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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.

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

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

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

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

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.

“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.”

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.

Unique Picnic

Mony and Tony had come with their friends Antu and Jojo for a picnic near a lake.

Antu and Jojo found an old motorboat and took it out to the lake, while Mony and Tony stayed at the lakeside to cook.

Chickey and Mickey were two young crocodiles who lived in the lake. They were fascinated to see the old motorboat speeding in the lake after so long. They decided to race with the motorboat much to Antu and Jojo’s delight.

Antu was quite a mischievous fellow. He began to increase and decrease the speed of the motorboat, just to tease Chickey and Mickey.

“You will tire yourselves,” Jojo teased. “You will not be able to compete with our speeding motorboat.”

“I know,” Chickey said. “But listen to me now. You don’t know much about this lake. It has many hidden reefs. We’ve had a lot of fun racing but I suggest you slow down now. If you continue speeding, there are chances that you might run into a reef and have a mishap.”

“Thanks for the advice,” Antu said with a laugh. “But we both are experts when it comes to riding motorboats. Don’t worry! Nothing will happen to us!”

Chickey and Mickey realised that the foxes were overconfident and wouldn’t pay any attention to their warning. They stopped following the motorboat.

“Very well then,” they then told Antu and Jojo. “We are going to swim home now. But please take care of yourselves. The weather seems to be deteriorating too. We hope that you’ll reach the lakeside safely.”

Mony and Tony had decided to cook some almond pudding at the lakeside.

They were singing songs and chopping almonds and whipping cream when Julu Elephant saw them.

The warm and sweet aroma of the pudding and the fun Mony and Tony seemed to be having, compelled Julu Elephant to march towards them.

“Hello!” Julu Elephant said in a friendly voice. “I couldn’t stop myself from coming here! You seem to be having so much fun! And I see that you’re making something that looks delicious too. May I join your picnic? I’d like to be your friend.”

To Julu Elephant’s surprise, Mony grew very angry.

“No!” Mony shouted rudely. “We have come here with our friends. I am sorry but you’re not welcome to join us or be our friend. Please go away.”

“Well ok,” Julu Elephant said, looking disappointed. “But at least let me taste some of your pudding. It smells scrumptious!”

“You will not get a morsel of our pudding, you greedy fellow,” Tony said angrily. “Go away from here! Don’t spoil our fun.”

“Okay,” Julu Elephant said, sadly. “I’m leaving. I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

Just then the sound of screaming pierced the quiet of the lakeside.

“That sounds like Antu and Jojo,” Mony said, looking quite alarmed.

“They seem to be calling for help from the motorboat!” Tony said as the screaming continued.

Chickey and Mickey suddenly leaped out from the lake and ran towards Mony and Tony. They both looked very worried.

“Hi! Do you have a long rope?” Mickey asked in a worried voice.

“Er… no, I don’t,” Mony replied. “But what do you need one for? Is everything ok?”

“Well, the motorboat has hit a reef,” Chickey said, looking quite shaken. “The engine has stopped working.”

“Oh no!” Tony cried with fear. “What will happen to our friends now?

They don’t know how to swim! They will surely drown if the motorboat sinks!”

“Well, we are trying to help them,” Mickey said. “But we will need a long rope to pull the motorboat out of the lake.”

“Don’t worry,” Julu Elephant piped in. “I have a long rope. It’s quite thick and strong too. I’ll get it right now.”

“Thank goodness!” Mickey said, sounding relieved. “You’re a big help!”

And so, Julu Elephant hurried home and returned with the rope in no time.

Julu Elephant then joined Chickey and Mickey in the rescue operation. He held one end of the rope with his trunk and gave the other end to Chickey and Mickey.

“Tie the motorboat to the rope tightly. Call out to me when you finish. I will pull it towards the lakeside with my trunk,” Julu Elephant said politely.

Chickey and Mickey dived into the water and swam towards the motorboat as fast as they could. Antu and Jojo were relieved to see them. The motorboat was beginning to sink and they were quivering with fear.

Chickey and Mickey called out to Julu Elephant once they had tied the motorboat to the rope. Julu Elephant then used all his might and pulled the motorboat towards the lakeside.

As soon as Antu and Jojo reached the lakeside, they jumped out of the motorboat and ran towards their friends.

“Chickey and Mickey had warned us about the reefs but we didn’t pay any attention to their warning,” they both admitted, feeling ashamed of their carelessness. “We are sorry, Chickey and Mickey,” they said, apologising to the two young crocodiles.

Mony and Tony turned towards Julu Elephant. They looked quite ashamed of what they had done too.

“Well, we made a mistake too. We were rude to Julu Elephant when he asked to be our friend. Please forgive us, Julu Elephant.”

Julu Elephant smiled. And so did Chickey and Mickey.

“Don’t worry!” they said cheerfully. “We were happy to help!”

After that, everyone sat down together and had a bowlful of the almond pudding that was quite delicious. They then played games and sang songs and enjoyed their unique picnic.

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.

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.

Smart Mice

Sonu was staring at the piece of cake fallen on the floor for quite some time. Two tiny mice quietly came to gobbleup the cake. Before they could do that, Sonu clapped once and scared them away. He was really amused by this and started laughing.

“What happened, brother? Why are you laughing?” asked Sonu’s younger brother, Monu.

“Just before, two mice had come to eat this piece of cake that is lying on the floor. I clapped loudly and they both got petrified and thus fled,” replied Sonu.

“Wow!” exclaimed Monu. “It would be so much fun to scare away the mice. Where are they?”

Sonu replied, “They are hiding somewhere. You come and sit next to me on this cot. They will come again after a while.”

Sonu suddenly recalled something and said, “Wait, let me do something else, it would be more fun.”

“Do what?” asked Monu.

“You just wait and watch,” said Sonu. He then tied the piece of cake to a string and suspended it a few inches above the floor.

Monu asked, “Why did you do that, brother?”

“Don’t ask anything now. Just wait and see what happens,” said Sonu and both of them sat patiently waiting for the mice.

After a few minutes, one of the mice came, stood on its hind legs, and tried to reach the piece of cake in vain. Upon trying further, the mouse lost its balance and tumbled down.

Sonu and Monu burst out laughing and the mouse ran away from there. Sonu and Monu burst out laughing and the mouse ran away from there.

A few minutes later, another mouse came and tried to grab the cake. Some other mice too came there but none of them succeeded in reaching the piece. They tried desperately but had to return empty handed.

Sonu and Monu enjoyed the desperation of the mice and kept laughing at them.

Sonu yawned and said, “Monu, let us go to sleep now.”

“What about the cake?” asked Monu.

Sonu grinned and said, “Let it be hung and let the mice keep trying.”

“It was fun seeing the mice desperate and irritated,” said Monu.

“See how I troubled the mice who generally trouble people. Am I not great and intelligent?” asked Sonu with pride.

“Yes I totally agree that you are indeed intelligent and great,” replied Monu and went to sleep.

The next morning when they woke up, they were astonished to see that the piece of cake was missing from the string

“Where has the cake gone?” asked Monu.

“I have no idea,” replied Sonu.

Monu said, “Mom or Dad must have thrown away the cake.”

“That is not possible. Had they thrown the cake, they would have thrown away the string too. Since the string is untouched, they have not done it,” said Sonu.

“Then how did the cake vanish?” asked Monu.

“I think the mice have devoured the piece of cake,” replied Sonu.

Monu asked, “But they could barely reach the cake, then how can they eat it up?”

Sonu said, “If we want to find out, we will have to hang another piece of cake in a similar manner and keep a watch.” Sonu got another piece and suspended it in the same manner.

Sonu and Monu quietly sat on the cot observing the mice. One of the mice came there and tried to reach the cake but failed.

“This happened yesterday too,” whispered Monu.

Sonu signaled him to be quiet and watch on

Just then, another mouse came there and stood on its hind legs. The mouse that was already present there climbed on the other mouse’s back and quickly cut the string. The mice then took the piece of cake and fled.

Sonu was shocked to see this. He said, “I never thought mice could be so clever.”

“That is true,” said Monu, “The mice have also proven two things.”

“What are they?” asked Sonu.

“They proved Unity is Strength’. If we work together, then we can even accomplish difficult tasks with ease. The second thing that they proved is that one should never underestimate anyone. Others can be more clever than you are,” said Monu.

Sonu smiled and nodded his head in agreement.

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.

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

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

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

“How come?” asked the other planets.

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

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

They apologized to the Sun.

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

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

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

It was indeed a very pleasant morning for Raju.

New Year’s Magic

It was a lousy morning. The sunrays were slowly scattering in all the directions. Cheeku, the Rabbit woke up when his room was entirely brightened by the glistening rays of the sun.

Cheeku’s parents entered his room and wished him a Happy New Year. He had forgotten that it was the first of January. His friends had told him that the year 2019 will be a magical year. They had said that every act done on the first day of the year 2019 would be multiplied throughout the year.

Cheeku was an eighth standard student. He woke up late because he had a holiday from school. He took a bath and had his breakfast. His mother was planting a sapling in their garden. He asked his mother about the same and learnt that she had resolved to plant a sapling every year.

Cheeku was impressed by his mother and he too wanted to take a resolution for the New Year. He started thinking about what resolution he should make. Mother suggested that Cheeku should resolve to inculcate some good habits, like getting up early in the morning and studying, doing his homework on time, eating healthy food, etc.

Cheeku liked mother’s suggestions and resolved to do all his work on time. He was lazy and also ate junk food in plenty. Thus he also decided to eat healthy food and always be active.

It was not easy for Cheeku to live up to the resolutions. The next day he managed to wake up early since he had school in the morning, but he felt lazy to study in the morning. He started doing some reading after his mother encouraged him to study.

Cheeku also found it difficult to shake off his fondness for junk food. Mother helped him this time too. Whenever he asked for junk food like pizza, burger, chopsuey, etc, she gave him carrots, cucumber, spinach and other nutritious fresh vegetables. This made Cheeku feel that his stomach was full and then he couldn’t gorge on junk food.

Mother was impressed by Cheeku’s resolutions and helped him to devote appropriate time to study as well as play. Cheeku and his friends initially created a lot of nuisance in the house, but now Cheeku had become much disciplined.

It is said that it takes 21 days to form a habit. This means that if one practices an activity for 21 days at a stretch, it automatically becomes his habit.

It was more than 21 days that Cheeku was practicing good habits. All his friends were surprised at his disciplined behavior. Cheeku too observed that by doing everything on time, he got sufficient time to play. He started excelling in his studies. Subjects like algebra and geometry which were a scare for him previously were now very interesting.

One day, Cheeku recited his self-composed poem in front of his school teacher. His teacher liked the poem and praised Cheeku. All the students also congratulated him. Everything was going well with Cheeku ever since the New Year started. He secured a rank amongst the top students in his class. He also started to enjoy studying. Cheeku was now considered as one of the clever students of the school.

Cheeku’s parents were very happy with his progress in studies. His friends started inculcating good habits as Cheeku had done. They studied and played at pre-decided timings. In the remaining time, they nurtured the plants that Cheeku’s mother had planted.

Cheeku and his friends also excelled in sports. They won medals and secured places in big tournaments. Their parents were proud of their success and showered praises on them.

Cheeku’s mother had planted saplings some time ago which had now grown into plants. In the same way, Cheeku’s resolutions had also grown into a good habit that gave him a happy life. He was now a source of inspiration for all his friends, he was a hero! It was indeed a magical year for Cheeku!

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.

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

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

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

Everybody laughed when they heard Damru say this.

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

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

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

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

“Yes,” said Cheeku in agreement.

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

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

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

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

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

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

All the animals agreed and then returned to their homes.

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.

“This is impossible,” said Jumpy monkey.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everyone, including Shersingh, exclaimed in wonder.

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

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

Blacky bear had his doubts.

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

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

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

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

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

The crowd was quite impressed.

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

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

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

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

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

There were happiness and laughter everywhere.

Sara’s New Mom

Christmas was around the corner. Almost everyone in the neighbourhood was busy getting ready to celebrate the festival.

But Sara was upset and was in no mood to celebrate. Sara used to celebrate Christmas with her mother every year and enjoyed helping her mom bake cakes for their family and friends. Her mom had passed away about six months ago and the festival only reminded her of her mother more than ever.

Every year, Sara would ask for something or the other from Santa Claus. Sara’s grandpa would buy whatever Sara wished for and would keep it for her under the Christmas tree a few days before Christmas.

Sara would think that Santa himself had dropped by and left those gifts for her.

Sara sat on the sofa with her teddy bear looking sad.

Grandpa saw her sitting there and came to her and asked, “What’s the matter, Sara? Why do you look so sad?”

Sara burst into tears and said, “I keep thinking about mom. And I heard that dad is getting a step-mom for me now. But I want my own mom. I am going to ask for my own mom from Santa this year. I want to meet Santa Claus.”

Sara’s grandpa felt sorry for her. He hugged her and wiped away her tears.

Grandpa decided that on Christmas day, he himself would dress up as Santa Claus and talk to Sara about her step-mom.

Next day was Christmas. In the evening, Sara sat under the Christmas tree, waiting for Santa Claus. She had a feeling that Santa would indeed turn up.

Soon, Sara’s grandpa, dressed up like Santa Claus, arrived at their home.

She was overjoyed to see him.

Sara ran towards him and asked, “I was sure that you would come. But where’s my mom?”

Santa said, “Sara, I can’t bring your mom. But you’re going to get a new mom. And you will find your own mom in her too.”

“But I’ve heard that step-moms are bad. My friends told me the story of Cinderella, and even in that, the stepmom was such a bad person,” said Sara.

“No, Sara, not all step-moms are bad. I have met your new mom. She’s a kind person. You can teach her your favourite dishes and play games with her. You may want to know what she likes and do those things with her too. Give her a chance and see,” said Santa, before leaving.

Sara took Santa’s words to heart. When Sara’s new mom came, Sara and she took their time to know each other.

Over time, Sara accepted her as her own mother. Not a step-mom; she became like her real mom.

Sara’s grandpa was overjoyed to see Sara’s bonding with her step-mom. He felt that the family was complete.

The New Santa Claus

The residents of Silver Forest were eagerly awaiting their king, Leo, the lion’s announcement that came a few days before Christmas every year.

Next day, the king called everyone and said, “As you all know, every year we select one animal among us to be Santa Claus. So please start preparations, as only two days are left for us to decide who will be the Santa this year.”

For the animals, being Santa Claus was a matter of honour. Everyone began preparing for the competition. Some started decorating their houses, while others started dressing up smartly.

Piku, the peacock, was drying his feathers after taking a bath. Suddenly, he heard a voice.

“Help me! I can’t carry this bag alone!”

Piku looked out to see who it was. An old and dark animal was carrying a heavy bag on his shoulders and was saying, “Please help me! I can’t carry this bag by myself.”

“Help? I’m sorry, but please ask someone else. This bag is so heavy and dirty as well. I have just taken a bath. I don’t want to get dirty again,” said Piku, declining to help him.

“My house isn’t far. Please help me. I’m too old to take this bag,” pleaded the animal.

“I just said no. Can’t you hear me?” said Piku, losing his temper. “Now get moving from here. I’m preparing for the competition to become Santa Claus. Don’t disturb me!”

The animal walked away sorrowfully. Some distance away, he came across Hinni, the deer.

“Please help me! I can’t carry this bag anymore,” the animal cried out. Hinni saw that an old animal was asking for help, but declined. “Please ask someone else. Can’t you see I’m busy preparing for the Santa Claus competition? I’ve just applied the cream on my body. If I help you now, the cream will get dirty and my skin will not shine anymore,” said Hinni, and turned away.

Suddenly, Dabbu, the donkey arrived at the scene. He was passing by and stopped on hearing the old animal’s cry for help.

“Let me help you,” he said. Dabbu took the bag from the old animal.

“Yes, please help him out,” said Hinni, laughing. “Anyway, who’ll choose you to be Santa Claus?”

Dabbu did feel bad, but he chose to ignore her.

“Careful! The bag’s quite heavy!” said the old animal to Dabbu.

“Not a problem,” said Dabbu.

“And it’s dirty as well.”

“Don’t worry! I will wash it afterwards,” said Dabbu, smiling at him. “Where is your house?”

“It’s quite far. You can put the bag down if you want. I’ll ask someone else for help,” said the old animal.

“Don’t worry at all. Let’s go,” said Dabbu, and started walking behind him.

After walking some distance, they arrived near an old house.

“Please keep the bag down here,” said the old animal. “Thank you so much!”

As Dabbu was about to leave, the old animal called out, “Haven’t you prepared for the Santa Claus competition?”

“Who will make me Santa Claus? Neither am I good looking nor do I have any special skill,” saying that Dabbu left.

Dabbu then went and cleaned his house and set up a Christmas tree.

That night, all the animals, including Dabbu, gathered on the ground to hear the results of the competition.

“This time I’ll surely be Santa,” said Piku, spreading his feathers. “Who’s more beautiful than me?”

Everyone admired Piku’s beautiful and colourful feathers.

“You’re really handsome,” some of the animals complimented him.

“Oh, but wait till you’ve seen me! Look how fair I look,” said Hinni, the deer. Everyone turned to her.

“Yes, yes, you too could be Santa Claus,” said the other animals. Hinni was elated.

“Hey, even Dabbu has come! You’ve come just as you are, Dabbu. You should at least have dressed up,” said Piku, laughing at him.

“He’ll never change!” said Hinni, laughing as well.

“Friends!” said Leo, their king from the stage. “The results this year can come as a shock to all of you. This time our Santa Claus is…”

Piku and Hinni both were ready to go on to the stage.

“…Dabbu!” Leo announced.

“What?” everyone at the gathering, including Dabbu himself, was shocked. Leo knew that all the animals were asking why.

“Please Dabbu,” Leo said. “Come up to the stage.”

“All of you must be wondering why Dabbu and no one else can be a better Santa than him. He is kind and helpful. He helped a weak and old animal who was refused help by many others.” Saying this, Leo narrated the whole story.

“But how can you be so sure that Dabbu actually helped out that old animal? It sounds like a made-up story,” said Romy, the squirrel.

“He’s right! He’s right!” said a few others in support.

“No, it’s not a story. Because that animal was me,” said Leo.

Everyone was quiet.

“Yes,” said Leo. “I had set out in disguise to search for this year’s Santa Claus.”

All the animals praised king Leo for his smart decision.

“We’re sorry for being rude, Dabbu,” said Piku and Hinni. “You truly deserve to be Santa Claus.”

“Yes, Dabbu, I wish we realised our mistake sooner,” said Hinni.

“Forget it, friends,” said Dabbu. “Come, let’s celebrate Christmas together!”

Everyone cried out in joy, “Merry Christmas!”

MERRY CHRISTMAS

All the animals in the forest were preparing to celebrate Christmas. Everyone was happy and cheerful.

Except Coco, the crow who was perched on a tree with his friend, Minnie, the squirrel. He was sad, and was thinking, “Neither do I have any gift to give anyone nor does anyone like my continuous cawing.”

“What’s the matter?” Minnie asked. “Why are you sad?”

Coco told how he felt.

Minnie said, “No, you’re wrong! Everyone likes you.”

Coco said, “No, you don’t understand. All the other birds are colourful. They sing sweetly. But both my colour and voice are bad.”

Minnie started thinking about Coco’s words. The trees in the forest were beautifully decorated for Christmas.

Coco was so lost in thought about himself that he did not see the beauty around him. Minnie wished that Coco could see the beauty around him and forget his worries.

Coco was thinking, “I wish I wasn’t so black and ugly, and I too had a sweet voice like the other birds.”

Minnie tried explaining again, “You are so young. All the elderly crows are considered to be wise. Your nests are so clean and beautiful. And you eat up all the insects in the fields and help the farmers too.”

Coco waved his wings and said, “What’s so special about that?”

“Not for you maybe, but it is very helpful for the farmers,” said Minnie as she jumped up and sat on a higher branch.

“All right,” said Coco and went and sat beside her.

Minnie said, “Don’t overthink about your colour and your voice. They are not as important as you think.”

“Even I don’t like sitting in despair during the holiday season. I can hear nice music playing all around. I really wish I could sing!” said Coco.

Minnie replied, “Why are you so afraid of your own voice? Everyone knows how your voice sounds since you were born.”

“In Brazil, they cook chicken and rice during Christmas. The songs and music make even the turkeys dance in joy. In France, they decorate the Christmas trees with balloons, ribbons and lights. All the animals celebrate and enjoy themselves in the moonlight. In Germany, the party is kick-started by piglets and then by the opening of gifts. There is happiness everywhere,” said Minnie.

“How do you know all this?” Coco asked Minnie.

Minnie continued, “Christmas is the time to dance, sing, eat, make merry and have fun. It’s not for being sad like this.”

Coco was beginning to understand Minnie’s words. It was true that Christmas was time to be happy.

He too should mingle with all and enjoy himself.

“You’re right, Minnie,” he said. “I too shall celebrate Christmas with everyone and have a lot of fun.”

“That’s the spirit!” smiled Minnie. “Ticktock, tick-tock… Soon it’ll be Christmas day. Come, let’s enjoy ourselves!”

Coco spread his wings, looked to his left and to his right, and tried crying out in a sweet voice. But instead of his horrible cawing, he indeed cried out in a sweet voice, “Merry Christmas!”

Soon, the whole forest was celebrating the festival. They began singing, dancing and greeting each other. Merry Christmas to all!

Enjoying Christmas

The month of December was on and it was very cold in the forest. The animals and birds were worried. Winter seemed to be very severe this year. There were only a few days left for Christmas and preparations had to begin.

Tilu, the starling sitting on the tree asked, “Brother Goru, how is the preparation for the Christmas coming along?”

“It has not started as yet. Owing to the severe cold nothing could be arranged,” said Goru, the bear.

“It is always cold during Christmas, why are we afraid of it? We should start preparing for it,” said Tilu.

“It’s true. Christmas is a winter festival, then why are we afraid of the cold? Come let us start its preparation from today. Spread the news to everyone in the forest,” said Goru.

“Good, I will inform everyone,” said Tilu and flew off. She conveyed Goru’s message to most of the animals. The mere mention of Christmas spread a wave of happiness.

Harshilvan was known for it’s unique Christmas celebrations. Everyone helped and the idea was always new. The food and drinks were of different varieties and that is why Goru had informed everyone in advance. The plan was discussed in everyone’s house in the forest.

Tina, the doe was expert in making cakes, while Peelu, the peacock was good in making a Christmas tree. Every year they would decorate the tree in a new way and provide delicious cakes to eat. Some would sing and others dance.

As the festival approached the winter became more severe. Everyone was finding it difficult to work and was worried how they would celebrate Christmas this year.

Peelu made all arrangements to decorate the Christmas tree. He also chose the tree. It had to be fixed in the ground in front of the house. Everyone’s eyes were focused on the season. It was becoming colder.

Peelu and Goru fixed the Christmas tree two days before the festival. It was snowing on Christmas morning. No one went out in the snow. The birds sought shelter in their nests.

A thick blanket of snow was spread out everywhere. The plants and trees were covered with snow. Goru did not like to sit at home on a festival. He came out of his house as he could not stay in any longer and called out to all his friends. They wished each other a Merry Christmas. “How will we celebrate Christmas this year?” Teju, the monkey asked. “The Christmas tree is completely covered with snow,” said Tinku, the jackal. “What difference does it make? Are you all ready to celebrate Christmas?” Goru asked.

“Yes! All of us are ready.” Everyone replied in unison.

“You know we celebrate Christmas in a different way every year. This time the snow has given us this opportunity to do something unique,” said

“We have not understood what you said? they asked.”

“Together we will make a Christmas tree of snow,” explained Goru.

“That is a good idea,” said Tinku.

“But how will a tree be made out of snow? We can gather snow and make a mound but not a tree,” said Teju.

“You make a mound and we will change it into a tree,” Goru said. The others could not understand anything that has been told. The branch that had been fixed for the Christmas tree two days ago was now completely covered with snow, and it was still snowing. Everyone helped in gathering the snow and heaped it up to form a mound.

“Make it as high as possible,” said Goru.

All of them made it as high as they could. Meanwhile, all the animals came there. On the instructions of Goru, Teju brought Honey, the horse. Goru explained something which made Teju happy. He climbed up a branch and shaped the mound into a Christmas tree. He cut the pile of snow and gave it the shape of a tree.

“Wow! This is a beautiful snow tree,” exclaimed Chutki, the doe.

“But how will we decorate it?” asked Tinku.

“It can be decorated with plastic flowers and toys,” said Goru.

“Come let us tell Peelu,” said Teju.

“But he cannot come here,” Honey said.

“But why?”

“His feathers will get wet”.

“Their feathers get wet in the rain, not in snow,” explained Goru. Besides their feathers are so slippery that neither snow nor rain can stay on them…”

Peelu joined them within a few moments. Following his example, many birds came out of their nests. All of them decorated the tree with great enthusiasm. The bright white Christmas tree looked very beautiful.

The animals of the forest assembled to celebrate Christmas even in the snow. Everyone was happy. They had not imagined celebrating Christmas in this manner. By then Tina had also come there with the cake.

“Tina, what have you made this time?”

“Look at it!” said Tina and opened the box. It was filled with cakes in the form of small round white balls. Everyone enjoyed eating them. Then all of them made snowballs and hit each other with them. They had never enjoyed so much in the snow before.

Everyone celebrated Christmas together, sang songs and danced. No one felt the cold, but they were filled with the warmth of the festivities. Christmas was being celebrated by all.

A Merry Ride

It was very cold outside, but everyone’s face was lit with happiness. It was Christmas!

There was a lot of hustle and bustle at Lucy’s house. Lucy had a box full of toys. At night everyone at home wished each other ‘Merry Christmas.

At midnight there were a few soft whispers from the toy box. A red coloured toy train came out and said, “I am going out for a trip around the house for Christmas. If anyone wants a ride, he can take a ticket and get into the compartment.” Mickey, the puppy became the conductor of the train. He wore a black coat and stood outside the compartment blowing his whistle.

Sweety, the sparrow came out from the midst of the toys and said, “A ride through the house on the Christmas train! This is a good idea.” She flew over and settled near Mickey.

“Mickey, give me a ticket,” she said.

She took the ticket and took her seat.

Rob, the elephant’s sleep was disturbed on hearing the chatter. “Are you all going somewhere?”

“Yes, we are taking a ride on the Christmas train. But you will need two tickets, in order to get on the train.” Sweety laughed and said.

“Sweety you should not say such things. My compartments are so big that Rob can easily fit in them,” the train boasted.

Rob was happy to hear this. He immediately adjusted his specs and went to Mickey. The puppy felt like teasing Rob. He said, “If the train does not start then you will have to get down and push it.”

“Hey! Why will I have to push it alone? Everyone will get down and push it,” he said. He entered the train and took the back seat. He felt very sleepy.

Harsha, the cow, Soni, the ant, Pia, the squirrel, Cherry, the mouse, Bantu, the monkey all boarded the train the same way. The train had just started when Lottu, the fox boarded the train.

Everyone was frightened when they saw him because he was wicked.

“Eh Sweety! Move from here, otherwise, beware” he said.

“Why should I move? I have a ticket and I sat here first, therefore no one can move me from here” said Sweety.

“How dare you defy me!” Lottu said angrily, he pulled Sweety’s feather. She cried out in pain.

“That is hooliganism Lottu. You should be ashamed.” Harsha, the cow said in anger. “Since you came in last, you get the last remaining seat.”

The fox, however, did not listen.

Baring his teeth, he said, “You stop your nonsense or I will bite off your tail.” The animals sat down quietly. The speed of the train increased. It was going to the garden through the kitchen. All the animals had got into the train comfortably, but their fun was ruined because of the fox. Rob was sleeping snugly, unaware of all that was going.

Suddenly Bantu had an idea. He went to Lottu.

“Leave this seat. This is my friend’s place. He will crush you if he gets angry,” threatened the monkey.

The fox was angry. “Let him come! Where is he?” asked the fox.

“He is sleeping in the back seat.”

It was dark at the back. Agitated Lottu went there and without seeing Rob he sank his teeth in his body. However, due to the elephant’s thick skin, his teeth broke. Rob woke up from his deep slumber. He was very angry at being roused from his sleep. Before Lottu realised anything, he wrapped the fox with his snout and threw him out of the train.

There was a pool in the garden filled with water. Lottu fell in it.

“This was fun.” All the animals shouted together. There was a Christmas tree in the garden with colourful lights on its leaves.

“What a sight,” Rob uttered unexpectedly. “I slept off in vain.”

“How would we have gotten rid of the fox if you had not slept?” Bantu said, and all the animals started laughing celebrating the Christmas spirit.

Flashing Fireflies

There was no electricity in Satpudavan. Darkness gripped the whole forest as soon as the sun went down. There was nothing but pitch blackness after sunset. The animals that lived in the forest faced a lot of trouble during the nights without any light.

One day, Makalu Fox went up to King Sher Singh of Satpudavan. “Maharaj,” he said. “I saw a huge colony of fireflies near a swamp outside the forest last night. They made such a bright sight. I think these fireflies have a lot of electricity. If they come to our forest and give us their electricity, we won’t have any trouble seeing at nights.”

King Sher Singh sent his messengers to call the fireflies to his palace. The fireflies were humble and came as soon as they received the message.

“Please give us whatever electricity you have,” King Sher Singh said to the fireflies. “We will pay you whatever you ask for. We want to utilize your electricity to light up our forest at nights.”

“I am sorry, Maharaj. But this cannot be done. We have inherited the light. It is part of our bodies. We cannot just give it away,” Jagmag Firefly said. He was the leader of the colony of fireflies.

“How dare you decline our King’s request? Makalu Fox said in a threatening voice. “Give us your electricity or you will be punished!”

“Please don’t get angry,” Jagmag Firefly pleaded. “You must understand. Even if we give you the electricity we have within us, it won’t be of any use to you. It won’t work without us. We will perish if we give it to you.”

Minister Gajju Elephant heard the commotion and came to see what was happening.

He greeted the King and then said, “Maharaj, the fireflies are right. It is true. The light fireflies have is made by a biological action. They can’t give it away.”

“Is that so? King Sher Singh said. “I don’t understand. Please tell me more.”

“Maharaj, the fireflies belong to the arthropods community,” Gajju Elephant explained. “I read about them in an encyclopedia. They have a special element coming out of their bodies which can be seen at night. It is because of this element that they appear to flashlight at night.”

“That is why I have called them here. I want them to illuminate our forest with their light,” King Sher Singh said. “They must share their element with us.”

“Maharaj, the fireflies can’t give you their element even if they wanted to,” Gajju Elephant explained patiently. “The fireflies’ light is known as ‘bioluminescence’. It means ‘organism light’ which is emitted because of a special kind of chemical product found in the fireflies’ bodies.”

“I will tell you more about this, Maharaj,” the leader of the fireflies said respectfully.

“That’s a good idea, Jagmag,” Gajju Elephant said. “It will be best if you explain.”

“The chemical element in our bodies is called ‘Luciferin’ It is present in our cells. We can use it as many times as we want. It doesn’t get over.”

“So, the Luciferin stays constant and doesn’t get over?” Sher Singh asked, looking very surprised.

“That’s correct, Maharaj! The Luciferin supply in our cells remains even after we make light.” Jagmag Firefly explained.

“Okay, but how does the light go on and off?” King Sher Singh said.

“Maharaj, this entire process is governed by our nervous system. Luciferin is present in the inner surface of our respiratory tracts.” Jagmag Firefly continued. “When we breathe in and out, our nerves let the air go out with gaps. And so, it seems like our light is flashing or going on and off.”

“I think I understand now,” King Sher Singh said.

“Maharaj, please understand our problem. If we give this chemical substance of ours to you, it will be of no use. We will perish instead,” Jagmag Firefly folded his hands and said.

“I won’t let you perish, Jagmag,” King Sher Singh said kindly. “But can you and your friends do me a favour?”

“Of course, Maharaj!” Jagmag said. “Please tell us what we can do for you?”

“Spread out in our forest instead of staying together in one place during the nights. The whole forest will be lit up that way.” King Sher Singh requested.

“Yes Maharaj, we will do that,” all the fireflies said together.

From that day onwards, the fireflies scattered themselves throughout the forest at nights. The whole forest was illuminated with little sparks of light.

All the other animals thanked the fireflies and rejoiced.

WHY AM I LIKE THIS?

That day Chunky Rat was very sad when Cheelu Eagle came there.

“Why are you sad, Brother Chunky?” Cheelu asked.

“What shall I say? Everybody wants to kill me. Crows and the other birds or snakes and cats, all frighten me as I am small in size. If I was big, they couldn’t have done so,” Chunky said in a dejected voice.

“Okay, tell me what would you have done if you were big?” Cheelu smiled.

“If I was big, I would have bitten the cats, caught the tails of snakes and threw them in the air and I would have been so bad with the crows, hawks and the eagles that they would have never forgotten,” Chunky said overzealously.

“Oh, so along with other birds, you are thinking of making bad state of eagles too. Now I will show you how to make a bad state of somebody,” When Cheelu ran behind Chunky, he hid inside his hole.

Chunky didn’t come out of his hole for a long time. Only when Cheelu went away, did he come out.

He saw a giraffe coming.

“Wow Brother Giraffe, you have an amazing height. I wish I was as tall as you, and then I wouldn’t have to be afraid of anyone. On the contrary, others would have been scared of me.

“You think being tall is good? Do you know that because of my height I can’t hide and my enemies spot me easily? If I was small like you, I could have hidden anywhere,” giraffe said in an unhappy tone.

“So you are not happy with your height?”

“Not at all,” giraffe said. Just then he heard the roar of a lion and got frightened.

“It seems the lion is coming here,” giraffe said and ran away.

‘Wow, a lion must be the strongest. A big animal like a giraffe is also scared of him,’ Chunky thought. When the lion came there, Chunky hid inside his hole.

“You are looking anxious. What’s the matter?” Chunky asked from inside his hole.

“Hide me somewhere. Hunters have arrived in the jungle and they are looking for me.”

“You are the king of the jungle, but still you are scared of humans?” Chunky was surprised.

“If the humans catch me, I will be no king,” the lion said and started looking for a place to hide. When he didn’t find a suitable place, he left.

“How’s that, the animal who is the king of the jungle and so strong is petrified of ordinary humans, even I am not scared of humans,’ Chunky thought.

Chunky came out from his hole and reached the riverside. He saw an elephant in the river.

“Why are you roaming about so carelessly? Don’t you know that there are hunters in the jungle?” Chunky said.

“I am not scared of hunters,” the elephant said unconcerned. “What? You are not afraid of the hunters? Even the king of the jungle lion is scared of them. Okay, you must be definitely scared of the lion?”

“I will wrap my trunk around the lion and throw him away. Why should I be scared of him?”

“That means you are not scared of anyone?”

“It’s not like that. I am very scared of ants,” Chunky was astonished to hear this.

‘This elephant is scared of those ants of which even I am not scared. That means I am stronger than him,’ Chunky thought and came back to his hole.

“But I am afraid of Cheelu. That means Cheelu is the strongest. She is not scared of anyone and she can fly high in the sky without any fear. I wish I could be like Cheelu,’ Chunky was thinking when he heard somebody whimpering in pain. He came out of his hole and saw. Cheelu was sitting on a tree branch and moaning. She was badly hurt.

“Cheelu, what happened, how did you get hurt? You are so strong that everyone is scared of you, then who did this to you?”

“I got hurt by a kite string while flying,” Chunky began laughing when Cheelu said this.

“I am injured and you are laughing?” Cheelu said angrily.

“I am not laughing on you, but on thinking that the animals that I thought to be very strong are weaker than even me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lion is afraid of hunter, elephant of ant and you got hurt by a mere string. That means I am stronger than all of you because I am not scared of hunters or ants. Tearing threads is a daily thing for me. So whether its sky or the earth, I am strong both up and down. I was unnecessarily thinking myself as weak,” Chunky said happily and went back to his hole, leaving Cheelu perplexed.

Swan

Pijju Pigeon along with his wife Pijji was noticing a pair of swans coming to the river daily. They really liked the white colour of the swans.

One day Pijju went to the pair of swans and said, “Brother Swan, will you be our friend? We like your white colour very much.”

The swan turned towards him and smiled, “Even your colour is white.”

From that day onwards both pairs became friends. Whenever they would meet at the banks of Champa River, they would communicate a lot.

Pijju would question Mikku Swan a lot and Mikku would answer him patiently.

One day Pijju asked, “What attributes should a good friend have?”

Mikku said, “Helping each other in times of need. Trusting each other. Suggesting the right thing and the other should follow it. These are the signs of true friendship.”

Pijju’s next question was, “How can one know about the traits of a friend?”

“First get to know each other, then test your friend. Such friendship never breaks up.

“I want to say something. I don’t like one thing about you.”

Pijju was startled, “What’s that?”

“Why are you so timid? Mausi takes advantage of your cowardice. As soon as you see her, you close your eyes thinking that closing your eyes won’t let her see too. A coward dies before dying.”

Pijju asked, “What should I do?”

“Fight her. Destiny too favours the brave.”

“How?”

“Use your brain.”

Pijju started thinking, ‘Mikku is right. Why should I accept defeat before fighting?’

Pijju had made a nest in the verandah of Shelly’s house.

Pijji laid 2 eggs in it. Pijju and Pijji would dirty the verandah quite a lot.

Shelly got angry at that. She broke the nest and threw it on the road. Pijji began crying seeing the eggs on the road.

Pijju saw a man coming on a cycle. The eggs were about to come under his tyres when Pijju flew and sat on his handle. The cycle turned in other direction in a flurry and the eggs were saved.

Pijju saw a small pit nearby. He put the eggs with his beak in the pit and covered them with dry grass.

The eggs hatched after 2 days and the chicks came out. The danger had been averted.

When Mikku heard, he told Pijju, “You have made me proud. I am very happy.”

After a few days Pijji was happily eating grains in the garden.

Pijju was sitting on the terrace. He saw Mausi coming near. Pijji’s back was towards her. He started thinking, ‘How to save Pijji?’

Sometime before the gardener had cleared out the thorny bushes and thrown them on the terrace.

Pijju quickly threw those bushes in Mausi’s way. The thorns started pricking her. She cried in pain and ran away from there.

When Mikku heard all this, he was elated.

Many animals and birds of Champakvan too gathered there. Patting Pijju, Mikku said, “Your wisdom and bravery saved the lives of your chicks as well as Pijji.

Those who get scared during tough times can never stand up. I am proud of our friendship.”

“Yes friend, you have made me brave,” Pijju said with pride.

All of them burst into laughter.

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