kids short stories Archives - Page 3 of 6

Greenery Returns!

Once, a fierce fire broke out in Green Forest. All the plants and trees in the forest got burnt in the fire.

The animals of the forest somehow saved their lives, left the burnt forest and started looking for more habitable areas. Within a day after the fire, the forest was deserted.

The only animal who did not leave the forest was Jaggi tortoise. He did not wish to leave his native land. He was born and brought up in the forest.

All his friends and relatives left and went away. They all asked him to come with them before they left but Jaggi wanted to stay.

Jaggi managed to survive the next few days on simple meals he could find. But the nights were unbearable. The loneliness of the forest was frightening. He could not sleep. The memory of good old days kept him awake all night.

Finally Jaggi could not bear it any longer and he too decided to leave the forest.

As he was preparing to leave while sitting under the shade of a thick, burnt out tree near the pond, the thick tree shook violently, scaring him.

Two vultures had come and they were sitting on one of the branches of the tree, looking for dead animals to feast on. When they saw the tortoise sitting below, they were pleased.

One of the vultures said to the other vulture, “Tortoise meat is very soft
and delicious.”

“But the outer covering shell is hard and difficult to break open,” replied the other.

“I have a plan by which we can take this tortoise and break his shell,” said Tom, the first vulture, looking at Jaggi.

Jean, the second vulture, asked eagerly, “What is the plan? Tell me quickly.”

Tom said, “Have you heard the story about the talkative tortoise who was carried by two birds on a stick? He was holding it with his mouth and he fell down when he opened his mouth to speak. We too will offer to fly him to his friends by holding a stick in his mouth. Then we will drop him down and enjoy a good party.”

Jean said, “Let’s not delay our plan. Come, let’s go.” Both of them flew down to where Jaggi was sitting.

“Where are you preparing to go, Jaggi?” asked Tom in a friendly tone.

“After our forest burnt down, all the animals left to go to other places. I did not want to leave this forest but now I feel I too need to leave,” said Jaggi.

Tom said, “With your speed, you may not reach your friends even after a year.”

Jean said, “Meanwhile, you may die of hunger and thirst because you will not be able to find water and food on the way as the land in between is dry and barren.”

“Are my friends so far away?” asked Jaggi.

“Yes, they live very far,” both the vultures said together.

Jaggi sadly said, “That means I will not be able to reach them.”

“Not if you were to walk to them. But you may reach them if you fly,” said Tom flapping his wings.

Jaggi became sadder and said, “Why are you making fun of me? You know I cannot fly.”

“If you agree, we can fly you to your friends,” said Tom looking towards the sky.

“How will you hold me?” asked Jaggi.

Tom picked up a stick and explained, “You hold this stick in your mouth. We two will catch the two ends of this stick in our paws and fly you to your friends.”

Jaggi agreed to the idea.

The vultures brought a strong stick and asked Jaggi to catch it tightly in the middle by his mouth.

But suddenly just then, the wind started blowing strongly and the thick burnt tree started shaking violently. The next moment it tilted and was about to fall on the two vultures.

When Jaggi saw the tree falling on the vultures, he rushed and pushed them away. Both got saved but the tree fell on Jaggi who became motionless. Both the vultures were shocked to see this.

“I feel sorry and ashamed that we planned to take the life of such a good and virtuous tortoise. He sacrificed his life to save our lives,” said Tom sadly.

Jean started sobbing. He said, “Jaggi died to save us.”

Just then Jaggi came out from under the tree and said, “There is no need to cry. My strong shell has saved me. I am perfectly alright.”

“Oh great! You are safe! So wonderful!” they both said joyfully.

“We are very happy to see you alive. Come, let’s go. You will be with your friends,” said Tom.

“No friends, I have decided that I will not leave the forest, my motherland. I will start planting new seeds and saplings and make this forest green again,” said Jaggi, filled with positive thought.

“Like you, your ideas also are great. Both of us will also help you in it,” said Jean.

“Yes, we are with you,” Tom joined in.

From that day onwards all three of them started planting new saplings.

When Jaggi’s friends and relatives heard about this, many returned and joined in making the forest green again.

In a few months the whole forest got filled with small green plants and trees. The animals too looked forward to the day when the forest would become their old forest with big trees and shade.

A Timid King

Leo lion did not want to become the king of the forest because he was very timid.

“Please dad, I don’t want to become the king,” he often told his father.

“But son, it is we, the lions, who have to become the kings. Now I have become old. You must slowly start taking up the responsibilities of this forest,” Papa Sheru explained to him with love.

Leo however was so timid, that he was not ready to become the king at all. “I
am tired of listening to my father,”
he thought.

One day he told himself, “It is better that I go away from this place and hide somewhere. Then I wouldn’t face any trouble.”

As he said so, he hid behind the bushes. There was a mango tree near the bushes which had some monkeys sitting on them. They saw Leo hiding there.

“Look, our future king is hiding here.” A tall monkey pointed
to friends.

“Good. Let’s make fun of this timid creature,” said a monkey.

He immediately plucked several mangoes and distributed among his friends.

“Let’s get started.” Saying so, he threw one mango towards Leo. On seeing this, all the others too started throwing mangoes on Leo.

“Oh dear.” Being upset with this sudden attack, Leo ran away from there.

“Timid… Timid…” shouted the monkeys as they clapped.

“How wild are the animals in this forest,” Leo thought to himself and felt sad. But he did not get angry. He feared that the herd of monkeys may attack him. So, he ran away quickly and came to the forest’s pond.

“Hey look, our future king is hiding here!” exclaimed the children of two elephants who were drinking water from the pond.

“If he is so timid, then who will save us from our enemies?” They started talking to each other.

“You are right. What is the difference whether he is here or not?” said the second elephant.

The young elephants made fun of him. They filled water in their trunks and splashed it on Leo who was still hiding.

“If you continue to hide, then we will give you a bath and also arrange meals for you,” Both of them laughed and said.

Leo got very angry when suddenly they showered water on him. However, he was afraid that if he expressed his anger, then the elephant would not spare him.

“Oops! I need to escape from here as well.” Leo immediately ran towards the mountain.

“Timid… timid…” The elephants teased him on as he ran.

Once at the mountains, Leo was at considerable peace. He laid under the dense cover of a tree.

“It’s fine here. No one will disturb me,” he thought.

A few crows were sitting on the tree.

“Hey look, our future king is hiding here,” one crow said looking at Leo.

“Let’s teach a lesson to this coward,” said another crow, as he reached out for him.

Now the mischievous crows began to bother him. Some started crying near his ear while some others started poking him with their beaks.

“What’s the problem?” Leo got upset again. He was very angry with the crows for teasing him. When his patience broke, he roared aloud.

Hearing him roar, the crows flew away in fear.

Leo told himself, “I am a lion and I have to show courage like a lion. I can’t live in fear. I am ready to become the king of this forest.” He roared again and returned home.

“Dad, I am ready to become the king.” When Sheru heard this, he embraced his son with pride.

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.

Titu, A Brave Camel

There was once a huge camel named Titu. One day, he wandered into a thick, green forest.

Now, the animals in the forest had never seen such a tall animal and he thus appeared strange to them.

Pintu monkey was the first to talk to him. He climbed up a tree so that he could see Titu better. “Who are you, and where are you from?” asked Pintu.

“My name is Titu and I live in the desert. I was passing through,” said Titu.

“There’s no space in this jungle for more animals. Go away!” said a scared Dhinki deer, hiding behind a tree.

“I do not wish to make this my home. I will stay here for a short period,” said Titu. “So, let’s be friends!”

However, no one befriended Titu. Instead, they made fun of him. Bernie beaver laughed at his height, saying that Titu was as tall as a tent!

Titu, however, did not respond to the taunts.

Soon, the animals realised that Titu, despite being huge, did no harm. They took advantage of his gentle nature and harassed him.

Cheeku rabbit ran swiftly between Titu’s long legs to trip him over. Poor Titu jumped in fright! He was scared of crushing the little rabbit beneath his legs. Cheeku, on the other hand, proud of his prank, clapped his hands in glee.

Pintu pulled the next prank. He jumped from a treetop onto Titu’ back.

Thump!

He then rattled Titu’s hump and ran away quickly.

Golu bear was next. He dangled from Titu’s long neck and laughed heartily when Titu tried to shake him off.

By evening Titu was tired. His first day in the forest was bad. He decided to leave the forest early next morning.

That night, it rained heavily.

The river which was flowing through the jungle soon began to flood. At day break, most of the animals’ houses were underwater.

As the water level continued to rise, the animals got worried.

Perry parrot decided to fly out in search of safe ground. He returned with good news, “The ground on the other side of the riverbank is high. The floodwaters haven’t reached that part yet. We should move there.”

Scared, Dhinki deer cried, “But the water in the river is flowing fast. If we cross the river now, we could drown!”

“Alas! We will drown if we stay here,” said Pintu monkey, in despair.

The water level was rising quickly. Soon, it seemed that the rest of the animals’ houses would get submerged too. The animals were helpless. Confused and scared, some began to cry.

“I will help you,” said Titu, standing in water, which hardly reached his knees.

“You will?” asked a surprised Golu.

The animals struggled to stand in waist-deep water as they clung to each other.

“Yes,” said Titu, nodding his head.

“But, we played pranks on you!” said Pintu monkey, surprised. He could not believe that the same Titu that they had troubled, wanted to help them.

“True, you behaved in a manner that made you feel good,” said Titu. “I will do what I feel is right.” He smiled, “I have always considered you all friends. And a friend in need is a friend indeed!”

The animals hung their heads in shame.

Titu spoke, “Let’s not waste time, my friends. The water level is rising! Climb onto my back and I will take you to the other side, in turns.”

“Will it be safe?” asked a trembling Cheeku rabbit.

“My legs are long. So, I can cross the river easily. Hold on to my hump, and do not let go. For if you do, you will fall into the river and drown,” warned Titu.

It was decided. The small animals crossed the river first, followed by the big animals.

In a span of two hours, Titu took all animals to safety. “Titu, you are good! Please forgive our rude actions,” said Golu bear with folded hands. All the animals joined him in pleading for forgiveness.

Titu replied, “You are a nice lot, just a little naughty. If you stop with your pranks, you will be a whole lot nicer.” With that he let out a loud laugh, and all the animals joined him.

“We will all stay here till the water level comes down. Then we will arrange a feast for Titu!” said Golu. Everyone clapped.

While waiting for the flood to clear, the animals kept themselves busy. Some started collecting food, while others like Pintu monkey, entertained everyone with his funny tricks. Koyal cuckoo sang a song, while Shyamu Peacock danced. There was an air of fun and frolic around.

Two days later, the floods cleared and the animals returned to their homes.

Titu had made friends with all the animals who took great care of him.

Yet, Titu started missing his home.

One day, he gathered all his friends and said, “Dear friends, I would now like to return to the desert. It’s been a long time since I left my home. My parents must be worried.”

“Please stay,” pleaded Dhinki deer. However, the animals knew that Titu’s reason to leave was justified. They were silent. Bernie beaver, who had grown close to Titu said, “If you can’t stay, I will accompany you back to your home.”

“So will I,” added Pintu monkey.

“I would love to take you all to my home in the desert, but you will not survive the desert heat,” said Titu. He explained, “This jungle is full of lush, green trees and flowing rivers. The desert is the exact opposite. It is extremely hot, with no signs of trees or water, for miles!”

This surprised the animals. Golu asked, “If there is no water, how do you quench your thirst?”

“We camels have a sac inside our neck. We fill that sac whenever we find water. We then quench our thirst with droplets of water from that sac. Hence, we can stay for nearly a week without water. But that is not possible in your case friends,” said Titu.

The animals realised that they could not accompany Titu to the desert, nor ask him to stay back. Everyone was sad.

Golu finally said, “Go if you must, but promise that you will visit us all at least once, every year.”

“I will, for sure,” said Titu, happily. He too was a little sad to leave his friends.

The whole jungle had a grand feast for Titu. The animals danced, sang and rejoiced.

The next morning, Titu started for his home in the desert.

All the animals thereafter awaited his return.

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?

Mintu & Banyan Tree!

After a whole night of heavy showers, the rain stopped. Most trees in Anandvan forest had fallen down. Due to landslides at many places, the roads were blocked.

Mintu monkey reached his favourite spot – the banyan tree, but was shocked to see it. Due to the previous night’s rain, the tree had been uprooted. The huge trunk blocked the road and its branches were scattered everywhere.

Mintu sat quietly near the fallen tree. He remembered all the beautiful moments he had spent on the tree with his mother. He had been born there and had spent his childhood playing with other animals on the branches of the tree. When he became older, he left the banyan tree to stay with his friends. But he came to the tree often to meet his mother. Even after his mother died, he would still come to the tree regularly.

After some time, Pinku parrot passed that way. Seeing Mintu sitting there with his shoulders drooping, Pinku asked, “What happened, Mintu? Why do you look so sad?”

“Pinku, I’m sad looking at this uprooted tree,” replied Minku.

“The rain has destroyed many trees of the forest. This is not the only one. Come with me, I will show you around. Don’t feel so sad,” Pinku consoled.

“No, thank you Pinku. I am better here,” replied Mintu.

“Tell me the truth, Mintu. What happened? Were you very attached to this tree?” asked Pinku.

“Yes Pinku, I spent the best days of my childhood sitting here, on this tree. The memory of my mother also revolves around this tree,” Mintu sobbed and said.

“That is why you are feeling so sad about this tree,” said Pinku.

“You are right. The government has cut down so many trees to make the road. But, what is the point of the road if there are no trees?”

“You may not need the road, but there are others who do, Mintu. For the development of the forest, this was necessary,” said Pinku, now getting angry at Mintu.

“It doesn’t mean that for development, the whole forest should be destroyed,” retorted Mintu.

“For development, cutting trees is necessary. We don’t know how many more sacrifices we still have to make to become modern,” said Pinku, sticking to his point of view.

“Pinku, not only that this tree is destroyed. So many animals, birds and insects living on the tree also are homeless. Where will they go now?” asked Mintu.

“Yes, that’s true,” said Pinku. “But this is what you and I think. The government does not think about all this.”

“We must make them understand. Do you know now?” asked Mintu.

“Come, let us ask what the other animals of the forest who have suffered because of the rains, say on this,” said Pinku.

Soon, they gathered many animals who had suffered losses because of the heavy rains destroying the trees and their homes in the forest.

“By building the roads in the forest, many animals have suffered loss of their homes and loss of forest property. We should put our problems before the government. If we carry on like this, we don’t know how much more loss we will have to suffer,” said Mintu.

“Mintu is right!” they said together and decided to go and meet the Minister in charge of roads and development.

Seeing so many animals together the Minister asked, “What happened? Is everything alright?”

“Sir, because of yesterday’s rains, many of our birds and animals have become homeless. Big trees have been uprooted. We have never seen such large-scale destruction,” said Pinku.

“But why have you come to me?” asked the Minister. “Sir, because of the construction of roads in the forest, so much destruction of property has taken place,” they said together.

“Then, you tell me, what should I do? For the development of the forest, we have to suffer some amount of loss,” he said.

“You’re right, sir. But we request that at the time of building roads, a few points should be kept in mind. Road construction should not kill the roots of trees. The forest’s old banyan tree has fallen down. Many birds and small animals had their homes on it. All of them have become homeless. Many creatures had spent their childhood on or around this tree. Their memories revolved around it. And all this is now over!” they explained.

“You are right. We should have kept these things in mind. The road should have been planned in a way, so that least destruction of trees and forest happens.

Whatever loss has happened, can’t be undone. But I promise you, In future, we will keep in mind that you do not suffer anymore,” replied the Minister.

“But what will happen to the old banyan tree? It is still lying there on the ground,” said Pinku.

“I have a solution for this. If you wish, I can help you preserve its memories,” said the Minister.

“How?” they asked. “We will cut off the big branches and place the trunk with the roots in a big hole in the ground. Soon, new sprouts will come from it,” said the minister.

“Is that possible?” they asked. “We have to try. And I also promise, next time, we will be careful in our construction,” he promised.

Mintu and all the animals too decided to help in the development of the forest and ensure that the forest was not destroyed.

Monu’s Selfie Trouble

One day Monu monkey found a mobile phone in the forest. Monu was excited to find the phone and jumped across to give the news to his friends. But first, he thought of taking a selfie or his own picture with his new mobile.

He switched on the camera, scrunched up his nose and face and took a selfie. He then showed the selfie to his friends and offered to take a selfie with them too.

All his friends praised his picture. Monu was filled with joy to hear this. He thought that he had found a priceless gift. Now, all his friends would do his work, as he would offer to take their pictures.

Now, Monu did dangerous things like walking on one hand and swinging from a tree while taking selfies. The more his friends praised his pictures, the more Monu wandered around the forest to find new spots to take selfies. He had become addicted to his friends praising him and his pictures.

But Monu’s mother knew that Monu was wasting a lot of his time in taking pictures and was not finishing his studies or helping her with housework.

One day when Monu returned from the forest, mother said, “Monu, you’re just busy going to dangerous places in the forest to take selfies. I am really worried about this. You need to pay attention to your studies. If something untoward takes place, what will happen? You need to think about what you’re doing.”

“Ma, you worry unnecessarily. I am not a kid anymore. I can easily differentiate between right and wrong. You be assured, I can take care of myself,” replied Monu and turned a deaf ear to what ma had said.

Monu became crazy for taking selfies in dangerous places and the praises his friends showered on him, added fuel to this fire.

He had become so bold that he would not think twice to take a selfie near a lion, even. It was common for him to climb on the backs of elephants or giraffes and take selfies.

He was so addicted to taking selfies that he thought himself to be the selfie professional of the whole forest.

Not only did he take selfies better than any other animal, he demanded appreciation from friends all the time. Most of his friends were now fed up with his habit.

One day Monu thought of taking a selfie from the branch of the tallest tree of the forest. One could view the beauty of the whole forest from there.

He climbed the top most branch of that tree to take a unique selfie. He held the mobile in one of his forelegs, the branch with the other and posed for a selfie, hanging in the air. He was having fun clicking selfies in various poses. But the branch couldn’t bear his weight.

It broke from the tree with a loud crack. Monu fell hitting the branches of the tree, on the ground with a thud and lost his senses with a loud cry.

On hearing his cry, some animals near the tree came running there. Seeing him lying unconscious, they took him to Dr. Gajju elephant immediately.

Dr. Gajju examined him and said that he was seriously injured and had fractured his legs. Monu needed to rest for two months.

Monu’s mother, too reached Dr. Gajju’s clinic. She was crying because Monu was hurt and unconscious.

Monu became conscious and realized that his mother was crying. He cried in pain and said, “Ma, please forgive me. I will listen to you and promise not to take selfies all the time. I will not touch the mobile again.”

Monu’s mother hugged him and said, “My child, the mobile has nothing to do with this. You had started to misuse the mobile by putting your life in danger, by taking selfies in dangerous places. That’s why you met with an accident. You escaped with minor wounds and your life is out of danger; this is a great lesson for you.”

Monu learnt a lesson from his mother and decided to leave the addiction of taking selfies. But all his friends gathered there and took one last selfie with Monu lying on the bed, with plaster on his leg, to remind him to be careful!

Vehicles Of Gods

The spread of literacy in Vijayvan had not been good for Pandit Bholaram monkey’s business.

He was no longer called upon to read palms to predict the future, nor to perform rituals for good health, success in studies or before entering a new home. The animals of Vijayvan knew these practices were only so that Panditji could make money and did not guarantee the things they promised.

He shared this with his friend Bunty monkey who came to meet him.

“Business has been dull, my friend. A week has passed since I have had any customer,” said Bholaram sadly.

“Yes! Everyone has become wiser since the opening of the new library,” agreed Bunty.

“Please sit, Bunty. Let me get some tea for you,” said Pandit Bholaram.

Bunty monkey sat, looked around the room and found a book. He started reading it. The book was called ‘Gods and their Favourite Rides’. The book depicted the favourite vehicles of Gods with colourful images. He flips through the entire book by the time Bholaram comes back with tea. He suddenly thought of something.

“There is another forest, a little far from here, called Devvan. The residents of Devvan are uneducated and very superstitious. Your business can thrive there,” said Bunty, taking tea from Bholaram.

Bholaram looked curiously at Bunty.

“An idea has come to my mind after reading this book!” said Bunty and narrated his plan to Bholaram, who also got excited after hearing it.

“Now, since I came up with the idea, I should be a 50% partner in your earnings. You take half and give the other half of what you earn to me,” said Bunty and Bholaram agreed.

The duo then left for Devvan. They took a house on rent there and hung a board that said: ‘Pandit Bholaram’s Obstacle Removal Centre’.

The word soon spread that a renowned ‘Pandit’ had come to Devvan and was relieving animals of their pains and problems. A huge crowd started to gather at the centre.

Motu owl heard this and came to visit Pandit Bholaram. Touching Bholaram’s feet, Motu said, “These days my earnings are not sufficient. Please suggest a way to increase them.”

“What are you saying, Motu? Such a thing is not possible! You are the carrier of Goddess Lakshmi herself! How can you suffer? This cannot happen to you!” Pandit Bholaram exclaimed before Motu could finish his sentence.

“Who is Goddess Lakshmi?” Motu enquired.

“You don’t know about Goddess Lakshmi? She is the Goddess of wealth who grants money to all. She rides on your back whenever she has to go somewhere,” explained Bholaram.

This was all very confusing for Motu. Pandit Bholaram, then, looked at his partner Bunty monkey for support. Bunty took out the book and turned some pages. He showed an image to Motu and said, “Look, this is you and this is Goddess Lakshmi riding on you for her visit to a poor man to shower her blessings.”

“Oh yes! That is me for sure! I never knew this,” said Motu, surprised.

“Worship Goddess Lakshmi and you will have so much money, you will never have to worry again,” Bunty added.

This made Motu owl extremely happy. He gave Pandit Bholaram fees for this knowledge and left from there.

Bholaram said, “Why has Lord Ganesha’s vehicle take the pain of coming here? I would have visited your house if only you had asked me.”

Bholaram’s words did not mean anything to Chuchu and he started talking about his problem, “I am having a difficult time these days. My wife and kids do not listen to me,” he said.

“This is definitely the dark ages. Lord Ganesha’s ride is having a difficult time! It is definitely not a good time,” Bholaram dramatised.

“I do not understand what you are saying about Lord Ganesha and me being his ride. Please tell me when my luck will change,” asked Chuchu impatiently.

Bunty monkey showed Chuchu a picture from his book and explained, “Look, Lord Ganesha is riding on your back, on his task to remove problems for those who worship him.”

Chuchu was surprised to see that he was carrying Lord Ganesha on his back. This made him realize how great he was!

“Keep Lord Ganesha happy by worshipping him and soon everything will be back to normal,” suggested Bunty.

Chuchu gave money to Pandit Bholaram and left from there.

“Namaste, Pandit ji!” greeted Kalu crow, who visited Bholaram next. “I never get a successful result in any work I do. It seems as if there is an adverse influence of Lord Saturn on me.”

“Lord Saturn can never affect you adversely! You are his ride! He can never let this happen to you!” Bholaram faked surprise.

Like always, Bunty took out his book and showed Kalu an image of Kalu carrying Lord Saturn.

“Look it is you who is carrying Lord Saturn! The Lord does not have wings to fly and he would be helpless without you. You should go and pray to him and you will be taken care of,” said Bunty.

They suggested Ballu ox to pray to Lord Shiva, Meenu peacock to pray to Kartikey’s, Hansraj swan to pray Goddess Saraswati’s and Golu eagle to pray to Lord Vishnu, as these gods rode on them and advised them to worship their respective Gods and said, “Your luck is going to change very soon. After all, these Gods have to help their rides.”

Now, Chuchu mouse, Motu owl, Kalu crow, Ballu ox, Golu Eagle to Meenu peacock, and others started worshipping their respective Gods. They believed that they would soon become wealthy if they succeeded in pleasing their Gods.

After several days of praying when none of them got the desired results they went back to Bholaram and complained, “Pandit ji, we have been worshipping our Gods day and night but we have not been rewarded.”

The gathering of a huge crowd made Bholaram nervous. But the clever Bunty immediately came up with an idea and said, “Don’t worry, my friends! If you haven’t succeeded in the simple method of prayer, then, we will switch to a different and more complicated method. About five kilometres from here, there is a river. On its banks is a tree. You should go there and start a hunger strike. Your strike will make the Gods helpless and their work will come to a standstill. They will not be able to travel from one place to another,” claimed Bunty.

All the animals followed Bunty’s advice and went to the river bank and sat under the huge banyan tree in a hunger strike. Two days passed but no God or Goddesses came to their rescue.

Rocky rabbit of Vijayvan was visiting Devvan. He was riding on Grandpa elephant’s back. Grandpa elephant was tired as he had been walking continuously and wanted to rest, so they stopped near the banyan tree.

“Rocky, let us rest here for some time and have our food too,” said Grandpa elephant.

Rocky got down from Grandpa elephant’s back. Looking at the crowd gathered there Grandpa elephant said, “What is this? It seems like the whole of Devvan is gathered here!”

“Can’t you see, we are all on a hunger strike? We will not eat or drink anything until God appears to help us,” Kalu crow replied.

“I am Lord Ganesha’s vehicle. Let me see how Lord Ganesha moves out of his house without me,” Chuchu said proudly.

“I carry Goddess Lakshmi around. The Goddess flaunts herself when she sits on me. Let me see how she manages without me,” Motu owl added.

Grandpa elephant and Rocky rabbit understood that animals had been fooled. He noticed that the animals had become very weak from hunger. They were not able to speak properly. Grandpa elephant picked the food kept on his back with his trunk and brought it down. The sweets and the fruits made the animals hungrier. He invited them to eat the food.

“No, we are on a hunger strike,” they said together.

“But you all are the vehicles of the Gods and you are on a hunger strike! How will they come to you if they do not have their rides with them?” asked Rocky.

The animals looked at each other and said, “That makes sense! If we are not with them, how will they come to us?”

But Ballu was suspicious and said, “I think this is a way to disrupt our strike.”

Rocky knew the animals would not survive if they were not fed immediately. He thought hard and came up with an idea.

He pointed towards Grandpa elephant and said, “He is Eravat-Lord Indra’s vehicle. Your prayers have made Lord Indra happy and he has sent this food with him. But if you all do not wish to eat, we will inform King Indra that.”

Before Rocky could complete his sentence, the animals jumped at the food and polished it off. They felt stronger after eating the food.

“We were not aware that we are vehicles of various Gods till Pandit Bholaram and Bunty monkey told us that we are important as we are the vehicles of Gods,” said Motu owl. On hearing Bholaram and Bunty’s names, both Grandpa Elephant and Rocky rabbit were surprised.

“Chuchu, please help me pick up this empty box of sweets and throw it,” said Grandpa Elephant after a little thought.

Chuchu mouse came and tried to pick up the box but he couldn’t move it.

“Try harder! You claim to carry Lord Ganesha across the universe on your back, so this should not be difficult for you,” said Grandpa elephant.

Chuchu mouse was embarrassed.

Rocky then asked Motu owl, “Can you throw this box outside?”

“Where is the box?” asked Motu looking around but he could not see the box.

“It’s day time. I cannot see anything when there is sunlight. Let the sun set and it become dark…” he said, trailing his sentence.

“What if Goddess Lakshmi has to go somewhere during the day?” asked Rocky. Motu had no answer.

“Pandit Bholaram has fooled you! You are not the vehicles of Gods and no one will help you succeed if you give money to such pandits. Success can only be achieved with hard work,” explained Grandpa elephant.

Meanwhile in the jungle, Pandit Bholaram and Bunty were busy packing their stuff and getting ready to run away.

Grandpa elephant took all the animals to Pandit Bholaram and Bunty’s house where they saw the duo dividing the money they had earned amongst themselves.

On seeing Grandpa elephant, Bholaram and Bunty understood that they had been caught and returned the money they had charged from the animals.

Grandpa elephant and Rocky rabbit then left for Vijayvan. On his way back Grandpa elephant thought, “We need to open a school and library here, so that the residents of Devvan cannot be fooled easily and keep books that will help them think for themselves.”

New Bicycle

Atul’s old bicycle was too small for him. He had problems riding it, as his legs were too long for the bicycle and would ache. He had been asking for a new bicycle from his father, who was not getting time to buy one.

Atul played badminton on weekends and all his friends came to the court on their cycles. But he had to walk. He, too, wanted to cycle to class like his friends.

At last, his wait ended when his father gifted him a new bicycle on his birthday.

“This Saturday, I too will go for badminton class on my new bicycle,” he said excitedly.

“Not so soon, son. This new bicycle is a bit big for you. Your legs don’t reach the pedal properly. Practice for a few days and then ride it,” father explained.

“But didn’t I ride my old bicycle well? My class is just 2 kilometers away and there is no traffic on that road. I want to go on my new cycle,” Atul insisted.

“You are right, son. But the road to your class is steep. Unless you have full control on the cycle, you may fall. So, practice for a few days near the house and then cycle to class,” father advised.

Atul didn’t say anything but he didn’t like what his father said. ‘I am 10 now but they always think of me as a child,’ he thought to himself.

On Sunday, Atul’s father’s friend came to visit them. Father was talking to him and mother was preparing tea and snacks. Seeing everyone busy, Atul took a chance and took his new bicycle and left for the badminton class.

While placing his racquet and water bottle on the bicycle, he dreamt of being a famous player.

After riding for a short distance, Atul lost his balance, as his legs couldn’t reach the pedals properly and went into a hedge. He and the bicycle, both, fell down. Atul got a minor scratch on his leg. But he still wanted to ride his bicycle to class. He picked up the bicycle. Its handle had got bent, but he didn’t go back and rode to class.

Atul hummed as he rode. The road became steep and he put all his energy and pedaled the bicycle uphill.

When the road sloped down, instead of applying brakes, Atul got scared. The bicycle raced fast down the road. Another man was coming on his bicycle from the opposite direction. Atul wanted to stop the bicycle but couldn’t because of the slope and collided with the man coming from the opposite direction.

Both the riders fell down with their cycles. Atul’s bicycle fell on top of his leg. His leg hurt. His racquet and water bottle lay on the road. The man with whom Atul collided was bringing milk, bread and eggs from the market. The eggs broke and the milk spread on the road.

Standing up, the man said, “If I go home without these things, I will get a scolding. I don’t have money to buy them again,” he cried.

Now a crowd gathered around them. Someone asked Atul’s parents’ phone number and called them who came there quickly.

Seeing the whole situation, Atul’s father understood what had happened. Atul was scared to face his parents’.

Atul’s father gave money to the man to buy the things again.

Atul’s racquet and the new bicycle both were bent. His leg had swollen by the time they reached home and his parents had to take him to the doctor.

The doctor said that Atul had sprained his muscles and gave him medicines and asked him to put hot and cold water bags on his legs.

Atul could neither play badminton nor go out to play for 3 weeks. He apologized to his parents and promised to understand when to try new things.

Chatterbox Charlie

Charlie monkey was a chatterbox. Unlike the others in the forest, his hobbies did not include painting, drawing, sports, or music. Instead, he loved to just keep talking.

He would start talking wherever he went. All he needed was a reason, and he would start telling the whole story. His parents and teachers were frustrated with this habit. They tried explaining to him, “Don’t talk so much! Think before you speak! If you keep talking unnecessarily, you will get into trouble.”

But to no avail. Charlie hardly listened to any advice.

One day, a few guests arrived at Charlie’s house. His mom sent him to the market to buy samosas and told him, “Come back quickly! Don’t get distracted by talking!”

“All right!” said Charlie and left for the market.

He placed his order and was waiting for his turn when Jojo jackal, who was also standing at the shop, noticed him and said, “Hello! Are you Mukesh’s son?”

That was all the reason Charlie needed.

He said, “No, uncle! My father’s name is Manohar, and mine is Charlie. I study in fifth standard in Jungle Public School.”

Jojo said, “Oh, yes! I’m sorry! I know your father, too. He’s a great guy! I want to meet him.”

Charlie started again, “Of course, uncle! My dad is a big businessman. The shop ‘Jungle Electronics’ in the main marketplace belongs to us. You can buy the latest refrigerators, televisions, washing machines and air conditioners in our shop along with imported gadgets. You have to go to the shop to make a purchase, but you won’t be able to meet my dad. He will be going out of town for a few days, and the shop will be closed.”

Then Charlie remembered that there were guests at home, and his mom was waiting for him. He took the samosas and rushed home, but the guests had already left by then.

Mom was furious. She said, “There you are! Why did you come back so late? Did you find someone to talk to? Now, eat the samosas yourself! The guests have left!”

Charlie was apologetic and said, “But I was not talking in vain, mom! I met an uncle at the shop who knew dad and wanted to meet him.” And he recounted his conversation with Jojo uncle.

His dad got upset after listening to his story. Charlie thought that his dad would scold him. But his dad left the house at once. Then Charlie went to his room, thinking that the matter was over.

The next morning, when Charlie was getting ready for school, the doorbell rang. Charlie’s mom answered the door, and Inspector Cheetah Singh was standing outside. Two other policemen were holding Jojo as a prisoner.

Seeing Jojo, Charlie said, “Oh! This is the same uncle I met yesterday! He wanted to meet dad!”

“He’s not your uncle! He’s a crook! He collects information about big businessmen and their whereabouts and robs them after finding an opportunity. We’ve been looking for him for a long time. Finally, we caught him,” said the inspector.

Charlie was shocked, and he said, “I thought he needed help. So, I told him everything…”

“But you tell everything to everyone! You never think twice about how much you should share and with whom. When I heard your story yesterday, I realised something was fishy. So, I alerted the police immediately. That’s why we are safe. Otherwise, your ‘Uncle’ would have robbed the shop,” said dad.

Charlie’s dad thanked Inspector Cheetah Singh for his timely action. The police left, taking Jojo away with them.

For the first time, Charlie regretted his habit of excessive talking, which could have resulted in a huge loss for them. His eyes welled up with tears. He promised his parents that in the future, he would never speak without thinking.

Humans In A Cage

There was silence all around. Streets were deserted and parks, abandoned. No one could be seen on the roads. It seemed like all humans were holed up inside their houses.

The black smoke from the skies had disappeared and the air was less polluted. Rivers, too, were cleaner than before.

The animals of Champakvan couldn’t understand what was going on. They were called for a meeting by Blacky bear in the morning on the banks of Crysty River.

After greeting everyone, Blacky asked, “Where are the humans? What has caused this sudden change? Why do all the cities look deserted? What has caused the noise and air pollution to reduce?”

Blacky Bear asked many questions and looked at the other animals for answers.

“I have heard that a disease has taken over the cities, villages and towns. It is forcing the humans to stay in their houses,” said Jumpy monkey who had returned from the city last week.

“What kind of a disease? How can a disease cause the cities to shut down?” asked Jumbo elephant.

“I do not have much information. It is just something that I heard from somewhere,” replied Jumpy.

“Our water is cleaner too. It seems like nobody is working at the factories as the water is not as dirty as it used to be,” said Wooky alligator, popping his head out of the water.

“It surely means that something really serious has happened, otherwise humans don’t change so easily,” Elvy python added.

“Yes, Rocky rooster also told me that humans don’t come out of their houses even after the morning rooster call,” said Cheeku rabbit.

After listening to all of them, Blacky took some time to think and then said, “We should try and find out what is happening. I hope this silence is not a warning for some kind of danger approaching our forest. Let’s find out if this is a conspiracy against us. We should send someone from our forest to the city.”

“Meeku mouse can go. He is fast and small and can enter any house,” said Dumpy pig.

“Yes, I agree. Meeku will be good for this job,” added Dodo Peacock.

“Can you do it, Meeku?” asked Blacky. “Sure, I can. It will be my pleasure to be able to do something for our forest,” replied Meeku and left for the city immediately.

On reaching the city in the afternoon, he noticed that many shops were shut and very few people were on the roads wearing masks. He went inside one of the houses and saw a family watching television.

A news programme was announcing the rising number of cases and listing the precautions people should take. Meeku left from there and entered another house.

Here, the television was on but no one was watching. He heard the news host saying, “Coronavirus is spreading fast. Those who have symptoms like runny nose, cough or fever should report immediately. An infected person needs to maintain distance from others. People should stay at home and only step out to buy essentials.”

Meeku went into yet another house where he saw a little kid drawing and talking to his grandfather.

“Grandpa, how do you like my drawing?”

“Wow! Karan, this is lovely. You have shown how all the animals are roaming freely and humans are sitting at home,” said grandpa.

“It’s true, grandpa. Now, humans are locked in cages while the animals are merrily roaming outside. They are free and not afraid of any virus. When will this coronavirus leave us, grandpa?” asked Karan.

“My dear Karan, until we find a vaccine that can save our lives, we have to follow certain rules of maintaining social distance, washing our hands regularly and eating healthy food. We cannot stop the virus but we can stop it from spreading and hope that this pandemic gets over soon,” explained grandpa.

“Why is it called a pandemic, grandpa?” asked Karan.

“Because it is a disease that has spread to all the countries in the world,” replied grandpa.

Meeku understood the situation. He left the house and ran towards the forest. Another meeting was called in the forest where Meeku explained the whole situation to everybody in detail.

He told them, “Champakvan is not under any threat. It is the humans who are facing a threat from a disease called coronavirus. Let us hope they learn something from this situation.”

This eased the unknown fear that the animals of the forest felt. They hoped that the helplessness the humans faced goes away for good.

The Happiness Shop

Vicky rabbit was fond of eating chocolates. He fought with his younger brother and sister because they unknowingly ate his chocolate that was kept in the fridge.

He was angry and sat quietly in one corner. Suddenly, the doorbell rang as aunt Ruby came to visit them.

Seeing Vicky sit quietly, she asked, “What’s the matter? Have you all fought again?”

Vicky’s looked up at aunt Ruby, trying to smile. He was happy to see her as she had a chocolate shop. He was sure that she must have brought lots of chocolate for them.

Vicky narrated the incident that happened in the morning with his siblings. He didn’t like being angry but could not help it.

Aunt Ruby heard him out and then asked, “If I own a chocolate shop, do I have to go somewhere else to buy chocolates?”

Vicky bowed his head and said, “No, aunt Ruby.”

“This also means that we will always have enough of chocolates in our shop, right?” aunt Ruby asked.

“Yes, aunt Ruby,” replied Vicky.

“Okay, so if you want to be happy, you need to open a happiness shop, so that you will always have enough, especially after you give it to others,” said aunt Ruby.

Vicky was surprised and said, “I never thought of it that way! But how can I open a happiness shop?”

“It’s very easy! Ever since you wake up in the morning, you have to help others and make them happy,” said aunt Ruby.

Confused, Vicky asked, “But how can I give happiness to everyone? Will they take it from me? Am I not too young to give happiness away?”

Aunt Ruby replied, “So what if you are young. There are many ways to give happiness. You can help your brother and sister in their studies, play with them, or share your things with them. Help your mother with the housework. You can help anyone if you wish to do so.”

Vicky said, “I understood. Starting today, I will open my happiness shop.”

Next day, when Vicky was returning from school, he saw an old bear trying to cross the road and helped her.

He also carried her bag and dropped her home. The bear was happy and thanked Vicky.

When he reached home, his siblings were struggling to complete their homework. He helped them and shared his chocolates with them.

His siblings were happy to get an extra share of chocolate and that too from Vicky who loved chocolate so much.

In the evening, he helped his mother clean the house who was happy to see Vicky voluntarily helping her.

Vicky was satisfied with all he had done during the day.

Next morning, he heard his father tell his mother that some senior citizens are living alone in a house nearby. They were struggling to get things from the market.

Vicky took permission from his parents and helped the senior citizens to buy what they needed on his way back home from school.

When Vicky had to buy many things, he and his father would go together as he couldn’t carry heavy items alone.

Vicky was delighted to help people and he realised that he was getting happier by the day.

A few days later, aunt Ruby visited Vicky again.

She looked at Vicky and said, “Looks like your happiness shop is running well.”

With a smile on his face, Vicky replied, “Yes, I am very happy about it! I will continue to share happiness with others as much as possible and run this shop of happiness forever.”

Aunt Ruby smiled and gave Vicky extra chocolates for his good work.

Best Teacher

Hey buddy, Roli squirrel, the teacher is too strict. She scolds us all the time,” said Piyu, the tortoise.

Denko, the donkey added, “She lectures all the time.”

Tom, the dog could not stay from saying, “There are so many teachers in school. But, Roli keeps such a stern eye on us as though we are culprits.”

Piyu said, “On Sunday, I met her in the market. She asked me why I was roaming around in the bazaar. She also asked whether I had informed my parents before setting out. She wanted to know about my friends; who they were and where were they studying? I was tired of answering so many questions.”

Denko said, “We can do what we want when we are not in school. Why should that bother our teachers?”

Teachers’ Day Gift

Suddenly, Roli appeared in front of them. On seeing her, Kapil, the mole stammered and said, “Good Morning Madam. I didn’t say anything. I…I…I was just listening to them.”

Hiding her laughter Roli replied, “Classes were dismissed quite a while ago. You should’ve gone to your homes by now.”

Denko, Piyu and Tom quickly scampered away.

Roli said, “Kapil, you are good in studies. Denko, Piyu and Tom have more interest in mischief rather than studies. They don’t concentrate on their school work. You are their friend. While talking with them, advise them to take interest in studies as well. Alright?” Kapil nodded his head in agreement.

The half-yearly exams were over. The results were declared. Kapil’s results were satisfactory; whereas Piyu, Denko and Tom’s results were disappointing.

Soon, it was Teachers’ Day. The parents of all the students had been called to meet the teachers. This was the first time that the parents were meeting the teachers. Denko, Piyu and Tom were sitting together in the hall.

Grinding his teeth Tom said, “Where is Roli? I hope she doesn’t lecture to our parents as well. My father doesn’t like listening the lectures.”

Denko laughed and said, “My father gets angry easily. I hope he doesn’t get into an argument with Roli. Look, she has gone to sit on the stage.”

Piyu whispered, “My father doesn’t like people who talk a lot. He wasn’t even ready to come to school. I had to persuade him to come.”

That’s when Denko exclaimed, “Goodness! What’s happening? Look Piyu, your father is touching her feet!”

All of them were surprised. Not just their parents, but also many other parents were touching Roli’s feet as a sign of respect.

Roli looked at Kapil and indicated that he should come towards the stage. Kapil ran towards the stage. She said something to him and Kapil immediately ran back to where his friends were standing.

He said, “Ma’am is calling the three of you on stage.”

Piyu said “What’s going to happen now? We have no idea what Roli must have told our parents about us.”

Denko said, “Come on, let’s go. Can’t you see? Our parents are also looking in our direction. Things may not go well for me.”

Tom said, “I am scared. Both of you walk ahead. I will follow you.”

Piyu, Denko and Tom reached the stage. Roli was surrounded by parents.

Seeing Piyu, Denko and Tom on the stage Roli said, “These three students are the pride of our school. They have done well in extracurricular activities. I am confident that they will perform very well in the annual examinations. They will score higher than all the other students.”

Piyu’s mother said to Roli, “You taught Piyu’s father too. He was just telling Tom’s father that whatever he has achieved so far, has been due to your efforts in teaching him.”

Denko’s father said, “Like me, there were several backbenchers, who were motivated by teacher Roli. She gave us advice, as well as a direction to our lives. We are confident that our children will make this school proud of them.”

Piyu, Denko and Tom listened silently. They thought to themselves, “Roli is the Best Teacher.”

Teachers’ Day Gift

Chimpu, the hedgehog, Shanu, the squirrel, Renu, the sparrow and Mani, the rabbit’s favourite teacher was Priya, the jackal. They wanted to gift her a card.

On the other hand, Manu, the pigeon, Pranshu, the mouse and Gopu, the fox wanted to please their teacher Akshay, the bear. They hoped that he would consider them his favourite students and praise them.

The principal of Andavan School, Aju, the lion had already put up a notice in the school that no student was allowed to buy a gift or a card. If the students wished to give their teacher something then it had to be something handmade.

Unlike the other children, Raki, the crow and his friend Chinnu, the eagle were to their usual mischief. They were unaware of the fact that the other children were earnestly preparing to celebrate Teacher’s Day.

They neither paid attention to their studies, nor did they submit homework on time. They didn’t participate in any school activity. Priya, the teacher often asked them to participate in sports, but they usually ignored her.

Trip To Cave

The children also had to prepare for their upcoming examinations. Koko, Shanu and Renu decided to make a card together so that they could make it quickly and save time. They could spend that time studying for the exams.

Priya had also said that working together in a group made each one learn something from the other, as well as saved time.

Manu, Pranshu and Gopu thought of making a huge bouquet of flowers. They gathered a lot of flowers from the jungle and arranged them together. They even decorated the bouquet with a few fancy items they bought with their pocket money. They finally presented this huge bouquet to their favourite teacher on Teacher’s day.

Seeing the huge bouquet Akshay thanked them and also told them that if they had given him a single flower with genuine respect he would have accepted that as well. He told them that the size of a gift, whether it was big or small didn’t matter, as much as the sincere intention with which it was given.

The other children at the school had also brought gifts for their teachers; some had brought sweets, some had brought fruits. All of them presented their gifts to their teachers.

That day all the children were happy. Seeing the others wish their teachers with cards and gifts, Raki and Chinnu thought that they should have brought a gift for their teacher.

They were the only ones who had come empty-handed to class. Priya knew what was on their mind. However, she thought it would be sensible not to say anything to them.

Two weeks later, the examinations began. All the children except Raki and Chinnu worked hard. When Priya declared the results in class, everyone except for Raki and Chinnu, had passed with good grades. That day, both of them felt ashamed. They asked her to forgive them for their poor results.

Priya told them that if they wished to gift her a Teachers day gift they should promise her that they would study every day and they would listen to their elders. Raki and Cheenu promised they would do so.

Priya thought that if these two became studious and obedient, then that would be the best Teachers Day gift.

Kavya’s Umbrella

Since morning, Kavya had been looking out the window to check if Uncle Rakesh had arrived. Every year, Uncle Rakesh would visit from Dubai, and bring Kavya her a unique gift.

“Mummy, Uncle Rakesh is here!” Kayva called out to her mother excitedly, when she saw a cab stop outside the house.

Kavya ran to open the door. Rakesh too was excited to see his favourite niece. He gave her a big hug. They both sat down on the sofa, while Kavya’s mother brought a cup of hot tea and some onion pakoras.

“Kavya has been eagerly looking forward to your arrival. Ever since she got up this morning, she has been looking out the window,” said Kavya’s mother.

Rakesh laughed and said, “That is because I am her favourite uncle! And as always, I have brought a gift for my favourite niece.”

Kavya’s eyes widened with excitement as he took out a gift from his bag.

“Thank you, uncle! Can I open my present now?” asked Kavya impatiently.

“Of course!” he replied.

Kavya immediately unwrapped the present and found a beautiful pink umbrella inside.

“Wow! What a beautiful umbrella!” she exclaimed. “It even has ears and eyes! I shall take it to school every day.”

“I am happy that you like the umbrella,” replied Rakesh.

Next day, Kavya carried her new umbrella to school. She showed it to all her friends. They were happy for her.

Soon, Kavya started carrying the umbrella wherever she went—to school, her friend’s house, the market, and even the garden outside.

One evening, when Kavya returned from her friend, Disha’s house, her mother said, “Kavya, I need to go out for a couple of hours. May I borrow your umbrella as mine is broken?”

Rose Becomes Humble

“Sure, mom,” said Kavya and went to get her umbrella from her room.

“Oh no! I think I left it in the auto-rickshaw while returning from Disha’s house,” she said and began to cry.

“Don’t cry. We will try and find it, Kavya. Till then, you can use your old umbrella,” consoled her mother.

“But mom, it was a gift from Uncle Rakesh,” said Kavya sadly.

“I know it was your favourite. Let’s see if we can find it,” said her mother.

Kavya calmed down a bit but she was still sad that she had lost her favourite umbrella.

More From Champak: Help Yourself

Just then, the doorbell rang. Kavya’s mother opened it and saw a man wearing a khaki dress standing at the door.

“Ma’am, my name is Ramu. I dropped a little girl here in my auto-rickshaw a while ago.

I found this umbrella in the seat and I think it belongs to her,” said the man.

On hearing him speak, Kavya rushed to the door and saw the man holding her new umbrella. She was beaming with joy. “Thank you very much, uncle!” she said with a big smile. “But how did you know it was mine?”

“You were my last passenger before lunch after I dropped you, I went home. When I reached to take out my umbrella from behind the seat, I saw yours. That is when I remembered seeing it in your hand when you got into my auto. So, I immediately came here to return it,” he explained.

“Thank you, sir. It was very nice of you to come all the way back to return the umbrella. Kavya was very sad thinking that she had lost it,” said her mother.

Kavya and her mother fed the uncle some tea. Kavya was happy to have her umbrella back and also to know those good people are always there in this world.

Cheating the Teacher

Abhi and Rishi, King Sher Singh’s sons ran up to him. They were panting and sat down to catch their breath.

The King asked, “What happened?”

Abhi replied, “We are very tired. We lost the game we were playing.”

Sher Singh asked in surprise, “How did you lose the game?”

Rishi replied, “Father, we were playing ‘catch me if you can’—along with Cheetu, Jeetu and Deepu. As we came close to catching them, they climbed up a tree! Since we don’t know how to climb a tree, they defeated us many times. We got tired of trying to catch them.”

“Children, this is our biggest weakness. We tried learning to climb trees, but it didn’t work. Listen to this story,” said Sher Singh and started narrating his tale:

“Long ago, tigers and lions were unaware of different hunting techniques. So, they would often have nothing to eat. Due to starvation, our species became physically weak.

Bondhu Seeks His Own Identity

The cheetah, the leopard and the wild cat had a great reputation in the jungle. They were excellent hunters and experts in hunting techniques like cornering, catching and eating the prey. They were feared. These wild animals had claimed their right over a larger part of the jungle and had huge settlements.

One day, an old tiger thought, ‘Let’s send our children to the wild cats to learn the art of hunting.’

Everyone felt that if their children learnt hunting, they would never have to fear starvation.

The lions and the tigers went to the wild cats with their request. They agreed to teach the children. They put a condition that they would only teach two students!

The tigers and lions thought that this would be enough. In future, those who learnt could come back and train the rest.

A wild cat called Sonu was appointed as the teacher. Two bright and restless tiger cubs started their training. Sonu trained them in different exercises; bouncing, jumping and knocking down each other. Sonu also introduced hunting techniques.

The tiger cubs learnt skills like cornering the prey, nabbing and the proper use of claws and jaws. The training made the tiger cubs skilled in many hunting techniques. They grew up to be fearsome hunters.

One day, during a practice session, the tiger cubs suddenly attacked Sonu. Sonu was clever. She had already sensed their intentions from their attitude and gestures. As soon as the tigers rushed towards her, she quickly jumped back and climbed up a tree that was near.

The tigers stared at her in surprise. They too tried to climb, but couldn’t succeed. They asked Sonu in frustration, “Teacher Sonu, how come you didn’t teach us how to climb a tree?”

Sonu said, “Dear students, we teachers give the most valuable knowledge only after testing and being sure about our students. Both of you felt that you have mastered everything. However, this one lesson that I had kept for the last saved my life.”

“It’s too bad that you didn’t prove to be good students. If you had, you could have learnt this technique too. Go home now with whatever knowledge I have given you and never come back.”

The Stubborn Sea

He thought that the dirty rivers were polluting him. He warned the mountains to change the flow of the rivers.

Sumit, the chief of all the mountains explained that the river water was clean. It was necessary for the rivers to flow into the sea, as otherwise the land would get flooded. This, in turn, would make life difficult for the birds, animals and humans. However, Sindhu was stubborn.

Once Sindhu got so angry that he told Sumit, “I am warning you. If all the rivers flowing from the mountains on earth do not change their path, I will swallow all the mountains along with their rivers.”

Sumit did not reply. He remained silent and quietly returned to his abode.

Stubborn King

When the other mountains and rivers heard about this incident, they were very disappointed. Everyone knew that Sumit was a peace-loving mountain. He stayed away from fights. The mountains knew that whatever had to be done, would have to be done by the rest of them. They called for a meeting under the leadership of Vindhya, the Mountain of the East.

Some mountains said, “It is necessary to teach the sea a lesson. He has lost his common sense. Many humans live on the banks of our rivers. By refusing to accept the waters of our rivers, the sea is disturbing the fine balance of nature. He spoke rudely to Sumit, a kind-hearted and honourable mountain.”

The leader of the Lahori Mountains, who was also present at the meeting said, “He is proud of his clean and healthy water. Leave it to us to teach him a lesson. We will reduce him to such a state that he will not be able to survive without the help of the rivers.”

The others asked, “What will you do?”

He replied, “Give us your permission to work on a plan. We will find a solution.”

Vindhya looked at the other mountains for their approval. They nodded their heads in agreement.

He said, “Alright, all of us agree to your proposal. However, do bear in mind that the balance of nature should not be disturbed.”

The leader of Lahori Mountains replied, “We will keep your words in mind before acting on our plan.”

The next day all the salt mountains proceeded towards the Sea. One of them said, “How could you speak so rudely to the respected mountain? You spoke of swallowing the mountains and the rivers. What do you think of yourself?”

Hearing this, Sindhu became angry and swallowed the entire mountain. Following this, the other mountains also provoked it. Soon, he ate up all the mountains that had come to him. He did not know that these were salt mountains. Meanwhile, the mountains dissolved in the seawater and became a part of it.

More From Champak: Stubborn Water

A group of herons came to drink seawater. The moment they took in a sip of water, they spat it out. The sea looked at them in confusion.

“Why are you looking at us in surprise? Your water is no longer sweet. No one will want to drink it anymore. You swallowed your brothers and sisters in anger, but did you realise the result of your action?” The cranes said.

The sea now realised how foolish he had been. He knew that he had acted carelessly and now he couldn’t undo what he had done.

By then Sumit, Vindhya, Shivalik and several other bigger and smaller mountains had reached the Sea. They saw the Sea hanging its head in shame.

Sumit praised the Lahori Mountains for their sacrifice.

“Now, what is your plan, O Mighty Sea? Will your body become dirty or clean with our rivers flowing into it?” Sumit questioned him.

“Please forgive me. I have made a big mistake and I have paid the price.

My pride has been crushed. I accept the laws of nature. I will no longer try to interfere in nature’s order,” replied the sea.

After that incident, the rivers flowed into the sea happily.

In Search of Uncle Pat

Late one evening, Popo started crying because his father had not yet returned. The neighbours began searching for Pat.

The next morning, Pat had not yet been found. Bobo, the monkey’s father said to Bobo, “Take Popo out to play with you. He has been crying all night. We will continue to search for Pat.”

Bobo, Popo and their friends got together at the ground nearby to play hide and seek. It was Popo’s turn to seek while everyone hid. Popo was peering through a bush looking for his friends when he suddenly heard Ricky, the rabbit’s voice.

“Look what I found! Come over here quickly!” Ricky called out to everyone.

All of them ran towards Ricky who was pointing at something.

“Look! Isn’t this Uncle Pat’s feather?” asked Ricky.

“Yes, this can’t be Popo’s as this feather is much bigger,” said Bobo.

Popo studied the feather and immediately brightened up.

“Yes. This is my father’s feather,” he declared. “This means he must have been here before he went missing.”

“Let’s split up and look for Uncle Pat. Let’s see if we can find more clues,” said Bobo.

All of them agreed and began searching the area.

“I have found another feather. Uncle Pat must have gone this way,” shouted Dana, the deer.

All of them walked together in the direction where the second feather was found. Soon, they found more feathers along the way which led them to the edge of the forest.

“We have reached the outskirts of the forest. If we walk any further, we will enter the village,” said Bobo.

In Search Of the Sparrows

“Come! Let’s go to the village. I am sure my father is there,” said Popo eagerly.

“No, Popo!” said Piku, the parrot stopping him.

“Humans can be dangerous. They have caught animals from our forest earlier too and taken them away,” said Bobo.

“So what? I am not afraid. I want my father back!” said Popo.

“We understand, Popo. But it is not safe to go there now. First, let Piku fly over the village and see whether your father is there or not,” suggested Mimi, the rat.

Popo agreed. Piku flew into the village, while the other children waited anxiously for him to return.

Piku returned after a while. “Popo, I saw your dad! He has been captured by a human. He is tied up to a tree in the courtyard of a house. I saw some humans roaming nearby, so it is not safe to go there now,” informed Piku.

“I want my father back. How do we get him out of there?” asked Popo.

“When the humans were not around, I flew down to talk to Uncle Pat. He said we can help him escape after the humans go to sleep at night. Till then, we will have to wait,” said Piku.

“In that case, let’s start preparing. I have a plan,” said Ricky, discussing his plan with the group.

After the sunset, all of them set out for the village.

“Do remember the house, Piku?” asked Mimi.

“Yes, but once we are in the village, we must walk carefully without making any sound. We should not talk too loudly either,” warned Piku.

As they walked through the village, Piku pointed to a house and said, “This is the house where Uncle Pat is.”

When they reached the house, Bobo said, “Ricky and I will go in and free Uncle Pat. Meanwhile, the rest of you hide here and warn us if you see any humans.”

Piku flew up and sat on a tree to keep an eye out for humans, while the others hid behind the bushes nearby

Ricky and Bobo sneaked into the house where Pat was tied. “Uncle Pat, we’ve come to free you. After we untie the rope, be ready to run,” whispered Bobo.

“Where is Popo?” asked Pat worried.

“Don’t worry, uncle. He is right here, hiding behind the bushes with our other friends,” replied Ricky.

Bobo and Ricky bit through the rope and freed Pat.

“Now run!” said Bobo.

Ricky ran ahead, leading the way for Pat and the others. Bobo climbed up the tree and escaped by jumping from one tree to another. Piku flew above the rest towards the forest.

But as Pat was running, he tripped over a bucket and fell.

“Who is it? Is anyone out there?” called out a man, coming out of his house to check the noise.

Popo quickly grabbed a stone and threw it far away from where they were. The man went in the direction where the stone had fallen. By the time the man got back, the animals were safely outside the village.

Once inside the forest, everybody heaved a big sigh of relief. Pat gave Popo a tight hug.

“Thank you all for helping me escape,” said a relieved Pat. “I made the mistake of venturing close to the village. I am glad you found the feathers that I dropped along the way. I hoped somebody would follow the trail of feathers and find me.”

“How clever you are, dad!” exclaimed Popo.

All the animals were happy to see Pat back. Everybody appreciated the children’s bravery, but they were told to inform the elders first before they set off on such adventures.

Find or Fined?

Brownie, the fox loved troubling animals smaller than her. She was an expert when it came to turning their weaknesses into her strengths.

Brownie always had her eyes on the rabbits that lived in the forest. She’d walk up to their burrow every day and all the rabbits would run helter-skelter.

One day, Gary, the rabbit worked up the nerve and said, “Hey Brownie, what brings you here at this time?”

“When I was passing through last night, I seemed to have dropped a golden ring. I’ve come to look for it,” lied Brownie.

“You lost a ring? Hmmm, I don’t think any of us saw a ring here,” said Gary.

“Don’t lie,” said Brownie. “I know you’ve hidden it somewhere in your burrow. I can see right through your act.”

“I promise we haven’t seen any ring here. I think you’re looking in the wrong place,” said Gary.

“Well, I’ll believe it when I see it. I’m not going to rest until I’ve explored every single room in your burrow,” said Brownie and stepped forward.

Gary had fortunately seen through Brownie’s plan and said, “Stop! We cannot let you enter our home. You have to believe me when I say that we do not have your ring.”

“If you don’t return my ring immediately, I will have to call the police,” said Brownie.

Manny, the jackal, the sub-inspector of police was a good friend of Brownie. She had won him over promising him lots of rabbits. She brought him to the scene and narrated her version of the story to him.

“If you don’t have the ring then you have nothing to hide,” said Manny without listening to Gary’s version. “You will have no reason not to let her in and check for herself. Now let her in and search your burrow.”

Seeing Manny’s behaviour Gary realized that the two of them were in on it together. He instructed his friends to keep arguing with Brownie and not to let her in and set off to inform the Leo, the lion, the king of the jungle.

“Don’t worry Gary,” Leo assured him. “I will ensure that Browny doesn’t get away with this so easily.” He went with Gary to the burrow in order to sort things out.

Seeing Leo, Browny got scared, but she tried working her story on him as well. “Your Highness, I’m glad you’re here. I have full confidence that you will deliver justice. Gary and his friend have my ring in their burrow and are neither returning it nor are they letting us search their borrow,” she said.

“Alright I will let you search their burrow, but if you don’t find your ring inside, you will need to face the consequences and pay a fine,” said Leo.

Brownie was getting nervous, her plan was backfiring. Leo instructed all the rabbits to step out of their burrows and instructed Brownie and Manny to go in and search. As they entered the burrow, the narrow entrance starched their skin.

Inside, it was completely dark and it was pretty hot too. Brownie and Manny didn’t like being inside and quickly got out.

When they stepped out, Leo was waiting. They ended up paying a huge fine which Leo used to buy lots of carrots and gave them the rabbits. He gave both Manny and Brownie a final warning that if they troubled the rabbits ever again, they would end up facing dire consequences.

The rabbits were safe and they thanked Leo for saving them.

Trip To Cave

One afternoon, Anusha came running back from school with a trophy in her hand.

“Mamma, look! I won the first prize in the painting competition at school,” said Anusha excitedly.

“That is great! I am so proud of you, Anusha!” said her mother.

“I must thank Neha didi for this trophy,” said Anusha. “I would always be in a hurry to complete my painting, therefore miss out on the finer details. She encouraged me to take my time and add details. Now my paintings are appreciated by everyone.”

“Yes, you can thank her in person. You can meet her when you go tomorrow for your morning class,” said her mother.

“Oh yes! Neha didi is taking us on a field trip. Last month, she took us to an art gallery. I wonder where she will take us tomorrow,” said Anusha.

“Wherever it is, I am sure it will be as good as your last trip,” assured her mother.

Next morning, Anusha and her art school friends were seated in the van along with their art teacher, Neha didi. Each one carried along with a small bag packed with their drawing tools, lunch box and a bottle of water.

“Didi, where are we going today?” asked Diksha.

“You will know once we reach the place in about 40 minutes,” replied Neha didi with a smile.

After a while, the van stopped and Neha didi called out, “We have reached our destination! Let’s explore.”

The students looked around confused.

“Where are we?” asked Riya puzzled.

“It looks like some historical place,” mumbled Dev.

Ratu, the Artist

“I think I know where we are. This place was excavated by archaeologists just a few months ago. I read about it in the newspaper recently,” said Anusha.

“But what are we going to learn in these old caves?” Anirudh wondered aloud.

Neha didi, who was listening to their conversation, said, “I promise that you will really like this place. There is so much to see and learn here, especially for people like us who are artists.”

“What is this place, didi?” asked Anusha.

“As you rightly said, it’s a recently excavated natural cave shelter. Inside, you will see proof of what great artists our forefathers were, even at a time when there was no technology, said Neha didi, leading them into the cave.

Once inside, everyone was surprised. The walls of the caves had magnificent paintings and sculptures of kings in their chariots, common folk going about their daily lives, and of animals like fish, lion and elephant.

Neha didi turned around to them and said, “Aren’t these paintings wonderful? Natural caves and shelters like this one contain several prehistoric paintings. Some of the paintings here are thousands of years old.”

“How did these paintings survive for so many years?” asked Dev curiously.

“These kinds of caves are generally carved out of tough rocks like granite and basalt which form the perfect base for painting. Since these frescoes—that’s what we call paintings on walls—are made deep inside the cave, they get shielded from harsh sunlight and other weather elements, and so they last long,” explained Neha didi.

The children listened in awe.

More From Champak: Veggie Art

Neha didi continued, “Another reason why the paintings last long, is because of the different techniques used. The stone surface of the famous Ajanta caves in Maharashtra, for example, were chiselled and then plastered with a combination of clay, lime, hay and dung. This formed the canvas for the paintings. The unusual shine was achieved by adding powdered conches and seashells. Kuda Caves—also in Maharashtra—were plastered with a mix of mud and rice chaff.”

“But how is it that they have used so many colours? They certainly must have used some chemicals,” said Anusha.

“The colours are natural dyes made from plants and minerals that don’t change colour when mixed with the lime surface,” explained Neha didi.

“Were all the paintings done by one artist?” asked Anirudh,

“Actually, one artist would draw the outlines, another would fill it with colours and a third artist would give it finishing touches and add details,” said Neha didi.

As they walked along the cave, Diksha took out a pen to scribble something on the cave wall. Neha didi quickly stopped her.

“These paintings are very old and fragile. This type of graffiti can damage them. We must respect the art and the artists,” said Neha didi.

Diksha apologised and put her pen away.

Later, they all sat down in the garden outside the caves and drew some sketches.

“So, did you enjoy the trip?” asked Neha didi, while they were on their way back in the van. “We loved it!” said the students together. “We want to go on more such trips to learn about Indian art.”

“Great! I will start planning the next trip right away!” said Neha didi.

Chirag’s Feathered Friends

When Chirag found out that his dad was getting transferred to the city, he was very excited. He couldn’t wait to start studying at the big schools there, roam in the fancy malls and watch movies at the theatres.

Ma was packing their things and Chirag was helping her. He wanted to move as quickly as possible and live life in the big city. But Ma knew that the novelty of the big city would wear off soon and Chirag would start missing Roohi, a friendly sparrow that lived in a tree outside their home.

Chirag and Roohi knew each other very well and Chirag would refuse to eat before feeding some rice or some grains to Roohi.

Soon it was time to move and Chirag and his parents reached the city and moved into their new home. Dad went to the office the next morning and Ma was busy setting up the house. Since he hadn’t made any new friends yet, Chirag sat at home getting bored.

A couple of days went by but on the third day when Chirag sat down for lunch, he remembered Roohi and felt sad. He remembered how he would leave a few pieces of rotis and how she would pick them up one by one and take them to her nest. He missed her sweet chirps. Chirag missed her so much that he went to sleep without finishing his dinner.

Even though he didn’t say why he didn’t feel like eating, Ma knew the reason. When dad came home that evening, she told him about Chirag. Dad suggested that he should try making friends with another sparrow just like Roohi, here in the city.

The Kind Parrot

The next evening, on the way from work, dad brought home a birdhouse. He installed it outside their home and left a bowl of water outside it for the birds to quench their thirst.

In less than a week, the birdhouse had a tenant- a sparrow. Chirag named this sparrow Roohi too and she’d flit in and out of the sparrow house. Soon, she built a nest and laid some eggs which hatched into little sparrow chicks.

Dad installed another sparrow house for the other sparrows too. Seeing all the sparrows around Chirag’s house, all the kids in the area came to watch. They made sure there were enough food and water for the sparrows and took care of them.

In Search Of the Sparrows

One day, members from the “Save the Sparrows Group’ came to their colony. When they found out that the sparrow populations were rising in the area, they tried finding out how. When they found out that it was because of Chirag’s efforts, they praised him and presented him with an award.

The next morning, the papers carried a story about Chirag and his sparrows. Chirag’s parents were proud of him and praised him for his love for birds. They told him that if he continued his efforts and made the birds and animals around him happy, they would fill his life with happiness.

Chirag hugged his parent and thanked his dad for bringing him a birdhouse and making him happy.

Learn From Your Mistakes

“All this rain has left the entire forest flooded!” exclaimed Coco, the rabbit as he stepped outside.

You should just be thankful that the forest didn’t flood and that we didn’t get washed away,” said his neighbour, Miko, the mouse.

“That said,” continued Miko, “This portion of the forest is lower than the rest and gets flooded easily. Before the next spell of rain hits us, I think we should cross the river and head to higher ground on the other side.”

“I’m afraid this plan of yours will never work,” said Mojo, the monkey.

The animals of the forest quickly turned to him for an explanation.

“I just came from the bridge and it broke in last night’s rain. In fact, it’s in bad shape. We’d never be able to fix it up in time. Also, I’ve got a feeling that this side of the forest is definitely going to flood. I heard that all the bigger animals moved to the other side a couple of days ago.”

“Isn’t that just perfect,” said Coco. “While us smaller animals are the ones who’ll be hit the hardest by the rains, the bigger animals have left us and crossed the river to safety.”

“I think they’ve done the right thing. They must have decided to play it safe and move to higher ground just in case,” said Mojo.

“That’s fine, Mojo, but what can we do now?” asked Coco.

“All we can do is hope that we don’t get any more rain,” said Mojo.

Just then, Piko, the butterfly piped in, “That will just be wishful thinking. I just heard the humans talking, apparently, there’s going to be more rain coming in hours.”

“What are we going to do now?” asked Miko,

“Bridge or no bridge, let’s go to the river anyway. Maybe there’s another way across the river,” said Coco.

All the animals went to the river, but at the riverbank, things were worse than they had expected.

“There’s water everywhere!” said Miko. “And I don’t see any way across the river.”

“You’re right, I don’t see anything either. All I see are these turtles really enjoying themselves,” said Coco, a little annoyed. “But why wouldn’t they? They’re aquatic creatures after all.”

“Why don’t we ask them where the river is the shallowest and try crossing from there?” asked Mojo.

“Do you really think they’ll help us?” asked Miko.

“It’s at least worth a shot,” said Coco and walked up to the turtles.

But when Coco asked for help, the leader of the turtles, Kittu said, “What made you think we’d want to help you? Don’t you remember what you did when we asked you if we could be friends? It’s been a few months, so let me refresh your memory, you made fun of us and chased us away.”

Coco, Miko, Mojo and Piko hung their heads in shame. They turned to go back to their homes and find another way when Kittu turned to the rest of the turtles.

Kittu said, “My friends, we are not so petty that when an animal comes to us for help that we’d turn him away. Coco and his friends need our help crossing the river. Let’s help them out.”

“Kittu, they made fun of us. Do we really need to?” asked a turtle.

“When we offered them our friendship, they brushed it away and that was their mistake. These animals have come to us seeking help because their lives are at risk. If we don’t help them now, it will be the biggest mistake of our lives,” said Kittu.

All the turtles were convinced and they agreed to help them out.

“The water is too deep for you to cross on foot, but I have a plan,” said Kittu.

He ordered all the turtles to line up one in front of the one another from their side of the river to the other. Only their shells peeped out from under the water, forming a bridge. Coco, Miko, Mojo and Piko hopped across to the other side to safety.

“You have saved our lives, Kittu. We’re really grateful and we’ll never forget this,” said Coco. Along with Miko, Mojo and Piko, he apologised for making fun of them. Kittu and the turtles were happy that all of them had become good friends.

Where Are The Rains?

“Few months ago, the jungle was green with trees, rich with water. But today, it is gasping for some fresh, cool air,” Blacky, the crow said.

All of them finally decided to leave the jungle as there was nothing left for them.

“Uncle Banyan, aren’t you going to come with us?” Hoppy, the frog, asked.

“Trees and plants can’t move, didn’t you know that? Don’t make him sad now,” Blacky said.

Uncle Banyan said, “Don’t scold him. But even if I could move, I wouldn’t have left the jungle.”

All the animals were shocked to hear this.

“Would you have stayed in this heat, Uncle Banyan?” Harry, the bear asked.

“Yes, I would have stayed here. I can’t leave the land where I grew up. It has given me everything. This is my jungle and I love it more than myself,” Uncle Banyan said.

Khokho, the monkey then asked, “Uncle, if we stay here, how will the problem be solved?”

“If we think of a solution, we could do something about this grave issue. All of you have lost hope and this is why you are leaving. Don’t forget that we are responsible for damaging our own environment. The reason for late monsoon is pollution,” Uncle Banyan explained.

All the animals were shocked to hear this.

“Would you have stayed in this heat, Uncle Banyan?” Harry, the bear asked.

Our Own Land

“Yes, I would have stayed here. I can’t leave the land where I grew up. It has given me everything. This is my jungle and I love it more than myself,” Uncle Banyan said.

Khokho, the monkey then asked, “Uncle, if we stay here, how will the problem be solved?”

“If we think of a solution, we could do something about this grave issue. All of you have lost hope and this is why you are leaving. Don’t forget that we are responsible for damaging our own environment. The reason for the late monsoon is pollution,” Uncle Banyan explained.

All the animals agreed that this was true.

“Uncle Banyan is right. It is because the environment has been polluted that the rains are late. Earlier, it used to rain regularly, and we never had any problems,” Harry said.

“Please understand that it is not possible to change the condition of the environment in a day. But slowly and steadily, we can surely improve the situation,” Blacky added.

Everyone agreed.

“We should plant more trees here,” Khokho, the monkey said.

“We will also have to see that the ponds don’t dry up. We should dig up new wells to store rainwater, so we don’t face this same problem next year,” Hoppy, the frog said excitedly.

More From Champak: Saving Rainwater

“Yes, let’s work towards improving and helping the environment, so we don’t have to suffer next year,” Harry, the bear said.

Everyone agreed and decided not to leave the jungle. Just then, a few drops of water fell from the sky. Everyone looked up and saw that it had started to drizzle. All the animals were happy and started dancing in the rain.

Fearless Mongoo Gets a New Home

“May I stay here for a few days?” asked a trembling voice.

Beaky, the crow turned to see who this was. She saw a mongoose sitting below the tree.

Beaky asked, “Who are you? Why do you want to live here?”

“My name is Mongoo. The forest is flooded. The rains washed away my home. I have nowhere to go. May I live here for a few days?” Mongoo, the mongoose replied.

“I can’t let a stranger stay here,” Beaky said.

By then, other birds had gathered and tried to shoo Mongoo away.

Chilli, the parrot said, “We have eggs in our nests. You can’t stay here. We can’t trust anyone these days.”

Popo, the pigeon said, “Also, you aren’t clean. You have mud on you and it looks as if you haven’t taken a bath in a while.”

Mongoo was upset. She had tears in her eyes. She said, “Please, believe me. I’ve just lost my home and my belongings. Let me stay here for a day or two. I promise I won’t be of any trouble. I will leave once the water drains out.”

Owlie, the old owl was sitting on the branch and watching all this. He said to everyone, “Let her stay for a while. She needs help, can’t you all see that? Mongoo, you can stay here for tonight. There are a few stones below this tree. Make space for yourself there and sleep.”

Friends Of A Feather

The other birds didn’t say anything. Mongoo was relieved to hear this and thanked the old owl. She burrowed herself between the stones.

However, Mongoo couldn’t sleep very well. She kept tossing and turning. She was too hungry to sleep. She got up and sat to think what to do. Just then, she noticed a large black snake. It was crawling up the tree and was very close to Beaky’s nest.

Without thinking twice, Mongoo climbed the tree and pounced on the snake. They both fell on the ground. The snake was long and it wrapped its tail around Mongoo. But Mongoo did not give up.

With the help of her teeth, she bit the snake’s tail. The snake loosened its tail and Mongoo managed to escape from its grip.

All the birds woke with the clatter.

“Oh, what is this noise?” Chilli, the parrot asked.

“I think there is a fight going on,” Popo, the pigeon said.

The birds were shocked when they saw Mongoo fighting the snake. No one knew what was going on.

The snake tried to attack Mongoo but she dodged its attack. She pounced on the snake and bit it. The snake shook itself loosely, retreated and was gone in a few seconds.

Mongoo was wounded. There were many marks on her body.

“Why were you fighting that snake?” Popo asked.

“That snake was about to attack Beaky’s nest. I had to fight the snake, otherwise it would have eaten her eggs,” Mongoo said.

“I don’t believe what you’re saying. What if you are just pretending to be on our side? You will say that as you wanted to stay here,” Beaky, the crow said.

“Yes! That’s what I think too.” Popo said.

Chilli agreed with them too. None of them wanted to believe her. Mongoo didn’t know what to say. She felt too weak to say anything.

Owlie, the owl had seen all that had happened. He came down and said, “I watched Mongoo fight the snake to save your nest and eggs, Beaky. She could have died today. She did this in front of you and still, you don’t believe her.”

Owlie continued, “She needn’t have done that. You all were rude to her, but she still helped us.”

And They Became Friends

Chilli, Popo and Beaky realised their mistake and apologised.

“I’m sorry that I thought you were our enemy. But you turned out to be a true friend,” Beaky said to Mongoo.

Chilli got medicines and cotton. They gently treated Mongoo’s wounds. They gave her some food to eat as well.

“Mongoo, you don’t have to go anywhere. Please live with us,” Popo said.

Mongoo was delighted to hear this. She didn’t just get home, but a family as well.

The Power of Intelligence

There was a dense forest on the way. While the old woman was walking she met a tiger in the jungle. The tiger said, “Granny, where are you going? I am hungry.”

The old woman smartly answered, “Grandson, what is the point of eating me now? My thin bones won’t satiate your hunger. I am going to my daughter’s home. She will feed me delicious food. When I will come back after a month, I will have gained a lot of weight. You should eat me at that time.”

Saying so, she kept walking. The old woman had just gone a little further when she met a bear. The bear said, “Come, Granny, come. Satisfy my hunger.” The old woman gave the same reason to the bear too. He too got fooled into thinking that she was saying the right thing. The bear too let the old woman go like the tiger.

When she had walked further, she saw a lion. The lion said, “Granny, it seems to be your turn today.” The old woman fooled him too in the same way and reached her daughter’s village.

She didn’t say anything about what had happened on the way to her daughter. When one month passed, she became worried about how she would dodge the tiger, bear and cry lion now.

One day her daughter asked, “Mother, I am taking good care of you, making such scrumptious meals for you, but even then you are regularly losing weight. What is the matter?”

Then the old woman told her about whatever had happened on the way. “Daughter, Sam the tiger, bear and the lion will be waiting for me in the way. Even if I’ll be lucky to escape from one, the other will surely eat me. That is the reason why I am worried.”

The daughter said, “Worrying won’t help you in any way, mother. I’ll tell you about a plan. Just follow it and those animals won’t be able to harm you at all.” The daughter took a huge pumpkin and made it hollow. She made her mother sit in the hollow pumpkin and gave her a bag of salt and chilli powder. Then she closed the pumpkin properly and rolled it on the way.

The pumpkin kept rolling and rolling. The lion saw it first. He asked, “O Pumpkin, an old woman was supposed to come on this way today. Did you see her?” The old woman replied from inside, “Pumpkin, keep moving. What do I know about the old woman?”

The lion moved aside for the pumpkin and the pumpkin rolled over again. It met the tiger on the way. The tiger too asked the same thing from the pumpkin. The old woman replied from inside, “Pumpkin, keep moving. What do I know about the old woman?”

The bear too was waiting for the old woman. He asked the same question as soon as he saw the pumpkin. The old woman too replied the same from inside the pumpkin. The bear got furious upon hearing the answer and hit the pumpkin hard with his leg. The pumpkin broke into two pieces and out came the old woman!

By that time, the tiger and the lion too came over there in search of the old woman. They saw the old woman sitting inside the pumpkin. All of them leapt towards her and began fighting among themselves to eat her.

The old woman said, “If you will fight like this, who will eat me? I will climb up on that big tree. All of you stand underneath it. I will jump from above. Whoever will catch me will be eligible to eat me.”

They all agreed on this. The old woman climbed a tree and they sat under it. When they all were looking up, she opened the bag and said, “Here I come.” Instead of jumping down, she began throwing salt and chilli powder.

When this powder went into the eyes of the lion, tiger and bear, they couldn’t open their eyes. They went mad with the pain and burning it caused. The old woman quickly got down from the tree and hurried towards her home. That is why they say, neither the tiger nor the bear is the most powerful. It is intelligence which is the most powerful of everything.

Our Own Land

There were dark clouds in the sky. The winds were blowing fast and the clouds were moving with it. Even though all the signs of rain were there, it didn’t rain.

Vaasu, the sparrow was looking up at the clouds. A partridge peered through his glasses and counted the number of clouds in the sky. The woodpecker counted the days on his feathers. It had been a month since the signs of rain had started but not a drop had touched the earth.

Everybody was suffering because of the heat. The ponds and rivers had dried up and the leaves had all turned yellow. All the animals were gloomy and there was not a single light moment to be shared.

“With each passing day, the forest looks worse than it did before. I really don’t feel like staying here,” said Minnie one day. The animals of the forest felt the same and they all decided that it was time to move to another place. They decided to give it one last chance and waited for the rain. But seeing that not a single drop fell from the dark sky, they started packing

“Mr. Banyan tree, aren’t you coming with us?” asked Chutku, the frog.

“Stop talking nonsense,” said Danny, the bear. “Don’t you know that plants and trees can’t walk? Don’t make him feel bad by asking such silly questions.”

“Don’t scold him, Danny,” said the banyan tree gently. He’s asked a very good question. But even if I had feet, I wouldn’t have joined you son.”

“But why?” asked all the animals.

“What would you do staying here in this heat?” asked Meechu, the mouse.

“I’d stay right here,” said the banyan tree. “How can I leave the very land that has got me where I am? Sure it has shown me some bad times, but the good times I have had here more than make up for it. Also, if I leave this land, then it will become even worse than it is right now. I cannot allow this to happen. I’d rather forgot my comfort than see this land become fallow.”

Hearing the banyan tree’s words, all the animals hung their heads in shame.

Lallu, the langur said, “But staying here isn’t going to make things any better. What’s the point in staying back then?”

“You feel this way because in your mind you’re certain that going somewhere else will make things better and that there’s no other solution. But if you put your mind to it, you’ll certainly think of a solution. Let’s also not forget that we are responsible for making our forest like this. We throw our garbage everywhere and are polluting everything. If we trouble Mother Nature, she will fight back.”

Saving Rainwater

“It is up to us to make things right,” said the banyan tree. “If we start now, then we can change things soon. It will definitely take time, but it will be time well spent.”

Silence spread among the animals of the forest. They realized the mistake they have made and felt bad for deciding to leave their beloved forest.

“He’s right. If it hasn’t rained yet, it’s due to our actions,” said Danny.

“Let’s plant more trees,” suggested Vaasu, the sparrow. “This will help bring down 5 the heat.”

“Yes! And let’s dig more wells and ponds. We will collect rainwater in these and use them in the summer months,” said Minku, the mouse.

“You’re right. Let’s bear the heat this year and when it rains, let’s not only collect water in ponds and wells, let’s also save water by spending it wisely.” Jaggu, the elephant said.

All the animals decided to stay back and get started on conserving rainwater. Suddenly, a drop landed on Minnie’s head. She looked up and a few more drops landed on her head. Soon, everybody had their heads turned up to the sky and were greeted by raindrops.

Soon, the few drops grew to a drizzle and then into the rain. All the animals enjoyed the refreshing rain. They picked up their belongings and went back home.

True Beauty

Penny, the rabbit had just given birth to a baby boy. A fluffy ball of fur, with big blue eyes and the rosiest cheeks anybody had ever seen, he was instantly loved by everyone. As soon as he was born, Penny’s husband Donnie received a huge raise at work. Linking the inflow of wealth to the arrival of their new baby, they named him Richie’.

Richie was so cute and so loved that all the neighbourhood kids wanted to play with him. He was also an instant hit at all the places he would visit with his parents. With all the attention he was getting, Richie grew up to be a spoilt little rabbit.

Soon, Richie turned four and started going to the nearby school. Though he was loved by all, they all had only one complaint about him. Whenever he would get angry, Richie would lose control and say mean and hurtful things. His parents tried to explain to him that it’s not nice to be mean to people but nothing changed.

Days passed in a flash and the news he just heard left Richie hopping around in excitement. Richie’s aunt, Aunt Bonnie, who lived abroad was coming to visit next Sunday. He loved her a lot and she loved him very much too. Richie was sure that she’d bring him a lot of gifts and chocolates too.

When Sunday arrived, so did Aunt Bonnie. She came with lots of gifts and even more love for Richie. He was very happy.

In the evening, Richie’s friends Yaami, the bulbul, Kaachu, the mouse and Chinki, the sparrow had come over to play. As they were playing together, Chinki damaged Richie’s eraser by mistake. Richie grew furious and shouted at Chinki.

Richie’s parents tried explaining to him that it’s wrong to treat guests this way. But Richie was still upset.

Aunt Bonnie had heard of Richie’s foul temper from his mother. So the next morning, Aunt Bonnie called Richie to her side.

No Fee for This Chore

She had two boxes in her hand. One was beautifully packed with wrapping paper and the other was a plain, uninteresting box. Both contained sweets and she asked him to pick one.

Richie immediately reached for the gift-wrapped box and ate a piece. It tasted bad and he returned the box back to her.

When she offered the plain box, he popped a piece in his mouth. It tasted wonderful and he took the box to school, promising that he would share it with his friends.

In the evening, when he returned, Aunt Bonnie asked him which box of chocolates he liked better? He immediately said “The plain one.”

When she asked him why he said it was because it tasted better.

“Do you think other kids would feel the same way too?” she asked.

“Of course, it’s the taste of the chocolate that matters. Not the packaging,” said Richie feeling proud.

“Do you know why I made you choose between the two boxes?” asked Aunt Bonnie

Richie shook his head.

“You see Richie, we may be praised for our looks, but if we aren’t nice to others, nobody would want to be our friend. True beauty lies on the inside,” said Aunt Bonnie.

Richie understood what she was saying. He felt bad for the all times he hurt someone by saying mean things to them. He apologized to Chinki and to his parents and promised never to be mean to others ever again.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Rango, the fox had just returned to Sundarban from the city with brand new clothes and an expensive car.

Rango’s friend Dummy, the donkey said, “What’s the matter? Did you win any lottery?”

“I got a job in a big bank. They’ll soon open a branch in Sundarban and I shall be the bank manager,” Rango said.

“Oh, that’s great news! A bank will do good to everyone here,” Dummy said.

Within a few days, there was a bank in Sundarban. Dummy along with his friends Montu, the monkey and Ricky, the rabbit went to the new bank to get their accounts made.

“Our bank has a new scheme. If you deposit Rs. 1,000 in your account, it will get doubled in a month,” said Rango.

They were shocked to hear this.

“Yes, of course. It will get doubled. Each of you will get Rs. 2,000. You can get your money after a month, Rango assured them. Dummy and Montu decided to deposit Rs. 1,000.

“How is it possible for money to double in a month? I have a bad feeling about this,” Ricky said to Dummy and Montu.

“You’re just doubtful about everything. The bank manager wouldn’t lie.” Dummy said.

“All right, then. Both of you go ahead and double your money, but I won’t. I don’t trust Rango,” Ricky said.

Both Dummy and Montu deposited Rs. 1,000 each. A month later, their money got doubled. They were very happy to receive double the amount they had deposited. However, Ricky was still suspicious about the whole thing.

Slowly, the news about the money being doubled reached everyone in the forest. Rango soon became popular among everybody in the forest. Customers started queuing up at the bank in the hope of getting their money doubled. One day, he put up a board outside the bank that said “There is a new scheme. Deposit one lakh rupees within two days and get three lakhs after one month!”

The Expedition to RoboPlanet

On reading the notice, Dummy and Montu each decided to deposit one lakh. Dummy tried convincing Ricky but in vain.

Dummy said, “I understand you were suspicious the first time but didn’t you see how we got back double the amount then?”

Ricky replied, “Yes, I did see. But this is a huge amount, Dummy. And you are thinking of depositing your entire life savings.”

Dummy wasn’t worried and both he and Montu deposited their savings.

After a month, they went to the bank to collect their money. But they were shocked to see a big lock on the door. Other customers who stood there looked worried.

“This bank has shut down. Bank manager Rango left the forest yesterday,” the security guard said.

“What do you mean? Now we’ll never get our money back! Has he really run away with our money?” Montu exclaimed with fear.

“Oh no! I had put all my savings into this. What am I going to do now?” Dummy said.

Ricky said, “There’s no point crying now. I tried to warn you. All this happened because of your greed.”

Montu and Dummy didn’t know what to do. Ricky tried to console them.

“But what do we do now? Where do we find Rango?” Dummy asked.

“I think the best thing to do now is to file a complaint against Rango at the police station,” Ricky said.

All the animals went to the police station together. Upon hearing everyone’s complaint, Inspector Gummy, the bear said, “It’s your fault. You should have been careful with your money,” Inspector Gummy said.

“Inspector, we are aware of our mistake and we regret depositing all this money in that bank. But please help us,” Montu said.

“All right, I will help you. But do not repeat this mistake ever again,” Inspector Gummy said.

All the animals promised that they would never repeat this.

At that, Inspector Gummy smiled and said, “You’ll be happy to know that Rango is behind bars now. And your money has been recovered too.”

All the animals breathed a sigh of relief. Dummy asked, “How did you catch him, Inspector?”

Inspector Gummy said, “Actually, it’s because of Ricky. He had informed me about Rango. We had our eye on him since then. When he was trying to run away with all the money last night, we arrested him. We found all the money and documents too.”

Everyone congratulated Ricky and pledged to never be greedy again. They learnt that there is no quick way of earning lots of money.

Wise Little Gittu

When Golu and Motu, the elephants were strolling around Nandavan, they noticed Gittu, the chameleon hanging on a leaf of a tree. There was a strong wind blowing, and the leaf was moving rapidly. Gittu hung on to it, trembling with fear. With the help of his trunk, Golu placed Gittu on the ground.

Gittu was relieved and said, “Thank you, friend. What would I have done without you?”

“What were you doing up there?” Golu asked with a smile on his face.

“I was just trying to climb on to the leaf. I had no idea that it would start moving so fast. It moved even faster when I sat on it. I will never forget what you did for me. Please let me know if ever you need my help,” Gittu said.

“I understand. But how will you be able to help me? You’re too small!” Golu said.

After a few days, Gittu bumped into Golu and Motu again. They were both playing behind a large rock on a cliff.

Megha’s Gift for Mom

Motu said, “Hello, Gittu! Come and play with us. We can play hide and seek.”

Gittu happily agreed and quietly hid behind a large rock. Motu did the same thing.

Golu went to hide behind a rock but when he placed his leg on the rock, the rock slipped and Golu fell into a ravine.

“Help!” Golu screamed.

Hearing him shout, all the animals playing around came to help. But they couldn’t find Golu.

“Where are you?” Motu yelled out.

“I am behind this big rock,” Golu said.

Everyone was worried as nobody was able to spot where exactly he was.

“Please help me get out of here. I’m stuck!” Golu screamed again.

“How do we help our friend? We can’t see him anywhere,” a worried Motu said.

Meanwhile, Gittu crawled down the cliff. He saw Golu was tightly holding on to a rock. He looked scared.

“Don’t be scared. I’ll help you out. I’ll tell the others and they will get you out of here,” Gittu said to Golu.

Gittu immediately went up again and informed everyone about Golu’s whereabouts. He said, “I know where Golu is. Let’s go quickly and get him out. But before that, we need some long ropes.”

Motu ran and got ropes. Gittu held one rope in his mouth and climbed down the cliff and passed it on to Golu.

“Hold on to this rope and climb up,” Motu said to Golu.

“No, wait. Golu is very heavy and this rope would not be able to withstand his weight,” Gittu said.

More From Champak: Help Yourself

Gittu climbed down again but this time with another rope.

“Tie it around your waist, Golu. This will help us pull you up easily,” Gittu said and ran back to the top of the cliff.

“Let’s pull him up now,” Gittu said to everyone.

All the animals started pulling Golu up with the help of the ropes. Soon, he was on top of the cliff. Golu breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank you for saving my life, Gittu. You showed one should never judge people, by the way, their looks. I’m sorry I judged you by your size. If it weren’t for your smartness, I wouldn’t have been saved today,” Golu said and raised his trunk to thank Gittu.

SEO Keywords: kids short stories

Greenery Returns!

A Timid King

Franky & First Rain

An Unusual Race

Titu, A Brave Camel

Learning To Share!

Mintu & Banyan Tree!

Monu’s Selfie Trouble

Vehicles Of Gods

New Bicycle

Chatterbox Charlie

Humans In A Cage

The Happiness Shop

Best Teacher

Teachers’ Day Gift

Kavya’s Umbrella

Cheating the Teacher

The Stubborn Sea

In Search of Uncle Pat

Find or Fined?

Trip To Cave

Chirag’s Feathered Friends

Learn From Your Mistakes

Where Are The Rains?

Fearless Mongoo Gets a New Home

The Power of Intelligence

Our Own Land

True Beauty

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Wise Little Gittu

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