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Franky & First Rain

There were black clouds in the sky. The sight made Franky frog very happy.

“Looks like the monsoon is about to begin. How I long to go splish-splash in the rain. It will be fun!” thought Franky.

Monty monkey was sitting on a branch nearby. He had been watching Franky for some time now. “Franky, why are you looking at the sky so happily?” asked Monty Monkey. 

“I’m looking at the clouds, silly. It is going to rain after all!” replied Franky. 

The word ‘Rain’ made Monty shiver. 

“Oh! I suffer terribly during the rains. My home in the tree rattles and shakes during a storm. I get drenched and then catch pneumonia!” exclaimed Monty. 

“But with the rains comes relief from heat. Dry fields, ponds and lakes get filled with water,” said Franky.

“Urgh!” said Monty, in disgust, as he bounded off. “I don’t like the monsoon!”

Franky decided to take a stroll. Soon, he met Gally goat who was in a hurry. 

“Hey, Gally!” called Franky. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“Can’t you see it is going to rain?” replied Gally, irritated. “If I leave my food out in the open, it will get wet and spoil. I must get it home quickly.”

She grumbled, “And I left my clothes out to dry. If it rains, they will get wet too. All my hard work will go to waste!”

“The monsoons are not that bad, Gally,” said Franky. He explained, “Hasn’t the grass in your garden dried up? Soon, when it rains, it will turn green again and it will taste better!”

“Stop with all this nonsense about the rains, Franky. It isn’t as fun as you think!” said Gally, as she went into her house, irritated.

“Why is everyone so unhappy with the rains?” thought a puzzled Franky.

Soon, he came upon a colony of ants. They were working swiftly. There he saw his old friend, Annie ant.

“Hi Annie!” shouted Franky. “You seem terribly busy.”

Annie ant looked up. She was carrying food into her home. “Yes Franky. As you can see, it will rain soon. We need to stock food in a safe place.”

“I heard that ants work harder during the rainy season. Is that true?” questioned Franky. He felt a little bad for the ants as he imagined that they didn’t get to enjoy the wet weather.

“Yes, we do not like to waste our time. But the monsoons create new problems for us as we cannot go out in search of food. We are forced to stay home all the time,” explained Annie. 

“Oh!” uttered Franky. 

“There is a lot of work left to be done, Franky. I will talk to you later,” said Annie, as she disappeared into the anthill.

Franky was now bothered. “Are the rains really that troublesome? No one seems to want rain except me,” thought the little frog.

By the time he returned to his home near the pond, every inch of the sky had turned grey.

Soon, there was a gentle pitter-patter on his roof. The rains had finally arrived!

Franky hopped out of his house. He was happy to see the raindrops splatter all around. When suddenly, he said, “I like to get wet in the rain. But other animals fall sick and face problems. If my friends have problems with the rain, I will also stay inside my home.” He went back inside his home.

Franky sat by a window. He was happy watching the drops of rain trickle down. But, he did not go out.

“Franky!” He suddenly heard Monty call out to him.

“We have been looking all over for you. And you are hiding at home!” yelled Gally.

“Come out! Don’t hide inside! We all have come out to play in the first rain with you,” said Annie. 

She rapped at his door. “You love the rain and yet, you are sitting inside!”

Franky was surprised! He quickly hopped out of his home.

When Franky went outside, he saw all the animals of the jungle enjoying the first rain.

Franky started saying, “For you all, I was…”

“We all know it”, interrupted Gally. “Should I tell you one thing? Monsoon is not that bad, you know. We are enjoying getting drenched.”

Franky danced happily after hearing those words. He also started enjoying the first rain.

An Unusual Race

A race was to be held in Chanchalvan forest. All the animals in the jungle had gathered to watch the race. The horses that were to run the race, assembled on the race track. 

Though they competed with their own kind, each thought they were better than the other.

Snorting and pounding their hoofs, they glared at each other. 

Then, just as the referee was about to blow the whistle and start the race, Bhondhu donkey ran in. 

“Stop brothers!” he yelled. “I would like to take part in this race.” 

The crowd roared with laughter. Yet, it did not discourage Bhondhu. 

“I have practised long and hard, running at the speed of a horse. I believe I run fast,” said Bhondhu. 

“Oh! Now a donkey wants to compete with us!” thought the horses. 

Till then, the same horses that looked at each other with bitterness, suddenly united. 

They now turned their bitterness towards one target ― the donkey. 

For now, it was not a question of which horse won. Rather, it became a matter of pride for the family of horses. 

“This is beyond your skills, Bhondhu. Everyone isn’t as capable as us. Donkeys in particular are no match,” said Hiroo horse. “And if you were, you wouldn’t be called a donkey.” 

Again, the crowd burst out laughing. 

“You are just that ― a beast of burden,” continued the proud Hiroo. “Do what you are born to do. Don’t make a fool of yourself!” 

The horses cheered him on.

“Okay. If I lose, I will leave this forest forever,” said a confident Bhondhu.

Now, this made the spectators curious. They all scrambled to get a better view of this strange competition between a donkey and the horses. 

The referee fired the starting shot. Off went Bhondhu and the rest of the horses. 

While the horses ran well, Bhondhu surprised all. He overtook each horse. 

Even Hiroo, who was a champion racer, couldn’t beat Bhondhu. Finally, Bhondhu won! 

As a prize, he was gifted a cycle. 

The happy Bhondhu went up to the horses and said, “Brothers, so what if I am a donkey? With hard work and sincerity, anyone can be successful.”

Soon, the race became the talk of the town. The animals made fun of the horses, while everyone stopped making fun of donkeys. 

Bhondhu, however, was not happy with the situation. 

“It’s nice to hear everyone praise donkeys, after I won the race. But it’s not fair to make fun of the horses either,” thought Bhondhu.

One day, Bhondhu was cycling in the jungle, when suddenly he was surrounded by a group of horses. 

“So, you are the donkey that outran us. How about running a race with us, right now?” said one of the horses. 

“The other day, it was an actual race. I have no intention of competing with you now,” said Bhondhu. 

“Now, you insult us by saying that you are not in the mood to compete?” said a familiar voice. 

It was Hiroo. He stepped up from behind and pushed Bhondhu off the bike. 

Bhondhu realised that the horses were out to seek revenge. He quickly took off as the horses chased him. 

While he could run fast, Bhondhu could not run continuously and was getting tired quickly. 

While the horses, as they were used to running all their lives, did not tire easily. 

Soon, dizzy and tired, Bhondhu tripped and fell into a pit. There he lay unconscious.

The horses stopped at the edge of the pit. Seeing him unconscious, they left. 

Soon after, Bhondhu gained consciousness and realised that he was badly hurt. He could not get out of the pit and there was no sign of help. 

Suddenly, he spotted a small bird in the sky. It was Simi. 

She recognised Bhondhu and flew down to him. Bhondhu told her all that had happened. 

“The horses are bent on harassing me, because I won a competition against them. Is winning such a big mistake?” asked Bhondhu, in pain.

Simi smiled. “You have broken an age-old tradition. In doing that, you have made enemies with the bearers of that tradition,” said the wise little bird. 

Bhondhu looked troubled. 

Simi explained, “All the animals think donkeys are stupid. However, horses are treated like kings. They are believed to be ‘high’ and you, ‘low’. By winning the race, you turned the tables. You proved that a ‘low’ animal is also capable of speed – a quality that horses take great pride in.”

She continued, “They are insulted and their pride is at stake. They will try to defeat you, not only on competition grounds, but in real life too.” 

“You mean I have invited trouble and made enemies by challenging them in the competition?” asked Bhondhu. 

“Bhondhu, those who hold a ‘higher’ place in the society, blindly believe they deserve respect,” said Simi. “They also believe that anyone from a ‘lower’ section cannot challenge or hold such a position. Nor can they snatch their honour at any cost.”

“I never thought about my actions in such a way,” said Bhondhu, worried.

“The winner of the race is now worried about his plight!” said Simi. 

“Bhondhu, are you not happy that you have changed the outlook of your entire community? Wasn’t it wrong that everyone looked down upon donkeys? Now, because of your actions, no one laughs at a donkey.”

Bhondhu thought for a while. He replied, “No, dear Simi, I am in fact very happy, but…”

Simi stopped him mid-sentence and said, “If you are really happy, stop worrying. Instead, fight to retain your position so that in the future, no donkey will ever be discouraged. If you challenge someone, you need to be brave to face that person anywhere. Else, they will leave no leaf unturned to trouble you. Do you understand?” 

“Yes Simi, I should be brave and ready to face the horses,” said Bhondhu courageously. “Now, can you please help me out of the pit?”

“I will get help.” Saying this, Simi flew nearby and got some of her friends to help Bhondhu to come out of the pit. Bhondhu thanked Simi.

“Dear friend, life is a struggle. To live it to the fullest, you have to be brave!” said Simi. 

Bhondhu vowed to keep the pride of his breed and with that, they parted ways.

A Lesson Learnt

Cheeku rabbit, Meeku mouse and Jumpy monkey were having lunch in their classroom. 

“Wow Meeku! The kachoris you bought for lunch are tasty!” said Cheeku, munching on the piece.

“My mother cooked these. She packed enough for all of us,’’ said Meeku, delighted.

Just then Baddy fox passed that way. “What’s that aroma?” sniffed Baddy. He glanced in the direction of the trio. They quickly tried to hide their lunch boxes. But it was too late.

“Hey Meeku, don’t hide your lunch box. Kachoris are my favourite!” said the sly fox, quickly swooping into Meeku’s lunch box.

“Baddy! You cannot snatch someone’s lunch without asking first. It’s not good manners!” said Jumpy.

“Snatch?” mocked a shameless Baddy. “I would never use my strength against my dear friends.” 

He dipped his paw into Meeku’s lunch box again for another helping of kachoris.

The three friends felt helpless and angry.

Baddy was a greedy fox. Often, he helped himself to the lunch of others. Yet, no one had the courage to utter a word to him. 

Many of the students had complained about his behaviour to the school authorities. But he never tried to mend his ways. He was turning more troublesome by the day.

“Baddy’s behaviour is terrible. I find it rude!’’ said Cheeku. 

“Yes, we have had enough of his bad behaviour,” said Jumpy, agreeing with Cheeku.“But, what can we do?”

“Let’s teach him a lesson,” said Jumpy. 

He quickly gathered his friends around and whispered a plan.

The next day, they sat in class with their lunch boxes spread out in front. They waited for Baddy to walk into the trap. 

As soon as they spotted Baddy approaching, Cheeku began munching a paratha. “Jumpy, this paratha is very tasty!” said Cheeku, between mouthfuls. 

“Yes, this is the most delicious paratha I have tasted by far!” said Meeku as he licked his lips.

Hearing this, Baddy’s mouth started to water. He grabbed a paratha from Jumpy’s lunchbox. “Let me taste these delicious parathas too!” he said. 

He gobbled up the first paratha and then reached for the second. That’s when things went crazy. 

“Oh! It’s spicy! My tongue is on fire! Give me some water! Please!” begged Baddy. He had tears in his eyes. 

“Here, Baddy,’’ replied Meeku, handing him a water bottle.

Baddy gulped the water. Little did he know that it was laced with chilli powder.

Now Baddy was huffing and puffing. 

“What did you offer me?” said Baddy, panting heavily. “Someone please give me some water. My mouth is on fire!’’ 

“No, Baddy!” replied Cheeku, “You snatch our food without the least concern. Now, enjoy the fruits of your actions.’’ 

The rest of the class gathered around Cheeku and nodded in agreement.

“I am sorry! I promise to never take anyone’s lunch again!” cried Baddy.

Cheeku gave Baddy a box of sweets and a glass of chilled water. “You must stop snatching food from others, Baddy,” said Cheeku.

Baddy felt relieved after drinking the water and eating the sweets. He then apologised to his classmates. 

He vowed never to take what did not belong to him.

From that day on, the three friends never had to worry about Baddy stealing their lunch again.

Learning To Share!

Mother always asked Bhantu monkey to share, “Learn to share what you have Bhantu! It will make you happy.” 

Bhantu, however, was never keen, “No mother, if I share my food with others, I’ll be left with less! That will leave me unsatisfied!”

So, the greedy little monkey always ate all by himself.

One day Bhantu was given a sweet paratha. Off he ran, to find a quiet corner to eat it. Along the way, he met Mintu monkey. 

Mintu always shared his things with Bhantu. “Hey Bhantu, how about sharing that paratha with me?” asked Mintu. 

“No,” refused Bhantu, “I shan’t!”

Mintu got angry and he jumped on Bhantu and tugged at the paratha, tearing it into two. One half was in Mintu’s paw, while the other half remained with Bhantu. 

Afraid that Mintu would come for more, Bhantu climbed up a tree with the half piece of paratha. 

Unluckily for Bhantu, Kush monkey was on the same tree. His mouth watered when he saw the piece of paratha in Bhantu’s paw. “May I have a piece of the paratha, Bhantu?” asked a hungry Kush.

“No,” said Bhantu. This hurt Kush, as he always shared his things with Bhantu. Kush decided to teach Bhantu a lesson. While he grabbed the paratha, Bhantu held on to it for his dear life. But, Kush managed to take a piece of the paratha and poor Bhantu was left with only one-fourth of the sweet eatable!

He took off as fast as he could, jumped on to another tree, and started climbing to the topmost branch. As he was climbing, he saw his sister Ritu sitting on one of the branches. 

Now, while Bhantu was a selfish little fellow, his sister held a very special place in his heart. He made his way to the branch on which Ritu was sitting. “Brother, did you bring the paratha for me?” asked Ritu, with the biggest smile. He remembered his mother’s advice about sharing, “Yes Ritu, do you want some?”

Bantu held out the piece of paratha to Ritu. “Brother, this is only one-fourth of a paratha. If you give this piece to me, what will you have left?”

“Let us share this piece,” said Bhantu, as he divided it into equal parts and handed one part over to his sister. They both happily ate whatever little was left of it.

Now mother was watching all that happen from a tree nearby. She was happy that Bhantu had finally learnt the joy of sharing. 

Mintu, who had taken half of the paratha, observed all that happened. He went up to Bhantu and said remorsefully, “Hey Bhantu, I have already eaten half of what I snatched from you. You can have the rest!” Mintu held out the quarter piece of a paratha.

“No friend! You have always shared your food with me. Please eat the paratha,” said Bhantu, as he finally realised that sharing did make him feel happy. Mintu smiled at the changed Bhantu. He then divided the leftover piece into two parts and gave one each to Bhantu and Ritu.

So now, can you tell how much Bhantu and Ritu finally get?

Champi the Cheat

Ktty was one of the cutest kittens living in Gopalvan. She was very playful. All the birds and animals of Gopalvan were very fond of her. She eventually grew up and became a beautiful cat. Kitty remained a loving and caring cat. She was very helpful.

Once, Kitty visited a fun-n-fair. She bought a cow. She took good care of the cow. She bathed her every day. She also took her out to graze. She made butter out of the cow’s milk. She sold the butter in the market. Kitty earned a lot of money by selling butter. She used this money to build a beautiful house for herself.

Whenever Kitty went to the market with a pot-full of butter, the kids of Gopalvan used to run behind her asking for some butter. Kitty used to give some butter to each one of them. She would then proceed to the market. She never refused to give them butter. Thus, the kids were fond of Kitty.

One evening, Champi the Mouse came to Kitty’s house.

“What is the matter Champi? Why are you upset?” Kitty asked.

“My son Sonu is not keeping well. He wants butter. I cannot afford to buy it as it is very expensive,” said Champi, with tears in her eyes.

Kitty smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Champi. I will give you some butter for Sonu every day.”

Kitty gave her one tablespoon of butter. Champi thanked Kitty. She returned home.

Every morning, Champi went to Kitty’s house. She returned home with a spoonful of delicious butter. Manglu the Fox saw this. He became jealous. He asked Champi, “Can I tell you something?”

Champi wondered what Manglu wanted to tell her. She asked, “Manglu, what is it?”

Manglu said, “I have a fantastic idea. We can steal Kitty’s cow. Then we can use its milk to make butter. We can sell the butter and earn money. This way we’ll become very rich.”

At first, Champi was a little annoyed. However, she soon became greedy. She agreed to be a part of Manglu’s plan to steal Kitty’s cow.

Champi knew each and every entry point at Kitty’s house. That night, Manglu and Champi went quietly to Kitty’s house. They stole her cow. They hid the cow in Manglu’s house.

champy-the-cheat

The next morning when Kitty couldn’t find her cow, she realised that someone had stolen it. Kitty was upset. She asked Kalu the Crow, Bholu the Monkey, Bantu the Dog and a few other animals whether they had seen her cow. However, no one knew its whereabouts.

On the other hand, Manglu and Champi secretly started making money by selling butter prepared from the cow’s milk. They earned a lot of money. Soon they became rich.

One evening, Bantu was returning home from the market. He happened to pass by Manglu’s house. He heard a cow mooing. He thought that the sound came from Manglu’s house. He wondered whether Manglu had stolen Kitty’s cow.

It was quite dark. Bantu peeped through the window into Manglu’s house. He saw that Champi and Manglu were happily relishing butter while the cow was sitting nearby. Bantu knew that it was Kitty’s cow. Therefore, he decided to teach them a lesson.

Bantu told Kitty, Bholu and Kalu about the incident. That night, four of them headed towards Manglu’s house with sticks in their hands. They knocked on the door. As soon as Manglu opened the door, they started trashing him. Hearing his screams, Champi, who was asleep, woke up. She also got a good beating from Bantu.

Manglu’s legs were badly injured. He could barely walk. Bantu hung Champi upside down on a tree because she had cheated Kitty.

champy-the-cheat

Manglu’s legs were badly injured. He could barely walk. Bantu hung Champi upside down on a tree because she had cheated Kitty.

Kitty was happy to get her cow back. She thanked Bantu, Kalu and Bholu for helping her punish the thieves. Kitty returned home with her cow. That night she slept peacefully..

 

Bony Monkey’s Stupendous Act

There had been no rain in Champakvan for many days. The forest that was
once lush and green was now turning dry and barren. All the animals were anxious as the resources of food and water were dwindling with every passing day.

Bony Monkey was oblivious to everything that was happening around him. He was engrossed with his inventions in a cave. Just a few days ago, he had made some pillows by tying dry leaves on a curved branch. Bony’s pillows were selling like hot cakes. The older animals of the jungle felt comfortable after keeping them under their heads while sleeping at night. They had agreed to pay Bony Monkey in kind and promised to give him something to eat in return for the
pillows that gave them a good night’s sleep.

It was Bony Monkey too, who had invented a vehicle a few years ago, by using a wooden board and wheels. This vehicle had become very popular in the jungle. The animals had preferred to use it as it saved a lot of their time. But then a few mishaps had occurred and some of the animals had found themselves falling off the vehicle. And so, there were many apprehensions about using Bony’s vehicle now. Kalu Bear still used the vehicle. But he still had trouble balancing himself on it and often fell down. He would then have many negative things to say about
Bony Monkey.

And today, Hariyala Deer was feeling on top of the world, thanks to another one of Bony Monkey’s unique inventions. Well just today, Bony had fixed a pair of wings on Hariyala Deer’s back because the deer wished to visit his friend Sundar Crow’s nest that was on top of a tree. However, this deal had proved to be quite expensive for Hariyala Deer as he had promised to give Bony an entire month’s
supply of fresh fruits in return.

Hariyala Deer and his friend Sundar Crow had worked very hard for this day. They had collected feathers for many months. Sundar Crow would fly and search for feathers that the birds had dropped. He would pick them up carefully and give them to Hariyala Deer to take to Bony Monkey.

Bony Monkey would reject the feathers if he didn’t think them good enough for the wings, but Hariyala Deer and Sundar Crow wouldn’t lose their patience. They would look for more feathers and take them back to Bony Monkey.

And finally today, their patience and hard work had paid off.

Hariyala Deer was looking forward to his flight. Once he flew to the nest, he would be able to see Sundar’s three chicks and also have the opportunity to meet his wife, Sundari.

For the first few days, Hariyala Deer had taken fresh fruits to Bony Monkey as
promised. But today, he noticed that as the trees and plants were drying up, he couldn’t find anything to take to Bony Monkey.
Sundar Crow helped him look for the fruits, and even though they tried very hard, they found nothing.

When they were coming back after a long and futile search, they saw Bony Monkey walking towards them. Hariyala Deer was surprised to see Bony Monkey walking in the forest.

“What are you doing outside your cave today, Bony Monkey?” Hariyala Deer asked. “You hardly come out!”

“I was looking for you,” Bony Monkey said in a loud voice. “Where is my remuneration?

You haven’t brought me a single fruit today.” Hariyala Deer didn’t know what to say. “Umm…well…actually…” he started to say, feeling quite embarrassed.

“Are you trying to make excuses?” Bony Monkey said furiously. “Where are my
fruits?”

“Bony,” Sundar Crow said politely, hoping Bony Monkey would calm down. “Please climb to a tree trop and look around. You will see how bad the situation in our forest is. There are hardly any fruits growing on the trees of Champakvan right now. We haven’t had any rainfall of late. You probably haven’t realised that since you hardly come out of your cave.”

“Is that so?” Bony Monkey asked, looking astonished. He then went back to his cave and brought out another one of his inventions. It was a long rope that had a
basket tied to one of its end. Bony Monkey put the rope around a tree and then sat in the basket. He asked Hariyala Deer to pull the rope.

As Hariyala Deer pulled the rope, Bony went higher and higher and finally reached the tree top without having to climb a single branch.

He then looked around and said, “Well, you are right! There are hardly any
fruits growing on the trees of our forest!”

Bony Monkey then looked up towards the sky and said, “I will make a very big basket. A gigantic one. All the animals of Champakvan will fit in it. We will use it to fly in the sky. We all will then go and live on the moon. The moon shines like a pearl. There must be water and lush green forests on it for sure. We will have plenty to eat there.”

Bony-Monkey's-Stupendous-Act

News of Bony Monkey’s idea spread through the forest like wild fire. All the animals and birds gathered outside Bony Monkey’s cave with their families. They all wanted to go to the moon. Bony Monkey gave them tokens with numbers and told them that he would take at least two months to build his basket. He then went into his cave and began preparations.

“I have assured everyone that I’ll take them to the moon,” he told himself as he gazed at the moon that night and scratched his head. “But how will I fulfill my promise?”

Soon, all the animals and birds of Champakvan helped Bony Monkey make a gigantic basket. They covered its upper portion with wood and leaves. Jumbo Elephant even painted the basket with his trunk. Bony Monkey called Jumbo Elephant aside and advised him to lose weight, so that his weight wouldn’t cause any trouble during their flight. Jumbo Elephant’s family too began taking brisk walks daily to lose weight.

Soon, the gigantic basket was ready. “The basket is ready but how do I make it fly?” Bony wondered. He then snapped his fingers and smiled.

“I have an idea!” he said enthusiastically. “How about fixing wings on this basket?” He called all the animals and birds and said, “Collect as many feathers as you can! And the birds can help us fly the basket too. To our destination—the moon!” He then went into his cave, scratching his head.

Bony Monkey had planned to take the basket to the moon with the help of wings.
But the truth was that he was not very sure about his idea. While he was thinking of what he would really do, he saw the tea kettle boiling on the stove. Bony Monkey noticed that the kettle had become very hot and that there was steam coming out of it. He saw that the lid of the kettle was moving upwards because of the steam.

Bony Monkey clapped his hands and jumped excitedly. “Yesssssssss!” he shouted.
“Fire, steam and heat will do the trick!”

The next day itself, he had the basket cut in the middle and made arrangements for steam to be made there. The basket was then covered from the top completely, so that the wind wouldn’t change its temperature. It was also opened from below, so that the heat didn’t reach the animals.

Finally, the day everyone was waiting for arrived. All the animals and birds of the forest climbed into the gigantic basket. Sundar Crow, his wife Sundari and their three chicks also sat inside the basket.

The basket rose high in the air when it received heat and steam from below. Even the birds did their bit to help raise it in the air.

The joy of all the animals and birds in the basket knew no bounds. They were finally flying high in the air! And they were finally on their way to the moon!

They waved goodbye to all the other animals who were left behind, and hoped that they would reach the moon by the nightfall.

Suddenly, a storm started blowing. The strong winds put the fire beneath the basket out. Bony Monkey tried his level best to navigate the basket through the storm, but nothing could be done. The moon still wasn’t anywhere in sight. But the animals still hoped that they would reach it soon.

And then to their great horror, the storm pulled the basket along with it.

To everyone’s disappointment, the basket hit the peak of a tall mountain and tumbled down. All the animals and birds panicked and were now only concerned about the lives of their families and friends.

The next morning, they found Bony Monkey lying unconscious. All the animals
and birds gathered around him and helped him regain his consciousness. When Bony Monkey finally came around, he began crying, “Oh! What a foolish thing I’ve done! I’ve brought you all far away from Champakvan! We didn’t even go close to the moon.” Sundar Crow smiled and consoled Bony Monkey.

“Bony,” he said. “What you did wasn’t foolish but stupendous. Look
around! There is a river flowing nearby! The forest is lush and green here! And there is plenty of food too!”

Hariyala Deer patted Bony Monkey’s shoulder and said, “And guess what? The
best part is that we are still in Champakvan! We are on the other side of the mountain— the other part of the forest we were always afraid of going to!”

“Is that so?” Bony Monkey asked, looking around. “Yes!” said Sundar Crow. “But we are no longer afraid of this part as we now know that there is nothing to be scared of here! Who knows how things would have been on moon?”

“That’s correct!” Hariyala Deer said. “Whatever has happened, has happened for
the best.” All the animals clapped their hangs and cheered for Bony Monkey.

“Well done, Bony Monkey!” they shouted happily. “Thank you for bringing us here!”

Bony Monkey sat under a tree. He couldn’t believe what had happened. When he
gathered his wits, he called out to Hariyala Deer and said, “Well, I have brought you all here in my gigantic basket, haven’t I? Where is my remuneration?”

All the animals and birds laughed. “Bony Monkey,” they said. “This part of the forest will be lush for a long, long time! Don’t worry! We will bring you fruits for as long as we live!”

Bony Monkey smiled. He was glad that he had brought all his friends—even though by accident— to a part of the forest they would happily live and prosper in.

Happy Garden

Sunny was an adorable little flower. He grew in a tiny pot in a garden at Gulbaug. Being the youngest flower, he was loved by all the other flowers and plants. They pampered him like a baby. They took utmost care of him.

The Jamun tree would bend down to caress and cuddle Sunny gently. The Gulmohar tree would shower him gently with its flowers.

At bedtime the old Banyan tree narrated stories to put him to sleep.

Sunny was a cheerful flower. He was always smiling. He spread his fragrance throughout the garden. He used to enjoy the monsoons. He would dance and sing along with the plants. Sometimes he spoke to the sparrows that sat on the nearby trees. He giggled and laughed at their jokes. The sparrows told him stories of the world outside the garden. Everyone adored him in their own way.

The bees were also fond of Sunny. They sat on his delicate petals and sang sweet songs. Champu the Bear owned the garden. He also loved Sunny.

He pampered him whenever he came to water the plants. Sunny was happy. He enjoyed the attention paid to him to the fullest.

One morning, Sunny opened his eyes to the warm sun rays. He looked around.

He found a small bud on a nearby plant. It seemed to be asleep. A thought struck his mind. He became upset. He was sad when he realised that he would no longer be the youngest anymore. He felt that everyone would start loving the new flower. They would now pay less attention to him. The affection that he previously got would now be divided once the new bud bloomed into a flower.

After a while, the news of the new bud spread throughout the garden. The entire garden was seen to be in a celebratory mood. Preparations for its arrival began in full swing. When a new bud was about to bloom in the garden there usually was a grand celebration. Everyone was happy to welcome the new guest.

The Banyan tree specially invited a cuckoo who sang a song for the newcomer. The leaves clapped aloud.

The bees sang in chorus. The squirrels performed an entertaining dance. Everyone showered their love on the bud. They waited for it to bloom into a beautiful flower.

Sunny was not happy with the attention that the new bud was getting. However, he still managed to be a part of the celebrations. Although he was cared for by others, he felt jealous of the new bud. Jolly flower was his best friend. He understood what was going on in Sunny’s mind. Jolly immediately went to the Banyan tree and told him everything.

The Banyan tree thought for a while. He sent a signal to all the plants and trees. They got the message. They gathered around Sunny. They began patting, cuddling and kissing him.

The Banyan tree affectionately said, “Son, all of us love you. Our love for you shall not reduce on the arrival of the new flower.”

The Guava tree said, “The new bud is very tiny and delicate. Therefore it needs lots of care. This doesn’t mean that we will not care for you.”

Jolly stepped forward and said, “Before you were born, I was the youngest flower in this Garden. Your arrival did not make me sad. I was happy thinking that I would have a companion to play with.” The green grass added, “Young ones need care and affection. It feels good to love and to be loved. You will surely adore the new flower when it blooms.”

All these words brought a wide smile on Sunny’s face. He understood that his thinking had been wrong. He was convinced that he would always be important to everyone.

He embraced the Banyan tree. He said, “You are so nice. You love me so much. I was unnecessarily feeling sad and insecure.”

He then turned to the other plants and said, “I love all of you. Now, even I am eager to see the new bud bloom.”|

children story

Sunny looked at the bud and smiled. The bud seemed to be smiling back at him. A smile spread on everyone’s face. The Gulmohar tree showered its flowers on Sunny. Once again, the garden was filled with joy and happiness.

 

Astute Son-in-law

Many years ago, there lived a wealthy minister in China. He had a young  daughter whose name was Fu Ya. Fu Ya was a beautiful and intelligent girl. She loved and respected her father very much. The minister loved his daughter too and always wanted the best for her.

When Fu Ya grew up, the minister started looking for an eligible groom for her to marry. The minister wanted his son-in-law to be an affluent man, so that his daughter could lead the comfortable life she was used to, even after marriage. He shortlisted many wealthy young men and asked Fu Ya to select one of them.

But to his great disappointment, Fu Ya refused to marry any of the young men her father had selected. The reason was that Fu Ya was in love with another young man. His name was Chin Lee. Chin Lee was a bright and intelligent fellow. He was hard-working, friendly and pleasant natured too. But he belonged to family that wasn’t very wealthy.

When Fu Ya told her father about Chin Lee, the minister grew unhappy.

“Fu Ya, my dear child,” he said. “You will not be happy if you marry a man who isn’t wealthy like us. He has a small house and he won’t be able to give you a comfortable life.”

Fu Ya tried to explain her point of view to her father.

“Father,” she said respectfully. “Intelligence and hard work can help anyone grow rich. I love Chin Lee. And I know that he isn’t rich today. But I’m sure he will soon be with his intelligence and hard work.”

The minister wasn’t convinced. He thought differently but at the same time, didn’t want to see his only daughter unhappy with a man she didn’t love.

The minister thought for a long time and then said, “Alright, Fu Ya. Let me see if Chin Lee is as bright and intelligent as you say. If he brings me the two gifts that I ask for, I will willingly give my consent to your marriage and accept him as my son-in-law.”

“What is it that you want Chin Lee to bring you?” Fu Ya asked in a soft voice.

The minister replied, “Go and tell Chin Lee that I want him to bring me two things as gifts. They are fire and air. But also tell him that I don’t want them as they are. I want them both to be brought to me wrapped inside paper.”

Fu Ya was shocked. “Fire and air inside paper? That sounds impossible!” she said. “Father, how can anyone wrap fire in paper? The paper will surely burn! And how can anyone bring air in paper too?”

“Well, Fu Ya,” the minister said. “If Chin Lee is as bright and intelligent as you say, he will surely know what to do. If he doesn’t bring me these gifts, you will have to bid him farewell and marry a man of my choice.”

“Yes,” Fu Ya said and bowed obediently.

That evening, Fu Ya went to convey her father’s odd request to Chin Lee.

Chin Lee listened calmly.

He thought for a long while and then said, “Don’t worry, Fu Ya. Go back to your father and ask him to give me a day’s time. I will bring him the gifts as soon as I can.”

The minister readily gave Chin Lee a day though he doubted his capabilities.

Chin Lee loved Fu Ya deeply. He didn’t want to lose her. And so, he kept awake all night thinking about the minister’s strange request.

The next evening, the minister saw a young man walk in to his house. He was carrying a lantern made of coloured paper. There was a small candle lit inside the lantern.

“I’m Chin Lee,” Chin Lee said and bowed respectfully. “I have brought what you asked for. Here’s fire inside paper, just as you asked for.”

The minister nodded and took the lantern from Chin Lee.

“What about the other gift I asked for?” he then asked.

astute-in-law

Chin Lee promptly took a fan made out of paper from his pocket. He spread it open and began fanning the minister with it.

“Here’s air in paper!” he smiled and said. “Your other gift!”

The minister laughed and put his arm around Chin Lee. He was very happy. He realised that Chin Lee was the best suitor his daughter could ever have.

He immediately called Fu Ya out of her room and gave her hand in Chin Lee’s.

“You have my consent for your marriage.” the minister then said.

Fu Ya and Chin Lee were married the following week. Chin Lee worked hard and soon became a very wealthy man.

He bought a big house right next to the minister’s house and gave Fu Ya all the comforts that she was used to.

The minister was very happy. His daughter was leading the best possible life she could ever have. “What an intelligent son-in-law I have!” the minister said every time he saw Fu Ya and Chin Lee sitting in their garden.

 

Do Good and have Good

One afternoon, Bunty Monkey was returning home from school. He was crossing a tree over the river when he heard the sound of crying.

“I wonder who’s crying here?” Bunty said as he looked around. “Hello? Is there anyone out here?”

A little tortoise crawled out from behind a tree. Bunty saw that he was crying.

“Why are you crying, little one?” Bunty asked, looking very concerned

“I am hungry. My stomach is growling,” the tortoise wept. “My mum and dad are not at home right now and there is nothing for me to eat.”

Bunty Monkey felt very sorry for the little tortoise.

“Don’t cry,” he said gently. “I have two ripe guavas in my schoolbag. You can eat them both.” Bunty then took two guavas out of his schoolbag and gave them to the tortoise.

The tortoise ate both the guavas very quickly.

He then looked up at Bunty and said, “My stomach is still growling. I am still very hungry.”

“Don’t worry,” Bunty told the tortoise. “There are some guava trees here. I will get you some more guavas to eat.”

Bunty then jumped around and plucked more guavas for the tortoise to eat.

He gave them to the tortoise who started gobbling them up.

Bunty was amazed.

“This little tortoise is finishing all the guavas I have given him,” Bunty thought to himself. “He really is greedy. I am much bigger than him but can hardly eat more than one or two. If he asks me for more guavas now, I will refuse.”

The tortoise finished the guavas. He then quietly crawled back behind the tree.

Bunty was surprised.

“What? He didn’t even thank me! What a rude little tortoise he is!” Bunty muttered as he picked up his schoolbag and walked home.

The next day, Bunty was returning from school when he met the tortoise again.

“I am hungry,” the tortoise said as soon as he saw Bunty.

“Aha!” Bunty said. “So you are hungry and alone again!”

Bunty put his schoolbag down and plucked many guavas for the tortoise.

The Finder Of Lost Things

He then watched as the little tortoise gulped them down and crawled back behind the tree.

The same thing happened the next day. And the day after that. And for many more days.

The tortoise would see Bunty returning from school everyday and tell him that he was hungry.

Bunty would pluck the guavas and give them to the tortoise who would eat them very quickly.

Bunty didn’t mind for a few days. But plucking guavas for the tortoise everyday after school tired him no end. He found it difficult to refuse the hungry little tortoise too.

One day, Bunty decided that he wouldn’t pluck guavas for the tortoise anymore.

“Why don’t you tell your parents that you get hungry when they are away? They should leave some food for you before going out. I can’t pluck guavas for you everyday, you know,” Bunty told the little tortoise.

The little tortoise looked up at Bunty and said, “My mum and dad leave a lot of food for me to eat at home. But Kittu finishes it all and then wants more food.”

“If Kittu eats all of your food, why don’t you complain about him to your parents?” Bunty asked surprised.

“Well, I am Kittu!” the little tortoise said innocently. He then quickly ate all the guavas Bunty had plucked for him and crawled away before Bunty could say anything.

“Wow! He has quite an appetite!” Bunty muttered and returned home.

A few days later, Bunty was very tired. He had a long and tiring day in school. He was on his way home when he saw Kittu waiting for him on the other side of the river.

“If he asks me to pluck guavas for him today, I will firmly refuse,” Bunty thought as he started to cross the river.

“Hey! You’re late today! Did it even cross your mind that your friend must be hungry and waiting for you?” Kittu said as soon as he saw Bunty.

“Which friend of mine is hungry and waiting for me?” Bunty asked surprised.

“Who else but Kittu?” Kittu said innocently.

Bunty couldn’t help smiling. He immediately put his schoolbag down and plucked some guavas for Kittu to eat.

More From Champak: Jamun’s Prudence

Bunty didn’t see Kittu for many days after that. He assumed that Kittu’s family had shifted to another part of the river.

It was a rainy day a few weeks later. Bunty was returning home from school when it started pouring heavily. There was thunder and lightning too.

Bunty jumped onto a tree and began crossing the river. The tree’s branches were wet and slippery because of the rain and Bunty found it difficult to balance himself. He slipped and fell in the river.

“Are you all right?” a small voice asked as Bunty lay on the river bank.

“Yes, I am,” Bunty said, wondering who had saved his life. He sat up and looked around to see who his rescuer was.

“Kittu? You saved me?” said Bunty surprised to see the little tortoise. “Where have you been?”

“Yes, I saved you!” Kittu laughed. “I was on a holiday. I returned just today. In fact, I was hiding behind the tree and waiting for you so that I could surprise you. I saw you fall into the water and jumped in to help you.”

“Thank you, friend!” Bunty said gratefully.

“Please don’t thank me! Friends are supposed to help each other,” Kittu said cheerfully. “Your clothes are wet. Why don’t you come to my house? I will give you my clothes to wear.”

“OK, friend!” Bunty said.

“We will meet tomorrow then. I hope you will pluck more guavas for me!” Kittu said.

Do-Good-and-have-Good

“Of course!” Bunty said and waved. He then walked home happily. He was glad that he had met Kittu.

Plucking a few guavas now and then for a hungry little tortoise had made him a friend who had saved his life.

 

Jamun’s Prudence

Peepal was a young tree rooted near the banks of the Dhara River in Champakvan. He had grown very tall in a short span of time. He had many green leaves on his broad and strong branches too. Whoever saw Peepal stopped to admire him and said, “Wow! What a strong and beautiful tree! What lovely leaves! What broad branches!”

Peepal felt proud every time he heard someone praising him.

Jamun was a tree too. He grew right next to Peepal. The two of them were good friends even though Jamun was much older.

Jamun genuinely felt happy whenever his young friend received any appreciation.

“You deserve it, my friend,” Jamun would smile and say. “You are a fine-looking tree indeed!”

When the rainy season began, small plants, creepers and shrubs started to grow under some of the bigger trees.

Some of the creepers held on to Jamun’s trunk too, since they were weak and couldn’t stand up without any support. Some small plants too felt secure under Jamun’s broad and leafy branches and began to grow under Jamun.

Peepal was very surprised when he noticed them. One day, he turned to Jamun and whispered, “Jamun, my friend. Why are you letting these useless plants grow under you? They are making you look so ugly. Look | at me! I have kept myself smart and neat. I shoo the small plants away if they try to grow under me.”

“Well, Peepal…” Jamun started to say but Peepal cut him short.

“Please don’t make excuses for these weaklings, Jamun,” Peepal said harshly. “Just get rid of them. Tell them to grow far away from you!”

Jamun kept quiet. He didn’t say a word to the small plants and creepers either, which annoyed Peepal no end.

The same evening, a storm hit the forest. Heavy rains and strong winds lashed the trees.

The river began to swell like never before. All the animals who lived near the river ran to save their lives. There was great danger for everyone who lived near the river.

All the trees and plants that grew near the river were terrified too. The heavy rainfall was making the river rise.

Jamun was worried too. His friend Peepal was in great trouble.

The soil holding Peepal’s roots was being washed away by the river water that was now flowing through the forest.

Peepal was finding it tough to hold on. And even though he was trying his very best, a strong wind blew and made him lose his balance. Peepal started to fall down.

But to his surprise, Jamun quickly stretched his branches out and saved his young friend from being uprooted completely.

The next morning, after the storm had passed by, the sun rose and lit the forest. Jamun at once turned to look at his friend.

“Are you ok, Peepal?” Jamun asked with concern. “I’ve been worried about you all night!”

“I’m fine, my friend,” Peepal said weakly. “But if it wasn’t for you, I would have surely been uprooted and washed away. Thank you for saving my life. But tell me something. How is it that you are standing tall and upright while I was almost uprooted and washed away?”

Jamun smiled and said, “Peepal, the small plants that grow under me have helped save me.”

“Is that so?” Peepal asked, looking very surprised.

“Yes,” Jamun said. “The small plants that grow under me held the soil of my roots firmly and withstood the fast flowing river water. If it wasn’t for them, my condition would have been as bad as yours. I would have been uprooted and washed away.”

Jamun then looked down and humbly thanked all the small plants who grew under him for their help.

 

Peepal hung his head low. He realised his mistake.

He understood that Nature had made everyone equal, no matter how great or small they appeared.

“There is place for everyone in this world. Nobody is big or small,” Jamun explained. “And so, it is best to make friends with everyone.”

Jamun’s words changed Peepal’s attitude towards the small plants and creepers.

And after a few days, Jamun saw his young friend welcoming the tiny plants that were trying to grow under his branches.

The Two Rats

Lajo Cat was famished. Her stomach was growling and she hoped that she would come across a plump rat soon. She tiptoed into a house and crept inside the kitchen.

Lajo Cat wished that she would find a few rats scampering there. If there were no rats, she hoped that she would at least find some milk or curd.

But to Lajo Cat’s dismay, there weren’t any rats in the kitchen. And the milk and curd were inside the refrigerator. “Sheesh,” Lajo Cat muttered.

“Why do people use refrigerators?

Refrigerators have doors that are hard to open. They deprive us cats of milk and curd.”

Lajo Cat felt disappointed and turned to go when a sound startled her. She turned to see if somebody from the house had spotted her and was coming after her with a stick. But Lajo Cat saw something that made her grin from ear to ear.

Two plump rats named Janu Rat and Manu Rat were drinking oil from an oil can. They were dipping their long tails, one at a time, in the oil can. They were then licking the oil off their tails.

Lajo Cat’s joy knew no bounds. “These rats are brilliant,” she said and giggled. “They are drinking oil from the can, without even touching it. I’m really lucky to have found them. I will catch hold of one of them for my dinner.”

Janu Rat and Manu Rat heard Lajo Cat giggling and looked up. They began trembling as soon as they saw her. They were sure that she wouldn’t let them escape.

But Janu Rat didn’t want to give up so easily. He gathered all the courage he had and said, “Aunty Cat! Come and look inside this box! It contains some buttery chapattis. I think you’ll like them. They are quite delicious!”

“I am not your aunt,” Lajo Cat hissed. “So, stop calling me that! I have made up my mind to feast on one of you today. Nothing can change that. Not even buttery chapattis!” |

“Er… Feast on one of us?” Manu Rat asked. He was shaking like a leaf in the wind. “Yes, I will definitely eat one of you,” Lajo Cat said and laughed. “And remember, there can only be one relation between us. That of a hunter and prey!”

“A hunter, huh?” Janu Rat said, thinking quickly. “Aunty Cat, have you heard of King Venkatraman Singh of Reeva? He was a great hunter too. My grandmother has told me many stories about him. He was very strong. It seems that every time he threw a spear, it would tear open the trunk of a tree.”

I’ve heard that too,” Lajjo Cat said, showing off. “I know what a good hunter King Venkatraman Singh was. I know many stories about him too.” Lajo Cat then tried to recollect what else she knew about King Venkatraman Singh. Janu Rat and Manu Rat noticed that she was distracted and tried to slip away. But Lajo Cat was quite sharp.

The two Rats

“Hey!” she hissed angrily. “Stay where you are! I am going to eat one of you now.”

Janu Rat decided that he would keep Lajo Cat talking. He then said, “Aunty Cat, did you know that the real hunting was done by King Venkatraman Singh’s favourite white lion? His name was Mohan. By the way, have you ever seen a white lion? I have heard that white lions are found in Reeva. Have you ever been there? I have always wanted to go to Reeva and see if it’s true.”

“No, I haven’t seen a white lion or been to Reeva,” Lajo Cat said. “But I am quite sure that white lions exist. We cats are related to lions, you know. We are cousins. And if white lions exist I’ll definitely meet them whenever I go to Reeva.”

Lajo Cat continued talking. She didn’t notice Janu Rat and Manu Rat tiptoeing out of the kitchen and running far away from her.

Kirtivan Becomes Hi-tech

“Chamku, will you get down or not? How long will you hang like this?”  Lion Singh roared at Chamku Bat. He was hanging down the roof out of fear. What else could he do? It was a big thing that at least his life got saved. He was cleaning the palace along with Janglu the Jackal a little while back when Singh the Lion pounced on them in anger, accusing them of not working properly. Janglu got caught, but Chamku managed to escape.

Janglu pleaded for his life. Even Queen Liona requested Lion Singh to leave Janglu, but he did not relent. Janglu had to die. The King made him his prey. Had Chamku gotten caught, even he would have faced the same consequence. In order to save his life, Chamku kept hanging on the roof. He was aware that Lion Singh couldn’t reach there. And for him, it was not a problem at all. After all, he was a bat!

This was happening very frequently. If Lion Singh would get annoyed with any of his servants, he would kill and eat them. On the days when he would not find any prey, these incidences would further increase. Due to this the animals of the jungle stopped working in the palace.

Queen Liona was very upset with the happenings in the palace. She even tried to make sense with the King, but he would not listen. So the poor Queen had to live without a single helper and had to do all the chores herself, despite being a Queen.

Prince Leo came home during his vacations. He was studying in a city college. He saw his mother doing household chores all through the day. He asked in surprise, “Mother, you are the Queen of Kirtivan and you don’t even have a single servant…?”

Queen Liona told him everything and said, “Now tell me, Son, who would want to work with us?”

The prince felt very bad at his mother’s situation. He contemplated on the problem and assured his mother, “Don’t worry, Mother. When I come back on Jungle Day’, I will bring 3 servants with me.”

“No, Son, no…don’t do that. Your father will eat them up. I don’t want any animal to lose his life unnecessarily.” Liona refused her son’s offer.

Leo laughed loudly upon hearing his mother’s words. He said, “Don’t worry, Mother. The servants whom I will bring will work a lot. They will do whatever you will ask them to do. And father would never be able to prey on them!”

“Son, what are you saying? Can any animal be stronger than the lion that he will be saved from being prey to your father?” Liona was surprised. She began wondering which animals Leo was bringing as servants. However, Leo kept mum about it. He told his mother again, “I promise that this time I will definitely bring servants with me.”

Prince Leo was studying computer engineering in the city. He built three robots after getting back and gave them the appearance of animals. They looked and behaved like real animals. And they could do any work!

When the prince took them home on Jungle Day’, nobody could make out that they were not animals. Queen Liona got worried, “Son, how will these poor animals stand in front of Maharaj? He will make them too his prey.”

The prince said, “Mother, don’t worry. Forget killing. Maharaj won’t be able to go even near to them.” Then Leo explained that these were robots. They neither felt hunger nor thirst They were not scared of anyone and nobody can eat them.

The prince put a computer in the Queen’s room. Bluetooth devices and cameras were installed in the robots. The Queen could see everything because of that. They even had GPS System. The prince had put in the maps of their palace and the jungle and the programs of the chores to be done inside the robots. He had even explained to his mother how to get work done and keep a control on them. Meanwhile Maharaj Lion Singh was very happy upon seeing the servants.

Prince Leo returned back to the city after Jungle Day’. By that time, the Queen had learnt to control the robots very well. Maharaj wasn’t told about the reality of the robots.

Kirtivan-Becomes-Hi-tech

One day, Lion Singh was in a furious mood. He pounced on a robot, but what was this? He received a jolt and was thrown away and hit the wall. Lion Singh couldn’t understand what happened. He thought that he was imagining things and so he pounced again, but this time the jolt was even more powerful.

It was an electric shock. The robots had a system which caused high electric current when somebody attacked them. Lion Singh’s entire body shook violently. He felt so weak that he had to rest for many days to recuperate. It was then that Queen Liona told him everything about servant robots. Ironically, Maharaj became better after being cared for by those servant robots.

Lion Singh was very impressed with those robots. The electric shocks too had a favourable effect on him. He calmed down and began behaving nicely with everyone. He made a plan with the help of the prince to tighten up the security of Kirtivan. Robots were deployed everywhere in the jungle, even at the border. All activities were monitored with the help of the GPS System of the robots. They even had guns installed in their mouths which could be used if required by Cheetah Singh, who remote-controlled them.

Kirtivan-Becomes-Hi-tech

This is how Kirtivan’s security system became excellent under the able guidance of Lion Singh and Cheetah Singh. Kirtivan became the ‘hi-tech’ jungle of the twenty first century. Nobody could harm animals in any way in Kirtivan due to this ‘hi-tech’ security.

Kukku’s Car

Kukku Crow lived on a Neem tree. He had the habit of showing off. Sharmaji’s family lived in a bungalow near the tree. Sharmaji had bought a new red-coloured car. He began parking his car under the tree.

Kukku loved the car. Every day Sharmaji would drive in it to his shop. By the time he returned, Kukku would have fallen asleep. So the crow used to get up early every morning to play on the car.

One morning, when Kukku woke up, he saw Sharmaji and his entire family boarding a taxi. They had a lot of luggage. Kukku realised that they must be going for a long vacation. He knew that the car would be parked all the time under the tree. He spent the entire day on the car.

A pigeon, who lived on a tree nearby, asked, “What is the matter, Kukku? Why are you sitting on this car?”

Kukku told him that he had bought the car. Hence, he would stay on it.

“Really? Where did you get so much money from?” the pigeon questioned.

“I had saved money. Who are you to ask?” Kukku said.

The pigeon wondered, “We can’t even save a few grains. How could he have saved so much money?”

Chinchin Sparrow asked, “Won’t you go for a ride in it?”

Kukku replied, “What fun can we high-fliers have on the road? I have bought it to spend some time on it.”

Within three days, all the birds living nearby got the news. They came together and asked, “Kukku, won’t you let us sit in your car?”

“First go and look at your face in the car mirror. Are you worthy of sitting in it? Don’t you even dare to look at it,” said Kukku.

Everybody went back, disappointed.

The next Sunday, Kukku informed his relatives and friends that he was giving a party on his new car. In the evening, nearly 20 crows were perched on top of the car. They were feasting on the food brought by Kukku. Their cawing could be heard everywhere.

Meanwhile, Sharmaji’s family returned from their trip.

Kukku's-Car

Sharmaji thought, “What is this noise?”

When he saw the crows on top of his car, he was furious. He waved his stick towards the crows. He chased them away shouting, “How dare you dirty my car!”

Kukku fled. His guests also flew away after making fun of him. Sharmaji soon built a garage in his bungalow’s backyard. He began parking his car in it.

Kukku didn’t have the guts to meet anyone or show off.

All his neighbours were saying, “This is what happens when one tries to show off.”

Kukku had learnt his lesson.

 

The Pitcher’s Stomach Ache

A small clay pitcher was lying in the corner of a field. The farmers who worked on the field, stored water in it on hot summer days, so that the water would remain cool for them to drink.

The pitcher had now been empty for a few days since the farmers were on a holiday. The water it contained had evaporated with the heat.

One day, Chunmun Sparrow was flying above the field when she heard the sound of wailing. She looked down and saw the pitcher weeping. Chunmun Sparrow flew down to the pitcher and asked, “What happened to you, pitcher? Why are you crying?”

“Oh!” the pitcher groaned. “My poor stomach! It has been aching since a few days! I can’t bear the pain anymore!”

Teetu Parrot heard the pitcher talking and flew down to the field.

“Well, Chunmun Sparrow,” Teetu Parrot said. “Whenever I am hungry, my stomach starts to ache. I think the pitcher must be hungry too.”

“I don’t think that pitchers feel hunger, Teetu,” Chunmun Sparrow explained.

Kagu Crow, who had been watching the scene from a nearby tree, flew to the spot too. 

“I think the pitcher must have a swelling on its intestine,” he suggested. “Usually, the stomach aches when there is a swelling on the intestine. I had a similar problem some years ago too!”

Chunmun Sparrow sighed and replied, “Kagu Uncle, I don’t think pitchers have intestines. So, there’s no chance of any swelling.”

Soon, Munmun Starling, Pintu Pigeon, Rinky Butterfly and Rangeela Peacock heard of the pitcher’s problem and flew to the field to offer their opinions.

But Chunmun Sparrow wasn’t convinced with anything they said.

Suddenly, the pitcher began screaming at the top of its voice.

“Aargh! My poor stomach!” it shrieked. “The pain is becoming unbearable! I think I’m going to die.”

The pitcher’s cries made Sweety Ant creep out of her house. She climbed to the top of a vine that was growing near the pitcher and shouted to get the others’ attention.

“Please do something! Call a doctor or else the pitcher’s stomach will burst open!” she begged.

“Sweety Ant is right. We should consult Dr. Chuheram,” Chunmun Sparrow suggested. “He’s a good doctor and will cure the pitcher’s stomachache, no matter what the ailment is!”

Chunmun Sparrow and the others then went in search of Dr. Chuheram.

They found him in his clinic and brought him to the field as soon as they could. But to everyone’s great surprise, the pitcher had disappeared from the field.

“Where could the pitcher have gone?” Chunmun Sparrow said, scratching her head. “It was right here when we left a few minutes ago!”

“This is a mystery,” Kagu Crow said.

“Hey! What is this pumpkin doing here?” Teetu Parrot said, pointing to a big, fat pumpkin that was snoring loudly in the pitcher’s place. “It wasn’t here when we left!”

Chunmun Sparrow poked the pumpkin with her beak. “Pumpkin!” she twittered. “Wake up, you sleepyhead!”

The pumpkin opened its eyes and yawned.

“Why did you wake me up?” the pumpkin asked sleepily.

“Have you seen a pitcher on the field? It was on the very spot you were sleeping in,” Kagu Crow inquired. “Have you any idea where it could have gone?”

The pumpkin then gestured to some broken clay pieces that were scattered all around.

“This is very strange!” Sweety Ant said. “I noticed that there was a pumpkin vine here earlier. But there was no sign of the pumpkin then. Pumpkin, where did you suddenly come from?”

“Well, I was sleeping here all along,” the pumpkin said, yawning again.

“Huh? Sleeping here?” everyone asked together. “Why didn’t we see you earlier? Where exactly were you?”

The pumpkin smiled and said, “You would have surely seen me had you looked inside the pitcher’s stomach!”

“What?” everyone asked, sounding very surprised.

“Yes,” the pumpkin said. “When I was just a tiny seed, the pitcher swallowed me and kept me inside its stomach. And now, when I’ve grown bigger, it cracked and fell apart. That’s how I’ve came out.”

“Does that mean that you killed the pitcher?”

Dr. Chuheram asked and looked at the pumpkin rather sharply.

“No, I didn’t!” the pumpkin said sternly.

The-Pitcher's-Stomach-Ache

“I had warned the pitcher several times even when I was a baby seed. I had told it not to swallow me. But the pitcher didn’t listen. All it wanted to do was fill its empty stomach. It laughed and didn’t believe me when I cautioned that tiny pumpkin seeds grow into rather big pumpkins.”

Chunmun Sparrow, Teetu Parrot, Kagu Crow and the others looked at the broken pieces of the pitcher and felt very sorry for it. They shook their heads sadly and returned home with heavy hearts.

The pumpkin simply closed its eyes and started to snore once again.

Dub Dub Turtle

Browny Turtle lived in the sea. One morning, she carefully dug a hole in the sand and laid four eggs in it. She then covered the hole gently with some sand and twigs.

“I am tired now,” Browny Turtle then said to herself. “I should go for a swim and refresh myself.”

Browny Turtle then dived into the sea and went for a long swim.

After a few days, Browny Turtle’s eggs hatched, and four tiny baby turtles emerged from the egg shells. Browny Turtle was overjoyed to see her children.

“My babies!” she said happily. “I am so glad to see you! Welcome to the world!”

Soon, the peaceful and picturesque sight of the sea prompted the baby turtle to swim in it.

“Mama,” the baby turtle told Browny Turtle one day. “May we swim with you? The sea looks so inviting! The waves look like fun! We can’t wait to dive in and swim!”

“Yes, my dears,” Browny Turtle smiled and said. “Come with me!”

The baby turtle then crawled and followed Browny Turtle into the sea.

Dubdub Turtle was Browny Turtle’s littlest baby. No one realised that he had been left behind. Dubdub Turtle slowly crawled towards the sea, hoping to catch up with his mother, and brothers and sisters.

It was then when he noticed a tiny crab that was walking sideways. The crab’s body seemed to be shining and looked quite transparent too.

Dubdub Turtle was astonished to see the crab. He hadn’t seen one before.

“How wonderful everything is! Life was boring inside the egg! There is so much for me to see in the world now!” he thought happily.

Then instead of going towards the sea, Dubdub Turtle crawled towards a cluster of shells and admired them. They were a bright pink in colour and Dubdub Turtle was quite fascinated to see them.

Little did Dubdub Turtle know that while he was marvelling at the sights around him, someone was watching him from the sky, with greedy eyes. It was none other than Mighty Eagle who was looking for lunch.

Mighty Eagle was a big and dangerous bird. He had a sharp beak and huge talons that he used to tear his prey apart with. All the turtles including Browny Turtle feared Mighty Eagle. They dived into the sea, every time they saw him hovering in the sky.

Mighty Eagle flew closer to Dubdub Turtle.

Now, Dubdub Turtle was very young, but he spotted Mighty Eagle and sensed that he was dangerous. He saw Mighty Eagle swooping towards him from the corner of his eye.

“Something doesn’t feel right about that bird,” Dubdub Turtle told himself. “For some reason, I feel afraid of him. He probably eats little turtles like me! I must be very careful!”

Dubdub Turtle then gathered all the courage he had and spoke to Mighty Eagle.

“Hello there!” Dubdub Turtle said cheerfully. “I was waiting for you.”

Mighty Eagle was surprised. “Waiting for me, huh?” he asked. “How come?” |

“I’ve heard that you cannot walk on your talons,” Dubdub Turtle explained.

Mighty Eagle grew annoyed.

“Who told you that?” he shouted. “Of course, I can walk on my talons.”

“No, you cannot,” Dubdub Turtle. “I have heard that you look like a clown, every time you try to walk on the sand!”

Mighty Eagle stomped his talons angrily and kicked some sand in the air.

“I definitely don’t look like a clown,” he argued.

“Well, I’ll decide for myself,” Dubdub Turtle said, looking towards the sea. “Why don’t you show me how you walk?”

“I’ll show you how well I walk!” Mighty Eagle said. He then began walking on his talons right in front of Dubdub Turtle.

“Not bad! Not bad at all!” Dubdub Turtle said. “But is it true that you can’t somersault like us turtles. Anyway, can you do this?”. Dubdub Turtle then asked and demonstrated a somersault.

“Yes, I can do that,” Mighty Eagle said huffily. He then tried doing somersaults but kept losing his balance.

“Hold on! I’m out of practice!” he told Dubdub Turtle and panted. “I’ll show you a perfect one in just a few minutes.”

“Don’t worry!” Dubdub Turtle said and slowly inched towards the sea. “Take your time! I’m waiting! I’m in no hurry!”

Dubdub Turtle then called out to Mighty Eagle and said, “Forget somersaulting on the sand now. How about somersaulting in the sky? Can you do that? Or can you only fly in the sky?”

“Somersault in the air?” Mighty Eagle said and laughed. “What a silly little turtle you are! Don’t you know that’s child’s play for me?”

“Can you show me how you do it? Please!” Dubdub Turtle said, sounding very excited.

“All right then!” Mighty Eagle said, putting his chest out. “Watch me go!”

Mighty Eagle then flew up the sky. He first flew left, then right, then higher up, and then started somersaulting in the air. He flapped his wings noisily to show off too.

After sometime, Mighty Eagle felt very hungry.

“I better eat that little turtle now,” Mighty Eagle said. “All this somersaulting has made me very hungry.”

Mighty Eagle swooped down to the sand. But to his great disappointment, Dubdub Turtle was no where in sight.

“Where are you, little turtle?” Mighty Eagle asked, looking around. “Are you hiding in the sand? Come out at once!”

Dubdub Turtle was hiding behind a rock in the sea. He peeped and saw Mighty Eagle looking for him. Dubdub Turtle giggled and shouted, “It was a great show Mr. Eagle! You really can somersault in the sky! But I don’t think you can dive or swim in the sea like me.”

DUB-DUB-TURTLE.

Dubdub Turtle then dived into the water and swam to join his family.

Mighty Eagle felt very foolish.

“I have been outwitted by a baby turtle!” he grumbled.

He flew back to the sky and hoped that he would find something else to eat for his lunch.

 

UNITY IS STRENGTH

Chinni was a hardworking ant. She used to work all day to look after her family.

One day, Chinni was carrying a grain of rice on her back. On her way home, she met Ricky the Mole. Ricky was a lazy mole. He never went to work. He believed in snatching food from smaller animals to satisfy his hunger.

Ricky saw Chinni and said, “Chinni, why have you lifted such a heavy grain? Do you want to get crushed under it?”

Ricky’s words annoyed Chinni. She said, “It would be better if you keep quiet. You may have no work, but I do. So please let me continue with my work.”

unity-is-strength

Ricky mockingly replied, “I am not stopping you from hard work. It is because of you that idle people like me get to eat two meals a day. If you don’t work hard, how will we get food?”

Then, he snatched the grain from Chinni. Before Chinni could say anything, Ricky ate it. He said, “Go, little Ant, go. Fetch another grain for your young ones, or else they shall starve. You are indeed a dedicated and hardworking ant.”

Chinni was very angry with Ricky. She was helpless. Ricky was stronger than her. She knew that she could not fight him alone. She searched high and low. She found another grain to feed her young ones.

Although Chinni couldn’t fight Ricky, she decided to teach him a lesson. The next evening, Chinni’s neighbour, Mini came home weeping. Chinni asked her what had happened.

Mini said, “I was carrying  a lump of jaggery on my back. On my way home, Ricky snatched the jaggery and ate it. Now it’s too late to go back and search for more food. My children will have to sleep without their dinner.”

Chinni felt sorry for Mini. She said, “Don’t worry. You and your kids can dine at my house tonight. After all, I am your neighbour. It is my duty to help you. Together, we will teach Ricky a lesson.”

Chinni extended a warm welcome to Mini and her kids. She served them a delicious dinner and took care that everyone ate well.

Day by day, Ricky continued to give the ants a hard time. He had now started coming near the anthill for food. He stood there and kept a watch over the ants. He snatched all the food that they brought home. He devoured jaggery, rice, sugar lumps, etc from the anthill.

However, the ants couldn’t do anything. Chinni took all of them to Queen Madhulika. The Queen heard their problems. She understood that the ants wanted to get rid of Ricky.

She said, “However mighty our enemy may be, we can defeat him only if we fight together. All of you will have to help the royal army to face the mole and defeat him. Are you ready to help?”

Chinni said, “Your Highness, we understand that we will have to unite together and face our enemy. We will die of hunger if we do not destroy him. Our unity will become our biggest strength. We are prepared to fight until death!”

The Queen was inspired and impressed by Chinni’s brave attitude. She said, “You are indeed brave, Chinni. I promise all of you that if any ant dies during the battle, the royal kingdom will take care of her kids. I will personally see to it that they get proper food, shelter and education.”

The ants started preparing themselves for the battle.

The very next day, the ants got ready to attack. As soon as they saw Ricky coming near their anthill, they marched towards him with swords and spears. Ricky was astonished to see thousands of ants approaching him with tiny swords and spears.

The moment the ants tried to attack Ricky; he hit them with his claws. He flung a part of the royal army in the air. Meanwhile, some of the soldier ants tightly gripped his claw. They started biting him fiercely.

Some ants attacked his tail; others attacked his face whereas a few of them targeted his body. Ricky’s body was badly injured with bruises and cuts.

Ricky tried to free himself. He failed. He realised that it was difficult to fight the huge number of ants. As the number of ants kept increasing, he decided to run away. He felt helpless and weak in front of the huge army of ants.

unity is strength

Ricky ran away from the anthill. A few ants held on to his body. They kept biting him continuously. They did not spare even an inch of his body. Ricky could not bear the pain anymore. He jumped into a puddle of water and he then rolled over the sand to get rid of the ants.

However, the ants were determined not to leave his body.

Ricky felt a lot of pain due to the bites. He sat on a stone and started picking each ant out of his body. His body was swollen due to the ant-bites.

Ricky somehow managed to survive. He was grateful to be alive. He felt the collective power of the ants. He realised that their unity had become their strength.

He never came to the anthill again. He decided that he would never trouble any ant in future.

In search of the New World

_________

 

Champak, India’s favourite children’s magazine, presents a story about the discovery of the ‘New World’ – the Americas – by the famous explorer Christopher Columbus.

 

Story: Kumud Kumar Illustrations: Sonal & Sumit, Freepik Like and follow Champak on: facebook.com/ChampakMagazine/ for more stories, comics, puzzles and jokes!

Google Express

This is the story of a donkey called Seedha who lived in Pitara jungle. He was shy and simple but had a special quality – he could run very fast.

One day a meeting was called in Pitara.

Simha, the king declared, “Next full moon day will be really special for our jungle.”

“Why? Is it your ‘Happy Birthday?” asked Kolo, the Cuckoo, perched on a branch right above the King.

“No, silly. For the first time ever a train will run in our jungle.”

“A train!” everyone exclaimed.

“I always wanted to sit in a train,” Rogo, the Rhino shouted.

“Have a look at your huge behind. You won’t be able to squeeze inside the train, let alone sit or stand in it,” Lofty the Giraffe laughed.

“Same goes for you too,” jeered Rogo. “We’ll have to fold you into two to make you fit.”

“Hey you, quit arguing,” Simha shouted. “This train will be spacious enough for everyone.” All the animals cheered.

“Now let us think of a name for the train,” the King said. There were a number of suggestions but none of them was found suitable.

I have an idea,” a quiet voice said. It was Seedha. “Why don’t we call it Google Express?”

“Google Express!” The animals looked at each other. “What does Google mean?” asked Golu the elephant.

“I don’t know but it sounds nice,” Seedha said. “I like it,” Simha said.

“We all do,” the others shouted.

Seedha had never felt so proud in his life before. The Google Express started the next day. The driver was a horse called Ajab from the neighboring town. Ajab and Seedha became good friends. Ajab would daily take the animals for a ride. Sometimes he would allow Seedha to sit beside him.

Soon Google express became very popular and animals from the other jungles also started flocking to Pitara for a ride.

One day Babbar, the king of the neighboring jungle, came with his family to enjoy a ride on Google Express.

Simha was very happy and the two royal families got on to Google Express for an exciting tour of the jungle.

Seedha, meanwhile, was grazing when he suddenly saw Heera, the deer, running madly. “What happened Heera?” asked Seedha keeping pace with him.

“Ajab has slipped and fallen from the train.”

“Is he hurt?”

“No, luckily he fell into a bush. Dr. Bhaloo is taking care of him.”

Doctor Bhaloo was a bear and the resident doctor of Pitara.

“And what about Google Express?” asked Seedha.

“It is moving on its own on the tracks. There is no one driving it?” Heera replied.

“Who will control it? Who will bring it to a halt?” shouted Seedha and raced away.

He knew the route Google express would be taking and opting for a shortcut, ran with all his might.

After a few minutes, he could see the train chugging along. He increased his pace and drew level with the train.

All the passengers were leaning out. The children were screaming in fear and the adults were trying to calm them down.

Seedha ran faster and faster and finally jumped straight into the driver’s cabin. Within seconds the train came to a halt.

“Bravo, bravo!” he could hear the shouts of the two kings and their family members.

Seedha bowed his head. “Seedha when did you learn to drive?” asked Simha.

“I often sat with Ajab and observed him. That is how I learnt.”

“Good for us,” Babbar smiled.

“Your majesty, if you permit can we continue the ride?” Seedha asked.

“Are you crazy? You managed to stop a train but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to drive it,” Simha replied.

“Simha, I think we should give him a chance,” Babbar said.

And so Google Express started with Seedha as the driver and guide.

As the train chugged along Seedha pointed out all the sights. He even stopped at a few places on the way.

The children played around while the adults enjoyed the scenery.

That night there was a party in honour of King Babbar.

“Google will now have two drivers – Ajab and Seedha. I also announce a special award for Seedha,” announced Simha.

“And I give him a new title, from now he will be called Mister Google,” declared Babbar.

GOOGLE-EXPRESS.

As Seedha, sorry Mister Google went to receive his award the jungle echoed with the thumping of tails, the beating of hooves and flapping of wings.

Tiff in Space

Raju was a fifth standard student and lived in a village. He stayed there with his grandfather. He studied most of the time and spent leisure time with his grandfather.

Raju’s grandfather would narrate informative stories to him every night. Raju had gotten habituated to falling asleep after listening to the stories and used to dream about them.

It was a pleasant night of the summer season. Raju and his grandfather were sleeping on the terrace of their house. The sky looked vast with the brightly shining moon amidst millions of twinkling stars.

Raju was staring at the stars. He asked, “Grandpa, why don’t these stars and the moon fall on us?”

“Because they revolve around the Sun,” said his grandfather, “Earth also revolves around the Sun.”

Raju asked, “Who stays in space?” Grandpa replied, “There are eight planets and the dwarf planet Pluto, their satellites and stars in space. The planets and their satellites revolve around the Sun.”

Raju found this fascinating and kept thinking about space. He fell asleep in some time and found himself touring space.

Raju saw that there was a fight going on between the planets and satellites. They were fighting over who holds the most importance.

The Sun and planets like Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, all were busy praising themselves.

“I am the brightest planet,” said Venus, “I am unique because I revolve from west to east, while you all revolve in the opposite direction. I am considered to be God.”

The Earth gave a smirk and said, “I am the only planet which supports life and has water and an atmosphere.”

“I am red in colour and am known as the God of War,” said Mercury.

“I have the maximum number of satellites,” said Jupiter.

“And I am counted amongst the biggest of planets,” interrupted Saturn.

Uranus said, “I am huge and green in colour. The Greeks consider me as their God and worship me.”

“I am blue in colour and very big and I am known as the “Sea-God,” said Neptune.

tiff-in-space

The Moon was getting irritated with the praises from all the other planets. With an angry tone, the moon said, “I am the most beautiful. I am the only satellite of the Earth. There is an estimate that there may be life on my surface. I can also bring about eclipses.”

The Moon was extremely proud of himself and was rude to others, so nobody commented. Pluto was quiet as he had nothing to say. He was a dwarf planet and did not want to intervene in the fights.

The arguments went on and finally, Pluto said, “You all are fools. The Sun is the most powerful.”

“How come?” asked the other planets.

“You all revolve around the Sun,” said Pluto, “It has the maximum temperature and planets get their energy from it. It is the brightest planet that gives light to all the other stars and planets.” “There are hot gases found on the Sun and the Sun’s presence determines the day and night cycles,” added Pluto.

All the other planets were enlightened about the power of the Sun.

They apologized to the Sun.

“It is because of the Sun that we are alive and that the plants get light and nutrition,” interrupted Raju but nobody seemed to be paying heed to what he said.

“Raju, wake up. Its 7 am,” said Grandpa.

tiff-in-space

Raju woke up and realized that it was a dream. But he enjoyed the thought that he was in space for some time and got to meet all the stars and planets.

It was indeed a very pleasant morning for Raju.

The God in the Mirror

Cheeku rabbit was very happy today, as he was carrying a plate of puja offerings and in it, there were two Rs. 500 notes as well.

Meeku mouse saw him and asked, “Where are you going with the puja plate and money?”

“My wish has been fulfilled. I have been cured now. The Baba had promised that he would solve everyone’s troubles. For something like this, I would not hesitate to offer the Baba even Rs. 5000. I was saved in the nick of time from dying. Nothing can be greater than that,” explained Cheeku and continued walking towards the temple.

Baddy fox had come to Champakvan in the guise of a new Baba a few days ago.

Baba claimed to solve the problems of people and in return, they would offer him money and sweets. Baba’s ashram was always very crowded. Some people would come to get their wishes fulfilled and some to make an offering after their wishes were granted.

“God did not listen to me. I’ve failed this time too. What should I do now?” cried Jumpy monkey, standing next to Cheeku.

“You need to work harder. When the right time comes, your problem will be solved,” said Baba while hitting Jumpy on his head with the holy broom. Saying this Baba turned to the next person. As Cheeku came out after giving his offerings, Damru donkey, came to him shouting “Jai ho! Jai ho!”

“What happened Damru? You look very happy,” asked Cheeku.

“I saw God! I found God! I saw the miracle of God,” said Damru dancing with joy and moved ahead.

Everyone was surprised to hear this.

The news that Damru saw God spread like fire in the jungle.

“How is that possible? What does God look like?” everyone was curious to know. Everyone headed to Damru’s house in a group. “If Damru can see God, then why can’t we?” some of the animals thought.

“Damru, will you not make us see God too?” asked Teetu butterfly pleadingly.

“Why not! Anyone can see God. Let me show you now,” said Damru as he put a hand in his pocket and gave a mirror to Teetu.

“You can see God in this,” said Damru.

“But this is a mirror. I can only see my own face in this. Where is God in this?” said Teetu.

Cheeku too peeked into the mirror and saw his own face instead of God.

god-in-mirror

Damru went near Cheeku so his reflection too appeared in the mirror. Damru jumped up and said, “See! See! There are two Gods now.”

“Silly! These are our own faces,” said Cheeku angrily.

“How do you know these are our own faces?” said Damru.

Everybody laughed when they heard Damru say this.

god-in-mirror

Jumpy shook his head and said, “Damru there is a scientific reason behind seeing our faces in the mirror. It happens due to the reflection of light and we can see our face in the mirror. This is not called seeing God.”

“If you understand all this then why do you go and bow down in front of the Baba?” asked Damru angrily.

Everyone was surprised to know the relationship between devotion to Baba and the reflection in the mirror.

Damru took a deep breath and said, “Friends! There was a time when people did not know about mirrors.”

“Yes,” said Cheeku in agreement.

“They did not understand that light reflection makes us see our face in the mirror. But today we know about this. Science has helped us. But why do we still believe in things like miracles by Baba?”

“For occurrences where there is a reason, we do not think of them as a miracle of God. But for things which we don’t know a scientific reason, we think them to be miracles of God,” said Damru. “Everyone runs to the Babas and temples and they trap you.

We make offerings to them saying that God should fulfil our wish. The work gets done through a scientific reason but people will think the work has been done through the miracle of a Baba. If their work does not get completed, people will think it is not time yet. Baba will get the work done when the time is right.” Listening to Damru, everybody was shocked.

It was the truth. Work or no work, everyone was running to the Baba, but why? Truly, what good can a Baba do, except being a crook.

“We should stop this foolishness,” said Meeku immediately.

god-in-mirror

“Damru is right. Thank you for making us see the truth about Babas, Damru. From today onwards, nobody will go to the Baba, and follow them blindly,” said Cheeku, loudly.

All the animals agreed and then returned to their homes.

 

Party Time in Champakvan

New Year was only a month away. Preparations were on in full swing for the New Year party celebrations.

The local market was full of activity and different shops and stalls were selling decorative items, delicious snacks and were open day and night.

Meeku mouse bought traditional hand-crafted cushions, Blacky bear bought some exquisite copper and brass jars filled with honey, and Teetu butterfly picked up some shiny and colourful bangles.

Meanwhile, Jumpy monkey looked very pleased bringing an expensive, embroidered carpet and scented candles.

Baddy fox was decorating his cottage with ornate lighting fixtures and mirrors.

King Shersingh was not too fond of grand celebrations and huge spending.

In the first week of December, Shersingh called for a meeting,

Shersingh said, “Dear friends! Thank you for coming on such short notice. I wanted to talk to all of you regarding the upcoming New Year celebrations. While it is great to see everyone so happy and festive, it concerns me that a lot of hard-earned money is being spent on buying harmful crackers, toys and items made from toxic plastic substances.”

“These things are dangerous to one’s health and also bad for the environment,” said Shersingh with a serious expression.

Cheeku rabbit was now puzzled. He asked, “In that case, what will we gift our friends and relatives? Most shops are selling these items.”

“You may present them fresh fruits, dry fruits, honey, flowers, and fresh saplings for their gardens,” Shersingh suggested.

“Sir, what about you? We were thinking of giving you a gift. What would you like for New Year?” asked Blacky.

“Hmm. I would prefer something environment-friendly. In fact, this is a great moment for everyone in Champakvan to come up with some really good eco-friendly ideas.”

Everyone was excited now. They all asked, “What do you want sir? Tell us!”

“I want a crystal jar full of dew, a pumpkin fitted in a surahi (a bottle-necked earthen pot), and a bright New Year night without using any electric bulbs, oil and candles. Whoever manages to accomplish this, I will declare that person to be the pride of Champakvan and also my environment minister!”

“Wow! This is unbelievable!” many animals exclaimed, surprised by the unique contest that Shersingh had announced and also the huge reward accompanying it.

Party time in champakvan

“This is impossible,” said Jumpy monkey.

“I have never heard of such a thing before!” Cheeku said, scratching his head with his furry paws.

Meanwhile, Meeku mouse was excited. He was always coming up with new and unique solutions to different problems.

Days went past quickly and it was finally New Year’s Eve.

Everyone arrived in their best outfits, carrying flowers and bouquets, to Sher Singh’s palace lawns.

A grand spread of tea, coffee, muffins and other food items were laid out.

However, Meeku was nowhere to be seen. It was strange because everyone had been expecting a lot from him. The animals started whispering among themselves.

“What a shame! After so much promise, Meeku didn’t even come.”

“Meeku should have never taken upon himself such a difficult task. Now regretting, I am sure.”

It was soon night. According to Sher Singh’s orders for the contest, all artificial lights were switched off around midnight. It was pitch dark. Suddenly, the entire jungle became bright and lit.

There was Meeku mouse standing among them, with a beautiful crystal jar full of dew and an earthen mug with fresh and ripe pumpkin.

Everyone, including Shersingh, exclaimed in wonder.

“How did you manage all of this? This is a miracle!” said Shersingh.

Meeku said, “I will explain all of it step by step. It was a long process and involved a lot of mental work. So, for the first task, I took a thick layer of cotton and spread it on my terrace every night, for three weeks. In the morning, I squeezed and poured the dew from the cotton into the vase. Drop by drop, the crystal jar was filled with dew.”

Party time in champakvan

Blacky bear had his doubts.

Blacky said “How do we know this water is dew? You could have simply filled it from the riverside. Show some proof!”

Meeku replied “I knew this would be asked so I got it certified from the laboratory of water testing, located in Madhuban jungle across the valley. You may confirm it with them if you like!”

“We believe you. The Madhuban jungle laboratory is well-known across the country. Now tell us about your second task!” said Shersingh, full of curiosity.

“For the second task, I placed this earthen vase near the climber of the pumpkin and put a very tender sapling inside the vase. Day by day, it became bigger and now the surahi is filled with the pumpkin,” explained Meeku.

“It didn’t take much, to be honest. Just a simple, logical puzzle,” said Meeku, humbly.Party time in champakvan

The crowd was quite impressed.

“And what about these bright lights all over? This looks like a natural glow! No electric light or candle is on right now,” said Shersingh.

“Yes, this was quite a difficult task. However, with a little brainstorming, I took phosphorus, a non-metallic element that occurs naturally in different phosphate rocks and appears luminous in the dark and applied it on thousands of small, dry twigs and requested my friends, the sparrows and the sunbirds, to carry these twigs to their nests on the occasion of New Year’s Eve.

I also requested the fireflies to come. Huge thanks to all of them. That is why this was possible!” said Meeku mouse.

“Three cheers for the birds and the fireflies and for Meeku!”, everyone applauded again.

Shersingh honoured Meeku in front of the entire jungle, pleased with his hard work, efforts and declared him as the new environment minister of Champakvan.

There were happiness and laughter everywhere.

Golu Learns to Think for Himself

Gabbru, Dhenchu and Golu were three donkeys who worked for one master.

Gabbru was the wise one. He feared no one. Dhenchu was the clever one. He worked smart, not hard. Golu, on the other hand, was the simplest of them. He would listen to anybody.

One day, all three of them were walking toward the market carrying their master’s goods. There was a river on their way, which they had to cross.

Clever Dhenchu could smell the goods and figure out what he was carrying. If the master put heavy bags on his back, he would pretend to feel dizzy. So his master would not put the heavy bags on his back.

Today, he had a sack of salt on his back.

While crossing the river, Dhenchu suddenly dipped himself in it.

“Hey, Dhenchu! What are you doing?” asked Golu, surprised. “Are you taking a bath?”Golu-Learns-to-Think-for-Himself

“No, no, Golu! I’m reducing my weight by taking a dip in the river,” said Dhenchu.

“Can the load become lighter by dipping in the river?” asked Golu.

Golu did not realise that by dipping in the river, the salt on Dhenchu’s back would dissolve and the weight of the bag would reduce.

“Oh yes,” said Dhenchu. “If you want, you too can take a dip and see for yourself,” said Dhenchu and laughed. He was amused by Golu’s foolishness. He had seen the empty jars packed on Golu’s back.

Gabbru cried out, “Golu! Don’t listen to him! He always makes losses for our master. And now he’s just taking you for a fool.”

“What? But how is this making a fool out of him?” said Dhenchu, angrily to Gabry. “Come on, tell me!”

“You took a dip in the river, to lessen the load on your back. Our master is clearly going to face losses,” Gabru replied.

“I don’t care. The weight on my back got reduced. I now have to carry less weight!” saying so Dhenchu turned towards Golu and said, “If you want to reduce the weight on your back, you too should take a dip.”

“Really?” asked Golu, in excitement.

“Yes, it worked for me! Ask Gabbru if you don’t trust me. When the salt dissolved away in the water, did the weight of the sack get reduced or increased?” asked Dhenchu.

But before he could finish, Golu said, “I too will take a dip in the water. Gabbru, you too should take a dip if you want to lose some weight.”

Gabbru had cotton sacks on his back, which were lightweight anyway. He did not take a dip in the river. He knew that if he did, the cotton would become wet and heavier.

He screamed at Golu, “Hey, wait! Listen to me…” But Golu had already taken a dip.

There were empty jars on Golu’s back which were now filled with water. As soon as he came out of the water, Golu realised that he was now carrying three times the weight as earlier. He began feeling dizzy.

His legs shook but somehow he managed to walk ahead.Golu-Learns-to-Think-for-Himself

“What’s this? I took a dip, but my weight increased!” Golu said to himself.

“That’s exactly why I was shouting. But you did not stop to listen! And now you must bear the consequences,” said Gabbru, as he walked with him.

Golu somehow reached the marketplace. His waist and legs were aching severely.

Since then, Golu stopped simply copying others without giving it a good thought.

Golu realised that unless you use your brains, merely copying others is useless. It could actually be harmful.

THE LITTLE DOVE

Little Rudra lived in a small house, with his parents, near the city garden. His parents loved him very much.

Now that he was five years old, he thought himself to be very big. Sometimes, he would not listen to them.

One day, Rudra saw a small dove in his lawn. He approached it. It was bleeding. Rudra’s mother also came out to the lawn, when she saw that it was injured. She took the baby dove inside the house. She cleaned its wounds. She gave the bird something to eat.

Rudra was very curious. So many questions came to his mind. From where had the bird come? Where were its parents? Why couldn’t it fly? How did it get hurt? He wondered.

That night, Mother made the bird sleep in a cardboard box. She fed it the next day. She took good care of it. The next day, Rudra went to school very reluctantly. At school, Rudra kept thinking about the bird.

As soon as he returned home, he went to see the dove. It seemed to be recovering. Mother had put it back into the lawn. It was walking.

Suddenly, Rudra saw a big dove approaching. The baby dove ran towards it. The mummy dove had something in her mouth. She fed her baby.

Rudra called out to his mother. Both of them were very happy to see the mummy dove feed the baby dove throughout the day. That night, his mother kept the baby dove inside the house. It still could not fly. If it was kept outside, they feared that the cat would kill it.

His mother explained to Rudra that the baby dove must have disobeyed his parents. It might have come out of the nest when its wings were not strong enough. Therefore, it must have fallen down and hurt itself.

Every day, his mother took the baby dove out and put it on the lawn. Its mummy used to come and feed it. The baby dove soon recovered.

One evening, while Rudra was watching, mummy dove fed the baby. A little later, both of them flew away. Rudra thought to himself, “Perhaps its wings become strong.”

Rudra felt sad after his friend, the baby dove, had left. He was also happy that at last the little dove would be with its family.Dove

Rudra vowed never ever to disobey his parents. He had learnt that whatever the elders say, they say so for our good. We must follow them.

The Poem Feat

Sundarvan’s King Shaatir Lion was very fond of poems. He would reward anyone who recited even average poems.

When Bunky Monkey came to know this, she said to her husband, Beeru Monkey, “You should go and narrate a poem to get the reward from the king.”

Beeru said, “That’s fine, but the problem is I don’t know any poem.  What will I say in front of the king?”

Bunky was clever. She suggested, “While going there, just narrate whatever you see on the way, in the form of a poem. Be confident. You will definitely be rewarded.”

Beeru liked her suggestion. He immediately set out for the king’s palace.

On the way, he saw a crow sitting on a rock, near the pond. He was repeatedly filling water in his beak, pouring it on the rock and rubbing it with his beak.  Beeru instantly made up a poem.

“Rub, rub and rub, While pouring water, I know, O Blacky, What is there in your heart?”

After creating the poem, Beeru felt good. He went to the palace. He narrated his poem in front of the king. The king appreciated his effort. He rewarded him suitably.

The king’s minister, Lukkhu Hyena, wanted to kill the king. He wished to become king himself.

The king’s barber, Blacky Bear, was also involved in this conspiracy. Lukkhu had made a plan.

When Blacky would go to the palace to shave the king’s beard the next day, he would slit his throat with the razor.

Blacky, as per the plan, did reach the palace. However, he couldn’t muster the courage to kill King Shaatir. He kept pouring water on the slab and rubbing the razor against it.

Seeing him do so, again and again, King Shaatir remembered the poem that he had heard from Beeru the day before. He repeated that poem

“Rub, rub and rub, While pouring water, I know, O Blacky, What is there in your heart?”

poem-feat

Blacky was stunned when he heard these words from King Shaatir. He fell at the king’s feet. He pleaded, “Maharaj, I am innocent. Minister Lukkhu Hyena asked me to do this. Please forgive me. I am not at fault.”

The king was taken aback by Blacky’s words. Blacky revealed the entire plan. The king set him free. He ordered that Lukkhu should be arrested. He punished him for his deeds.

poem-feat

The king received Beeru in his palace with great respect. He told him how his poem had saved his life. The king applauded Beeru. He gave him credit for saving his life through his poem. He gave Beeru very high remuneration. This ended all of Beeru’s problems.

WE ARE FRIENDS

After searching for a long time, Minni Mynah found a grain of maize. She sat on a branch of a tree to eat it. As soon as she tried to eat it, the grain slipped out of her grip. It fell down.

Before Minni could pick it up, Ginni Sparrow flew away with the grain.

“Wait, this grain is mine,” Minni called out. However, by that time Ginni had flown away. Minni felt bad. Someone had taken her food and she couldn’t do anything. Once again, she flew in search of food.

She didn’t find a single grain. She just found a piece of a chapatti. She tried to satisfy her hunger by eating it and drinking water. Then, she flew back towards her nest.

Minni was angry with the sparrow who had taken her grain. Minni was tired. She fell asleep.

The next morning, when Minni woke up, she felt another bird’s presence on the tree that was in front of her nest. When Minni looked closely, she recognised the bird.we-are-friends-

“You! You are the one who took my maize grain yesterday. How dare you come here?” Minni shouted in anger.

“Which maize grain?” the sparrow asked.

“Hmm, yesterday you took my grain and today you’re acting innocent.” Minni reminded the sparrow of the incident that had happened the day before.

Ginni questioned, “What’s my fault in that? I saw a grain on the ground. I picked it up. I didn’t know that the grain had fallen down from your grip.”

Minni said, “Don’t lie. I called after you but you didn’t answer.”

Ginni replied, “Did you call me by name? No… then how could I have known that somebody was calling me?”

“Well, you can’t stay here!” Minni was still furious.

“Who are you to stop me? I am not going anywhere, I will stay right here,” said Ginni.

“Don’t you dare come near my nest in this rubber plant!”

“I am not even interested,” said Ginni. She flew away.

Minni and Ginni could never see eye-to-eye. Minni wouldn’t go to the guava tree where Ginni lived. Ginni never visited Minni’s nest on the rubber plant.

A few days later, Ginni noticed that Minni had stopped coming out of her nest. She would go out only for a short while.

“Does she want to harm me?” Ginni wondered.

She became alert.

One day, Ginni could hear the chirping of birds from Minni’s nest.

“Oh, it’s the sound of babies chirping! Minni has laid eggs that have hatched. That is why she was not leaving her nest. I was unnecessarily getting worried,” thought Ginni.

She flew out to pick grain.

Ginni found some grains nearby. She returned to her nest.

Just as she sat down to eat the grains, she heard Minni’s babies crying for food.

Ginni looked towards Minni’s nest. She saw that Minni was not there. She said, “It seems as if their mother has gone to get grains for them. Meanwhile, these poor chicks are very hungry. Should I feed them? What if the mother sees me near the nest? Well, I will wait and see what happens.”

Within a few minutes, Ginni thought, “I can’t watch these chicks in distress.”

Just as she was about to go, Minni returned. This made Ginni feel a little uneasy.we-are-friends-

Ginni said in a hesitant tone, “I am sorry, I came near your nest by mistake.”

Minni said with a choked voice, “I should be the one asking for forgiveness. I fought with you. Yet, you fed my hungry chicks. I saw you feeding them while coming.

Ginni replied, “I am happy that I was able to help you.”

“Will you be able to forget what happened earlier? Will you be friends with me?” Minni asked with hesitation in her voice.

“Yes, why not? We should live in harmony. After all, all of us need each other at some point of time,” said Ginni with a smile.

Thereafter, Minni and Ginni became good friends.

Thank you very much

Two garbage bins had been placed across a street. The street houses dumped their garbage into these bins.

The road sweepers also used the same bins to dump the waste collected from the roads. Every evening, a large dumping van came by. It emptied these bins. Thus, the two bins were empty at the end of each day.

The kind of domestic waste that was put into the bins said a lot about each household. Egg peels in the bins showed households that consumed non-vegetarian foods. The two bins used to discuss the type of waste inside them.

“Yesterday, house number 3 had cooked lady’s finger,” said the first bin.

“I am sure that number 9 had cooked kebabs,” said the second The broom that was kept nearby heard the conversation. It said, “Both of you are destined to live with dirt and garbage. How are you so happy?”

The bins replied, “We have no complaints whatsoever with our job. We gather all the waste inside us. Thus, the entire colony is clean. This gives us immense happiness and satisfaction.”

The broom had nothing to say.

One day, as usual, the garbage collector dumped the waste into one of the bins. Along with the garbage, he accidentally dropped in a diamond necklace. The bin was shocked to see this.

“Such a beautiful necklace!” exclaimed the first bin. “It must be worth a few lakhs.” …

Thank-you-very-much

…“True,” said the other bin. “We serve people every day. Someone must have sent this as a reward. Now, you are the owner of this beautiful necklace. Congratulations!”

The first bin happily said, “Thank you. It feels good to own something as precious as this.”

Just then, the first bin heard an inner voice speak. It said, “The person who owns this necklace must be sad right now. Think about her.”

The bin felt a sense of guilt.

“If you do not wish to keep this necklace, then give it to me. I am waiting to put it on,” said the second bin.

The first bin said, “It’s not right to keep someone else’s property. Recollect the time when you had lost one of your handles. You were so tense and upset. Right now, the owner of this necklace must be going through similar pain. I am going to return this to its owner.”

“Stop talking like a fool,” said the other bin. “Hide the necklace in a corner. The van will arrive soon. It will take the necklace along with the garbage.”

The second bin tried to convince the first one to hide the necklace. The first bin did not act. It looked around as it wanted to speak to Golu, the dog. Golu couldn’t be seen anywhere. However, his wife Julie was walking on the other side of the road. The bin called out to Julie. It put the necklace around her neck.

Julie was amazed to see such a pretty necklace. She said, “Wow! It’s so cute. Thank you. Is it for me?”

The bin said, “It’s neither mine nor yours. It belongs to someone else. We have to return it to the owner. Will you help me do so?”

“Yes. I will,” said Julie.

The bin hid Julie behind it so that no one could see her wearing the necklace.

Thank-you-very-much

Just then the bin saw a lady. She seemed to be searching for something. She was very tense. She was weeping. The bin understood that the lady must be the owner of the necklace. She was crying because she has lost it.

The bin told Julie, “Go and return the necklace to that lady.” |

Julie walked towards the lady. She stood in front of her. When she saw her necklace, the lady stopped crying. She was happy. She picked up the necklace from Julie’s neck.

She said, “Thank you very much.”

She hugged Julie and patted her. She also gave her biscuits to eat. She said that she would feed Julie every day.

Julie turned to the bin and said, “Thank you. You deserve the credit. The work that you have done today is praiseworthy.” The bin smiled. It said, “Good work always pays. It brings immense joy and satisfaction.”

Two Old Friends

Ring…ring…’ the doorbell was ringing. Jambu, the jackal was shaving his beard. He came out with shaving cream still on his face.

“Who is it?”

Again he heard, ‘Ring… Ring…’

“Yes, I am coming.” Opening the door, he recognised his friend.

“Bhalla! When did you come?” He hugged his close friend so tightly that Bhalla’s neck was smeared with half of the cream.

Bhalla, the bear had taken a day’s off from his job. Early that morning he had thought of meeting his old friend.

Jambu caught hold of his hand and pulled him in, saying “Are you going to stand outside? Come in. Have some snacks and tea before going home.”

Bhalla started smiling while drinking tea.

“What is the matter?”

“I am recollecting our childhood days. Leave the snacks aside. Come, let us go and kick up a racket in the forest just like the good old days.”

Both of them looked at each other and within minutes they were off.

In front of the bazaar where the four tamarind trees stood, a monkey selling icecream shouted, “Milk, frozen milk. Buy one to feel cool!”

The naughty friends looked at each other. Bhalla asked, “How much is the mango bar?” “Ten rupees!” “Oh! This is daylight robbery!” Bhalla said and sat down. Now Jambu took over and said, “Brother, have some pity on him.”

“Uncle, this is the rate,” said the monkey.

“Okay! Take this.” Jambu took out money from his pocket and handed it to the monkey and gave the ice cream bar to his friend.Two-old-friends

Bhalla was enjoying the ice cream with closed eyes. Now Jambu nudged him and said, “Greedy old man! Will you eat alone? Give me some of it.”

Bhalla turned his face away.

“Will you not give me some?” asked Jambu facing him. This went on for quite a while. Jambu started circling Bhalla.

“Sir, you also take ice cream,” said the monkey, trying to pacify him.

“You will give me one?” Jambu acted surprised.

“Yes, why not?”

Jambu was delighted. He took the ice cream from the monkey. Then the monkey extended his hand and asked, “Sir, money. Please pay for it.”

“Money for what?” Both the friends asked slapping their chest.

“Oh! For the ice cream. What else?” The terrified monkey stammered.

Both their voices grew loud. “You gave it yourself. Did we ask you?” Jumbu shouted.

The monkey was shocked. He shouted, “You tried to trick me!”

The two mischief makers laughed and walked away. In the same way, they cheated the snacks vendor. They were playing their childhood pranks even now.

Finally, they reached the playground where the children of the hippos, wolf, rabbit, and kangaroo were playing gulli danda.

Bhalla asked his friend, “Would you like to play?”

“Why not? I am no beginner.” Jambu replied stroking his grey moustache.

“Hey, just give me the stick. Watch how we play.”

Bhalla threw the gulli. Jambu swung and hit it so hard that the children were astonished. The game progressed. Then Bhalla picked up the stick. He tossed the gulli in such a way that the children were speechless. Oh! These old men were good. They could compete with anyone.Two-old-friends

The gulli shot like an arrow from Jambu’s hand. Bhalla struck it really hard. The gulli flew like a hawk. Far away on a mango tree there hung a honeycomb. Instantly the gulli hit it like a bullet. Within minutes an army of honeybees emerged… Booo… booo…

“Run! It’s dangerous!”

The children started to run away. The two old men also started to run. But could not run as fast. Both of them suffered from pain in their legs. They were groaning and running.

Soon they started panting. The bees were chasing them too. The news of the broken beehive spread in the forest. Everyone came running. Mr. Hippo, Mr. Wolf, Mirza, the rabbit, and Babu, the kangaroo were very angry. “Whose mischief is this? Our children were playing quietly. Who did this?”

“These two are the culprits.” All the fingers, of the children and the snacks vendor, were pointing towards Jambu and Bhalla.

“Is this your doing Uncle? What a shame!” said Mirza, the rabbit.

The monkey also chipped in saying, “Brother, they took an ice cream from me and ate it. They did not even pay for it.”

The two friends stood downcast. The other animals of the forest surrounded them.

Jambu quietly asked, “Did you hit the honeycomb on purpose?”

Bhalla said shamefacedly. “Yes. The moment I saw the honeycomb my mouth started watering. Instinctively I hit the gulli on the honeycomb.”

“You have long hair. The bees got entangled in them.

Think about me? See my state?” said Jumbu. Big rashes had appeared on his body.

“Sorry friend, but what is a bear’s child if he does not put his life at stake for the sake of honey?” said Bhalla.

They apologised to all for their behaviour and the ice-cream monkey.

All the animals walked awayTwo-old-friends.

Jambu winked and said, “If the end is sweet then everything is sweet. Isn’t it true? Come friend we will soon eat honey and not create any mischief in the future.”

The Winner

Bill and Tarun were neighbours and attended the same school. Moreover, they shared similar habits too. They came from two well-to-do families and enjoyed all the comforts. They had everything a child could wish for. Too much indulgence and pampering by their parents had made them spoilt kids. For them, life was nothing, but enjoyment and fun.

Both of them went to school every morning, or at least their parents believed so. In the afternoon, when they returned home, they groaned and complained about their studies. But that was far from the truth. They hardly ever attended school and regularly bunked classes. If any teacher spoke to the Headmaster about their behaviour, it made no difference. The Headmaster called them to his office, scolded them and warned them not to do it again. It became a routine.

However, the teacher who complained against them was in for trouble, as they then teased him in class. The teachers, therefore, let them have their way. A report to their parents was ineffective too. In fact, it was their parents who were responsible for their bad behaviour.

Both of them were strong and clever. They were leaders of their groups and led their followers into all kinds of new mischief every day.

The neighbours were fed up of their activities. Sometimes they complained to their parents, but it didn’t matter.

Creating trouble was their only pastime. What fun they had!

Although they were close friends, they always wanted to prove who was more superior than the other. They thought of some new tricks to surprise each other. They bragged about their ‘brave deeds’ and tried to impress one another.

One day, as they sat together with their group, Bill said, “Tarun, our old mischievous ways does not amuse me any longer. How do we decide who is superior?” “Think of a new activity,” replied Tarun. “You always say you are more creative than I am.” Bill thought for a little while. Then his face beamed with  smile.

The winner

“I have a wonderful idea,” said he. “Look here, let us start our activities tomorrow morning and meet here with our groups in the evening. We’ll then describe our day. Two members from each group will be appointed as judges. They will decide which group has performed better. The leader of the other group will have to accept the superiority over the other.”

“That’s a good idea!” shouted everybody in unison, “It would be fun.”

That the evening both the groups met at the appointed place. A big crowd had gathered there. Bill’s group was in the high spirits. His boys were shouting, howling and whistling in excitement.

On the other hand, Tarun’s group looked, confused and worried. Tarun had not arrived as yet. Nobody could understand the reason for his absence. How could he abandon his group on such an important occasion? It was a matter which involved the honour and dignity of the group.

“Where’s your great Tarun?” Asked Bill. “I think he’s here but is invisible.”

His boys burst into a loud laugh and gave various answers, “…Has turned a tail…can’t show his face…accepted his defeat…is a coward….”

All of a sudden, there was silence. Tarun was coming toward them. His eyes were downcast, his neck was bent and he looked upset.

He sat in a corner lost in deep thought.

Amidst the shrieking and whistling of his group, Bill said. “Let us hear what deeds we have done during the day and decide who’s greater. The first group, I’ll describe the achievements of my group. Here they are:

Tied crackers to a donkey’s tail and made him run. Threw stones at the madman and had great fun. Broke two nests of crows, stole ripe mangoes from Kallu’s garden, misguided a stranger who wanted to go to the railway station, snatched the biscuit packet from a child and made him cry, smeared Bholu’s newly painted wall with dirt.

“These are wonderful deeds,” shouted his group joyfully, as he completed the list. “Come on, Tarun tell us what achievement you can boast of?”

Tarun simply answered. “I’m sorry I’ve come to accept my defeat and Bill’s superiority. I can’t be his equal.”

Everyone was stunned. “At least tell us what happened to you,” asked Bill. “What have you been doing today?”

Tarun spoke with a sigh. “I left home in the morning to join my group. I wanted to begin the day with a ‘great deed. Suddenly, I saw an old blind man moving toward a deep pit dug in the middle of the road. I thought I’ll push him into the pit.”

“As I placed my hands on his shoulders, he spoke out, ‘An angel has come to support a blind man. You must be a great man who thinks about a helpless old man.” His words struck me like lightning. I felt ashamed of myself. I pulled him away from the pit. His body was burning with fever. I took him to a doctor. I paid for the medicines with my pocket money.the-winner

Then I took him to his old and broken hut where I found his wife. The old man showered me with his blessings. He said, “I wish you all the joys of life. You seem to be a noble boy; you’d be the pride of your parents. I can’t thank you enough.” His wife held my face in her hand and kissed my forehead. Bill…I take back the challenge.”

The boys shouted in joy, “Bill has defeated Tarun. Come on judges, what have you to say?”the-winner

A garland of flowers was put around Bill’s neck amidst the noise of his group. Then everyone was stunned to see what seemed unbelievable. Bill took his garland and put it around Tarun’s neck and said in a chocked voice. “Tarun you are a great leader. Lead both the groups to greater heights. I salute you.”