One evening, Damru donkey was watching a movie on television starring the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. He became so inspired by the movie that he decided to become a detective too.
Damru went to the market and bought a long overcoat and a hat, similar to the one worn by Sherlock Holmes. He also bought a beautiful cane and a magnifying glass.
He looked in the mirror and said to himself, “I look like a perfect detective now!”
Damru walked around the market, but no one seemed to notice him. He was puzzled.
Damru walked past a shop selling spice powders. The smell made him want to sneeze. Right at that moment, a thief was running away with some stolen jewellery.
As Damru sneezed hard, his cane accidentally hit the thief who fell down, crying in pain. The crowd caught the thief and started beating him. Though initially taken by surprise, Damru quickly got into the act.
“Friends, please do not take the law into your own hands. Hand the thief over to the police. Let me call the police and tell them that I’ve caught the thief as planned,” said Damru coolly.
The crowd stared at Damru surprised.
“You knew about the theft, Damru?” asked Monty jackal.
“Don’t call me, Damru; call me Detective Damru 008. I knew a theft was going to take place in that shop, so I was standing here to catch the thief,” said Damru, adjusting his hat.
“Wow! Great job, Detective Damru!” said Dina deer admiringly. “But how did you know that a theft was going to take place?” me such information,” said Damru.
Everyone was very impressed with Damru. Many approached him with requests to help solve their problems. Damru asked them all to meet him in his office.
Damru’s office was a shed with a big board outside that read, “World-famous Detective Damru 008”. It also had a stunning photo of Damru in his overcoat and hat, with a magnifying glass in hand.
To manage the flood of clients, Damru hired Jumpy monkey and Meeku mouse as his assistants. Both of them were intelligent and hence were able to solve the animals’ problems easily. Damru merely pretended to supervise them.
Gradually, Damru became famous. He had spread word around Champakvan that his informants would know in advance about any thefts that were going to take place and inform him accordingly. So, promptly all the thefts stopped. The animals were relieved but all the thieves began to worry.
Late one night, Laptu jackal, Baddy fox and a few other thieves were discussing the situation.
“How long do we sit quietly without planning a theft?” asked Laptu.
“If we plan a theft, then Detective Damru’s informants will come to know about it,” said Baddy. He then had an idea. “Let’s not plan our next theft. Let’s just go rob Champakvan bank right away. That way Damru will not be prepared,” he said.
All the thieves agreed to the plan. That night, Damru was unwell. He was on his way to the pharmacy to buy medicines. Just as he was walking past Champakvan bank, he became too tired to walk. So, he stopped and called his friend Blacky bear for help.
Blacky was a police officer. He was on his usual night patrol when Damru called.
“Hello, Blacky! Can you come to the bank now? I need help with something… What?…The constables are with you? Yes, bring them as well,” said Damru.
The thieves who were breaking into the bank overheard Damru. Assuming that he was alerting the police, the thieves ran away. As they were running, they came face-to-face with Blacky and his constables who immediately arrested all of them.
By morning, the news about how Damru helped catch the thieves in spite of being unwell spread all around Champakvan. to everybody. He was the talk of the forest.
There was another gang of thieves that lived on the outskirt of Champakvan. The leader of the gang, Hiru hyena, hatched a plan to steal from King Shersingh lion’s royal treasury.
“I’m scared! What if Detective Damru learns about our plan?” asked Roko racoon.
“Damru’s network of informants is small. He won’t know about our plan. Moreover, he won’t dare to confront a dangerous gang of thieves like us,” said Hiru.
That night, Hiru and his gang broke into the palace and robbed the treasury.
Next morning, when King Shersingh came to know about the robbery, he was furious. He summoned Damru right away.
“You get information about all thefts beforehand. Why didn’t you stop the thieves from stealing from my treasury?” roared King Shersingh.
Damru was nervous. He could not reveal to King Shersingh that he had been bluffing about getting information from informants. So, he made up another lie.
“Your Highness, it is true that my informants alert me about all thefts beforehand. But in this case, it looks like the gang of thieves do not belong to Champakvan. They must have come from the neighbouring forest of Sundervan, where I do not yet have a network of informants,” said Damru seriously.
“You have two days to find and arrest the thieves. I will send four soldiers to help you,” said King Shersingh.
“As you say, Your Highness,” said Damru and went back home.
Damru knew that if he did not catch the thieves, he would have to face King Shersingh’s anger. On the other hand, he did not have the courage to catch the thieves.
“Now I realise that being a detective is not easy,” thought Damru. “Perhaps I should run away from Champakvan!”
Damru looked out of his house and saw King Shersingh’s soldiers standing outside.
“I won’t be able to run away either. What do I do now?” he wondered sadly.
Damru’s anxiety increased with each passing moment. Meanwhile, Hiru got to know about King Shersingh’s order to Damru.
“Can Damru catch us in two days? Is he really that smart? I must go and see for myself as to what Damru is up to,” thought Hiru.
At around midnight, Hiru sneaked up to Damru’s house. He climbed up a tree from where he could look into Damru’s house.
Hiru could see Damru looking out the window. He seemed to be saying something.
“You have landed yourself in deep trouble! The soldiers will surely catch you and behead you! You better confess right now before things get out of hand,” said Damru.
Hiru was alarmed.
“Oh no! Damru has seen me! That’s why he is threatening me. I better surrender. I don’t want to be beheaded!” thought Hiru.
Hiru ran to Damru to ask for forgiveness.
“Please don’t make the soldiers behead me. I’ll return all the valuables that I stole from the treasury,” pleaded Hiru.
Damru was surprised. “I was talking to myself about confessing to King Shersingh that I’m not really a detective. But the thief thought I was talking to him!” he thought to himself.
But Damru pretended that he had indeed spoken to Hiru. “Okay. Since you have surrendered, I will talk to King Shersingh and ask him to give you a lenient punishment,” assured Damru.
Hiru was grateful to be spared from getting beheaded. He revealed the spot where the other thieves were hiding as well. Damru informed the soldiers who then arrested Hiru and his entire gang.
King Shersingh congratulated Damru.
“You have proven that you are an excellent detective. I wish to honour you by making you the official detective of my kingdom,” said King Shersingh.
Damru was shocked. “Oh no! Looks like I really have to plan my escape from Champakvan this time!” he thought.
“See what my father gifted me!” said Sonal, excitedly waving a red pen.
Her classmates gathered around to see it.
“Wow! What a beautiful pen!” exclaimed Ruhi.
The others nodded their heads in agreement.
“Let me show you a trick,” said Sonal. As soon as she unscrewed the pen’s cap, a light shone from the pen—like torchlight—and a song started to play. Everybody stared at the pen in disbelief.
Later that day, after the lunch break, Sonal looked for the pen in her bag, but it was missing. Bewildered, she checked every compartment in her bag, but her pen wasn’t in any of them.
“Where could it be?” Sonal wondered to herself. Just then, the class teacher, Rashmi Ma’am entered the class.
“What happened, Sonal? You look worried. Have you lost something?” asked Rashmi Ma’am.
“Yes, Ma’am. I have lost the pen that my father gifted me,” said Sonal.
“You may have kept it somewhere and forgotten about it. Why don’t you check your bag thoroughly again?” suggested Rashmi Ma’am. Sonal searched her bag again but she still couldn’t find the pen.
“It isn’t there, Ma’am. I kept it inside my pencil box before stepping out during the lunch break. But when I came back it wasn’t there,” said Sonal.
It may have fallen down. We’ll help you look,” said Raman. All the kids in the class began looking for the pen.
When it still wasn’t found, Sonal began crying. “What if someone stole it?” she said.
“Don’t cry, Sonal. If somebody has taken it, then we’ll surely find out,” said Rashmi Ma’am. She then turned to the class and said, “I want all of you to form a queue. I’m going to check you all one by one.” The students started queuing up. Suddenly, they heard someone say, “What is going on here?”
It was Principal D’Souza. He was walking by when he heard the commotion inside the classroom and decided to check. After Rashmi Ma’am told him about Sonal’s pen, Principal D’Souza said, “But making everyone stand in a queue and checking each one of them is not right. It’s like giving punishment to all of them instead of the wrong-doer.” Addressing the children, Principal D’Souza said, “It’s wrong to take others’ things. See how bad Sonal feels about losing her pen. If any of you have taken her pen, admit your mistake and return it to her; I assure you that you will not be punished.”
Ruhi stepped forward hesitantly. She took the red pen out of her pocket and held
it out.
“I’m sorry. I stole the pen when Sonal had stepped out during the break. I liked the pen so much that I wanted it for myself,” said Ruhi and burst out crying.
“I am proud of you, Ruhi. It takes a lot of courage to admit one’s mistake, that too in front of everyone,” said Principal D’Souza. “I hope you will not repeat
the mistake.”
Sonal felt bad for Ruhi. She went up to her and said, “Ruhi, if you like this pen so much, then please keep it. My father got my brother a similar one. We’ll share.”
“Well done, Sonal!” said Principal D’Souza and Rashmi Ma’am. All the children clapped appreciatively.
Q: Why can’t your nose be 12 inches long?
A: Then it’d be a foot!
Q: What type of bee can’t make up its mind?
A: A maybe!
The station master blew his whistle. The train was about to start. People rushed to board the new coach attached to the end of the train. Seeing the crowd, the new coach got scared.
The new coach had comfortable seats, clean curtains, high-speed fans, and LED bulbs. The windows, flooring, and ceiling were newly designed. It had internet connectivity as well!
The engineer looked at the new coach and said, “Your strength will be put to test today.”
The train chugged along and it stopped at many stations on its way. More passengers preferred to board the new coach and soon, it was full.
When more people tried to enter the new coach, it screamed at them.
“Hey stop! There’s not enough room for everyone! Why don’t you go and sit in the older coaches?” it said.
But none of them listened to it.
“Wow! You look beautiful,” said an old coach next to the new coach in one of the stations.
“I know I am! But you are so dirty!” said the new coach, making a face.
“I didn’t choose to be dirty. It’s the passengers who made me dirty. If they stop throwing trash and instead treat me like they do their homes, I too would have looked bright and clean,” said the old coach.
“You are just making up excuses,” said the new coach arrogantly.
Just then it saw a passenger blow his nose and wipe his dirty hand on the window. The new coach became angry.
“Hey, you! Stop making me dirty!” it shouted.
But the passenger didn’t listen. It then understood what the old coach had said was true.
“You are right! It is people who make us dirty,” it agreed.
The old coach was very happy that the new coach understood its problem.
“I am being taken for a wash today. But even after that, I will not become as beautiful and clean as you,” said the old coach.
When it was time to leave again, many passengers crowded the new coach.
“Enough! Please stop,” screamed the new coach. But the passengers didn’t listen.
The new coach was so angry that it refused to move. The passengers and the engineer wondered what was wrong.
“Please don’t do this,” warned the old coach.
“Why shouldn’t I?” asked new coach stubbornly. “It is not my responsibility to carry so many people. I will only take 50 people otherwise, I refuse to move. I will not take anyone beyond my capacity,” said the new coach.
The old coach tried to make the new one understand but it refused to listen. The engineer checked the new coach and found nothing wrong with it. He was puzzled.
He then finally said, “This coach cannot be used anymore. We’ll have to take it to the shed where the other useless coaches are kept.”
At the shed, the new coach was happy. But its happiness was short-lived. It was gathering dust and its metal frame was beginning to rust as it lay on the tracks unused.
The new coach waved to the other trains that passed by pleading them to stop.
“Please take me along,” it would cry.
The old coaches would respond saying, “Sorry but we cannot take you along with us. You are new, but you are not able or ready to take the load that we carry.”
That is when the new coach remembered what the old coach had said: “People only care about things that work and are of some use to them. No one cares about things that are lying around unused.”
“The old coach was right. Now, I’m doomed to spend the rest of my life in this shed without being used or cared for,” the new coach thought to itself.
A few days later, the new coach saw a flurry of activity. It was fastened with ropes and lifted from the shed by a crane. When the new coach learnt that it was being taken to the workshop to be fixed and used again, it became elated.
This time, the new coach resolved to work without a protest.
The animals of Champakvan had become grumpy and tired. They had turned selfish and stopped helping each other.
Damru donkey was unhappy about this change that had come over all the animals. He decided to do something about it.
Damru decided to start a bus service to help tired animals reach different places within the forest. This would save their time and energy.
The fares were kept low to ensure that everyone could avail the bus service. Cheeku rabbit was appointed as the driver of the bus and Damru was the conductor.
Early morning, each day, the big brown bus would start from one end of Champakvan with the grumpy Cheeku at the driver’s seat and the cheerful Damru standing by the entrance.
At every stop, Damru would open the door and welcome the animals inside. Once inside the bus, he would help them find seats.
This happy attitude of Damru continued throughout the journey. Inside the bus, the grumpy animals jostled for space. They would cling on to the handles dangling from above.
Some animals like Baddy fox would place their bags on the seats, not making space for other animals to sit.
“Arrey, Baddy,” Damru would say, gently but sternly. “Please keep your bag up in the luggage cabin and allow Squiggy some space to sit.”
Baddy would grudgingly obey his order.
If Cheeku resorted to rash driving, Damru would warn him about the consequences. “Speed thrills, but kills,” he would say. “Moreover, think about your family. What will they do if something happens to you?”
The grumpy animals of Champakvan did not like Damru’s sunny attitude.
“He is new to this bus business. That is why he is pretending to be nice to everyone,” said Baddy.
“Yes, yes, he is pretending,” said Laptu jackal. “No one is good to anyone unless they have a hidden motive.”
“You’re right. Damru will show his true colours in a few days,” Baddy said with a grin.
When Damru’s attitude did not change with time, it only made all the animals grumpier.
One bright morning, Jumpy monkey got into the bus. As usual, Damru walked up to him to issue the ticket. Jumpy looked in his pockets, bag and pencil box for the money. When he couldn’t find it, he realised that he must have forgotten to carry money that day. He was sure that Damru would kick him out of the bus.
“Damru, I forgot to bring the money…” Jumpy said apologetically. “Actually, it’s my mother’s mistake. She forgot to put the money in my pencil box.”
The other animals were eagerly watching the incident play out. They believed that they would finally get to see Damru’s true nature.
But then, Damru did something unthinkable. “Never mind, Jumpy. Next time, don’t forget your money,” he said and moved on to the next passenger.
Jumpy was taken by surprise, and so was everyone else in the bus. Jumpy felt a wave of relief and gratitude wash over him.
When Kangy kangaroo, with a baby in her pouch, hopped into the bus after a few stops, Jumpy immediately stood up and offered his place to her.
Jumpy had done something selfless after a very long time. Kangy, too, felt happy because for the first time she felt like someone cared for her.
While getting down at her stop, Kangy thanked Jumpy wholeheartedly. She had been polite for a change. The other passengers, who witnessed this, liked what they saw. After a long time, all of them felt genuinely happy.
“I didn’t realise that being polite and well-behaved is so easy,” said Blacky bear, squeezing into his seat to make space for Squiggy. Both Blacky and Squiggy exchanged happy glances.
Gradually, the goodwill and friendship that the animals shared inside Damru’s bus, spread outside as well. One day, Roby, the old rhino, was struggling to get into the bus while Damru was busy issuing tickets. Meeku mouse quickly got up from his seat and held Roby’s hand, helping him board the bus. He even gave up his seat for Roby.
Damru was watching all of this from the corner of his eye. Observing the animals interact politely with each other brought a bright twinkle in his eyes and a wide smile on his lips. His heart hummed a happy tune.
Damru’s bus service helped the grumpy animals of Champakvan look at the happy side of things again!
Zizu, the zebra came from the city to Sonavan. Soon he became friends with Banjo, the elephant and Rebu, the rabbit.
Zizu liked the atmosphere of the forest. It was less polluted and there was greenery all around.
Zizu had no place to live. He spoke to Rebu about this problem, “Rebu, can you please help me find a house?”
“Don’t be troubled. There is a vacant house near my home. You can stay there,” said Rebu.
Zizu came to the new house with his luggage.
Early next morning, Zizu was sleeping when Banjo and Rebu came in.
“Zizu, it is morning. Wake up! Let’s go for a walk,” said Rebu.
Zizu woke up rubbing his eyes.
“Why did you wake me up so early? I have not slept properly. I never woke up before ten o’clock in the city,” Zizu complained.
“Zizu this is not a city, it is a village. Here everyone sleeps early and wakes up early. You should get into the habit of waking up early too.
It is good for your health,” explained Banjo.
“I do not want to go anywhere. Let me sleep,” refused Zizu.
“Excuses won’t work. We will not leave without you,” said Rebu.
Zizu had to agree after Banjo and Rebu insisted.
“Okay. I will come along,” said Zizu.
They started to take rounds of the ground. Upon completing just half a round, Zizu started to pant, “Stop! Stop! I can’t walk anymore.”
“Walking in the morning is beneficial for your health,” explained Rebu.
At first, it was troublesome for Zizu to wake up early in morning. But later, he started to enjoy his morning walks.
“Banjo, the environment here is so fresh,” Zizu said with a deep breath.
“Yes, there are a lot of differences between a city and a village,” Rebu said with a smile.
One day, the three friends planned a picnic along the river.
On Sunday they packed things to eat, a ball and bat to play with and also a football. When they reached the river, a cold breeze was blowing.
Spotting a place, Rebu put laid a mat and placed all the things on it.
Banjo too started to relax. Just then Zizu spotted a mango tree, a little far away.
“You both wait here. I will go and get some ripe and juicy mangoes,” said Zizu as he ran towards the tree.
“Zizu, that is a dangerous spot. Please stop. There are muddy puddles around,” said Banjo trying to stop him.
Zizu was greedy for the mangoes. He ignored them and ran towards the tree.
“Wow! I’ve seen ripe mangoes after a long time. I will eat them till my stomach is full,” said Zizu looking at the mangoes.
There were many mangoes on a low branch. Zizu started to pluck them with his arm extended.
He filled his pockets with the mangoes and grabbed some with his other arm. He leaned a little forward to pluck the mangoes when suddenly his foot slipped.
He lost his balance and fell down. His legs got stuck in the muddy puddle.
Zizu tried to free his legs with all his might but he was unsuccessful.
Banjo and Rebu ran to help Zizu.
Banjo shouted angrily “I told you not to go there!”
“Banjo please calm down. This is not the time to get angry. Zizu is in danger. We should think about how to pull him out,” explained Rebu.
Hearing the noise Chirpy, the bird came down. Seeing Zizu stuck in the puddle, she got worried.
“There is a dangerous marsh near the mango tree. That is why no one goes there. If someone gets stuck in the marsh, then it is difficult for them to get out,” said Chirpy.
“Chirpy, Zizu is new to the forest so he did not know about the marsh,” said Banjo worriedly.
“But you are not new to the forest. You should have stopped him,” scolded Chirpy.
“Honestly, even we did not know about the marsh. What has happened cannot be undone but we must think of a way to save Zizu as fast as we can,” said Banjo softly.
On the other hand, Zizu looked nervous. He was continuously trying to pull his leg out. But because of his heavy body he was sinking deeper in the marsh.
Rebu tried to explain to Zizu, “Zizu, do not worry. We will get you out. Please don’t move around.”
Rebu collected some tree vines. He tied them together to make a rope.
He threw the rope to Zizu and said, “Zizu, hold on to the rope.”
At the other end, Rebu and Banjo slowly started to pull the rope. But, Zizu’s body was stuck deep in the marsh. Despite many attempts Zizu could not be pulled out.
“What should we do now? Zizu is stuck quite deep in the marsh,” said Banjo.
“Rebu, if we put water in the marsh then the mud will loosen up. It will be easier to pull Zizu out,” Chirpy suggested.
Everybody liked Chirpy’s suggestion.
Banjo immediately rushed to the river. He filled his trunk with water. He started to spray water near the marsh. Banjo repeatedly poured water in the marsh.
After half an hour, Banjo’s hard work started to pay off. The mud started to loosen up a little because of the water.
Rebu and Banjo made another attempt to try and pull Zizu out. This time Zizu started to come out slowly.
After a while, Zizu was pulled out of the marsh without any injuries.
Rebu and Banjo sighed in relief once Zizu was out.
With teary eyes Zizu said, “Please forgive me. You all had to suffer because of my mistake.”
Rebu smiled and replied, “Zizu, your life was saved because of Chirpy’s practical thinking. It was upon her suggestion that we were able to save you from the marsh. You should thank her.”
Zizu thanked Chirpy. Chirpy too fluttered her wings and started to chirp.
A long time ago in a village called Bulgaria, there lived a trader named Kultaai. He was very intelligent. He had a horse named Koni, upon whom he would travel for his business trips.
On a cold day, Kultaai was riding the horse on his way to the city. The horse was galloping, so it did not feel cold. But, Kultaai was shivering.
Kultaai wanted to reach the city as soon as possible. He patted the horse’s back and said, “Koni! Run faster.”
Koni ran as fast as it could but Kultaai ended up feeling colder and started shivering even more.
Just then Kultaai passed a hotel outside the city and noticed some people sitting around a campfire, feeling its warmth. He stopped outside that hotel.
Kultaai went near the campfire, but there were too many people already sitting around it. There was no space left for him. He then shook his hand with the people there and said, “Hello! I am Kultaai.”
The people also said, “Hello!”
Kultaai had imagined that people around the campfire would scoot over and ask him to sit next to them. However, he was in for a rude shock as they didn’t invite him to join them. He felt upset and was left shivering in the cold.
Kultaai then thought of an idea to ensure that he too got a seat around the campfire to bask in its warmth through this cold evening.
Kultaai went inside the hotel.
“Is there anything to eat?” asked Kultaai.
“Yes! Why not?” said the hotel owner, “What will you eat? We have roti, sabji, soup among other things,” said the owner as he recited the names of the food items on the menu.
“My horse is very hungry. Can I get some hot soup for him?” he spoke loudly.
Hearing what Kultaai said the people sitting near the campfire started to wonder if a horse could drink soup too.
Just then the waiter who was sitting around the campfire went in and got some hot soup for the horse.
All the people got up from around the campfire and went close to the horse and said, “Let’s see how it drinks the soup.” But the horse didn’t drink the soup.
Right then the waiter screamed and said, “Sir! The horse is not drinking the soup.”
“No problem! Maybe Koni does not feel like drinking soup today,” said Kultaai loudly.
“Bring the soup here, I will drink it. You can give the horse some chickpeas and grass,” said Kultaai and sat near the campfire, soaking in its warmth and feeling better in the chilly weather. Everybody came back and sat around Kultaai.
The intelligent Kultaai got a seat near the campfire because of his clever idea.
Stuff:
Dark coloured plastic or paper cup, Wax paper, Pin, Rubber band, Scissors
Do:
1. Make a tiny hole in the bottom of the cup using a pin. Make sure that the hole is round and smooth.
2. Cut out a piece of wax paper larger than the mouth of the cup.
3. Secure it across the mouth of the cup using a rubber band. Darken the room and point the pinhole at a bright window or any single light source.
See:
The image that is projected on the wax paper, which acts as the screen, appears upside down.
Why did the image appear upside down?
Light can be focused so that it appears to meet at a single point. Light from the object enters the cup through the pinhole, which focuses the light onto the screen (wax paper). One of the properties of light is that it travels in a straight line. Hence, the light from the top of the object travels in a straight line towards the pinhole and continues to the bottom of the wax paper. The same goes for the bottom of the lamp, from where the light travels in a straight line, through the pin hole and to the top of the wax paper. The light from the left and right sides of the light source also go through the pinhole and are inverted on the screen. Hence, the image appears upside down. It is similar to how our eyes see objects—the image formed on the retina in our eye is inverted as well. The brain then flips this image back.
What is the significance of the pinhole camera?
During the early days, pinhole cameras were used to observe eclipses. The concept was applied to a room where the image of the eclipse was projected onto one of the walls through an opening in the opposite wall. The concept was then applied on a small scale to create a portable instrument. Variations of this instrument were used as drawing aids and later formed the basis of the modern camera. Later, scientists also discovered that a pinhole camera could be used to photograph X-rays and gamma rays which otherwise would be absorbed by ordinary lenses.
Mimi, the young mouse lived with his parents near a tree on which Squeaky, the squirrel lived with her son, Neo. Mimi’s parents and Squeaky were good friends. Whenever Mimi’s parents went out of town, Squeaky would look after him. She loved Mimi like a son.
One day, when Squeaky was returning home from the market, she saw Mimi on the way.
“Hey, Mimi! Could you please help carry the bag to my house?” asked Squeaky.
“I’m sorry, Aunty! I have a severe stomach-ache. Please ask someone else,” said Mimi and ran away.
“How strange! He has a stomach-ache and yet he can run so fast!” Squeaky thought to herself. After she reached home, Squeaky handed the bags to her son, Neo and requested him to put the things in their place.
“Mum! I hope you remember your promise to buy me a bicycle,” said Neo while arranging the items on the shelf.
“Yes, I remember. I will buy you one soon,” assured Squeaky.
Neo had been asking for a bicycle for several days now. Since Squeaky was running short of money, she was unable to buy one as yet.
One evening, Mimi was riding his bicycle outside his house.
“Mimi, can I please ride your bicycle for some time?” requested Neo.
“If you want to ride a bicycle, why don’t you buy one?” said Mimi and rode away. Squeaky who heard the two talking, went up to Neo and explained, “Mimi’s bicycle is too big for you. You won’t be able to ride it until you’ve grown a bit older.”
“All right, mum!” said Neo and went away to play with his friends. Right then, Mimi’s mother, Milli stepped out of her house and saw Squeaky standing outside.
“Hello, Squeaky! I need your help. I’m going out for a few days. Mimi is old enough to stay home alone. But if something comes up and I give you a call, will you be able to check on him?” asked Milli.
“Of course, Milli. Don’t worry. I will keep an eye on him,” assured Squeaky.
A couple of days after Milli left, Mimi fell ill. Milli called Squeaky at once and requested her to take Mimi to the doctor, as she would take another two days to return. Squeaky rushed to Mimi’s house and called the doctor. The doctor arrived and checked Mimi. The doctor prescribed some medicines and advised him to take good rest.
Squeaky did not want to leave Mimi alone, so she brought him to her house. She took great care of him by giving him the medicines as prescribed and cooking his favourite dishes. When Mimi saw how Squeaky looked after him without expecting anything in return, he felt ashamed.
Mimi apologised to Squeaky. “The other day, I did not want to carry your bag. So, I lied about having a stomach-ache. I did not let Neo ride my bicycle either. But you still love me and take great care of me. I’m really very sorry, Aunty,” he said.
“You don’t need to apologise, Mimi. I didn’t feel bad when you refused to carry my bag. If Neo refuses to help me out, will I feel bad? Of course, not!” said Squeaky.
“But I should have helped you, Aunty. You are older to me, and I should have listened to you. I shouldn’t have lied to you either. You are too kind to me,” said Mimi and hugged her. Squeaky smiled and hugged him back.
Sally and Dally, the birds, were good friends. They lived on the same tree and always played together but their personalities were different. While Sally believed in hard work, Dally constantly put off doing any work.
One night, the tree on which they lived, got uprooted in a storm. Luckily, both of them managed to escape unharmed.
“The weather is getting worse. We must start building our new houses first thing in the morning,” said Sally.
“You’re right, Sally,” agreed Dally. “Let’s build our houses together.”
In the morning, Sally did not waste any time. She went in search of a strong tree and found one a short distance away.
“Wake up, Dally! I’ve found a strong tree. Let’s start building our houses,” said Sally.
Dally woke up and stretched. She looked around and said, “Oh, it’s still early in the morning. We have the whole day ahead of us. You go ahead and start building your house. Let me sleep some more and join you later,” said Dally and went back to sleep.
Sally went ahead and started work on her new house. She took the help of Harry, the parrot, who was a carpenter. By afternoon, her hard work paid off and her new house was almost ready.
Sally was so engrossed in her work that she forgot all about Dally. It was afternoon when she finally remembered to wake Dally up.
“Wake up, Dally. It’s afternoon!” she said.
When Dally woke up, she looked around and said, “It’s just afternoon! Let me sleep for half an hour more, and then I’ll wake up and quickly build my house.” She went back to sleep again.
Sally continued working on her house. She fixed the doors and windows, painted the house, and bought new furniture. By evening, her house was ready.
When Dally finally woke up, she noticed the rays of the setting sun and quickly jumped up. By the time she finished collecting logs and began looking for a carpenter, it became dark.
“I don’t work after dark, Dally. If you had come during the day, I would have built your house,” said Harry, the parrot.
Dally then looked for other carpenters. But owing to the darkness and the bad weather, no one was ready to work.
She returned to the tree exhausted. By then, the weather had worsened and it started raining heavily.
Dally perched on a branch and wondered what to do. She saw a beautiful house on another branch and became thoughtful.
“If I hadn’t wasted the day, by now I could have built a house like that one,” Dally said to herself. She regretted being lazy. But now, she could do nothing but get wet in the rain.
Suddenly a familiar voice called out to her.
“Hey, Dally! What are you doing there? Come inside…”
It was Sally. She was calling out to her from inside that beautiful house. Dally sighed in relief and flew into Sally’s house.
“Where were you?” Sally asked worried. “I looked for you everywhere but I couldn’tfind you. I was about to shut my window and go to bed when I happened to notice you.”
Dally was now on the verge of crying. “I’m sorry, Sally. Both of us started this day together. But you worked hard and built this lovely house while I just wasted it away by being lazy.”
“It’s okay, Dally. I’m just glad that you are safe,” said Sally.
She served Dally a warm cup of milk and asked her to get some rest. Early next morning, Sally was surprised to see Dally get ready.
“Dally, where are you going so early in the morning?” asked Sally.
“To build my house!” said Dally, smiling. Sally was happy to see the transformation in her friend.
Milo, the monkey was very cunning. He enjoyed taking away things from others.
One day, he chanced upon Freddy, the donkey. Freddy had recently shifted to Sundervan. As he was new, he did not know about Milo’s cunningness.
“Namaste Freddy! How are you?” Milo said with a loving voice, so Freddy greeted him with a smile too.
“I just came here to tell you to be careful in this forest. I will take your leave now,” said Milo and he started to leave.
Now Freddy became very restless. He stopped Milo and asked, “What do you mean?”
“I cannot tell you about it out here,” said Milo after checking both sides for onlookers.
“Ok. Please come inside. Let’s have tea and snacks, and talk,” said Freddy as took Milo to his house.
Taking sips of tea, Milo said, “It’s not a good idea to make friends with anyone in this part of the forest. They are all selfish. They spread false rumours about each other.”
Listening to Milo, Freddy got cautious. He started believing trusting Milo’s words. In the beginning, Milo would come only once a week to meet him, but slowly he started coming over every day. Freddy was a kind person and he believed everything that Milo said.
But Milo had not changed his nature.
One day when Freddy was about to leave for work, he was surprised to see Milo at his doorstep.
“Oh! Milo, you’re here at this hour? Do you have some important work?
“Freddy, actually there is no water in my house. I thought I might take a bath at your place.”
“Ok, I am leaving for my office. You can take a bath. I will take the keys from you later.”
Freddy handed over the responsibility of his house to Milo and left. Now Milo was free to have fun. After taking a bath he comfortably lay down on the sofa and started to eat his breakfast. He took out all of the food and drinks from Freddy’s freezer and tasted them. When Freddy returned in the evening, he was surprised to see Milo in his house.
“What happened Milo? Are you feeling well?” he asked.
“Actually, I felt so dizzy that I could not get up from the sofa,” said Milo holding his head. “Now that you have come back home, I will leave for my house,” said Milo as he got up and reached for the door stumbling.
Just then Freddy stopped him and said, “Are you crazy? Stay here tonight. You can leave tomorrow morning.”
Freddy forgot about his exhaustion and started taking care of Milo.
The next day, Milo kept sleeping till late in the morning.
“How are you feeling now?” Freddy asked Milo.
“I feel better but still a little dizzy,” said Milo making an excuse again.
Freddy was concerned. “I’ll take a leave from work and stay with you at home,” said Freddy and started to call his boss.
“Oh Freddy! Why would you go through all that trouble? I’ll be fine. You should go to work. I will return to my house anyway. Can you just get me some juice before you leave?” said Milo slowly.
He did not want Freddy to stay back at home or else he would not be able to eat his favourite food or watch his favourite TV channel.
“Ok!” said Freddy and before leaving for his office, he went to buy juice from Meera, the mouse.
“What happened Freddy? You always buy curd. Why are you taking juice today?” asked Meera casually.
“Milo is not feeling well. I am taking this juice for him.”
Hearing Milo’s name Meera replies angrily, “Don’t talk about him. He is a very cunning liar.”
Listening to Meera say this Freddy got very angry. “Meera! How can you say these things about my friend?”
Meera was baffled at Freddy’s loyalty and said, “Okay, tell me the whole incident.”
Freddy then told her everything that had happened until now.
Meera understood that Milo was fooling around again. She explained, “Look Freddy, you need to be careful. Have any of your belongings disappeared? Just confirm that. If you find something missing then understand that Milo is fooling you.”
After buying the juice, Freddy returned back home. He gave the juice to Milo and checked the refrigerator. He saw that the stored food was missing, so he became very alert. He thought of something, looked at Milo and said, “I am leaving for work. It will be very late before I return. Take care of yourself.”
“You don’t need to worry. I will return to my house soon,” said Milo.
Now Freddy left his house and went around to the back. There was a small window from where he could easily see what’s happening inside the room. He saw that Milo immediately got out of the bed, switched on the TV, took out some ice cream and juice from the refrigerator and started to eat.
“Now I understand what he was up to,” said Freddy.
Freddy was very angry at Milo. He immediately called his friend Dani, the bear who was a doctor and asked him to come to his house. Soon after, he entered the house with Dani.
Seeing Freddy and Dani in front of him suddenly, Milo got confused.
“I was not feeling too well so I was watching TV. But why did you come back so early?”
“I thought that we should get you treated by Doctor Dani,” said Freddy as he gestured.
Dani immediately made Milo lie on the bed and started to examine him.
“Oh! His health does not look too good. He needs an injection quickly,” said Dani. He took out an injection from his briefcase.
“After taking this injection, you will have to get admitted in my hospital. You treatment will go on for a week. Then you will be perfectly alright. Now give me my fees of 500 rupees”
Listening to Dani, Freddy immediately took out and gave a 500 rupees note from Milo’s jeans.
“What did you do? Why are you giving my money away?” said Milo protesting.
“Milo, you shouldn’t get angry. If you are alive, you can earn a lot of money.” said Freddy. “I will get you admitted in the hospital. At the most it will cost you 3-4 lakhs. But your health will be perfectly alright.”
Listening to this, Milo started to shiver. He understood that his actions had been exposed. Immediately, he began to run away.
You will need:
Seven colour papers (Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red), scissors, glue and pencil
How to make it:
2. Use the cutout to trace the design on other coloured papers and cut them out.
3. Fold the cutout along the dotted lines.
4. Interlock the paper cutouts together as shown to form a circle. Glue them in place.
5. One by one, bring the loose ends together by interlocking them. Before you interlock the last two, place your gift or chocolates inside.
6. Your rainbow gift box is ready.
Several animals and birds made their home on a huge banyan tree in the forest of Doodlevan. Amid the roots of the tree lived Lulu, the ant and Izzy, the spider.
They had been friends for a very long time and stuck with each other through the good and bad times.
Lulu had recently laid eggs. She was excited about having several kids.
One day, Lulu had to go to the market to get some food, so she requested Izzy to take care of her eggs.
“Relax! I’ll take care of them,” assured Izzy.
Izzy kept a close watch on the eggs. However, by afternoon she began feeling sleepy. She tried to stay awake but she eventually fell asleep. After a while when Lulu came back, she found her eggs missing!
She quickly woke Izzy up and asked, “Izzy! Where are my eggs?”
Izzy was shocked. “They were right here when I went to sleep!” she said puzzled.
Hearing the alarmed voices, their neighbour Buzz, the hornet—a wasp-like insect—also came over.
After learning what happened, he said, “I think that Izzy has eaten the eggs.”
Izzy became angry. “That’s not true! I would never eat my friend’s eggs,” she said.
But a seed of doubt had been planted in Lulu’s mind. While she was ready to leave this incident behind, Lulu didn’t trust Izzy as much as she did before.
After a few days, Lulu laid eggs again. She went to the market to buy food after asking Izzy to protect her eggs.
Izzy was alert this time. No one came near Lulu’s house for a very long time. After some time, Izzy pretended to fall asleep.
Looking at Izzy fall asleep, Buzz sneaked into Lulu’s house. Izzy immediately grabbed hold of him and the two got into a fight.
Buzz stung Izzy several times due to which she became weak and dizzy. She was unable to fight off Buzz. Buzz took advantage of Izzy’s weakness and ate all of Lulu’s eggs.
Just when he was about to leave, he noticed Lulu returning. Before Izzy could utter a word, Buzz said, “Lulu! See what Izzy has done! She has eaten all your eggs again. By the time I caught her, it was too late.”
Without giving Izzy an opportunity to explain herself, Lulu started yelling at her. “Izzy, leave this place right away. I don’t want you anywhere near me or my eggs anymore. You’re no longer my friend!”
Injured and heartbroken, Izzy silently walked out of the house. But she was still thinking of ways to save Lulu’s eggs as she knew Buzz would try to eat them again. She also wanted to prove her innocence to Lulu so that they could be friends again.
Meanwhile, Lulu had decided to never talk to Izzy again and became good friends with Buzz. After a few days when Lulu laid eggs again, she asked Buzz to take care of them while she went to the market.
Izzy, who had been keeping an eye on the two, saw this as an opportunity to prove her innocence and to catch Buzz red-handed.
As soon as Lulu left, Buzz entered her house to eat the eggs.
Izzy sneaked up to the house and quickly wove a web around the entrance to Lulu’s house. Before Buzz could eat the eggs, Izzy made a sound. Thinking that Lulu had returned, Buzz rushed to the entrance and instantly got trapped in Izzy’s web.
When Lulu returned, Izzy rushed to her and said, “Lulu, it’s Buzz who’s been eating your eggs. See, I’ve caught him red-handed.”
“You’re lying!” Buzz shouted. “You ate the eggs again and now you are pinning the blame on me!”
“If I am lying, then tell me what are you doing inside Lulu’s house and how you came to be trapped on the other side of this web?” asked Izzy.
Buzz twitched nervously without answering.
Desperate to prove her innocence, Izzy threatened, “Buzz, if you don’t tell us the truth, I’ll not let you leave; you’ll be stuck on the web forever.”
Buzz broke down and confessed to his crimes.
Lulu finally understood that it was Buzz who’d been eating her eggs all along and that Izzy was innocent.
“Thank you for saving my eggs, Izzy. And I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. I hope you can forgive me,” said Lulu, crying.
Izzy gladly forgave her and they were back to being good friends.
Dina and Soni, the deers were the best of friends. They were neighbours too, since their homes were right next to each other. Soni was a tailor and Dina was a schoolteacher. She was happy to teach the young animals who studied in the forest school.
Soni was very superstitious. She believed in rituals and would spend all her free time performing rituals. She had been having some tough times lately. The heavy rains that lashed the forest every monsoon, had damaged the roof of her house and made it leak. The house was drenched, and Soni had to stay in Dina’s house, and pay the repairmen a huge amount of money to repair her roof.
When Soni finally went home, she found that her sewing machine had stopped working. She again had to pay a lot of money to repair it, and was out of work for many days. Soon after that, she had a fall while running to the market, and hurt one of her legs.
One day, Soni saw an old man with a long beard standing outside the house.
“This house has a spirit hovering above it,” the old man shouted. “It is a very evil one! It is causing trouble for the house owner.”
Soni was flabbergasted!
“I’ve had so much trouble of late,” Soni thought. “This old man must be right! He must be powerful baba and can probably see an evil spirit hovering above my house!”
Soni called out to the old man and asked, “How do you know this?”
The old man closed his eyes, and looked like he was lost in thought. He opened them a few minutes later. Soni gasped. The old man’s eyes were flaming red.
“I can see the evil spirit that’s troubling you right now,” the old man shouted. “He has broken your roof and has also made you fall down. I think he has meddled with your sewing machine too. He is very evil and wants to cause more trouble for you!”
Soni’s jaw dropped. Her eyes grew wide. She believed every word of what the old man was saying. “He definitely must be a great baba!” she thought.
“Baba,” Soni then said, “Please tell me how I can protect myself from this evil spirit who wants to harm me!”
“Well, I can help you if you like,” the old man said. “I can come back after two days and perform a ritual. It will take a few hours to complete. But be assured that it will drive the evil spirit far away from your house.”
Soni trusted the old man. “He will drive the evil spirit away and solve all my problems,” she thought.
“Baba, let’s perform this ritual,” she told the old man eagerly. “Please tell me what you will require.”
The old man gave Soni a list of things that she needed to buy. He then told her that he would come back to perform the ritual after two days.
As soon as the old man left, Soni ran to Dina ’s house. She told her about the old man and the ritual that he would perform to drive the evil spirit away. But to her great disappointment, Dina grew very upset and scolded Soni harshly.
“Soni, since when have you become so foolish?” Dina shouted. “How can you believe this old man, huh? He must be a conman who’s trying to cheat you! There are no such things as evil spirits! You’ve just been having some bad days! We all have them at some time or the other!”
Soni was not convinced. “How did he know about my troubles?” she asked.
Dina shook her head and replied, “Everyone in the forest knows about your leaking roof, your sewing machine, and your fall. It’s a small forest and news spreads easily. The old man must have heard about you from someone you both know. Please listen to me and stay away from him.”
But Soni didn’t listen to her friend. “Well, there’s no harm in performing a small ritual, is there?” she said and stormed out of Dina’s house.
Dina realised that it was useless to say anything more to her friend. She decided that she would secretly keep an eye on the old man when he went to Soni’s house next.
After two days, the old man knocked on Soni’s door. Soni was very happy to see him. She invited him in to perform the ritual.
“Eat this,” the old man told Soni and gave her some food to eat. “It is part of the ritual!”
Soni respectfully ate what she was given. She was convinced that the old man was her well-wisher, and that he would drive the evil spirit away from her house. She sat down as the old man began the ritual, and hoped that all her troubles would soon be over.
Suddenly, Soni felt as though the world around her was spinning. “Aaahh!” she cried. “Why am I feeling so giddy?”
“Don’t worry,” the old man said. “The evil spirit is leaving your house. That’s why you’re feeling uneasy.”
“Oh!” Soni said, believing the old man.
Little did Soni know, that the old man, was young Juno, the jackal in disguise. He was a notorious conman who wanted to steal the money and gold that Soni had in her house. Soni was feeling giddy because Juno had mixed a sedative in the food that he had given her to eat.
Soni found herself feeling drowsy, and in no time, she fell fast asleep. Juno laughed when he saw Soni sleeping. He quickly gathered all the money and gold he found in the house.
“I’ll leave before she wakes up,” he said, running towards the door. But the moment Juno opened the door, he found Inspector Benny, the bear standing in front of him.
Inspector Benny handcuffed Juno immediately. Dina then rushed into the house with Dr. Appu, the elephant, and ran towards her friend.
When Soni woke up, Dina told her what had happened. Soni cried and held her friend’s hand.
“You saved me, my dear friend,” Soni said gratefully. “Had you not alerted the police, Juno would have surely stolen all my gold and hard-earned money. But tell me, how did you suspect that he was a conman?”
Dina replied, “Well, I stood outside your house to watch what was happening. When I heard you say that you were feeling giddy, I realised that something was very wrong. And so, I ran to alert the police and call the doctor. Inspector Benny guessed that the old man was Juno in disguise, since he is notorious for playing such tricks.”
“I have learnt my lesson,” Soni said. “I won’t believe in evil spirits or babas. I’ll accept the bad days of life gracefully, for I know that they will be followed by good days!”
Dina smiled. She was glad that her friend wouldn’t fall for a conman’s tricks ever again.
Champak in association with Suman Saurabh organised the Creative Child Drawing and Essay-Writing Competition at Samaritan Public School, Hoshangabad (Madhya Pradesh) on July 27, 2017. The event saw participation from 420 students. The winners were awarded medals and certificate from Delhi Press.
Here are some pictures from the event:
Many years ago, there lived a wealthy minister in China. He had a young daughter whose name was Fu Ya. Fu Ya was a beautiful and intelligent girl. She loved and respected her father very much. The minister loved his daughter too and always wanted the best for her.
When Fu Ya grew up, the minister started looking for an eligible groom for her to marry. The minister wanted his son-in-law to be an affluent man so that his daughter could lead the comfortable life she was used to, even after marriage. He shortlisted many wealthy young men and asked Fu Ya to select one of them.
But to his great disappointment, Fu Ya refused to marry any of the young men her father had selected. The reason was that Fu Ya wanted to marry a young man named Chin Lee.
Chin Lee was a bright and intelligent fellow. He was hard-working, friendly and pleasant natured too. But he belonged to a family that wasn’t very wealthy.
When Fu Ya told her father about Chin Lee, the minister grew unhappy.
“Fu Ya, my dear child,” he said. “You will not be happy if you marry a man who isn’t wealthy like us. He has a small house and he won’t be able to give you a comfortable life.”
Fu Ya tried to explain her point of view to her father. “Father,” she said respectfully. “Intelligence and hard work can help anyone grow rich. I know Chin Lee isn’t rich today. But I’m sure he will soon be with his intelligence and hard work.”
The minister wasn’t convinced. He thought differently but at the same time, didn’t want to see his only daughter unhappy.
The minister thought for a long time and then said, “Alright, Fu Ya. Let me see if Chin Lee is as bright and intelligent as you say. If he brings me the two gifts that I ask for, I will willingly give my consent to your marriage and accept him as my son-in-law.”
“What is it that you want Chin Lee to bring you?” Fu Ya asked in a soft voice.
The minister replied, “Go and tell Chin Lee that I want him to bring me two things as gifts: fire and air. But also tell him that I don’t want them as they are. I want them both to be brought to me wrapped inside the paper.”
Fu Ya was shocked. “Fire and air inside a paper? That sounds impossible!” she said. “Father, how can anyone wrap fire in the paper? The paper will surely burn! And how can anyone bring air in paper too?”
“Well, Fu Ya,” the minister said. “If Chin Lee is as bright and intelligent as you say, he will surely know what to do. If he doesn’t bring me these gifts, you will have to bid him farewell and marry a man of my choice.”
“Yes,” Fu Ya said and bowed obediently.
That evening, Fu Ya went to convey her father’s odd request to Chin Lee.
Chin Lee listened calmly. He thought for a long while and then said, “Don’t worry, Fu Ya. Go back to your father and ask him to give me a day’s time. I will bring him the gifts as soon as I can.”
The minister readily gave Chin Lee a day though he doubted his capabilities.
Chin Lee kept awake all night thinking about the minister’s strange request.
The next evening, the minister saw a young man walk into his house. He was carrying a lantern made of coloured paper. There was a small candle lit inside the lantern.
“I’m Chin Lee,” Chin Lee said and bowed respectfully. “I have brought what you asked for. Here’s fire inside paper, just as you asked for.”
The minister nodded and took the lantern from Chin Lee.
“What about the other gift I asked for?” he then asked.
Chin Lee promptly took a fan made of paper from his pocket. He spread it open and began fanning the minister with it.
More From Champak: The Wise King
“Here’s air in the paper!” he smiled and said. “Your other gift!”
The minister laughed and put his arm around Chin Lee. He was very happy. He realised that Chin Lee was the best suitor his daughter could ever have. He immediately called Fu Ya and gave her hand in Chin Lee’s.
“You have my consent for your marriage,” the minister then said.
Fu Ya and Chin Lee were married the following week.
Chin Lee worked hard and soon became a very wealthy man, which made the minister extremely happy.
