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Ratu, the Artist

Ratu, the mouse loved to draw and paint. His two best friends were his brush and his set of paints. While he had a lot of fun drawing and painting all day, his parents and family members were worried. They believed that Ratu was wasting his time drawing and painting all day.

They wanted him to study hard and become a successful engineer or a famous doctor.

The only animal in the entire forest who appreciated Ratu’s drawing and painting was old Lambu, the monkey, who was a painter himself. One day, Lambu said, “Ratu, I just heard that the king is going to conduct a big painting exhibition.”

“But Lambu Uncle, why are you telling me this?” asked Ratu.

“Why Ratu, because you’re one of the best painters this jungle has ever seen. This exhibition will be a great platform for you to showcase your work,” said Lambu.

Ratu thought Lambu was pulling his leg. Nobody had ever told Ratu that his paintings were good, let alone call him a good painter.

Ratu said, “I know you’re making fun of me Lambu Uncle. Why would anybody allow somebody like me to showcase my work in one of the biggest art exhibitions in the jungle?”

Lambu understood that Ratu was yet to realise his true worth. He was yet to understand the true potential of the talent hidden deep inside him. Lambu asked Ratu to meet Kaalu, the jackal, the animal in charge of the exhibition.

Kaalu was a famous painter too. He had put up several exhibitions and had gathered lots of fame and fortune. Ratu showed Kaalu some of the paintings Lambu had asked him to take with him. Kaalu realised that Ratu was an excellent painter. Jealous, he decided to put Ratu down.

Kaalu tossed Ratu’s paintings aside and said, “You call this art? Anybody with a brush and a paint set could produce drawings like these. If you put these up at the art exhibition, it would be a disgrace.”

Rattu-the-artist

Thoroughly dejected, Ratu walked back home. On the way, he met Lambu Uncle. With tears in his eyes, Ratu narrated everything that had happened. Lambu Uncle was wise.

He knew exactly why Kaalu had behaved this way.

Lambu Uncle took Ratu straight to the jungle’s art college. His good friend, Nathu, the bear was the arts professor there. Nathu took a look at Ratu’s paintings and was blown away.

“Ratu, I must say, you have a lot of potential. Seeing that at such a young age, you have so much talent, I’m sure you’ll become a great painter very soon,” he said. “Tell me, are you taking part in the art exhibition?” he asked.

Rattu-the-artist

Lambu told him everything that happened at Kaalu’s house. Nathu immediately went to his computer and began typing. He printed out a sheet of paper and said, “Ratu, you are going to present your work at the art exibition. If Kaalu stops you, just show them this letter of recommendation from me,” said Nathu and wished him luck.

Ratu and Lambu went straight to Kaalu. Seeing them Kalu said, “What are you doing here once again? Did I not tell you that your paintings weren’t good enough for the exhibition? If you think Lambu’s recommendation is going to get you a spot here, you’re sadly mistaken.”

“No sir, I’m just here to give you this letter from Prof. Nathu from the arts college,” said Ratu handing Kaalu the letter.

Kaalu had no choice now but to let Ratu in. Nathu was too powerful and well respected to cross.

On the day of the exhibition, Ratu had displayed all his best paintings. King Babbar dropped by to see all the paintings being displayed and had brought the famous painter, Lumumba, the giraffe, from Africa.

Among all the paintings at the exhibition, Babbar and Lambu loved Ratu’s paintings the most.

They bought one of Ratu’s paintings for two lakh rupees and soon, all of Ratu’s paintings were sold. Ratu had never been happier and both Lambu and Nathu couldn’t help but hold back their smiles. They were proud of Ratu.

Rattu-the-artist

As King Babbar and Lumumba left the exhibition, they praised Ratu’s skill and called him a diamond in the rough. Kaalu, jealous at first soon realised the error in his ways. He understood that like diamonds, true talents shine brightest only after they have been discovered.

The Proud Little Cherry Blossom

It was the month of March, but the wind still blew cool. The sun was not yet ready to shed his warmest rays on the waiting earth. Some of the birds had come back, and more were coming back. Gorgeous blossoms were already showing their pink and white blooms. And from bush and tree, field and flower, came the glad cry, “Spring is here! Spring is here.”

A beautiful maiden stopped in the orchard which was in full bloom. She picked a branch of cherry blossoms to take home with her. Whoever saw the blossom praised its beauty and fragrance. Soon, the blossom became proud, and thought that beauty was the only valuable thing in the world.

One day, as the cherry blossom thought, “None of the plants are as beautiful as I am. They seem just poor and plain.”

A little common yellow flower, which seemed to lift up its sunny head and grow everywhere caught her attention. Seeing the flower, the cherry blossom said, “Plain little flower, what is your name?”

“I am called the dandelion,” replied the little flower.

“Poor little plant,” said the cherry blossom. “It is not your fault. You must feel sad to have such a plain and ugly name.”

But, before the little plant could even think of a suitable reply, a lovely little sunbeam came dancing along. It said, “I see no ugly flowers. All flowers are beautiful!”

The sunbeam kissed the cherry blossom and turned to the dandelion. It gave a lingering, long to kiss the little yellow fellow.

The-Proud-Little-Cherry-Blossom

Soon, some little children came tripping across the field. They laughed in joy when they saw the dandelions and kissed the flowers with delight. They made wreaths and dainty chains out of the dandelions. Carefully, they plucked those that had gone to seed, and tried to blow the feathery down off with one breath, making joyous wishes.

“Do you see the beauty of the dandelion?” asked the sunbeam to the cherry blossom.

“Only to children are they beautiful,” replied the proud cherry blossom.

The-Proud-Little-Cherry-Blossom

An old woman came into the field. She gathered the roots of the dandelions, out of which she made tea for the sick, and she sold others for money. “But beauty is better than all this,” said the cherry blossom, haughtily.

Just then, the beautiful maiden arrived. She carried something which looked like a flower in her hand. She covered it carefully from the wind.

Children, what do you think it was? It was the feathery crown of the dandelion. “See! how attractive it is!” she said. “I will paint it in a picture with the cherry blossoms.”

Before going home to rest, the sunbeam first kissed the cherry blossom. As he stooped low to kiss the dandelion, the cherry blossom blushed with shame.

Real Freedom

Anisa the Butterfly was in an elated mood. She was enjoying the pleasant weather and flying through the park.

Suddenly, a bumble bee appeared in front of Anisa. Anisa got afraid, and changed her way. She turned around and saw that some more bumble bees were following her.

She tried to fly faster, however the bumble bees reached her.

Two of them blocked her way. “Why are they following me? What do they want from me? Have I ever done any wrong to them that they are here to take revenge?” Millions of such thoughts started crossing her mind.

She remembered her friends complaining of the troubles caused to them by those bumble bees. They were suffering because of the harm caused by the bumble bees. She slowed down as the bumble bees approached her.

The bumble bees surrounded Anisa. She was startled and couldn’t speak a word. One of the bumble bees went ahead and caught hold of her wing. Anisa found it difficult to move. All she did was look at the bees with helpless eyes and wonder what they were going to do with her. She looked around but there was no one who could rescue her. The bumble bees made fun of Anisa and laughed at her. Anisa was on the verge of crying.

After troubling Anisa by surrounding her and blocking her path for a while, the bumble bees flew away.

Anisa breathed a sigh of relief. She was no more in danger, however she kept thinking about the incident over and over again. She also kept brooding over the fact that the other butterflies were facing the same situation daily.

She thought, “Why is it that we do not have the freedom to be safe like others? Why can’t we fly wherever we want without anyone harassing us? Is this what the society is made for?

Why can’t our society think of taking appropriate steps to curb these practices?”

Anisa was weeping inconsolably. She had intended to enjoy the pleasant climate but ended up spoiling her day instead.

There was a tiny rose plant who had witnessed the entire episode. He looked at Anisa and called out to her, “Why are you weeping? Come here. Sit on the rose petal.”

Anisa sat on one of the petals. She immediately fluttered her wings and got up from there.

Real-Freedom

“Why did you get up?” asked the plant.

“These thorns hurt me,” replied Anisa.

The plant smiled and asked, “How are my flowers?”

“Very beautiful! Very soft! Very delicate!” replied Anisa.

The plant said, “So when these delicate flowers can protect themselves, then why can’t you?”

“What do you mean?” asked Anisa.

“You have to change with circumstances,” replied the plant, “These buds were as delicate as you are. They too were troubled by others. They learnt to defend themselves with the thorns. One should change according to the need of the hour. You are delicate, beautiful and soft, but you should become strong when someone tries to take advantage of your innocence.

You will have to fight your battle alone. Don’t depend on others to come to your rescue every time. Be strong and courageous. You cannot live a helpless and a dependent life. The wind changes its direction, the climate keeps changing, time too changes continuously. Similarly, you have to adapt to changing circumstances. Have strength and courage to fight the injustice. And that will enable you to experience real freedom.”

Anisa realised that she had to help herself and find solutions to her problems.

Real-Freedom

She said to the plant, “Thank you, friend. You have shown me the right path. I have no complaints against anyone now.”

Anisa said this and flew high in the air with happiness and cheer. Her flight indicated that she was confident enough to defend herself and had no worries. She was indeed free!

 

 

The Escape Plan

It was time for Munnu, the mouse to start for school. But he was worried. The previous day, he had seen Billu, the cat prowling along the path to school, looking for a prey.

Since most kids travelled together by school bus, Billu could not catch them. But Munnu usually rode his bicycle to school every day alone, so Billu was sure to catch him.

Just as he had anticipated, Munnu saw Billu standing by the side of the road, eyeing him greedily. Munnu pedalled as fast as he could and raced past him.

“That was close!” thought Munnu relieved.

However, on the way back from school, Billu was standing right in the middle of the road, blocking Munnu’s path.

“Munnu, my friend! How are you?” Billu greeted him with a sly smile.

“Oh no! I am done for! What will I do now?” Munnu wondered nervously.

Billu was stronger and faster than him, so there was no point in trying to run away.

“I have to stay calm and come up with an idea,” he thought.

The-esacpe-plan

At that moment, he remembered his teacher once telling him that when someone is angry, they lose their ability to think clearly. So, Munnu had an idea. He slowly got off his bicycle. “Getting ready to run away?” asked Billu, narrowing his gaze.

“Of course not! I am not scared of you. In fact, none of my friends find you scary,” Munnu taunted Billu.

Billu was taken aback. He did not expect Munnu to talk back confidently.

“Don’t my claws and teeth scare you?” Billu asked, flashing his razor-sharp teeth.

“They actually look funny!” laughed Munnu. “Moreover, I’ve seen the way you run. I can push my cycle along and walk home and still you won’t be able to catch me,” he taunted Billu, poking his tongue out at him.

“How dare you! I’ll teach you a lesson!” hissed Billu and ran towards Munnu.

This was the opportunity Munnu was waiting for. He pushed his cycle down and ran. Billu tripped on the cycle and fell down.

The-esacpe-plan

“Come on, Billu. Don’t sleep. I am waiting for you to catch me,” said Munnu, from a short distance ahead.

This made Billu angrier.

“Wait till I get my hands on you!” growled Billu. He got up and ran after Munnu.

Munnu continued to run. “What shall I do next?” he wondered while running as fast as he could.

Suddenly, Munnu spotted a deep pit, a few metres ahead of him. He had an idea. Instead of running around the pit, Munnu waited for Billu to catch up.

When Billu was just an arm’s length away Munnu swiftly stepped aside, revealing the pit before him. It was too late for Billu to stop. He fell into the pit.

Billu struggled to get out. “Please help me get out of here, Munnu. I promise not to trouble you anymore,” he cried.

Munnu wanted to walk away, but then, he remembered his mother’s words: “One must always help those in distress, irrespective of who they are.”

The-esacpe-plan

So, Munnu picked up a rope that was lying nearby, tied one end to a tree trunk and threw the other to Billu.

“Hold the rope and climb back up. I’m going home. Bye!” he waved Billu goodbye and ran home.

He was happy to have escaped unharmed.

Lazy Coco

Coco was a lazy bird who lived in Sunshine Woods. He would fool unsuspecting animals and get his work done. While some animals were aware of his ways and would stay clear of him, many fell prey to his tricks.

One day, a cyclone hit the forest. It rained heavily for days. Nobody could step out. All the animals were given a prior warning about the cyclone and were asked to stock food at home. But Coco hadn’t paid heed to the warning, so he was stuck in his nest without anything to eat.

After three days, it finally stopped raining. Coco flew out of his nest to look for some food. He was starving.

After searching for a few minutes, Coco decided it was too much effort to look for food. So, he went to meet his neighbour Becky, the cow.

“Hello, Becky! How are you?” asked Coco.

“I am okay. The cyclone was severe, wasn’t it?” said Becky.

“Yes. I was quite scared,” said Coco.

“I just met our neighbours. They were all terrified, too,” said Becky.

“I don’t care about them. I was talking about myself,” said Coco. “I haven’t eaten since the cyclone hit. I am very hungry.”

“Then what are you doing here? Hurry up, and go find some food before it starts to rain again,” said Becky.

“Where will I look for food in this slush? Why don’t you share your food with me?” suggested Coco.

“Sure. If you will eat grass, I’ll be happy to share some with you,” said Becky.

“I can’t eat grass! I’ll figure something else,” Coco said irritatedly and flew away.

“That lazy Coco always tries to reap the benefit of someone else’s hard work. He had enough time to stock food before the cyclone but he didn’t. And now he wants my food,” Becky said to herself.

Lazy-Coco

Meanwhile, Coco was in search of someone who he could fool into giving him food. Just then, he saw Billy, the goat.

“Hello, Billy! How are you, my friend?” greeted Coco.

“I am doing great!” said Billy.

Coco was surprised. “Really? Didn’t you go hungry from being stuck at home for days?” he asked.

“Not at all. The moment they issued a warning about the cyclone, I collected enough food to last me for days and stored it at home,” said Billy.

You are very smart, Billy,” appreciated Coco. “But you have overlooked an important problem.”

“What problem?” asked Billy.

“When it rains, the moisture in the air increases. This moisture will spoil stored food,” said Coco.

“Oh! I didn’t know that!” said Billy.

“You need to check your food right away. I can help you if you like,” offered Coco.

“Thank you, Coco. That would be great. Please come along,” said Billy, leading the way to his house.

At Billy’s house, the two checked the sacks of food.

“This sack is full of worms,” said Coco, inspecting a sack of grains.

“Where? I can’t see anything,” said Billy.

“Your eyesight is weak, Billy. Trust me. I’ll clean this up for you,” said Coco, quickly gobbling down fistfuls of grains.

“What are you doing?” asked Billy shocked.

“Can’t you see? I am cleaning the grains,” said Coco.

“You’ve cleaned it enough. Give it back to me!” said Billy, snatching the sack from Coco. By then, Coco had emptied half of it.

Lazy-Coco

“See? The grains have become clean,” said Coco.

“You think I don’t know what your plan is? You are lazy to find your own food, so you fooled me into giving you some. Why didn’t you just tell me so?” asked Billy.

“Where’s the fun in that? All you animals would have anyway stocked loads of food, so why should I take the effort to look for food,” replied Coco coolly.

“I should have listened to the other animals who warned me about you. Get out of my house, you sly bird!” said Billy angrily.

“Fine! Bye, Billy!” said Coco, flying away.

This time, it was Billy who had learnt a lesson about not trusting those who mean no good.

And They Became Friends

Rohan and Meera were close friends. One day when Meera saw Rohan sitting on the school ground looking glum, she asked what was bothering him.

“I am upset with the behaviour of Shashi and his friends. They are always troubling other children. Today they tore Gautam’s diary. I saw everything yet I could not do anything about it,” Rohan said sadly.

“Oh! So, this is the reason. You know they cannot be reformed. Why are you spoiling your mood by thinking about them?” said Meera trying to cheer him up.

Rohan agreed with her and quickly changed the subject to exam preparation.

The next day, the Principal circulated a notice to all the classes, announcing that students, who write a good essay on “Our Camp”, will be appointed as volunteers at the summer camp. Three students had to be selected from each class

All the children were very excited and quickly got down to writing the essay. However, Shashi as usual wanted to make trouble and he started disturbing other students and would not let anyone write their essay.

“If you keep troubling us like this I will complain against you to the principal. He is very strict and he will expel you from the camp,” Rohan said.

Shashi stared angrily at Rohan and reluctantly sat down in his seat.

Meanwhile Meera had gone to the washroom and when she returned she saw that the paper on which she had been writing her essay was not on her desk.

“Where is my essay?” Meera screamed. She looked for it everywhere. Hearing the commotion, their teacher entered the classroom.’

And-They-Became-Friends

“Sir, Shashi has stolen Meera’s essay,” said Sonia. And all students joined her in blaming Shashi as he was the one who was always making trouble.

The teacher angrily said, “Shashi! I have been hearing complaints against you for a long time. Stealing is not a good behaviour. As a result, I am expelling you from the camp.”

To everyone’s surprise, Rohan came to Shashi’s defense.

“Sir, Shashi has not stolen Meera’s essay.

I was watching Shashi all the time so that he does not trouble’s anyone and so, I can say that Shashi did not steal the essay,” Rohan explained.

The teacher announced that he would check everyone’s bag to solve the mystery of the missing essay. Each student was asked to step out of the classroom for the search to begin.

While the teacher was saying this, Sonia quietly tore Meera’s essay and put pieces of paper in Shashi’s bag.

During the search, as suspected, the essay papers were found in Shashi’s bag. He was called inside to explain them.

Now tell us, Shashi, do you still say that you did not steal the essay? These were found in your bag,” the teacher said showing Shashi the torn pieces.

Once again Rohan defended Shashi. “Sir, I have proof that Shashi is not the thief but Sonia is,” said Rohan.

“Sir! These are the bits of paper of the essay, that I found in Sonia’s bag. Sonia stole the essay and tore them inside her bag.”

“Then at the right moment Sonia shoved these bits of paper into Shashi’s bag. She did it so that Shashi would get caught and she would not be suspected,” continued Rohan.

And-They-Became-Friends

“If Shashi had stolen the paper, how are same bits of it in Sonia’s bag,” asked Rohan showing the bits of the essay in Sonia’s bag.

Sonia was asked to explain herself to everyone.

Sonia then said that she was jealous of Meera and stealing her essay was the only way to stop Meera from volunteering for the camp. Since Shashi had a reputation for being the troublemaker it was easier to put the blame on him.

The teacher expelled Sonia from the camp. Shashi thanked Rohan for his support and promised that from now onwards he would mend his ways. After some time, Rohan and Shashi became good friends. •

 

Character is what makes a Mouse

Mohan Mouse liked to walk home from school everyday. Often, along his way home, he would think about everything that had happened during the day in his class. He would recollect the things his friends did and said, and what his teachers taught and spoke of during the lessons.

The walk made Mohan Mouse feel good. Not only did it help him exercise but it also made him feel relaxed and at ease since the route home was surrounded by some shady green trees.

The only thing that Mohan Mouse didn’t like during his walk was his thoughts being interrupted. And today, Mohan Mouse was strolling along as usual. He was smiling as he recollected how his teacher had praised him for the assignment he had done so well when he was suddenly interrupted.

hita Mohan Mouse’s shoe hit a big rock that was lying on the sidewalk. Mohan tripped and swayed and almost fell down.

“Ow! This is ridiculous!” Mohan Mouse said furiously. “I could have fallen down and hurt myself. It was fortunate that I didn’t lose my balance. Who would be silly enough to leave a rock this big on the sidewalk?” Mohan Mouse was really very annoyed. “And what I am most upset about is that my pleasant thoughts have been interrupted because of this silly rock!” he grumbled.

Mohan Mouse lifted his foot and gave the rock a hard kick. He thought that the rock would roll and go further ahead, far away from him. But the rock didn’t move an inch.

He then gathered all his strength and gave the rock another kick. The rock flew through the air now. And to Mohan Mouse’s great horror, it hit the glass pane of a window of a nearby house.

“Yikes!” Mohan said and gasped. “I have broken someone’s window and caused them damage.”

Mohan Mouse’s knees began to shake. He was terrified. He flew like the wind, hoping no one had seen him. He knew that running away was a cowardly thing to do. But at the same time, he was scared and didn’t want anyone to come out of the house and scold him.

Mohan Mouse knew that he would be in big trouble if someone saw him. And so, he ran all the way and only stopped after he had entered his house. He then shut himself in his bedroom.

“Oh dear me!” Mohan Mouse muttered to himself. “Maybe I should tell someone about what I’ve done? Maybe I should tell Ma and Pa?” But he then decided against it. “They might punish me for being careless and for damaging someone’s property,” he thought. “I better keep quiet about it. It will be my little secret, that’s all!” Mohan Mouse began to feel relaxed. He was sure that he would get away scot free since he was sure that no one had seen him. “No one knows I was responsible for breaking the window,” he thought confidently. “I have no reason to fear.”

But then something happened that surprised Mohan no end. He found that he could think of nothing else but the incident. “I have done something wrong,” he thought and sighed every now and then. “I should own up and tell someone the truth.”

Soon, Mohan Mouse started feeling guilty. He found that he couldn’t sleep a wink at night. He sat up in bed, wondering what to do.

“I am very ashamed of myself,” Mohan Mouse whispered to himself. “I will go to the house tomorrow and apologise to the owner for breaking the window.”

The next morning, he told his parents about what had happened. “I have money saved in my piggy bank,” he said. “I am going to offer to pay for the damage I’ve caused.”

Mohan’s parents felt very proud of him. “Since you have been so honest and told us the truth, we will help you and pay for the damages. You can keep your money in the piggy bank and use it another day. We appreciate your truthfulness and this will be your reward, Mohan.”

Mohan Mouse felt happy that he had such supportive parents. He then scampered towards the house. He rang the door bell and waited, his heart thumping like a drum. A man opened the door. “Can I help you?” he asked Mohan Mouse, looking slightly surprised. “Er…I broke your window pane accidentally yesterday,” Mohan Mouse said politely, even though he was feeling very nervous. “I have come to apologise. I am really very sorry.”

Ah!” the man said. “So, it was you who broke my window?”

“Yes,” Mohan Mouse said softly. He then gave the man an envelope which contained the money his parents had given him. The man opened the envelope and looked puzzled. “I’d like to pay for the damages,” Mohan Mouse said bravely.

Character-is-what-makes-a-mouse

The man smiled at Mohan and patted his little head. “It was very brave of you to come back and offer money for the repairs,” he said. “I’m sorry once again,” Mohan Mouse replied sincerely.

“You coming back here and owning up shows that you have character,” the man said. “Your parents must be very proud of you.”

Mohan Mouse smiled. He felt much better. He realised that even though he had made a mistake, he had set it right, by doing the right thing.

“I am glad I have character,” he said to himself as he walked away. “After all, it is character that makes a mouse!”

Lattu Gets Fooled

Bhola, the donkey worked at Kaalu, the elephant’s sweet shop.

One day, Bhola came into work looking upset.

“What is the matter, Bhola? Why do you look worried?” asked Kaalu.

“I am worried about my son Lattu,” replied Bhola.

“What happened to him? Is he unwell?” asked Kaalu concerned.

“He is fine. I am worried because he does not show any interest in studying. I am tired of trying to make him understand that going to school is important. But he does not listen to me,” said Bhola.

“We have to think of some other way to make him understand. Bring him to meet me tomorrow. And don’t worry, everything will turn out alright,” said Kaalu.

Next day, Bhola brought Lattu to the sweet shop to meet Kaalu.

“Hello, Lattu. Your father tells me that you are not interested in going to school. Why is that so?” asked Kaalu.

“I don’t like studying, Uncle Kaalu. I want to start working right away and earn some money like my father,” said Lattu.

“Alright, you can start working in my shop. What sweets and snacks can you make?” asked Kaalu.

“I don’t know how to make any sweet or snack,” replied Lattu.

“In that case, why don’t you sell some papads? You can carry some with you and sell them to the animals you meet along the way,” said Kaalu.

“Yes! I can do that,” said Lattu.

Kaalu gave him 20 papads in a basket and said, “Sell each papad for Rs.10. After you’ve sold them all, come back to the store to collect your payment for the work done. Just remember: Don’t give the papad to anyone without taking Rs.10 first.”

“Okay, Uncle Kaalu,” replied Lattu and went out to sell the papads.

Lattu met his school friend Munnu, the fox on the way.

“Hey, Lattu. What do you have in the basket?” asked Munnu.

“These are papads from Uncle Kaalu’s shop.

One papad is Rs.10. Do you want to eat one?” asked Lattu.

“Uncle Kaalu’s papads are famous. I do want to eat one. But I have only Rs.5. Will you give me half?” asked Munnu. “No. If someone does not buy the other half, it will go waste. Uncle Kaalu has asked me to sell all the papads,” said Lattu.

“You’re right, Lattu,” said Munnu. He had an idea. “Do you have Rs.5?” he asked.

“Yes, I do. My father gave it to me before we left home this morning,” said Lattu.

“Why don’t we pool our money to buy one papad and eat a half each?” suggested Munnu.

“This does not seem like a bad idea,” thought Lattu and agreed.

Lattu collected Rs.5 from Munnu and put it in his pocket along with his money. Then, the two shared a papad.

Lattu-Gets-Fooled

“That was yummy! I feel like eating some more,” said Munnu.

“So do I!” said Lattu.

“Then let’s share another,” said Munnu.

“But we don’t have any money,” said Lattu.

“Yes, you do. Didn’t we just pool in our money to buy one?” asked Munnu.

“Yes, but that’s the money I made from selling the papad we just ate,” said Lattu.

“Half of that money is mine. So, take our money again and buy another papad,” said Munnu.

“That seems logical.Uncle Kaalu did ask me to take money before selling a papad. So I am taking our money with which we bought one papad and buying another one,” said Lattu, considering the idea. “You are right, Munnu. Let’s buy another papad with the money I made from selling the first.”

Lattu-Gets-Fooled

Lattu “took” the money from his right pocket and shifted it to his left, after which the two shared another papad. The two applied the same logic and ate up all the 20 papads. Finally, Munnu bid Lattu goodbye and continued on his way to school, while Lattu returned to the shop.

“Uncle Kaalu, I sold all the papads!” Lattu announced proudly.

“That’s great. Can you give me the money?” asked Kaalu.

“Sure,” said Lattu, handing over Rs.10.

“Where is the rest of the money?” asked Kaalu.

“This is all the money I made, Uncle Kaalu. Like you said, I did not take out a papad without taking Rs.10 first,” said Lattu.

“If you had 20 papads and you sold them each for Rs.10, then how much money should you have made?” asked Kaalu.

Lattu could not answer as he did not know how to calculate.

“You should have Rs.200,” Kaalu answered for him. “Tell me what exactly happened.”

After Lattu narrated what he and Munnu had done, Kaalu laughed. He said, “So, you thought you could use the same Rs.10 to buy papads from yourself? And since you did not know that selling 20 papads would get you Rs.200, Munnu tricked you easily.”

Lattu was ashamed.

Lattu-Gets-Fooled

“This is a lesson for you to realise why going to school is important. At school, you would have learnt to calculate and Munnu couldn’t have tricked you,” said Kaalu.

“Yes, you are right, Uncle Kaalu. I will start going to school from tomorrow,” said Lattu.

Bhola was surprised to see the change that had come over his son. “Thank yousir! Because of your idea, my son has finally realised the importance of going to school.”

“You should thank Munnu, as well. He, too, was in on the plan,” said Kaalu smiling.

Donkey Golu In Space

Golu donkey felt his weight was decreasing rapidly. “Oh! What is this? Where am I? And why do I feel so light?” he wondered.

Golu tried to open the door of the aeroplane. But the door did not budge.

Golu tried harder to open the door. He gathered his full strength and tried to push the door, but it still did not move an inch.

“Why is this door not opening?” Golu shouted in panic.

“This door will not open,” a voice boomed from the loud speaker.

Golu tried to see who was speaking, but there was no one around. He asked again, “Oh brother, who are you? And where am I?” He tightly held on to the door handle because now he was completely weightless and was floating in air.

Donkey Golu in space

“Why am I not able to stand straight?” Golu shouted again, very frightened.

“Brother Golu, don’t be afraid,” said the voice.

Golu’s eyes went to one of the monitors in front of him. He was surprised to see the image of his friend, Rex rabbit there.

“Thank goodness it is you Rex.” Golu felt relieved on seeing his friend. He asked, “Where am I?”

“You are in a space-ship. By mistake you boarded this space-ship, instead of the aeroplane you had to take. But don’t be afraid and do just as I tell you. If you want to ask anything, just go ahead,” Rex informed him.

Hearing that he was on a spaceship, Golu was more frightened. He asked, “Am I really in a spaceship?”

“Yes,” replied Rex.

Golu then asked, “Why do I feel that I have no weight and why am I floating in the air?”

“Your weight has become zero because there is no gravitational force in space,” Rex explained.

More From Champak: Donkey Golu In Space

Golu did not understand what Rex had just said. “How could anyone’s weight become zero?” Golu wondered.

On Earth he was a donkey weighing 40 kilograms. And here he had become a zero kilogram donkey. His brain could not figure this out.

“Brother Rex, I cannot understand how can my weight become zero kilogram?” asked Golu.

“Golu, let me try and explain. Have you seen that our Earth pulls everything to itself. When a pebble is thrown in the sky, it comes back to the Earth, because the Earth pulls it back. This power of the Earth to pull everything to itself is called force of gravitation,” Rex explained patiently.

“Yes, I have observed that,” Golu said nodding his head.

“Our weight is a multiple of the gravitational force. In other words, if the mass of your body is 40 kilogram and if we suppose the gravitational force to be 1, then the product of 1 into 40 is 40. So, we say that your weight is 40 kilogram,” explained Rex.

“But where you are now, the gravitational force is zero. And so, when you multiply 40 into zero, what will be the product?” asked Rex.

“It will be zero. That means because of the mathematical zero my weight has also become zero and I am floating in space,” said Golu trying to understand Rex

“Well said. Since there is no gravitational force here your weight has become zero,” Rex explained.

Then Golu noticed something shining near him and said, “Oh, this water bubble is also floating.” He extended his hand towards the floating bubble, but it slipped from his hand and started growing big like a balloon.

Seeing this, Golu asked, “If I want to wash my face, what should I do?”

“Take a piece of cloth and wrap it around the water bubble. The bubble will get into the cloth, with which you can then wash your face,” Rex explained.

But you do not need to wash your face here. There is no dust or dirt here that sticks to your body and makes it dirty,” said Rex.

“Oh Yes! I had not thought about it. But why am I not able to open the door of this spaceship?” asked Golu.

Donkey Golu in space

On hearing this Rex started laughing. “You have asked a very good question. Take a look at the monitor that is showing what is outside. What do you see there?” asked Rex.

“Nothing. It is completely dark out there,” answered Golu.

“Then what will you do if you go outside? And since the space ship is flying the door will not open just now,” said Rex.

Suddenly something pricked Golu’s foot. He cried in pain, “Oh! What was that?” He got up with a jerk and sat up on his bed. “Where am I? I was in space,” Golu moaned.

His mother asked, “Were you dreaming again Golu? It seems you were travelling to space in your dream.”

“Oh yes Mom! I had a wonderful dream that I was in space,” Golu said excitedly.

“Will I ever be able to go to the space, Mom?” asked Golu after thinking for a bit.

Donkey Golu in space

“Yes, son. If you study well, then you can become an astronaut and you can go to space,” his mom answered.

Golu got up and started getting ready to go to school. After all he had to go to space one day.

The Road to Change

Shersingh lion, the King of Champakvan, was watching the news on television. There were several incidents of road accidents being reported. He became upset and thought to do something about it.

Shersingh invited Jumbo elephant to discuss the issue with him. Jumbo was well versed in the matters of road safety as he was the head of Champakvan’s Road Safety Patrol.

“Champakvan is witnessing an increase in the number of road accidents. This disturbs me greatly. I want your advice on what we can do to make Champakvan safer for all,” Shersingh said to Jumbo.

“Don’t worry, sir. I will definitely help you make Champakvan safer. First, let me study the situation and prepare a report. Based on that, I will be able to suggest some measures,” said Jumbo.

“Take all the time you need, Jumbo. The report has to be detailed,” said Shersingh.

Jumbo set to work right away. He went around all the roads in Champakvan observing the traffic movements and making notes. He compiled all of them in his report.

After a couple of weeks, Jumbo presented his report to Shersingh.

“One of the main issues I observed is that the residents of Champakvan do not follow traffic rules. They do not stay within the speed limit, they disregard traffic signals, do not follow lane discipline and park their vehicles wherever they find space, thus blocking traffic. Several signals at the main junctions are not working, causing a lot of chaos. They need to be fixed immediately. We also need to appoint traffic policemen at these junctions to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic,” said Jumbo.

That ambulance that came to halt

“Good work, Jumbo. I will ask my ministers to fix the signals right away. But what can we do to get the citizens to follow traffic rules?” asked Shersingh.

“I feel there is a lack of awareness about traffic rules and road safety among the citizens. Through campaigns, we can make our citizens aware of the benefit of following the rules. Wearing helmet for two-wheeler riders and seat belt for those driving cars should be made compulsory. If they do not follow the rules, fines should be levied,” suggested Jumbo.

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“That is an excellent idea, Jumbo. Let us also put up signs indicating speed limits near schools and hospitals, and prohibiting parking in congested areas,” said Shersingh.

“That will surely help, sir,” said Jumbo. “Another thing I observed is that though kids under the age of 18 are prohibited by law from riding motorcycles or cars, there are many of them who do so.

This is causing a lot of accidents. We can tackle this problem by penalising their parents for allowing them to drive in the first place,” said Jumbo.

“Yes, underage driving is a major cause of concern,” agreed Shersingh.

More From Champak: Public Transportation in India

“There’s one more thing, sir. You could also consider allocating a separate lane for cyclists and pedestrians so that they can travel safely,” added Jumbo.

“Consider it done! Thank you for your suggestions, Jumbo. These steps are sure to make Champakvan safer for motorists and pedestrians alike. In celebration of this change, I declare the last week of February as Road Safety Week. Every year, during this week, we shall organise competitions, workshops on road safety and a survey on traffic trends and accidents,” said Shersingh.

The-Road-to-Change

Next morning, the front page news on Champakvan Times was about the changes introduced by Shersingh with Jumbo’s suggestions. It read that besides setting up a dedicated accident helpline, Shersingh had created a new department to look into the traffic activities at Champakvan, under the leadership of Jumbo. He was commended for a job well done.

The Boy Who Could Carry the Mountain- An Indian folktale Retold by Rohini Ramakrishnan

Rakesh and Ramu came running to the riverside. They wanted to be the first to reach, so that they could grab the best aerial roots of the big banyan tree to swing on.

“Where is Hari?” asked Ramu. Their friend was nowhere to be seen.

“He must be still eating his breakfast,” joked Rakesh.

“Yes. He does loves his idlis,” said Ramu.

“His mother makes the most delicious onion chutney and drumstick sambar,” said Ramu, remembering the breakfast he had shared with Hari recently. The river flowed on smoothly. The sun was shining brightly. It was a warm morning. Rakesh and Ramu looked up at the banyan tree. None of the other children from the village had turned up yet, so they were free to choose their roots leisurely. Usually, an argument would erupt over the choice of roots.

“Where is this boy?” grumbled Rakesh.

Suddenly, the two boys heard Hari shouting out to them.

“Raamuuu! Rakesh! Come here quickly!”

They saw Hari almost rolling down the small hillock a few metres away.

“What happened?” they asked.

Gradually, Hari’s panting stopped and he was able to speak.

“You must come and see this,” said Hari.

“See what?” asked Ramu.

“I’ll tell you in a bit; just come with me now,” said Hari, running back the same way he had come.

The other two ran behind him. Together, they climbed the hillock. When they came down, they were near the village boundary. The river water tumbled over the big, black boulders. There were goats grazing and they could hear the buzz of the bees around a hive that was on an enormous jackfruit tree.

Hari kept running till he reached a boy standing near the river. He was of their age. As they went near him, Hari turned to his friends and introduced the boy, “This is Sethu. He is new here. He says he can carry this mountain on his shoulders.”

The-Boy-Who-Could-Carry-the-Mountain

Rakesh and Ramu turned to look at the mountain behind Sethu. They knew the mountain all too well. They had climbed up its slippery slopes numerous times to search for lost goats. They had even hid behind the huge boulders while playing hide-and-seek.

“This is the funniest thing we’ve heard all day!” the two laughed loudly.

Hari felt bad. He looked at Sethu, who simply smiled a quiet, wise smile. Rakesh and Ramu were puzzled by his smile.

“You really mean it?” asked Ramu surprised.

“Of course I do,” replied Sethu calmly.

“Then prove you can lift the mountain!” said Rakesh.

Sethu continued to smile confidently and said, “Alright. I will prove it to you but only on one condition.”

“What condition?” asked Ramu.

“You have to feed me for three days and on the fourth day, I will carry the mountain,” replied Sethu.

Ramu, Rakesh and Sethu huddled to discuss it.

“Do you think he can really carry the mountain?” asked Ramu in a low voice.

“There is no harm in giving him a chance to prove his claim,” said Ramesh.

“And besides, if he does carry that mountain, we would be the first among our friends to have seen such a thing. Then we can use this fact to demand the best roots to swing on every day,” said Sethu excitedly.

The three friends agreed. For the next three days, the three friends took turns to feed Sethu.

On the first day, Hari brought a big tiffin carrier filled with big, fluffy idlis, sambar and fiery, red-hot onion chutney. Sethu gulped them down within minutes.

On the second day, Rakesh and Ramu brought lunch, which included tamarind rice, potato fry, papads, curd with pickles and a big bottle of buttermilk to wash it all down. After eating, Sethu laid down under the shady banyan tree to have a nap.

On the third day, the three brought whatever snacks their mothers had made at home—murukkus, samosas, laddus, roasted groundnuts, vadas and so on.

The-Boy-Who-Could-Carry-the-Mountain

“Some rotis and chicken curry would have been nice. But these will do, too,” said Sethu, while munching on a samosa.

Sethu enjoyed three days of tasty meals and relaxing naps.

“This must be in preparation for the feat,” thought the three friends.

That night, the boys were so excited that they could not sleep a wink.

The next day, as discussed, the friends met at 4 p.m. at the foot of the mountain. As soon as Sethu joined them, the friends could not contain themselves anymore. They started to ask Sethu all sorts of questions.

“Did you bring a shovel to dig the  mountain?”

“Are you going to use a magic spell to lift the mountain?”

“How can you hold it up with your skinny hands?”

Sethu did not answer them. Instead, he took his time assessing the mountain—walking up and down, stopping in between to get a good look it, and holding his head thoughtfully as wondering which would be the best way to lift the mountain.

Finally, he turned to look at them and gave them a calm, wise smile and announced, “Okay, I am ready.”

The three friends looked on wide-eyed in anticipation.

Sethu took his position near the mountain and said, “Now you three can lift the mountain and carefully place it on my shoulders.”

The friends were stunned.

“Hurry up! I don’t have all day,” said Ramesh

“But…but…” is all the other three could say.

Looking at the confusion on their faces, Sethu said, “I said I would carry the mountain on my shoulders; not lift it off the ground.”

The boys realised that Sethu had tricked them. Their shock turned to a frown.

“Please don’t hate me. I did it for a reason,” said Sethu, smiling sheepishly.

“What is the reason?” asked Sethu.

“I had heard so much about your mothers’ cooking that I wanted to try some for myself. So, I came up with this plot to get you guys to feed me,” confessed Sethu.

The three friends looked at each other and then burst out laughing. The sound of their laughter filled the valley.

The-Boy-Who-Could-Carry-the-Mountain4

“You sly fox!” said Ramesh laughing.

“I have an idea! How about we use this to trick the other kids into giving us the best roots to swing on?” suggested Ramu. “This is a great idea!” they all agreed.

The four friends ran back to banyan tree, eager to try the trick.

Mischievous Trixie

Dixie duck and her seven chicks lived in the forest of Everwood. Whenever Dixie stepped out, her chicks would follow.

Every day, they would go to the store and then head to the pond for a swim, before returning home. On the way back, they would stop over at Pinto, the donkey’s house for a quick hello.

Among the chicks, Trixie was the most mischievous one. She would eat her siblings’ share of food, peck them when they were asleep and play tricks on them. She would venture out on her own and stray from her mother when they went out together.

Dixie shared her worry with Pinto. “I am worried about Trixie. She roams around on her own without telling me. What if something happens to her? No matter how many times I tell her, she never listens to me,” said Dixie.

“Don’t worry, Dixie. She just likes exploring her surroundings. Moreover, everyone knows her in this forest, so even if she does get lost, she will be able to find her way back,” consoled Pinto.

One day, Dixie had to make a quick run to the store leaving her chicks at home. Within a short while, Trixie started feeling bored and decided to go out on her own. Her siblings tried to stop her, but she did not listen to them.

After walking around for some time, Trixie decided to head back home. But she realised that she had ventured farther than usual. She couldn’t figure her way back, and began to panic.

Trixie saw a parrot sitting on a tree and asked, “Do you know the way to the pond?”

Mischievous-Trixie

“No, I don’t. But you look hungry. Do you want a piece of my guava? It is sweet,” offered the parrot.

“No, thank you. I am not hungry. I just want to go home,” said Trixie and walked on.

“After some time, Trixie met a squirrel. “Have you seen my mother?” she asked.

“No. But do you want to rest in my house for a while?” asked the squirrel.

“No, thank you. I don’t want to take rest.

I want to go to my mother,” replied Trixie.

Trixie continued to walk until she reached the river. There she saw a frog eating some insects.

“Have you seen my mother?” Trixie asked the frog.

“No, I haven’t. You look tired. Drink some fresh river water and eat some insects. You will feel better,” said the frog.

“No, thank you. I only want my mother,” said Trixie, walking away.

Jojo, the jackal had been following Trixie since the time he found her talking to the parrot and learnt that she was alone and lost. He had been waiting for the right moment to pounce on Trixie and make a meal out of her.

When Trixie walked away from the river, Jojo came up to her and said, “Hey, little one. I saw your mother just now. She is there, behind that bush, looking for you.”

Mischievous-Trixie

Trixie became elated and ran towards the bush. As soon as she turned her back, Jojo pounced on her and pinned her to the ground. Trixie started crying.

Suddenly, someone hit Jojo on the head. It was Pinto! Jojo became scared and ran away.

“Uncle Pinto! I am so glad to see you! Thank you for saving me from that jackal,” said a relived Trixie. “But how did you find me?”

“I have been following you since the time you left home. Your mother knew you would be up to some mischief, so she asked me to keep an eye on you,” said Pinto.

“Then why didn’t you help me earlier when I was lost?” asked Trixie.

“I didn’t help you because I wanted you to learn a lesson. But when I saw that jackal, I knew I had to step in to save you. Now do you realise why your mother worries about you and asks you not to go out on your own without informing her?” asked Pinto.

Mischievous-Trixie

“Yes, Uncle Pinto. I have learnt my lesson. I will listen to my mother and not venture out on my own,” said Trixie.

“Good. Let me take you home now. You’ve had enough adventure for one day,” said Pinto.

When they reached home, Dixie was happy to see Trixie back home safe. Trixie narrated what had happened and apologised to her mother.

Mischievous-Trixie

“Thank you for saving my little one, Pinto. I am sure from now on Trixie’s mischief will be restricted to the house,” said Dixie smiling

Trixie laughed in agreement.

Work Without Risk

Danny donkey was in big trouble. Growing up, he always had fun while his mother made trips to the pond and back, with bundles of clothes on her back. His mother worked for Wasim washer man, along with other donkeys.

But now Danny was big, and he too had to work all day. Danny was lazy, and he found work to be a burden, so he would walk slowly and leisurely and always reach home late. One day, Wasim lost his patience with Danny and gave him a thrashing.

“Carrying bundles is tedious work. Not only do I have to carry the load, but  I also get beaten up if I don’t reach on time. I am not doing this work. I will find some other work which is easy,” he thought to himself and left home one night.

Next morning, he saw monkeys swinging on the bar and doing somersaults for people. He thought “How much fun they are having while they are swinging on the bars. I should also learn to do the same and that way I will have fun while working.”

Next day, Danny started practicing. But standing on two feet, and dancing proved to be very difficult, and when it came to swing on the bars, he became quite afraid.

“Oh! This is so much more riskier than carrying clothes. There is fear of breaking my limbs,”saying so Danny moved on.

He then saw elephants roaming in the market taking kids for a ride on their back.

“Aha! This is easy work. Just carry a small person on your back and eat food till you are full. I shall do this work from tomorrow,” he said to himself.

Work-Without-Risk

Next day, he asked Champu monkey to sit on his back.

“Alright!” Champu jumped and sat on his back.

“Aah! My back is broken. Get off me fast,” Danny screamed. “Oh! This work is even harder. I am having difficulty in breathing,” saying so, Danny ran away from there.

What should I do now?” he asked himself.

“Is work necessary? What if I manage my livelihood without working!” he thought to himself and jumped in joy. He ran towards the jungle “So many green leaves. I can eat till I am full.”

As soon Danny tried to eat, the crows started cawing.

“Go away from here. This is our house. Let us rest.” Danny did not pay any attention and munched on the leaves.

“Friends this is our nest. This animal is trying to eat our home. Come, lets teach him a lesson,” said one of the crows.

Work-Without-Risk

In a minute the crows attacked Danny and pecked him everywhere. He had to run away to save himself.

“I just got saved. These crows were very dangerous. I still want to live without working, but I don’t want to risk my life for that,” said Danny. His eyes fell on Bholu bear who was climbing a tree. He knew that bears ate honey.

“Why shouldn’t I try to eat honey? If this big bear can become full by eating honey then why not me? This work is easy.” Thinking this, he went to the tree which Bholu had climbed.

“But how will I climb the tree?” While Danny was thinking over this, a swarm of bees arrived and seeing that their hive was broken, they started buzzing loudly.

“This bear has eaten our honey and despite that, he is still standing here. Come on, let’s teach him a lesson.”As soon as he heard this, Danny ran but bees followed him, till he jumped into a pond.

Work-Without-Risk

“I am not a bear,” he kept shouting but bees kept stinging him. till the queen bee told everyone to leave.

“I thought that without working hard and taking risk, I could live easily. But living without working has proven to be much more dangerous,” Danny said in pain.

On hearing his words, he heard someone laugh. “Who is it?” Danny looked around and saw a tiny ant sitting on a leaf.

Work-Without-Risk

“I am just a tiny little ant. My stomach is smaller than yours. But I have to work hard throughout the year. To live, we have to work and not run away from it,” she said.

Danny carefully listened to what the tiny ant said. He then returned home and thought he would enjoy his work and not run away from it.

Sir Humphry Davy

Penzance, England was a 17th century village situated near the sea. It was a small village covered with dense forests on all sides. There were huge mountains, valleys and mines at some distance from the village. The villagers worked in these mines and earned their living.

Little Sir Humphry Davy was a resident of this village. He was a pensive kid. He sat near the seashore and kept staring at the waves and slipped into deep thoughts. He had good analysing skills and was very imaginative. He had an eye for detail while his imagination was out of the box.

Sir Humphry Davy’s friends were always busy in playing and having fun, whereas Sir Humphry Davy kept himself busy in studying the mountains. Sometimes he tasted the seawater and wondered why it is salty. “What in the sea water gives it a salty taste?” he thought. He often smelt the gases coming out of the stove and tried to find out what effect those gases have on human body.

Sir Humphry Davy was keen on studying nature more than his studies. He studied the trees, birds, animals, wildlife, sky, mountains, and stones. He also made notes in his diary.

One day, Sir Humphry Davy drew a picture of a strange lamp in his notebook. It was an oil lamp that was covered by a mesh of olive branches.

“How foolish is this!” said his friend looking at the picture, “If you make a web of olive branches, they will get burnt.”

“And the web will decrease the brightness of light. What is the use of designing a lamp that doesn’t provide adequate light?” added another friend.

“Now please stop drawing such useless pictures and come out to play with us,” insisted his friends.

Sir Humphry Davy replied, “I am sorry. I won’t be able to join you. I have bought a book on chemistry from the library. I have planned to read the entire book today.”

Sir Humphry Davy began to read the book with utmost interest. He also conducted some minor experiments.

He did not have sufficient resources. Hence he managed with whatever little he had. He used his kitchen stove as the laboratory burner to conduct heating experiments. He used to get so engrossed with his work that he often forgot to have meals. Sometimes he stayed up all night working.

When Sir Humphry Davy became an adult, he developed interest in a new kind of gas. He found a gas which would make one laugh hysterically when one smelt it. Scientists believed that it was a poisonous gas and was fatal to human beings as well as animals.

Sir Humphry Davy was brave and curious. He repeatedly smelt the gas a number of times, and hence proved that it is not a fatal gas and can be put to use for beneficial purposes.

Sir-Humphry-Davy

The chemical name of that gas was nitrous oxide. It is also known as ‘Laughing gas’. It is known to reduce the sensation of pain. Medical practitioners soon accepted Sir Humphry Davy’s research, and stated using the laughing gas prior to surgeries. It helped in easing the pain sensation in patients. Sir Humphry Davy became famous all over owing to his research.

Sir Humphry Davy now started his research on electricity. He found that if light energy is passed through water, the latter splits into hydrogen and oxygen. He passed light through various acids, solutions and mixtures. He noticed several chemical changes taking place in the mixtures. This was known as electrolysis of water.

Sir Humphry Davy also extracted salt from the sea and studied it. He discovered two elements called sodium and potassium from the salt.

Sodium is a very active salt. It catches fire when it comes in contact with water. Hence sodium is always kept immersed in oil. The discovery of sodium and potassium was another feather in Sir Humphry Davy’s cap.

During those times, people had to frequently face explosions in mines. The primary reason for these explosions were combustible gases called Firedamp, one of which is methane. These gases accumulated in large amounts in those mines. People had to light lamps to get rid of the darkness in the mines. This lighting of the lamp and the presence of damp gases caused the mine explosion. Many people lost their lives due to these explosions.

Sir-Humphry-Davy

Sir Humphry Davy started studying the combustible gases in the year 1815. He found that damp gases required a lot of air and high temperature in order to catch fire. He also found that these gases cannot catch fire in a metal pipe as the metal reduces the surrounding temperature. Sir Humphry Davy thus invented a safety lamp based on this principle.

He made a thick elemental mesh around the lamp. The lamp emitted bright light inside the mine. The metal framework lowered the temperature, eliminating the risk of an explosion. This discovery of Sir Humphry Davy was considered no less than a miracle. In this manner, the lamp allowed miners to work safely in the presence of combustible gases. This lamp was named as ‘Davy’s Safety Lamp’.

This lamp looked exactly like the one Sir Humphry Davy had drawn in his childhood, and his friends had made fun of it. The only difference was that this lamp had a metal framework as opposed to lamps made up of olive branches.

 

With all of his discoveries and inventions, Sir Humphry Davy proved that imagination is useful and is a gateway to reality.

One can manifest his imagination into reality if he works hard and is dedicated. And thus one can aid in the betterment of mankind.

The King’s Wisdom

The kingdom of Rajpur was ruled by King Aditya Prathap Singh. He was a wise and just ruler who took care of his people. The citizens of Rajpur respected King Aditya and looked up to him.

A wealthy merchant named Gopal and his wife Meena were known to be a kind and generous couple in the kingdom.

One day, Gopal and Meena had to travel out of town urgently. Gopal was worried about the safety of a diamond that had been in his family for generations.

“We cannot leave the diamond behind at home. What if someone breaks in and steals it?” said Meena.

“But who do we leave it with? The person has to be trustworthy,” said Gopal.

“Our neighbour Sumesh is a good person and he is your friend as well. He is one man we can trust the diamond with,” said Meena.

“You are right. In all the years that I have known him, he has only been nice and helpful to us,” agreed Gopal.

Gopal placed the diamond in a small red pouch and carried it along to Sumesh’s house.

“Sumesh, will you please do me a favour?” asked Gopal. “Anything for you, my friend. Just name it,” said Sumesh.

“My wife and I are going out of town to visit my aunt who is unwell. We may be gone for a couple of weeks. Could you please keep this diamond with you for safekeeping? As you know, this is my ancestral property and you are the only one I can trust it with,” said Gopal.

“Don’t worry, Gopal. I will keep your diamond safe. I will guard it with my life,” assured Sumesh. “Thank you, Sumesh!” said Gopal.

A couple of weeks later, Gopal and his wife Meena returned to Rajpur. Gopal went to Sumesh’s house to collect his diamond.

“Come in, Gopal. How is your aunt’health?” enquired Sumesh.

“She is feeling much better now. Thank you,” replied Gopal.

“Good! So, tell me, what brings you here?” asked Sumesh.

“I have come to take my diamond back. Thank you for taking care of it in my absence,” said Gopal.

The-King's-Wisdom

“What diamond? What are you talking about?” said a surprised Sumesh.

“The diamond that I had entrusted to you the day before I left town,” said Gopal.

“You are mistaken, my friend. You did not give me any diamond. You asked me to take care of your house, which I did,” said Sumesh.

It struck Gopal that Sumesh was cheating him by lying about the diamond. Before Sumesh could stop him, Gopal ran towards “King Aditya will decide who is telling the truth and who is lying. Come with me to the court,” said Gopal.

“Yes, let him decide. Come on, let’s go,” said Sumesh confidently.

At the court, Gopal and Sumesh narrated their sides of the story. King Aditya listened to them attentively. After much thought, he said, “I will give you my decision after three days. Till then, this diamond shall remain in my custody.”

The-King's-Wisdom

That night, King Aditya took the diamond out of the pouch and began to wonder who was telling the truth. As he was fiddling with it, he noticed that the diamond had a nice fragrance.

“What a nice smell! Smells like sandal and rose,” King Aditya thought to himself. He smelled the bag in which the diamond was kept, and it had the same fragrance. Just then, he had an idea.

Next morning, King Aditya disguised himself and went over to Sumesh’s house.

“Sir, I am a special officer sent by the King to investigate the diamond case Could you please tell me your side of the story?” requested King Aditya.

“Of course, Sir. I bought the diamond from the jeweller three days ago by paying 5000 gold coins from my savings. But that greedy Gopal wants to steal my diamond. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the jeweller,” said Sumesh.

With Sumesh’s permission, King Aditya searched the house but he did not find anything that could explain the fragrance on the diamond. He then left for Gopal’s house.

“Sir, I am a special officer assigned to this case. Can you tell me about the diamond that you claim is yours?” King Aditya asked Gopal.

“I don’t know where the diamond is from because it has been in my family for generations. Before my father passed away, he gave me the diamond in a box and asked me to keep it safe. But I have failed to do so,” said Gopal sadly.

“Can I see the box that your father had given you?” asked King Aditya.

Gopal handed him the box.

King Aditya could immediately make out that the box was made of sandalwood and had the same smell as that of the diamond. He opened the box and found a few dried rose petals in it. Everything made sense now.

“May I keep this box?” asked King Aditya

“Yes, sir. You may,” said Gopal.

After assuring Gopal that justice would be done, King Aditya left for the palace.

On the day of judgement, Gopal and Sumesh were present in the court, besides the jeweller and some members of the public. Everyone was sure that Sumesh was innocent as he had the jeweller to testify his claim, while Gopal had no witnesses.

“I have come to the conclusion that the diamond belongs to Gopal. Sumesh is the liar!” announced King Aditya.

Everyone, except Gopal, was shocked.

“But sir, how did you come to that conclusion?” asked one of the ministers.

“The diamond and the red pouch had the a fragrance of sandal and rose. When I had gone to both their homes, Gopal told me about the box in which he had kept the diamond. The box is made of sandalwood and there were rose petals inside it. This made it clear to me that Gopal was the real owner of the diamond, as I had not mentioned to him about the scent earlier,” explained Aditya.

Sumesh became scared and confessed to his misdeed.

The-King's-Wisdom

“Forgive me, Sir! I became greedy on seeing the diamond and came up with a plot to keep it with me. I bribed the jeweller with 300 gold coins to validate my story about buying the diamond from him. Please forgive me,” Sumesh pleaded.

“As punishment for your greed and breaking a person’s trust, I sentence you to one year in prison and levy a fine of 2000 gold coins. The jeweller too will pay a fine of 1000 gold coins,” ordered Aditya.

Everyone hailed the King’s decision. Gopal got back his precious diamond and went back home a happy man.

Mobile Fever

Roshni was a cute little rabbit who lived in Sundervan. She had been very excited of late. Well, Roshni was looking forward to her Uncle Roli’s visit, and was awaiting his arrival eagerly. Uncle Roli was her favourite uncle and worked in England.

Uncle Roli would bring many interesting and unusual gifts whenever he came to visit Roshni.

Roshni would show these gifts to her friends and classmates and feel very proud since no one had seen such things before. When Uncle Roli finally arrived, he gave Roshni a unique mobile phone as a present. It was pink in colour and there were pictures of pretty dolls engraved all over it. The mobile phone had a good collection of audio as well as video songs. The quality of the photographs and videos the phone took was very good too.

Roshni was fascinated by her new mobile phone. She spent hours listening to music and played games on it, instead of playing with the other children in the park. She even used it to click photographs and shoot videos.

And even though it was strictly forbidden, Roshni started carrying the mobile phone to school. She would use it in the lunch break to click photographs of her friends.

Everyone in Roshni’s class admired her new mobile phone and Roshni felt proud to own it. “May we borrow your mobile phone to click a photograph, Roshni?” some of her classmates would ask.

“May we listen to a song on it, or use it to make a video?” some others would request.

Roshni realised how fascinating her mobile phone seemed to everyone and she decided to take advantage of it.

“Alright,” she began to say. “But only in return for a favour.”

She would then ask her friends to buy her a chocolate bar or pastry for her, and often even get them to do her homework in return. Soon, Roshni began to behave like a pampered princess who enjoyed everyone’s attention and also the favours they showered on her.

Sadly, what she didn’t realise was that she was losing out on many important things. Since Roshni was no longer doing her homework on her own, she was losing touch with her lessons. And since she wasn’t going out to play, she was turning unhealthy. And since she was only letting the others use her mobile phone in return for a favour, she was gaining the reputation of being a snob. As a result, Roshni fared very badly in her exams. And when the results were out, she was terrified.

“I can’t let Mom and Dad see my low marks,” she said, worried about what her parents would say if they came across her report card.

One day, Roshni’s class went for a picnic to the banks of the Manmohini River. As usual, she started clicking photographs with her mobile phone.

Roshni’s friend Sneha Deer had brought a big bar of chocolate and a pair of pretty earrings. She had planned to give them to Roshni in return for clicking her photographs.

Roshni quietly pocketed the goodies and asked Sneha Deer to pose near a rock. She then went closer to the riverside to click a picture.

“Smile!” Roshni suggested as Sneha Deer posed. “Say ‘cheese!”

Suddenly, Roshni lost her balance and fell into the river.

“Help! Help!” she screamed.

The river currents were very strong and Roshni was afraid that she would drown.

Fortunately, Roshni’s classmates Appu Elephant and Lambu Giraffe were close by. They heard Roshni’s screams and jumped into the river.

Both Appu Elephant and Lambu Giraffe were good swimmers. In no time, they pulled Roshni out of the river.

Tweety Parrot saw Roshni’s mobile phone bobbing in the water. He flew to it quickly and picked it up just before it could sink. He then took it to Roshni.

Roshni’s class mates then arranged for some hot tea for Roshni to drink. Roshni felt grateful and thanked all her friends for helping her.

In the meanwhile, back at Roshni’s house, Mrs. Rabbit decided to clean Roshni’s room. She was dusting Roshni’s bag when she found the report card.

Mrs. Rabbit was extremely upset when she realised that Roshni had hidden the report card from her. And more so, when she saw Roshni’s low marks.

“Look at this!” she told Mr. Rabbit, sounding quite annoyed. “Roshni has fared badly in her exams. She has also kept her report card away from us.”

Just then the doorbell rang. It was the postman who had come with an envelope from the mobile company. Mrs. Rabbit opened it immediately and was shocked when she saw what was inside.’

It was a bill for a whopping amount of twelve hundred rupees for a month’s use of the mobile phone.

“I am going to have a word with Roshni as soon as she gets home!” Mrs. Rabbit decided immediately.

But when Roshni returned home, Mrs. Rabbit found that she was running a fever. Roshni explained how she had fallen into the river and was forced to wear wet clothes all day. Mrs. Rabbit immediately gave Roshni a spoonful of some very bitter tasting medicine and a tablet that Roshni found very hard to swallow. She then tucked Roshni in bed and put her to sleep.

Roshni slept very restlessly that night. “I do not want a mobile phone! I do not want a mobile phone!” she kept mumbling in her sleep. Mrs. Rabbit realised that Roshni had already learnt her lesson.

mobile-fever

When Roshni was better after a few days, Mrs. Rabbit showed her the phone bill and the report card she had found.

She also brought it to Roshni’s notice of how unfair she had been to her friends by asking them to do her favours.

Roshni hung her head and apologised. She then handed her mobile phone over to her mother. The mobile phone had stopped working since it had been drenched with water.

Mr. Rabbit decided that he wouldn’t bother to repair the phone and simply threw it away.

Roshni missed her mobile phone for a few days. But after that, she began enjoying studying and playing outdoor games.

She worked extra hard for she realised that she had to score higher marks to make up for the marks she had lost in the first exam. She also apologised to her friends for having asked them for favours.

Roshni did very well in the next exam. And when Uncle Roli phoned to congratulate her, he asked her what she would like as a gift when he next came to visit.

“Oh Uncle Roli!” Roshni said. “Anything but a mobile phone!”

 

 

A True Friend

Ramji, the merchant, lived in the village of Karampur. Every day, he would travel to the nearby town on work. The path to the town led him through the forest, so he made sure to return to the village before dusk.

One day, while returning, Ramji stopped to take rest beneath a big mango tree in the forest. The cool shade of the tree and the gentle breeze slowly lulled him to sleep. After a short while, he woke up refreshed.

“I feel so fresh after that nap. I must do this every day,” he thought.

That day on, taking a short nap under the mango tree became a part of Ramji’s daily routine. He felt at home under the tree.

The mango tree, too, began to look forward to Ramji’s stopovers. It became happy whenever Ramji slept under its shade. On days when Ramji would be late, the tree would begin to worry. It would only relax after seeing him walk down the path towards it. This routine continued for several months. Soon, it was summer and the tree began to bear mango fruits. One day, as usual, when Ramji turned up to take rest under the tree, he noticed the ripe mangoes.

“I wish I could taste these mangoes! But I am too tired to climb the tree,” said Ramji to himself, eyeing the juicy fruits.

Almost as if the tree understood him, suddenly one big mango fell down. Ramji was surprised.

“Thank you, dear tree!” said Ramji, picking up the mango and taking a bite. “Wow! This is the tastiest mango I’ve ever eaten!” he exclaimed.

Once he finished eating, a few more mangoes fell from the tree. Ramji collected them in a bag and took them home to his family. He thanked the tree before leaving.

The mango tree was happy to see the delight on Ramji’s face.

Piku, the parrot, who lived on the mango tree, had been observing the friendship between the tree and Ramji.

“My dear friend, you were happy to let him sleep in your shade. But what was the need to give him so many mangoes?” asked Piku.

“He wanted to taste the mangoes, so I gave him some. Did you see how happy he was after eating the mangoes?” said the tree.

“You can’t trust these humans.

They are selfish,” warned Piku.

“You might be right but all humans are not the same. My friend Ramji is not selfish. He is a true friend,” said the mango tree with great conviction.

The following morning, the mango tree was happy to see Ramji arrive earlier than usual. He climbed the tree, plucked all the ripened mangoes, put them in a bag and went away without uttering a word.

A-True-Friend

Piku laughed. “I told you humans are selfish. Ramji can never be your true friend,” he said.

The mango tree was disappointed with Ramji’s behaviour. It thought he would be different from the other humans. But Ramji continued to pluck the mangoes every day till there were none left. Though the tree was sad, it did not confess to Piku about it.

One day, when Ramji was on his way back from the town, he saw three men with axes standing near the mango tree. Ramji realised that the men were planning to cut down the tree. The mango tree hoped that Ramji would help; instead, he quietly walked away from there.

The mango tree was hurt. Piku’s words did not help comfort it.

“You were calling him your true friend but today, when you are in trouble, he vanished because you are of no use to him anymore!” said Piku.

The tree cried silently. It realised that its end was near. Coormamoonaan

The three men were preparing to cut down the mango tree. Before they could swing the axe, Ramji appeared with the forest department staff. The forest rangers stopped the men from cutting the tree and arrested them.

“That’s good, Ramji. In fact, all trees are our friends. We must not cut them down for our selfish motive,” said the ranger.

A-True-Friend

Ramji hugged the mango tree and said, “I will always be your friend.” The tree was elated.

After the humans left, the tree said to Piku, “Did you see that? You were wrong. Ramji is indeed a true friend.”

“Yes, I agree. I am happy to have been proven wrong,” said Piku smiling,

Tony Rises to the Occasion

Tony was a naughty tortoise. He was well known in the forest of Sunshine Woods for his mischief.

“We receive so many complaints about your behaviour, Tony. When will you learn to be more responsible?” Tony’s father asked him, one day.

“Your teachers tell me that you are careless and don’t pay attention in school,” added his mother.

“I am sorry. I will try to be more responsible hereafter,” said Tony.

“Good. You can start trying right away. I am going out of town for a week. So, I want you to help your mother take care of the house,” said his father. Tony nodded his head.

A few days later, when Tony returned from school, he saw his mother sneezing continuously.

Achoo! Achoo!

“What happened, Mom? Are you unwell?” asked Tony concerned.

“Yes, son. Since morning I have been feeling tired and slightly giddy, too,” his mother managed to reply between sneezes.

Tony helped his mother lie down on the bed.

He placed his hand on her forehead to check her temperature.

“Oh no! She is burning!” exclaimed Tony.

Tony-Rises-to-the-Occasion2

He took out the thermometer from the first-aid box and checked her temperature.

“102 degrees! That is not good,” thought Tony. His mother was now shivering, too. So, he covered her with a blanket and wondered what to do.

Tony remembered the first-aid workshop that was organised in his school recently. Paramedic Giro, the giraffe had demonstrated what the kids could do in different situations like fainting and dehydration, till help arrived. For high fever, Giro showed the kids how a wet cloth could be placed on the person’s head, and advised them to change it every few minutes.

As demonstrated at the workshop, Tony folded a handkerchief into a long strip and dipped it in a bowl of water. He squeezed out the water and placed it on his mother’s forehead. He kept repeating it every few minutes for the next one hour. As the temperature dropped, his mother slowly drifted to sleep. Tony, too dozed off.

Tony woke up a couple of hours later to find his mother shivering again. He immediately placed the damp cloth over her forehead and ran out to get help.

Tony rushed to his neighbour Popo, the parrot’s house but it was locked. He then headed to Gus, the goat’s house. But Gus had gone on a vacation with his family.

“What do I do now? There is nobody here to help me,” Tony thought frantically. “I could call Papa, but it’ll be late by the time he gets here. Who else can I call who can reach here within minutes?”

That’s when Tony remembered that his mother had written down a list of numbers he could call in case of emergencies. The list was stuck on a wall in the living room.

Tony-Rises-to-the-Occasion4

Tony ran back home and referred to the list. He called up the number for the 24×7 clinic.

“Hello! I am Tony, the tortoise speaking. My mother has high temperature and has been shivering on and off all night. I have kept a wet cloth on her forehead,” Tony said in one breath.

“Well done, Tony,” said a voice on the other end of the line. “Now calm down and tell me”

The line got cut. Tony tried the number again but he was unable to get through.

“What shall I do now? The line got cut before I could give them the address. How will they know where to come?” wondered Tony.

Tony then sat beside his mother and continued dipping the cloth in the water and placing it on his mother’s forehead.

In a short while, the doorbell rang. Tony opened the door wondering who it could be.

“Are you Tony—the one who called to inform that your mother is unwell?” asked a bear. There were also a couple of other animals with him.

“Er…yes. Who are you?” asked Tony.

“I am Dr. Bob. We are the emergency medical team from the 24×7 clinic that you called up,” said Dr. Bob.

Tony was surprised and relieved at the same time.

But how did you find out my address?” asked Tony.

“Tony, you are quite famous in our forest for your mischief. So, it was easy to find out where you live,” said Dr. Bob, winking at him. “Now, will you please take us to your mother?”’

Tony led Dr. Bob and his team to his mother. They checked her and diagnosed that she was down pneumonia.

Tony-Rises-to-the-Occasion5

“You did a good job by keeping her temperature under control and calling us at the right time, Tony,” said Dr. Bob, patting him on his shoulder. “Her condition is not very critical. Yet, we need to take her to the hospital for treatment. She should recover in a couple of days.”

When Tony’s father heard about the incident. he appreciated Tony. “Well done, son. You have proven that you can be responsible when the situation arises,” he said.

Tony beamed with pride.

THE LONG-LOST FRIEND

King Sher Singh was generally very cheerful. But there were days when he turned sad and irritable. This usually happened when he remembered his old friend Ramu Singh.

King Sher Singh would grow so miserable that he would even forget to eat his meals and lose interest in important matters.

“Ramu, my friend,” he would murmur in his sleep. “Where have you gone? Please come back and forgive me.” King Sher Singh would then wake up with a jolt and start crying softly

On days like that, King Sher Singh would even stop coming to his court. He would keep to himself and sometimes even neglect urgent official matters. His ministers and Queen Sherni would grow worried, for they knew that King Sher Singh couldn’t afford to neglect his kingly duties. But they couldn’t do much and they would patiently wait till he felt better.

But of late, Minister Chatur Jackal had noticed that King Sher Singh’s bouts of sadness were lasting for very long. And that, they were not only was affecting his duties as a king, but also his health.

Chatur Jackal couldn’t stop himself from going up to King Sher Singh. He was very concerned about him.

“Your Majesty,” Chatur Jackal said politely.

“I don’t mean to be inquisitive but may I ask what exactly makes you so upset sometimes? Why don’t you share your worries with me? You’ll feel much better if you do. And who knows, I might just be able to help you solve your problem.” King Sher Singh trusted Chatur Jackal and thought of him as a friend. And so, he decided to share his problem with him.

“Well, Chatur,” King Sher Singh said as a few tears rolled down his eyes. “I had a very dear friend in my childhood. His name was Ramu Singh. He was my best friend. We played games and studied together everyday. But one day, we had an argument. I lost my temper and said some very harsh things to my friend. Ramu Singh was hurt. He left the forest without telling anyone where he was going. I think of him sometimes and wonder where he went. How I wish that we were still friends.”

“Oh!” Chatur Jackal said to himself after hearing King Sher Singh’s story. “So, King Sher Singh is missing his old friend. Well, it is indeed sad. But he isn’t doing anything about it. There are many animals and birds in Champakvan who have been separated from their parents, siblings and children. I should introduce King Sher Singh to them and tell him what they do.”

Chatur Jackal then listed out the names of some of the animals who had been separated from their loved ones.

“Blacky Bear was lost when he was just a cub,” Chatur Jackal recalled as he noted the names down. “He has been looking for his parents ever since then. And Roopi Deer’s son had been kidnapped by Kalu Jackal a long time ago. She hasn’t given up hope and is still searching for him.”

Chatur Jackal then took King Sher Singh to meet Blacky Bear and Roopi Deer. After hearing their stories, King Sher Singh realised that he was not the only one who had lost someone he cared about. There were others too. But unlike him, they were working hard to find them.

King Sher Singh decided that he too would look for his long-lost friend. He then sent his soldiers to look for Ramu Singh.

“Go to all the rivers, mountains, fields, forests and lakes in the land!” he ordered. “Leave no stone unturned. You must find Ramu Singh.”

And so, the soldiers did as they were told. But they didn’t find Ramu Singh anywhere. King Sher Singh didn’t lose heart. Instead, he joined his soldiers in the search.

One day, King Sher Singh came across a rocky hill covered by trees. He noticed the marks of a lion’s paws on the ground.

“Hmm,” he wondered. “Could my long-lost friend be here?” King Sher Singh then ordered his soldiers to search the entire area thoroughly.

The soldiers soon spotted a lion sitting outside a small cave. He was dressing the wounds of some injured birds and animals. They went and told King Sher Singh about it.

King Sher Singh recalled how his friend Ramu Singh had always wanted to be a doctor. “Could that be Ramu Singh?” he said hopefully. He then ran to the cave.

King Sher Singh’s happiness knew no bounds when recognised the lion sitting there. Yes, he was his friend Ramu Singh.

“At last! There’s my long-lost friend,” he said to himself. “I can’t wait to talk to him!” King Sher Singh started to walk towards Ramu Singh. But then he hesitated and stopped mid-way. He remembered the last time they had met, and the harsh words that he had spoken. Chatur Jackal, who had accompanied King Sher Singh, understood his dilemma.

“Go on, Your Majesty!” he said and encouraged King Sher Singh to go further. “You have been waiting for this moment since very long!” King Sher Singh nodded and slowly walked towards Ramu Singh. Ramu Singh looked up and wondered who, dressed in royal attire, was coming to meet him.

When King Sher Singh came closer, Ramu Singh’s eyes twinkled. He recognised his friend immediately and jumped up and hugged King Sher Singh.

Long-lost-friend

Soon, the two friends had tears in their eyes. “I wish I hadn’t been so harsh, Ramu,” King Sher Singh said. “Please forgive me.”

“And I wish I hadn’t walked away in a huff and not kept in touch,” Ramu Singh said. “I’m sorry too.” The two friends then sat together and laughed and talked happily. Chatur Jackal and the soldiers were happy to see King Sher Singh look so cheerful once again.

“Your Majesty,” Chatur Jackal told King Sher Singh later that day. “Don’t you wish that you had looked for Ramu Singh right after he left, and apologised immediately?”

“I wish I had,” King Sher Singh said. “Had I done that, I wouldn’t have felt so miserable for so many years.”

After that, King Sher Singh never felt gloomy or irritable again. He didn’t neglect his duties either. He now understood that any misunderstanding in a friendship should be sorted immediately. He stayed in touch with Ramu Singh and was careful not to lose his temper or say anything that was harsh again. He didn’t want to lose his friend again.

Conversation of the Books

It was afternoon. The books in the library were resting. The story book was the laziest of all and just lay down where it was. Its pages were fluttering in the fan’s breeze, but the lazy one was not at all worried to take care of the pages. The thin Mathematics Book standing just opposite to Cheeky, the story book was looking at its condition of the book.

“Cheeky set your pages properly!” She said.

“Let it be. I want to sleep for the moment,” Cheeky was just saying when Venkat quickly picked her up. “I will read this book. It has many interesting stories.” Venkat said happily. Cheeky was irritated.

“Oh! This Venkat troubles me every day during my rest time. Whenever I think of resting he picks me. I cannot rest during the day or sleep at night because of him. I do not know how to get rid of him?”

Cheeky was upset. She had wanted to rest the whole day and here she could not rest for a moment. What could she do? She went along with Venkat with a long face.

The next day Cheeky, saw Venkat coming towards her as she was about to rest.

“Oh! He has come again today. Let me run away.” Cheeky ran and hid behind some thick books.

“I am safe here.” Cheeky thought. However Venkat was removing the thick books in search of her.

conversation-of-books

“Where do I hide now?” Cheeky came out of there and went and sat on the topmost shelf of the cupboard.

“This is just right.”

Venkat was not leaving even the higher shelves. He took the help of a stool to climb up to the shelves that were out of his range.

“Now I will be caught.” Cheeky ran in confusion. “Be careful,” the other books cried out. But Cheeky pushed the other books in such a manner that all the books of that row fell. In bewilderment Cheeky jumped off the shelf.

“Wow! This is a good place. No one will ever know I am hiding here, because no books are kept here.” Cheeky exclaimed looking at the place underneath the almirah. She sneaked and hid herself. The Mathematics book was watching all this. At last it could not keep quiet any longer and said, “Why are you doing all this? Do you not understand the meaning of books? They are not meant for just themselves. Their life is meant to educate others. To show them the right path and you are a story book, full of morals. Whoever reads your pages will learn something or the other. He will find something new in life.”

“The joy one gets in being useful is more than in resting. Venkat likes you because you have a special importance in his life. You should try to go to Venkat. You should not do this, come out.” The Mathematics book tried to make her understand.

Cheeky was listening to her talk. After a long fruitless search Venkat went away empty handed, when he could not find her. Cheeky got a chance to rest. She lay down to sleep. She slept for a while in comfort.

However, soon she felt an emptiness. She was bored for no one was there beside her. She became restless after some time. She came out from under the almirah. She looked at the Mathematics book and said, “You told the truth my friend! But how should I climb up?”

conversation-of-books

“Now you will have to wait for someone to come. But do not worry, this is a library where someone or the other always comes in. In any case Raju, the cleaner will come even if no one turns up. Be patient and do not panic,” said the Mathematics Book.

Cheeky calmed down. She smiled and said, “From where have you learnt such good things, my friend?”

“I read all these from your pages, when you were too lazy to put your pages together.” On hearing these words of the Mathematics book, Cheeky felt ashamed. Now she just waited for someone to come, pick her up and place her back in the almirah so that Venkat could read and be happy.

Beaten at His Own Game 

Sunny, the bear had opened a sprawling supermarket in Sunshine Woods. The supermarket had everything that the inhabitants of the forest required. 

The small shops that were already there in the forest did not sell all the items. So, the animals would order from the neighbouring forests, and that would cost them a lot of money. Now, since Sunny had opened a supermarket, the animals could buy whatever they needed from the supermarket directly.

Sunny was an honest entrepreneur. He personally oversaw all the operations of his business. Some animals grew envious of his success. Bongo, the bull was one of them.

Bongo had a small grocery store next to the supermarket. He would cheat his customers by tampering with the measurements and giving the customers less than what they had paid for. Soon, word about Bongo’s fraudulent activities spread throughout the forest, and the animals stopped going to his store. Now, hardly one or two customers visited his store in a day.

Bongo grew more envious of Sunny’s success as his supermarket was teeming with customers every day.

A Taste of Their Own Medicine

“If I don’t do something fast, I’ll soon become bankrupt,” Bongo thought to himself. He then came up with a plan and went to meet Sunny that very evening.

“Hello, Bongo! What brings you here?” said Sunny.

“I’m in distress, Sunny! My grocery store is not doing well. So, I want to close it and open a hardware store instead,” said Bongo.

“I am happy that instead of giving up, you are trying something else. Tell me, how can I help you?” asked Sunny.

“I have a lot of unsold stock lying in my warehouse. If you buy them from me, I will have enough money to set up my new store. And don’t worry about the price; I will charge less for you,” said Bongo.

Beaten at His Own Game 

Sunny agreed. “All right, deliver the stock today, I have to go out urgently now, so my manager will collect them and then, tomorrow I shall issue you a cheque, said Sunny

That night, Bongo delivered the unsold stock to Sunny’s manager, Max, the dog. When Max was about to check the stock, Bongo interrupted him saying, “Look, Max, the stock is new. Here are the receipts for them. Anyway, it’s quite late in the night and too dark as well. You won’t be able to check the stock properly.”

“You’re right, Bongo. Just give me the receipts. I’ll check them tomorrow,” said Max. The two then left for home.

More From Champak: Tit for tat

The next morning, Bongo reached Sunny’s house before he left for the supermarket.

Good morning, Sunny. Sorry to disturb you so early in the morning, but I’m going to buy the stock for my hardware store today. I’ve delivered stock worth Rs. 5 lakhs to Max last night. 

 Here is the delivery receipt and your manager’s signature below,” said Bongo.

Sunny trusted Bongo and handed over a cheque for Rs.5 lakhs to him. Bongo immediately went to the bank and encashed the cheque.

Later that day, when Max started checking the quality of the stock that Bongo had delivered, he was shocked. Not only were they old, but many of the products had also become stale. He quickly called up Sunny and informed him.

Beaten at His Own Game 

Sunny was angry. “Bongo has tricked us! He deliberately delivered the stock late at night so we wouldn’t be able to check their quality right away,” he fumed. Sunny then came up with his own plan to teach Bongo a lesson.

The next day, Bongo went to the market to look for hardware products to buy at a cheap rate.

“Hello, Bongo! I heard you are looking for hardware supplies for your new store. Why don’t you buy them from me?” said Rocky, the bear who was a supplier of hardware products. “I’ll give them to you at the cheapest rate you’ll find in this market!”

Bongo was tempted. They were just what he was looking for. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get these products at a better price.

“Why are you thinking? Don’t you trust me? You can check the products yourself,” said Rocky, showing his some samples.

“Of course, I trust you, Rocky. Please deliver the products to me today itself,” said Bongo.

“Okay, but I can deliver them only at night as there’ll be too much traffic right now,” said Rocky.

Bongo agreed and handed over all the money he had got from Sunny. That night, Rocky delivered the products to Bongo as promised.

The next day, Bongo opened the boxes to set up his new store. To his shock, he realised that all the products were rusted and some were badly damaged.

“Rocky has fooled me! No one will buy these products,” he thought angrily and went straight to confront Rocky.

“You should be ashamed of yourself, Rocky. I trusted you and made full payment of Rs.5 lakhs, but you’ve sent me poor quality products! I am going to lodge a complaint with the police,” said Bongo.

Rocky started laughing.

“That’s exactly what you did as well! Have you forgotten already?” said Sunny suddenly stepping forward.

Beaten at His Own Game 

Bongo was left speechless. He now understood that Rocky and Sunny were in it together. Beaten at his own game, Bongo apologised to both of them.

“Bongo, you should not cheat others to make a profit. If you promise not to do so, you can set up a counter in my supermarket,” offered Sunny.

“Thank you, Sunny. I promise not to cheat anyone again,” said the grateful Bongo.

Toto Finds His Way

Deep lived with his parents and grandfather in Delhi. Every evening he played with his beloved pet dog Toto in the park.

After a while, many people stopped playing sports and flew kites. Deep also stopped going to the park with Toto. Instead he started flying his kite on the roof with his friends. Deep loved to fly a golden kite. Many people recognized Deep’s kite because of its unique colour.

Days passed. Toto was bored. He felt neglected. One day, when Deep’s mother went shopping in the morning, she forgot to lock the main gate. Toto saw this as an opportunity to run to the park.

Toto-Finds-His-Way

He slipped through the door and ran out. Toto used to accompany Deep to the park. Hence didn’t know the way to the park himself. Luckily he saw Deep’s friend Shyam going towards the park and followed him.

Mittu, the pet dog

After reaching the garden, Toto ran through the bushes. He was so excited that he ran happily throughout the park.

He was glad that he could return to the park.

Soon it grew dark. Dark clouds covered the sky. Everyone in the park rushed home.

Toto realised that he should get back home through the front gate. But Toto was lost. He looked left and he looked right, but he didn’t know which way to go. Everyone in the park had already left, so Toto couldn’t ask for help. He began to panic and felt a little afraid. He walked around aimlessly.

Toto-Finds-His-Way

It started to rain and Toto was walking alone on the streets. Meanwhile, Deep had come down, as he had thought of playing with Toto. He searched for him everywhere in the house, but he could not Toto.

The whole family wondered where Toto was. As soon as the rain stopped Deep and the other family members went out on the streets, calling Toto’s name.

More From Champak: Damru And The Pet Snake

They went to the park, the market, the badminton grounds, but were unable to find Toto. Deep returned home disappointed and sad.

The family members returned too, failing to find Toto. They were heartbroken and tensed and began to think on ways to find Toto.

Suddenly Deep’s grandfather exclaimed, “I have an idea!” He told the others the plan. Everyone agreed and hoped it would work. Deep and his mother got a big golden kite and attached golden sparkling papers to the thread.

Deep took the kite and ran to his roof. The whole family followed him.

Deep flew the kite higher and made it go further.

Toto-Finds-His-Way

Toto in the meantime was crying as he couldn’t find his way back. He was hiding under a bench when he suddenly noticed something.

Looking carefully, Toto noticed a big golden kite flying in the sky. He was thrilled! Toto knew that only Deep flew golden kites.

Toto spotted the flying thread clearly because Deep had attached golden sparkling papers to the flying thread.

Toto followed the thread in the sky and after crossing a few streets, he reached to a familiar neighbourhood. Toto was happy and found his way home. He barked happily when he landed on the doorstep.

Toto-Finds-His-Way

Everyone was happy when they heard Toto’s bark again.

Deep hugged him. Toto jumped around him. Deep never left his favourite pet alone again and took him to the park to play always.

A Nation’s Identity

One the eve of Republic Day, Aamir went to the market with his father to buy paper flags to put up in his house. Whenever he bought anything for himself, he would also buy one for his younger brother Wasim.

As soon as he reached home, Aamir stuck the flag by the gate, and gave the other to his brother. “Stick your flag too, Wasim. That way, both our flags will be fluttering in the air and it will look nice,” said Aamir.

“No, I will not stick my flag here. I will stick it on the hood of our car. That way whenever Baba drives the car, the flag will flutter,” said Wasim.

“No, Wasim. You can’t do that,” said Aamir.

“You bought it for me and I will do whatever I want with it,” said Wasim and ran towards the car.

Aamir ran behind him but Wasim tripped and fell down. He immediately started crying. When Aamir tried to help him, Wasim pushed his hand away.

A-Nation's-Identity

“Go away! I will not talk to you. You pushed me down on purpose,” said Wasim wailing

Hearing Wasim crying, their mother rushed towards him and asked, “What happened? Why are you crying?” “Aamir pushed me down, Ma!” said Wasim.

“No, I did not! He is lying. He wanted to stick the flag on the car but I told him not to. He didn’t listen to me and ran towards the car and fell down,” said Aamir.

“Wasim, why don’t you listen to your brother?” asked Ma.

“Why should I listen to him? He bought this flag for me and I can do whatever I want with it,” said Wasim.

“Son, it is our national flag and is a symbol of our country. Its respect should never be compromised and that is why there are certain rules to using the flag. Your brother knows about it and he tried to tell you about it,” said Ma.

“What is wrong in sticking the flag to the hood of the car?” asked Wasim.

A-Nation's-Identity

“There is something called the Flag Code of India which states the rules and practices with regards to the display of the national flag. And one of the rules states that only important heads of the government like President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, Governors and the Chief Justice of India can fly the flag on their vehicles,” said Ma.

“Why is that so?” asked Wasim curiously.

“Laying down the rules on the usage of the national flag helps preserve its respect and dignity,” said Ma.

“Why is it important to preserve the dignity of the flag?” asked Wasim.

“Son, each country has its own identity represented by the national flag. Our country’s identity is our national flag. Respecting the flag means respecting our country and the people who fought for its identity. Our country gained freedom from the British after a lot of struggle. The cost of freedom was the lives of several freedom fighters and the sacrifices they made. Because of them, we finally gained independence from the British on August 15, 1947,” explained Ma.

“Then what is Republic Day celebrated for?” asked Wasim.

“January 26 is the date when the Constitution was formally adopted by the Indian parliament,” answered Aamir.

“What is constitution?” asked Wasim.

A-Nation's-Identity

“Let me simplify this for you. We had got our freedom from the British but we were still following their rules and laws. Our own set of laws needed to be written. So, a committee headed by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar drafted our country’s own rules and legislations that we began to follow from January 26, 1950. That is when our country became a republic wherein the power is with the people and their elected representatives,” explained Ma. “That is why that day is celebrated with great pomp and show in New Delhi in front of the President of India.”

“Our school has also planned special programmes tomorrow!” said Wasim excitedly.

“So, now do you understand why you should not play with the national flag?” asked Ma.

“Yes, Ma. Thanks for explaining everything to me clearly. If I had known all this information earlier I wouldn’t have played with the flag,” said Wasim.

“That is what your brother tried to tell you. Next time, just listen to what he has to say before you go running away,” said Ma smiling.

“I will, Ma,” said Wasim. He then turned to Aamir and asked, “Will you help me stick this flag on our gate?”

Of course, I will, little brother. And let’s plan our own Republic Day celebration at home,” said Aamir.

“Yes, let’s! This will be our own way of showing respect to our country,” said Wasim beaming.

Facing the Darkness

When Danny, the fawn opened his eyes in the middle of the night, his room was completely dark. He became scared and called out to his mother!

“Mom! Where are you? Why have the lights gone out? My room is very dark!” Danny screamed from his room.

“Don’t be scared, Danny. I am right here,” said his mother Dina, the deer, rushing into Danny’s room. “There is a power cut. I just called the electricity office and they informed me that it will be back within an hour,” she explained, as she patted his back to ease his fear.

“I will sleep beside you till the power is back. You know I am scared of the dark,” said Danny, holding on to his mother tight.

That night, Danny slept with his mother. He still could not sleep properly, because of which Danny was tired the next day and dozed off in class.

“Danny! Why are you sleeping in class?” his teacher Jimmy, the monkey scolded him.

Danny tried to stay awake but he dozed off again. His classmates laughed at him.

facing fear

During recess, Danny’s friend Marty, the mongoose said to him, “You look very tired today. Didn’t you sleep last night?”

“No, I did not. There was a power cut at home and my room became completely dark. So, I was scared and couldn’t sleep at all last night,” explained Danny

“So what if it was dark? You were in your house, not in the middle of the jungle!” said Marty.

“My room was pitch-black and I was all alone. What if someone had come into the house?” said Danny.

“If the doors and windows are locked, no one can enter your house, said Marty.

“What about ghosts? They don’t need doors and windows to enter. They can walk through walls!” said Danny, shuddering at the thought. “When I sleep, I cover myself fully with the blanket so that the ghosts can’t see me.”

Marty burst out laughing. “There is no such thing as a ghost! If you can overcome your fear of the dark, then you wouldn’t have an irrational fear of ghosts,” said Marty.

“How do I overcome my fear?” asked Danny, hoping for a solution. “I try sleeping with the lights on, but that doesn’t seem to help.”

“You have to face your fear. Instead of keeping the lights on at night, get used to the darkness a few minutes at a time. Switch off the lights for a minute, then for five minutes and then gradually keep increasing the time. Soon, you will become comfortable not having the lights on through the night,” suggested Marty.

“But what if I see a ghost?” asked Danny.

“Keep a flashlight by your side. In case you think you see a ghost, flash the light at it and it will go away. Ghosts are afraid of brave kids,” said Marty.

“Really? I didn’t know that,” said Danny excitedly. “I am going to try your suggestion tonight and see how it works,” he said cheerfully.

That night, Danny went to bed with a flashlight by his side. To his mother’s surprise, he even switched off all lights in his room. As soon as it was dark, Danny held on to his flashlight tight and lay still. After a few minutes, Danny was slowly getting used to the darkness. It did not seem so scary after all.

Suddenly, he felt a figure moving towards his bed. Danny wanted to scream but he remembered what Marty told him: “Ghosts are afraid of brave kids.” So, he closed his eyes and lay still. After a minute, he opened his eyes to find the figure missing.

facing fear

“Maybe it is hiding under the bed. Let me flash the light at it and chase it away,” thought Danny. He switched on the light and looked under his bed. To his relief, there was nothing.

Danny felt triumphant. “Hurray! There is no ghost in the room. Now that I have become brave, the ghost must have become afraid of me and run away!” he said to himself.

Danny switched off the flashlight and went back to bed. He slept peacefully that night.

The next day, at school, Danny thanked Marty for helping him overcome his fear of the dark.

facing fear

the dark. “I am glad I could help you,” said Marty. “But now, you don’t have an excuse to fall asleep in class,” he joked. Danny laughed with him.

 

A Trip To America

Baddy fox was cunning when it came to work. He often found new plans to cheat others.

While living in Champakvan, Baddy had borrowed money from almost everybody in the forest, but when it came to giving back the money, he always managed to escape by giving them some excuse.

One morning, Baddy went to Jumbo elephant’s house and saw him brushing his teeth outside the house.

“Jumbo, can you give me Rs. 1000 as a loan? I will give you back Rs. 2000 after a week’s time,” said Baddy.

Hearing Baddy, Jumbo was shocked. He spit out the water he was gargling with. Jumbo looked at Baddy from top to bottom and asked, “Baddy, are you sleepwalking? How can you double the money in a week?”

“Jumbo, I have an offer from a big company that can help me double my money. You are my best friend so I came to you. If you are not interested, I can ask someone else,” said Baddy.

“No, no. Wait for me here. I’ll get the money from inside,” said Jumbo and gave Baddy the money.

“Jumbo, come to my home after a week and take your money,” said Baddy keeping the money inside his pocket.

After a week when Jumbo went to Baddy’s house, he saw that the house was locked.

There was a huge crowd outside Baddy’s house, and all of them were saying that Baddy had taken money from them. Baddy had borrowed from many, telling them that he will double their money in a week and they had come to take their money back.

Seeing everyone, Jumbo shook his head and said, “Wow! Baddy has cheated all of us.”

Cheeku rabbit was weeping as he said, “Baddy has run away with my hard-earned money. I will not leave him if I find him.”

Meeku mouse asked them to calm down, “Friends, the mistake is ours. We should have thought before giving him the money. And how did we ever think that money could be doubled in a week’s time? Our eyes were covered with greed and because of that, we fell for his lies.”

A few days passed on like this.

One day in the forest, a foreigner fox came. He wore black spectacles, a hat and a T-shirt. Everyone stared at him.

“Hello, my friend. My name is Meeku. Are you new to this forest?” asked Meeku.

“Yes, I have come from America and my name is Bobby,” said the fox.

“What brings you to Champakvan?” asked Jumbo curiously.

“Next week there is a huge dance competition in America, and I’m on the lookout for good dancers. Whoever wants to participate in the competition can come and give their name, and whoever wins will get a chance to go to America,” said Bobby.

Everyone was surprised to hear Bobby.

“But, why have you come to our small forest? You will get really good dancers in the city,” said Jumpy.

“I have heard so much about Champakvan and so I thought I should hold the competition here and not in the city,” replied Bobby.

“I am so fat; can I participate in this competition?” asked Jumbo.

“Anybody who can dance can participate in the competition. Also, I am here for this. I will take you to America and teach you. Just come tomorrow and give your name,” said Bobby.

Bobby was staying at the Champakvan Grand Hotel.

The next day there was a long queue outside the hotel as everyone wanted to go to America.

A-Trip-To-America

Jumbo, Meeku and Cheeku stood first in the line.

Bobby gave them a form and said, “Fill this form, please read the information about the competition in this paper.”

“Do we need to pay any fees?” asked Jumbo.

“No need, I will take all of you free of cost. I will spend for all expenses; I have just come to search for a good dancer. I have the money and don’t need to collect any fees,” said Bobby.

“If everybody thought like you, it would be so good,” said Meeku.

Cheeku asked, “I know that for going abroad we need a passport and visa, and we don’t have anything. How will we be able to go?”

“Leave everything to me. I will take care of all the formalities. I have contacts at the embassy,” Bobby reassured them.

24 people filled and gave their forms.

After checking the form Bobby said, “Everybody’s form is correct. Tomorrow evening, all of you come with your luggage and we will all go abroad in my private plane,” said Bobby.

The next morning, there was a huge crowd in the hotel. Meeku and Jumbo were very excited and they both came to the hotel early by scooter.

A-Trip-To-America

“Bobby why are you so upset? Has the private plane come?” asked Meeku.

“There was a problem in the plane on the way from America,” said Bobby in a worried voice.

“What problem?” asked Jumbo feeling scared.

“My private plane has developed a technical problem, and it will take one week for it to be repaired,” said Bobby.

“So we can’t go to America?” asked Meeku with a grumpy face.

“We have to book ticket for another flight, and each ticket costs Rs. 40,000 each,” said Bobby.

“Rs. 40,000!” Jumbo was shocked.

“Yes, Rs. 40,000. But don’t worry. After reaching America I shall return your money immediately. If you give me the money by tomorrow morning, I will book the evening flight for America. Anyway, the competition will begin in a couple of days. If we get late today, then we won’t get a chance to participate in the competition,” said Bobby.

“We will not get a chance to go to America again. We must give the money to Bobby and book our tickets. We will get our money back once we reach America,” said Meeku.

“Yes, Meeku is right. This golden opportunity will not back come again,” said Jumbo.

Cheeku stopped them. He warned them, “Too much greed is not good. How can we believe Bobby and give him money?”

Meeku got angry and said, “Cheeku it’s not right to doubt Bobby, I have full faith in him. He is very rich and he will not cheat us. If you don’t want to go then don’t come. I will definitely go to America for a trip.”

Next day all the animals got their money and Bobby collected it. He said, “Now nobody can stop you from going to America. I will buy the tickets and we will leave in the evening.”

All of them decided to wait for him.

“He should have come by now,” said Meeku, looking at his watch.

Just then Cheeku reached and said, “It’s waste of time to wait for Bobby. He is not going to come.”

“How can you say that?” asked Meeku.

“If Bobby was coming back then he should not have left the hotel and gone. He has cheated everyone,” said Cheeku.

“So has Bobby disappeared with our money?” asked Jumbo, sadly.

Everybody started crying. Cheeku told everybody, “There is no use of regretting your actions. I had warned you. But you were all crazy about going to America.”

“Cheeku, we realise that we made a big mistake. We don’t want to go to America but just want our Rs. 40,000 back,” said a teary-eyed Jumbo.

“If you promise me that that you won’t make this mistake again then I will help you,” said Cheeku.

“We promise you that we will not repeat this mistake,” said everybody in same tune.

A-Trip-To-America

Cheeku signalled towards the back of the hotel and they saw King Shersingh Lion came out with Bobby. He was handcuffed.

When Shersingh removed Bobby’s spectacles and the hat, all the animals were startled.

“Hey this is Baddy,” said Jumbo.

“Yes, this is Baddy. He fooled everyone by calling himself Bobby. He was going to cheat you of your money and run away. Cheeku told me everything at the right time. There is no dance competition in America. And all his stories were fake. Here, this is the money that you gave Baddy,” said Shersingh.

A-Trip-To-America

Cheeku continued, “Baddy was going to rob us of all our money. He made us greedy with the thoughts of going to America free of cost so that we would believe him. He also made up a false story that the plane had gone for repair to get the money from you all. When Baddy asked for Rs. 40,000 I got a doubt, then I went to the police station and gave the inspector all the information about Baddy.”

Shersingh returned everybody’s money. All of them thanked Cheeku, and promised to never let greed affect the way they looked at things.

 

Sweety Learns a Valuable Lesson

Sundays always saw Sweety in a great mood. Sundays were special as Sweety’s mother would be busy with work during the weekdays. So, on Sundays they would always go to the mall. Although Sweety was a good kid, she did not always listen to her parents.

“Sweety, the mall will be crowded today. Do not go anywhere without telling me. Walk along with me,” mother told Sweety.

“Yes mom. I want to play games and have a softy ice-cream, a savoury pastry and a tub of popcorn!” said Sweety, excited.

The mall was a huge three-storied building. It was crowded as many families had come there, since it was a Sunday.

Sweety and her mother first purchased some clothes for Sweety. Then Sweety’s mother said, “I have to buy this month’s groceries. This place is very crowded. Let’s go to the payment counter with these packages. You just be careful and stick with me.” Sweety nodded her head.

Sweety’s mother packed the rice and wheat that she had purchased and went to check its weight at the counter.

The toy rack behind them caught Sweety’s attention. She thought, “There are so many toys and games on that rack. I can quickly check the toys and come back.”

Sweety went to the rack without informing her mother. Meanwhile, the crowd in the store was increasing. Sweety was so busy examining the toys that she forgot to stick with her mother.

Sweety’s mother paid the bill but she panicked when she discovered that she could not see Sweety anywhere.

Sweety’s mother asked people if they had seen a small, curly-haired girl nearby. But there were just too many people and nobody had seen Sweety.

About half an hour later, Sweety came back to the counter where she had last seen her mother. She got scared and started crying when she did not see her mother.

“I can’t find my mother,” said Sweety, wiping her tears.

The lady said, “Don’t be scared… Let’s go to the first floor. The customer care people will make an announcement, and then your mom will come to pick you.”

Both of them quickly went to the first floor. The lady told the customer care people what had happened.

 

SWEETY'S-LEARNS-A-VALUEABLE-LESSON

One of them made an announcement, “A child has been separated from her mother in this mall. Her name is Sweety, she has curly hair and she is wearing a red frock. If her mother is hearing this, please come soon to the customer care centre.”

Sweety’s mother heard the announcement and rushed over. Sweety was relieved to see her mother again. She hugged her mother tightly and narrated the entire incident. Her mother thanked everyone for helping sweety and they left the mall.

But mother was angry with Sweety. She said, “I told you to stick with me. Despite that, you wandered off. Did you think about what could have happened if somebody kidnapped you?”

Sweety understood her mistake. She said, “I am sorry mom, I made a mistake. I will listen to everything you say henceforth.” Her mother then let her play for some time and later they went to have a soft-serve cone and a savoury pastry.

Sweety had learnt a valuable lesson. She mended her ways and started listening to what her parents told her. •

 

THE SUN WILL BE DESTROYED

Hey, Chunchun, what happened? Is everything alright?” Meeku Rabbit asked in concern as Chunchun Mouse had come to meet him in the morning itself.

Chunchun replied, “Oh! Just came over to see you. Everybody is generally at home in the morning. That’s why I came so early.”

Meeku laughed, “You are right, but tell me what the matter is?”

Chunchun scratched his head, “I have been thinking for many days that the Sun has already completed one-third of its life. What will happen when it isn’t there anymore? Just think! The entire world will be submerged into darkness.”

Hearing Chunchun’s words, Meeku burst out laughing and his laughter continued for a long time. Then he told Chunchun, “Friend Chunchun, you made me laugh. I am laughing so heartily after many days.”

Chunchun said sheepishly, “Brother Meeku, what is there to laugh at? What wrong did I say? The Sun will really get destroyed one day, I swear!”

Meeku nodded his head, “You are right. I agree that the Sun has already completed one-third of its life and one day, it will complete the remaining two-thirds of life too and then it will be destroyed.”

sun-will-be-destroyed

“Then why did you laugh on my words?” Chunchun got a little annoyed.

Meeku suppressed his laughter and said, “Chunchun, I will tell you. The Sun has been giving light to this Earth since 5 billion years and it is still going to be there for another 10 billion years. Now you should know that one year has 365 days and 100 years make one century.”

Chunchun interrupted, “Yes, yes, ones, tens, hundreds, one thousand, ten thousands, one lakh, ten lakhs…”

Chunchun couldn’t say any further. Meeku laughed again, “Why are you quiet? You forgot? After ten lakhs, its one crore, ten crores, one billion and then ten billions. Did you get it?”

Chunchun held his head. He said thoughtfully, “This is too much. I was unnecessarily worried.”

Meeku explained, “Correct, you got it right. Do you know that the Sun is the closest star to the Earth? Whatever energy we are using on this Earth is derived from the Sun. The interesting part is that the Sun is mainly fire, but it is a gaseous sphere. That means it is neither solid, nor liquid.”

Chunchun again scratched his head, “Oh! I wasn’t aware about it. I didn’t know that the chapati sized Sun was so interesting, really!”

Meeku said, “Chunchun, the Sun is not chapati sized, but gigantic! The radius of the Sun is an unimaginable 14,00,000 kilometers. Its huge size can be imagined by this fact that it takes 25 days to complete one circle around its own orbit.”

“Oh My God, this is really interesting, Brother Meeku.”

Meeku said, “However it is true that the Sun will be destroyed one day. The hydrogen present in the Sun is getting depleted with time and helium is getting formed in its place.”,

Chunchun asked, “Does that mean that the Earth will be in darkness?”

Meeku said, “I will tell you what will happen. After the entire hydrogen will be finished, the Sun will start expanding. It will become cold and turn into a huge red star. It will grow 250 times its size and swallow Mercury, Venus and our Earth. Then it will start shrinking. Then the Sun will become a white star. With time, though, it will lose its sheen and turn into a black sphere.”

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Chunchun’s eyes widened with horror. “Oh no! What will happen? How will we live then?”

Meeku began laughing, “Don’t worry about it now. I am sure humans would have found another Earth to live on by then. That’s what I believe.”

Chunchun began clapping and they both had a hearty laugh together.

King of the Muck

Cheeku was a naughty rabbit. He lived in Champakvan. He played the whole day. He spent the day eating juicy, red carrots. He had become round and chubby. Whenever Baddy the fox saw him, he felt tempted to eat Cheeku.

However, Cheeku knew that Baddy wanted to eat him. Therefore, he stayed away from him. Cheeku spent most of his time hiding in the bushes or playing.

One day, Cheeku was sitting near a mucky pond. He was happily enjoying carrots when he saw Baddy coming towards him. He did not have enough time to escape. So he thought of an alternate plan.

He entered the mucky pond. He covered himself with muck. He applied dirt to his entire body and face. His entire body, except his eyes, was muddy. He looked like a brown lump with red eyes. Instead of running away, he sat in a corner of the mucky pond.

Just then Baddy arrived. He felt that Cheeku was around. He searched for Cheeku in the bushes. However he couldn’t find him. He did not have the slightest idea that Cheeku was hiding in the pond.

Cheeku thought that Baddy would go away as he had not found him in the bushes. However, Baddy came towards the pond. He was thirsty. He wanted to quench his thirst. Cheeku got scared knowing that if Baddy found him, he would definitely kill him.

king-of-muck

Cheeku was a smart fellow. He never gave up easily. He started thinking about what he should do next.

He shouted at Baddy, “You strange animal! Who are you? How dare you come near my pond to drink water? Don’t you know who I am?”

Baddy gazed around. He realised that the sound was coming from a small creature that was half sunk inside the pond. Its eyes were a dangerous red in color. He was stunned to see such a weird creature talking to him.

No one had ever spoken to him in such a manner.

Baddy replied in a nervous tone, “Sir, I have come to drink water from this pond. I was totally unaware that you own this pond. I have never seen you before. May I please drink water from your pond?”

“No,” said Cheeku. He added, “You can drink water from my pond on one condition.”

Baddy was very thirsty. He couldn’t wait to go elsewhere to drink water. He said, “What is the condition, Sir?”

Cheeku said, “I don’t know who you are, but let me introduce myself. I am the King of Muck.”

Baddy became nervous when he heard the word ‘King’. He had seen the Lion who is the king of the jungle. However, he had never heard of the King of Muck. He was surprised to meet another king. He thought that a Lion staying in muck is known as the King of Muck’.

Baddy was deep in thought.

Suddenly Cheeku shouted, “Listen to me carefully. I ate a big fat rabbit a while ago. However, I am not satisfied with it. I did not like its taste.”

Baddy was now very frightened. He was sure that this king had eaten Cheeku since he was around a while ago. He was surprised that he did not like the taste of a rabbit.

He said, “Sir. Rabbits are very tasty. How come you did not like its taste?”

Cheeku replied, “My brother, who stays in the jungle, had come to meet me yesterday. He brought a few pieces of fox’s meat for me. That meat was so delicious. After eating that meat, I don’t like any other type of flesh.”

Hearing this, a chill ran down Baddy’s spine. He started shivering in fear. He thought that if the King of Muck realised that he was a Fox, then he would get killed. He started thinking of ways to escape from there.

“I want to eat a fox,” said Cheeku. “There might be foxes in this forest. You have to get me and my friends a few foxes. I want to treat my friends. They will arrive in a couple of minutes. You can drink water from my pond only after you get me some foxes.”

king-of-muck

By now, Baddy was sweating and trembling. He thought that if the king’s friends came to the pond they might recognise him. Then, they would tear him apart and feast on him. He realised that it was thus best to run away from the pond at the earliest.

Baddy said, “Sir, there are a lot of foxes in this jungle. I shall quickly go and fetch a few for you and your friends. I will be right back with some delicious food for you.”

He began to walk away.

Cheeku said, “I am not in a hurry at all. Tell me your name before you leave.” Baddy replied, “I do not have that much time, Sir. First, let me get some foxes for you. Then, I will sit and chat with you.” Baddy ran away never to return. Cheeku laughed at Baddy’s foolishness. He walked to the nearest river. He washed his body and removed all the muck and dirt.

Cheeku now breathed a sigh of relief. He felt proud of his intellect as it helped him get to rid of Baddy.

 

The Two Rats

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

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

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

“Why do people use refrigerators?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The two Rats

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

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

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

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

Kirtivan Becomes Hi-tech

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kirtivan-Becomes-Hi-tech

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

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

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

Kirtivan-Becomes-Hi-tech

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