Mr. Pot managed to escape but Scary Pumpkin’s friends will attack him in the maze.
Mr. Pot has to first meet Chatty Parrot then Flashy butterfly and finally, Dr. Mouse. Each of them will give him a key required to open the 3 locks of the maze exit door..
Blacky Bear: His name is a game, but he can’t play the game. Who is he?
Meeku: Cricket
Blacky Bear: Two pearls in on box. What are they?
Meeku: Groundnuts.
_______________________
Henry Frog: What did you learn in school today?
Cheeku: We learnt to write.
Henry Frog: What did you write?
Cheeku: I don’t know, they haven’t taught us how to read yet!
Mony and Tony had come with their friends Antu and Jojo for a picnic near a lake.
Antu and Jojo found an old motorboat and took it out to the lake, while Mony and Tony stayed at the lakeside to cook.
Chickey and Mickey were two young crocodiles who lived in the lake. They were fascinated to see the old motorboat speeding in the lake after so long. They decided to race with the motorboat much to Antu and Jojo’s delight.
Antu was quite a mischievous fellow. He began to increase and decrease the speed of the motorboat, just to tease Chickey and Mickey.
“You will tire yourselves,” Jojo teased. “You will not be able to compete with our speeding motorboat.”
“I know,” Chickey said. “But listen to me now. You don’t know much about this lake. It has many hidden reefs. We’ve had a lot of fun racing but I suggest you slow down now. If you continue speeding, there are chances that you might run into a reef and have a mishap.”
“Thanks for the advice,” Antu said with a laugh. “But we both are experts when it comes to riding motorboats. Don’t worry! Nothing will happen to us!”
Chickey and Mickey realised that the foxes were overconfident and wouldn’t pay any attention to their warning. They stopped following the motorboat.
“Very well then,” they then told Antu and Jojo. “We are going to swim home now. But please take care of yourselves. The weather seems to be deteriorating too. We hope that you’ll reach the lakeside safely.”
Mony and Tony had decided to cook some almond pudding at the lakeside.
They were singing songs and chopping almonds and whipping cream when Julu Elephant saw them.
The warm and sweet aroma of the pudding and the fun Mony and Tony seemed to be having, compelled Julu Elephant to march towards them.
“Hello!” Julu Elephant said in a friendly voice. “I couldn’t stop myself from coming here! You seem to be having so much fun! And I see that you’re making something that looks delicious too. May I join your picnic? I’d like to be your friend.”
To Julu Elephant’s surprise, Mony grew very angry.
“No!” Mony shouted rudely. “We have come here with our friends. I am sorry but you’re not welcome to join us or be our friend. Please go away.”
“Well ok,” Julu Elephant said, looking disappointed. “But at least let me taste some of your pudding. It smells scrumptious!”
“You will not get a morsel of our pudding, you greedy fellow,” Tony said angrily. “Go away from here! Don’t spoil our fun.”
“Okay,” Julu Elephant said, sadly. “I’m leaving. I’m sorry to have bothered you.”
Just then the sound of screaming pierced the quiet of the lakeside.
“That sounds like Antu and Jojo,” Mony said, looking quite alarmed.
“They seem to be calling for help from the motorboat!” Tony said as the screaming continued.
Chickey and Mickey suddenly leaped out from the lake and ran towards Mony and Tony. They both looked very worried.
“Hi! Do you have a long rope?” Mickey asked in a worried voice.
“Er… no, I don’t,” Mony replied. “But what do you need one for? Is everything ok?”
“Well, the motorboat has hit a reef,” Chickey said, looking quite shaken. “The engine has stopped working.”
“Oh no!” Tony cried with fear. “What will happen to our friends now?
They don’t know how to swim! They will surely drown if the motorboat sinks!”
“Well, we are trying to help them,” Mickey said. “But we will need a long rope to pull the motorboat out of the lake.”
“Don’t worry,” Julu Elephant piped in. “I have a long rope. It’s quite thick and strong too. I’ll get it right now.”
“Thank goodness!” Mickey said, sounding relieved. “You’re a big help!”
And so, Julu Elephant hurried home and returned with the rope in no time.
Julu Elephant then joined Chickey and Mickey in the rescue operation. He held one end of the rope with his trunk and gave the other end to Chickey and Mickey.
“Tie the motorboat to the rope tightly. Call out to me when you finish. I will pull it towards the lakeside with my trunk,” Julu Elephant said politely.
Chickey and Mickey dived into the water and swam towards the motorboat as fast as they could. Antu and Jojo were relieved to see them. The motorboat was beginning to sink and they were quivering with fear.
Chickey and Mickey called out to Julu Elephant once they had tied the motorboat to the rope. Julu Elephant then used all his might and pulled the motorboat towards the lakeside.
As soon as Antu and Jojo reached the lakeside, they jumped out of the motorboat and ran towards their friends.
“Chickey and Mickey had warned us about the reefs but we didn’t pay any attention to their warning,” they both admitted, feeling ashamed of their carelessness. “We are sorry, Chickey and Mickey,” they said, apologising to the two young crocodiles.
Mony and Tony turned towards Julu Elephant. They looked quite ashamed of what they had done too.
“Well, we made a mistake too. We were rude to Julu Elephant when he asked to be our friend. Please forgive us, Julu Elephant.”
Julu Elephant smiled. And so did Chickey and Mickey.
“Don’t worry!” they said cheerfully. “We were happy to help!”
After that, everyone sat down together and had a bowlful of the almond pudding that was quite delicious. They then played games and sang songs and enjoyed their unique picnic.
This is the story of a donkey called Seedha who lived in Pitara jungle. He was shy and simple but had a special quality – he could run very fast.
One day a meeting was called in Pitara.
Simha, the king declared, “Next full moon day will be really special for our jungle.”
“Why? Is it your ‘Happy Birthday?” asked Kolo, the Cuckoo, perched on a branch right above the King.
“No, silly. For the first time ever a train will run in our jungle.”
“A train!” everyone exclaimed.
“I always wanted to sit in a train,” Rogo, the Rhino shouted.
“Have a look at your huge behind. You won’t be able to squeeze inside the train, let alone sit or stand in it,” Lofty the Giraffe laughed.
“Same goes for you too,” jeered Rogo. “We’ll have to fold you into two to make you fit.”
“Hey you, quit arguing,” Simha shouted. “This train will be spacious enough for everyone.” All the animals cheered.
“Now let us think of a name for the train,” the King said. There were a number of suggestions but none of them was found suitable.
I have an idea,” a quiet voice said. It was Seedha. “Why don’t we call it Google Express?”
“Google Express!” The animals looked at each other. “What does Google mean?” asked Golu the elephant.
“I don’t know but it sounds nice,” Seedha said. “I like it,” Simha said.
“We all do,” the others shouted.
Seedha had never felt so proud in his life before. The Google Express started the next day. The driver was a horse called Ajab from the neighboring town. Ajab and Seedha became good friends. Ajab would daily take the animals for a ride. Sometimes he would allow Seedha to sit beside him.
Soon Google express became very popular and animals from the other jungles also started flocking to Pitara for a ride.
One day Babbar, the king of the neighboring jungle, came with his family to enjoy a ride on Google Express.
Simha was very happy and the two royal families got on to Google Express for an exciting tour of the jungle.
Seedha, meanwhile, was grazing when he suddenly saw Heera, the deer, running madly. “What happened Heera?” asked Seedha keeping pace with him.
“Ajab has slipped and fallen from the train.”
“Is he hurt?”
“No, luckily he fell into a bush. Dr. Bhaloo is taking care of him.”
Doctor Bhaloo was a bear and the resident doctor of Pitara.
“And what about Google Express?” asked Seedha.
“It is moving on its own on the tracks. There is no one driving it?” Heera replied.
“Who will control it? Who will bring it to a halt?” shouted Seedha and raced away.
He knew the route Google express would be taking and opting for a shortcut, ran with all his might.
After a few minutes, he could see the train chugging along. He increased his pace and drew level with the train.
All the passengers were leaning out. The children were screaming in fear and the adults were trying to calm them down.
Seedha ran faster and faster and finally jumped straight into the driver’s cabin. Within seconds the train came to a halt.
“Bravo, bravo!” he could hear the shouts of the two kings and their family members.
Seedha bowed his head. “Seedha when did you learn to drive?” asked Simha.
“I often sat with Ajab and observed him. That is how I learnt.”
“Good for us,” Babbar smiled.
“Your majesty, if you permit can we continue the ride?” Seedha asked.
“Are you crazy? You managed to stop a train but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to drive it,” Simha replied.
“Simha, I think we should give him a chance,” Babbar said.
And so Google Express started with Seedha as the driver and guide.
As the train chugged along Seedha pointed out all the sights. He even stopped at a few places on the way.
The children played around while the adults enjoyed the scenery.
That night there was a party in honour of King Babbar.
“Google will now have two drivers – Ajab and Seedha. I also announce a special award for Seedha,” announced Simha.
“And I give him a new title, from now he will be called Mister Google,” declared Babbar.
As Seedha, sorry Mister Google went to receive his award the jungle echoed with the thumping of tails, the beating of hooves and flapping of wings.
Aunt Maneka loves birds and animals. She is an environmentalist and a Member of Parliament, but her love for animals supersedes both.
_____________________________________
Q: We have recently moved to a bigger house with a nice garden and trees. My mother put bird feeders in our garden. But there have hardly been any birds that have come to the feeder. I give them mixed pulses soaked and softened in water or I give bread and water. Why won’t the birds come and feed?
-Radha, 10 years, Mumbai
Dear Radha, Birds like to eat from a clean feeder. Make sure the feeder is clean. They don’t come if they feel threatened. Hence the positioning of your feeders plays a very vital role. Place them in a quiet secluded area that doesn’t see much activity. Another reason might be that there are already enough sources of food and water in that area, that the birds don’t need to feed from your feeder. Give the birds dry food as mixed pulses softened in water often get fungi. Be patient. Don’t lose heart. With time you will have more and more birds coming to your garden.
Q. What do I do if I am stung by a bee or wasp?
-Vivek, 8 years, New Delhi
Dear Vivek, A bee stings and leaves its stinger in your skin. This stinger consists of a venom sac which continues to pump the bee toxin into your bloodstream. The first thing to do would be to scrape out the stinger from the base (and not pinch it out from the top because that way the venom sac will be pinched and it’ll squeeze out even more toxin into the blood). The trick is to remove the sting as fast as possible. The most effective way to remove a bee stinger is by scraping the stinger away from the direction that it came from, and this can be achieved by using a driver’s license or credit card.
In case of wasps, though they don’t leave their stings behind, the venom from the sting may also have a similar effect. Once the stinger is removed in case of bee stings) the wound should be washed with soap and water. The easiest kitchen remedies include making a paste of baking soda, or rubbing apple cider vinegar or lemon juice over the stung area. Rubbing a cut potato may have some effect. One can also apply ice. Take ibuprofen or acetaminophen for pain relief (Ask your Doctor). If the person is allergic to bee/wasp venom then seek immediate medical attention especially if the tongue swells, there is difficulty in breathing, you observe a sudden rash, or nausea or blurred vision.
My Life
There is some loss,
there is some gain,
Don’t scribble your brain.
Let me explain…
Life is full of worries,
life is full of joy.
Life is not a toy,
Life can never get destroyed.
When I saw that life is
full of worries,
It means night will fall.
But still there is the moon,
and stars supporting you all.
And the night never remains too long.
The sun soon fills the sky with joy.
Everyone to whom we belong,
Supports us, making us strong.
When we play with toys,
we never care for it.
But when our life is in danger,
You have to admit,
That life is so precious.
Vrinda Mistry
12 years
Pune
Sonu was staring at the piece of cake fallen on the floor for quite some time. Two tiny mice quietly came to gobbleup the cake. Before they could do that, Sonu clapped once and scared them away. He was really amused by this and started laughing.
“What happened, brother? Why are you laughing?” asked Sonu’s younger brother, Monu.
“Just before, two mice had come to eat this piece of cake that is lying on the floor. I clapped loudly and they both got petrified and thus fled,” replied Sonu.
“Wow!” exclaimed Monu. “It would be so much fun to scare away the mice. Where are they?”
Sonu replied, “They are hiding somewhere. You come and sit next to me on this cot. They will come again after a while.”
Sonu suddenly recalled something and said, “Wait, let me do something else, it would be more fun.”
“Do what?” asked Monu.
“You just wait and watch,” said Sonu. He then tied the piece of cake to a string and suspended it a few inches above the floor.
Monu asked, “Why did you do that, brother?”
“Don’t ask anything now. Just wait and see what happens,” said Sonu and both of them sat patiently waiting for the mice.
After a few minutes, one of the mice came, stood on its hind legs, and tried to reach the piece of cake in vain. Upon trying further, the mouse lost its balance and tumbled down.
Sonu and Monu burst out laughing and the mouse ran away from there. Sonu and Monu burst out laughing and the mouse ran away from there.
A few minutes later, another mouse came and tried to grab the cake. Some other mice too came there but none of them succeeded in reaching the piece. They tried desperately but had to return empty handed.
Sonu and Monu enjoyed the desperation of the mice and kept laughing at them.
Sonu yawned and said, “Monu, let us go to sleep now.”
“What about the cake?” asked Monu.
Sonu grinned and said, “Let it be hung and let the mice keep trying.”
“It was fun seeing the mice desperate and irritated,” said Monu.
“See how I troubled the mice who generally trouble people. Am I not great and intelligent?” asked Sonu with pride.
“Yes I totally agree that you are indeed intelligent and great,” replied Monu and went to sleep.
The next morning when they woke up, they were astonished to see that the piece of cake was missing from the string
“Where has the cake gone?” asked Monu.
“I have no idea,” replied Sonu.
Monu said, “Mom or Dad must have thrown away the cake.”
“That is not possible. Had they thrown the cake, they would have thrown away the string too. Since the string is untouched, they have not done it,” said Sonu.
“Then how did the cake vanish?” asked Monu.
“I think the mice have devoured the piece of cake,” replied Sonu.
Monu asked, “But they could barely reach the cake, then how can they eat it up?”
Sonu said, “If we want to find out, we will have to hang another piece of cake in a similar manner and keep a watch.” Sonu got another piece and suspended it in the same manner.
Sonu and Monu quietly sat on the cot observing the mice. One of the mice came there and tried to reach the cake but failed.
“This happened yesterday too,” whispered Monu.
Sonu signaled him to be quiet and watch on
Just then, another mouse came there and stood on its hind legs. The mouse that was already present there climbed on the other mouse’s back and quickly cut the string. The mice then took the piece of cake and fled.
Sonu was shocked to see this. He said, “I never thought mice could be so clever.”
“That is true,” said Monu, “The mice have also proven two things.”
“What are they?” asked Sonu.
“They proved Unity is Strength’. If we work together, then we can even accomplish difficult tasks with ease. The second thing that they proved is that one should never underestimate anyone. Others can be more clever than you are,” said Monu.
Sonu smiled and nodded his head in agreement.
Blacky Bear: Where does a mouse go if it has lost its tail?
Jumpy Mokey: I don’t know.
Blacky Bear: It goes to a Re-tail store.
____________________________________________
Foxy Fox: Anshu where were you yesterday?
Jumpy Monkey: I was in an aeroplane.
Foxy Fox: Why?
Jumpy Monkey: Because my parents told me that I should get higher education
Long time back, the mice of Mushakvan didn’t know about fire. Once it was very cold, and the mice didn’t dare get out of their holes. They impatiently waited for the winter to end.
One day, it was less cold than usual. The leader of the Mushakvan, Chunchun, called for a meeting.
“Dear friends, as we all know, the weather is very chilly these days. We will have to think of some way to protect ourselves from this extreme cold. Can anyone suggest what we can do to survive this cold?”
“Chunchunji, we should run around the entire day. This will keep our body warm and thus we will feel less cold,” Chaplu Mouse stood up and said.
“Chaplu, this is not the solution to the problem. How long can one run? And even if we do follow it, only the young mice can do it. The small and the old mice won’t be able to do it,” Chunchun said.
“Chunchunji is right. We will have to think of some other way,” Cheenu Mouse said, shivering with cold.
“Let’s sit near the paddy grains inside our holes. You all must have noticed that some grains like paddy emanate heat,” Chantu Mouse suggested.
“Chantu, even this suggestion is not suitable as the heat given out by such grains is not enough to give us much protection in this intense cold,” Chunchun said.
After that, all the mice gave their suggestions but none seemed useful.
“No suggestion is such which can relieve us from this cold,” Chunchun was very disappointed.
“If only we could bring down the heat from the sky, then we would have found some respite from this biting cold.” These words by an old mouse surprised everyone.
“The heat from the sky? How’s that?” Chunky Mouse asked.
“Chunky, some years back a hot lightening had fallen from the sky on our jungle, which had illuminated the entire place and had caused a lot of heat,” another old mouse said.
“So much heat that we started perspiring!”
“Dadaji, it could be summer season which led you to perspire, but you thought that it was because of the heat from the sky!” Chimpu Mouse tried to make fun of the older mice while playing with some stones.
“You should be ashamed, Chimpu. Here we are discussing something very important and you are playing with stones and making fun of us. Throw away these stones,” Chunchun said angrily and snatching the stones from Chimpu’s hands, threw them away.
As soon as the stones touched the ground, sparks flew out of them but nobody noticed this except Chimpu.
The other mice got busy talking again. Chimpu went close to the stones and looked at them intently. He didn’t find , anything special in the stones. So out of curiosity, he picked them again and threw them on the ground. This time there were no sparks.
Chimpu didn’t lose heart and kept repeating his act again and again. When he saw sparks coming out two-three times he began rubbing two stones against each other.
This caused a spark to emerge which touched Chimpu’s hand. He let out a shriek.
Chimpu, you are not giving us any good suggestion, but you are successfully distracting us by creating noise. This is not good,” an elderly mouse said.
“I have found heat,” Chimpu said while caressing the burn caused by the spark on his hand.
“What do you mean?” When all the mice asked him, Chimpu rubbed the stones and showed them the spark.
“But how will this help? We won’t get any protection with this little heat,” Chaplu said.
“I have seen that the lightening from the sky burns dry trees and plants. We should also collect small dry plants, wood and grass and try the same thing,” one mouse suggested.
They made a pile and after some efforts, that heap caught fire with the sparks. When heat emanated from the burning mound, the mice felt extremely happy. After all, they had found a way to beat the cold and also to generate the heat from the sky (fire).
Cheeku: I am a 5 letter word. Even if you remove 1st, 3rd, and 5th letters and pronounce me, I sound the same. Identify me
Jumbo: Empty
___________________________________________________________
Damru: Cheeku, what is the chemical formula for water?
Cheeku: H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O
Damru: What are you talking about?
Cheeku: Yesterday, you said it was H to O.
All you have to do is write the first letter of the word shown besides the blank spaces.
P.S. Jumpy also thinks it will be a good idea, if you too follow his resolution.
In the picture of the Champakvan gang’s New Year party, find:
Raju was a fifth standard student and lived in a village. He stayed there with his grandfather. He studied most of the time and spent leisure time with his grandfather.
Raju’s grandfather would narrate informative stories to him every night. Raju had gotten habituated to falling asleep after listening to the stories and used to dream about them.
It was a pleasant night of the summer season. Raju and his grandfather were sleeping on the terrace of their house. The sky looked vast with the brightly shining moon amidst millions of twinkling stars.
Raju was staring at the stars. He asked, “Grandpa, why don’t these stars and the moon fall on us?”
“Because they revolve around the Sun,” said his grandfather, “Earth also revolves around the Sun.”
Raju asked, “Who stays in space?” Grandpa replied, “There are eight planets and the dwarf planet Pluto, their satellites and stars in space. The planets and their satellites revolve around the Sun.”
Raju found this fascinating and kept thinking about space. He fell asleep in some time and found himself touring space.
Raju saw that there was a fight going on between the planets and satellites. They were fighting over who holds the most importance.
The Sun and planets like Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, all were busy praising themselves.
“I am the brightest planet,” said Venus, “I am unique because I revolve from west to east, while you all revolve in the opposite direction. I am considered to be God.”
The Earth gave a smirk and said, “I am the only planet which supports life and has water and an atmosphere.”
“I am red in colour and am known as the God of War,” said Mercury.
“I have the maximum number of satellites,” said Jupiter.
“And I am counted amongst the biggest of planets,” interrupted Saturn.
Uranus said, “I am huge and green in colour. The Greeks consider me as their God and worship me.”
“I am blue in colour and very big and I am known as the “Sea-God,” said Neptune.
The Moon was getting irritated with the praises from all the other planets. With an angry tone, the moon said, “I am the most beautiful. I am the only satellite of the Earth. There is an estimate that there may be life on my surface. I can also bring about eclipses.”
The Moon was extremely proud of himself and was rude to others, so nobody commented. Pluto was quiet as he had nothing to say. He was a dwarf planet and did not want to intervene in the fights.
The arguments went on and finally, Pluto said, “You all are fools. The Sun is the most powerful.”
“How come?” asked the other planets.
“You all revolve around the Sun,” said Pluto, “It has the maximum temperature and planets get their energy from it. It is the brightest planet that gives light to all the other stars and planets.” “There are hot gases found on the Sun and the Sun’s presence determines the day and night cycles,” added Pluto.
All the other planets were enlightened about the power of the Sun.
They apologized to the Sun.
“It is because of the Sun that we are alive and that the plants get light and nutrition,” interrupted Raju but nobody seemed to be paying heed to what he said.
“Raju, wake up. Its 7 am,” said Grandpa.
Raju woke up and realized that it was a dream. But he enjoyed the thought that he was in space for some time and got to meet all the stars and planets.
It was indeed a very pleasant morning for Raju.
It was a lousy morning. The sunrays were slowly scattering in all the directions. Cheeku, the Rabbit woke up when his room was entirely brightened by the glistening rays of the sun.
Cheeku’s parents entered his room and wished him a Happy New Year. He had forgotten that it was the first of January. His friends had told him that the year 2019 will be a magical year. They had said that every act done on the first day of the year 2019 would be multiplied throughout the year.
Cheeku was an eighth standard student. He woke up late because he had a holiday from school. He took a bath and had his breakfast. His mother was planting a sapling in their garden. He asked his mother about the same and learnt that she had resolved to plant a sapling every year.
Cheeku was impressed by his mother and he too wanted to take a resolution for the New Year. He started thinking about what resolution he should make. Mother suggested that Cheeku should resolve to inculcate some good habits, like getting up early in the morning and studying, doing his homework on time, eating healthy food, etc.
Cheeku liked mother’s suggestions and resolved to do all his work on time. He was lazy and also ate junk food in plenty. Thus he also decided to eat healthy food and always be active.
It was not easy for Cheeku to live up to the resolutions. The next day he managed to wake up early since he had school in the morning, but he felt lazy to study in the morning. He started doing some reading after his mother encouraged him to study.
Cheeku also found it difficult to shake off his fondness for junk food. Mother helped him this time too. Whenever he asked for junk food like pizza, burger, chopsuey, etc, she gave him carrots, cucumber, spinach and other nutritious fresh vegetables. This made Cheeku feel that his stomach was full and then he couldn’t gorge on junk food.
Mother was impressed by Cheeku’s resolutions and helped him to devote appropriate time to study as well as play. Cheeku and his friends initially created a lot of nuisance in the house, but now Cheeku had become much disciplined.
It is said that it takes 21 days to form a habit. This means that if one practices an activity for 21 days at a stretch, it automatically becomes his habit.
It was more than 21 days that Cheeku was practicing good habits. All his friends were surprised at his disciplined behavior. Cheeku too observed that by doing everything on time, he got sufficient time to play. He started excelling in his studies. Subjects like algebra and geometry which were a scare for him previously were now very interesting.
One day, Cheeku recited his self-composed poem in front of his school teacher. His teacher liked the poem and praised Cheeku. All the students also congratulated him. Everything was going well with Cheeku ever since the New Year started. He secured a rank amongst the top students in his class. He also started to enjoy studying. Cheeku was now considered as one of the clever students of the school.
Cheeku’s parents were very happy with his progress in studies. His friends started inculcating good habits as Cheeku had done. They studied and played at pre-decided timings. In the remaining time, they nurtured the plants that Cheeku’s mother had planted.
Cheeku and his friends also excelled in sports. They won medals and secured places in big tournaments. Their parents were proud of their success and showered praises on them.
Cheeku’s mother had planted saplings some time ago which had now grown into plants. In the same way, Cheeku’s resolutions had also grown into a good habit that gave him a happy life. He was now a source of inspiration for all his friends, he was a hero! It was indeed a magical year for Cheeku!
Clue: While most numbers are holding hands, some are not making it easier for 7 to walk through the gaps
Stuff
Do
1. Place the coffee mug on the table and cover it with the piece of cardboard and place the ball on it.
__________________________________________
2. Slowly pull the sheet and observe what happens.
__________________________________________
3. Now, again put the sheet back in place with the ball on it.
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4. This time flick the sheet with your index finger very quickly. Observe what happens.
__________________________________________
See
When you slowly pull the sheet, the ball doesn’t fall off. When you flick the sheet with your finger, the sheet flies off but the ball doesn’t. It falls into the coffee mug.
__________________________________________
Think about
Why does the ball fall into the glass when you flick the sheet off the glass?
Newton’s First Law of Motion states that a body at rest stays at rest and a body in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. When you are in a moving car you are going at the same speed as the car. When brakes are applied, the brakes stop the car but not you. You move forward till your seat belt stops you. Here, when the paper sheet is slowly moved, the ball moves along with it because of friction between ball and sheet. Friction is the force between one surface and another. The friction between the ball and sheet causes the ball to move along with the sheet. When the sheet is flicked away quickly with your index finger, the ball does not move along with the sheet as the speed of the applied force is more than the friction between ball and sheet. The force of gravity on the ball makes it fall into the glass.
Rahul had returned from the market carrying some bags. As soon as he came home he called out to his younger sister, “Ruhi, come and take a look at what I’ve got from the market.”
Hearing her brother, Ruhi came running towards him and took the bags from his hands. She went to her room and emptied the bags on her bed.
The mother too came in. Decorative items like stars, ribbons, pearls, flowers, balloons etc were scattered on the bed. Looking at them, mom asked, “Are we celebrating someone’s birthday?”
“Yes mother, we are celebrating a birthday! The birth of a new year! January 1 marks the first day of the New Year. I will decorate our house. On New Year’s Eve, I’ll fill the whole house with balloons, and flowers,” said Rahul.
“Mother, I want to help blowing the balloons,” said little Ruhi. Hearing little Ruhi speak so, mother let out a smile.
Seeing their enthusiasm, mother was very happy. She said, “Yes, so this sounds like fun. I will also make some sweets, chocolates and bake a cake. We can invite some of our friends and relatives to celebrate the New Year’s Eve together.”
“Wonderful! That would be fantastic! Then we will have a bustling preparation,” said Rahul happily.
“What preparations are you talking about, guys? Let me know about them too!” said their father as he stepped into the room.
Rahul and Ruhi showed the decorative items to their father and told him that their mother was baking a cake and making sweets and chocolates for them to celebrate the New Year.
Father nodded and said, “Fine. But something is still missing!”
“And what would that be?” mother asked. Then she pondered that maybe he was saying so because the kids forgot to buy a few boxes of candles.
“Look, celebrating a festival does not mean just decorating your house or spreading happiness and eating sweetmeats. We should also make certain resolutions.”
“Resolutions? What is the meaning of a resolution, father?” asked six-year-old Ruhi.
“A resolution means taking a decision or an oath or a promise,” said father.
Rahul, who was older to Ruhi, said, “That’s a good idea. I will think of a resolution.”
Ruhi felt lost listening to this conversation because she could not understand a word of it. She said, “But what do I do? I don’t know how to make a resolution!”
“I will help you,” said Rahul. “Both of us can together think of a resolution for the New Year.” On New Year’s Eve, Rahul really changed the entire look of the house. The house looked lovely, decked up with colourful balloons, buntings, candles and lanterns.
Mother and father wished Rahul and Ruhi a very happy new year. Both the kids took their parents’ blessings.
Both the kids gifted handmade drawings to their parents. Father noticed a line of colourful words written on Rahul’s sheet: I take a resolution that from this day on, I will not fuss about food and will also finish my work on time”.
Their parents took a glance at Ruhi’s drawing sheet. There were a few drawings made on the sheet with the words: Fruits – to be eaten more. Chocolates to be eaten less’.
“Father, I can’t write like brother, so I drew these pictures,” Ruhi answered coyly. The parents gifted their children gifts and a paper. Father resolved to be more successful at work and Mother, to take up a new hobby.
Both mother and father smiled at the drawings made by Ruhi. They gave a big hug to both the kids and said, “Let’s celebrate and promise to keep our new year resolutions.”
Jumbo: What’s the difference between a teacher and a train?
Meeku: Tell me.
Jumbo: A teacher says, “Spit out that gum!” and a train says, “Chew! Chew!”
_______________________________________________
Sher Singh: Teacher, would you punish me for something I didn’t do?
Henry: Of course not.
Sher Singh: Good. Because I didn’t do my homework.
Cheeku rabbit was very happy today, as he was carrying a plate of puja offerings and in it, there were two Rs. 500 notes as well.
Meeku mouse saw him and asked, “Where are you going with the puja plate and money?”
“My wish has been fulfilled. I have been cured now. The Baba had promised that he would solve everyone’s troubles. For something like this, I would not hesitate to offer the Baba even Rs. 5000. I was saved in the nick of time from dying. Nothing can be greater than that,” explained Cheeku and continued walking towards the temple.
Baddy fox had come to Champakvan in the guise of a new Baba a few days ago.
Baba claimed to solve the problems of people and in return, they would offer him money and sweets. Baba’s ashram was always very crowded. Some people would come to get their wishes fulfilled and some to make an offering after their wishes were granted.
“God did not listen to me. I’ve failed this time too. What should I do now?” cried Jumpy monkey, standing next to Cheeku.
“You need to work harder. When the right time comes, your problem will be solved,” said Baba while hitting Jumpy on his head with the holy broom. Saying this Baba turned to the next person. As Cheeku came out after giving his offerings, Damru donkey, came to him shouting “Jai ho! Jai ho!”
“What happened Damru? You look very happy,” asked Cheeku.
“I saw God! I found God! I saw the miracle of God,” said Damru dancing with joy and moved ahead.
Everyone was surprised to hear this.
The news that Damru saw God spread like fire in the jungle.
“How is that possible? What does God look like?” everyone was curious to know. Everyone headed to Damru’s house in a group. “If Damru can see God, then why can’t we?” some of the animals thought.
“Damru, will you not make us see God too?” asked Teetu butterfly pleadingly.
“Why not! Anyone can see God. Let me show you now,” said Damru as he put a hand in his pocket and gave a mirror to Teetu.
“You can see God in this,” said Damru.
“But this is a mirror. I can only see my own face in this. Where is God in this?” said Teetu.
Cheeku too peeked into the mirror and saw his own face instead of God.
Damru went near Cheeku so his reflection too appeared in the mirror. Damru jumped up and said, “See! See! There are two Gods now.”
“Silly! These are our own faces,” said Cheeku angrily.
“How do you know these are our own faces?” said Damru.
Everybody laughed when they heard Damru say this.
Jumpy shook his head and said, “Damru there is a scientific reason behind seeing our faces in the mirror. It happens due to the reflection of light and we can see our face in the mirror. This is not called seeing God.”
“If you understand all this then why do you go and bow down in front of the Baba?” asked Damru angrily.
Everyone was surprised to know the relationship between devotion to Baba and the reflection in the mirror.
Damru took a deep breath and said, “Friends! There was a time when people did not know about mirrors.”
“Yes,” said Cheeku in agreement.
“They did not understand that light reflection makes us see our face in the mirror. But today we know about this. Science has helped us. But why do we still believe in things like miracles by Baba?”
“For occurrences where there is a reason, we do not think of them as a miracle of God. But for things which we don’t know a scientific reason, we think them to be miracles of God,” said Damru. “Everyone runs to the Babas and temples and they trap you.
We make offerings to them saying that God should fulfil our wish. The work gets done through a scientific reason but people will think the work has been done through the miracle of a Baba. If their work does not get completed, people will think it is not time yet. Baba will get the work done when the time is right.” Listening to Damru, everybody was shocked.
It was the truth. Work or no work, everyone was running to the Baba, but why? Truly, what good can a Baba do, except being a crook.
“We should stop this foolishness,” said Meeku immediately.
“Damru is right. Thank you for making us see the truth about Babas, Damru. From today onwards, nobody will go to the Baba, and follow them blindly,” said Cheeku, loudly.
All the animals agreed and then returned to their homes.
New Year was only a month away. Preparations were on in full swing for the New Year party celebrations.
The local market was full of activity and different shops and stalls were selling decorative items, delicious snacks and were open day and night.
Meeku mouse bought traditional hand-crafted cushions, Blacky bear bought some exquisite copper and brass jars filled with honey, and Teetu butterfly picked up some shiny and colourful bangles.
Meanwhile, Jumpy monkey looked very pleased bringing an expensive, embroidered carpet and scented candles.
Baddy fox was decorating his cottage with ornate lighting fixtures and mirrors.
King Shersingh was not too fond of grand celebrations and huge spending.
In the first week of December, Shersingh called for a meeting,
Shersingh said, “Dear friends! Thank you for coming on such short notice. I wanted to talk to all of you regarding the upcoming New Year celebrations. While it is great to see everyone so happy and festive, it concerns me that a lot of hard-earned money is being spent on buying harmful crackers, toys and items made from toxic plastic substances.”
“These things are dangerous to one’s health and also bad for the environment,” said Shersingh with a serious expression.
Cheeku rabbit was now puzzled. He asked, “In that case, what will we gift our friends and relatives? Most shops are selling these items.”
“You may present them fresh fruits, dry fruits, honey, flowers, and fresh saplings for their gardens,” Shersingh suggested.
“Sir, what about you? We were thinking of giving you a gift. What would you like for New Year?” asked Blacky.
“Hmm. I would prefer something environment-friendly. In fact, this is a great moment for everyone in Champakvan to come up with some really good eco-friendly ideas.”
Everyone was excited now. They all asked, “What do you want sir? Tell us!”
“I want a crystal jar full of dew, a pumpkin fitted in a surahi (a bottle-necked earthen pot), and a bright New Year night without using any electric bulbs, oil and candles. Whoever manages to accomplish this, I will declare that person to be the pride of Champakvan and also my environment minister!”
“Wow! This is unbelievable!” many animals exclaimed, surprised by the unique contest that Shersingh had announced and also the huge reward accompanying it.
“This is impossible,” said Jumpy monkey.
“I have never heard of such a thing before!” Cheeku said, scratching his head with his furry paws.
Meanwhile, Meeku mouse was excited. He was always coming up with new and unique solutions to different problems.
Days went past quickly and it was finally New Year’s Eve.
Everyone arrived in their best outfits, carrying flowers and bouquets, to Sher Singh’s palace lawns.
A grand spread of tea, coffee, muffins and other food items were laid out.
However, Meeku was nowhere to be seen. It was strange because everyone had been expecting a lot from him. The animals started whispering among themselves.
“What a shame! After so much promise, Meeku didn’t even come.”
“Meeku should have never taken upon himself such a difficult task. Now regretting, I am sure.”
It was soon night. According to Sher Singh’s orders for the contest, all artificial lights were switched off around midnight. It was pitch dark. Suddenly, the entire jungle became bright and lit.
There was Meeku mouse standing among them, with a beautiful crystal jar full of dew and an earthen mug with fresh and ripe pumpkin.
Everyone, including Shersingh, exclaimed in wonder.
“How did you manage all of this? This is a miracle!” said Shersingh.
Meeku said, “I will explain all of it step by step. It was a long process and involved a lot of mental work. So, for the first task, I took a thick layer of cotton and spread it on my terrace every night, for three weeks. In the morning, I squeezed and poured the dew from the cotton into the vase. Drop by drop, the crystal jar was filled with dew.”
Blacky bear had his doubts.
Blacky said “How do we know this water is dew? You could have simply filled it from the riverside. Show some proof!”
Meeku replied “I knew this would be asked so I got it certified from the laboratory of water testing, located in Madhuban jungle across the valley. You may confirm it with them if you like!”
“We believe you. The Madhuban jungle laboratory is well-known across the country. Now tell us about your second task!” said Shersingh, full of curiosity.
“For the second task, I placed this earthen vase near the climber of the pumpkin and put a very tender sapling inside the vase. Day by day, it became bigger and now the surahi is filled with the pumpkin,” explained Meeku.
“It didn’t take much, to be honest. Just a simple, logical puzzle,” said Meeku, humbly.
The crowd was quite impressed.
“And what about these bright lights all over? This looks like a natural glow! No electric light or candle is on right now,” said Shersingh.
“Yes, this was quite a difficult task. However, with a little brainstorming, I took phosphorus, a non-metallic element that occurs naturally in different phosphate rocks and appears luminous in the dark and applied it on thousands of small, dry twigs and requested my friends, the sparrows and the sunbirds, to carry these twigs to their nests on the occasion of New Year’s Eve.
I also requested the fireflies to come. Huge thanks to all of them. That is why this was possible!” said Meeku mouse.
“Three cheers for the birds and the fireflies and for Meeku!”, everyone applauded again.
Shersingh honoured Meeku in front of the entire jungle, pleased with his hard work, efforts and declared him as the new environment minister of Champakvan.
There were happiness and laughter everywhere.
Gabbru, Dhenchu and Golu were three donkeys who worked for one master.
Gabbru was the wise one. He feared no one. Dhenchu was the clever one. He worked smart, not hard. Golu, on the other hand, was the simplest of them. He would listen to anybody.
One day, all three of them were walking toward the market carrying their master’s goods. There was a river on their way, which they had to cross.
Clever Dhenchu could smell the goods and figure out what he was carrying. If the master put heavy bags on his back, he would pretend to feel dizzy. So his master would not put the heavy bags on his back.
Today, he had a sack of salt on his back.
While crossing the river, Dhenchu suddenly dipped himself in it.
“Hey, Dhenchu! What are you doing?” asked Golu, surprised. “Are you taking a bath?”
“No, no, Golu! I’m reducing my weight by taking a dip in the river,” said Dhenchu.
“Can the load become lighter by dipping in the river?” asked Golu.
Golu did not realise that by dipping in the river, the salt on Dhenchu’s back would dissolve and the weight of the bag would reduce.
“Oh yes,” said Dhenchu. “If you want, you too can take a dip and see for yourself,” said Dhenchu and laughed. He was amused by Golu’s foolishness. He had seen the empty jars packed on Golu’s back.
Gabbru cried out, “Golu! Don’t listen to him! He always makes losses for our master. And now he’s just taking you for a fool.”
“What? But how is this making a fool out of him?” said Dhenchu, angrily to Gabry. “Come on, tell me!”
“You took a dip in the river, to lessen the load on your back. Our master is clearly going to face losses,” Gabru replied.
“I don’t care. The weight on my back got reduced. I now have to carry less weight!” saying so Dhenchu turned towards Golu and said, “If you want to reduce the weight on your back, you too should take a dip.”
“Really?” asked Golu, in excitement.
“Yes, it worked for me! Ask Gabbru if you don’t trust me. When the salt dissolved away in the water, did the weight of the sack get reduced or increased?” asked Dhenchu.
But before he could finish, Golu said, “I too will take a dip in the water. Gabbru, you too should take a dip if you want to lose some weight.”
Gabbru had cotton sacks on his back, which were lightweight anyway. He did not take a dip in the river. He knew that if he did, the cotton would become wet and heavier.
He screamed at Golu, “Hey, wait! Listen to me…” But Golu had already taken a dip.
There were empty jars on Golu’s back which were now filled with water. As soon as he came out of the water, Golu realised that he was now carrying three times the weight as earlier. He began feeling dizzy.
His legs shook but somehow he managed to walk ahead.
“What’s this? I took a dip, but my weight increased!” Golu said to himself.
“That’s exactly why I was shouting. But you did not stop to listen! And now you must bear the consequences,” said Gabbru, as he walked with him.
Golu somehow reached the marketplace. His waist and legs were aching severely.
Since then, Golu stopped simply copying others without giving it a good thought.
Golu realised that unless you use your brains, merely copying others is useless. It could actually be harmful.
