Piku was a handsome parrot. But he took too much pride in his beauty. Whenever he met the other animals in the forest, he would only talk about himself.
One day when he was looking at his feathers and admiring himself, he heard a beautiful voice coming from near the lake. Piku wondered to whom the voice belonged. Unable to contain his curiosity, he flew towards the lake to find out.
There, he saw a beautiful swan with feathers as white as milk and a beak that glistened in the sun. She was singing and dancing in the lake. She noticed Piku looking at her.
“Hello, there!” said the swan sweetly. “My name is Sofi and I’ve just arrived in your forest.”
“Hi, Sofi. I am Piku. Welcome to our forest,” said Piku warmly.
Just when he was about to talk about his beauty, Sofi said, “Look at my feathers, Piku. Don’t you think they are shiny and soft? And my neck—it’s slender and curvy. You may not have seen any creature as beautiful as I am!”
Piku was irritated. “How much she talks about herself!” he thought to himself.
He listened to her talk more about herself, and then finally said, “Sofi, I must go now. I’m pleased to have met you. Hope we meet again. Bye!”
On his way back home, Piku met Mittu, the squirrel. “There’s a new guest in our forest. But do stay away from her,” said Piku.
“Who is this new guest? And why are you asking me to stay away from her?” asked Mittu curiously.
“Her name is Sofi. She’s a swan. All she talks about are her feathers, neck, eyes and how beautiful she is! I don’t like her at all,” said Piku.
“Ha ha! I am used to that, Piku. You do the same with me,” said Mittu.
“Whether you accept it or not, that’s what you do. Ask anyone,” said Mittu, walking away.
Piku then met Bhola, the bear. “Stay away from Sofi, the swan!” Piku warned him.
“But why? What has she done?” asked Bhola.
“She’ll bore you to sleep by constantly talking about how beautiful she is,” said Piku.
“Just like you! Now, do you realise how we feel when you keep boasting about yourself?” asked Bhola.
Suddenly, he heard Sofi’s voice again. It seemed like she was coming this way. Piku quickly left, not wanting another conversation with her.
Later, Piku sat down on a tree and pondered over what Mittu and Bholu told him. “Do I really talk about myself that much?” he wondered aloud. “They must be mistaken. It is Sofi who keeps talking about herself. I’ve never seen anyone so vain!”
Kalu, the elephant, who happened to walk by, heard Piku talking to himself. “Are you boasting about your good looks again?” Kalu asked Piku.
“No, I was talking about Sofi, the swan. She irritates others by talking only about herself,” replied Piku.
“But that is what you do as well, and we get irritated with you. But we don’t tell you about it because you are a good friend and we didn’t want to hurt your feelings,” said Kalu.
Piku finally realised his mistake. “I am sorry. I didn’t realise how vain I was being until today. I am going to change that about myself, and hopefully make Sofi understand this as well,” he said. “And next time, do tell me if I do something wrong. Don’t keep it from me just because I am your friend.”
“Don’t worry, Piku. I am sure we won’t have anything to complain about hereafter,” said Kalu with a smile.
When Danny, the fawn opened his eyes in the middle of the night, his room was completely dark. He became scared and called out to his mother!
“Mom! Where are you? Why have the lights gone out? My room is very dark!” Danny screamed from his room.
“Don’t be scared, Danny. I am right here,” said his mother Dina, the deer, rushing into Danny’s room. “There is a power cut. I just called the electricity office and they informed me that it will be back within an hour,” she explained, as she patted his back to ease his fear.
“I will sleep beside you till the power is back. You know I am scared of the dark,” said Danny, holding on to his mother tight.
That night, Danny slept with his mother. He still could not sleep properly, because of which Danny was tired the next day and dozed off in class.
“Danny! Why are you sleeping in class?” his teacher Jimmy, the monkey scolded him.
Danny tried to stay awake but he dozed off again. His classmates laughed at him.
During recess, Danny’s friend Marty, the mongoose said to him, “You look very tired today. Didn’t you sleep last night?”
“No, I did not. There was a power cut at home and my room became completely dark. So, I was scared and couldn’t sleep at all last night,” explained Danny
“So what if it was dark? You were in your house, not in the middle of the jungle!” said Marty.
“My room was pitch-black and I was all alone. What if someone had come into the house?” said Danny.
“If the doors and windows are locked, no one can enter your house, said Marty.
“What about ghosts? They don’t need doors and windows to enter. They can walk through walls!” said Danny, shuddering at the thought. “When I sleep, I cover myself fully with the blanket so that the ghosts can’t see me.”
Marty burst out laughing. “There is no such thing as a ghost! If you can overcome your fear of the dark, then you wouldn’t have an irrational fear of ghosts,” said Marty.
“How do I overcome my fear?” asked Danny, hoping for a solution. “I try sleeping with the lights on, but that doesn’t seem to help.”
“You have to face your fear. Instead of keeping the lights on at night, get used to the darkness a few minutes at a time. Switch off the lights for a minute, then for five minutes and then gradually keep increasing the time. Soon, you will become comfortable not having the lights on through the night,” suggested Marty.
“But what if I see a ghost?” asked Danny.
“Keep a flashlight by your side. In case you think you see a ghost, flash the light at it and it will go away. Ghosts are afraid of brave kids,” said Marty.
“Really? I didn’t know that,” said Danny excitedly. “I am going to try your suggestion tonight and see how it works,” he said cheerfully.
That night, Danny went to bed with a flashlight by his side. To his mother’s surprise, he even switched off all lights in his room. As soon as it was dark, Danny held on to his flashlight tight and lay still. After a few minutes, Danny was slowly getting used to the darkness. It did not seem so scary after all.
Suddenly, he felt a figure moving towards his bed. Danny wanted to scream but he remembered what Marty told him: “Ghosts are afraid of brave kids.” So, he closed his eyes and lay still. After a minute, he opened his eyes to find the figure missing.
“Maybe it is hiding under the bed. Let me flash the light at it and chase it away,” thought Danny. He switched on the light and looked under his bed. To his relief, there was nothing.
Danny felt triumphant. “Hurray! There is no ghost in the room. Now that I have become brave, the ghost must have become afraid of me and run away!” he said to himself.
Danny switched off the flashlight and went back to bed. He slept peacefully that night.
The next day, at school, Danny thanked Marty for helping him overcome his fear of the dark.
the dark. “I am glad I could help you,” said Marty. “But now, you don’t have an excuse to fall asleep in class,” he joked. Danny laughed with him.
Once there was a boy
And everyone thought,
He was a useless guy.
He always Failed,
In every exam
Be it First second or third,
Or the last, Final term.
Once he saw an art,
Who was trying to climb a wall.
Fell down, but tried again,
And then it did not
This lit up his inner soul,
He worked harder to achieve his goals.
And one day he went up so high,
That he Finally touched the sky!
IF you too want achievements,
Never, ever cry.
Just set your goals and aims,
And try try and try.
-Adya Tripathi
Story: Vivek Chakravarty
Illustrations: Sonal & Sumit
Like and follow Champak on: facebook.com/ChampakMagazine/ for more stories, comics, puzzles and jokes!
One day, Isha’s mother gave her a 100-rupee note and asked her to buy a kilo of onion and half a kilo of potato from the market. After a while, Isha came back home and handed over the bag of vegetables to her mother and said, “The potatoes cost Rs.10 and the onions were Rs.20 a kilo. So, I paid the shopkeeper Rs.30″
“That’s good, Isha. Can I please have the balance money?” asked her mother.
Isha handed over the change to her mother.
On counting it, her mother realised that it was short by Rs.10.
“Did you spend money on anything else?” asked her mother.
“No, Mummy. This is the change given to me by the vegetable vendor,” said Isha.
“In that case, I think the vegetable vendor has either made a mistake or cheated you. He has given you Rs. 10 less. Did you count the change after he gave it to you?”
“I did,” said Isha.
“Then I think you have not calculated correctly,” said her mother.
On hearing this, Isha became sad.
“Don’t feel bad, Isha. You can improve your arithmetic skills with daily practice. Learning to calculate correctly will help you not just to score marks in your exams, but will be useful in your daily life too,” said her mother.
“I do try to practise, Mummy, but I find it difficult sometimes. Is there an easier way to learn to calculate?” asked Isha.
“Yes, there is. Let me teach you how to calculate using your fingers. Now, try to answer this by counting with your fingers: I have 10 mangoes and you have given me another 20 mangoes. How many mangoes do I have in all?”
Isha counted her fingers one by one. “One, two, three… 10. How do I count further?” she asked.
“Continue counting your fingers again from 11,” said her mother.
“Oh! Okay. So, 11, 12, 13…30!” she said finally. “30 mangoes!”
“Good, Isha. Now, let’s try subtraction. If I have 10 mangoes and I give away 3 to our neighbours, how many mangoes will remain with me?” asked her mother.
Isha held up 10 fingers and folded 3. “Seven!” she replied triumphantly.
“Very good! Now, I’ll teach you how to subtract larger numbers like 100 minus 30,” said her mother and began doing the sum on paper. Isha observed her attentively and then answered, “70!”
“That’s right. See, how easy learning to calculate can be. With daily practice, you will be able to add and subtract faster. Now, let’s go to the market and ask the vegetable vendor for the balance,” said Isha’s mother.
“And perhaps he is weak in calculating too. I will teach him a few calculations,” said Isha.
“Ha ha! You are already a master mathematician!” laughed her mother.
Baddy fox was cunning when it came to work. He often found new plans to cheat others.
While living in Champakvan, Baddy had borrowed money from almost everybody in the forest, but when it came to giving back the money, he always managed to escape by giving them some excuse.
One morning, Baddy went to Jumbo elephant’s house and saw him brushing his teeth outside the house.
“Jumbo, can you give me Rs. 1000 as a loan? I will give you back Rs. 2000 after a week’s time,” said Baddy.
Hearing Baddy, Jumbo was shocked. He spit out the water he was gargling with. Jumbo looked at Baddy from top to bottom and asked, “Baddy, are you sleepwalking? How can you double the money in a week?”
“Jumbo, I have an offer from a big company that can help me double my money. You are my best friend so I came to you. If you are not interested, I can ask someone else,” said Baddy.
“No, no. Wait for me here. I’ll get the money from inside,” said Jumbo and gave Baddy the money.
“Jumbo, come to my home after a week and take your money,” said Baddy keeping the money inside his pocket.
After a week when Jumbo went to Baddy’s house, he saw that the house was locked.
There was a huge crowd outside Baddy’s house, and all of them were saying that Baddy had taken money from them. Baddy had borrowed from many, telling them that he will double their money in a week and they had come to take their money back.
Seeing everyone, Jumbo shook his head and said, “Wow! Baddy has cheated all of us.”
Cheeku rabbit was weeping as he said, “Baddy has run away with my hard-earned money. I will not leave him if I find him.”
Meeku mouse asked them to calm down, “Friends, the mistake is ours. We should have thought before giving him the money. And how did we ever think that money could be doubled in a week’s time? Our eyes were covered with greed and because of that, we fell for his lies.”
A few days passed on like this.
One day in the forest, a foreigner fox came. He wore black spectacles, a hat and a T-shirt. Everyone stared at him.
“Hello, my friend. My name is Meeku. Are you new to this forest?” asked Meeku.
“Yes, I have come from America and my name is Bobby,” said the fox.
“What brings you to Champakvan?” asked Jumbo curiously.
“Next week there is a huge dance competition in America, and I’m on the lookout for good dancers. Whoever wants to participate in the competition can come and give their name, and whoever wins will get a chance to go to America,” said Bobby.
Everyone was surprised to hear Bobby.
“But, why have you come to our small forest? You will get really good dancers in the city,” said Jumpy.
“I have heard so much about Champakvan and so I thought I should hold the competition here and not in the city,” replied Bobby.
“I am so fat; can I participate in this competition?” asked Jumbo.
“Anybody who can dance can participate in the competition. Also, I am here for this. I will take you to America and teach you. Just come tomorrow and give your name,” said Bobby.
Bobby was staying at the Champakvan Grand Hotel.
The next day there was a long queue outside the hotel as everyone wanted to go to America.
Jumbo, Meeku and Cheeku stood first in the line.
Bobby gave them a form and said, “Fill this form, please read the information about the competition in this paper.”
“Do we need to pay any fees?” asked Jumbo.
“No need, I will take all of you free of cost. I will spend for all expenses; I have just come to search for a good dancer. I have the money and don’t need to collect any fees,” said Bobby.
“If everybody thought like you, it would be so good,” said Meeku.
Cheeku asked, “I know that for going abroad we need a passport and visa, and we don’t have anything. How will we be able to go?”
“Leave everything to me. I will take care of all the formalities. I have contacts at the embassy,” Bobby reassured them.
24 people filled and gave their forms.
After checking the form Bobby said, “Everybody’s form is correct. Tomorrow evening, all of you come with your luggage and we will all go abroad in my private plane,” said Bobby.
The next morning, there was a huge crowd in the hotel. Meeku and Jumbo were very excited and they both came to the hotel early by scooter.
“Bobby why are you so upset? Has the private plane come?” asked Meeku.
“There was a problem in the plane on the way from America,” said Bobby in a worried voice.
“What problem?” asked Jumbo feeling scared.
“My private plane has developed a technical problem, and it will take one week for it to be repaired,” said Bobby.
“So we can’t go to America?” asked Meeku with a grumpy face.
“We have to book ticket for another flight, and each ticket costs Rs. 40,000 each,” said Bobby.
“Rs. 40,000!” Jumbo was shocked.
“Yes, Rs. 40,000. But don’t worry. After reaching America I shall return your money immediately. If you give me the money by tomorrow morning, I will book the evening flight for America. Anyway, the competition will begin in a couple of days. If we get late today, then we won’t get a chance to participate in the competition,” said Bobby.
“We will not get a chance to go to America again. We must give the money to Bobby and book our tickets. We will get our money back once we reach America,” said Meeku.
“Yes, Meeku is right. This golden opportunity will not back come again,” said Jumbo.
Cheeku stopped them. He warned them, “Too much greed is not good. How can we believe Bobby and give him money?”
Meeku got angry and said, “Cheeku it’s not right to doubt Bobby, I have full faith in him. He is very rich and he will not cheat us. If you don’t want to go then don’t come. I will definitely go to America for a trip.”
Next day all the animals got their money and Bobby collected it. He said, “Now nobody can stop you from going to America. I will buy the tickets and we will leave in the evening.”
All of them decided to wait for him.
“He should have come by now,” said Meeku, looking at his watch.
Just then Cheeku reached and said, “It’s waste of time to wait for Bobby. He is not going to come.”
“How can you say that?” asked Meeku.
“If Bobby was coming back then he should not have left the hotel and gone. He has cheated everyone,” said Cheeku.
“So has Bobby disappeared with our money?” asked Jumbo, sadly.
Everybody started crying. Cheeku told everybody, “There is no use of regretting your actions. I had warned you. But you were all crazy about going to America.”
“Cheeku, we realise that we made a big mistake. We don’t want to go to America but just want our Rs. 40,000 back,” said a teary-eyed Jumbo.
“If you promise me that that you won’t make this mistake again then I will help you,” said Cheeku.
“We promise you that we will not repeat this mistake,” said everybody in same tune.
Cheeku signalled towards the back of the hotel and they saw King Shersingh Lion came out with Bobby. He was handcuffed.
When Shersingh removed Bobby’s spectacles and the hat, all the animals were startled.
“Hey this is Baddy,” said Jumbo.
“Yes, this is Baddy. He fooled everyone by calling himself Bobby. He was going to cheat you of your money and run away. Cheeku told me everything at the right time. There is no dance competition in America. And all his stories were fake. Here, this is the money that you gave Baddy,” said Shersingh.
Cheeku continued, “Baddy was going to rob us of all our money. He made us greedy with the thoughts of going to America free of cost so that we would believe him. He also made up a false story that the plane had gone for repair to get the money from you all. When Baddy asked for Rs. 40,000 I got a doubt, then I went to the police station and gave the inspector all the information about Baddy.”
Shersingh returned everybody’s money. All of them thanked Cheeku, and promised to never let greed affect the way they looked at things.
Blacky Bear: Why did Varun throw the clock out of the window?
Sher Singh: Because he wanted to see how time flies.
______________________
Henry Hen: What is a frog’s favourite year?
Jumpy Frog: A leap year!
The land of diversity,
Where people live in harmony.
Different cultures and customs,
And different castes and religions
Our history today tells us all,
About great leaders and freedom fighters’ sacrifice,
Who all were very wise.
Our country was protected,
Because they protested.
The Himalayas have worn a crown,
Giving birth to some of the greatest rivers,
The atmosphere here is filled with serenity,
Creating a nature that is very pretty!
-Aniha Sheela Paraveen
-10 years, Nashik
Grandma was waiting at the bus stop for her grandsons Rohit and Mohit.
“The school bus is late today,” she murmured to herself.
After sometime, the school bus arrived.
The twins, Rohit and Mohit jumped out of the bus and ran up to her.
“Grandma, today I scored full marks in a surprise test on Moral Education!” said Rohit excitedly.
“Very good, Rohit! Keep it up. And what about you, Mohit?” asked Grandma.
“I wasn’t well prepared. So, I scored only 17 on 20,” said Mohit.
“That is still a good score. We shall celebrate both of your achievements with pav bhaji tonight. And I’ll ask your father to buy some ice cream on his way back from work,” said Grandma.
Rohit and Mohit jumped with excitement.
Later that evening, Rohit and Mohit were watching television when the doorbell rang. Rohit answered the door and saw his classmate Varun standing outside.
“Hi, Rohit. As you know, I was absent from school for the past few days. Can you help me with the classwork? I also need to borrow your notes,” said Varun.
“Why don’t you take help from your best friend Mahesh?” asked Rohit.
“He has gone out of town with his family and will be back only next week,” replied Varun.
“I am sorry, Varun. I don’t have the time to help you now. And my notes are incomplete,” said Rohit.
Varun was disappointed. He turned away to walk when he heard Mohit call out to him.
“Hey, Varun! I can help you,” said Mohit, walking up to the door. “Bring your books over. We can study here.”
“Thanks, Mohit. I’ll be back in 10 minutes,” replied Varun and quickly left to get his books.
Mohit closed the door and turned around to see Rohit staring at him angrily.
“Why did you offer to help Varun? You know him well. He always troubles us in class,” fumed Rohit.
“Calm down, Rohit. Right now, he came to us asking for help and not to trouble us. There is no harm in helping him out,” said Mohit.
Rohit became upset. He went to his room and did not talk to Varun when he returned later. Meanwhile, Mohit and Varun sat down to study.
After dinner, the twins, their parents and Grandma were all gathered in the living room and eating ice cream.
“Grandma told me that Rohit scored full marks in a surprise test. Good job, Champ!” congratulated their father.
“We should congratulate Mohit as well and give him an extra scoop of ice cream as a reward,” said Grandma.
Mohit was surprised. “Me? Why?”
“Moral Science is a subject that teaches you morals and values of life and can guide you to do the right thing in a situation. Rohit might have got full marks in the test, but Mohit put those values to use today,” said Grandma.
“Oh yes, I saw Mohit helping Varun with his schoolwork when we came back home from the office,” said their mother.
“Rohit, when Varun came to you asking for help, and the right thing to have done was to help him, irrespective of whether he is your friend or not. We should not let people down when they need our help,” said Grandma.
“I am sorry, Grandma. I didn’t realise my mistake. Now on, I shall help everyone,” said Rohit. He then turned to his brother and said, “Congrats, Mohit. You are the real winner!”
“Thank you!” said Mohit.
“I think now Rohit too deserves an extra scoop of ice cream!” said their father.
The twins enjoyed their well-pav bhaji and ice cream.
Jumbo elephant loved eating sugarcane. He had planted the sweetest sugarcane plants in his farm and enjoyed sharing sugarcane and its juice with all his neighbours and guests.
One day when Jumbo went to the farm, he was shocked to see sugarcane stalks fallen on the ground. He looked around carefully, but found no sign of anyone entering and walking around the farm.
Next morning, some more of the sugarcane stalks were on the ground. Every night someone entered the farm and broke some of the stalks.
Jumbo started putting a big lock on the door of his farm and the boundary wall around his farm was very high. It was not possible for anyone to jump over and come inside but each morning Jumbo saw that sugarcane stalks were broken.
This troubled Jumbo a lot. On many nights he kept awake and guarded the house, but he did not see anyone going towards his farm. In the morning he found the sugarcane stalks broken and on the ground.
One day, poor Jumbo mentioned this to his friend Jumpy monkey. Jumpy said, “This seems to be the work of a ghost.”
“Why will a ghost break the sugarcane?” Jumbo said, not believing Jumpy.
“If a ghost is not breaking the plants, then is the wind breaking them?” Jumpy replied.
“You have stayed awake the whole night and guarded the stalks. You saw no one come or go, and still the stalks were broken in the morning. This clearly means that it is the work of ghosts, because no one can see them if they do not wish to be seen,” Jumpy continued.
On hearing this, Jumbo got frightened. He started getting afraid to go in the direction of his farm even during the day.
One day Cheeku rabbit came to visit him. Jumbo always offered Cheeku sugarcane juice, but that day he did not do so.
Cheeku found this unusual and asked his friend, “What is the matter Jumbo? You look troubled today. I am also missing the sweet sugarcane juice that you always offer.”
“Don’t mention sugarcane,” Jumbo said, looking sad.
“Why?” asked Cheeku. “You were always so proud of the sugarcane you grew.”
“Ghosts have invaded my sugarcane farm.
Every night they come and break many of my sugarcane stalks. I have stopped going to the farm out of fear,” Jumbo explained to Cheeku.
“Jumbo, you are so intelligent. Why do you still you talk like this? There are no ghosts. They are only exist in our minds and stories,” Cheeku tried to explain.
“If there are no ghosts, then who is breaking my sugarcane?” asked Jumbo.
When Cheeku heard the details, his face became serious. He did not believe in ghosts. “But who is breaking them without being seen?” Cheeku thought to himself and decided to find out.
After thinking for a while Cheeku said, “I am going to spend the night in your farm today and try to find out who breaks the sugarcane.”
“Oh no, I cannot put your life in danger,” said Jumbo who was worried.
Cheeku pleaded to Jumbo and at night he hid behind a tree in the farm.
Around midnight, he heard a faint sound. He could not see anyone. Soon, one of the stalks fell. And after some time another one. Cheeku too started feeling afraid. He was sure there were no spirits and ghosts, but something was there. He tiptoed towards the sound. When he reached close to the spot, he heard the sound of someone chewing something.
Then, he noticed Meeku rat chewing at the base of a sugarcane stalk.
“So you are the sugarcane ghost!” said Cheeku angrily.
When Meeku heard Cheeku’s voice, he tried to run away but Cheeku sprang and caught him. He thundered, “Tell me quickly! Why have you been breaking Jumbo’s sugarcane?”
“I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you. First leave me,” said Meeku, panting.
“Very smart. If I leave you, you will run away,” said Cheeku. Then relaxing his hold slightly, Cheeku said, “Come, tell me now. Why are you doing this?”
“I was living here happily with my family. Then one day Jumbo trampled and broke my house with his huge and heavy feet. I have been breaking his sugarcane to take revenge for that,” said Meeku with a long sigh.
“When did I break your house?” asked Jumbo as he reached the scene on hearing the noise.
“You had come here to take sugarcane to give juice to your guests,” said Meeku. He was frightened and sure that Jumbo would trample on him and break his bones.
But instead of being angry, Jumbo said sorrowfully, “My friend, I must have trampled your house by mistake. I am very sorry and beg your pardon.”
“You called me ‘friend’!” said Meeku, surprised. He could not believe that such a huge elephant was asking for forgiveness and not punishing him.
“Yes, we all are friends. We should live together with love and not take revenge on one another,” said Jumbo. Then after thinking for a while he said, “I will make a hole in the soil with my long and strong teeth. You can make your house in the hole and live happily again.”
“Thank you Jumbo but we have already made a new house,” Meeku said.
“Oh it is nice to hear that!” said Jumbo.
“But what I have done was not right. I should be punished for it,” said Meeku. Seeing Jumbo’s nobility, he felt very sorry for his act.
“Yes, you should get the punishment,” Jumbo closed his eyes for a while and then said, “Your punishment is to taste all the plants in this garden and tell me which one is the sweetest.”
Then Jumbo added, “Cheeku has found the sugarcane ghost. I want to reward him with the juice of the sweetest plant.”
On hearing this, Meeku went in the farm joyfully. After some time his voice was heard, “Dear Jumbo, this plant is the sweetest.”
Jumbo quickly went and got that stalk. He squeezed the juice and offered it to both his friends. All felt very happy.
One moment I was in the air,
Above the clouds, nowhere to be found.
One moment I was below the Earth,
In its core I was bound.
One moment I was in a palace,
And the other in a cottage so small.
One moment I was happy with a stick
And the other, I hated my expensive ball.
Time changes as we go,
We can’t follow it; it just goes,
Time is precious
So this is what we learnt folks!
Harshita Das
11 years, Noida
Sher Singh: What goes around wood but never gets inside it.
Jumbo: The bark of tree!
________________________________________
Foxy Fox: Why does water move more freely than a solid?
Damru: Because water moves on a cycle (water cycle)
Dr. Singh was a famous surgeon who lived in Civil Lines in Jodhpur with his wife and two sons. In their garden there lived a cat with her four kittens. The kittens were furry with green eyes and the boys loved having them around.
The kitchen had a door that opened to the garden. The cat and kittens would live in that part and would come near the kitchen step for food that Mrs. Singh would keep outside for them.
The kittens were very playful. They loved playing hide and seek, chasing each other was also their favorite sport. Once tired, they would lick and caress each other. Dr. Singh’s family loved watching their cats play.
Slowly, the kittens began to grow up. The mother cat would leave the home early in the morning after eating milk and bread and would only return at night.
All the four kittens would move around the garden but now, they too wanted to go out, learn to climb the trees and jump from one branch to the another and become independent.
Finally, the day came when the mother cat took the kittens out. The kittens were excited to be outside and see lush green parks, giant trees, plenty of people, lot of birds and squirrels.
They ran to catch the birds and butterflies and chased the squirrels. Chotu, the youngest of the four brothers, was scared to run and chase them. He was tinier and smaller than the rest and hence the name.
Seeing the cat with her kittens, the birds on the trees started making calls to alert the other birds about danger. The mother taught the kittens to walk without making a noise, climb a tree, and catch birds.
All the kittens watched, listened and understood but Chotu’s attention was somewhere else. He was thinking it was cruel to kill others.
Somehow, Chotu got through the day’s training but during supper at night, he told his brothers, “Other animals too have a right to live. Is it fair to kill them?”
As soon as they heard the question, the three brothers burst out into laughter.
“If a horse becomes friends with the grass, what will it eat?” they asked, making fun of him.
Young Coco said, “You mean to say, cats should become vegetarian?”
Brownie told Chotu, “If cats turned vegetarian, rats would rule.”
Chotu became quiet and scared. He had not expected such replies from his brothers.
Chotu was extremely nervous every time his mother took the four of them for hunting. He was not able to pounce, catch and kill any animal.
The mother cat was extremely worried that on one hand, Chotu was skinny and on the other, he did not want to hunt. How would he survive?
Chotu tried to climb the tree but became scared and fell when the birds began to make noise. Chotu was always lagging behind whenever their mother took them out.
Slowly the kittens started going out on their own. The other three brothers would look for prey in the grassy meadows and shrubs. They would walk into nearby homes but at night, all of them would come back to Dr. Singh’s house.
Chotu would join them at night but, no one knew where he was during the day.
One day, when Chotu did not return at night, all the others became worried. They mewed to call out.
Dr. Singh’s family, who understood that Chotu was missing, searched for him in every possible place. The mother cat feared that Chotu had been attacked by other animals.
After some time, everyone gave up the search. The mother cat’s search too, yielded no results. Dr. Singh’s children got tired and fell asleep.
The mother cat felt that she could not protect her weakest son. She felt that she should have paid more attention to him.
When they woke up next morning, the mother cat could hear Chotu’s voice. She ran in that direction.
Chotu was sitting in one of the houses in the colony. There was a bowl of milk, bread and chapatti in front of him. A small boy was patting him gently. And, Chotu was drinking milk from the bowl.
As soon as Chotu saw his mother, he came running to her. His mother started licking Chotu. Chotu too hugged his mother back. Happy to see her son safe, the mother cat forgot to scold him for not coming home.
Their mother reached home with Chotu. Dr. Singh’s family found out where Chotu spent the night. They felt happy that Chotu had found a cat lover and someone who loves him.
Chotu’s mother was also happy that her son was in safe hands and that Chotu was happy at his new home.
They all understood that Chotu wanted to spend his life without having the need to hunt.
Sundays always saw Sweety in a great mood. Sundays were special as Sweety’s mother would be busy with work during the weekdays. So, on Sundays they would always go to the mall. Although Sweety was a good kid, she did not always listen to her parents.
“Sweety, the mall will be crowded today. Do not go anywhere without telling me. Walk along with me,” mother told Sweety.
“Yes mom. I want to play games and have a softy ice-cream, a savoury pastry and a tub of popcorn!” said Sweety, excited.
The mall was a huge three-storied building. It was crowded as many families had come there, since it was a Sunday.
Sweety and her mother first purchased some clothes for Sweety. Then Sweety’s mother said, “I have to buy this month’s groceries. This place is very crowded. Let’s go to the payment counter with these packages. You just be careful and stick with me.” Sweety nodded her head.
Sweety’s mother packed the rice and wheat that she had purchased and went to check its weight at the counter.
The toy rack behind them caught Sweety’s attention. She thought, “There are so many toys and games on that rack. I can quickly check the toys and come back.”
Sweety went to the rack without informing her mother. Meanwhile, the crowd in the store was increasing. Sweety was so busy examining the toys that she forgot to stick with her mother.
Sweety’s mother paid the bill but she panicked when she discovered that she could not see Sweety anywhere.
Sweety’s mother asked people if they had seen a small, curly-haired girl nearby. But there were just too many people and nobody had seen Sweety.
About half an hour later, Sweety came back to the counter where she had last seen her mother. She got scared and started crying when she did not see her mother.
“I can’t find my mother,” said Sweety, wiping her tears.
The lady said, “Don’t be scared… Let’s go to the first floor. The customer care people will make an announcement, and then your mom will come to pick you.”
Both of them quickly went to the first floor. The lady told the customer care people what had happened.
One of them made an announcement, “A child has been separated from her mother in this mall. Her name is Sweety, she has curly hair and she is wearing a red frock. If her mother is hearing this, please come soon to the customer care centre.”
Sweety’s mother heard the announcement and rushed over. Sweety was relieved to see her mother again. She hugged her mother tightly and narrated the entire incident. Her mother thanked everyone for helping sweety and they left the mall.
But mother was angry with Sweety. She said, “I told you to stick with me. Despite that, you wandered off. Did you think about what could have happened if somebody kidnapped you?”
Sweety understood her mistake. She said, “I am sorry mom, I made a mistake. I will listen to everything you say henceforth.” Her mother then let her play for some time and later they went to have a soft-serve cone and a savoury pastry.
Sweety had learnt a valuable lesson. She mended her ways and started listening to what her parents told her. •
Jumpy Monkey: What is the difference between a bus and cycle?
Cheeku: A bus stand not go along with the bus, but a cycle stand goes along with a cycle!
________________________
Blacky Bear: Why are teddy bears never hungry?
Meeku: Because they are always stuffed!
Alfred had two mobile phones. He had put a SIM card of a different network in each mobile phone. One day, while Alfred was browsing in a shop, he came across a mobile phone that had a unique feature.
“This mobile phone lets the owner insert two SIM cards in it simultaneously,” the shopkeeper told Alfred.
“It would be better if I buy this mobile phone,” Alfred thought. “It will simultaneously hold my two SIM cards and save me the trouble of carrying two mobile phones. My other phones have become quite old anyway.”
He bought the new mobile phone the next day itself. Alfred’s new mobile phone worked very well for a few days, but then something very strange happened.
The two SIM cards that Alfred had inserted in the new phone began fighting with each other.
“Alfred uses me more often to make calls,” one of the SIM cards boasted. “You are in here just for namesake. You are always lying in a corner.”
The other SIM card grew furious. It didn’t like being spoken to in such an insulting manner.
“Don’t act smart,” the other SIM card shouted. “All the incoming calls are made to me. I am far more useful to Alfred than you are!”
“You are cheap and everybody knows that cheap things are not durable,” the first SIM card said and sniggered.
“Why should one buy expensive things when the inexpensive ones can provide the same convenience for much less, huh?” the second SIM card said, not wanting to be left behind.
The battery inside the phone had been silently witnessing the SIM cards’ fight for a long time. It couldn’t hold itself back anymore.
“Calm down now,” it said. “You both are arguing pointlessly.”
“You ugly, black battery…who asked you to interfere with us? Did anyone ask for your advice?” both the SIM cards said, forgetting about their fight and starting a new one with the battery.
“What do you think I am? You both can’t utter a word without me,” the battery said, blowing its own trumpet. “Don’t you know that the mobile phone won’t work unless it has battery power? So, technically speaking, I am your boss!”
The intensity of the fight increased, and soon the entire handset began trembling because of the commotion inside it. Before the handset could say anything, there was a phone call and Alfred picked up the mobile phone and answered it.
But he couldn’t hear the caller at the other end clearly, because there were too many odd sounds coming from the handset. “There is something wrong with this mobile phone,” Alfred said and immediately took the mobile phone back to the shop. He asked the shopkeeper to repair it but the shopkeeper returned it to Alfred saying that it seemed perfectly all right.
The fight hadn’t stopped as yet. The charger too joined the battle, and argued with the SIM cards and the battery. “Stop thinking of yourselves as superior,” the charger said proudly. “If I don’t charge the battery, none of you will have any existence at all. You should be thankful to me for keeping you in working condition!”
The battery had no answer to the charger’s claim. “Hey! Have you all have forgotten me?” the handset said, trying to prove how important he was too. “You all are fixed inside me. I am your true boss! You all are, after all, my parts.”
The squabble was escalating. And in the bargain, all the parts had completely forgotten that they needed to get back to work. Alfred was very disturbed. He found that his mobile phone wasn’t working, and he was missing out on making and receiving important calls.
He took the mobile phone and the charger back to the shopkeeper again and banged them on his counter angrily.
“Refund my money. This mobile phone is completely useless. There is definitely something wrong with it,” he shouted. “There are strange sounds coming from it.”
The shopkeeper took the mobile phone and charger back from Alfred and told him that he would check them. He then requested Alfred to come back after a day.
Just as Alfred walked out of the shop, a man entered with his mobile phone and charger.
Now, this man had accidentally overcharged the battery of his phone. It had damaged the mobile phone and made it irreparable.
“Your mobile phone and charger are of no use to anyone anymore,” the shopkeeper said loudly, after examining the faulty mobile phone. “They are only worth throwing in the dustbin now.”
The shopkeeper’s words gave the parts of Alfred’s mobile phone a big jolt. The SIM cards got worried. The battery was terrified. The handset and the charger felt quite nervous. “What if this happens to us?” one of the SIM cards said. “What if the shopkeeper tells Alfred we must be thrown away?”
“We won’t let that happen,” the other SIM card said.
“We will never let this kind of situation come upon us!” “We will forget about our fight and work together as a team!” the battery said.
“I agree!” added the charger.
“So do I,” said the handset.
And so, the SIM cards, the battery, the charger and the handset decided that they would forget about their petty squabble and live and work together in harmony.
“Your mobile phone is working now,” the shopkeeper told Alfred when he returned to the shop the next day. “Please pay me two hundred rupees for servicing the parts.”
The SIM cards, the battery, the handset and the charger knew that there was nothing wrong with them, and that the shopkeeper hadn’t serviced them at all. They felt very ashamed that their owner Alfred, who took such good care of them, had to pay the shopkeeper, just because they had quarrelled.
They apologised to each other and made a pact never to fight again.
“We will live and work in harmony from now on,” they promised.
The result of this pact was that the mobile phone worked very well. Alfred was very satisfied. “This mobile phone is better than the ones I owned before,” he told his friends “I am really happy with it!”
When the SIM card, the battery, the charger and the handset heard Alfred, they looked at each other and smiled. They were glad that they had decided to work and live together in harmony.
Tiger was an alley cat. He had no home and no one cared or worried about him. He did not even share whatever little he had with the other cats who lived on the streets. Well, this was because all the animals who lived on the streets struggled to stay alive. Their days were spent foraging for food. Tiger too roamed on the streets all day long. He wandered in the back alleys of the city, searching for food. He was always hungry with a terrible ache in his belly. As a result of this, he was never really happy. No one ever seemed to care whether he was tired or thirsty or hungry or sleepy or unwell. Poor Tiger!
“Oh, how I wish I had someone to take care of me,” Tiger would often say. “I am so lonely. I am so sad. No one cares about me or even gives me a second look.”
Each day was as difficult for Tiger. He would wake up feeling famished and go looking for food. Well, food was scarce and Tiger would have to walk long distances and even sift through dustbins. Well, there were too many stray cats and not much food to go around. Tiger felt lucky if he found even a morsel to eat. As time went by, Tiger felt more and more miserable.
He stopped purring like happy cats usually did. And he lost interest in smiling and playing. Whenever he came across children, he ran away. He even stopped trusting everyone he encountered. Well, life was not easy as a stray.
One day, it rained very heavily. Tiger found that he was soaking wet. He shivered and felt terrible when he realised he had to sleep on the wet ground.
Tiger wept and wished he had a better life.
“Life is so lonely without any friends,” he sobbed. “And this rain is making me feel worse. We cats hate water and today, I’m all drenched.”
Suddenly, Tiger heard a voice. “What is a cat who hates water doing outdoors on a wet day like this?” the voice said softly and gently. “The poor thing!”
Tiger wondered if he was dreaming.
“Oh! What a lovely dream I’m having! Someone is actually worrying about me even though it’s a dream!” he thought.
Tiger then felt a pair of dry hands pick him up and cradle him in the crook of an arm. He realised that he wasn’t dreaming and that what was happening was quite real!
Tiger looked up and saw that he was in the arms of a little girl. She had picked him up as she knew that cats hated getting wet. And then to Tiger’s great surprise, the little girl took him into her house.
Tiger’s joy knew no bounds.
“At last I’ve found a friend!” he thought to himself. “There’s finally someone who cares about me!”
Tiger placed him on her lap, as she sat and rocked on a big brown rocking chair.
Tiger was no longer cold or scared, for he had found someone who loved and cared for him. The friendship between the alley cat and the little girl blossomed, and the two soon became inseparable.
Now all Tiger does is purr and purr. He even smiles a contented smile at everyone who looks at him.
“A little bit of caring was all that it took to make my life happy,” Tiger tells everyone he meets. “My heart felt full of happiness and joy the moment I found that someone actually cares about me.”
Well, Tiger is right. A little bit of caring is all that it takes to make someone’s life happy and joyful. So, when you come across anyone who looks lonely, sad or blue, do something kind and help them feel loved and cared for.
There was a huge Banyan tree on the corner of the road that led to the village. It had stood there for years. The passers-by halted under the tree when they became tired. The tree happily gave them shelter, it gave the tree a sense of joy.
One day, the branches of the tree felt proud of themselves and said to its root, “We are so great. We, along with the leaves, give shade to the tired travelers and they thank us in return, Nobody even acknowledges or knows you.” The root replied, “You are forgetting something. I am your strength. You all would not survive without my support. I am the real life of this tree.”
“We agree that you provide us support,” said a branch, “but if we do not take in air and Sunlight with the help of the leaves, then we wouldn’t survive. What role do you play in this?”
The root replied, “Water is necessary for survival and I absorb water from the soil. The water reaches the leaves and the branches through capillary action. This water keeps you and the leaves alive.”
“Whatever it is, we are more important than you are,” said the branches.
The root raised an objection and said, “No, I am more important.”
Amidst this argument, suddenly the ground started trembling. The leaves and the branches started shivering. Clearly it was an earthquake. This was the time for the root to show its might. It fearlessly held on to the ground with a strong grip. The branches and the leaves got scared but the root said to them, “There is no need to worry. I am doing my work very well.”
The tremors vanished after sometime. Everything became peaceful again. The tree wasn’t harmed at all. With all the arrogance, the root said, “Be thankful to me. I saved you all from destruction.”
Before the branches could reply, a violent storm struck the place and winds started blowing fiercely. If the branches fell apart, then the tree would become useless. So it was the time for the branches to fulfill their duty.
The branches strengthened themselves and remained unaffected by the winds. The storm came under control in a few minutes and the tree was still standing intact. Now it was the time for the branches to praise themselves. They turned towards the root and said, “Had we fallen apart, the tree would have lost its value. So do you agree that we are more important?”
A squirrel that was sitting on the tree was listening to all the arguments between the branches and the root. The squirrel finally said, “The storm and the earthquake have made you realize that you both hold equal importance. Then what is the point of arguing now? Just fulfill your duties and work collectively to save the tree.”
The root and the branches understood each other’s importance and that they were wasting their precious time in arguing over a petty matter.
They smiled and said, “True, Miss Squirrel. You are absolutely right. Each one holds importance and can help others in need.”
Hey, Chunchun, what happened? Is everything alright?” Meeku Rabbit asked in concern as Chunchun Mouse had come to meet him in the morning itself.
Chunchun replied, “Oh! Just came over to see you. Everybody is generally at home in the morning. That’s why I came so early.”
Meeku laughed, “You are right, but tell me what the matter is?”
Chunchun scratched his head, “I have been thinking for many days that the Sun has already completed one-third of its life. What will happen when it isn’t there anymore? Just think! The entire world will be submerged into darkness.”
Hearing Chunchun’s words, Meeku burst out laughing and his laughter continued for a long time. Then he told Chunchun, “Friend Chunchun, you made me laugh. I am laughing so heartily after many days.”
Chunchun said sheepishly, “Brother Meeku, what is there to laugh at? What wrong did I say? The Sun will really get destroyed one day, I swear!”
Meeku nodded his head, “You are right. I agree that the Sun has already completed one-third of its life and one day, it will complete the remaining two-thirds of life too and then it will be destroyed.”
“Then why did you laugh on my words?” Chunchun got a little annoyed.
Meeku suppressed his laughter and said, “Chunchun, I will tell you. The Sun has been giving light to this Earth since 5 billion years and it is still going to be there for another 10 billion years. Now you should know that one year has 365 days and 100 years make one century.”
Chunchun interrupted, “Yes, yes, ones, tens, hundreds, one thousand, ten thousands, one lakh, ten lakhs…”
Chunchun couldn’t say any further. Meeku laughed again, “Why are you quiet? You forgot? After ten lakhs, its one crore, ten crores, one billion and then ten billions. Did you get it?”
Chunchun held his head. He said thoughtfully, “This is too much. I was unnecessarily worried.”
Meeku explained, “Correct, you got it right. Do you know that the Sun is the closest star to the Earth? Whatever energy we are using on this Earth is derived from the Sun. The interesting part is that the Sun is mainly fire, but it is a gaseous sphere. That means it is neither solid, nor liquid.”
Chunchun again scratched his head, “Oh! I wasn’t aware about it. I didn’t know that the chapati sized Sun was so interesting, really!”
Meeku said, “Chunchun, the Sun is not chapati sized, but gigantic! The radius of the Sun is an unimaginable 14,00,000 kilometers. Its huge size can be imagined by this fact that it takes 25 days to complete one circle around its own orbit.”
“Oh My God, this is really interesting, Brother Meeku.”
Meeku said, “However it is true that the Sun will be destroyed one day. The hydrogen present in the Sun is getting depleted with time and helium is getting formed in its place.”,
Chunchun asked, “Does that mean that the Earth will be in darkness?”
Meeku said, “I will tell you what will happen. After the entire hydrogen will be finished, the Sun will start expanding. It will become cold and turn into a huge red star. It will grow 250 times its size and swallow Mercury, Venus and our Earth. Then it will start shrinking. Then the Sun will become a white star. With time, though, it will lose its sheen and turn into a black sphere.”
Chunchun’s eyes widened with horror. “Oh no! What will happen? How will we live then?”
Meeku began laughing, “Don’t worry about it now. I am sure humans would have found another Earth to live on by then. That’s what I believe.”
Chunchun began clapping and they both had a hearty laugh together.
