Grandparents are a gift of god, They love their grandchildren a lot.
Their hearts are filled with love and kindness, They always teach things with politeness.
Parents are special to us, But grandparents are precious to us.
We always need their advice Because they are always understanding and are truly wise
When we achieve things to pride, They never forget to give us praise,
Grandparents are a gift of god, They love their grandchildren a lot
Meenal Khemchandani
Vishwa Bharati Public School,
Ghaziabad
Blacky Bear: What is everyone has and no one can loose?
Henry Hen: A shadow.
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Jumbo Elephant: Where do fishes go to deposit their money?
Jumpy Frog: To the river bank.
Lajo Cat was famished. Her stomach was growling and she hoped that she would come across a plump rat soon. She tiptoed into a house and crept inside the kitchen.
Lajo Cat wished that she would find a few rats scampering there. If there were no rats, she hoped that she would at least find some milk or curd.
But to Lajo Cat’s dismay, there weren’t any rats in the kitchen. And the milk and curd were inside the refrigerator. “Sheesh,” Lajo Cat muttered.
“Why do people use refrigerators?
Refrigerators have doors that are hard to open. They deprive us cats of milk and curd.”
Lajo Cat felt disappointed and turned to go when a sound startled her. She turned to see if somebody from the house had spotted her and was coming after her with a stick. But Lajo Cat saw something that made her grin from ear to ear.
Two plump rats named Janu Rat and Manu Rat were drinking oil from an oil can. They were dipping their long tails, one at a time, in the oil can. They were then licking the oil off their tails.
Lajo Cat’s joy knew no bounds. “These rats are brilliant,” she said and giggled. “They are drinking oil from the can, without even touching it. I’m really lucky to have found them. I will catch hold of one of them for my dinner.”
Janu Rat and Manu Rat heard Lajo Cat giggling and looked up. They began trembling as soon as they saw her. They were sure that she wouldn’t let them escape.
But Janu Rat didn’t want to give up so easily. He gathered all the courage he had and said, “Aunty Cat! Come and look inside this box! It contains some buttery chapattis. I think you’ll like them. They are quite delicious!”
“I am not your aunt,” Lajo Cat hissed. “So, stop calling me that! I have made up my mind to feast on one of you today. Nothing can change that. Not even buttery chapattis!” |
“Er… Feast on one of us?” Manu Rat asked. He was shaking like a leaf in the wind. “Yes, I will definitely eat one of you,” Lajo Cat said and laughed. “And remember, there can only be one relation between us. That of a hunter and prey!”
“A hunter, huh?” Janu Rat said, thinking quickly. “Aunty Cat, have you heard of King Venkatraman Singh of Reeva? He was a great hunter too. My grandmother has told me many stories about him. He was very strong. It seems that every time he threw a spear, it would tear open the trunk of a tree.”
I’ve heard that too,” Lajjo Cat said, showing off. “I know what a good hunter King Venkatraman Singh was. I know many stories about him too.” Lajo Cat then tried to recollect what else she knew about King Venkatraman Singh. Janu Rat and Manu Rat noticed that she was distracted and tried to slip away. But Lajo Cat was quite sharp.
“Hey!” she hissed angrily. “Stay where you are! I am going to eat one of you now.”
Janu Rat decided that he would keep Lajo Cat talking. He then said, “Aunty Cat, did you know that the real hunting was done by King Venkatraman Singh’s favourite white lion? His name was Mohan. By the way, have you ever seen a white lion? I have heard that white lions are found in Reeva. Have you ever been there? I have always wanted to go to Reeva and see if it’s true.”
“No, I haven’t seen a white lion or been to Reeva,” Lajo Cat said. “But I am quite sure that white lions exist. We cats are related to lions, you know. We are cousins. And if white lions exist I’ll definitely meet them whenever I go to Reeva.”
Lajo Cat continued talking. She didn’t notice Janu Rat and Manu Rat tiptoeing out of the kitchen and running far away from her.
There were a few families of turtles that lived in a river that flowed through a jungle. These families would come out of the river every morning and swim to the riverbanks. The older turtles would lie there and bask in the sun. But the younger turtles were far more energetic and would look forward to playing games.
Sometimes, they would jump into the river water and race with each other. Some other times, they would play games like hide and seek and hopscotch along the riverside. This was the turtles’ little world and they were always happy here.
One morning, when the young turtles were playing, as usual, a vixen came to the riverside. She spotted the young turtles laughing and playing. The vixen’s mouth began to water. She was very hungry and the sight of the young turtles seemed very tempting.
Turtle meat was the vixen’s favourite delicacy too. She licked her lips and slyly made her way towards the young turtles. The vixen was just about to reach the young turtles when she sneezed loudly.
“ACHOO!” The vixen wiped her mouth and kicked herself.
The turtles, who had heard the vixen sneeze, became alert. They looked around cautiously to see where the sound came from. They spotted the vixen standing quite close to them.
“Run!” the turtles cried and ran towards the water to save their lives. Tiny Turtle was the littlest turtle. He was lying in a faraway corner, basking in the warmth of the sun. He heard his friends’ cries and wondered what had happened.
The vixen spotted Tiny Turtle and pounced on him before he could reach the river. But Tiny was a clever little turtle. He pulled himself into his shell before the vixen could catch hold of him and hid there. The vixen was hungrier than ever now. She tried her best to break the shell open. She tried every possible shell-breaking trick she knew but just couldn’t break Tiny Turtle’s shell open, or even manage to crack it.
Tiny Turtle’s little body was trembling with fear inside the shell. He knew that it wouldn’t be long before the vixen would find a way to break the shell open. And so, he came up with a plan that he hoped would help him escape.
“Miss Vixen,” Tiny Turtle said politely from inside the shell. “I’m sorry but my shell is very hard to break. You will have to soak it in water if you want to soften it. Why don’t you put me in the river for some time? I’ll call out to you as soon as my shell becomes soft. You can pick me up and break my shell and eat me then.” waited.
The vixen was starving now. Her plump little stomach was growling loudly. She had been hunting all morning and was feeling quite weak and tired. She couldn’t think clearly on an empty stomach either.
“Very well then,” the vixen told Tiny Turtle. “I will put you in the water. But promise me that you will call out to me as soon as your shell turns soft enough for me to break.”
And so, the vixen put Tiny Turtle into the river water.
“How long will it take for your shell to soften?” the vixen then asked Tiny Turtle. Tiny Turtle was a clever little fellow. “It will take half an hour,” he said. “Why don’t you sit down for a while? You must be tired and hungry.”
The vixen sat under the shade of a tree and waited patiently. After a few minutes, Tiny Turtle peeped out of the shell and saw that she was a good distance away. The vixen’s eyes were closing and she was about to fall asleep. Tiny Turtle pulled his little head and arms out of the shell and waved to the vixen.
“Thanks for putting me in the water,” he said. “I’m going to swim home now. Please find yourself something else to eat! Goodbye!” Tiny Turtle then dived into the water and disappeared. The vixen jumped up.
“Oh no! What have I done?” she cried. “How could I forget that turtles live in water? And that water can’t soften their shells! How silly of me!”
But it was too late for the vixen to do anything. Tiny Turtle was deep in the river, swimming towards his house near the riverbed. The vixen kicked herself hard and decided that she wouldn’t be so foolish the next time she met a clever little turtle.
Find the hidden objects
Find 11,284, record held for kites flown in a line, 6 aeroplanes inspired from thine
3 eyes, Chinese say looking at kites improves eye sight
A harp, a rule book, 2 letters, a newspaper, all friends with kites
14th January Makar sankranti, India’s flag, a symbol for shanti
India gate, two boulders folded hands, round spectacles, symbolize THAT soldier.
Champak, India’s favourite children’s magazine presents a story about “The Magic Rattle”.
Story: Abrar Mohsin
Illustrations: Sonal & Sumit
Jumpy Monkey: Why was six afraid of seven?
Meeku: Because seven ate (eight) nine.
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Sher Singh: How do you know eating carrot is healthy?
Cheeku: Because rabbits don’t wear spectacles.
“Chamku, will you get down or not? How long will you hang like this?” Lion Singh roared at Chamku Bat. He was hanging down the roof out of fear. What else could he do? It was a big thing that at least his life got saved. He was cleaning the palace along with Janglu the Jackal a little while back when Singh the Lion pounced on them in anger, accusing them of not working properly. Janglu got caught, but Chamku managed to escape.
Janglu pleaded for his life. Even Queen Liona requested Lion Singh to leave Janglu, but he did not relent. Janglu had to die. The King made him his prey. Had Chamku gotten caught, even he would have faced the same consequence. In order to save his life, Chamku kept hanging on the roof. He was aware that Lion Singh couldn’t reach there. And for him, it was not a problem at all. After all, he was a bat!
This was happening very frequently. If Lion Singh would get annoyed with any of his servants, he would kill and eat them. On the days when he would not find any prey, these incidences would further increase. Due to this the animals of the jungle stopped working in the palace.
Queen Liona was very upset with the happenings in the palace. She even tried to make sense with the King, but he would not listen. So the poor Queen had to live without a single helper and had to do all the chores herself, despite being a Queen.
Prince Leo came home during his vacations. He was studying in a city college. He saw his mother doing household chores all through the day. He asked in surprise, “Mother, you are the Queen of Kirtivan and you don’t even have a single servant…?”
Queen Liona told him everything and said, “Now tell me, Son, who would want to work with us?”
The prince felt very bad at his mother’s situation. He contemplated on the problem and assured his mother, “Don’t worry, Mother. When I come back on Jungle Day’, I will bring 3 servants with me.”
“No, Son, no…don’t do that. Your father will eat them up. I don’t want any animal to lose his life unnecessarily.” Liona refused her son’s offer.
Leo laughed loudly upon hearing his mother’s words. He said, “Don’t worry, Mother. The servants whom I will bring will work a lot. They will do whatever you will ask them to do. And father would never be able to prey on them!”
“Son, what are you saying? Can any animal be stronger than the lion that he will be saved from being prey to your father?” Liona was surprised. She began wondering which animals Leo was bringing as servants. However, Leo kept mum about it. He told his mother again, “I promise that this time I will definitely bring servants with me.”
Prince Leo was studying computer engineering in the city. He built three robots after getting back and gave them the appearance of animals. They looked and behaved like real animals. And they could do any work!
When the prince took them home on Jungle Day’, nobody could make out that they were not animals. Queen Liona got worried, “Son, how will these poor animals stand in front of Maharaj? He will make them too his prey.”
The prince said, “Mother, don’t worry. Forget killing. Maharaj won’t be able to go even near to them.” Then Leo explained that these were robots. They neither felt hunger nor thirst They were not scared of anyone and nobody can eat them.
The prince put a computer in the Queen’s room. Bluetooth devices and cameras were installed in the robots. The Queen could see everything because of that. They even had GPS System. The prince had put in the maps of their palace and the jungle and the programs of the chores to be done inside the robots. He had even explained to his mother how to get work done and keep a control on them. Meanwhile Maharaj Lion Singh was very happy upon seeing the servants.
Prince Leo returned back to the city after Jungle Day’. By that time, the Queen had learnt to control the robots very well. Maharaj wasn’t told about the reality of the robots.
One day, Lion Singh was in a furious mood. He pounced on a robot, but what was this? He received a jolt and was thrown away and hit the wall. Lion Singh couldn’t understand what happened. He thought that he was imagining things and so he pounced again, but this time the jolt was even more powerful.
It was an electric shock. The robots had a system which caused high electric current when somebody attacked them. Lion Singh’s entire body shook violently. He felt so weak that he had to rest for many days to recuperate. It was then that Queen Liona told him everything about servant robots. Ironically, Maharaj became better after being cared for by those servant robots.
Lion Singh was very impressed with those robots. The electric shocks too had a favourable effect on him. He calmed down and began behaving nicely with everyone. He made a plan with the help of the prince to tighten up the security of Kirtivan. Robots were deployed everywhere in the jungle, even at the border. All activities were monitored with the help of the GPS System of the robots. They even had guns installed in their mouths which could be used if required by Cheetah Singh, who remote-controlled them.
This is how Kirtivan’s security system became excellent under the able guidance of Lion Singh and Cheetah Singh. Kirtivan became the ‘hi-tech’ jungle of the twenty first century. Nobody could harm animals in any way in Kirtivan due to this ‘hi-tech’ security.
Kukku Crow lived on a Neem tree. He had the habit of showing off. Sharmaji’s family lived in a bungalow near the tree. Sharmaji had bought a new red-coloured car. He began parking his car under the tree.
Kukku loved the car. Every day Sharmaji would drive in it to his shop. By the time he returned, Kukku would have fallen asleep. So the crow used to get up early every morning to play on the car.
One morning, when Kukku woke up, he saw Sharmaji and his entire family boarding a taxi. They had a lot of luggage. Kukku realised that they must be going for a long vacation. He knew that the car would be parked all the time under the tree. He spent the entire day on the car.
A pigeon, who lived on a tree nearby, asked, “What is the matter, Kukku? Why are you sitting on this car?”
Kukku told him that he had bought the car. Hence, he would stay on it.
“Really? Where did you get so much money from?” the pigeon questioned.
“I had saved money. Who are you to ask?” Kukku said.
The pigeon wondered, “We can’t even save a few grains. How could he have saved so much money?”
Chinchin Sparrow asked, “Won’t you go for a ride in it?”
Kukku replied, “What fun can we high-fliers have on the road? I have bought it to spend some time on it.”
Within three days, all the birds living nearby got the news. They came together and asked, “Kukku, won’t you let us sit in your car?”
“First go and look at your face in the car mirror. Are you worthy of sitting in it? Don’t you even dare to look at it,” said Kukku.
Everybody went back, disappointed.
The next Sunday, Kukku informed his relatives and friends that he was giving a party on his new car. In the evening, nearly 20 crows were perched on top of the car. They were feasting on the food brought by Kukku. Their cawing could be heard everywhere.
Meanwhile, Sharmaji’s family returned from their trip.
Sharmaji thought, “What is this noise?”
When he saw the crows on top of his car, he was furious. He waved his stick towards the crows. He chased them away shouting, “How dare you dirty my car!”
Kukku fled. His guests also flew away after making fun of him. Sharmaji soon built a garage in his bungalow’s backyard. He began parking his car in it.
Kukku didn’t have the guts to meet anyone or show off.
All his neighbours were saying, “This is what happens when one tries to show off.”
Kukku had learnt his lesson.
Sher Singh: When I grow up, I want to be like an acute angle.
Henry Frog: Why would you want that?
Sher Singh: Because acute angles are very precise.
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Foxy Fox: What is brown, hairy and wears sunglasses?
Henry Hen: Coconut on vacation.
Termites are insects that live in colonies with a hierarchy similar to that of the bees: Queen, soldier, worker and larval termites. They live in either nests or mounds.
The mound-building termites build strong mounds that can be as tall as 25 feet and live in the lower part of the mound that is underground. Irrespective of the weather outside, the inside of the mound always remains cool at 30 degree Celsius because of a network of tunnels that make up its ventilation system. The tunnels extend across the length and breadth of the mound and are all connected to one big central tunnel that runs through the centre.
During the day, when the temperature rises, the air near the opening of the mound becomes warm. As hot air rises up through the tunnels, the cool air, being denser, sinks lower through the central tunnel. This keeps the temperature inside the mound cooler than outside. Termites control the temperature of their mound because they farm a type of fungus, which grows only in this temperature. This fungus is their main source of food.
Termite mounds can outlast the colonies that built them. Some mounds have lasted even up to 2000 years.
Stuff
Do
1. In the big mixing bowl, pour 4 cups of water and add 2 tablespoons of salt to it. Mix well till the salt dissolves.
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2. Place the empty small cup in the centre of the bowl as shown. Make sure the salt water does not get into it.
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3. Take the plastic wrap and cover the bowl. Seal the edges with string or tape.
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4. Place the stone over the plastic wrap directly above the small cup so that the wrap slopes towards the centre. Now, place the bowl under the sun for a few hours.
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See
In a few hours, water droplets will start forming beneath the plastic wrap. These droplets will slide towards the centre of the bowl and collect in the cup. If you drink this water, you will notice it does not taste salty.
Think about
How does salt water become drinkable?
Water can exist in three states: solid, liquid and gas, depending on how much energy the water molecules have. When the bowl is placed under the sun, the water particles at the top of the water surface gain energy from the sun and turn into gas (water vapour). This process is called evaporation. As the water vapour is blocked by the plastic wrap, the water particles begin to lose energy and transform back into water and collect beneath the wrap as water droplets. Since the wrap slopes towards the centre, so do the water drops which then collect in the cup. This water is pure because only water can evaporate and not salt, which is then left behind in the bowl.
Let’s Find Out
How is desalination useful?
The process of removing salt from saline water to make it suitable for human consumption or agriculture is called desalination. As the world’s population continues to grow, there is a need to find alteranate sources of drinking water since fresh water resources are limited. Scientists are tapping the sun’s energy and creating largescale structures similar to our experiment to get drinking water from the oceans, which make up more than 70 percent of the surface of Earth. If fresh water contains 1000 ppm (parts per million) of dissolved salts, ocean water contains about 35,000 ppm of dissolved salts.
Materials Required:
Coloured Paper
Acrylic Paint
Foam Sheets
Paint Brush
Pencil
Black Pen
Cutter
Magnet
Glue
Plastic Eyes
Scissors
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Like and follow Champak on: facebook.com/ChampakMagazine/ for more crafts, stories, comics, puzzles and jokes!
A small clay pitcher was lying in the corner of a field. The farmers who worked on the field, stored water in it on hot summer days, so that the water would remain cool for them to drink.
The pitcher had now been empty for a few days since the farmers were on a holiday. The water it contained had evaporated with the heat.
One day, Chunmun Sparrow was flying above the field when she heard the sound of wailing. She looked down and saw the pitcher weeping. Chunmun Sparrow flew down to the pitcher and asked, “What happened to you, pitcher? Why are you crying?”
“Oh!” the pitcher groaned. “My poor stomach! It has been aching since a few days! I can’t bear the pain anymore!”
Teetu Parrot heard the pitcher talking and flew down to the field.
“Well, Chunmun Sparrow,” Teetu Parrot said. “Whenever I am hungry, my stomach starts to ache. I think the pitcher must be hungry too.”
“I don’t think that pitchers feel hunger, Teetu,” Chunmun Sparrow explained.
Kagu Crow, who had been watching the scene from a nearby tree, flew to the spot too.
“I think the pitcher must have a swelling on its intestine,” he suggested. “Usually, the stomach aches when there is a swelling on the intestine. I had a similar problem some years ago too!”
Chunmun Sparrow sighed and replied, “Kagu Uncle, I don’t think pitchers have intestines. So, there’s no chance of any swelling.”
Soon, Munmun Starling, Pintu Pigeon, Rinky Butterfly and Rangeela Peacock heard of the pitcher’s problem and flew to the field to offer their opinions.
But Chunmun Sparrow wasn’t convinced with anything they said.
Suddenly, the pitcher began screaming at the top of its voice.
“Aargh! My poor stomach!” it shrieked. “The pain is becoming unbearable! I think I’m going to die.”
The pitcher’s cries made Sweety Ant creep out of her house. She climbed to the top of a vine that was growing near the pitcher and shouted to get the others’ attention.
“Please do something! Call a doctor or else the pitcher’s stomach will burst open!” she begged.
“Sweety Ant is right. We should consult Dr. Chuheram,” Chunmun Sparrow suggested. “He’s a good doctor and will cure the pitcher’s stomachache, no matter what the ailment is!”
Chunmun Sparrow and the others then went in search of Dr. Chuheram.
They found him in his clinic and brought him to the field as soon as they could. But to everyone’s great surprise, the pitcher had disappeared from the field.
“Where could the pitcher have gone?” Chunmun Sparrow said, scratching her head. “It was right here when we left a few minutes ago!”
“This is a mystery,” Kagu Crow said.
“Hey! What is this pumpkin doing here?” Teetu Parrot said, pointing to a big, fat pumpkin that was snoring loudly in the pitcher’s place. “It wasn’t here when we left!”
Chunmun Sparrow poked the pumpkin with her beak. “Pumpkin!” she twittered. “Wake up, you sleepyhead!”
The pumpkin opened its eyes and yawned.
“Why did you wake me up?” the pumpkin asked sleepily.
“Have you seen a pitcher on the field? It was on the very spot you were sleeping in,” Kagu Crow inquired. “Have you any idea where it could have gone?”
The pumpkin then gestured to some broken clay pieces that were scattered all around.
“This is very strange!” Sweety Ant said. “I noticed that there was a pumpkin vine here earlier. But there was no sign of the pumpkin then. Pumpkin, where did you suddenly come from?”
“Well, I was sleeping here all along,” the pumpkin said, yawning again.
“Huh? Sleeping here?” everyone asked together. “Why didn’t we see you earlier? Where exactly were you?”
The pumpkin smiled and said, “You would have surely seen me had you looked inside the pitcher’s stomach!”
“What?” everyone asked, sounding very surprised.
“Yes,” the pumpkin said. “When I was just a tiny seed, the pitcher swallowed me and kept me inside its stomach. And now, when I’ve grown bigger, it cracked and fell apart. That’s how I’ve came out.”
“Does that mean that you killed the pitcher?”
Dr. Chuheram asked and looked at the pumpkin rather sharply.
“No, I didn’t!” the pumpkin said sternly.
“I had warned the pitcher several times even when I was a baby seed. I had told it not to swallow me. But the pitcher didn’t listen. All it wanted to do was fill its empty stomach. It laughed and didn’t believe me when I cautioned that tiny pumpkin seeds grow into rather big pumpkins.”
Chunmun Sparrow, Teetu Parrot, Kagu Crow and the others looked at the broken pieces of the pitcher and felt very sorry for it. They shook their heads sadly and returned home with heavy hearts.
The pumpkin simply closed its eyes and started to snore once again.
Browny Turtle lived in the sea. One morning, she carefully dug a hole in the sand and laid four eggs in it. She then covered the hole gently with some sand and twigs.
“I am tired now,” Browny Turtle then said to herself. “I should go for a swim and refresh myself.”
Browny Turtle then dived into the sea and went for a long swim.
After a few days, Browny Turtle’s eggs hatched, and four tiny baby turtles emerged from the egg shells. Browny Turtle was overjoyed to see her children.
“My babies!” she said happily. “I am so glad to see you! Welcome to the world!”
Soon, the peaceful and picturesque sight of the sea prompted the baby turtle to swim in it.
“Mama,” the baby turtle told Browny Turtle one day. “May we swim with you? The sea looks so inviting! The waves look like fun! We can’t wait to dive in and swim!”
“Yes, my dears,” Browny Turtle smiled and said. “Come with me!”
The baby turtle then crawled and followed Browny Turtle into the sea.
Dubdub Turtle was Browny Turtle’s littlest baby. No one realised that he had been left behind. Dubdub Turtle slowly crawled towards the sea, hoping to catch up with his mother, and brothers and sisters.
It was then when he noticed a tiny crab that was walking sideways. The crab’s body seemed to be shining and looked quite transparent too.
Dubdub Turtle was astonished to see the crab. He hadn’t seen one before.
“How wonderful everything is! Life was boring inside the egg! There is so much for me to see in the world now!” he thought happily.
Then instead of going towards the sea, Dubdub Turtle crawled towards a cluster of shells and admired them. They were a bright pink in colour and Dubdub Turtle was quite fascinated to see them.
Little did Dubdub Turtle know that while he was marvelling at the sights around him, someone was watching him from the sky, with greedy eyes. It was none other than Mighty Eagle who was looking for lunch.
Mighty Eagle was a big and dangerous bird. He had a sharp beak and huge talons that he used to tear his prey apart with. All the turtles including Browny Turtle feared Mighty Eagle. They dived into the sea, every time they saw him hovering in the sky.
Mighty Eagle flew closer to Dubdub Turtle.
Now, Dubdub Turtle was very young, but he spotted Mighty Eagle and sensed that he was dangerous. He saw Mighty Eagle swooping towards him from the corner of his eye.
“Something doesn’t feel right about that bird,” Dubdub Turtle told himself. “For some reason, I feel afraid of him. He probably eats little turtles like me! I must be very careful!”
Dubdub Turtle then gathered all the courage he had and spoke to Mighty Eagle.
“Hello there!” Dubdub Turtle said cheerfully. “I was waiting for you.”
Mighty Eagle was surprised. “Waiting for me, huh?” he asked. “How come?” |
“I’ve heard that you cannot walk on your talons,” Dubdub Turtle explained.
Mighty Eagle grew annoyed.
“Who told you that?” he shouted. “Of course, I can walk on my talons.”
“No, you cannot,” Dubdub Turtle. “I have heard that you look like a clown, every time you try to walk on the sand!”
Mighty Eagle stomped his talons angrily and kicked some sand in the air.
“I definitely don’t look like a clown,” he argued.
“Well, I’ll decide for myself,” Dubdub Turtle said, looking towards the sea. “Why don’t you show me how you walk?”
“I’ll show you how well I walk!” Mighty Eagle said. He then began walking on his talons right in front of Dubdub Turtle.
“Not bad! Not bad at all!” Dubdub Turtle said. “But is it true that you can’t somersault like us turtles. Anyway, can you do this?”. Dubdub Turtle then asked and demonstrated a somersault.
“Yes, I can do that,” Mighty Eagle said huffily. He then tried doing somersaults but kept losing his balance.
“Hold on! I’m out of practice!” he told Dubdub Turtle and panted. “I’ll show you a perfect one in just a few minutes.”
“Don’t worry!” Dubdub Turtle said and slowly inched towards the sea. “Take your time! I’m waiting! I’m in no hurry!”
Dubdub Turtle then called out to Mighty Eagle and said, “Forget somersaulting on the sand now. How about somersaulting in the sky? Can you do that? Or can you only fly in the sky?”
“Somersault in the air?” Mighty Eagle said and laughed. “What a silly little turtle you are! Don’t you know that’s child’s play for me?”
“Can you show me how you do it? Please!” Dubdub Turtle said, sounding very excited.
“All right then!” Mighty Eagle said, putting his chest out. “Watch me go!”
Mighty Eagle then flew up the sky. He first flew left, then right, then higher up, and then started somersaulting in the air. He flapped his wings noisily to show off too.
After sometime, Mighty Eagle felt very hungry.
“I better eat that little turtle now,” Mighty Eagle said. “All this somersaulting has made me very hungry.”
Mighty Eagle swooped down to the sand. But to his great disappointment, Dubdub Turtle was no where in sight.
“Where are you, little turtle?” Mighty Eagle asked, looking around. “Are you hiding in the sand? Come out at once!”
Dubdub Turtle was hiding behind a rock in the sea. He peeped and saw Mighty Eagle looking for him. Dubdub Turtle giggled and shouted, “It was a great show Mr. Eagle! You really can somersault in the sky! But I don’t think you can dive or swim in the sea like me.”
Dubdub Turtle then dived into the water and swam to join his family.
Mighty Eagle felt very foolish.
“I have been outwitted by a baby turtle!” he grumbled.
He flew back to the sky and hoped that he would find something else to eat for his lunch.
Chinni was a hardworking ant. She used to work all day to look after her family.
One day, Chinni was carrying a grain of rice on her back. On her way home, she met Ricky the Mole. Ricky was a lazy mole. He never went to work. He believed in snatching food from smaller animals to satisfy his hunger.
Ricky saw Chinni and said, “Chinni, why have you lifted such a heavy grain? Do you want to get crushed under it?”
Ricky’s words annoyed Chinni. She said, “It would be better if you keep quiet. You may have no work, but I do. So please let me continue with my work.”
Ricky mockingly replied, “I am not stopping you from hard work. It is because of you that idle people like me get to eat two meals a day. If you don’t work hard, how will we get food?”
Then, he snatched the grain from Chinni. Before Chinni could say anything, Ricky ate it. He said, “Go, little Ant, go. Fetch another grain for your young ones, or else they shall starve. You are indeed a dedicated and hardworking ant.”
Chinni was very angry with Ricky. She was helpless. Ricky was stronger than her. She knew that she could not fight him alone. She searched high and low. She found another grain to feed her young ones.
Although Chinni couldn’t fight Ricky, she decided to teach him a lesson. The next evening, Chinni’s neighbour, Mini came home weeping. Chinni asked her what had happened.
Mini said, “I was carrying a lump of jaggery on my back. On my way home, Ricky snatched the jaggery and ate it. Now it’s too late to go back and search for more food. My children will have to sleep without their dinner.”
Chinni felt sorry for Mini. She said, “Don’t worry. You and your kids can dine at my house tonight. After all, I am your neighbour. It is my duty to help you. Together, we will teach Ricky a lesson.”
Chinni extended a warm welcome to Mini and her kids. She served them a delicious dinner and took care that everyone ate well.
Day by day, Ricky continued to give the ants a hard time. He had now started coming near the anthill for food. He stood there and kept a watch over the ants. He snatched all the food that they brought home. He devoured jaggery, rice, sugar lumps, etc from the anthill.
However, the ants couldn’t do anything. Chinni took all of them to Queen Madhulika. The Queen heard their problems. She understood that the ants wanted to get rid of Ricky.
She said, “However mighty our enemy may be, we can defeat him only if we fight together. All of you will have to help the royal army to face the mole and defeat him. Are you ready to help?”
Chinni said, “Your Highness, we understand that we will have to unite together and face our enemy. We will die of hunger if we do not destroy him. Our unity will become our biggest strength. We are prepared to fight until death!”
The Queen was inspired and impressed by Chinni’s brave attitude. She said, “You are indeed brave, Chinni. I promise all of you that if any ant dies during the battle, the royal kingdom will take care of her kids. I will personally see to it that they get proper food, shelter and education.”
The ants started preparing themselves for the battle.
The very next day, the ants got ready to attack. As soon as they saw Ricky coming near their anthill, they marched towards him with swords and spears. Ricky was astonished to see thousands of ants approaching him with tiny swords and spears.
The moment the ants tried to attack Ricky; he hit them with his claws. He flung a part of the royal army in the air. Meanwhile, some of the soldier ants tightly gripped his claw. They started biting him fiercely.
Some ants attacked his tail; others attacked his face whereas a few of them targeted his body. Ricky’s body was badly injured with bruises and cuts.
Ricky tried to free himself. He failed. He realised that it was difficult to fight the huge number of ants. As the number of ants kept increasing, he decided to run away. He felt helpless and weak in front of the huge army of ants.
Ricky ran away from the anthill. A few ants held on to his body. They kept biting him continuously. They did not spare even an inch of his body. Ricky could not bear the pain anymore. He jumped into a puddle of water and he then rolled over the sand to get rid of the ants.
However, the ants were determined not to leave his body.
Ricky felt a lot of pain due to the bites. He sat on a stone and started picking each ant out of his body. His body was swollen due to the ant-bites.
Ricky somehow managed to survive. He was grateful to be alive. He felt the collective power of the ants. He realised that their unity had become their strength.
He never came to the anthill again. He decided that he would never trouble any ant in future.
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Champak, India’s favourite children’s magazine, presents a story about the discovery of the ‘New World’ – the Americas – by the famous explorer Christopher Columbus.
Story: Kumud Kumar Illustrations: Sonal & Sumit, Freepik Like and follow Champak on: facebook.com/ChampakMagazine/ for more stories, comics, puzzles and jokes!
