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India International

Unity Is Strength

Champakvan forest was quiet and peaceful. The animals and birds lived happily. They shared and helped each other in times of need.

A few days ago, a group of hunters came inside the forest and started hunting birds and animals, using guns. The animals were scared and cried over the loss of their friends. The fear of being hunted down troubled them the most.

They all decided to go and meet the king of the forest, Shersingh. King Shersingh heard them patiently and said, “I too am worried about your safety. But these hunters are armed with guns. Even I am afraid of guns. We will have to find a way to fight these hunters,” said Shersingh.

Honey hippo who was listening quietly said, “Your Majesty, I have a plan that can drive the hunters away from the forest.”

“What is you plan Honey?” asked Shersingh “Your Majesty, we must all stand together and fight these hunters. We must show – Unity is Strength,’’ said Honey.

“But even if we stand united, we can’t fight them. They have guns to shoot us,” said Lamboo giraffe.

“I know. We must plan cleverly before we act. My thick skin makes it difficult for the bullet difficult to pierce through it. I will go towards the hunters and distract them by walking towards them and the rest of you can attack from behind,” said Honey.

“If I get hurt, Dr Damru needs to be there to quickly remove the bullet from my body,” said Honey.

“You are putting your life at risk. Let us hope we don’t fail you,” said king Shersingh.

As planned, the next day, the crow took up the duty of a spy. He found out the camping spot of the hunters and passed the message to king Shersingh. All the animals hid in different places as planned by Honey.

Lamboo giraffe hid behind a tree, Fatty elephant hid behind a cluster of tall trees and Jumpy hid behind the bunch of bushy leaves. Cheeku rabbit took cover inside a bush. His Majesty, King Shersingh concealed himself behind a big mound.

The hunters were walking with guns in their hands. They looked alert and ready to shoot at the slightest sound.

As planned, Honey came before the hunters, then turned back and started running in the direction of his friend’s hiding places.

The hunters chased Honey, but Honey quickly gave them an escape and hid between the tall grasses.

One of the hunters reached the mound, where king Shersingh was hiding. As he climbed onto the mound to take a better look, his gaze fell on Shersingh. A chill ran down his spine. He dropped the gun and fell down rolling over the mound. The hunter managed to run away. Seeing the plight of the hunter, King Shersingh could not control his laughter.

The other hunters too were shaken when they saw their friend running. Taking charge of the situation, all the animals came out of their hiding places and attacked the hunters. In the chaos that followed, the hunters dropped their guns and ran away. The animals chased them out of the forest.

When the animals returned back to the forest, they saw the guns lying there on the ground. Jumpy collected all the guns and started imitating the hunters. He held a gun in his hands and by mistake pulled the trigger. The animals were in for a shock when they heard the sound of the gun shot. King Shersingh hid himself in a pit.

All the animals started laughing when they found out the reason behind the gun shot. Lamboo said, “We too have guns to fight now and need not be afraid of anyone.”

But Shersingh was lost in his thoughts. He thought about what could have happened if Jumpy had shot anyone.

He said, “We don’t need these guns that take the lives of others. I don’t want any of us to be killed by a gun shot. Let’s not create a situation where someone thinks they are more powerful because they have a gun. It’s better to dump them in the lake.”

Everyone agreed with Shersingh and they collected and threw the guns deep into the lake.

Minti’s Initiative

As soon as Minti mynah came out of her nest, she saw Bizy hawk circling the sky. Seeing him, she flew away in the other direction. After she had flown a short distance, she felt someone was following her. It had to be Bizy, she knew.

Minti suddenly changed her course. Instead of going towards the village, she went in the opposite direction. She increased her speed. She did not lose courage and flew with full might. Bizy chased her for quite some time but when Minti started flying over a barren and deserted region, he stopped chasing her. Bizy knew that it was difficult for him to fly in the open sky on barren land. So, he turned back.

Minti kept on flying. She did not turn her head to see if Bizy was still chasing her. After some time, her strength gave up and she fell down.

For a long time, she laid there motionless. When she came to her senses, she found herself on a barren hill. There were no trees there, not even a plant. All one could see were a few stumps of dry grass. Her throat was parched and she was feeling very thirsty. With great difficulty she pulled herself up. Her wings ached and she was not in the condition to fly. Somehow she managed to drag herself under the shade of a rock.

After resting for a while, she felt better. She said to herself, “Which place is this?”

“This is the Dry hill.” a voice spoke.

She looked around but could not see anyone. “Who is that?” she asked.

“I am the Dry hill,” came the reply. “A living creature has come here after a very long time. Tell me, how can I help you?”

“Just give me some water. I am very thirsty,” said Minti.

“There is no water on this hill,” said the hill.

“Oh, you are really very dry!” said Minti.

“I know. But I wasn’t always like this,” said the Dry hill sadly.

“Really!” exclaimed Minti.

“I am telling you the truth. There were beautiful trees here and greenery everywhere. Birds sang on the trees and water flowed in the rivers,” said the hill.

“Looking at you, no one can believe that!” said Minti.

“Not only you, there’s no one else who believes this. My present condition is due to my beauty,” said the hill.

“How come?” asked Minti.

“Many people from different places came here and settled. Slowly, this place became overpopulated. People started cutting trees for space and other needs. Large scale tree cutting led to a reduction in rainfall,” said the hill.

“What happened then?” asked Minti.

“As long as there was greenery, people stayed. But with no water and trees, I became dry and everyone left. My land became barren. And now, there are no trees and no bushes. There’s only a little dry grass here and there,” said the hill sadly.

“I feel sad for you. You witnessed your destruction with your own eyes. I came here to save my life. I did not know where I was going,” said Minty.

“Who were you saving your life from?” asked the hill.

“A hawk was chasing me. I came to this place because I knew that Bizy hawk would not follow me here.”

“Why?” asked the hill.

“Because, there are no trees here and he would not be able to fly with such a big mynah for too long. He would need to sit down on a tree. So, he stopped chasing me. If there was a tree here, then I wouldn’t be alive today,” explained Minti.

“Well, at least after all these years I have been of use to someone!” said the hill.

“Don’t say that. You can be of use to anyone even today,” said Minti.

“I was saved because of you and for this, I will certainly do something for you,” said Minti.

“After summer is over, I will come here with my friends,” she said.

“And then, what will happen?” asked the hill.

“Just wait and see. This is my promise to you,” saying this, Minti gathered her strength and left the place, bidding goodbye to the dry hill.

After some distance she saw a river and had a good drink.

Dry Hill was very pleased after his talk with Minti.

There were still two months left before summer got over. He remembered Minti and her promise every day. Sometimes, a doubt would come to his mind if she would keep her promise and come back. But he could just wait and see.

Summer ended and it started raining. Dry Hill felt relief from the heat. Then one day, he saw a hoard of mynahs flying towards him. He was overjoyed to see them.

“Hello, do you recognize me?” asked Minti, as soon as she came on the hill.

“Of course! I have been thinking about you all this time,” said the hill.

“I was waiting for the rains. I came here as soon as the rains started,” said Minti.

And she and her friends scattered many seeds that they had brought with them, on the hill.

“What are you doing?” asked Dry Hill.

“We have come here to scatter seeds. They will sprout with the rains and one day, become big trees.”

“Will this really happen?” asked the hill.

“Yes! With rains, the seeds can get a chance to germinate. We will come again and bring more seeds. One day you will see that you have become green again and that you no longer are a dry hill. Lots of creatures will come and live here.” promised Minti.

Whenever Minti could manage, she visited Dry Hill and every time she brought seeds with her.

That year, the rains were good and many seeds sprouted. Then, they started growing. Minti had scattered different varieties of seeds. Some became bushes and shrubs. Others started growing as trees.

Minti visited Dry Hill regularly and saw it becoming green. The dry hill slowly changed to a lush green hill. Small creatures came there and later, bigger ones followed them. Her efforts had given new life to Dry Hill.

One day Minti came there with her children. “These are my children. I will not live long enough to see these plants become big trees. I got my children here to meet you. It will take some time for a forest to grow here. When it does, my children and their children will live here. Promise me, that you will take care of them,” said Minti.

“I promise that I will take care of them,” the hill said in a choking voice.

A small mynah had changed a dry hill to a green forest.

Tickling Kabbadi!

“Let’s play kabaddi,” said Rohit as soon as he reached the playground. Rahul promptly agreed as it was his favourite game too. He was a star player, scoring winning points for his team.

Both were captains and teamed up with their friends, forming two teams.

Rahul was a great kabaddi player. He always came back without being caught, but in spite of it, his team lost.

His team gathered around and they figured that Rohit, the other team captain, was good at playing ‘tickling kabaddi’, and that is why their team always won.

Vikas, a friend who wasn’t playing, overheard Rahul and his friends’ conversation and asked, “What is this tickling kabaddi? How is it played?”

“Play with us and you will know,” said Rahul who knew Vikas was a good player and would help them beat the other team.

Vikas substituted for one of their friends who was tired and they started a new game.

Rohit from the other team took the first turn to raid and headed towards Vikas, continuously murmuring ‘kabaddi…kabaddi’ under his breath. Vikas tackled him and held him tight around his waist. Rohit started tickling him while still murmuring ‘kabaddi…kabaddi’. Due to the tickling, Vikas lost his grip on Rohit who broke free and ran back to his own side.

Vikas now knew what was tickling kabaddi.

But he wasn’t willing to give up. He called for a discussion and they huddled together in a circle and began discussing a game plan. “We have to win this round. If everything goes according to plan, we may have a chance of winning,” he said, explaining the plan to his team.

The game resumed. As soon as a player from Rohit’s side raided the opponents, Vikas and his team tackled him, winning a point.

Now, it was Vikas’s turn to raid. When he was tackled, he used Rohit’s tickling technique and tickled his opponent, who lost his grip over him. Vikas scored another point for his team.

It was Rohit’s turn to raid again but he lost because he couldn’t tickle anyone as Vikas and Rahul held his hands behind his back. Vikas’s team scored and Rohit was sent out.

After Rohit went out, all other members of his team crumbled one after another.

In the second half of the game, as per the rules, the teams changed sides. Rohit tried to use his tickling trick but it didn’t work. The other team knew how to pin his hands behind and hold him there. His team members wondered what was going wrong. Rohit wasn’t scoring anymore.

What they didn’t know was that Rohit used this trick but never shared it with them. But the opposing team members now knew it and were using Rohit’s tickling trick against him.

The game came to an end with Rahul and Vikas’s team winning.

Rohit was disappointed. He couldn’t call out on the opposing teams’ method of tickling as cheating because he too was guilty of it. He was about to leave when Rahul called him.

“Do you think you may have been flouting the rules?” he asked.

Rohit gave it a thought and said, “I knew that tickling wasn’t part of the game but when I tried it the first time, it worked so well. I scored for my team and became popular. But now I know it’s not an ethical way to play.”

“It’s okay, Rohit. As long as you accept your mistake, you have nothing to be sad about. We just wanted to show you that tickling in kabaddi was wrong,” said Rahul, putting his arms around Rohit.

Rohit was happy and said, “You’re a good friend, Rahul. I promise that I will never play tickling kabaddi again.”

“Bravo! Congratulations!” said Vikas. “Friends, this is a great victory for Rohit who too understands what is a true sportsman!”

Everyone clapped for Rohit and Rahul. The two teams finished another match, and this time, it sure wasn’t tickling kabaddi

A Lesson Learnt!

Keggy kangaroo ran a grocery store in Champakvan. He was a greedy and shrewd shopkeeper.

He would cheat his customers by charging higher prices for everyday items and would also weigh them incorrectly.

Since there was no other grocery store in the forest, everyone was forced to buy their supplies from Keggy’s store.

One day, Meeku mouse came to the store to buy some rice.

“Two kilos of rice, please.”

When Keggy started weighing the rice, Meeku said, “Keggy, please weigh it properly. Something is wrong with your scales as last time you gave me less quantity of rice.”

Keggy was furious. “Meeku, the scales are just fine! If you don’t trust me, go buy rice from another store,” he yelled.

Meeku quietly took the rice and left as he did not have any other option.

Next day, Blacky bear went to Keggy’s store with his children. It was his son’s birthday. He gave a list of items to Keggy and said, “Please give me these, quickly!”

Keggy put everything in a bag and said, “Blacky, your total bill is `1000.”

“One thousand? But I had calculated the bill to be `800,” Blacky replied.

“The prices of some of the items have gone up. So, it’s `1000 now,” said Keggy.

“How is that possible? The prices were less until yesterday. How can they suddenly increase today?” asked Blacky.

“I don’t know all that. If you want to buy from here, then do so, otherwise, go elsewhere,” said Keggy, arrogantly.

Jumpy monkey was also present at the store. “Keggy, how can the prices go up in one day?” he asked.

Keggy glared at Jumpy and said, “I don’t need to explain anything to anyone. Buy your stuff and leave.”

Finally, Blacky had no option, but to pay `1000.

Two days later, a monkey came to Keggy’s shop. He looked like an outsider with his sunglasses, hat, suit, and boots. A backpack hung from his shoulder.

“Yes? What do you want?” asked Keggy.

“My name’s Peter. I’ve come from abroad. I’ll be staying in this forest for a month. So I need a month’s worth of groceries,” said the monkey, handing over a list to him.

Keggy packed everything and said, “Your bill is `5000.”

Peter took the packets and said, “I’ve spent all my money to come here from abroad and I have no money to spare. But I do have a statue, which I can offer you in exchange for the groceries.”

He then took out a gleaming statue from his bag and handed it to Keggy.

Keggy’s eyes widened when he realised that the statue was made of pure gold.

“This gold statue is worth lakhs! I’ll take it at once!” he thought.

“It’s all right if you don’t have the money,” said Keggy, “I’ll keep this statue and you can take the groceries.”

“Thanks a lot! Here, let me keep the statue safely inside this bag for you.”

Peter put the statue inside the bag and gave it to Keggy. He then took the groceries and went.

Keggy was excited after receiving the statue. He decided to go to the city and sell it.

The next morning, he went straight to the goldsmith, Hatim horse’s shop in the city.

“I have a gold statue worth lakhs and I want to sell it.”

“Show it to me,” said Hatim.

Keggy took the statue out of the bag and showed it to him.

“Keggy, this is a fake statue. It doesn’t even cost `50,” said Hatim, examining the statue.

The ground beneath Keggy’s feet shattered. “A foreigner monkey came yesterday to my shop and bought groceries worth `5000. He didn’t have money so he gave me this gold statue. But I had examined it carefully when he showed it to me—and it was pure gold!”

“These con men are very crafty. He must have shown you a real gold statue but then he must have exchanged it with a fake one, before handing it to you. You have been cheated,” Hatim explained.

“I will not spare him!” said Keggy, furiously.

Keggy went to Shersingh lion, the Prime Minister of the forest. “Sir, I have been cheated by a foreigner monkey named Peter. He bought groceries worth `5000 from my store and in exchange gave me a fake gold statue.”

Shersingh called for Peter and the other animals of the forest.

Peter arrived soon. Seeing him, Keggy shouted, “Thief! He’s the one who gave me a fake statue and cheated me!”

“Sir, I did not cheat Keggy!” said Peter defensively, “After taking the groceries, I asked him if he would accept the statue as payment. I never said that it was made of gold. Keggy agreed to take the statue on his own. I did not force him.”

“Yes, but I had examined the statue and found that it was made of gold and so I agreed to accept it,” Keggy argued.

After hearing both of them, Shersingh said, “It is Keggy’s mistake that he accepted the statue in his greed. Peter didn’t make any promise that it was a gold statue. He only showed him the statue. So, Peter is not at fault.”

Keggy did not have anything to say. He sat down and started crying.

Seeing this, Peter removed his wig, sunglasses, and hat, and everyone was shocked. “Hey look! It’s Jumpy!” they said.

“I disguised myself as Peter to teach Keggy a lesson. I was sure that a gold statue would make Keggy greedy. I wanted to show him that just the way he cheats his customers, it’s possible for someone else to cheat him too. I showed him a real gold statue first, then later while giving it to him, I replaced it with a fake one. If Keggy promises never to cheat his customers in the future, I will give him his `5000,” said Jumpy.

Keggy realised his mistake and apologised to everyone.

“I’ve realised my mistake and I promise to never cheat my customers again. I’ll weigh and charge for the goods honestly,” Keggy promised

I Can!

“I don’t think I can do it,” Dodo donkey brayed loudly. Milo monkey woke up from his evening nap and complained, “Oh, Dodo, you woke me up!”

“How can you be concerned about your sleep, when I can’t do what others can do?” Dodo cried.

Still sleepy and annoyed, Milo asked, “Now, what happened?”

“I can’t walk long distances while carrying heavy loads on my back,” Dodo said,
“I am sure, my bones will break if I do.”

“Can you do anything in your life?” asked Milo, exasperated.

Dodo kept quiet. “You must have some confidence in yourself, Dodo,” said Flora flamingo, who was sitting nearby.

Flora was famous for her bright pink feathers, thin long legs and her S-shaped neck. Flora gave two lotuses to Dodo and asked, “Do you think you can give one lotus to Milo?”

“Yes, I can,” said Dodo, and gave one lotus to Milo.

“Hurray… Hurray… Finally, I heard Dodo say ‘I Can’,” clapped Flora. Both Milo and she laughed, and congratulated Dodo, who also smiled.

“Why are you not confident, Dodo?” asked Flora.

Making a sad face, Dodo replied, “Everyone makes jokes on us, as if donkeys are of no use. Also, people often use the term ‘donkey’ or an ‘ass’ to insult others, to say they are slow or stupid and crack a joke on them.”

Flora flapped her pretty wings and thought for a while.

“Come on, let’s go for an evening stroll,” she suggested, and the three of them started walking towards the lake.

On the way, they met Ansy ant and her friends who were carrying food home.

“Dodo, do you see the load on Ansy’s back? Ants can carry weight that is 10 to 50 times their own body weight.” Dodo watched Ansy and friends, with awe. “Such tiny creatures can do such a wonderful job!” he thought.

“Croak… Croak…” Suddenly Futtu frog came along. “I am practicing for the long jump event in the next Annual Sports Meet,” said Futtu.

“That’s really amazing. Best wishes, Futtu” said Flora.

“A frog can jump almost 44 times its body length,” explained Flora.

Though, Dodo had seen frogs jump earlier, he noticed Futtu’s jumping talent only today.

“Such a small creature can do such a wonderful job!” thought Dodo again. “But, they are talented by birth and I am born a fool,” Dodo still believed.

“You must realise your strength and appreciate yourself,” said Flora. “Because if you believe in other’s negative comments about you, you will always doubt yourself and remain in fear.”

“Dodo you don’t even live with other donkeys,” said Milo.

He then pointed his fingers to the hill and continued, “Donkeys are strong and carry logs and grass. Do you know how long they need to walk and carry the load?”

“I know, yet nobody appreciates them. They are still called fools,” Dodo replied glumly. “I simply cannot bear the pain of being called a fool. So I just walk around and eat and drink whatever I find.”

“Do you know that donkeys are incredible animals who have excellent memory and tremendous physical strength? Believe that about yourself and work hard with a positive mind. Always say ‘I Can’.”

Dodo brayed suddenly, “Incredible animals!” he repeated.

“That’s the problem. Most of us criticise others without knowing their facts,” Flora explained.

“Studies have shown that donkeys can remember a place they have been to or recognise other donkeys who they met, even after 25 years. A donkey will not do something if it considers it to be unsafe. It can live more than 40 years and in various types of places.”

Dodo was quite stunned to hear about his own talents.

Holding his large ear, Flora said, “Donkeys have large ears that help them hear across distances in deserts. In case they sense something wrong while traveling, they will simply not move ahead and will start digging in their heels.”

“Am I really so strong and special?” Dodo wondered. “I just can’t believe it. I have heard something good about me for the first time.”

Flora sat on Dodo’s back and pecked him gently, “Never compare yourself with others or try to copy them. Instead, find your own strengths and talents and believe in yourself. Always say ‘I Can’ so ‘You Can.”

Milo too jumped on Dodo’s back and screamed, “Yes, we can!”

Dodo brayed, “Yes, I can…” and started running, jumping and dancing cheerfully with Flora and Milo on his back.

Dodo thanked Flora. This was a turning point in Dodo’s life. He realised his own strengths and talents that made him smart, strong and confident!

Discovering Talent

Rahul and Ryan lived with their parents in a small town. Rahul, the elder brother, studied in class 4 in a reputed school in the city. Seven-year-old Ryan studied in a special school.

Ryan could not speak or hear. But one could not make out he had any disabilities just by looking at him. His parents Tina and Pawan did not let Ryan feel any less of himself. Everyone communicated with Ryan with the help of hand gestures, a special sign language.

Ryan went to a school for children with special needs from an early age and started learning sign language. There he learnt to read and write using their own way.

Rahul and Ryan never skipped school and were always excited to meet their friends.

Then, suddenly, due to the coronavirus pandemic, all the schools were shut and children had to stay at home due to the lockdown and could no longer meet their friends.

Rahul spent his time playing games on his mobile phone and chatting with his friends. But Ryan was more upset for not being able to go to school.

Ma did not give him a mobile phone to play games, but would talk to him using sign language. But she realised it was getting very difficult for Ryan to stay at home all day.

But she was unable to explain in detail about the pandemic to him. She made him understand that schools were shut due to an infectious disease, and no one was allowed to step out of their homes.

The two brothers would play together for a while in the evenings. However, Rahul would soon get bored and found it hard to play with Ryan since he was unable to communicate with him like other children who could hear and talk.

Rahul spoke to his friends over the phone and often complained, “Mom, I’m getting bored at home! What can I do?”

“Do whatever you like! You anyway play games on the phone and chat with your friends all day.”

“But talking on the phone is one thing, but talking in person is the real deal!”

“Until such a time that this pandemic is over, everyone has to live this way. Why don’t you learn a new hobby during this time, like painting or craft?”

“But I want to play on the playground.”

“I know! But you can play as much as you like with Ryan inside the courtyard of the house. During times like these, none of your friends can come to play with you, neither can you go out.”

“Yes, you’re right!” said Rahul.

Rahul loved playing cricket. But there was not enough space in their house to play cricket inside it. And Ryan was too young to play cricket with him. He could only fetch the ball when his brother hit it too hard and sent it far away.

Rahul could still manage his time, but it was getting difficult for Ryan. He tried drawing, but he would hardly draw two or three criss-cross lines and then would get bored. He could not do it for too long.

Tina tried her best to keep Ryan happy, but could not do it all the time as she also had to do the household chores.

Ryan followed his mother around all day, observing her doing the housework. In the kitchen, Tina would give him some work like peeling vegetables, or washing them. He would sometimes arrange the plates on the dining table and be overjoyed after doing it.

One day, Tina cut some cucumbers, radishes and carrots, placed them in a bowl and gave it to Ryan and signaled him to keep it on the dining table.

Ryan carried the bowl to the dining table. He looked at the salad carefully, then he picked up the pieces one by one and started arranging them on a plate. He decorated the salad on a plate beautifully.

Tina came out of the kitchen after a while and saw Ryan carefully decorating the plate with the vegetables of three different colours. She smiled and put a hand on his head affectionately and praised him with a hand gesture. Ryan too was very happy.

In the evening, Tina cut some more cucumbers, radishes, carrots and onions, and gave it to Ryan. He picked up a plate and again started decorating it on the dining table.

After some time, his father came out to the dining room after finishing his work. He saw the plate of salad and asked, “Who decorated this?”
“Ryan did it,” praised Tina.

Pawan too was pleased to see Ryan’s creativity.

“We should enrol Ryan in a cooking class, Tina. I’m sure he’ll be great at it,” said Pawan.

He kissed Ryan’s cheek affectionately and hugged him.

Tina started adding more ingredients to the salad every day. She would cut everything and give it to Ryan and he would decorate them in different styles. She did not give him a knife yet because he was still very young to cut the vegetables.

Soon other family members and relatives came to know of Ryan’s skill. Tina recorded videos of Ryan decorating the salad and sent it to them. She made a social media account for Ryan and posted videos on it. Ryan was thrilled to read other people’s comments and suggestions. He had found a way to keep himself happy during the lockdown.

Pawan and Tina encouraged Ryan with his creative endeavours. Though he could not speak, his talents definitely spoke for him.

Umbrella To Save Us!

Jeena jackal was one of the richest animals of Bandipur forest. She owned many factories where most animals of the forest worked and earned a living from.

No one in the forest objected to her building more factories as that meant more animals would get jobs.

She had a say in everything that happened in the forest. And to build factories, she kept cutting more and more trees within the forest.

The old Banyan tree was disturbed to see this. He requested Gogo gorilla to call a meeting of all the animals to discuss the matter.

The animals respected the Banyan tree and immediately agreed.

Next evening, the Banyan tree shared his concern about the building of new factories by cutting trees in the forest, as that was leading to a rise in the air pollution levels and was causing breathing problems for all animals.

“We have to control the increasing pollution levels before it is too late and it becomes dangerous and harmful for all of us,” he said.

The Banyan tree reminded everyone that Jeena had promised to plant trees in the open spaces in the forest when she had cut trees to build the factories. Thus far she hadn’t planted a single tree.

His words had a huge impact on all.

After listening to the Banyan tree, Rancho monkey, who was sitting on a tree nearby, said, “We are going to celebrate Ozone Day in our school and have been asked to bring a sapling on that day.”

“Ozone? What is that?” asked Gingy goat, curiously.

“Ozone layer is like a huge umbrella around the Earth that saves us from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun,” Rancho explained.

“That is right, Rancho! If we did not have an ozone layer, then life on Earth would not exist. The increasing smoke and pollution from the factories are causing a hole in this ozone layer, which is harmful to animals and plants on Earth.”

Romi squirrel asked, “How is it harming us, Grandpa Banyan?”

“The increase in the size of the hole in the ozone layer is creating an imbalance in the temperature of the Earth. It is making the winters colder and the summers hotter. The glaciers and the frozen caps in south and north pole are melting slowly and sea levels are rising. These imbalances are very dangerous for life on Earth,” explained the Banyan tree.

Roro rabbit also added, “And our teacher also told us that carbon-monoxide from the ACs and the refrigerators is harming the ozone layer.”

Doctor Giraffe, who was sitting there added, “That is correct and that is why it is important that we reduce the usage of ACs and other such things in our daily life.”

Nina sparrow chirped in, “Oh! That explains why we are facing skin problems when we fly higher.”

“Yes, Nina. This umbrella prevents the harmful ultraviolet rays from reaching the Earth. But since the hole in this layer is increasing, these rays are penetrating our atmosphere and reaching us. This is causing skin problems and if we do not pay attention to it now it can create further dangerous problems like skin cancer,” said Doctor Giraffe.

“So, how can we stop this hole from becoming bigger,” asked Deepu donkey.

“We can prevent this hole from becoming bigger by controlling air pollution, not using chemicals that are harmful to the ozone layer and not cutting trees. We have to plant as many trees as we can instead of cutting them. If we fail to do this then the results will be hazardous,” said the Banyan tree.

Gogo was listening to all this and decided the animals had to find a solution to save the Earth. He asked everyone to reach Jeena’s new factory the next day.

Next morning, the animals reached the factory when Jeena was instructing her workers to cut more trees.

“Jeena, have you taken the permission from the forest department to cut these trees?”

“Y…e…sss, Gogo,” said Jeena Jackal.

“Good, let me see the papers,” said Gogo.

Jeena was taken aback by this, but she regained control of herself. Placing a hand on Gogo’s shoulder, she said, “I will build another factory here, which will give jobs to more of your animals.”

This made Gogo furious and he said, “First you want to build a factory without proper papers. Last time when you built a factory and cut trees, you had promised to plant the same number of trees, but you did not plant a single tree. It is because of your mistakes that the rest of us have to pay such a heavy price.”

Jeena jackal laughed guiltily and said, “Oh! If it is only about planting the trees I promise to do so it if you allow me to cut these trees now.”

“It seems you will not give up that easily,” said Gogo and he whistled. Rancho monkey immediately brought Ellie elephant to the site. Ellie was a Police Officer. Her arrival made Jeena nervous. Ellie checked all the documents of the factory and sealed the factory as they were not complete.

“We should not punish Jeena. The mistake is ours too, that we allowed her to go on without understanding how cutting trees is so harmful to all of us. We should make her realise her mistake by asking her to plant more trees in the forest,” said the Banyan tree.

“I agree with grandpa, it is only by planting more trees that we can save this umbrella that saves us,” added Rancho monkey.

Everyone agreed with the Banyan tree and planted more trees with Jeena in the forest. She too understood her mistake and only built factories that were safe for the environment.

Janmashtami!

Intl Literacy Day

Teacher’s Day!

Help Ms. Lakshmi, reach the correct classroom for the Teacher’s Day that is celebrated on September 5. Use the hints given in the box.

  • Ms. Lakshmi loves white roses.
  • The blackboard has ‘Happy Teacher’s Day’ written on it.
  • A boy and a girl are standing by the door of her classroom.

Hindi Diwas!

Hindi Day is celebrated on September 14. Some Hindi letters are spread around the classroom. Find the missing letters and join them to make the following words in Hindi: ghar, payal, tala, baarish, ladka.

Ganesh Chaturthi!

On the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi observe the picture and answer the following questions.

Q1. Which musical instruments can you find in the picture?
Q2. Name the white sweet.
Q3. Leziums are used in traditional dances in Maharashtra. Can you spot the leziums in this picture?

Outdoor School!

Lost Cubs!

Happy Teacher’s Day!

World Coconut Day!

It’s World Coconut Day on September 2. In the market, find 10 hidden coconuts.

First Aid Day!

World First Aid Day is celebrated on September 14. Help the kids find the following missing items from the first aid box: band-aid, tablets, cotton, bandage, antiseptic tube, thermometer, torch, scissors, tweezer and small hot water bag.

Coco-Fizz!

Autumn Drink!

Happy Teacher’s Day!

Magic Hat?

Chief Who?

Chiki Saves The Day!

Engineer’s Day!

Literacy Day!

What Is Depression?

Damru & Veg Food

Damru & Pots

Damru & Eggs

Gitti’s Little Friends!

Gitti squirrel was annoyed with her friend Pinky pigeon because Pinky had been so busy. She hadn’t met Gitti. Gitti had begun eating and playing on her own. But sometimes she would get bored and lonely and run around every corner of the house looking for Pinky. Not finding her, she would get back to being on her own again.

Pinky and Gitti lived in a large house in the city. Rohit was the owner of the house who lived alone. He would get ready early, eat his meal and leave for work.

He really loved his little friends, Pinky and Gitti, who ran around the house all day, so no matter how late he would be, he would always put out plenty of food for them on the roof. Pinky, Gitti and their friends lived their days in happiness.

When Gitti had newly arrived at the house to live in, she and Pinky had chanced upon a piece of bread at the same time, but Gitti reached it before Pinky. But Gitti did not touch the bread and instead she stepped back and said, “Pinky, take this one. I’ll look for another one.”

“All right, I’ll take it. But not the whole piece. Let’s share it.” replied Pinky.

Thus the two of them became friends. And they started playing, eating and running around the house together. Pinky would sometimes fly away and cry out to Gitti asking her to catch her. Gitti would again run and catch her, but Pinky would fly away again.

When it was Gitti’s turn to trouble Pinky, she would hide in a narrow space and Pinky would say, “Come out, Gitti! You know I can’t get in there!”

But one day suddenly, Pinky started being aloof. Gitti could not understand what had made Pinky to withdraw. She looked for Pinky all around the house.

When she reached the roof, she saw that on the garret beside the stairs, in a nest made of pieces of paper. Pinky was quietly sitting with her eggs. She called out to her, but when Pinky did not respond, she had her meal alone and went to sleep.

A few days later, Pinky came and took Gitti to her nest. Gitti was surprised to see two little pigeons inside it, who became excited hearing Pinky’s voice.

Gitti was amused, and she said, “Oh, so they are the ones who kept you busy! I’m so happy for you. Can we take them to the roof?”

“Not now, Gitti! They’re too weak and tiny. They can’t even fly. So we must wait some time more to be able to play with them. When they learn to fly, they can come with us to the roof.” explained Pinky.

Pinky brought food grains to feed the babies. Gitti too took some grains and approached the babies, but they stopped crying and stepped back.

“People think babies are clueless and naive. But they’re very smart. See how they stepped back—they know who their mother is and will only take food from her.” said Pinky.

“That’s really smart! Why don’t you feed them? I’ll just watch from a distance.”

Pinky took care of her kids and Gitti watched them grow up.

When the babies grew wings, Pinky took them out and started teaching them how to fly. Gitti, too, came along. Slowly the kids started knowing Gitti.

Rohit, the owner of the house, gave them food and came and sat on the roof with his tea. He would enjoy watching all the pigeons and squirrels eating and playing together. Seeing the baby pigeons, Rohit too decided that he should now get married and get settled.

One day, Gitti told Pinky, “Pinky, I really love your two kids. It’s so much fun playing and spending time with them.”

“Gitti, you mustn’t be under the impression that the kids will always be there to play with you. As soon as they grow up to be adults, they will leave us and go on their own path looking for friends. And then just you and I will be left to play together.”

“But that’s so sad, Pinky. The same kids whom you took so much care of as they grew up, would leave you alone when they become independent,” said Gitti, sadly.

Pinky explained: “That’s the law of nature, Gitti. Along with the kids, the parents also grow up to be healthier, more independent and confident. They too lead their individual lives happily and meet each other whenever they want. We don’t to become a burden for each other.”

“That’s wonderful, Pinky. Those kids are such lovely gifts. As long as they are with us, we’ll enjoy their company. When they fly away, we’ll be there for each other to play with.” said Gitty.

The days passed. The pigeon’s kids grew up and flew away. Now there was only Pinky and Gitti in the house to play and run around. They remembered their earlier days. Kullu too joined in with them and the fun multiplied.

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