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The Road to Change

Shersingh lion, the King of Champakvan, was watching the news on television. There were several incidents of road accidents being reported. He became upset and thought to do something about it.

Shersingh invited Jumbo elephant to discuss the issue with him. Jumbo was well versed in the matters of road safety as he was the head of Champakvan’s Road Safety Patrol.

“Champakvan is witnessing an increase in the number of road accidents. This disturbs me greatly. I want your advice on what we can do to make Champakvan safer for all,” Shersingh said to Jumbo.

“Don’t worry, sir. I will definitely help you make Champakvan safer. First, let me study the situation and prepare a report. Based on that, I will be able to suggest some measures,” said Jumbo.

“Take all the time you need, Jumbo. The report has to be detailed,” said Shersingh.

Jumbo set to work right away. He went around all the roads in Champakvan observing the traffic movements and making notes. He compiled all of them in his report.

After a couple of weeks, Jumbo presented his report to Shersingh.

“One of the main issues I observed is that the residents of Champakvan do not follow traffic rules. They do not stay within the speed limit, they disregard traffic signals, do not follow lane discipline and park their vehicles wherever they find space, thus blocking traffic. Several signals at the main junctions are not working, causing a lot of chaos. They need to be fixed immediately. We also need to appoint traffic policemen at these junctions to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic,” said Jumbo.

That ambulance that came to halt

“Good work, Jumbo. I will ask my ministers to fix the signals right away. But what can we do to get the citizens to follow traffic rules?” asked Shersingh.

“I feel there is a lack of awareness about traffic rules and road safety among the citizens. Through campaigns, we can make our citizens aware of the benefit of following the rules. Wearing helmet for two-wheeler riders and seat belt for those driving cars should be made compulsory. If they do not follow the rules, fines should be levied,” suggested Jumbo.

“That is an excellent idea, Jumbo. Let us also put up signs indicating speed limits near schools and hospitals, and prohibiting parking in congested areas,” said Shersingh.

“That will surely help, sir,” said Jumbo. “Another thing I observed is that though kids under the age of 18 are prohibited by law from riding motorcycles or cars, there are many of them who do so.

This is causing a lot of accidents. We can tackle this problem by penalising their parents for allowing them to drive in the first place,” said Jumbo.

“Yes, underage driving is a major cause of concern,” agreed Shersingh.

“There’s one more thing, sir. You could also consider allocating a separate lane for cyclists and pedestrians so that they can travel safely,” added Jumbo.

“Consider it done! Thank you for your suggestions, Jumbo. These steps are sure to make Champakvan safer for motorists and pedestrians alike. In celebration of this change, I declare the last week of February as Road Safety Week. Every year, during this week, we shall organise competitions, workshops on road safety and a survey on traffic trends and accidents,” said Shersingh.

Next morning, the front page news on Champakvan Times was about the changes introduced by Shersingh with Jumbo’s suggestions. It read that besides setting up a dedicated accident helpline, Shersingh had created a new department to look into the traffic activities at Champakvan, under the leadership of Jumbo. He was commended for a job well done.

THE GHOST IN THE ROOM

One night, Marty, the mole was jolted out of his sleep by a strange sound.

Chrrr…chrrr…chrrr…

Marty switched on the lights and scanned the room for the source of the sound. He didn’t see anything unusual and the sound stopped, too. So, he switched off the lights and tried to go back to sleep, but then he heard the sound again.

This had been going on for two days now. Marty hadn’t been able to sleep a wink through the night because of the strange sound.

The next day at work, Billy, the goat greeted him, “Good morning, Marty! How are you?”

“How do you think I am? Can’t you see I am fine?” snapped Marty.

“It was a harmless question, Marty. There was no need to snap at me like that,” said Billy offended.

“I’m sorry, Billy. I haven’t been able to sleep at all for the last couple of days. That is why I am quite irritable,” said Marty. He told Billy about his problem.

“That must be a ghost,” concluded Billy.

“A ghost? Are you serious?” laughed Marty.

“Yes, I am serious. Since you are away at work, your house is empty for most of the day. So, some ghost must have made itself at home in your house. You may find this funny but do give it a thought,” said Billy gravely.

Marty started thinking about it. He could not concentrate on his work that day.

“What if Billy is right? What if it is a ghost? What if it harms me?” thought Marty.

Marty left work early that day to consult with Jacky, the jackal, who claimed to be a professional ghost hunter. Jacky’s business had been down for some time now, so he was elated to see Marty.

“I see that you are in distress. How can I help you?” asked Jacky.

“O holy one, I think there is a ghost in my house. It does not let me sleep at night,” said Marty.

“I see…,” said Jacky, closing his eyes as if he was meditating. He began chanting some strange spells.

Jacky then opened his eyes and said, “You are right. There is a ghost in your house, and a stubborn one, too. It will not be easy to get rid of it.”

Marty became scared. “Oh, please! You must help me!” he pleaded.

“I will surely try, but it is going to be a difficult process. I will need a lot of expensive food items,” said Jacky, handing Marty a long list. “After you buy them, take me to your house. I will start the process of getting rid of the ghost tonight.”

“I will get them right away,” said Marty and immediately rushed to the market to buy all the items on the list. At the shop, Marty met his friend Rocco, the raccoon.

“So many food items! Are you having a party without telling me?” asked Rocco.

Marty told him about the ghost in his house and how he approached Jacky to get rid of it.

Rocco smiled and said, “Let me also come with you, just in case you need some help.

Marty agreed. He bought all the items on the list and went back along with Rocco to meet Jacky.

Jacky panicked when he saw Rocco. “Why did he bring along this raccoon? He is going to mess up my plan!” he thought.

Jacky told Marty, “There can’t be too many people when I am performing the ritual.”

“Don’t worry. I will be as quiet as a mouse and not interfere with your ritual,” said Rocco.

“Alright. Marty, I shall be staying at your place tonight, so please make the necessary arrangements,” said Jacky.

That night, Jacky arrived at Marty’s house and inspected it. He then took a bath and had a hearty meal.

“Now that I am here, rest assured that the ghost will no longer trouble you,” said Jacky yawning. “I will pretend to go to sleep now. When the ghost comes, I will trap it.”

Marty was convinced that his problem would soon be over. He gave up his own bed to Jacky and slept on the floor, next to Rocco.

Within a few minutes after the lights were switched off, the strange sound started.

Chrrr…chrrr…chrrr…

Jacky woke up with a start. He sat upright and looked around the room, holding on to the blanket nervously.

“It’s the ghost again,” said Marty.

They noticed the flower vase moving.

“Oh no! There really is a ghost!” exclaimed Jacky, trembling with fear.

“Cast your spells, O holy one. Get rid of this ghost,” said Rocco casually.

“Are you mad? What if the ghost catches me? I am getting out of here and so should the two of you!” said Jacky, running out of the house.

Come, let’s get out of here,” Marty said to Rocco.

No, wait. Let’s see what it is,” said Rocco, walking towards the flower vase

Marty switched on the lights and Rocco picked up the vase to inspect it.

“So, you are the ghost!” said Rocco looking inside the vase. He then helped a butterfly get out of it.

“How did you get inside the vase?” Marty asked the butterfly.

“A couple of days ago, I flew in through that window as I was attracted by the smell of these flowers. But then I ventured inside the vase and got stuck. When the lights were switched off, I tried to get out unnoticed. But I didn’t realise that the sound of my wings flapping would scare all of you,” said the butterfly embarrassed.

“You didn’t just scare me, you scared the great Jacky as well,” said Marty amused.

Rocco said, “I knew there was no ghost. Jacky just wanted to use your fear to make some money. He had a hearty dinner and would have slept happily, had it not been for our friend here.”

The three had a hearty laugh.

The Boy Who Could Carry the Mountain- An Indian folktale Retold by Rohini Ramakrishnan

Rakesh and Ramu came running to the riverside. They wanted to be the first to reach, so that they could grab the best aerial roots of the big banyan tree to swing on.

“Where is Hari?” asked Ramu. Their friend was nowhere to be seen.

“He must be still eating his breakfast,” joked Rakesh.

“Yes. He does loves his idlis,” said Ramu.

“His mother makes the most delicious onion chutney and drumstick sambar,” said Ramu, remembering the breakfast he had shared with Hari recently. The river flowed on smoothly. The sun was shining brightly. It was a warm morning. Rakesh and Ramu looked up at the banyan tree. None of the other children from the village had turned up yet, so they were free to choose their roots leisurely. Usually, an argument would erupt over the choice of roots.

“Where is this boy?” grumbled Rakesh.

Suddenly, the two boys heard Hari shouting out to them.

“Raamuuu! Rakesh! Come here quickly!”

They saw Hari almost rolling down the small hillock a few metres away.

“What happened?” they asked.

Gradually, Hari’s panting stopped and he was able to speak.

“You must come and see this,” said Hari.

“See what?” asked Ramu.

“I’ll tell you in a bit; just come with me now,” said Hari, running back the same way he had come.

The other two ran behind him. Together, they climbed the hillock. When they came down, they were near the village boundary. The river water tumbled over the big, black boulders. There were goats grazing and they could hear the buzz of the bees around a hive that was on an enormous jackfruit tree.

Hari kept running till he reached a boy standing near the river. He was of their age. As they went near him, Hari turned to his friends and introduced the boy, “This is Sethu. He is new here. He says he can carry this mountain on his shoulders.”

Rakesh and Ramu turned to look at the mountain behind Sethu. They knew the mountain all too well. They had climbed up its slippery slopes numerous times to search for lost goats. They had even hid behind the huge boulders while playing hide-and-seek.

“This is the funniest thing we’ve heard all day!” the two laughed loudly.

Hari felt bad. He looked at Sethu, who simply smiled a quiet, wise smile. Rakesh and Ramu were puzzled by his smile.

“You really mean it?” asked Ramu surprised.

“Of course I do,” replied Sethu calmly.

“Then prove you can lift the mountain!” said Rakesh.

Sethu continued to smile confidently and said, “Alright. I will prove it to you but only on one condition.”

“What condition?” asked Ramu.

“You have to feed me for three days and on the fourth day, I will carry the mountain,” replied Sethu.

Ramu, Rakesh and Sethu huddled to discuss it.

“Do you think he can really carry the mountain?” asked Ramu in a low voice.

“There is no harm in giving him a chance to prove his claim,” said Ramesh.

“And besides, if he does carry that mountain, we would be the first among our friends to have seen such a thing. Then we can use this fact to demand the best roots to swing on every day,” said Sethu excitedly.

The three friends agreed. For the next three days, the three friends took turns to feed Sethu.

On the first day, Hari brought a big tiffin carrier filled with big, fluffy idlis, sambar and fiery, red-hot onion chutney. Sethu gulped them down within minutes.

On the second day, Rakesh and Ramu brought lunch, which included tamarind rice, potato fry, papads, curd with pickles and a big bottle of buttermilk to wash it all down. After eating, Sethu laid down under the shady banyan tree to have a nap.

On the third day, the three brought whatever snacks their mothers had made at home—murukkus, samosas, laddus, roasted groundnuts, vadas and so on.

“Some rotis and chicken curry would have been nice. But these will do, too,” said Sethu, while munching on a samosa.

Sethu enjoyed three days of tasty meals and relaxing naps.

“This must be in preparation for the feat,” thought the three friends.

That night, the boys were so excited that they could not sleep a wink.

The next day, as discussed, the friends met at 4 p.m. at the foot of the mountain. As soon as Sethu joined them, the friends could not contain themselves anymore. They started to ask Sethu all sorts of questions.

“Did you bring a shovel to dig the mountain?”

“Are you going to use a magic spell to lift the mountain?”

“How can you hold it up with your skinny hands?”

Sethu did not answer them. Instead, he took his time assessing the mountain—walking up and down, stopping in between to get a good look it, and holding his head thoughtfully as wondering which would be the best way to lift the mountain.

Finally, he turned to look at them and gave them a calm, wise smile and announced, “Okay, I am ready.”

The three friends looked on wide-eyed in anticipation.

Sethu took his position near the mountain and said, “Now you three can lift the mountain and carefully place it on my shoulders.”

The friends were stunned.

“Hurry up! I don’t have all day,” said Ramesh

“But…but…” is all the other three could say.

Looking at the confusion on their faces, Sethu said, “I said I would carry the mountain on my shoulders; not lift it off the ground.”

The boys realised that Sethu had tricked them. Their shock turned to a frown.

“Please don’t hate me. I did it for a reason,” said Sethu, smiling sheepishly.

“What is the reason?” asked Sethu.

“I had heard so much about your mothers’ cooking that I wanted to try some for myself. So, I came up with this plot to get you guys to feed me,” confessed Sethu.

The three friends looked at each other and then burst out laughing. The sound of their laughter filled the valley.

“You sly fox!” said Ramesh laughing.

“I have an idea! How about we use this to trick the other kids into giving us the best roots to swing on?” suggested Ramu. “This is a great idea!” they all agreed.

The four friends ran back to banyan tree, eager to try the trick.

Mischievous Trixie

Dixie duck and her seven chicks lived in the forest of Everwood. Whenever Dixie stepped out, her chicks would follow.

Every day, they would go to the store and then head to the pond for a swim, before returning home. On the way back, they would stop over at Pinto, the donkey’s house for a quick hello.

Among the chicks, Trixie was the most mischievous one. She would eat her siblings’ share of food, peck them when they were asleep and play tricks on them. She would venture out on her own and stray from her mother when they went out together.

Dixie shared her worry with Pinto. “I am worried about Trixie. She roams around on her own without telling me. What if something happens to her? No matter how many times I tell her, she never listens to me,” said Dixie.

“Don’t worry, Dixie. She just likes exploring her surroundings. Moreover, everyone knows her in this forest, so even if she does get lost, she will be able to find her way back,” consoled Pinto.

One day, Dixie had to make a quick run to the store leaving her chicks at home. Within a short while, Trixie started feeling bored and decided to go out on her own. Her siblings tried to stop her, but she did not listen to them.

After walking around for some time, Trixie decided to head back home. But she realised that she had ventured farther than usual. She couldn’t figure her way back, and began to panic.

Trixie saw a parrot sitting on a tree and asked, “Do you know the way to the pond?”

“No, I don’t. But you look hungry. Do you want a piece of my guava? It is sweet,” offered the parrot.

“No, thank you. I am not hungry. I just want to go home,” said Trixie and walked on.

“After some time, Trixie met a squirrel. “Have you seen my mother?” she asked.

“No. But do you want to rest in my house for a while?” asked the squirrel.

“No, thank you. I don’t want to take rest.

I want to go to my mother,” replied Trixie.

Trixie continued to walk until she reached the river. There she saw a frog eating some insects.

“Have you seen my mother?” Trixie asked the frog.

“No, I haven’t. You look tired. Drink some fresh river water and eat some insects. You will feel better,” said the frog.

“No, thank you. I only want my mother,” said Trixie, walking away.

Jojo, the jackal had been following Trixie since the time he found her talking to the parrot and learnt that she was alone and lost. He had been waiting for the right moment to pounce on Trixie and make a meal out of her.

When Trixie walked away from the river, Jojo came up to her and said, “Hey, little one. I saw your mother just now. She is there, behind that bush, looking for you.”

Trixie became elated and ran towards the bush. As soon as she turned her back, Jojo pounced on her and pinned her to the ground. Trixie started crying.

Suddenly, someone hit Jojo on the head. It was Pinto! Jojo became scared and ran away.

“Uncle Pinto! I am so glad to see you! Thank you for saving me from that jackal,” said a relived Trixie. “But how did you find me?”

“I have been following you since the time you left home. Your mother knew you would be up to some mischief, so she asked me to keep an eye on you,” said Pinto.

“Then why didn’t you help me earlier when I was lost?” asked Trixie.

“I didn’t help you because I wanted you to learn a lesson. But when I saw that jackal, I knew I had to step in to save you. Now do you realise why your mother worries about you and asks you not to go out on your own without informing her?” asked Pinto.

“Yes, Uncle Pinto. I have learnt my lesson. I will listen to my mother and not venture out on my own,” said Trixie.

“Good. Let me take you home now. You’ve had enough adventure for one day,” said Pinto.

When they reached home, Dixie was happy to see Trixie back home safe. Trixie narrated what had happened and apologised to her mother.

“Thank you for saving my little one, Pinto. I am sure from now on Trixie’s mischief will be restricted to the house,” said Dixie smiling

Trixie laughed in agreement.

The Proud Tortoise

All the animals in Shringar forest lived in love and harmony. Kutkut squirrel, Minku monkey, Chatori sparrow, Bhola bear and Kuchoo rabbit lived along the river which flowed through the forest. Kachaalu tortoise also lived in the river. Unlike everyone, he was very proud and arrogant by nature.

Kutkut squirrel lived on the tree near the river and tried to make friends with Kachaalu who would not speak to anyone. He was always ready to pick a fight with anyone he could find. He was very proud of his personality and looks. He ignored all the animals of the Shringar forest.

If any of the animals wanted to ride along the river on his back, he would not answer them or he would take them and topple them midway inside the river and mock them.

Kachaalu would say, “I am not a tortoise up for rides. I am here to take the world for a stride! I am best suited for the seas and not this river.”

Kutkut squirrel, Minku monkey, Chatori sparrow, Bhola bear and Kuchoo rabbit would play in the forest the whole day. Unlike them Kachaalu would stay away, building castles in the air. One day Kachaalu asked everyone to gather and declared, “I am travelling towards the larger part of the world, the sea. All of you continue your stay in this small Shringar forest while I am off to have some fun!”

Having said this, Kachaalu set out on his journey. After swimming for a week, he reached the sea and was overjoyed at the sight of it.

Kachaalu kept wandering here and there in the sea. He wanted to be friends with the big fish in the sea but they just drove him away saying, “We will never be friends with a small tortoise like you.”

Tears rolled down Kachaalu’s eyes. He now missed the love and affection showered on him by the animals Shringar forest even though he had always quarrelled with them.

“No one is concerned about me here!

Neither do they want to be friends with me nor are they are bothered about my welfare,” he thought to himself.

Kachaalu thought of going back to Shringar forest. But what would he do if everyone in the forest laughed at him.

But he felt homesick and decided to go back to the forest. Kachaalu was scared. His mind raced with thoughts about his old friends and if they would forgive him. He wondered if they would love him like before. With these feelings Kachaalu made his way to the forest.

On reaching Shrinagar forest, Kachaalu saw his friends looking worried. He asked Kutkut squirrel, “Oh Kutkut, why are so sad?” At the sound of Kachaalu’s words she jumped in surprise.

“Hey Kachaalu, Are you fine? We were all worried about you,” she said with happiness.

Hearing her words, Kachaalu started to cry. “Please forgive me, my dear friend. You always tried to love me but I was too proud. I should leave from here. I don’t deserve your love.”

Just then, Bhola bear said, “No, my dear friend, you are not going anywhere. This Shringar forest will always continue to be your home as it has been till now. Wipe your tears and give me a hug.”

Putting an end to this, all the animals rushed to hug Kachaalu.

Shringar forest thus was once again home to lots of love, joy, harmony and happiness.

Work Without Risk

Danny donkey was in big trouble. Growing up, he always had fun while his mother made trips to the pond and back, with bundles of clothes on her back. His mother worked for Wasim washer man, along with other donkeys.

But now Danny was big, and he too had to work all day. Danny was lazy, and he found work to be a burden, so he would walk slowly and leisurely and always reach home late. One day, Wasim lost his patience with Danny and gave him a thrashing.

“Carrying bundles is tedious work. Not only do I have to carry the load, but I also get beaten up if I don’t reach on time. I am not doing this work. I will find some other work which is easy,” he thought to himself and left home one night.

Next morning, he saw monkeys swinging on the bar and doing somersaults for people. He thought “How much fun they are having while they are swinging on the bars. I should also learn to do the same and that way I will have fun while working.”

Next day, Danny started practicing. But standing on two feet, and dancing proved to be very difficult, and when it came to swing on the bars, he became quite afraid.

“Oh! This is so much more riskier than carrying clothes. There is fear of breaking my limbs,”saying so Danny moved on.

He then saw elephants roaming in the market taking kids for a ride on their back.

“Aha! This is easy work. Just carry a small person on your back and eat food till you are full. I shall do this work from tomorrow,” he said to himself.

Next day, he asked Champu monkey to sit on his back.

“Alright!” Champu jumped and sat on his back.

“Aah! My back is broken. Get off me fast,” Danny screamed. “Oh! This work is even harder. I am having difficulty in breathing,” saying so, Danny ran away from there.

What should I do now?” he asked himself.

“Is work necessary? What if I manage my livelihood without working!” he thought to himself and jumped in joy. He ran towards the jungle “So many green leaves. I can eat till I am full.”

As soon Danny tried to eat, the crows started cawing.

“Go away from here. This is our house. Let us rest.” Danny did not pay any attention and munched on the leaves.

“Friends this is our nest. This animal is trying to eat our home. Come, lets teach him a lesson,” said one of the crows.

In a minute the crows attacked Danny and pecked him everywhere. He had to run away to save himself.

“I just got saved. These crows were very dangerous. I still want to live without working, but I don’t want to risk my life for that,” said Danny. His eyes fell on Bholu bear who was climbing a tree. He knew that bears ate honey.

“Why shouldn’t I try to eat honey? If this big bear can become full by eating honey then why not me? This work is easy.” Thinking this, he went to the tree which Bholu had climbed.

“But how will I climb the tree?” While Danny was thinking over this, a swarm of bees arrived and seeing that their hive was broken, they started buzzing loudly.

“This bear has eaten our honey and despite that, he is still standing here. Come on, let’s teach him a lesson.”As soon as he heard this, Danny ran but bees followed him, till he jumped into a pond.

“I am not a bear,” he kept shouting but bees kept stinging him. till the queen bee told everyone to leave.

“I thought that without working hard and taking risk, I could live easily. But living without working has proven to be much more dangerous,” Danny said in pain.

On hearing his words, he heard someone laugh. “Who is it?” Danny looked around and saw a tiny ant sitting on a leaf.

“I am just a tiny little ant. My stomach is smaller than yours. But I have to work hard throughout the year. To live, we have to work and not run away from it,” she said.

Danny carefully listened to what the tiny ant said. He then returned home and thought he would enjoy his work and not run away from it.

Go to the Jungle, Sam

Dr. Fancy and Mac were headed to the jungle in the African savannah. Sam, the lion, was sitting quietly with them in their jeep.

Dr. Fancy caressed Sam’s head affectionately and said, “Sam, lions are supposed to live in jungles, not in human homes. You should also learn to enjoy living in the jungle.”

Sam hung his head low. Dr. Fancy again said in a loving tone, “I understand, Sam. You must be thinking how will you live alone without us, isn’t it? Sam, you have grown up now. You can certainly live on your own. You don’t need to be scared. All the lions of the jungle are just like you. The only difference would be that they would be ahead of you in certain things. But then, even you are a lion! So don’t be frightened.”

Dr. Fancy’s words could do nothing to soothe Sam’s fears. He turned his face in the other direction and sat quietly.

Some years ago, Dr. Fancy and Mac had brought Sam home. He was just a cub then. He had lost his mother and looked very vulnerable.

Dr. Fancy and Mac had raised him in their home, but when Sam grew up; they realized his need to live in a jungle. So they decided to take him to his real home in the African jungle.

Sam was now a pet lion. He had grown very close to Dr. Fancy in all these years. Naturally, he was upset at their decision.

Soon they reached the jungle. It was time to leave Sam there.

“Sam, don’t be scared. We will stay with you until you get comfortable here. So Sam, go on. See what the jungle is like. After all, this is going to be your home,” Dr. Fancy kissed him tenderly.

Sam walked on. He had tears in his eyes, but what could he do? He couldn’t disobey Dr. Fancy. Also, he was curious to see the jungle.

He had just gone a little further when he saw some wild buffaloes. Sam became stiff upon seeing them.

When the wild buffaloes saw him scared, they saw this as a chance to dominate him. When they moved towards him, Sam ran back and hid behind Dr. Fancy.

“Sam, they are just wild buffaloes. You got terrified of them!” Dr. Fancy realized now that he had deprived a lion of his actual wild nature. Dr. Fancy prepared himself and trained Sam to fight them.

Sam was ready now. He walked towards the jungle again. This time he met a pack of wolves. Sam stopped in his tracks, but then he remembered Dr. Fancy’s words, “You are a lion, Sam.” Sam walked ahead with confidence. All the wolves got intimidated and ran away.

Sam had gained some self-assurance by now. He kept wandering in the jungle through the day, but he hadn’t met any lions till then.

Later that day, Sam came running to Dr. Fancy around midnight. Dr. Fancy didn’t notice it until he switched on the torch that Sam was badly wounded.

“Oh, his condition proves that he has met other lions. They have attacked him savagely,” Mac said.

Dr. Fancy felt disappointed. Sam had not been able to fight and this fear had led him to come back to them.

It was a question of Sam’s life. He couldn’t do anything without Dr. Fancy.

Dr. Fancy began giving him intense training from the next day. Sam would enter the jungle every day, but would come back injured.

After a few days, Sam didn’t return at night. That entire night the jungle reverberated with the roars of lions. Dr. Fancy got very worried about Sam.

With the breaking of the dawn, Dr. Fancy and Mac set out to find Sam. What they saw lit their faces up.

It was Sam, who had injured four lions. Sam had woken up to his nature. Now he was ready to be a part of the jungle. Sam strengthened this belief and Dr. Fancy was happy now.

Sam had made a place for himself in the jungle now. All the lions were afraid of him. He was treated as the king of the jungle.

Seeing this Dr. Fancy and Mac were happy. They gathered their stuff and moved towards their vehicle. Right then, they saw Sam running towards them.

“Hey Sam! What are you doing here? Have you come to bid us goodbye?” Dr. Fancy and Mac became very emotional. “There is no danger to you now. I am happy that you will be able to become the king of the jungle.

I was worried about your safety, but now that fear is gone. You are very brave. Go, and be happy in the jungle.”

Dr. Fancy patted Sam’s cheek, but Sam had tears in his eyes. He climbed up the vehicle, as if saying, “You wanted me to be brave, and I did that. Now take me back. I can’t live without you.”

Dr. Fancy read Sam’s feelings from his eyes and hugged him tightly while sobbing himself.

“How will I live without you, Sam? What a fool was I that I thought that you were coming to us out of fear, but you were coming for us and even now you are pleading so much. But Sam, your future is in the jungle. Please understand.”

Dr. Fancy caressed Sam. Mac switched on the ignition, but Sam didn’t get down.

Dr. Fancy insisted on waiting for a few hours and then the vehicle sped towards the city. Sam was still sitting in the rear seat.

Little Zena

Zena was a little girl. She was small for her age and small in size. She was an active and a happy child until she was very small. As she started growing up, things began to change.

Zena used to drink milk. She also ate milk products like butter, cheese and milk sweets.

However, when it came to eating vegetables and other healthy foods, she would not touch them. Her mother used to worry.

Her mother thought, “What will happen to my Zena if she doesn’t eat well? Where will she get energy from?”

So Zena’s mother came up with an idea. She bought a pet dog, Gimps for a little Zena. During meal times, she used to keep the dog with Zena. With the dog for company, she would eat well.

However, things soon changed. Since Zena didn’t like the food, she began to feed all her food to Gimps when her mother was not looking. This went on for a while.

After a few months, when Mummy took little Zena to the doctor, she had neither grown in height nor in weight. Her skin was paler.

Unlike before, she also began to cry over little things. This surprised both Zena’s mother and the doctor.

The doctor asked Zena’s mother, “Why is it that your baby is not growing into a healthy child? Don’t you give her proper food?”

Zena’s mother didn’t know how to answer this question. She had thought that Zena had finally been eating well.

This situation remained so for a few months.

Then, one day a strange thing occurred. Little Zena was sleeping. Gimps, her pet dog, was also sleeping near her on the floor.

While sleeping, Zena dreamt that her dog Gimps was eating all her food. Day by day, he was growing into a bigger dog, whereas Zena had remained the same tiny little girl.

Not only her dog, but all the insects in the house, and the birds and animals that passed by her house had started growing. All of them looked like giants.

As she saw them, Zena was terrified.

Suddenly, she woke up from her nightmare and started crying.

Her mother, who was sleeping next to her, also woke up with a start.

She tried to console her little girl. She offered her milk as she thought Zena might be crying as she was hungry.

However, Zena continued crying. She asked her mother for green vegetables. This made her mother smile.

Perhaps Mummy now knew the reason why Zena had finally agreed to eat healthy foods.

From that day onwards, Mummy never had to force Zena to eat healthy foods. As the years passed by, Zena grew up to become a very healthy and strong girl.

The Horned Hyena

“O Kalulu,” Moro-goro the Squirrel had said, “I overheard Fisi the Hyena, mumbling to himself, ‘I know the wild goat has given birth to a kid in a small cave below the Black Rock. I’ll make a meal of both the mother and the kid just after sunset ha…ha… ha… But the goat may hit back with her horns. I’ll give her a surprise. She shouldn’t know that I’m coming.’ Kalulu, can’t you do anything to save the goat and the kid?”

“Let me think about it,” murmured Kalulu. After a little thought he spoke to Moro-goro for a long time. The squirrel twitched its whiskers, raised the tail and said, “I’ll do exactly as you’ve told me.

What a wonderful mind you have, Kalulu, only you can find a way through such situations,” the squirrel said.

Moro-goro slithered off and went up a tree trunk as it saw the hyena coming.
“Fisi!” the squirrel called out, “You are very stupid. Don’t you know that your
body gives off a foul odour. It can be smelt even from a distance. The goat might give you a tough fight although you’ll win in the end. Why not play safe and use some trick?”

“So, you know my plan,” growled the hyena.

“Give me some idea about how to hide my presence. I’m dying to have the goat and the kid in my jaws.”

“That’s easy,” replied the squirrel, jerking her head.

“Cover yourself in black mud to hide the foul odour. Try to fix a pair of goat’s horns on your head and bleat like a goat when you approach the cave. The goat
would not know what you are; she’d be confused, thinking that you are a
strange kind of goat.”

“What an idea,” exclaimed Fisi joyfully. “You deserve a reward. I’ll try to eat you
last as your reward.”

Maddy Wolf was in a bad temper. He was not really mad but his temper gave him
the look of madness. He swore at everything, cursed everyone and snarled
his teeth at his imaginary enemies. He was often overheard mumbling, “I’ll dig my teeth into your neck and tear you from limb to limb. Between my jaws no
one remains alive for long. You don’t know me.”

He even howled at the trees and bushes. “You’re in a dangerous mood but you’ll
have the gentlest and sweetest temper once you have your mate.”

Maddy stopped in his path and howled,

“Who’s that?”

He looked at the thick bush from which someone had spoken to him.

“I think I know the voice,” spoke Maddy.

“Isn’t it Kalulu? What is this talk about the mate? What do you mean?You know how long I’ve been waiting for a mate but she never comes. I’m cursed to remain a lone wolf.”

“You deserve pity and sympathy,” came the voice, “Listen carefully. Tonight you
should stay in the cave beneath the Black Rock. If you’re lucky you may see a black horned-hyena bleating like a goat. Grab the horned hyena and force him to show you your mate. Don’t let him go before he does it. Don’t be fooled if he plays
any trick on you.”

“A black horned hyena, bleating like a goat!” repeated Maddy, “What wild talk
is this? Are you sure you aren’t fooling me?”

“You’ll see for yourself this evening,” replied Kalulu, leaving Maddy in deep
thoughts.

As the evening sun set behind the hills and twilight covered the jungle, Fisi
walked towards the Black Rock.

The very idea of digging his teeth into the juicy goat meat was making his heart
dance with joy.

“No one can guess what I am,” he said, happy with the idea. “I’ll give wild goat a
terrible surprise. Thereafter I’ll gobble up both the mother and the kid.”

Meanwhile, Maddy was getting restless. He could see the black hyena with two
horns oddly placed upon his head trying to bleat in a horrible way: “Maaa, maaa… he-ha, he-ha, maaa, maaa… he-ha… heha…”

“This strange hyena ‘howl-bleats’. I’m really in luck,” muttered Maddy.

The next moment he pounced upon the strange creature, growling, “Give me my mate this moment.”

His pointed teeth began to rip the hyena’s skin. “Give me my mate,” cried Maddy.

“What mate?” wailed the hyena. “How can I give you something I don’t have? You can’t be the wild goat. I know you now. You are Maddy. Don’t you know me? I’m Fisi, your humble servant. Your dreadful teeth are tearing me part.”

“Don’t try to fool me,” snarled Maddy. “Who ever heard of a black hyena with two horns and ‘howl-bleating’? You have all the signs which assure me that you can give me my mate.”

Wild Goat was watching the whole scene from a safe distance. She had the kid with her. Kalulu was standing beside her.

“Kalulu, my dearest friend!” bleated the goat, “I can’t thank you enough for saving our lives. If you weren’t there for us, we would be dead by now.”

Fisi lay still under the jaws of Maddy who was tearing and ripping him apart.

Sir Humphry Davy

Penzance, England was a 17th century village situated near the sea. It was a small village covered with dense forests on all sides. There were huge mountains, valleys and mines at some distance from the village. The villagers worked in these mines and earned their living.

Little Sir Humphry Davy was a resident of this village. He was a pensive kid. He sat near the seashore and kept staring at the waves and slipped into deep thoughts. He had good analysing skills and was very imaginative. He had an eye for detail while his imagination was out of the box.

Sir Humphry Davy’s friends were always busy in playing and having fun, whereas Sir Humphry Davy kept himself busy in studying the mountains. Sometimes he tasted the seawater and wondered why it is salty. “What in the sea water gives it a salty taste?” he thought. He often smelt the gases coming out of the stove and tried to find out what effect those gases have on human body.

Sir Humphry Davy was keen on studying nature more than his studies. He studied the trees, birds, animals, wildlife, sky, mountains, and stones. He also made notes in his diary.

One day, Sir Humphry Davy drew a picture of a strange lamp in his notebook. It was an oil lamp that was covered by a mesh of olive branches.

“How foolish is this!” said his friend looking at the picture, “If you make a web of olive branches, they will get burnt.”

“And the web will decrease the brightness of light. What is the use of designing a lamp that doesn’t provide adequate light?” added another friend.

“Now please stop drawing such useless pictures and come out to play with us,” insisted his friends.

Sir Humphry Davy replied, “I am sorry. I won’t be able to join you. I have bought a book on chemistry from the library. I have planned to read the entire book today.”

Sir Humphry Davy began to read the book with utmost interest. He also conducted some minor experiments.

He did not have sufficient resources. Hence he managed with whatever little he had. He used his kitchen stove as the laboratory burner to conduct heating experiments. He used to get so engrossed with his work that he often forgot to have meals. Sometimes he stayed up all night working.

When Sir Humphry Davy became an adult, he developed interest in a new kind of gas. He found a gas which would make one laugh hysterically when one smelt it. Scientists believed that it was a poisonous gas and was fatal to human beings as well as animals.

Sir Humphry Davy was brave and curious. He repeatedly smelt the gas a number of times, and hence proved that it is not a fatal gas and can be put to use for beneficial purposes.

The chemical name of that gas was nitrous oxide. It is also known as ‘Laughing gas’. It is known to reduce the sensation of pain. Medical practitioners soon accepted Sir Humphry Davy’s research, and stated using the laughing gas prior to surgeries. It helped in easing the pain sensation in patients. Sir Humphry Davy became famous all over owing to his research.

Sir Humphry Davy now started his research on electricity. He found that if light energy is passed through water, the latter splits into hydrogen and oxygen. He passed light through various acids, solutions and mixtures. He noticed several chemical changes taking place in the mixtures. This was known as electrolysis of water.

Sir Humphry Davy also extracted salt from the sea and studied it. He discovered two elements called sodium and potassium from the salt.

Sodium is a very active salt. It catches fire when it comes in contact with water. Hence sodium is always kept immersed in oil. The discovery of sodium and potassium was another feather in Sir Humphry Davy’s cap.

During those times, people had to frequently face explosions in mines. The primary reason for these explosions were combustible gases called Firedamp, one of which is methane. These gases accumulated in large amounts in those mines. People had to light lamps to get rid of the darkness in the mines. This lighting of the lamp and the presence of damp gases caused the mine explosion. Many people lost their lives due to these explosions.

Sir Humphry Davy started studying the combustible gases in the year 1815. He found that damp gases required a lot of air and high temperature in order to catch fire. He also found that these gases cannot catch fire in a metal pipe as the metal reduces the surrounding temperature. Sir Humphry Davy thus invented a safety lamp based on this principle.

He made a thick elemental mesh around the lamp. The lamp emitted bright light inside the mine. The metal framework lowered the temperature, eliminating the risk of an explosion. This discovery of Sir Humphry Davy was considered no less than a miracle. In this manner, the lamp allowed miners to work safely in the presence of combustible gases. This lamp was named as ‘Davy’s Safety Lamp’.

This lamp looked exactly like the one Sir Humphry Davy had drawn in his childhood, and his friends had made fun of it. The only difference was that this lamp had a metal framework as opposed to lamps made up of olive branches.

With all of his discoveries and inventions, Sir Humphry Davy proved that imagination is useful and is a gateway to reality.

One can manifest his imagination into reality if he works hard and is dedicated. And thus one can aid in the betterment of mankind.

3-Step Magic Plan

Champakvan was abuzz with excitement. All the animals had been working hard for months preparing for the Champakvan Annual Vegetable Competition. Finally, the day arrived when their farm produce would be judged and the “Best Vegetable” award would be announced.

As always, King Shersingh lion and Prime Minister Blacky bear were the judges. The participants eagerly awaited their turn to present the ‘vegetable of their labour.

There were giant pumpkins, enormous cabbages, huge carrots and tall drumsticks. Cheeku rabbit, Damru donkey, Jumbo elephant and Baddy fox stood proudly next to their exhibits. Next to these eye-catching displays was Jumpy monkey’s small stall with a basket of regular-sized tomatoes. The other animals could not control their amusement at seeing Jumpy’s poor display. They were sure that Jumpy would not even qualify for the competition.

“I am sure to win this competition. Look at the size of my pumpkin,” said Jumbo proudly.

“Don’t be so confident. My carrots shine like gold,” said Cheeku.

“Yes. But we all know who isn’t winning the competition this time,” said Baddy, looking at Jumpy.

“Jumpy, don’t forget to get your participation certificate before you leave,” said Damru.

Everybody laughed. Jumpy did not respond to the comments. He continued to quietly wait for his turn to be judged.

Meanwhile, Shersingh and Blacky visited each participant’s stall. They tasted each vegetable and asked questions about how the vegetables were grown and made notes about them.

“Look at the size of that pumpkin!” exclaimed Shersingh, surveying Jumbo’s display.

“So, how did you grow it, Jumbo?” asked Blacky.

“The secret to its growth is the use of pesticide,” said Jumbo. “I sprayed a good amount of it to kill all the worms. Then I removed chunks of soil to build a solid cement platform on which I placed the pumpkin so that it could continue to grow on a clean base.”

Next, it was Cheeku’s turn. “My gigantic, shiny carrots are the result of a special chemical spray that prevented the caterpillars and earthworms from getting anywhere near my vegetable patch. I also removed all the other plants that grew around the carrot patch, to make a place for those plants to grow without any competition.”

Baddy and Damru too explained how they used special chemicals to make their vegetables grow.

Baddy even diverted water from the stream to his garden to make sure his vegetables were always watered.

Finally, it was Jumpy’s turn. The judges tasted the tomatoes and were surprised at how tasty they were.

“Wow! Your tomatoes are so tasty!” said Shersingh. “What chemicals did you use?”

“Thank you, Sir. I did not use any chemicals at all,” said Jumpy.

Everyone was surprised. “Then, how did you manage to grow such tasty tomatoes?” asked Blacky.

“I began by tending to the soil using what I call the ‘three-step magic plan’. First, I dug a shallow pit, planted the tomato seeds and then watered them. This shallow pit held the water within it,

so the seeds had adequate water and there was no wastage of soil because the water wouldn’t run. Then, I planted lots of other plants around the tomato patchplants that would not compete with the tomato plants for the same nutrition. These plants made sure that the soil was not blown away by the wind,” said Jumpy.

Jumpy continued, “And lastly, I added bio-degradable waste, like vegetable peels and fruit pulp, to the soil to act as organic fertiliser and improve the quality of the soil. This is what made the tomatoes tasty.”

Shersingh and Blacky were impressed by Jumpy’s ‘three-step magic plan’ that was simple yet effective.

After a round of discussion with Blacky, Shersingh announced the winner of the Annual Vegetable Competition.

“I am proud to declare Jumpy as the winner of this year’s contest!” announced Shersingh. “Moreover, I also request all animals to hereby follow his ‘three-step magic plan’ while growing their fruits and vegetables.”

Jumpy was ecstatic. The other animals were puzzled.

“But his tomatoes were so small and dulllooking!” whined Jumbo.

“And what’s so special about his so-called magic plan?” asked Baddy.

“His tomatoes may be small but they were the tastiest of all the vegetables I tasted today. They were fresh and free of any chemicals, too. His magic plan is not about magic but about being environmentally conscious while growing plants. His method enriched the soil, did not waste water and did not kill the earthworms,” said Shersingh.

“Of what use are earthworms? They are just pests,” said Cheeku.

On the contrary, earthworms are extremely useful for your plants. They loosen up the soil, which helps increase the amount of air and water that gets into it. They also break down organic waste, like leaves and vegetable peels, into a form that the plants can use,” explained Shersingh.

The animals now realised why Jumpy was declared the winner. They went up to him to congratulate him.

“Congratulations, Jumpy! Your win was well deserved,” said Cheeku.

“Yes, it was. And we have also learnt how we can also grow vegetables and fruits without causing harm to the environment and wasting resources,” said Jumbo.

“We want to apologise for making fun of you earlier,” said Baddy.

“Thank you, friends. I am happy that you have learnt that it is not the size and appearance of the vegetable but how it is grown that matters,” said Jumpy.

“Could you help us with our farming? Our vegetables would be much better if we followed your method,” said Damru.

“Of course! I would love to help you all,” said a beaming Jumpy.

Cleanliness Campaign

Neel and his friends were waiting for siblings Jay and Khushi to join them at the colony park. After waiting a while, the kids decided to go to their house to call them.

When Neel knocked on the door, the siblings’ mother, Reena aunty opened the door and invited them in. Inside, they saw Jay and Khushi lying on the bed while being attended to by the neighbourhood physician, Dr. Kumar.

“What happened to them, Aunty?” asked Neel concerned.

“They fell ill after they came home from the park last evening,” replied Reena aunty.

“Do you know why they fell ill?” Dr. Kumar asked the kids. “It is because of the lack of cleanliness in your society, especially in the park where you play. There is garbage everywhere, old tyres and plastic bottles are discarded in the park. It is the perfect environment for germs to thrive.”

“You are right, Dr. Kumar. Also, water gets collected in the puddles, as well as, inside the discarded tyres and coconut shells where mosquitos breed,” said Reena aunty.

“Mosquitos are the main transmitters of diseases such as dengue and malaria. You kids should stay away from the park,” advised Dr. Kumar.

In the evening, Neel told his father about Dr. Kumar’s advice against playing in the park.

“But Dad, the park is the only open space we have to play in. If we cannot play there, where else can we go?” asked Neel.

“Our society has a committee that is supposed to look into these issues but no one seems to have the time. Only if someone comes forward and starts something, will everyone else join. That is the problem,” said Neel’s father.

Next day, after school, Neel and his friends met to discuss the situation.

“Since the adults don’t seem to have the time, it is up to us to do something to clean up our society. Otherwise, we will not be able to play without our parents worrying about us falling ill,” said Neel.

“You are right. Let’s first start by clearing the scrap materials lying around. I will ask my mother to call up the scrap vendor who comes to our house to collect the old newspapers and bottles,” suggested Nina.

“That’s a good idea. Meanwhile, we will talk to the committee and get their permission,” said Neel.

The kids met the following evening and sold all the scrap material to the vendor.

“We got a good amount of money from selling all that scrap. But this may not be enough to continue with our plan,” said Kevin.

So, the kids decided to pool their pocket money and the savings from their piggy banks.

The money the kids had collected was insufficient to cover all the expenses, but Jay’s father was impressed by their initiative and agreed to contribute some money. A few other parents came forward to contribute money as well.

Soon, the work was underway in the neighbourhood. Within a few days, the work was completed.

That Sunday, the residents of the colony woke up to a cleaner neighbourhood. The roads were fixed, the pavement was cleaned, there were dustbins placed every few metres and signs asking the residents to keep the society clean were put up. Though the residents knew that the kids had been working on cleaning up the society, they were pleasantly surprised by the results.

In the evening, the committee convened a meeting and appreciated all the kids.

They also promised to take efforts to upkeep the cleanliness. The kids were happy that their efforts had paid off, more so because they could now play in the park without worrying about falling ill.

The King’s Wisdom

The kingdom of Rajpur was ruled by King Aditya Prathap Singh. He was a wise and just ruler who took care of his people. The citizens of Rajpur respected King Aditya and looked up to him.

A wealthy merchant named Gopal and his wife Meena were known to be a kind and generous couple in the kingdom.

One day, Gopal and Meena had to travel out of town urgently. Gopal was worried about the safety of a diamond that had been in his family for generations.

“We cannot leave the diamond behind at home. What if someone breaks in and steals it?” said Meena.

“But who do we leave it with? The person has to be trustworthy,” said Gopal.

“Our neighbour Sumesh is a good person and he is your friend as well. He is one man we can trust the diamond with,” said Meena.

“You are right. In all the years that I have known him, he has only been nice and helpful to us,” agreed Gopal.

Gopal placed the diamond in a small red pouch and carried it along to Sumesh’s house.

“Sumesh, will you please do me a favour?” asked Gopal. “Anything for you, my friend. Just name it,” said Sumesh.

“My wife and I are going out of town to visit my aunt who is unwell. We may be gone for a couple of weeks. Could you please keep this diamond with you for safekeeping? As you know, this is my ancestral property and you are the only one I can trust it with,” said Gopal.

“Don’t worry, Gopal. I will keep your diamond safe. I will guard it with my life,” assured Sumesh. “Thank you, Sumesh!” said Gopal.

A couple of weeks later, Gopal and his wife Meena returned to Rajpur. Gopal went to Sumesh’s house to collect his diamond.

“Come in, Gopal. How is your aunt’health?” enquired Sumesh.

“She is feeling much better now. Thank you,” replied Gopal.

“Good! So, tell me, what brings you here?” asked Sumesh.

“I have come to take my diamond back. Thank you for taking care of it in my absence,” said Gopal.

“What diamond? What are you talking about?” said a surprised Sumesh.

“The diamond that I had entrusted to you the day before I left town,” said Gopal.

“You are mistaken, my friend. You did not give me any diamond. You asked me to take care of your house, which I did,” said Sumesh.

It struck Gopal that Sumesh was cheating him by lying about the diamond. Before Sumesh could stop him, Gopal ran towards “King Aditya will decide who is telling the truth and who is lying. Come with me to the court,” said Gopal.

“Yes, let him decide. Come on, let’s go,” said Sumesh confidently.

At the court, Gopal and Sumesh narrated their sides of the story. King Aditya listened to them attentively. After much thought, he said, “I will give you my decision after three days. Till then, this diamond shall remain in my custody.”

That night, King Aditya took the diamond out of the pouch and began to wonder who was telling the truth. As he was fiddling with it, he noticed that the diamond had a nice fragrance.

“What a nice smell! Smells like sandal and rose,” King Aditya thought to himself. He smelled the bag in which the diamond was kept, and it had the same fragrance. Just then, he had an idea.

Next morning, King Aditya disguised himself and went over to Sumesh’s house.

“Sir, I am a special officer sent by the King to investigate the diamond case Could you please tell me your side of the story?” requested King Aditya.

“Of course, Sir. I bought the diamond from the jeweller three days ago by paying 5000 gold coins from my savings. But that greedy Gopal wants to steal my diamond. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the jeweller,” said Sumesh.

With Sumesh’s permission, King Aditya searched the house but he did not find anything that could explain the fragrance on the diamond. He then left for Gopal’s house.

“Sir, I am a special officer assigned to this case. Can you tell me about the diamond that you claim is yours?” King Aditya asked Gopal.

“I don’t know where the diamond is from because it has been in my family for generations. Before my father passed away, he gave me the diamond in a box and asked me to keep it safe. But I have failed to do so,” said Gopal sadly.

“Can I see the box that your father had given you?” asked King Aditya.

Gopal handed him the box.

King Aditya could immediately make out that the box was made of sandalwood and had the same smell as that of the diamond. He opened the box and found a few dried rose petals in it. Everything made sense now.

“May I keep this box?” asked King Aditya

“Yes, sir. You may,” said Gopal.

After assuring Gopal that justice would be done, King Aditya left for the palace.

On the day of judgement, Gopal and Sumesh were present in the court, besides the jeweller and some members of the public. Everyone was sure that Sumesh was innocent as he had the jeweller to testify his claim, while Gopal had no witnesses.

“I have come to the conclusion that the diamond belongs to Gopal. Sumesh is the liar!” announced King Aditya.

Everyone, except Gopal, was shocked.

“But sir, how did you come to that conclusion?” asked one of the ministers.

“The diamond and the red pouch had the a fragrance of sandal and rose. When I had gone to both their homes, Gopal told me about the box in which he had kept the diamond. The box is made of sandalwood and there were rose petals inside it. This made it clear to me that Gopal was the real owner of the diamond, as I had not mentioned to him about the scent earlier,” explained Aditya.

Sumesh became scared and confessed to his misdeed.

“Forgive me, Sir! I became greedy on seeing the diamond and came up with a plot to keep it with me. I bribed the jeweller with 300 gold coins to validate my story about buying the diamond from him. Please forgive me,” Sumesh pleaded.

“As punishment for your greed and breaking a person’s trust, I sentence you to one year in prison and levy a fine of 2000 gold coins. The jeweller too will pay a fine of 1000 gold coins,” ordered Aditya.

Everyone hailed the King’s decision. Gopal got back his precious diamond and went back home a happy man.

Mobile Fever

Roshni was a cute little rabbit who lived in Sundervan. She had been very excited of late. Well, Roshni was looking forward to her Uncle Roli’s visit, and was awaiting his arrival eagerly. Uncle Roli was her favourite uncle and worked in England.

Uncle Roli would bring many interesting and unusual gifts whenever he came to visit Roshni.

Roshni would show these gifts to her friends and classmates and feel very proud since no one had seen such things before. When Uncle Roli finally arrived, he gave Roshni a unique mobile phone as a present. It was pink in colour and there were pictures of pretty dolls engraved all over it. The mobile phone had a good collection of audio as well as video songs. The quality of the photographs and videos the phone took was very good too.

Roshni was fascinated by her new mobile phone. She spent hours listening to music and played games on it, instead of playing with the other children in the park. She even used it to click photographs and shoot videos.

And even though it was strictly forbidden, Roshni started carrying the mobile phone to school. She would use it in the lunch break to click photographs of her friends.

Everyone in Roshni’s class admired her new mobile phone and Roshni felt proud to own it. “May we borrow your mobile phone to click a photograph, Roshni?” some of her classmates would ask.

“May we listen to a song on it, or use it to make a video?” some others would request.

Roshni realised how fascinating her mobile phone seemed to everyone and she decided to take advantage of it.

“Alright,” she began to say. “But only in return for a favour.”

She would then ask her friends to buy her a chocolate bar or pastry for her, and often even get them to do her homework in return. Soon, Roshni began to behave like a pampered princess who enjoyed everyone’s attention and also the favours they showered on her.

Sadly, what she didn’t realise was that she was losing out on many important things. Since Roshni was no longer doing her homework on her own, she was losing touch with her lessons. And since she wasn’t going out to play, she was turning unhealthy. And since she was only letting the others use her mobile phone in return for a favour, she was gaining the reputation of being a snob. As a result, Roshni fared very badly in her exams. And when the results were out, she was terrified.

“I can’t let Mom and Dad see my low marks,” she said, worried about what her parents would say if they came across her report card.

One day, Roshni’s class went for a picnic to the banks of the Manmohini River. As usual, she started clicking photographs with her mobile phone.

Roshni’s friend Sneha Deer had brought a big bar of chocolate and a pair of pretty earrings. She had planned to give them to Roshni in return for clicking her photographs.

Roshni quietly pocketed the goodies and asked Sneha Deer to pose near a rock. She then went closer to the riverside to click a picture.

“Smile!” Roshni suggested as Sneha Deer posed. “Say ‘cheese!”

Suddenly, Roshni lost her balance and fell into the river.

“Help! Help!” she screamed.

The river currents were very strong and Roshni was afraid that she would drown.

Fortunately, Roshni’s classmates Appu Elephant and Lambu Giraffe were close by. They heard Roshni’s screams and jumped into the river.

Both Appu Elephant and Lambu Giraffe were good swimmers. In no time, they pulled Roshni out of the river.

Tweety Parrot saw Roshni’s mobile phone bobbing in the water. He flew to it quickly and picked it up just before it could sink. He then took it to Roshni.

Roshni’s class mates then arranged for some hot tea for Roshni to drink. Roshni felt grateful and thanked all her friends for helping her.

In the meanwhile, back at Roshni’s house, Mrs. Rabbit decided to clean Roshni’s room. She was dusting Roshni’s bag when she found the report card.

Mrs. Rabbit was extremely upset when she realised that Roshni had hidden the report card from her. And more so, when she saw Roshni’s low marks.

“Look at this!” she told Mr. Rabbit, sounding quite annoyed. “Roshni has fared badly in her exams. She has also kept her report card away from us.”

Just then the doorbell rang. It was the postman who had come with an envelope from the mobile company. Mrs. Rabbit opened it immediately and was shocked when she saw what was inside.’

It was a bill for a whopping amount of twelve hundred rupees for a month’s use of the mobile phone.

“I am going to have a word with Roshni as soon as she gets home!” Mrs. Rabbit decided immediately.

But when Roshni returned home, Mrs. Rabbit found that she was running a fever. Roshni explained how she had fallen into the river and was forced to wear wet clothes all day. Mrs. Rabbit immediately gave Roshni a spoonful of some very bitter tasting medicine and a tablet that Roshni found very hard to swallow. She then tucked Roshni in bed and put her to sleep.

Roshni slept very restlessly that night. “I do not want a mobile phone! I do not want a mobile phone!” she kept mumbling in her sleep. Mrs. Rabbit realised that Roshni had already learnt her lesson.

When Roshni was better after a few days, Mrs. Rabbit showed her the phone bill and the report card she had found.

She also brought it to Roshni’s notice of how unfair she had been to her friends by asking them to do her favours.

Roshni hung her head and apologised. She then handed her mobile phone over to her mother. The mobile phone had stopped working since it had been drenched with water.

Mr. Rabbit decided that he wouldn’t bother to repair the phone and simply threw it away.

Roshni missed her mobile phone for a few days. But after that, she began enjoying studying and playing outdoor games.

She worked extra hard for she realised that she had to score higher marks to make up for the marks she had lost in the first exam. She also apologised to her friends for having asked them for favours.

Roshni did very well in the next exam. And when Uncle Roli phoned to congratulate her, he asked her what she would like as a gift when he next came to visit.

“Oh Uncle Roli!” Roshni said. “Anything but a mobile phone!”

A True Friend

Ramji, the merchant, lived in the village of Karampur. Every day, he would travel to the nearby town on work. The path to the town led him through the forest, so he made sure to return to the village before dusk.

One day, while returning, Ramji stopped to take rest beneath a big mango tree in the forest. The cool shade of the tree and the gentle breeze slowly lulled him to sleep. After a short while, he woke up refreshed.

“I feel so fresh after that nap. I must do this every day,” he thought.

That day on, taking a short nap under the mango tree became a part of Ramji’s daily routine. He felt at home under the tree.

The mango tree, too, began to look forward to Ramji’s stopovers. It became happy whenever Ramji slept under its shade. On days when Ramji would be late, the tree would begin to worry. It would only relax after seeing him walk down the path towards it. This routine continued for several months. Soon, it was summer and the tree began to bear mango fruits. One day, as usual, when Ramji turned up to take rest under the tree, he noticed the ripe mangoes.

“I wish I could taste these mangoes! But I am too tired to climb the tree,” said Ramji to himself, eyeing the juicy fruits.

Almost as if the tree understood him, suddenly one big mango fell down. Ramji was surprised.

“Thank you, dear tree!” said Ramji, picking up the mango and taking a bite. “Wow! This is the tastiest mango I’ve ever eaten!” he exclaimed.

Once he finished eating, a few more mangoes fell from the tree. Ramji collected them in a bag and took them home to his family. He thanked the tree before leaving.

The mango tree was happy to see the delight on Ramji’s face.

Piku, the parrot, who lived on the mango tree, had been observing the friendship between the tree and Ramji.

“My dear friend, you were happy to let him sleep in your shade. But what was the need to give him so many mangoes?” asked Piku.

“He wanted to taste the mangoes, so I gave him some. Did you see how happy he was after eating the mangoes?” said the tree.

“You can’t trust these humans.

They are selfish,” warned Piku.

“You might be right but all humans are not the same. My friend Ramji is not selfish. He is a true friend,” said the mango tree with great conviction.

The following morning, the mango tree was happy to see Ramji arrive earlier than usual. He climbed the tree, plucked all the ripened mangoes, put them in a bag and went away without uttering a word.

Piku laughed. “I told you humans are selfish. Ramji can never be your true friend,” he said.

The mango tree was disappointed with Ramji’s behaviour. It thought he would be different from the other humans. But Ramji continued to pluck the mangoes every day till there were none left. Though the tree was sad, it did not confess to Piku about it.

One day, when Ramji was on his way back from the town, he saw three men with axes standing near the mango tree. Ramji realised that the men were planning to cut down the tree. The mango tree hoped that Ramji would help; instead, he quietly walked away from there.

The mango tree was hurt. Piku’s words did not help comfort it.

“You were calling him your true friend but today, when you are in trouble, he vanished because you are of no use to him anymore!” said Piku.

The tree cried silently. It realised that its end was near. Coormamoonaan

The three men were preparing to cut down the mango tree. Before they could swing the axe, Ramji appeared with the forest department staff. The forest rangers stopped the men from cutting the tree and arrested them.

“That’s good, Ramji. In fact, all trees are our friends. We must not cut them down for our selfish motive,” said the ranger.

Ramji hugged the mango tree and said, “I will always be your friend.” The tree was elated.

After the humans left, the tree said to Piku, “Did you see that? You were wrong. Ramji is indeed a true friend.”

“Yes, I agree. I am happy to have been proven wrong,” said Piku smiling,

Tony Rises to the Occasion

Tony was a naughty tortoise. He was well known in the forest of Sunshine Woods for his mischief.

“We receive so many complaints about your behaviour, Tony. When will you learn to be more responsible?” Tony’s father asked him, one day.

“Your teachers tell me that you are careless and don’t pay attention in school,” added his mother.

“I am sorry. I will try to be more responsible hereafter,” said Tony.

“Good. You can start trying right away. I am going out of town for a week. So, I want you to help your mother take care of the house,” said his father. Tony nodded his head.

A few days later, when Tony returned from school, he saw his mother sneezing continuously.

Achoo! Achoo!

“What happened, Mom? Are you unwell?” asked Tony concerned.

“Yes, son. Since morning I have been feeling tired and slightly giddy, too,” his mother managed to reply between sneezes.

Tony helped his mother lie down on the bed.

He placed his hand on her forehead to check her temperature.

“Oh no! She is burning!” exclaimed Tony.

He took out the thermometer from the first-aid box and checked her temperature.

“102 degrees! That is not good,” thought Tony. His mother was now shivering, too. So, he covered her with a blanket and wondered what to do.

Tony remembered the first-aid workshop that was organised in his school recently. Paramedic Giro, the giraffe had demonstrated what the kids could do in different situations like fainting and dehydration, till help arrived. For high fever, Giro showed the kids how a wet cloth could be placed on the person’s head, and advised them to change it every few minutes.

As demonstrated at the workshop, Tony folded a handkerchief into a long strip and dipped it in a bowl of water. He squeezed out the water and placed it on his mother’s forehead. He kept repeating it every few minutes for the next one hour. As the temperature dropped, his mother slowly drifted to sleep. Tony, too dozed off.

Tony woke up a couple of hours later to find his mother shivering again. He immediately placed the damp cloth over her forehead and ran out to get help.

Tony rushed to his neighbour Popo, the parrot’s house but it was locked. He then headed to Gus, the goat’s house. But Gus had gone on a vacation with his family.

“What do I do now? There is nobody here to help me,” Tony thought frantically. “I could call Papa, but it’ll be late by the time he gets here. Who else can I call who can reach here within minutes?”

That’s when Tony remembered that his mother had written down a list of numbers he could call in case of emergencies. The list was stuck on a wall in the living room.

Tony ran back home and referred to the list. He called up the number for the 24×7 clinic.

“Hello! I am Tony, the tortoise speaking. My mother has high temperature and has been shivering on and off all night. I have kept a wet cloth on her forehead,” Tony said in one breath.

“Well done, Tony,” said a voice on the other end of the line. “Now calm down and tell me”

The line got cut. Tony tried the number again but he was unable to get through.

“What shall I do now? The line got cut before I could give them the address. How will they know where to come?” wondered Tony.

Tony then sat beside his mother and continued dipping the cloth in the water and placing it on his mother’s forehead.

In a short while, the doorbell rang. Tony opened the door wondering who it could be.

“Are you Tony—the one who called to inform that your mother is unwell?” asked a bear. There were also a couple of other animals with him.

“Er…yes. Who are you?” asked Tony.

“I am Dr. Bob. We are the emergency medical team from the 24×7 clinic that you called up,” said Dr. Bob.

Tony was surprised and relieved at the same time.

But how did you find out my address?” asked Tony.

“Tony, you are quite famous in our forest for your mischief. So, it was easy to find out where you live,” said Dr. Bob, winking at him. “Now, will you please take us to your mother?”’

Tony led Dr. Bob and his team to his mother. They checked her and diagnosed that she was down pneumonia.

“You did a good job by keeping her temperature under control and calling us at the right time, Tony,” said Dr. Bob, patting him on his shoulder. “Her condition is not very critical. Yet, we need to take her to the hospital for treatment. She should recover in a couple of days.”

When Tony’s father heard about the incident. he appreciated Tony. “Well done, son. You have proven that you can be responsible when the situation arises,” he said.

Tony beamed with pride.

Ellie Learns his Strength

Ellie, the young elephant calf lived in the forest of Green Woods. He was much bigger and stronger than his friends, because of which he would often get into trouble unknowingly.

Once, Ellie saw a beehive on the branch of a tree. Fearing that the beehive may fall and the bees might hurt themselves, Ellie decided to help by placing the beehive down on the ground. When he tugged at the branch, he held it too tightly and broke it. The bees swarmed out of the hive angrily and scolded Ellie for being careless.

Another time, Ellie’s friends were playing football with Monty, the monkey’s new ball. In his eagerness to play, Ellie kicked the ball so hard that it burst with a loud boom! The children were angry at Ellie for ruining the ball .

After this incident, his friends started to avoid him. But Ellie Could not understand what his mistake was.

One day, when the children did not include him in their game, Ellie sat alone under a tree and started crying.

Barry, the bear, who was passing by, saw Ellie crying. He stopped to ask, “What is the matter, Ellie? Why are you crying?”

Ellie told Barry how all his friends had stopped talking to him baecause he always messed things up.

“Don’t worry, dear Ellie. The day you do a good job, everyone will realise your good intention and become your friend again,” consoled Barry.

“Thank you for the kind words,” said Ellie, feeling a little better.

The next day, as Ellie was walking by the playground, he noticed that the plants around the playground had become dry and their flowers had wilted.

“Perhaps, I should water these plants and make them bloom again. That way all my friends will notice what a good job I’ve done,” thought Ellie .

Ellie filled his trunk with water from the nearby pond and sprayed it on the plants. He did this a couple of times. But because his trunk could hold a lot of water, the plants become damaged from too much water and the ground become slushy, too.

Ellie’s friends who turned up at the playground become more angry with Ellie for not only spoiling the plants but also making the ground unsuitable for them to play in.

Three days had passed since that incident and nobody had spoken a word to Ellie. Ellie felt alone and was depressed as he still could not understand what he had done wrong.

“I watered the plants to save them from dying. Doesn’t that means I did a good job? Then, why are my friends not talking to me?” he wondered sadly.

That night, it began to rain heavily. By morning, it had rained so much that the lowlying areas of the forest were completely flooded. The animals began to panic.

It was important they crossed over to the other side of the river that had higher ground which would not get flooded easily. But it was dangerous to attempt to cross the river because of the strong current that was caused by the flood waters.

Barry asked the big animals to carry the smaller ones across the river on their back.

Ellie came forward and said, “I want to volunteer as well. I can carry my friends across the river.”

Everyone was surprised.

Barry said, “Good! We need all the help we can get. Now, follow me and we shall all cross the river together.”

Ellie’s friends apprehensively climbed on to his back and held on to him tightly as he crossed the river.

“Thank you for bringing us across the river, Ellie,” said a grateful Monty, after they reached the other side.

“Thanks to you, we are all safe now,” said Ricky, the rabbit. Ellie brimmed with

Ellie brimmed with happiness.

“Elated!” replied Ellie.

“Good. Now, I need you to do TRISHAGNI one more thing,” said Barry. He picked up a rock and said, “ Everyone must be hungry. Can you please collect some berries using this rock?”

“But this rock is too big. The berries will be crushed,” said Ellie.

“Yes, you are right,” said Barry. “In that case, bring a jackfruit from that tree and carry it in this banana leaf.”

“Oh, barry! The banana leaf can’t take the weight of the jackfruit ! Each task has to be done a certain way,” said Ellie.

Barry smiled. “This is exactly what I was trying to make you understand. Just like that jackfruit and the rock, your strength may not be suitable for doing certain things. So, you have to careful when kicking a football and watering the plants with your trunk. But at the same time, your strength was useful in helping carry your friends across the river,” said Barry.

The realisation dawned on Ellie.“ Finally, I understand that if I don’t learn to use my strength correctly, I can damage things. From now on, I will be more careful,” he said. “Now, I have an idea on how to put my strength to good use.”

Ellie walked up to the guava tree and shook it with all his might. A bunch of fruits fell from the tree. His friends immediately picked up the fruits and ate them as they were hungry.

“You’ve done a good job, Ellie!” said Barry appreciatively.

Conversation of the Books

It was afternoon. The books in the library were resting. The story book was the laziest of all and just lay down where it was. Its pages were fluttering in the fan’s breeze, but the lazy one was not at all worried to take care of the pages. The thin Mathematics Book standing just opposite to Cheeky, the story book was looking at its condition of the book.

“Cheeky set your pages properly!” She said.

“Let it be. I want to sleep for the moment,” Cheeky was just saying when Venkat quickly picked her up. “I will read this book. It has many interesting stories.” Venkat said happily. Cheeky was irritated.

“Oh! This Venkat troubles me every day during my rest time. Whenever I think of resting he picks me. I cannot rest during the day or sleep at night because of him. I do not know how to get rid of him?”

Cheeky was upset. She had wanted to rest the whole day and here she could not rest for a moment. What could she do? She went along with Venkat with a long face.

The next day Cheeky, saw Venkat coming towards her as she was about to rest.

“Oh! He has come again today. Let me run away.” Cheeky ran and hid behind some thick books.

“I am safe here.” Cheeky thought. However Venkat was removing the thick books in search of her.

“Where do I hide now?” Cheeky came out of there and went and sat on the topmost shelf of the cupboard.

“This is just right.”

Venkat was not leaving even the higher shelves. He took the help of a stool to climb up to the shelves that were out of his range.

“Now I will be caught.” Cheeky ran in confusion. “Be careful,” the other books cried out. But Cheeky pushed the other books in such a manner that all the books of that row fell. In bewilderment Cheeky jumped off the shelf.

“Wow! This is a good place. No one will ever know I am hiding here, because no books are kept here.” Cheeky exclaimed looking at the place underneath the almirah. She sneaked and hid herself. The Mathematics book was watching all this. At last it could not keep quiet any longer and said, “Why are you doing all this? Do you not understand the meaning of books? They are not meant for just themselves. Their life is meant to educate others. To show them the right path and you are a story book, full of morals. Whoever reads your pages will learn something or the other. He will find something new in life.”

“The joy one gets in being useful is more than in resting. Venkat likes you because you have a special importance in his life. You should try to go to Venkat. You should not do this, come out.” The Mathematics book tried to make her understand.

Cheeky was listening to her talk. After a long fruitless search Venkat went away empty handed, when he could not find her. Cheeky got a chance to rest. She lay down to sleep. She slept for a while in comfort.

However, soon she felt an emptiness. She was bored for no one was there beside her. She became restless after some time. She came out from under the almirah. She looked at the Mathematics book and said, “You told the truth my friend! But how should I climb up?”

“Now you will have to wait for someone to come. But do not worry, this is a library where someone or the other always comes in. In any case Raju, the cleaner will come even if no one turns up. Be patient and do not panic,” said the Mathematics Book.

Cheeky calmed down. She smiled and said, “From where have you learnt such good things, my friend?”

“I read all these from your pages, when you were too lazy to put your pages together.” On hearing these words of the Mathematics book, Cheeky felt ashamed. Now she just waited for someone to come, pick her up and place her back in the almirah so that Venkat could read and be happy.

A Taste of His Own Medicine

Chikki, the squirrel, Lonu, the lamb, and Dimpy, the duck were playing with a ball, when Chintu, the monkey arrived and said, “I want to play too!”

“No, you will create some trouble like you do every time you play with us,” said Chikki.

“You always cheat and end up fighting with us. We don’t want to play with you,” pitched in Dimpy.

“How dare you refuse to let me play!” fumed Chintu.

“Just sit quietly and watch us play until you learn to play fair,” said Lonu.

At that moment, one of them threw the ball up in the air. Chintu caught it in a flash and ran away shouting, “Ha ha! Now I’ll see how you continue to play without me.”

Chintu was notorious in the forest of Sonavan for causing trouble. Many animals would fall prey to his mischief. Once during the monsoon, there was a puddle of muddy water under a tree. Chintu sat on a branch of that tree and threw stones into it whenever any animal walked by, splashing muddy water all over them.

“I see that your clothes have gotten dirty,” Chintu commented cheekily after splashing muddy water on Dina, the deer. “But don’t worry; get them dry-cleaned at the laundry. I’ll pay for it!”

A little later, he threw a stone that splashed muddy water on Koni, the fox’s face. Chintu laughed and said, “That make-up looks good on you, Koni! You should do this every day, or just go to the parlour to get yourself cleaned up. I’ll pay for it!”

Koni walked away grumbling, “This Chintu is nothing but a menace.”

Another time, Chintu had pushed Kitty, the cat off her bicycle because she wouldn’t let him ride it first. Chintu laughed at Kitty, who was moaning in pain and said, “Don’t make a big deal out of this. Go to the doctor and I’ll pay for it.” Such was his behaviour.

One day, after the incident with Chikki, Lonu and Dimpi, Chintu was sitting on a tree and eating fruits when he spotted the three huddled behind a bush and whispering something among themselves.

Chikki whispered something which Dimpy was unable to hear. So she asked loudly, “What did you say? On the tree? What’s in the large bag?” “Shhh! Be quiet, Dimpy! Someone might hear us,” cautioned Lonu.

The three of them started speaking in whispers again. Chintu was curious to know what they were talking about secretively. He tip-toed close to the bush to listen in on their conversation.

“We must reach the spot before anyone else does, otherwise we will lose out on the opportunity,” said Lonu.

“There are three date palm trees behind the mound at the other end of the lake. A short distance from there, you’ll find a lone peepal tree. That’s where we’re going,” said Chikki.

“So, it’s settled then! We will meet tomorrow morning by the lake. But remember, no one should know about this. It should stay just between the three of us,” said Lonu. The trio agreed and left for their homes.

As soon as they left, Chintu thought to himself, “What could be in that large bag? Money? Food? Whatever it is, it must be something very special. And don’t they know that it’s impossible to hide something from someone as clever as me? When the three go there tomorrow, they will return empty handed because I am going to get my hands on it before them.”

Chintu left for the mound at once. He found the date trees and the peepal tree as described by Chikki. He climbed up the tree and began searching for the bag. It was getting dark, but he continued to search and finally found it. Chintu immediately opened the bag

Dimpy, Lonu and Chikki, who were hiding in a bush nearby, came out and said, “What’s the matter, Chintu?

Are you hurt? It looks like you have been stung by bees. Why don’t you go visit a doctor. We’ll pay for it.”

“You tricked me into coming to this place!” said Chintu, writhing in pain.

“But aren’t you’re the cleverest animal in the forest? Who can trick you?” said Chikki.

Chintu finally felt the pain of all those whom he had troubled and laughed at. “I am sorry,” he said, realising the folly of his ways. “I have been blinded by my own arrogance. Thank you for making me realise it.”

“We just wanted to show you how it feels to be on the receiving end of your pranks. We are happy it worked,” said Dimpy.

The three of them helped take Chintu to the doctor and too care of him for the next few days. Then on, they all remained friends and Chintu did not revert back to his old ways.

REAP WHAT YOU SOW

Skippy, the squirrel lived on a tree in the forest of Aria. Next to the tree was an anthill in which his friend Tiny, the ant and her family lived.

One day, Vicky, the rabbit moved into the forest and made a home for himself near the tree where Skippy and Tiny lived. Soon, the three became good friends.

During spring that year, Vicky said, “The soil here is fertile. Why don’t we cultivate something?”

“Yes, that’s a good idea. But what shall we sow?” asked Tiny.

“Since we like rice, why don’t we cultivate paddy crops?” suggested Skippy.

“Rice is mostly cultivated in the south of India because the soil there is smooth and retains a lot of moisture, which is necessary for paddy crops. If we were to sow rice here, then the crops will need a lot of water and additional care,” said Vicky.

“How about tea? I love drinking tea!” said Tiny’s cousin Teeny.

“I like spicy food; let’s plant some spices,” said Tiny.

“A hilly terrain is best suited for tea, coffee and spices. They can be grown only by way of terrace farming and they require a chilly climate. It’s too hot here to grow these crops,” said Vicky.

A Taste of Their Own Medicine

“How do you know so much about the different types of crops?” asked Skippy in awe.

“I love horticulture. It is the art and science of growing plants. I have read many books on this subject. Currently, I am reading one on the different types of soil,” said Vicky.

“That sounds very interesting. I thought they were all the same. How many different types of soil are there?” asked Tiny curiously.

“Broadly, there are six different types of soils in India classified according to their characteristic, composition and region: alluvial, laterite, red, black, desert and mountain soil. Our forest has alluvial soil which is extremely fertile. It is so because rivers like Ganga and Yamuna flow down from the mountains bringing with them rich minerals and rocks. Wheat, sugarcane and pulses are best grown in this soil,” said Vicky

“In that case, how about we plant wheat crops?” asked Skippy.

Everyone agreed and began planning. Next day, Vicky brought along his friend Annie, the mole.

“Hello friends, meet Annie. She will also help us with the farming,” said Vicky.

Skippy and Tiny were not happy about Annie joining them. They did not mention it to Vicky, but later that evening, the two met alone to discuss the situation.

“What work will the mole do in the farm?” Skippy asked Tiny. “You and your family will sow the seeds. Vicky and I will water the crops. We will also use our sharp teeth to harvest them later and you will carry them back to our houses. But what will Annie do?”

“Even I don’t understand why Vicky had to bring her along. The more people there are, the lesser will be our share of the crops. But what can we do? Cultivating crops was Vicky’s idea and we can’t tell him not to bring his friend,” said Tiny.

As the two wondered what to do, Tiny suddenly had an idea. She shared her plan with Skippy, who agreed to it delightedly. The following day, all four of them set to work, ploughing the land, planting the seeds and watering it. As weeks passed, the seeds began to sprout. In a matter of months, the tiny saplings had become full-grown wheat crops. They had to take extra care of the crops for fear that it would get stolen or damaged by pests.

During the day, Vicky would take care of it and at night, it was the responsibility of Skippy and Tiny to keep an eye on the crops.

One morning, Tiny and Skippy frantically came running to Vicky and said that some of the wheat crops had disappeared.

More From Champak: Tit for tat

Vicky was shocked. “But how is that possible?”

“I suspect Annie. Two days back, I heard her talking to her friends and plotting to steal some of the crops. We must remove Annie from our group immediately,” said Skippy.

“I think it’s you two who should be removed!” said Vicky.

“Why should we be removed?” asked Tiny and Skippy surprised.

“That is because it was your responsibility to keep an eye on the crops at night. If the crops were stolen during the night, it means that you have not done your work properly,” replied Vicky.

“Even otherwise, while we three were doing all the hard work, Annie was just roaming among the crops and playing in the soil,” said Skippy angrily.

“So, that is the real reason!” realised Vicky. “I began to sense your growing dislike for Annie because you think she does not help with the farming. What you both don’t know is that she is the reason this crop has grown so well,” said Vicky.

On hearing this, Skippy and Tiny were taken aback. “How is that possible?” they asked.

“Moles are good at digging. Because of the holes she dug around the land, water and air could mix well with the soil. This ensured that the soil’s nutrition and minerals were replenished, thereby making our crops grow well,” explained Vicky.

Skippy and Tiny realised their mistake and were ashamed about their behaviour. They apologised to Annie and returned the crops they had stolen at night to put the blame on Annie. That day on, the four of them worked together with cooperation and respected each other’s hard work.

Beaten at His Own Game

Sunny, the bear had opened a sprawling supermarket in Sunshine Woods. The supermarket had everything that the inhabitants of the forest required.

The small shops that were already there in the forest did not sell all the items. So, the animals would order from the neighbouring forests, and that would cost them a lot of money. Now, since Sunny had opened a supermarket, the animals could buy whatever they needed from the supermarket directly.

Sunny was an honest entrepreneur. He personally oversaw all the operations of his business. Some animals grew envious of his success. Bongo, the bull was one of them.

Bongo had a small grocery store next to the supermarket. He would cheat his customers by tampering with the measurements and giving the customers less than what they had paid for. Soon, word about Bongo’s fraudulent activities spread throughout the forest, and the animals stopped going to his store. Now, hardly one or two customers visited his store in a day.

Bongo grew more envious of Sunny’s success as his supermarket was teeming with customers every day.

A Taste of Their Own Medicine

“If I don’t do something fast, I’ll soon become bankrupt,” Bongo thought to himself. He then came up with a plan and went to meet Sunny that very evening.

“Hello, Bongo! What brings you here?” said Sunny.

“I’m in distress, Sunny! My grocery store is not doing well. So, I want to close it and open a hardware store instead,” said Bongo.

“I am happy that instead of giving up, you are trying something else. Tell me, how can I help you?” asked Sunny.

“I have a lot of unsold stock lying in my warehouse. If you buy them from me, I will have enough money to set up my new store. And don’t worry about the price; I will charge less for you,” said Bongo.

Sunny agreed. “All right, deliver the stock today, I have to go out urgently now, so my manager will collect them and then, tomorrow I shall issue you a cheque, said Sunny

That night, Bongo delivered the unsold stock to Sunny’s manager, Max, the dog. When Max was about to check the stock, Bongo interrupted him saying, “Look, Max, the stock is new. Here are the receipts for them. Anyway, it’s quite late in the night and too dark as well. You won’t be able to check the stock properly.”

“You’re right, Bongo. Just give me the receipts. I’ll check them tomorrow,” said Max. The two then left for home.

More From Champak: Tit for tat

The next morning, Bongo reached Sunny’s house before he left for the supermarket.

Good morning, Sunny. Sorry to disturb you so early in the morning, but I’m going to buy the stock for my hardware store today. I’ve delivered stock worth Rs. 5 lakhs to Max last night.

Here is the delivery receipt and your manager’s signature below,” said Bongo.

Sunny trusted Bongo and handed over a cheque for Rs.5 lakhs to him. Bongo immediately went to the bank and encashed the cheque.

Later that day, when Max started checking the quality of the stock that Bongo had delivered, he was shocked. Not only were they old, but many of the products had also become stale. He quickly called up Sunny and informed him.

Sunny was angry. “Bongo has tricked us! He deliberately delivered the stock late at night so we wouldn’t be able to check their quality right away,” he fumed. Sunny then came up with his own plan to teach Bongo a lesson.

The next day, Bongo went to the market to look for hardware products to buy at a cheap rate.

“Hello, Bongo! I heard you are looking for hardware supplies for your new store. Why don’t you buy them from me?” said Rocky, the bear who was a supplier of hardware products. “I’ll give them to you at the cheapest rate you’ll find in this market!”

Bongo was tempted. They were just what he was looking for. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get these products at a better price.

“Why are you thinking? Don’t you trust me? You can check the products yourself,” said Rocky, showing his some samples.

“Of course, I trust you, Rocky. Please deliver the products to me today itself,” said Bongo.

“Okay, but I can deliver them only at night as there’ll be too much traffic right now,” said Rocky.

Bongo agreed and handed over all the money he had got from Sunny. That night, Rocky delivered the products to Bongo as promised.

The next day, Bongo opened the boxes to set up his new store. To his shock, he realised that all the products were rusted and some were badly damaged.

“Rocky has fooled me! No one will buy these products,” he thought angrily and went straight to confront Rocky.

“You should be ashamed of yourself, Rocky. I trusted you and made full payment of Rs.5 lakhs, but you’ve sent me poor quality products! I am going to lodge a complaint with the police,” said Bongo.

Rocky started laughing.

“That’s exactly what you did as well! Have you forgotten already?” said Sunny suddenly stepping forward.

Bongo was left speechless. He now understood that Rocky and Sunny were in it together. Beaten at his own game, Bongo apologised to both of them.

“Bongo, you should not cheat others to make a profit. If you promise not to do so, you can set up a counter in my supermarket,” offered Sunny.

“Thank you, Sunny. I promise not to cheat anyone again,” said the grateful Bongo.

Toto Finds His Way

Deep lived with his parents and grandfather in Delhi. Every evening he played with his beloved pet dog Toto in the park.

After a while, many people stopped playing sports and flew kites. Deep also stopped going to the park with Toto. Instead he started flying his kite on the roof with his friends. Deep loved to fly a golden kite. Many people recognized Deep’s kite because of its unique colour.

Days passed. Toto was bored. He felt neglected. One day, when Deep’s mother went shopping in the morning, she forgot to lock the main gate. Toto saw this as an opportunity to run to the park.

He slipped through the door and ran out. Toto used to accompany Deep to the park. Hence didn’t know the way to the park himself. Luckily he saw Deep’s friend Shyam going towards the park and followed him.

Mittu, the pet dog

After reaching the garden, Toto ran through the bushes. He was so excited that he ran happily throughout the park.

He was glad that he could return to the park.

Soon it grew dark. Dark clouds covered the sky. Everyone in the park rushed home.

Toto realised that he should get back home through the front gate. But Toto was lost. He looked left and he looked right, but he didn’t know which way to go. Everyone in the park had already left, so Toto couldn’t ask for help. He began to panic and felt a little afraid. He walked around aimlessly.

It started to rain and Toto was walking alone on the streets. Meanwhile, Deep had come down, as he had thought of playing with Toto. He searched for him everywhere in the house, but he could not Toto.

The whole family wondered where Toto was. As soon as the rain stopped Deep and the other family members went out on the streets, calling Toto’s name.

They went to the park, the market, the badminton grounds, but were unable to find Toto. Deep returned home disappointed and sad.

The family members returned too, failing to find Toto. They were heartbroken and tensed and began to think on ways to find Toto.

Suddenly Deep’s grandfather exclaimed, “I have an idea!” He told the others the plan. Everyone agreed and hoped it would work. Deep and his mother got a big golden kite and attached golden sparkling papers to the thread.

Deep took the kite and ran to his roof. The whole family followed him.

Deep flew the kite higher and made it go further.

Toto in the meantime was crying as he couldn’t find his way back. He was hiding under a bench when he suddenly noticed something.

Looking carefully, Toto noticed a big golden kite flying in the sky. He was thrilled! Toto knew that only Deep flew golden kites.

Toto spotted the flying thread clearly because Deep had attached golden sparkling papers to the flying thread.

Toto followed the thread in the sky and after crossing a few streets, he reached to a familiar neighbourhood. Toto was happy and found his way home. He barked happily when he landed on the doorstep.

Everyone was happy when they heard Toto’s bark again.

Deep hugged him. Toto jumped around him. Deep never left his favourite pet alone again and took him to the park to play always.

Little Gopu

Gopu, the pig was very naughty. He had a few naughty friends with whom he often went roaming. Sometimes his friends left him in a remote place and ran away. He often lost his way and had a tough time finding his way back home. Gopu still liked to play with them.

“Gopu, let’s go to the river. It is too humid. We’ll go into the water and play. You enjoy swimming, don’t you?” asked Ganu, the pig.

“Yes. I love to play in the river. Let’s go.” Gopu readily agreed.

“I am going to roll in the muck,” declared Bansi.

“Yuck! Dirty creature!” exclaimed Piyu.

Mantru interrupted, “We shouldn’t play in the muck. It spreads diseases. It’s important to be careful about hygiene. You can play in fresh water for sure.”

Bansi agreed. They decided to stay away from dirty puddles. They started walking towards the river.

They swam in the river for hours. However they were unaware of the approaching danger.

Four wicked foxes had seen them going towards the river.

Nakul, the fox said, “These tiny piglets are too tempting to resist. Let’s follow them and relish their tasty meat.”

Pandu, Sam and Baddy nodded their head and decided to attack the piglets.

They quietly proceeded towards the river and hid behind the bushes. They were patiently waiting for the right opportunity.

The piglets stepped out of the river and the foxes chased them. All the piglets, except Gopu, managed to escape from the foxes. Gopu was the youngest and couldn’t run fast. As a result, the foxes surrounded tiny Gopu.

Nakul said, “Pandu and Sam, you hold him by his ears. Baddy, you hold his tail tightly.”

Deenu, the donkey was grazing near the river. Some weird noises drew his attention. He looked around and saw that Gopu was in danger.

Deenu immediately went near Gopu and started braying, “Leave the kid alone or all of you shall pay for it.”

“Deenu, stay away,” replied Nakul.

Deenu ran towards Nakul and kicked him hard. Nakul was injured but managed to flee.

The other three foxes also ran for their life.

“Thank you, Uncle. Had you not been present, I would have lost my life.” said Gopu.

Deenu said, “How did you come here?”

Gopu narrated how his friends forced him to come near the river.

Deenu said, “You should always obey your parents. Also, it’s not nice to be friends with such animals who leave you in danger. Learn from this incident and never repeat such a mistake. Come, I shall drop you home.”

“Uncle, please don’t tell my parents about the incident. They’ll be disappointed and worried,” pleaded Gopu.

Deenu said, “I will not tell your parents only on one condition. You shall promise to always obey your parents and avoid bad company.”

“I promise, Uncle,” said Gopu.

Deenu dropped Gopu near his house. Gopu decided to obey his parents. He gave up talking with his selfish friends and made a few new friends. Gopu had learnt a lesson. He took great care never to put his life in danger again.

The Front-Bencher

One morning, during the early 1900s, in pre-independent India, two brothers were getting ready to go to school. They lived in the city of Cuttack, Orissa, along with their large family.

“Brother, it’s time to go to school. Let’s leave now,” said Subhas to his elder brother, Sharad.

“What’s the hurry? There’s still time,” responded Sharad casually.

“You don’t understand. I want to go to school early today because I want to sit on the first bench. I always end up sitting behind. I think it’s because I reach late,” explained Subhas.

“In that case, let’s leave right away!” said Sharad. The brothers left for school at once.

Subhas reached school earlier than usual and quickly occupied the front bench, which was still vacant. After a while, a British boy came to class and asked him to vacate the seat.

“I won’t get up from here. I came early today and was the first to sit here,” said Subhas.

The boy complained to the teacher who in turn asked Subhas to vacate the front bench. The teacher told Subhas that he was not allowed to sit there. Subhas felt dejected and moved to another bench at the back of the class.

That evening, on their way back home, Subhas asked his brother, “Why aren’t we allowed to sit on the front benches?”

Sharad did not know how to explain to his little brother that under the British rule, this is how Indian students were treated in a missionary school.

Though Subhas was a bright student and scored the highest marks in his class, the scholarship was awarded to a British student. This again left Subhas heartbroken.

“We shouldn’t study in this school anymore. If they discriminate amongst students this way, is it a school worth studying in?” Subhas asked his brother.

Again, Sharad had no reply.

After a few years, Subhas passed the matriculation examinations with a good score and secured an admission into the Presidency College in Kolkata. His father, Janki Das who was a wellknown lawyer, and his mother, Prabhavati were overjoyed. They were certain that Subhas would make them proud.

One day, Subhas returned home from college quite upset.

“What’s the matter, Subhas? You look gloomy today,” said his mother, sensing something amiss.

“They expelled me from college,” said Subhas sadly.

“But why? You were specially invited to study in that college by the principal himself. Why would he do that?” asked his mother shocked.

“One of our professors, Mr. Otten holds discriminatory views about our country. So, when he said something disrespectful about India, and insulted some Indian students, I protested. And in the spur of the moment, I raised my hand, too. Therefore, they expelled me,” explained Subhas.

His mother was apprehensive for a moment, but then she smiled.

“Subhas, how could you have sat quietly and listened to insults against your own country? With regards to college decorum and discipline, what you did was wrong. But when seen from the point of view of upholding the respect of your country, you did the right thing. The notion of freedom runs in your veins. I am proud of you, son,” said his mother.

“Thank you, mother,” said Subhas, who felt much better now.

His mother hugged him and said, “Our country won’t be under the British rule for long because of people like you who stand up for their country.”

That boy grew up to be Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, one of the most prominent freedom fighters of our country.

Subhas Chandra Bose set up the Azad Hind Fauj, an army he raised with the help of the German government to wage war against Britain. He was also the first person to address Mahatma Gandhi as the Father of the Nation in a speech delivered on 6 July 1944, through the Azad Hind Radio from Singapore.

His slogan, “Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom” went a long way in uniting the citizens of India against the British rule.

Where is Pluto

All the planets were worried. They hadn’t seen their little friend Pluto in a while.

“Where has our little friend suddenly gone? Chotu was with us all the time, Mars said anxiously, referring to Pluto by the nickname all the planets had given him.

“Could it be that little Pluto is playing a game of hide-and-seek with us? He’s quite a playful fellow,” Venus said thoughtfully.

“I don’t think so,” Saturn said. “Even if Pluto was trying to hide from us, one of us would have still spotted him. Don’t forget there are eight of us. And Pluto can only hide behind the Sun, since he too revolves around the Sun, just like all of us.”

“Well, if that was the case, one of us would have definitely seen him, since one of us would have been there too,” Mercury added explaining his logic.

“It is our folly that we couldn’t take good care of Chotu,” said Jupiter. “Pluto was the smallest and also the farthest of us all. We should have been more careful about him.”

“Well, Pluto was so far away that we couldn’t care for him as much as we wished to. After all, we are the inner planets,” Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars said together. They were the four planets who were closest to the Sun.

“Saturn, Uranus and I are the outer planets,” Jupiter clarified. “But we faced the same problem too.”

“It is all Neptune’s fault,” Uranus pointed out. “He was the closest to Pluto and should have been more responsible for Pluto’s well being.”

“I did my best to look after Pluto,” Neptune said, hoping the others would understand. “But what can I do if I have to move away from him while revolving around the Sun?”

“Could a space shuttle belonging to Earth have taken Pluto away for some kind of research?” Venus said. “Pluto is a small planet and I won’t be surprised if something like that has happened to him.”

Venus’s words made everyone look towards Earth.

“I think Venus is unable to think properly because of all her heat. She is the hottest planet of the solar system after all,” Earth retorted.

Earth then looked at the other planets and said, “Pluto is indeed small but no space shuttle can be big enough to take a planet with it. And if something like that had happened, wouldn’t I have known or told you about it?”

All the planets were confused. They wondered what had happened to their friend.

“Wherever could Pluto go?” Venus said anxiously. “This really is a mystery.”

“Well, we have searched all the possible places that we planets usually go to,” Jupiter said with a sigh. “But there’s no sign of Pluto anywhere.”

Just then the planets saw a space shuttle coming from Earth.

“I think we should ask the space shuttle if it knows anything about Pluto,” Uranus suggested.

“How would the space shuttle know? It is just entering space,” Saturn said, turning Uranus’s idea down.

“Quiet, Saturn! Uranus is right,” Jupiter said sternly. “The humans who live on Earth have sent several satellites into space. The satellites keep a tab on all the incidents that take place on the planets and all over space too. So, this space shuttle might just know the whereabouts of our little friend.”

The planets then waited for the space

shuttle to come closer. “Do you know anything about Pluto?” Mercury asked as soon as the space shuttle was close enough.

“Of course,” the space shuttle said. “Pluto was the smallest planet. And farthest from the Sun too.”

“Well, forget about all that! Tell us, have you heard anything about our friend Chotu… er…I mean Pluto? We haven’t seen him in a while,” Saturn said, sounding exasperated.

“Pluto is no more a pla…” the space shuttle started to say.

“What?” the planets said, sounding shocked. “Our little friend is no more?”

All the planets then began weeping. “Hey!” the space shuttle said, looking slightly startled. “Calm down please! You didn’t let me finish what I was saying.”

“You really are insensitive,” Venus scolded the space shuttle. “You have just given us the bad news that our little friend is no more and are not even letting us grieve our loss.”

“Well, you have no reason to grieve,” the space shuttle said. “Nothing has happened to Pluto. He is perfectly fine. It’s just that he is not a main planet anymore. He is a small or dwarf planet now.”

“But we already know that Pluto is small,” Mars said. “What’s new about that?”

“Well,” the space shuttle said. “Here’s some news for you. Pluto is no longer recognised as a main planet. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union decided that Pluto didn’t qualify as a planet. And so, they excluded Pluto’s name from the group of main planets that you belong to. Pluto was then put in the category of small or dwarf planets which also includes names like Eris and Asteroid Ceres.”

“Is that true?” Jupiter asked. “It sure is,” the space shuttle said. “Your friend Pluto has been classified as a dwarf planet now.”

“Ah,” Venus remarked. “I now understand why we couldn’t find Pluto. We were looking for him in places that we main planets frequent. But of course, we didn’t find him there since he is a small or dwarf planet now.”

“So does that mean there are only eight planets now?” Jupiter said, taking a deep breath. “Yes, Jupiter” the space shuttle replied. “That’s right.”

“Hey! That’s too bad,” Neptune said regretfully.

“Well, let’s look at this way,” Saturn said, trying to console the others. “The good news is that our friend Pluto is fine even though he has been classified as a dwarf planet now. I’m quite sure we’ll meet him sometimes though.”

“That’s fine,” Mercury said. “But this really has created a strange problem for me.”

Mercury’s words surprised everyone. “What’s the matter, Mercury?” Earth asked. “How is it a problem for you?”

“Well,” Mercury said. “Now that I am officially the smallest of all main planets, you all will nickname me as Chotu!”

Mercury’s joke made all the planets laugh heartily. They cheered up and felt quite relieved that their friend Pluto was fine even though he was a dwarf planet now.

Chikki’s Lucky Treat

Chikki, the sparrow could not find any worms or grains. She was hungry. She thought to herself, “Where have all the worms gone today? They may be sleeping. What will I have for breakfast?”

She had an idea. Mantu, the crow was sitting on the branch of a neem tree. Chikki flew to her and said, “Good morning Mantu. Have you started looking for food today?” Mantu yawned loudly, “Chikki I am fasting today. My mom told me that it is good to fast at least once a week. You see, it cleanses our system. So, I am just going to sit and meditate.”

Chikki was very upset. She was hoping that he could share Mantu’s food.

So, Chikki went to Helen, the hen. Helen had just come out of her house for a morning walk.

Chikki flew to her and said, “Hi, Helen. Have you started searching for food?What about some grains and nice worms?”

Help Yourself

Helen said, ” Dear Chikki, my chicks are going for a picnic today. They wanted all yummy treats. Yesterday I gathered a lot of grains and worms and packed their snack boxes. So today I am going to my mom’s house to spend my day.”

Chikki said sadly, “Ok, Helen. Carry on then.” Chikki sat on the top of a banyan tree and said, “Today, I am so unlucky that nobody is ready to help me. Let me ask Dolly, the duck.”

Dolly was on the way to the river. Chikki thought to herself, “I am sure Dolly is going to catch some worms and fish. She is very helpful. She will share her meal with me.”

She went near Dolly and said, “Hello Dolly, I wish you get the best fishes and worms today.”

Dolly smiled and said, “Chikki, Cookie, the crane lost a bet with me yesterday. So, she is going to treat me today. I am going to her place for lunch.”

Chikki’s last hope was also gone. She was on the way back to her nest, when the grocerer’s wife threw a sack of wheat outside saying, “These grains have been spoilt by the worms. We should not use them. Nobody will buy them. I will throw all of them out.”

Chikki saw lot of worms and wheat grains being thrown in the street. She happily dug into them. Now she felt really lucky!

A Nation’s Identity

One the eve of Republic Day, Aamir went to the market with his father to buy paper flags to put up in his house. Whenever he bought anything for himself, he would also buy one for his younger brother Wasim.

As soon as he reached home, Aamir stuck the flag by the gate, and gave the other to his brother. “Stick your flag too, Wasim. That way, both our flags will be fluttering in the air and it will look nice,” said Aamir.

“No, I will not stick my flag here. I will stick it on the hood of our car. That way whenever Baba drives the car, the flag will flutter,” said Wasim.

“No, Wasim. You can’t do that,” said Aamir.

“You bought it for me and I will do whatever I want with it,” said Wasim and ran towards the car.

Aamir ran behind him but Wasim tripped and fell down. He immediately started crying. When Aamir tried to help him, Wasim pushed his hand away.

“Go away! I will not talk to you. You pushed me down on purpose,” said Wasim wailing

Hearing Wasim crying, their mother rushed towards him and asked, “What happened? Why are you crying?” “Aamir pushed me down, Ma!” said Wasim.

“No, I did not! He is lying. He wanted to stick the flag on the car but I told him not to. He didn’t listen to me and ran towards the car and fell down,” said Aamir.

“Wasim, why don’t you listen to your brother?” asked Ma.

“Why should I listen to him? He bought this flag for me and I can do whatever I want with it,” said Wasim.

“Son, it is our national flag and is a symbol of our country. Its respect should never be compromised and that is why there are certain rules to using the flag. Your brother knows about it and he tried to tell you about it,” said Ma.

“What is wrong in sticking the flag to the hood of the car?” asked Wasim.

“There is something called the Flag Code of India which states the rules and practices with regards to the display of the national flag. And one of the rules states that only important heads of the government like President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, Governors and the Chief Justice of India can fly the flag on their vehicles,” said Ma.

“Why is that so?” asked Wasim curiously.

“Laying down the rules on the usage of the national flag helps preserve its respect and dignity,” said Ma.

“Why is it important to preserve the dignity of the flag?” asked Wasim.

“Son, each country has its own identity represented by the national flag. Our country’s identity is our national flag. Respecting the flag means respecting our country and the people who fought for its identity. Our country gained freedom from the British after a lot of struggle. The cost of freedom was the lives of several freedom fighters and the sacrifices they made. Because of them, we finally gained independence from the British on August 15, 1947,” explained Ma.

“Then what is Republic Day celebrated for?” asked Wasim.

“January 26 is the date when the Constitution was formally adopted by the Indian parliament,” answered Aamir.

“What is constitution?” asked Wasim.

“Let me simplify this for you. We had got our freedom from the British but we were still following their rules and laws. Our own set of laws needed to be written. So, a committee headed by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar drafted our country’s own rules and legislations that we began to follow from January 26, 1950. That is when our country became a republic wherein the power is with the people and their elected representatives,” explained Ma. “That is why that day is celebrated with great pomp and show in New Delhi in front of the President of India.”

“Our school has also planned special programmes tomorrow!” said Wasim excitedly.

“So, now do you understand why you should not play with the national flag?” asked Ma.

“Yes, Ma. Thanks for explaining everything to me clearly. If I had known all this information earlier I wouldn’t have played with the flag,” said Wasim.

“That is what your brother tried to tell you. Next time, just listen to what he has to say before you go running away,” said Ma smiling.

“I will, Ma,” said Wasim. He then turned to Aamir and asked, “Will you help me stick this flag on our gate?”

Of course, I will, little brother. And let’s plan our own Republic Day celebration at home,” said Aamir.

“Yes, let’s! This will be our own way of showing respect to our country,” said Wasim beaming.

Facing the Darkness

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.

Everything Is Possible

Story: Vivek Chakravarty
Illustrations: Sonal & Sumit

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A Problem of Change

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.

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