spotted the flying thread clearly because Deep had attached golden sparkling papers to the flying thread.
Toto followed the thread in the sky and after crossing a few streets, he reached to a familiar neighbourhood. Toto was happy and found his way home. He barked happily when he landed on the doorstep.
Everyone was happy when they heard Toto’s bark again.
Deep hugged him. Toto jumped around him. Deep never left his favourite pet alone again and took him to the park to play always.
Gopu, the pig was very naughty. He had a few naughty friends with whom he often went roaming. Sometimes his friends left him in a remote place and ran away. He often lost his way and had a tough time finding his way back home. Gopu still liked to play with them.
“Gopu, let’s go to the river. It is too humid. We’ll go into the water and play. You enjoy swimming, don’t you?” asked Ganu, the pig.
“Yes. I love to play in the river. Let’s go.” Gopu readily agreed.
“I am going to roll in the muck,” declared Bansi.
“Yuck! Dirty creature!” exclaimed Piyu.
Mantru interrupted, “We shouldn’t play in the muck. It spreads diseases. It’s important to be careful about hygiene. You can play in fresh water for sure.”
Bansi agreed. They decided to stay away from dirty puddles. They started walking towards the river.
They swam in the river for hours. However they were unaware of the approaching danger.
Four wicked foxes had seen them going towards the river.
Nakul, the fox said, “These tiny piglets are too tempting to resist. Let’s follow them and relish their tasty meat.”
Pandu, Sam and Baddy nodded their head and decided to attack the piglets.
They quietly proceeded towards the river and hid behind the bushes. They were patiently waiting for the right opportunity.
The piglets stepped out of the river and the foxes chased them. All the piglets, except Gopu, managed to escape from the foxes. Gopu was the youngest and couldn’t run fast. As a result, the foxes surrounded tiny Gopu.
Nakul said, “Pandu and Sam, you hold him by his ears. Baddy, you hold his tail tightly.”
Deenu, the donkey was grazing near the river. Some weird noises drew his attention. He looked around and saw that Gopu was in danger.
Deenu immediately went near Gopu and started braying, “Leave the kid alone or all of you shall pay for it.”
“Deenu, stay away,” replied Nakul.
Deenu ran towards Nakul and kicked him hard. Nakul was injured but managed to flee.
The other three foxes also ran for their life.
“Thank you, Uncle. Had you not been present, I would have lost my life.” said Gopu.
Deenu said, “How did you come here?”
Gopu narrated how his friends forced him to come near the river.
Deenu said, “You should always obey your parents. Also, it’s not nice to be friends with such animals who leave you in danger. Learn from this incident and never repeat such a mistake. Come, I shall drop you home.”
“Uncle, please don’t tell my parents about the incident. They’ll be disappointed and worried,” pleaded Gopu.
Deenu said, “I will not tell your parents only on one condition. You shall promise to always obey your parents and avoid bad company.”
“I promise, Uncle,” said Gopu.
Deenu dropped Gopu near his house. Gopu decided to obey his parents. He gave up talking with his selfish friends and made a few new friends. Gopu had learnt a lesson. He took great care never to put his life in danger again.
One morning, Baddy fox and Laptu jackal approached Cheeku rabbit for help. Cheeku was known to be fair and impartial. So, they were confident that Cheeku would help solve their problem.
“Yesterday, Laptu made some extra money at our store because of the festive sale. He couldn’t deposit it in the bank as it was quite late in the evening by the time he closed the shop. So, he came to my house and gave me the money for safe-keeping. But this morning, the money was missing,” said Baddy worried.
“Don’t worry, Baddy. We will find your money. Now, think calmly and tell me what you did with the money once Laptu gave it to you,” said Cheeku.
“Laptu had put the money in a yellow cover, which he handed over to me. After counting it, I hid it inside the rice bin to keep it safe,” said Baddy.
“Was anybody else there when you counted the money or placed it inside the bin? Do you suspect anybody?” asked Cheeku.
“Yes, I suspect Jumpy monkey. He was the only one who saw Laptu handing over the money to me. He even walked by my house a couple of times when I was counting the money,” said Baddy.
“In that case, let’s go to Jumpy’s house and find out. Come with me,” said Cheeku.
The three of them reached Jumpy’s house and there, they saw Jumpy and Meeku mouse counting some money.
Jumpy was surprised to see the three of them. “Hello! What brings you all here so early in the day?”
Cheeku explained about Baddy’s missing money. “Baddy says that you are the only one, beside him and Laptu, who knows about the money. So he suspects that you could have taken it,” said Cheeku.
“That is absurd! I did not steal the money!” said a shocked Jumpy.
“In that case, where did you get this money from?” asked Laptu, pointing to the bundle of cash in Jumpy’s hands.
“Meeku and I earned this money by selling the bananas from our farm,” said Jumpy.
“Liar! There’s no way you could have made so much money by selling bananas!” accused Baddy angrily.
“Calm down, Baddy. I will find out who the liar is,” said Cheeku. “Now tell me, how many notes were there and of what denomination? Since you counted the notes before you put in inside, you may know.”
Baddy became uncomfortable with the question. “Errr… There were 50 50-rupee notes,” said Baddy.
Cheeku took the bundle of cash from Jumpy and said, “Looks like Jumpy has all 100-rupee notes. So I guess, this is not your money.”
“I remember well. We had 100-rupee notes, not 50-rupee notes,” said Laptu.
“Aha! Who is the liar now? There are a couple of 50-rupee notes as well,” said Jumpy.
“You have been caught, Baddy! Now out with the truth! Why were you trying to frame Jumpy? Did you really lose your money?” asked Cheeku.
“Tell the truth, or else we will complain to King Shersingh about you,” said Jumpy.
Baddy and Laptu became scared and immediately confessed.
“Please don’t tell Shersingh! I am sorry I lied. We didn’t lose our money. Yesterday, while on the way to the shop, Laptu overheard Meeku and Jumpy talking about the money they made. So, we came up with a plan to get the money from them by wrongly framing them,” said Baddy.
“Jumpy and Meeku made this money through hard work and not by cheating people. You should apologise to them,” said Cheeku.
Baddy and Laptu were ashamed of their behaviour. They apologised to Jumpy and Meeku for trying to cheat them.
One morning, during the early 1900s, in pre-independent India, two brothers were getting ready to go to school. They lived in the city of Cuttack, Orissa, along with their large family.
“Brother, it’s time to go to school. Let’s leave now,” said Subhas to his elder brother, Sharad.
“What’s the hurry? There’s still time,” responded Sharad casually.
“You don’t understand. I want to go to school early today because I want to sit on the first bench. I always end up sitting behind. I think it’s because I reach late,” explained Subhas.
“In that case, let’s leave right away!” said Sharad. The brothers left for school at once.
Subhas reached school earlier than usual and quickly occupied the front bench, which was still vacant. After a while, a British boy came to class and asked him to vacate the seat.
“I won’t get up from here. I came early today and was the first to sit here,” said Subhas.
The boy complained to the teacher who in turn asked Subhas to vacate the front bench. The teacher told Subhas that he was not allowed to sit there. Subhas felt dejected and moved to another bench at the back of the class.
That evening, on their way back home, Subhas asked his brother, “Why aren’t we allowed to sit on the front benches?”
Sharad did not know how to explain to his little brother that under the British rule, this is how Indian students were treated in a missionary school.
Though Subhas was a bright student and scored the highest marks in his class, the scholarship was awarded to a British student. This again left Subhas heartbroken.
“We shouldn’t study in this school anymore. If they discriminate amongst students this way, is it a school worth studying in?” Subhas asked his brother.
Again, Sharad had no reply.
After a few years, Subhas passed the matriculation examinations with a good score and secured an admission into the Presidency College in Kolkata. His father, Janki Das who was a wellknown lawyer, and his mother, Prabhavati were overjoyed. They were certain that Subhas would make them proud.
One day, Subhas returned home from college quite upset.
“What’s the matter, Subhas? You look gloomy today,” said his mother, sensing something amiss.
“They expelled me from college,” said Subhas sadly.
“But why? You were specially invited to study in that college by the principal himself. Why would he do that?” asked his mother shocked.
“One of our professors, Mr. Otten holds discriminatory views about our country. So, when he said something disrespectful about India, and insulted some Indian students, I protested. And in the spur of the moment, I raised my hand, too. Therefore, they expelled me,” explained Subhas.
His mother was apprehensive for a moment, but then she smiled.
“Subhas, how could you have sat quietly and listened to insults against your own country? With regards to college decorum and discipline, what you did was wrong. But when seen from the point of view of upholding the respect of your country, you did the right thing. The notion of freedom runs in your veins. I am proud of you, son,” said his mother.
“Thank you, mother,” said Subhas, who felt much better now.
His mother hugged him and said, “Our country won’t be under the British rule for long because of people like you who stand up for their country.”
That boy grew up to be Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, one of the most prominent freedom fighters of our country.
Subhas Chandra Bose set up the Azad Hind Fauj, an army he raised with the help of the German government to wage war against Britain. He was also the first person to address Mahatma Gandhi as the Father of the Nation in a speech delivered on 6 July 1944, through the Azad Hind Radio from Singapore.
His slogan, “Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom” went a long way in uniting the citizens of India against the British rule.
All the planets were worried. They hadn’t seen their little friend Pluto in a while.
“Where has our little friend suddenly gone? Chotu was with us all the time, Mars said anxiously, referring to Pluto by the nickname all the planets had given him.
“Could it be that little Pluto is playing a game of hide-and-seek with us? He’s quite a playful fellow,” Venus said thoughtfully.
“I don’t think so,” Saturn said. “Even if Pluto was trying to hide from us, one of us would have still spotted him. Don’t forget there are eight of us. And Pluto can only hide behind the Sun, since he too revolves around the Sun, just like all of us.”
“Well, if that was the case, one of us would have definitely seen him, since one of us would have been there too,” Mercury added explaining his logic.
“It is our folly that we couldn’t take good care of Chotu,” said Jupiter. “Pluto was the smallest and also the farthest of us all. We should have been more careful about him.”
“Well, Pluto was so far away that we couldn’t care for him as much as we wished to. After all, we are the inner planets,” Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars said together. They were the four planets who were closest to the Sun.
“Saturn, Uranus and I are the outer planets,” Jupiter clarified. “But we faced the same problem too.”
“It is all Neptune’s fault,” Uranus pointed out. “He was the closest to Pluto and should have been more responsible for Pluto’s well being.”
“I did my best to look after Pluto,” Neptune said, hoping the others would understand. “But what can I do if I have to move away from him while revolving around the Sun?”
“Could a space shuttle belonging to Earth have taken Pluto away for some kind of research?” Venus said. “Pluto is a small planet and I won’t be surprised if something like that has happened to him.”
Venus’s words made everyone look towards Earth.
“I think Venus is unable to think properly because of all her heat. She is the hottest planet of the solar system after all,” Earth retorted.
Earth then looked at the other planets and said, “Pluto is indeed small but no space shuttle can be big enough to take a planet with it. And if something like that had happened, wouldn’t I have known or told you about it?”
All the planets were confused. They wondered what had happened to their friend.
“Wherever could Pluto go?” Venus said anxiously. “This really is a mystery.”
“Well, we have searched all the possible places that we planets usually go to,” Jupiter said with a sigh. “But there’s no sign of Pluto anywhere.”
Just then the planets saw a space shuttle coming from Earth.
“I think we should ask the space shuttle if it knows anything about Pluto,” Uranus suggested.
“How would the space shuttle know? It is just entering space,” Saturn said, turning Uranus’s idea down.
“Quiet, Saturn! Uranus is right,” Jupiter said sternly. “The humans who live on Earth have sent several satellites into space. The satellites keep a tab on all the incidents that take place on the planets and all over space too. So, this space shuttle might just know the whereabouts of our little friend.”
The planets then waited for the space
shuttle to come closer. “Do you know anything about Pluto?” Mercury asked as soon as the space shuttle was close enough.
“Of course,” the space shuttle said. “Pluto was the smallest planet. And farthest from the Sun too.”
“Well, forget about all that! Tell us, have you heard anything about our friend Chotu… er…I mean Pluto? We haven’t seen him in a while,” Saturn said, sounding exasperated.
“Pluto is no more a pla…” the space shuttle started to say.
“What?” the planets said, sounding shocked. “Our little friend is no more?”
All the planets then began weeping. “Hey!” the space shuttle said, looking slightly startled. “Calm down please! You didn’t let me finish what I was saying.”
“You really are insensitive,” Venus scolded the space shuttle. “You have just given us the bad news that our little friend is no more and are not even letting us grieve our loss.”
“Well, you have no reason to grieve,” the space shuttle said. “Nothing has happened to Pluto. He is perfectly fine. It’s just that he is not a main planet anymore. He is a small or dwarf planet now.”
“But we already know that Pluto is small,” Mars said. “What’s new about that?”
“Well,” the space shuttle said. “Here’s some news for you. Pluto is no longer recognised as a main planet. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union decided that Pluto didn’t qualify as a planet. And so, they excluded Pluto’s name from the group of main planets that you belong to. Pluto was then put in the category of small or dwarf planets which also includes names like Eris and Asteroid Ceres.”
“Is that true?” Jupiter asked. “It sure is,” the space shuttle said. “Your friend Pluto has been classified as a dwarf planet now.”
“Ah,” Venus remarked. “I now understand why we couldn’t find Pluto. We were looking for him in places that we main planets frequent. But of course, we didn’t find him there since he is a small or dwarf planet now.”
“So does that mean there are only eight planets now?” Jupiter said, taking a deep breath. “Yes, Jupiter” the space shuttle replied. “That’s right.”
“Hey! That’s too bad,” Neptune said regretfully.
“Well, let’s look at this way,” Saturn said, trying to console the others. “The good news is that our friend Pluto is fine even though he has been classified as a dwarf planet now. I’m quite sure we’ll meet him sometimes though.”
“That’s fine,” Mercury said. “But this really has created a strange problem for me.”
Mercury’s words surprised everyone. “What’s the matter, Mercury?” Earth asked. “How is it a problem for you?”
“Well,” Mercury said. “Now that I am officially the smallest of all main planets, you all will nickname me as Chotu!”
Mercury’s joke made all the planets laugh heartily. They cheered up and felt quite relieved that their friend Pluto was fine even though he was a dwarf planet now.
Chikki, the sparrow could not find any worms or grains. She was hungry. She thought to herself, “Where have all the worms gone today? They may be sleeping. What will I have for breakfast?”
She had an idea. Mantu, the crow was sitting on the branch of a neem tree. Chikki flew to her and said, “Good morning Mantu. Have you started looking for food today?” Mantu yawned loudly, “Chikki I am fasting today. My mom told me that it is good to fast at least once a week. You see, it cleanses our system. So, I am just going to sit and meditate.”
Chikki was very upset. She was hoping that he could share Mantu’s food.
So, Chikki went to Helen, the hen. Helen had just come out of her house for a morning walk.
Chikki flew to her and said, “Hi, Helen. Have you started searching for food?What about some grains and nice worms?”
Helen said, ” Dear Chikki, my chicks are going for a picnic today. They wanted all yummy treats. Yesterday I gathered a lot of grains and worms and packed their snack boxes. So today I am going to my mom’s house to spend my day.”
Chikki said sadly, “Ok, Helen. Carry on then.” Chikki sat on the top of a banyan tree and said, “Today, I am so unlucky that nobody is ready to help me. Let me ask Dolly, the duck.”
Dolly was on the way to the river. Chikki thought to herself, “I am sure Dolly is going to catch some worms and fish. She is very helpful. She will share her meal with me.”
She went near Dolly and said, “Hello Dolly, I wish you get the best fishes and worms today.”
Dolly smiled and said, “Chikki, Cookie, the crane lost a bet with me yesterday. So, she is going to treat me today. I am going to her place for lunch.”
More From Champak: Golu Learns to Think for Himself
Chikki’s last hope was also gone. She was on the way back to her nest, when the grocerer’s wife threw a sack of wheat outside saying, “These grains have been spoilt by the worms. We should not use them. Nobody will buy them. I will throw all of them out.”
Chikki saw lot of worms and wheat grains being thrown in the street. She happily dug into them. Now she felt really lucky!
One the eve of Republic Day, Aamir went to the market with his father to buy paper flags to put up in his house. Whenever he bought anything for himself, he would also buy one for his younger brother Wasim.
As soon as he reached home, Aamir stuck the flag by the gate, and gave the other to his brother. “Stick your flag too, Wasim. That way, both our flags will be fluttering in the air and it will look nice,” said Aamir.
“No, I will not stick my flag here. I will stick it on the hood of our car. That way whenever Baba drives the car, the flag will flutter,” said Wasim.
“No, Wasim. You can’t do that,” said Aamir.
“You bought it for me and I will do whatever I want with it,” said Wasim and ran towards the car.
Aamir ran behind him but Wasim tripped and fell down. He immediately started crying. When Aamir tried to help him, Wasim pushed his hand away.
“Go away! I will not talk to you. You pushed me down on purpose,” said Wasim wailing
Hearing Wasim crying, their mother rushed towards him and asked, “What happened? Why are you crying?” “Aamir pushed me down, Ma!” said Wasim.
“No, I did not! He is lying. He wanted to stick the flag on the car but I told him not to. He didn’t listen to me and ran towards the car and fell down,” said Aamir.
“Wasim, why don’t you listen to your brother?” asked Ma.
“Why should I listen to him? He bought this flag for me and I can do whatever I want with it,” said Wasim.
“Son, it is our national flag and is a symbol of our country. Its respect should never be compromised and that is why there are certain rules to using the flag. Your brother knows about it and he tried to tell you about it,” said Ma.
“What is wrong in sticking the flag to the hood of the car?” asked Wasim.
“There is something called the Flag Code of India which states the rules and practices with regards to the display of the national flag. And one of the rules states that only important heads of the government like President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, Governors and the Chief Justice of India can fly the flag on their vehicles,” said Ma.
“Why is that so?” asked Wasim curiously.
“Laying down the rules on the usage of the national flag helps preserve its respect and dignity,” said Ma.
“Why is it important to preserve the dignity of the flag?” asked Wasim.
“Son, each country has its own identity represented by the national flag. Our country’s identity is our national flag. Respecting the flag means respecting our country and the people who fought for its identity. Our country gained freedom from the British after a lot of struggle. The cost of freedom was the lives of several freedom fighters and the sacrifices they made. Because of them, we finally gained independence from the British on August 15, 1947,” explained Ma.
“Then what is Republic Day celebrated for?” asked Wasim.
“January 26 is the date when the Constitution was formally adopted by the Indian parliament,” answered Aamir.
“What is constitution?” asked Wasim.
“Let me simplify this for you. We had got our freedom from the British but we were still following their rules and laws. Our own set of laws needed to be written. So, a committee headed by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar drafted our country’s own rules and legislations that we began to follow from January 26, 1950. That is when our country became a republic wherein the power is with the people and their elected representatives,” explained Ma. “That is why that day is celebrated with great pomp and show in New Delhi in front of the President of India.”
“Our school has also planned special programmes tomorrow!” said Wasim excitedly.
“So, now do you understand why you should not play with the national flag?” asked Ma.
“Yes, Ma. Thanks for explaining everything to me clearly. If I had known all this information earlier I wouldn’t have played with the flag,” said Wasim.
“That is what your brother tried to tell you. Next time, just listen to what he has to say before you go running away,” said Ma smiling.
“I will, Ma,” said Wasim. He then turned to Aamir and asked, “Will you help me stick this flag on our gate?”
Of course, I will, little brother. And let’s plan our own Republic Day celebration at home,” said Aamir.
“Yes, let’s! This will be our own way of showing respect to our country,” said Wasim beaming.
One big oak tree,
Which was very hollow,
On it rested,
The nest of a swallow.
The swallow had babies,
In her little home,
Soon the mother flew away,
For food in a dome.
Just then a hunter came,
For the meat in the nest.
With ruthless thoughts,
He was a pest.
The mother came back,
And fought with the crook.
She got scratches everywhere,
But did not hide in a nook.
The she-bird flew away,
With her children, she snatched.
For a mother’s love,
Can never be matched.
Seeing the will-power,
Of the little swallow,
The hunter was taken aback,
And left the tree hollow.
-Adya Tripathi
