Along with academic progress, a child must also imbibe values which will lead to the all round development of his / her character. The foundation of all moral instruction is laid at home, with parents serving as the role models. But very soon, the child enters school, and the parents is called upon to supplement the instruction at home. It is at this point that our post attempt to help. In this series, we have tried to be as practical as possible, and have taken anecdotes and incidents from day-to day life. We have made an attempt to encourage the child to look within himself and discover his own strengths and shortcomings.
They are aimed to go straight to the heart of the little learner. These exercises, activities, and the accompanying illustrations will definitely hold the interest of the child, and it is our hope that by the time the child completes his primary education, a sound moral base would have been established.
Friends Forever👯
Make new friends
But keep the old.
One is silver,
And the other, gold.
A circle is round
It has no end.
That's how long
I will be your friend.
Across the land
Across the sea
Friends forever,
We'll always be.
Self help is the best help👋
One evening, a farmer was returning home from the market in his bullock-cart. The cart had a heavy load in it. Suddenly, it began to rain heavily. The wheels of the cart got stuck in the soft wet mud. The cart would not move.
The farmer began to wail, "O, What shall I do ? Who will help me? Please , God, please come and help me."
Just then, a stranger came up to the farmer. The stranger said, "Why do you cry ? God will not help you if you simply cry and do nothing. Come on. Let us push the wheels."
The farmer agreed and they began to push. Soon, the cart-wheels came out from the wet mud.
The farmer was very happy. He thanked the stranger and said, "I will always remember your good advice."
Merry Sunshine ⛅
Good morning, merry sunshine,
How did you wake so soon ?
You scared away the little stars
And shined away the moon.
You bring for us a lovely day
To sing and play and learn.
You give us light and keep us warm
We wait for your return.
Whose Pond is it ?👀
Long, long ago, in a region of tall mountains, there was a thick forest. Many many birds and animals lived in that forest.
In the middle of the forest, there was a big pond. It was always full water.
During the day, it reflected the blue sky and the clouds in it. It sparkled in the golden sun.
At night, it looked silver in the moonlight. You could see the stars in it.
The water of the pond was cool and refreshing. All the animals and birds loved to drink the water of the pond.
The animals liked the pond so much that they wanted it all for themselves. They did not like to share it with the birds.
"We have discovered the pond. It belongs to us, " they said.
"It's a lie !" said the birds. "We found the pond first. We knew about it before you discovered it."
"If you knew about it, why didn't you tell us ?" said the clever fox.
"Because we did not want to share our pond with you. It belongs to us, and not to you, " the hawk answered.
And then all the birds and animals began to fight. The animals chased the birds and pounced on them. The leopards growled, tigers roared, elephants trumpeted, the bears and dogs foxes and all other animals began to run after the birds.
The birds, too, were good fighters. They began to screech and squawk and croak and honk. They attacked the animals with their beaks and talons.
'Up with the animals !' 'Down with the birds !', 'Drive away the birds !' shouted the animals.
'Drive away the animals !' 'Charge !' 'Attack !' 'Long live the birds !' shouted the birds.
A great battle raged between the birds and the animals. Both the sides were strong. So the battle went on for a long time, but neither side could win the battle.
"This is no way to solve our problem," said some of the birds and animals. "We must find some other way to decide whose pond it is."
"Let us appoint two judges - one from the animals and one from the birds. They will decide."
So, the bear and the woodpecker were appointed judges. The bear decided that the pond belonged to the animals. The woodpecker decided that the pond belonged to the birds. This did not solve the problem at all.
"We need only one judge who will give a good judgement," said the deer.
So, the sparrow was asked to be the judge. She was a little birds, but she was very wise. She thought for some time and said,
"I think the pond belongs to the one who is thirsty. If an animal is thirsty, it belongs to him. So, he can drink from it. If a bird is thirsty, the pond belongs to him. So he too, can drink from it. This way we can all enjoy the cool, refreshing water of the pond. No one will be thirsty."
This was such a good judgement that all the birds and animals began to clap.
Then they all lived together happily in the forest around the pond.
Play by Moonlight
Girls and Boys,
Come out to play,
The moon does shine
as bright as day.
Leave your supper
and leave your sleep'
Come with your playfellows
into the street.
Come with a whistle,
come with a call
Come with a good will
or come not at all.
Green Grass Grew
In the middle of the ground,
There was a hole.
The prettiest hole,
That you ever did see.
The hole in the ground,
And the green grass grew all around, all around,
And the green grass grew all around.
And in that hole,
There was a tree,
The prettiest tree,
That you ever did see.
The tree in the hole,
And the hole in the ground,
And the green grass grew all around, all around,
And the green grass grew all around.
And on the tree,
There was a branch,
The prettiest branch,
That you ever did see.
The branch on the tree,
And the tree in the hole,
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grew all around, all around,
And the green grass grew all around.
And on the branch,
There was a bird,
The prettiest bird,
That you ever did see.
The bird on the branch,
And the branch on the tree,
And the tree in the hole,
And the hole in the ground,
And the green grass grew all around, all around,
And the green grass grew all around.
The Boy Who Cried "Wolf"!
A shepherd boy took his sheep to graze every day. He did not have much to do while the sheep grazed. One day, he decided to have some fun. "Wolf, wolf !" he shouted loudly. Some villagers were working in the filed nearby. They left all their work and rushed to drive away the wolf. The boy laughed at them and said he had just fooled them .
He liked this trick very much. He played it once, twice, again and again. The villagers were angry. "He's a liar !" they said.
One day a hungry wolf really came up to eat up a sheep. The boy shouted, "Wolf! Wolf! Help ! There's a wolf!" But no one believed him.
No one came to his help. The wolf took away a sheep and left the boy crying.
Five Little Chickens........
🐤🐤🐤🐤🐤
Said the first little chicken,
With a queer little squirm,
"Oh, I Wish I could find
With an odd little shrug,
"Oh, I wish I could find
A fat little bug !" 🐤
Said the third little chicken,
With a little sigh of grief,
"Oh, I wish I could find
A little green leaf !"🐤 Said the fourth little chicken,
With a sharp little squeal,
"Oh, I wish I could find
Some nice yellow meal !" 🐤
Said the fifth little chicken,
With a faint little moan,
"I wish I could find
A wee gravel stone !"🐤 "Now, see here," said their mother
From the green harden patch,
"If you want any breakfast,
You must all come and scratch !" 🐔
Wind, Fire and Paper .......🍃🔥🧻
Once, in the faraway land of China, there lived an old man with his three sons. Their house was on a hill, a little away from the village There was a beautiful garden around the house.
All the three sons were good looking and hard-working. The old man wanted to find brides for them. He searched far and wide. In another village, he found two sisters. Both the sisters were lovely to look at, and good-natured. The old man was very pleased. The two elder sons married the two sisters and they all began to live happily.
The sisters were fond of their youngest brother-in-law. They wished that he would also get a nice bride.
Many days passed. Now it was time for the two brides to visit their parents' home. Before they left, they went to seek the old man's blessings. Then they asked, "Father, we both want to bring you a gift When we come back. Please tell us what you would like to have. "
The old man thought for a while. "It's nice of you to ask me what gift I would like. I have wanted two things for a long time. I always wish that I could carry the wind and the fire with me. Then I can use them whenever I like. I would be very happy if you bring for me wind and fire, each wrapped in paper."
The two brides stayed with their parents for a few days. Soon, it was time to return to their home on the hill. However, they had not been able to get the two gifts for the old man. They asked many people but no one knew how to put wind or fire in paper. "Impossible !" they said, "Whoever heard of putting wind or fire in paper ! Wind will blow the paper away and fire will burn it. It cannot be done."
The two brides felt very sad. "We will try our best to find the gifts. We will not go back home till we get them, " they decided. They left their parents' home. On their way back, they made enquiries in many places. But alas, no one could show them what they wanted.
The two sisters were very tired. They stopped to rest near a well. They felt so unhappy that both began to cry.
Just then, a beautiful young maiden came to the well to fetch water. She saw the two sisters crying. So she went near them and said, "Friends, why do you weep ? Can I help you in any way?"
Then the two sisters told her about the gifts. The maiden smiled and said, "Don't worry. I will show you how to put wind and fire in paper." The sisters' joy knew no bounds.
Then the maiden showed them how to make a fan. When they moved the fan, soft breezes blew from it. That was the first gift. The maiden then made a beautiful paper box, and put a lamp inside it. That was the second gift - a paper lantern ! How pretty the gifts looked !
The sisters took the beautiful gifts to their father-in-law. He was speechless with joy. "Amazing ! Beautiful ! You have brought me just what I needed ! " he said.
Then the two sisters told him about the clever young maiden. They all agreed that she was just the right bride for the youngest brother. So the two were married, and they all lived together happily in their beautiful home.
Ira's Adventures .............
Ira loved to talk. She was always telling her friends about what she had to do to come to school every day.
"But you come to school in an auto-rickshaw with your friends," said Neha.
"That's right," said Ira. "I come to my Granny's place and from there I come in an auto-rickshaw. But my home is far far away from my Granny's place. Do you know how I travel every day from my home?"
"Tell us, " said her friends.
"I told you my home is very far away. I have to cross a mountain, and a sea and a forest every day to come to school."
"Ooooh !" said her friends.
"I start from home on a horse. It is perhaps the fastest horse in the world. It runs faster than all the bikes and cars. I cross the mountain riding on the horse.
"Sometimes, I fly over the mountain in my Daddy's Aeroplan. I could come to school in the plane. But there's no place for it to land here. And Daddy has to go in another direction. So he just takes me to the seashore and flies off in his plane.
"At the seashore, there's a speedboat waiting for me. I get into the boat and speed across the sea. I have made friends with a dolphin who lives in that sea. Sometimes, he gives me a ride on the way back home."
"That cool !" said Ira's friends.
"I come to a thick forest when I have crossed the sea. There are hundreds and thousands of trees in that forest.
"Aren't there any wild animals in the forest ?"
asked one of her friends.
"Oh ! Of course, there are ! The forest is full of them ! But, they're all my friends ! There's always someone to take me across the forest at top speed. And anyway, the monkeys have shown me how to swing from tree to tree. I cross the forest in no time at all." 
"Then how do you reach your Granny's house ?"
"Ah ! That's the part I like best. I'm tired after the riding and swinging. So I just lie on my flying carpet. Then all I have to say is :
Fly, fly magic carpet
One, two, three.
Take me to Granny's house
She's waiting for me.
"And, where's the carpet ?"
"I can't carry it to school, silly. It's at Granny's house, obviously."
How some of Ira's friends envied her ! How they wished they could fly on magic carpets and ride dolphins and tigers ! But when Neha spoke about it to her sister, her sister laughed and laughed.
"Do You really believe her stories ? Whoever heard of a small schoolgirl crossing mountains, and forests and seas to come to school every day !"
But Neha didn't Know who to believe - her sister or Ira. What about you ?
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The Naughty Deer
[Be Attentive, Learn, Be Happy.]
There was a flock of deer grazing the rich grass in a forest meadow. In the flock was a naughty deer. He was so naughty that his mother took him to a wise deer who was considered as a teacher.
The wise deer started to teach the deer on various techniques of self defense. However, the naughty deer was not at all attentive. Just like small kids, the deer started to miss classes. In spite of the efforts taken by the wise deer and his mother, the naughty deer was incorrigible.
One day, the deer was tottering in the forest and got caught in the trap set by some poacher. He shouted for help. The mother came running there and saw the pathetic state of her boy. She ran to the wise deer for help.
The wise deer came there and said, "Look at the effect of your naughty acts. At least from now pay attention to your lessons." He managed to free the naughty deer. The naughty deer had learnt his lesson.
Moral: Be Attentive, Learn, Be Happy.
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Two Birds In One Stone
[Never Make Complains To Your Enemy.]
On a tree, near a perennial lake, lived a pair of herons. They had built their nest high on the tree, hoping to keep dangerous animals away. They laid many eggs and were waiting anxiously for them to hatch. But alas! A cobra had found the eggs in the nest started eating one by one.
"Oh crab! A cobra sneaks into our nest and eats our eggs. We are at loss what to do to chase off the cobra, "the herons told. The crab thought to itself, " I hate both the herons and the cobra. They both are a threat to me. Let me take my opportunity to get rid of both the herons and the cobra at a single stroke."
The crab said in a convincing, "I know of a plan. Go to the borough of the mongoose and steal some of its food and spread it around the tree and up to the hole where the cobra lives. The mongoose will do the remaining."
The herons were watching the whole show from high up the tree, unknowing that they were going to become the next prey for the mongoose. As soon as the mongoose killed the cobra, his attention turned towards the herons as they smelt of his food. The mongoose jumped and climbed up the tree. In a single sweep he caught the herons and killed them too.
The crab was the one who really benefitted from the show.
Moral: Never Make Complains To Your Enemy.
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The United Cows
It is Known that villages are mostly near forests. There was one such village. A farmer reared some cows. He had to let them graze in the forest meadows. There was always the danger of these cows to be hunted by wild animals of the forest, especially the lions and tigers.
A lion was following these cows. He very well observed the disparity among them and thought, " I have nice food in front of me. If I attack them, I can kill one cow at a time and eat to my stomach full." He started to execute his plan. Within days, the lion attacked few lone cows and killed them. The cows got worried and afraid to go to the forest for grazing. They all gathered to discuss the threat they were facing. "What are we going to go? The lion is big and strong.
He can easily kill us. Even our master is afraid of the lion. When he cannot chase away the lion, how can we?"
An old and wise cow cleared his throat and started in a feeble voice, "Look friends, we might not be big and strong as the lion. We Cannot fight and win against the lion all by ourselves as individuals. But, we are large in number. If we can overcome our greed and unite together, we can definitely win our war against the cruel lion. We can surely chase away the lion from our grazing meadow."
All the cows shook their head for some time and mooed in unison, "Surely you are right. We pledge our unity. From now on, we are going to leave away our difference of opinion and greed. We are going to graze as a group. We are going to stand united when the lion attack us next time."
The lion had to run away from the place to save his life. He was never to be found in the area. The cows had learnt their lesson on
Moral: Divided We Lose, United We Win
The Wolf And The Rat
In a borough under a banyan tree lived a colony of rats. They were living happily there. They got plenty of food around them. The banyan tree was so big and strong that the rats we nicely sheltered.
Once, a cunning wolf happened to come that way. He saw the fleshy rats running here and there across the banyan tree. He thought to himself, "I would love to eat these rats. They are such an easy prey."
The wolf started limping as if his leg was hurt.
Unknowing of the wolf's trick, the leader rat came to the rescue of the wolf. He asked the wolf, "Hello friend, what is your problem? Why are you limping?" The wolf replied in a weak voice, "I have hurt my leg so bad. I cannot hunt for food. If you can help me till I cure, I shall be very thankful to you. "Stay close, I shall send food for you every day through my friends, "Consoled the leader rat.
From then onwards, the leader rat sent food for the wolf through a rat. The wolf was too happy to invite the eat that brought food. The wolf ate both the food and the rat that brought food.
Within a few days the leader observed that the rat that took food to the wolf did not return to the borough. So, the next day, he followed the rat that took food. He was shocked by the scene he saw there. The wolf invited the rat with a big smile and once when he had finished eating the food, caught the rat and ate him too.
The leader rat returned to the borough and called his entire colony. "Friends, the cunning wolf is cheating us. He has planned to eat each and every one us. We have to teach the wolf a lesson."
Moral: Evil Thoughts End With Evil Deeds
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The Geese And The Crow
There was a lush meadow in a dense forest. A brook ran across the meadow. A crow lived on a nearby tree top. She was always dissatisfied. Although she had plenty to eat, she kept on complaining. Even if she had big fish to eat she was not content. She always wanted more.
She looked around and lamented, "All other animals and birds are happy and joyful. They all lead successful living. I alone am unfortunate. I don't get everything I want. The forest is lush, the leaves are green and beautiful, and the brook is full of fish, but, I don't get enough."
At that moment her eyes fell on two golden geese loitering here and there. She went to the geese and started, "Oh beautiful geese, how beautiful you are! Look at your colorful feathers. They are glowing in the sunlight But look at me. I am so ugly. You should be lucky to get whatever you want to eat. Tell me the secret meal you eat. I too shall eat that and become as beautiful as you are."
Moral: Beauty Is In Character
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Two Monkeys / Two Otters/ Two Swans/ Two Friends/ Two Identical Birds. [Story]
Two Monkeys
A monkey lived in a mountain cave. He was kind hearted and loved to help other animals. He used to share his food, fruits and vegetables with those who didn't have any to eat.
Once, he found a wounded monkey in the foothills. "Oh dear friend, are you wounded seriously? Tell me how you got hurt, " asked the kind heated monkey. "I can't move my limbs. I think I have some broken ribs. I was playing on a tree top, swinging from one branch to another. I slipped and fell down, " replied the wounded monkey. So, the kind hearted monkey helped the wounded monkey to his cave. He treated the monkey for his wounds. After some days the wounded monkey healed and turned healthy.
"Friend, you have healed. You are now ready to join your family, " Said the kind hearted monkey. "I am still a bit weak," replied the other monkey. "Ok then, I shall bring you some food to eat, " Said the kind hearted monkey and left the cave.
The kind hearted monkey searched for food. While searching, he was thinking about the wounded monkey. He was somehow disturbed in the way the wounded monkey behaved lately. Anyhow, the kind hearted monkey collected food for the wounded monkey and reached the cave.
There he found the entire family of the wounded monkey dancing with joy. "See how well I have been cheating the kind hearted monkey," boasted the wounded monkey. "You are such a good actor, "appreciated his wife. Right at that moment the kind hearted monkey entered the cave. All the monkeys were shocked. "You are very early my friend, meet mu family," the wounded monkey said with a shiver in his voice.
"My friend, I have been kind to you not because of your wound alone, but with a feeling of compassion. So, please take your family and leave the cave. Don't try to do something foolish. Remember I treated Your wounds. I can cripple you in one strike, " cautioned the kind hearted monkey. The monkey left the place and was never to be seen in the forest again.
Moral: Broken Trust Is Seldom Regained
Two Otters
Across a dense forest there lived two otters. These otters had the habit of quarreling among themselves on their catches. Once, the otters had a big quarrel on a big fish they happened to eye at the same time. The first otter said, "I had seen the fish first. So, it is mine." The second otter retaliated, "I had my paws on it first. It is mine. " The first one replied, "Don't make a fool of me. It is I who killed it so, it is mine." "I brought the fish to the shore. It is mine, " shouted the second otter. Thus, the argument continued.
A jackal was watching the show from a distance and decided to bring it to an end. He came to the otters and offered, "Tell me your problem friends. I Shall try to solve it. "The first otter said, "Look dear jackal, it is I who saw the fish first. This fellow wants it for himself." The second otter complained, "I only brought the fish ashore. It belongs to me."
The jackal, after a long pause, bit away the fleshy middle region of the fish and left out the head on one side and the tail on the other. With a crooked smile, he said, "Why are you fighting among yourselves? One can have the head and the other can have the tail. I shall take the middle as a token for setting the quarrel. " Saying this, the jackal took the fleshy middle and left the remains for the otters. Only now did the otters understand the effect of quarrelling.
Moral: Quarrel Among Friend Leave Them As Losers
Two Swans
High in the Himalayas was a sacred pond. Many divine creatures lived in the pond. A pair of white swans called Maya and Chaya also lived there. They were very pure and beautiful. They were always together. They never left one another. There was even envy among other swans on the true friendship among theses two.
There was a kingdom at the foothills of Himalayas. The king had once came to the pond on a divine pilgrimage. He saw Maya and Chaya and was attracted by their divine beauty. "it would be fitting for me to have these two swans in my garden," thought the king.
When the king returned to his kingdom, he called for his ministers and declared his wish, "Ministers, I saw a pair of swans in a divine pond in the Himalayas. I am so desirous of having them in my royal garden. Make arrangements to bring them to our royal garden at the earliest. " The ministers had a conference to execute the wish of their king. They called for the best fowl hunter in the kingdom and ordered him to bring Maya and Chaya to the royal garden.
The hunter reached the pond. He too was attracted by the divine beauty of Maya and Chaya. Anyway, he had to catch them and take them to the Kingdom. He set a few traps around the pond and waited patiently.
After some time, Chaya got trapped, while she was pecking some grains on the banks of the pond. Maya started calling for help. The hunter heard the cry and came to the place. There he saw Maya crying in a very sorrowful voice. Chaya was consoling her, "Only I am caught. You can escape and live happily. " "How can I leave you, my friend? Let the hunter catch me also. We have been living together. We both shall die together."
The hunter was so touched by the true friendship that he set Chaya free Maya and Chaya thanked the hunter and swam deep into the pond. The hunter returned to the kingdom and told the episode to the king. The king felt sorry for his unjust wish and said, "I lost my mind in the meagre thought of selfishness. The swans have taught me the lesson of true friendship."
Moral: True Friendship Never Parts
Two Friends 1
Lucky and Curse were two friends. Whenever they went together, the villagers mocked at them. "Hello Lucky! Why are you roaming with Curse? His name is so negative. So should be his character." Although Lucky did not mind this, Curse felt very bad.
Once, When Lucky was out of station, his house caught on fire. The villagers were afraid to go near and quench the fire. It was Curse who bravely fought the fire and quenched it. On his return, Lucky heard the whole story.
He took his friend Curse proudly and said to the villagers, "Look at who saved my house. It is Curse my friend. What is in the name? It is in the character that someone is good or evil. Don't ever evaluate a person by name."
Moral: Name Does Not Reflect Character
✋
Two Identical Birds
Two parrots of the same breed went to two different persons. One was a sadhu and the other was a criminal.
The sadhu used to pray every day morning, "Allah, Allah. Save the world. " The parrot, living with the sadhu, also learnt to repeat the prayer.
The criminal used to scold and utter bad words right from morning to night. The parrot, living there, also learnt to use bad words.
One day, the parrot that lived with the sadhu wanted to meet the other one. It flew all the way to the criminal's house. The moment it set foot there, it heard loud scolding and bad words exchanged harshly from the parrot there. It could not believe its ears. So, it convinced the parrot to join with the sadhu, and exchanged places.
Now, the criminal started hearing the prayers, "Allah, Allah. Save the world. "The parrot that had gone to the sadhu also started to hear the same prayer. In due course of time, the criminal turned good and his parrot also turned good.
Moral: Good Words Bring Goodness
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Two Friends 2 (The Rabbit And His Friends)
Bunny was a lively rabbit. He was always in the company of some animals or the other. He was friendly with all of them.
Once, Bunny heard a pack of hunting dogs in the forest. He was afraid that they would catch him. He ran to a deer he thought was his close friend and said, "Dear brother, I hear a pack of hunting dogs in the forest nearby. Please save me. You have such sharp antlers. You can thrash them. Please help me, friend" The coolly replied, "I am sorry, Bunny. I am too busy to help you out. Go and find someone else for you help."
Bunny ran to many of his friend - the bear, the monkey, the Zebra, and even the panther. They all gave the same reply. Finally, the tired Bunny met a mouse and told his pathetic state. The mouse replied, "Why are you panicking. Just get into your borough and stay inside till the pack leaves this area. You shall be safe. " Bunny went happily.
Moral: A Friend In Need Is A Friend In-Deed
(Two Friends)
The Monkey And The Dolphin
Once a group of sailors set out to sea in their sailing ship. One of them brought his pet monkey along for the long journey. When they were far out at sea, a terrible storm overturned their ship. Everyone fell into the sea and the monkey was sure that he would drown. Suddenly a dolphin appeared and picked him up. They soon reached the island and the monkey came down from the dolphin's back. The dolphin asked the monkey, "Do you know this place?"
The monkey replied, "Yes, I do. In fact, the king of the island is my best friend. Do You know that I am actually a prince?"
The dolphin knew that the island was isolated. She said, "So you are a prince! Now you can be a king! " The monkey asked, "How can I be a king?"
The dolphin went away, saying, "As you are the only creature on this island, you will naturally be the King!"
Moral: Pride Brings Pain
Monkey And The Dolphin
(Two Friends)
Honey Bee And The Pigeon
It was rainy season. The forest was thriving with lush green leaves and fresh flowers. All birds and animals were busy collecting food during breaks in the showering rain.
In an effort to save the honey bee, the pigeon plucked a dry leaf and threw it at the bee. The honey bee was strong enough to lift itself and lay on the dry leaf for some time. Once she was totally dry, the honey bee flew happily saying, "Dear friend, I shall not forget this timely help."
Days passed, Autumn came. Hunters poached the forest in search of animals to hunt. They killed any animals they set eyes on.
A hunter managed to see the pigeon perched high on the tree. He thought, "What a lucky person I am! My wife shall provide me with tasty pigeon meat. Oh! Even thinking about it makes me salivate ." He sucked some saliva dripping from his mouth. He took his gun and started to take aim at the pigeon.
In the mean time the honey bee was flying in that area in search of some fine flowers to collect honey. She saw the hunter taking his gun. She looked up and saw the pigeon sitting there. She thought, "Holy God, the hunter is going to shoot the pigeon that saved my life. " With this in her mind, she flew straight at the hunter and stung him.
The hunter shouted in pain and his aim missed. The bullet passed away without any harm. The pigeon heard the hunter's sound as well as that of the gun. When she looked down she saw the honey bee waving at her. "Thank you old friend, " waved the pigeon and flew away to safety.
Moral: Timely Help Repays Goodness
Aladdin's Lamp
Aladdin
In the ancient times of Persia there lived a young man named Aladdin. He was a kind hearted, God fearing, service minded lad, He had the habit of helping anyone who asked for, whether they be known or they be strangers.
In a far away desert there was a ruined cave that had a lamp buried within. A cruel wizard was in need of it, as there was a Genie bottled inside. Genies are capable of granting anything you wished. He was in search of a person with a pure heart because only such a person can take the lamp out of the cave. The wizard heard of Aladdin's kindness and decided that he was the right person to fetch the lamp.
When the wizard asked Aladdin to help him, Aladdin could not refuse. He travelled with the wizard to the ruins in the desert. He bravely entered into the ruins and found the lamp lying there, as told by the wizard. There were riches beyond imagination. However, Aladdin was not interested in them. "I've found the lamp," shouted Aladdin. "Thank you, bring it to me." replied the wizard.
When Aladdin stretched his hand for the wizard to lift him out, the wizard snatched the lamp and ran away, leaving Aladdin to die. Aladdin thought to himself, "God, what am I to do now? Please help me."
Aladdin was squeezing his first in agitation, Suddenly, he felt a ring in his hand. He didn't know how it came there. He started rubbing the ring out of curiosity. To his wonder, a Genie appeared there and bowed in front of him saying, "Thank you young man for releasing me. You are my master now. What shall I do for you?"
Aladdin told the whole story to the Genie and said, "Take me home. Also, bring the back the lamp from the wizard. It should not be in the hands of bad people." "So be it my lord." replied the Genie. In a moment Aladdin was in his home and the lamp was in his hands. The Genie said, "I shall appear only once, but the one in the lamp will appear as many times as you rub the lamp. Use it well young man, " and disappeared.
Aladdin became very rich with the help of the Genie in the lamp. He made his whole country and the people who lived there also very rich and happy.
Aladdin
Power In The Hands Of Good People Is Useful
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The Falcon And The Quail
There was a big falcon. He Was very powerful and strong. He could pick up very large animals in his claws and fly high and long. He was a terror to smaller birds, as they became his prey if they crossed his path.
Once, a small quail happened to cross his path. The falcon looked at the quail and said, "Hey small one, I give you one chance to escape. Fly as far as you can. If you can evade me I shall spared your life"
The Poor quail flew as far as he could and landed on a solid rock. No sooner has he set foot on the rock, he heard the harking sound of the falcon shrieking in his ears. "Here I come, "Shouted the falcon in pomp and dived straight at the quail.
The quail waited till the last second and suddenly ducked away. The falcon, Who came sweeping at the quail could not control his plight and hit hard on the rock and died immediately. The quail sighed in relief.
Falcon And The Quail
Bitterness
There was a wise king who ruled the ancient kingdom of Banaras. He was getting old and weak. Time had come for his son to take the throne, but the king was worried at the cruel and unworthy acts of the youngster.
The king pleaded with the guru, "Hey learned teacher, please teach my son good values and kindness. Reform him. He needs to be shaped to be able to take the throne. " The guru accepted and started teaching the prince good things.
A few weeks later, guru and the prince were strolling in the palace garden. The guru picked up a tender leaf from a small plant and asked the prince to teste it. The prince had just put the leaf in his mouth, and spat it out and started growling with sourness in his mouth. "guru, what is that leaf? Why is it so sour?"
The guru patiently replied, "See my son, if such a tender leaf itself is of foul and tasting so sour. Imagine how sour it would turn when it becomes older and matured!" With a Wise smile, the guru left the place. The prince had just learnt his lesson. He became so kind and wise and ruled the kingdom to his father's expectation.
Wisdom Always Pays
The Cobra And The Crow
A crow has laid many eggs in a nest on top of a tree. She was assured that her nest was safe from wild animals. But, her belief was in vain. A big cobra sensed the nest. He slithered there and ate the eggs one by one. Every time the crow laid her eggs, the cobra did the same.
She sat with her pair and they both came up with a plan.
The next day, the crow flew to the palace. She picked the princess' necklace and with a big cawing sound fluttered away. The guards heard the crow's sound and saw her carry the necklace.
They started to follow the crow wherever she flew.
The crow flew to the termite hill in the forest and threw away the necklace into the mouth hole. The guards knew that the hole would be the living place of some cobra. With utmost care they left their spears inside the hole and searched for the necklace.
The first thing to come out was the big cobra that had looted the crow's nest. The guards immediately killed the cobra. Then, they further searched and got the necklace back and left to the palace.
Wit Wins Might
The Beetle's Challenge
There lived a beetle in a heap of dung under a shady tree. He used to roll around the dung and ate some insects that get stuck in the dung. Once an elephant happened to pass that way. The elephant as hungry,
So, he started to pluck out some branches from the tree. The beetle. got annoyed and started to hum. The might elephant did not take heed of this tiny noise . But the smell of the old gung was so foul that the elephant could not bear any more.
Now, the elephant got really wild. He blew some air right at the beetle and the beetle flew far away out of the elephant's sight. The elephant went away as if nothing had happened.
Think Before You Act
I've really frightened you.
The Three Fishes
The first was named Goldie, the second was named White, and the third was named Brownie. Goldie was very intelligent and shrewd. White was strong minded and had belief in destiny. Brownie was slow and lethargic.
Once, Goldie heard two fishermen talking among themselves. The first one said, "This pond is full of fishes. We have to come tomorrow and have a good catch." The second one replied, "Yes, my friend. Today, we have had enough fish Definitely we shall come tomorrow."
Goldie swam fast to her friends and started in an anxious voice, "Dear friends, I heard two fishermen talking among themselves to catch fish in this side of the pond tomorrow. We have to leave this place and swim elsewhere to save our lives."
White asked her, "Are you sure friend? Will they really come to this side of the pond to catch fish? "I am sure," replied Goldie." Perhaps, you are right," said the white. Let us move immediately to some other pond, lake or river.
Brownie was watching this conversation calmly." This is my birthplace. I shall not leave from here, " She told. Both Goldie and White swam to the other side of the pond.
The next day, the fishermen came and threw their net. A lot of fish were caught, including Brownie. They left the place with trays full of fish. Goldie and White saw, with sad hearts, their friends being carried away. Had Brownie listened to their friends, she too would have escaped.
Decisions Delayed Are Decisions Failed
The Milkman's Dream
Once there was a milkman in a village. He used to sell milk to far places by carrying a long can on his head. He called at each housed and sold the milk.
It was a very tiresome business. Profit was not very high, but Ramu was able to lead a decent life with his family. But as he walked, he used to get lost in his thoughts and started day dreaming.
One day, Ramu got extra money from the extra milk that he sold. From that money, he want to bought some part from the market. There he decided to buy a chick.
He brought the chick home and was very happy to rear it.
The next day, as Ramu carried the load of milk, he thought to himself, "I have a chick now. Soon it will grow big and lay many eggs. These eggs will hatch into chicks. Those chicks will grow and they would also lay many eggs. Those many eggs would hatch and lay still many eggs. I will have still many chicks hatching and soon I Shall become a owner of a very big poultry farm. Then, I need not carry this long can of milk and sell milk at doorsteps of people."
As he was in his dreams, he didn't notice a protruding stone. He tripped on it and lost his balance. The long can fell down and all the milk spilt on the ground. Only then did he realize foolishness.
Dream Castles Will Be Of No Use
The Sensible Rabbit
Many a times, rabbits get crushed under the heavy feet of the elephants and lose their lives and those of their loved ones.
Even though the rabbits try hard, they could not outrun the elephants. But, the elephants did not seem to even notice the death of the rabbits.
The bereaved rabbits gathered together. They were filled with sorrow. They looked at one another, not knowing what to do. There was one smart rabbit in the herd.
He opened up, "Friends, if we do not think of a way to divert the elephants, we are sure to die one day or the other. " "What shall we do?" asked the other rabbits in a single voice. "Let me talk with the elephant chief and see what could be done, " replied the smart rabbit.
He met the elephant chief and said, "Oh mighty chief, the pond near which we live belongs to the moon deity. She weeps every night after you leave. She is very upset and sad, thinking of the lives lost due to your deeds." The elephant chief replied, "Is it so? Can you prove it?"
The rabbit took the elephant chief to the nearby pond and showed the reflection of the moon. The reflection was shimmering due to mild breeze. The elephant took it for the moon's sorrow. He promised to the rabbit, "Hereafter we shall not cross this way. Live in happiness." That was the last time the elephants were seen in that area. The rabbits lived in peace and safety ever after.
Wit Serves The Purpose
Four Friends
Although animals of the same breed tend to be friends, Sometimes there develops a dear friendship among animals of varied kinds.
Once, a deer, a tortoise, a rabbit, and a crow became very close friends. They shared many things they could with one another. Life was very happy for the friends. There is a twist in everybody's life. A hunter was lucky enough to catch the tortoise. As he started caring the tortoise, the remaining friends cooked a plan to help their friend.
The crow started cawing loud. The hunter turned to look in that direction. There he saw the beautiful deer dancing. He could not resist his eagerness to catch the deer. He let the tortoise down and took his bow and arrow to aim at the deer.
The moment the hunter let the tortoise down, the rat signaled the tortoise to crawl as fast as he could and dive into the nearby pond. By the time the hunter took his aim, the deer ran away from the place. Thus, both the friends escaped safely.
He called for help from the rat and te tortoise. The rat started gnawing at the net. The tortoise kept walking in the direction of the hunter in a move to distract his attention. The crow was keeping vigilance. Soon, the rat chewed away the net and the deer was set free.
The four friends went in happiness.
A Friend In Need Is A Friends Indeed
The Confused Brahmin
There were three friends who used to play tricks on others. They saw the joyful Brahmin and set on to play their track with him.
The first friends left from their hiding and went to the Brahmin and said, "Good evening friend, you should be really strong to carry a goat on your shoulder. What use is a goat to you?" "Are you blind?" asked the Brahmin. He continued, "This is not a goat. This is a calf. "The friend laughed, "Now, you should be blind. Who will say a goat to be a calf?" and left the place.
Soon after the first friend left, the second one joined the Brahmin. "Hello Brahmin, you seem very happy. What is the matter?" The Brahmin replied, "I have received a calf as alms from a rich merchant."
"What?" the friend replied in a shocked voice. "The merchant has really cheated you. You are carrying a donkey. Don't you really know this is a donkey?" Saying so, the friend left with loud roars of laughter. The Brahmin got a bit confused.
When the third friend came that way, the Brahmin called out, "Dear Friend, can you clarify what I am carrying ?" The third friends knew that their trick had started to work. He took a close look and said, "My dear Brahmin. this is a dog. Don't you see the long ears and long tongue?" The bewildered Brahmin thought, "This should be a haunted animal. That is why it looks different to each person seeing it."
He threw the calf down and started running.
The three friends had a hearty laugh at the success of their trick. However, they took the calf back to the Brahmin and explained to him the whole episode and apologized.
Repeated Lies Outwit
The Fruit That Fell
He cautioned all animals he came across. "Hey brothers and sisters, run away from this place. The earth is tearing apart. Now, there was Panic all across the forest. All animals started to run. However, they all came to a halt with the loud roar of the lion - king of the forest. "Stop all of you fools. Where are you running away? What are you running away from?" He asked. The animals looked at one another without an answer. The rabbit said, "My lord, I was resting under a tree. I heard a loud noise. I think the earth is tearing apart." With a smile, the lion said, "Ok rabbit, show me the place."
All animals went along to the tree. There. they saw many fruits fallen down. Only now did they really understand the reason for the sound. "Fruits had fallen down with a thud. You silly rabbit mistook it and made all the animals panic," the lion said with a laugh and left the place. The other animals felt ashamed to have blindly followed the rabbit.
Follow Not Anyone Without Reason
Free Advice
They lived together as a family in order to safeguard themselves from enemies and for rearing one another. It was autumn, and the forest was rich with fruits fallen to the ground. The monkeys enjoyed lots of food.
One day, a playful monkeys came across deep red plums and mistook it for a piece of burning fire. He started collecting as many fire 'pieces' as he could. Soon, many of the monkeys joined in the task. "These fire pieces will keep us warm throughout the winter." they were saying to one another.
A color full parrot was watching the whole scene. She started feeling pity for the monkeys. From high up the tree she called, "Hello! Dear monkeys, I have been watching you for some time. Can I know what you are doing?"
"We are collecting fire pieces to keep us warm throughout the winter," answered the monkeys chief.
"Oh I see! But these are not fire pieces; these are just fully ripened plum fruits. They will turn sour by winter. " pitied the parrot. "Go away parrot. We know these better. We won't listen to you, "said the monkeys chief and chased the parrot away.
Soon, winter came; and so did cold wind with snow full. The monkeys went near the 'Fire pieces'. But, there was only decayed blackish fruit remains. Only now did they realized what the parrot told.
Free Advice Is Seldom Valued
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The Golden Goose
There was a very poor old lady who had been chased away from her family. Her children did not want to keep her with them because she had become very old and she could not do any work for them.
The old lady daily prayed, "Oh Lord, please take me with You soon. I don't want to live any more in this world after even my children have left me to suffer."
One day, as the lady opened her door, he found a very strange goose. She was still more astonished when the goose opened its mouth and started to speak, "Dear old lady, I have been hearing your prayers to God. From now on, you can pluck one feather from me and it would turn into gold. Make use of it. Your problems will be solved."
The old lady said, "What is going to happen because of gold?" The goose, giving one feather replied, "Wait and see." Soon, the old lady became very rich, and you know what happened next. All her relatives came back to her. She lived very happily then after.
Sincere Prayers Are Well Heard
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The Truthful Mongoose
When Ram went to his fields to work, he found a mongoose. It was very tired and weak. Ram brought the mongoose home. his wife, being affectionate lady, fed the mongoose well and soon the mongoose turned healthy.
Not only that, the couple also got a child . They both were very happy and Ram said, "Look, the mongoose has brought us good luck. We shall be thankful and treat the mongoose as our son."
Months passed.
One day, as the child was asleep in its cradle, a snake came slithering there. As the snake was about to bite the child, the mongoose leapt and killed the snake. The mongoose ran to its master with blood dripping from its mouth.
Ram saw the mongoose running towards him. He also saw blood dripping from its mouth. He mistook that blood to be that of his child. He thought, "After all the mongoose is just an animal.
He should have bitten my child in want of milk." In his haste, Ram killed the mongoose and ran to see what happened to his child. There, his child was fast asleep in the cradle. Now Ram was grief struck. He had lost his dear pet due to his hasty decision.
Haste Leads To Grief And Makes Waste
The Strength Of Prayer
Suddenly, Nirmal heard a loud noise and woke. He saw a demon roaming around. In the mean time, Dharshan also woke up. They both huddled together in fear. The demon found these two people and came to them. With a wicked smile. the demon said, "I am very hungry. After a long time, I have found human. Tell me, whom shall I eat?" With deep prayers in his heart, Nirmal said, "Oh demon, my father is too old. His flesh would not be as tasty as mine. So, eat me." With deep prayers in his heart, Dharshan said, "Spare my son. He has a long life to live. I have enjoyed all happiness in life . So, eat me instead. " "No, no, no, eat me," pleaded Nirmal, with tears in his eyes. " No, no, no, eat me." Pleaded Dharshan, with tears in his eyes.
The demon himself was astonished by the love and affection, and he left the place.
Prayers Of Love Is Well Heard
Tina's Birthday Party
Saturday was a special day. It was Tina's birthday. Tina wore a new dress. She wore new shoes. All her friends came to her birthday party.
Sam, Jagjit, Riya and Amir Rani to all friends. Came to Tina's birthday party. Rita, Bobby, Geeta and Asha Also came to the party. They all wore party clothes. They all said, 'Happy birthday, Tina!'
Tina's Mom and Dad got a tasty chocolate cake from the baker's shop. Her Grandfather got some sweets from the sweet shop. Tina's Dad got some packets of chips from the grocer's shop.
Dad also got some fruit juice from the grocer's shop.
Grandmother made some samosas.
Tina's Mom made some cheese sandwiches. The food was put on the table. The children all said, 'Yummy! It all looks so good!' Mom put six candles on the cake. Dad lit the candles. Everyone sang, 'Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Tina. Happy birthday to you!'
Tina blew out the candles. She cut the cake.
Everyone clapped. Tina's Grandmother gave the children plates and paper napkins. They put food on their plates. Dad sliced the cake. Mom gave each child a piece of cake. The children enjoyed the food.
They did not drop any food on the ground. They ate carefully. They really liked the cake. They went outside. They played some games together. They had a nice time. Soon it was time to go home. The children said, 'Thank you so much. The food was very tasty. Playing together was fun. We really had a good time. Goodnight.
A Day At The Farm
The Kumar family went to Uncle Gopi's Farm on a Sunday. Uncle Gopi and Aunt Gauri were so happy to see them. 'Hello, hello,' they said, 'it is nice to have you here.' Uncle Gopi took Tina and Ram to see the farm animals and birds. They saw the sheep and goats in a pen. They saw the cows in the cowshed. A little calf was playing around near the cows.
The hens and a big red rooster were in a coop. Close by were ten tiny yellow chicks. In another coop were two big grey birds with wobbly red chins. 'What are those birds called, Uncle Gopi?' said Tina.
'They are turkeys, 'said Uncle Gopi. Here comes the duck and five tiny ducklings from the pond. 'Uncle Gopi took the children to the stable. There they saw three horses and a tiny foal.
They saw sugarcane growing in a field. They saw the mango trees and the litchi trees. They went to the vegetable patch. They plucked some ripe tomatoes. They dug up some orange carrots from the mud. Then they came back to the farmhouse. Aunt Gauri had some nice sugarcane juice in a jug. 'Please may I have some juice,' said Ram. 'Please may I have some too,' said Tina. 'Of course,' said Aunt Gauri, 'we shall all have some sugarcane juice.'
She gave them big glasses full of juice. 'Thank you,' said Ram. 'Thank you so much,; said Tina, They all sat at the dining table and had a tasty lunch. After lunch Tina and Ram went to the kennel. There they played with Leo, the dog, and five little puppies. They also went to see Mimi, the cat and her three little kittens.
In the evening it was time to go home. 'Bye, bye,' said the Kumars, ;thank you for a lovely day. Come and see us in Delhi soon.'
'Please come again,' said Uncle Gopi.
Who Will Bell The Cat?
Uncle Gopi was angry. He had a frown on his face. His farm was full of rats. Theater up his wheat. They ate up his vegetables. They ate up the grain he gave to his chickens.
They were all over the farmhouse. They got into his cupboards. They made holes in his clothes. They chewed up his shoes. They ran off with his socks.
Aunt Gauri did not like the rats at all. They sat on the stove. They got into the pots and pans at night. They ran under the table. They ran over her toes when she was eating her dinner. She jumped every time she saw them.
One night they even ate up Uncle Gopi's dinner. That was too bad. Uncle Gopi went to Nat's house. He asked Nat's mother, 'Please let big Tom stay at my farm for some days.'
Nat's mother said, 'That's fine. Big Tom can stay at the farm for some days.'
Big Tom sat near the rats' hole. He kept looking at the hole. He only walked off to eat his food, The rats were too afraid to come out. Big Tom could come back at anytime. They did not know what to do. The rats had to sit inside the hole. They had no food in the hole. Big Tom's big fat paw was in front of the hole. The rats were hungry. They wanted some food. The biggest eat called all the rats together. He said, 'What are we going to do about Big Tom?' The rats were all quiet.
Then, one old rat said, 'Why don't we tie a bell around the cat's neck? The bell will ring when Big Tom walks off to eat his food. Then we can come out and run away.'
'Yes, yes,' said all the rats, 'Let's do this at once!' One tiny eat looked at all of them and said, 'That's fine, but who will tie the bell around Big Tom's Neck?"
Despite All Odds!
Then She met a middle-aged lady who ran a home for oppressed women like Kantabai .
The lady took Kantabai to her institution and brought her back to health. This was a milestone in her life. Then Kantabai began involving herself in matters dealing with women who had suffered at the hands of their in-laws or husbands. She took up their cause with a will and earned a name for herself as a crusader of justice. Today she is the head of the Panchayat and involved in many projects for the development of the village. However, prime on her agenda, even now, is woman-empowerment.
Thus did Kantabai overcome all odds and achieve success in the field she had chosen.
Her Story is indeed a lesson for all woman who face such situations in society.
( Bedtime ), The Magic Kettle ,
Pinocchio
Long, long ago, there lived..............
'A King !' You will say immediately. No children. You are mistaken. Once upon a time, there was a piece of wood. A common block of firewood. It was found in the shop of a carpenter. But whenever he put his tools to the block to cut it, to carve it, or to scrape it, it began to talk - 'Oh, that hurt !' 'Don't break me, please.' 'Oh, that tickles !'
Just then, his Neighbor Geppetto came in to ask for a piece Of wood. Geppetto wanted to make a wooden puppet that could run, jump and make its way around in the world. So the carpenter readily gave the piece of wood to Geppetto.
Geppetto brought the piece home and carved it into a puppet, lovingly. As he had no family, he began to think of the puppet as his son, and named him Pinocchio. But Pinocchio. Was quite a naughty puppet. As soon as Geppetto taught it to walk, he ran out of the hut. He ran so fast that Geppetto could not catch him. A policeman caught him and brought him back to Geppetto.
Though Pinocchio was such a naughty puppet, Geppetto loved him dearly. He would do anything for his son. But Pinocchio was not always nice to his father. He always promised to be a good boy and tell the truth and obey his father, but more often than not, he forgot all his promises.
Pinocchio Wanted to be a real boy, a real son to his father and not just a wooden puppet. He meant well, but he was only a little wooden puppet and did silly things he should not have done. You can read about all his antics in a book called 'The Adventures of Pinocchio', but here are some of them in short.
Pinocchio thought he would go to school, learn reading in a day, writing the next day and then arithmetic on the day after that. Then he planned to earn a lot of money for Geppetto. Geppetto felt very happy that Pinocchio wanted to go to school. But he did not have the money for the schoolbook. Though it was very cold, poor Geppetto sold his only coat to get the money for Pinocchio's schoolbook.
Pinocchio started for school. On the way, he came upon a puppet show. He forgot all about his plans to go to school. The naughty puppet that he was, he sold his schoolbook and with that money, bought a ticket to the show.
When Pinocchio entered the puppet they re, the puppets on the stage saw him. They were very happy to see their brother. They forgot their play and began to call out to him. In two leaps, Pinocchio was on the stage. They all began to hug and slap one another on the back, and jump and clap. People who had come to see the play did not like this interruption at all. They began to shout.
The puppet master was very annoyed. He decided to throw Pinocchio into the fire. Pinocchio's puppet friends pleaded with the puppet master not to do that. Then, instead of Pinocchio, the puppet master chose another puppet for throwing into the fire.
Now, Pinocchio was really good at heart. He was sorry for the other puppet. Very gallantly, he told the puppet master that he was ready to burn in the fire himself and the puppet master should spare the other puppet's life.
The puppet master was not really a wicked master. He let both the puppets go. Not only that, he also gave Pinocchio five gold coins for his old father Geppetto, When he heard his story.
Now, did Pinocchio take these coins to Geppetto immediately ? No, the silly little puppet that he was, he got into more and more mischief and trouble due to the coins.
A Kind fairy saved Pinocchio from the robbers who had caught Pinocchio for the coins. But when the fairy asked Pinocchio about the coins, he lied to her. But then, a strange thing happened. The moment Pinocchio told a lie, his nose grew longer. With every lie, it grew longer and longer. Pinocchio was really frightened. He asked the fairy to forgive him and promised never to tell lies again.
Pinocchio did not learn to tell the truth or listen to the good advice of his friends and his father and fairy easily. So, at the end of a number of adventures, do You Know where he found himself ? At the bottom of the sea !
And there, he was swallowed by a big shark that was one mile long. Poor Pinocchio ! Now at last, he was truly sorry for all the foolish things that he had done. But once You get into a difficulty, its not very easy to get out of it.
However, inside the stomach of the shark, Pinocchio saw a faint light. When he went near the light, surprise of surprises ! He found Geppetto !
Geppetto had been worried about Pinocchio Since he had left home. He had searched for Pinocchio far and wide. During the search, the shark had swallowed the ship on which Geppetto was travelling ! With great effort and courage, Pinocchio took himself and Geppetto out of the sharks Stomach. He carried Geppetto back to the shore.
After that, Pinocchio really proved to be a good boy. He began to work very hard to help Geppetto. When he heard that the fairy was ill, he sent her all the money that he was saving for himself. And then to his joy and amazement, he found that he had turned into a real boy !
After that, Pinocchio really proved to be a good boy. He began to work very hard to help Geppetto. When he heard that the fairy was ill, he sent her all the money that he was saving for himself. And then to his joy and amazement, he found that he had turned into a real boy !
Bedtime
The evening is Coming,
The sun sinks to rest;
The rooks are all flying
Straight home to the nest,
"Caw!" says the rook, as he flies overhead,
"It's time little people were going to bed !"
The butterfly, drowsy,
Has folded its wing;
The bees are returning;
No more the birds sing;
Their labor is over, their nestlings are fed;
It's time little people were going to bed !
Good night, little people,
Good night and good night :
Sweet dreams to Your eyelids
Till dawning of light;
The evening has come, there's no more to be said
It's time little people were going to bed !
The Magic Kettle
( A tanuki is a small, furry, dog-like animal found in Japan. There are many imaginary stories about this playful little animal. It is believed in the stories that a tanuki can take the Shape of any thing or any animal. Here is a story about a tanuki and a peddler called Jimmu.)
Once in the country of Japan, there lived an old man. He lived in a beautiful house high up in the mountains. He was proud of his house with its white straw mats and pretty papered walls. In warm weather, he slid back the walls to let the smell of the trees and the flowers come in.
One day, he was standing looking at the mountain opposite, when he heard a Kind of rumbling noise in the room behind him. He turned around and saw a rusty old iron kettle in a corner. How the kettle got there, the old man did not Know, but he picked it up and looked it over carefully.
"That's a piece of luck," he said smiling to himself. "My old kettle was getting worn out and this looks like a good kettle."
He filled the new kettle with water and put it on the fire. As soon as the water in the kettle began to get warm, a strange thing happened. The man thought he must be dreaming. The handle of the Kettle slowly changed its shape and became a head. The spout grew into a tail. Out of the body of the Kettle, sprang four Paws. In a few minutes, the man was watching, not a kettle, but a tanuki !
"Why don't You sell it off to Jimmu, the pedlar ?"the neighbor suggested.
The tanuki jumped off the fire and bounded about the room like a Kitten. It ran up the pretty papered walls and even across the ceiling. The old man could not catch it. He called his neighbors for help. Somehow they caught the tanuki and shut it up in a wooden chest. Running after the tanuki had made them both very tired. They sat down on the mat to rest.
"What shall I do with this naughty animal ? I don't want to Keep it in the house." said the old man.
"That's a good idea!" Said the old man.
So, they sent for Jimmu. When he came, the old man went to the chest and lifted the lid very very carefully. But there was no tanuki inside, only the old, rusty Kettle the old man had found. He did not now want to Keep the Kettle. He gave it away to Jimmu without taking any money for it.
Jimmu put the Kettle in his cloth bag and started off home. He felt that his bag was getting heavier and heavier on the way. But he did not put it down. On reaching home, Jimmu put the bag away carefully in a corner.
At night when Jimmu was fast asleep he heard a sudden noise and woke up. He could not see anything but he thought he heard some noises in the corner. When he lit the lamp, he saw that the Kettle had turned into a tanuki once again. It was running round chasing its own tail. It ran here and there and jumped and turned somersaults. Jimmu sat watching the tanuki for a long time. Then he fell asleep.
When he got up in the morning, he saw that the tanuki had not run away. The old Kettle was still there lying in a corner. He picked it up lovingly.
"Do You wish to stay with me, tanuki?" he asked.
To his surprise, the tanuki answered in a human voice. "I' will stay with You and make You very rich. You can show me around. People will give a lot of money to see a Kettle turn into a tanuki and dance."
So that's what they did. Jimmu set up a booth with a Platform. He put the Kettle on the platform. At his command, the Kettle turned into a tanuki. At Jimmu's Commands, the little furry animal would then walk, run, Jump, leap, turn Somersaults or dance. People loved to see the Kettle change into a playful little animal that could do all this. They paid Jimmu well to see the show. Big crowds of People came to watch the show. And the dear little tanuki never disappointed them. Merrily, it danced many dances - the shadow dance, the fan dance, the umbrella dance. It never tired of dancing.
Soon, Jimmu had collected lots and lots of money. He had become a very rich man, He said to the tanuki, "Dear tanuki, You have made me very rich .We can both live in comfort now. We can stop the shows if You like."
So, they decided to stop the shows. But Jimmu did not Forget the old man who had given him the magic Kettle. He gave some of the money to the old man. All of them lived long and happy lives. Jimmu and the old man are no more but You may still come across the magic Kettle lying in a corner somewhere in Japan.
So, they decided to stop the shows. But Jimmu did not Forget the old man who had given him the magic Kettle. He gave some of the money to the old man. All of them lived long and happy lives. Jimmu and the old man are no more but You may still come across the magic Kettle lying in a corner somewhere in Japan.
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Just For Fun !
It was a bright sunny day in April and I was late for school. In my hurry, I hadn't realize the significance of the date. My teacher looked at me sternly as I entered the class, but didn't say anything. I knew that she was angry with me because of What had happened the previous day in class. Teacher had gone out of class for a while and Shubha had pinched me, just for fun. I screamed in pain. just then the teacher walked in and gave me a good piece of her mind. She even threatened to report me to the headmaster.
During lunch break, the head girl of the class came up to me and said, " Sumita, the headmaster wants to see you in the office right away."
I was panic-stricken. This was the hour of reckoning.
Trembling with fear, I went to the office and knocked.
" Come in," I heard the Sharp voice of the headmaster.
I walked in diffidently. "Yes, Sir," I said, my Voice shaking nervously," You called for me,"
" You're Sumita, aren't you?" I nodded my head. "No, I didn't call you. Whatever gave you that idea?"
" But .... but .... Aarti, the head girl told me ...."
"Child, " his Voice rose in anger, " Don't you Know that today is April Fool's Day?
You've been made a fool of. I have good mind to call Aarti in and tell her to Keep her April Fool jokes out of my office."
" Sorry, Sir," I said and walked out, embarrassed and angry. All my friends were waiting down the hall and laughing uproariously. "April Fool, April Fool," they shouted. For a while, I was angry , but then suddenly I saw the humored of the situation and began laughing too. I was so relieved that the situation was not as serious as I had imagined.
Story [ Angry Words leave permanent scars] 
There Once was a little boy who had a very bad temper. After much thought, one day, the father handed him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he had to hammer a nail into the fence.
There Once was a little boy who had a very bad temper. After much thought, one day, the father handed him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he had to hammer a nail into the fence. There Once was a little boy who had a very bad temper. After much thought, one day, the father handed him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he had to hammer a nail into the fence.
On the first day, the boy hammered 37 nails into that fence.
Gradually, the boy began to control his temper. Over the next few weeks, the number of nails he was hammering into the fence slowly decreased. The boy discovered it was easier to control his temper than to hammer those nails into the fence.
In the end, the boy found that he didn't lose his temper at all. With quiet pride he told this to his father. However, the father suggested that the boy should now pull out a nail for every day that he Kept his temper under control.
The days passed and the Young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails had been removed. The father then took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.
" You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a Knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say 'I' m Sorry', the wound will always remain."
The boy realized that saying things in the heat of the moment would only result in later regret. There are some things in life that we are unable to take back.
Angry Words leave permanent scars
A man gave his son, who had a bad temper, a bag of nails. He told the boy to hammer the nails into the fence every time he got angry. On the first day the boy hammered 37 nails into the fence. Gradually the number of nails Kept reducing, till his temper was completely in control. The boy proudly told his father this. The father told his son to remove the nails every time he controlled his anger. Days passed and the boy told his father that all the nails were removed. The father praised his son, but pointed out that the holes were still visible. In the same way. things said in anger, leave permanent scars.
Story ("The Bravery Award".)
Watchful Aditi
It was Monday and Aditi was late for School. She was walking hurriedly so that she would not miss her first English period. As soon as she reached nearby School, she saw three strangers carrying sacks on their Shoulders.
As they were walking in front of her, She could see some movements in the sacks. When she saw it carefully, She realized that they had caught some children and carrying them somewhere. She Could not dare to stop them but decided to follow them thinking that they might be the children of her School.
She forgot about her school and English period and started following them. When the trio reached Ambaji Chowk, they rushed in a small gullible. Aditi also entered the gullible. After walking some distance, they reached a deserted old building
She dared not go inside but decided to inform the police station nearby, she narrated to the police inspector Whatever she had seen. Within a short time the inspector along with his colleagues and Aditi reached the spot. They searched the Whole building and to their surprise, they found 6 children of 5-6 years of age in one of the closed rooms.
The trio tried to run from there but could not escape. They rescued all six small children. Aditi identified all of them, as they all were from her own school. The inspector took all the children to her school and narrated the principal how Aditi helped them to arrest the culprits and to rescue the six students. The principal hurriedly called the Assembly and Aditi was felicitated at the hands of the Headmaster and the police inspector. Then her name was recommended for bravery award by newspapers, the school and the police. And on the next Republic Day she was invited to Delhi to receive the 'Bravery Award' And thus Aditi was felicitated at the hands of the president of India and honored with ' The Bravery Award' .
The Worth of a Fabric
Thiruvalluvar was a great Tamil Saint-poet, who lived more than two thousand years ago. 'Thirukkural' .It is greatly loved and respected even today.
Thiruvalluvar was a textile weaver. He wove beautiful fabrics and saris and sold them in the market. People said that he never got angry, never used bad words, never shouted at anyone.
In the see town, there lived a rich young man. He wasted most of his time roaming around with his friends. They often made fun of other people.
"I don't believe what people say about this Valluvar," said the young man one day. "I 'm sure I can make him angry. Come on, let's have some fun today!"
So the arrogant young man approached Thiruvalluvar in the market and picked up a beautiful piece of fabric.
"How much does this whole fabric cost?" he asked.
"Eight coins, " the saint named the price.
The young man unfolded the fabric and tore it into two.
"What's the price of this piece, now ?"
"Four coins," the Saint answered politely.
The youth was taken aback. 'Why doesn't the man get angry ?' he thought. He then tore the half pieces into half again.
"And now ?"
"Two coins!" was the answer.
Now it was the young man who became impatient and agitated. He tore the pieces into half again and again, saying, "And now? What's the price now?"
Thiruvalluvar calmly went on reducing the price to half every time.
The young man did not know what to say. But he was proud of his riches. So he offered to pay eight coins to the Saint. For the first time, Thiruvalluvar smiled but he refused to take the money.
"Young man, now this fabric is of no use. It has become worthless. Why ? Because no one will be able to wear it now."
"Do you know, the fabric was not made in a day. Many people have toiled to make it. The farmer who grew cotton in his field worked hard for months through sun and rain. He picked cotton from each boll and gave it for spinning. Then someone else carded the cotton and spun it into long, uniform threads. The threads were dyed carefully so that they took on these lovely colors. My wife and I wove the threads together, putting in beautiful designs. We thought, some day, someone will like this fabric, will be happy to wear it. Then all our work would have been rewarded. When you destroyed the fabric, you destroyed all the love and labor that went into its making. Money cannot bring it back."
The softly spoken words touched the young man's heart. Now he was really ashamed of himself.
"And do you know," Thiruvalluvar went on to say, "I can weave another fabric like this, but our life is also like this fabric. If you trade it apart with hasty, thoughtless actions, it will be destroyed. And you will not get it back again."
Thiruvalluvar's words opened the young man's eyes. There and then he decided to give up his idleness and bad habits.
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Yonamine And Bushi
Yonamine Chiru was the most admired girl in Okinawa. She was intelligent, tall, strong, big and beautiful; and most important of all, she was so well trained in Karate that no one could beat her.
When it was time to get her married, her father, who was a rich merchant, began to worry. He loved his daughter and wanted her to be happy and well cared for. She was beautiful and she would inherit a fortune from him. But where, oh where, could he find a young man who would come forward to marry a woman who was stronger than him?
Yonamine had her own ideas about marriage. She declared firmly : 'I will only marry a man who can beat me in a fair fight!"
Surprisingly , many young men picked up the challenge and came forward to fight her. After all, she was a beautiful girl with a fortune! Many wrestlers were eager to win her in a contest of martial arts.
One of the first to ask for her hand was Kojo, who was actually bigger and stronger than Yonamine. He was so tall and well built that his hands were like shovels, and his legs resembled tree trunks. But he played foul! Even as Yonamine was bowing to him, in the customary sign of respect to one's opponent, he threw a punch at her, breaking the rules of the game. Yonamine was angry. She caught hold of his arm and twisted it so powerfully that the unsportive Kojo fell down in a heap and had to limp away, defeated.
Many promising young wrestlers tried their hand, but Yonamine defeated them all. Her father was in despair. Young men wanted to marry girly who would cook and wash and make tea for their husbands, Who would marry a girl who enjoyed wrestling?
Bushi Kiyo was just such a man! He had trained under the Karate master Sakugawa. He proved to be such an expert that he was recruited by Shoko, the King of Okinawa, to be his personal guard.
His friends said to Bushi, "You should take on the challenge of this girl, Yonamine. She may be big; but you are stronger and smarter than her." Bushi too was keen to marry a girl like Yonamine. He did not want a delicate, fragile girl for a wife. "I shall fight with her and win over her," he decided.
Yonamine was impressed at the sight of her new challenger. She had heard that he was one of King Shoko's personal warriors. He was tall and slim; he stood firmly on his feet and seemed unshakeable. Above all, he had dark piercing test, which looked straight at the opponent, and showed that he was fearless and straightforward.
The wrestling match began. Yonamine and Bushi bowed to each other, and then began to attack each other in earnest. They punched, kicked and twisted, using their best techniques. It looked as if the match was going to be a tie ... nobody winning, nobody losing .....
But, at a crucial moment in the fight, Yonamine paused, ever so briefly. Bushi took advantage of the moment, and brought her down with a swift punch.
Yonamine's father was a very happy man! Bushi and Yonamine were married in a splendid ceremony.
It was a happy marriage. Yonamine was kind and loving; she cooked and cleaned and kept the house spick and span. One day, When she was sweeping the kitchen, Bushi saw her lift a huge bag of rice with her left hand, as she swept beneath the bag with her right hand. He grew thoughtful, "Is she really so strong? And yet I brought her down with one punch ...."
One day, Yonamine announced that she would like to visit her parents. "I will leave in the evening, and return the next day, in time to cook your dinner, " she said to her husband.
"You really should not travel during the night," Bushi said to her firmly. "There are bandits about; it is just not safe for a woman to go out alone after it is dark."
"My dear husband, you forget that you married a trained wrestler," Yonamine said to him with a smile.
"Don't forget that I threw you down, flat on the ground, " said Bushi. "You are not unbeatable."
"Don't worry," said Yonamine. "Bandits are not as skilled as you are. I can take care of myself."
Bushi was not pleased. "She is overconfident," he thought to himself. "She must be taught a lesson .... For her own good!"
That evening, Yonamine left to walk to her father's home. As soon as she departed, Bushi disguised himself as a bandit, wearing shabby clothes, smearing dark colours over his hands and covering his face with a scarf. He ran as fast as he could to hide behind a clump of trees at a fork on the road.
Darkness fell and he saw Yonamine approaching the fork, from where she would take a left turn to reach her father's house. When she crossed the clump of trees, Bushi jumped out from behind the trees and tried to attack her.
Yonamine was swift and sharp in her reaction to the attack. She held her attacker by the hand and kicked him with such force that the attacker fell to the ground, unconscious. Yonamine dragged him and tied him to a tree with her sash, She adjusted her backpack and set off round the corner for her father's home.
The next day, as she was returning home in the afternoon, she saw her 'bandit' still tied to the tree, as she had left him the previous night. "Shall I untie you now, or leave you here?" she asked him.
"please untie me," mumbled the bandit "I beg you to forgive me. I shan't ever do this again."
Swiftly she untied him and walked away quickly. She was in a hurry. She had to reach home in time to cook her husband's evening meal! Little did she realized that she had just released her husband from his captivity!
That evening, quite a while after she had set the dinner ready, Bushi walked in looking tired and dull. She helped him wash and set out fresh clothes for him to wear. She invited him to have a hot meal.
As Bushi sat down to dinner, he brought out a white sash from his pocket and gave it to his wife. "This is yours, if I am not mistaken," he said looking into her eyes.
"Oh, Bushi, was it you? I am so sorry!" exclaimed Yonamine.
"You don't have to be sorry," said Bushi. "You taught me a lesson that I won't forget all my life. And that is, don't underestimate anybody!"
"Not even a woman?" asked Yonamine playfully.
"Especially not a woman," said Bushi. And they burst out laughing, together.
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The Merchant of Venice
Antonio was a merchant who lived in Venice, a prosperous city in Italy. In those days, that is, about five hundred years ago, sea voyages were dangerous. And yet, some adventurous merchants travelled across the seas. Some others spent a lot of money in sending ships to faraway countries. These ships brought back spices and other treasures from India and other countries. The merchants sold these things in Europe. They made a lot of profit in this business.
At the time when the story begins, Antonio was waiting for his ships to return with merchandise. He had put almost all his money in the ships.
Antonio was a kind man. He had many friends, but his best friend was Bassanio. Bassanio was a young and handsome nobleman but unfortunately, he had no money.
Bassanio wanted to marry Portia. Portia was beautiful and intelligent. She was the only daughter of a very wealthy man. Her father had died, leaving her a large estate.
In his will, Portia's father had written how Portia's husband should be selected. He had set a test for her suitors. They had to choose between three caskets - one of gold, one of silver and one of lead.
Each casket had something written on it. On the gold casket, it was written 'Whoever chooses me shall gain what many men desire' ; on the silver casket, 'Whoever chooses me, shall get as much as he deserves' ; on the casket of lead, 'Whoever chooses me must give and hazard all he has'.
One of Portia's suitors was the Prince of Morocco. He chose the gold casket. But when he opened the casket, the message inside said that it was not the right casket. 'All that glitters is not gold !'
Another suitor, the Prince of Arrogant, chose the silver casket. But that too was not the right casket.
Bassanio wanted to try his luck with the caskets. To do that, he had to travel to Belmont where Protists lived on her estate. He needed money for that. When Antonio came to know this, he wanted to help. He told Bassanio to borrow money in his ( Antonio's ) name. They went to Shylock, the Jewish moneylender, and asked him for the money.
Shylock had a lot of money, but he was not at all generous. Money was all that he cared for. He did not like Antonio, because Antonio sometimes lent people money without charging any interest for it.
So, Shylock decided to take advantage of this situation. He gave them the money on a strange condition. If Antonio failed to return the money within three month, Shylock would cut off a pound of Antonio's flesh. Antonio agreed to this, and borrowed the money for Bassanio.
Bassanio went to Belmont. When he saw the caskets, he chose the lead one. That was the right casket, and Bassanio won Portia's hand by choosing it. Portia, too, was glad to marry Bassanio.
In the meanwhile, Shylock heard that Antonio had lost his ships. He was very happy that Antonio would not be able to pay the money. He took Antonio to court and demanded that he fulfil the strange and cruel condition. The Duke liked Antonio and was sorry for him. But what could he do ? Antonio had written a bond to Shylock and according to the law, Shylock was right.
When Bassanio and Portia heard all this, they rushed back to Venice. Portia told Bassanio to pay Shylock twice the amount to save Antonio. But Shylock was adamant. He demanded only a pound of Antonio's flesh.
Everyone in the court, including the Duke, felt that Shylock's demand was inhuman. The Duke asked Shylock to show mercy towards Antonio but Shylock was not ready to do so. He felt that Antonio and others had treated him badly before, and he wanted revenge.
Just then, a young lawyer entered the court. He said that he would fight Antonio's case. He asked Antonio whether he had agreed to Shylock's condition. Antonio said that he had agreed. Then the young lawyer requested Shylock to show mercy, though the law was on Shylock's side. The lawyer pleaded that mercy is a quality of God himself. When a person shows mercy to someone else, they are both blessed. Mercy was more valuable than a king's crown, but all this had no effect on Shylock.
The young lawyer then said that the law allowed Shylock to take a pound of flesh, and he could do that. At the same time, the lawyer warned that while cutting off the flesh, Shylock should not shed even one drop of Antonio's blood. Also, he should cut exactly one pound of flesh - nothing less, nothing more. That would not be allowed by the law.
Shylock realized that he could not do what the young lawyer asked him to do, and he accepted his defeat. Antonio's life was saved.
Who was the young lawyer? Bassanio and Antonio found out later that it was none other than Portia herself, dressed as a young man.
Later, it was learnt that Antonio's ships were safe, and so he had not in fact lost his money. Thus, the story which could have ended in a tragic manner ended happily.
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The Story Of Gautama's Quest
Gautama the Buddha was born over two thousand five hundred years ago, as Prince Siddharth . He was the son of a king - Raja Suddhodana. He was born on the sacred day of Vaishakh Purnima at Lumbini, situated near the city of Kapilavastu. Seven days after his birth, his mother Mayadevi passed away. It was prophesied at his birth that the infant would grow to be either a great Chakravarti (an Emperor) or a sannyasi ( a renunciate) who would bring comfort to thousands of lost souls.
The king was determined to prevent his beloved son from renouncing the world. He surrounded the Prince with every imaginable luxury and comfort. It is said that the King had three magnificent palaces, one for each season of the year, and in the beautiful atmosphere of these royal mansions, Prince Siddharth lived his secluded , protected life.
In good time, the prince was married to one of the most beautiful girls of the realm - Princess Yashodhara, the daughter of the Koliyan king. Soon a son, Rahul was born to them. At the age of twenty-nine, siddharth went out to see his kingdom and to meet his subjects. He beheld what the Buddhist books call the 'four signs' - witnesses to the impermanence of the world. He saw an old man, a diseased man, a dead man, and a monk. And there entered into his heart a vision of dukkha, the world-sorrow. "What is the way out of the world-sorrow ?" he asked himself, repeatedly. The unanswerable question led him to renounce worldly life, leave his wife and son and set out in quest of the Truth of life.
The story of Gautama's quest that ends in illumination and attainment of nirvana, is one of the most moving tales of our times. For six years did Gautama practice intense asceticism. For several days in succession, he ate barely a grain of rice. His strong, athletic body was reduced to a bag of bones. But it served no purpose ! The Buddha then scattered a handful of grass on the ground beneath the Bodhi tree and formed a seat for himself. "I care not if my skin and nerves and bones decay !"
He thought. "I care not if my life-blood dries, I shall not give up until I attain to enlightenment. "What divine will-power in these words ! And what may not a man achieve if he would wake up his will-power!
It is said that he saw a vision which contained a message for him: it acted as a spiritual stimulant to him. The words were: Tune the sitar neither low nor night, The string overstretched breaks, and the music dies.
The string overs lack is dumb and the music dies. He thought to himself, 'I too, have tortured my body to starvation. I have taken to extremes. Let me follow the middle path'. When he tried to get up to take a bath in the river, he found that he had become so weak that he could not rise. Just then, a beautiful girl named Sujata appeared before him, carrying a golden bowl filled with sweetened milk and rice.
When she saw the weakened ascetic, she offered the bowl at his feet. "Lord, please accept my offering of milk and rice." Buddha accepted her offering. This was his first meal after many days of starvation. It refreshed him and infused a new strength in him. He realized that making the body suffer was not the way to enlightenment and truth.
Gautama had longed for enlightenment. That night, he found the answer to his query. What is the cause of sorrow? The cause of sorrow is desire. The cure for sorrow is to give up all desires and adopt Right Living.
Born under a tree, the Buddha received illumination also, under a tree. To this, day, we venerate this tree as the Bodhi Tree.
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A Kabaddi Match
Story!
School Sports
The school sports meet was scheduled next month. The practice matches had already begun. 9B were the favorites as they had strong players in their team. The Kabaddi trials were on. This year there were three new students in class 9A. To everyone's surprise, they proved to be outstanding players. 9A's hopes soared.
When the match started, all the spectators clapped and boosted the morale of both the teams. 9A won the toss and sent their raider Govinda. He was so swift that before the opponents realized it, he had touched Suresh from 9B, and was already heading home. A point was scored.
Ravi from 9B was a very strong player. He alone was sufficient to catch hold of any player so tightly in between his legs twisted like scissors that releasing oneself from his grip was next to impossible. All the players were literally afraid of him. This ace player had won many matches for 9B. With the Support of Mohan and Vinod, 9B were unbeatable.
Mangesh from 9A was also strong. He was a good match for Ravi. Ravi was relaxed as he had never dreamt of any strong opposition from any team. When Mangesh was wrestled down by Ravi and his friends, everyone in the spectators thought that 9A would lose Mangesh. But Mangesh proved his mettle. He was on the ground with the anti-raiders catching hold of his waist and legs.
Slowly, he inched towards his court. All the anti - raiders with all their might were trying their best to pull him back. But with great determination, and without losing his breath, Mangesh successfully touched the midline. There were cheers in the air.
He had not only saved himself but was also able to score three points for his team as Ravi, Mohan and Ajinkya who were holding him were also declared out.
Now, 9B began to play cautiously. Mihir, one of their raiders, even managed to tag Sohan in 9A. Nothing much happened in the next few raids. Now it was Vivek' raid. He always played with strategies and they worked fine. The remaining three players from 9B trapped Vivek. He slowly moved back towards his court, the three anti - raiders also moved with him. When they caught his arm and were trying to pull him back, Vivek slipped his leg beyond the midline with the anti - raiders still hanging on to his arm. Oh! The whole of the 9B team was declared out.
9A had actually managed to get three more bonus points of long. It was an icing on the cake ! What an enviable score! It set the heads of 9B reeling.
After the half time break, the star players of 9A were full of confidence. Once again, they managed to catch hold of the ace raiders Mohan, Ajinkya and Ravi! 9A outplayed 9B in all the areas of Kabaddi. Their team spirit, their confidence, their strategies, their swiftness, suppleness helped them to beat 9B who had never tasted defeat earlier.
Kabaddi is an ancient sport. It originated in India and has now become popular in many countries, so that many international events are organized. In these events. international rules are followed, but several other Kabaddi styles such as Sanjeevani, Gaming, Amar, etc. are followed in different parts of India.
In Kabaddi, two teams of seven members each face each other in a flat rectangular court, divided by a midline. The game is usually played in two halves with a halftime break in between. After the break, the teams exchange their sides in the court.
To play the game, each team sends 'raiders' across the midline to the other team. The raider tries to 'tag the opponents and run back to his side, all in one breath. To show that he hasn't inhaled again, he has to chant 'Kabaddi-Kabaddi' all the time. If he has to inhale again, he is 'out'. The opponents try to catch the raider and stop him going back to his half till he loses his breath, and has to inhale again. If the raider manages to go back successfully, all the persons he has tagged and all those who have touched him are declared out. For each player declared out, the opposite team scores a point. If all the seven players in a team are 'out'. the opposite team gets bonus points - a long. The team with the maximum points wins the match.
The game of Kabaddi requires good health, muscular strength, Strategic skills, a lot of practice and above all, great determination. Indian girls and boys have always excelled at Kabaddi. Would you like to be an ace Kabaddi player when you are a little older? Who knows, if you make a resolve now, one day you may help win glory for your school, district, or even the State and the Country.
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Anak Krakatoa [ What is a volcano ]
Krakatoa is an island in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. It is known for its volcano which erupts regularly.
What is a volcano? A volcano is a crack or opening in the earth's crust. There is hot molten rock near the earth's center. Sometimes, it rises to the surface of the earth through such a crack or opening and flows out. When this happens, we say that the volcano has erupted.
A volcanic eruption happens on a tremendous scale. Thick, dark clouds of smoke rise high from the opening and spread in the sky. Big, glowing, burning chunks of rock and red hot lava are thrown out of the crack in the earth. Very hot mud and ash are also thrown out. A great volcanic eruption can change the landforms in an area.
Volcanoes are popularly classified into three categories:
1. Active volcanoes : Active volcanoes erupt regularly.
2. Dormant volcanoes : Dormant means temporarily inactive or in a deep sleep. We find information about the eruptions of these volcanoes in history, but now they are quiet.
3. Extinct volcanoes : Geographers can guess (by looking at the rock formation) that they used to erupt long, long ago, but there is no record of it in history. An extinct volcano is unlikely to erupt again:
Krakatoa is an active volcano. It has erupted many times causing great disasters. The worst of the eruptions took place in August 1883. The volcano erupted with such a loud boom that it was heard more than 3500 km away in Australia. It is believed to be the loudest sound that man has ever heard. The island, which was a volcanic mountain, collapsed on itself. The dust that was thrown up in the eruption rose to about 80 km in the sky. It spread in the sky around the world and later settled in different parts of the world thousands of kilometers away.
The eruption caused giant waves or tsunamis in the sea near the island. About 165 villages and towns were destroyed due to the eruption and the tsunamis. The eruption destroyed two thirds of the island of Krakatoa. It collapsed beneath the surface of the sea , creating a huge underwater volcanic crater or hole. The hole was more than 6 km wide.
Then, in 1927, a plume of smoke rose out of the water on the crater. It was followed by another eruption. A few days later, a new island volcano broke water. How did it happen?
When the underwater volcano threw up ash and rock, it was quickly taken away by the sea water. But then the lava started flowing out of the crater faster. This volcanic material was not all taken away by the waves, and a new mountain began to grow. It kept growing and was soon seen above the water. Thus, a new island grew from the old island of Krakatoa. It was named 'Anek Krakatoa' or the 'Child of Krakatoa'.
Anek Krakatoa is still an active volcano. Eruptions heavy begun again since 1994. It lies quiet for a few days and then again there are eruptions. With more lava flowing out, the island is still growing bigger. Since 1950, the island has grown at an average rate of five inches per week!
A part of the old island known as Rakata is still visible in the sea, a little away from the new arrival - Anek Krakatoa.
After Krakatoa's eruption in 1883, all the surrounding islands and coasts were covered with hot ash. No life remained. When a scientist visited it in 1884, he found just one spider there.
But the living world on Rakata was not lost and gone forever. The wind and the sea brought seeds of plants to the island. Some seeds came with the birds who flew over the island. Plants and animals that live in the sea came to the coasts again. Small land animals like ants, termites or even rats and lizards travelled to the island on plants floating in the sea. One edge of the island was soon teeming with plants and animals.
It was like a laboratory where scientists can see how living things slowly develop in an area. Today, scientists can observe this also in a part of Anek Krakatoa, which does not get covered with volcanic ash.
The western coast of Jave was greatly affected by Krakatoa's eruption. Very few human beings were left there. But the wild animals and plants in that area grew in number again. In fact, the wildlife grew naturally since there were no human beings to interfere with it -- there was no one there to cut the trees or kill the animals. So, this region became rich in wildlife.
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Growing up -- The Butterfly [ Story ]
Growing up
Mr Thomas Frog
Little Tommy Tadpole
began to weep and wail,
For little Tommy Tadpole
had lost his little tail;
And his mother didn't know him
as he wept upon a log,
For he wasn't Tommy Tadpole,
but Mr Thomas Frog.
The Butterfly
The fuzzy little caterpillar
Curled upon a leaf,
Made herself a chrysalis
And then fell asleep.
While she was sleeping,
She dreamed that she could fly,
And later when she woke up
She was a butterfly!
Fuzzy : Covered with soft, fine hair that sticks up. 👣 Chrysalis : a stage in the life cycle of a butterfly. It is also the name of the hard case in which the caterpillar lies till it is transformed into a butterfly.🍋 tadpole: a stage in the life of a frog or toad. At first, a tadpole has a long tail but not arms or legs.
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The Ugly Duckling
Mother Duck was really proud of her six new ducklings. They were soft, fluffy and yellow. Such fine little ducklings! But the seventh one was very different. It was bigger and its feathers were gray and shaggy. It looked so ugly!
"All the same," Mother Duck thought, "It's my baby duckling." She loved it dearly. But the other six brothers and sisters didn't like the ugly duckling. When it waddled towards them, they turned their backs and ran away.
The little ducklings would go for a swim, every day, to a lake nearby. The ugly duckling wanted to join the others but they didn't want him. They always swam away from him. He was left all alone.
The ugly duckling swam better than the other ducklings which did not please them at all. They teased him about his ugliness. His only friend was his mother. Other ducks told his mother, "All your ducklings are smart. But this big fellow looks so different. Why is he so ugly?" His mother only said, "He is mine, and I love him too."
At last, feeling very lonely and sad, the ugly little duckling decided to leave the lake. He made his way to the river's edge and swam away with the river.
Wherever the poor duckling tried to seek shelter, he found that he was always ridiculed by others - smaller birds, animals, even human beings poked fun at him. He became lonelier and more miserable.
By and by, he grew bigger and stronger. But whenever he looked at his own reflection, he thought, 'I look so ugly'! He was afraid to look at his own reflection. He hid himself if he saw anyone coming.
One day, when he was hiding among the reeds, he saw a flock of graceful white swans swim past. They were the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. 'How wonderful to be like them!' he said to himself.
Then came winter, with cold winds and snow. Without any shelter, the poor duckling was frozen in the snow. A kind man saw him. He broke the snow and saved the duckling.
Soon it was spring. The duckling had now gained a lot of strength. Again, he found his way to the river's edge and swam further away.
One fine morning, When he flapped his wings against his sides, he rose high into the air. He flew on and on till he found himself in a beautiful, fragrant garden. From a thicket close by, came three beautiful white swans, rustling their feathers and gliding lightly over the smooth water.
The duckling remembered the lovely birds. He was afraid to meet them but he felt a strange longing to be with them. He made up his mind to approach them, no matter how badly they treated him later on.
He swam towards the beautiful birds and bowed his head down to the surface of water. And what did he see in the clear stream below ? His own image - no longer a dark, gray, ugly bird but a graceful and beautiful swan. The other swans swam round the newcomer and welcomed him.
The bird that had lived a miserable life as an ugly duckling was a swan after all ! He curved his slender neck ＆ cried joyfully from the depth of his heart, "I never dreamed of such happiness as this, while I was an ugly duckling !"
At last, feeling very lonely and sad, the ugly little duckling decided to leave the lake. He made his way to the river's edge and swam away with the river.
Wherever the poor duckling tried to seek shelter, he found that he was always ridiculed by others - smaller birds, animals, even human beings poked fun at him. He became lonelier and more miserable.
By and by, he grew bigger and stronger. But whenever he looked at his own reflection, he thought, 'I look so ugly'! He was afraid to look at his own reflection. He hid himself if he saw anyone coming.
One day, when he was hiding among the reeds, he saw a flock of graceful white swans swim past. They were the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. 'How wonderful to be like them!' he said to himself.
Then came winter, with cold winds and snow. Without any shelter, the poor duckling was frozen in the snow. A kind man saw him. He broke the snow and saved the duckling.
Soon it was spring. The duckling had now gained a lot of strength. Again, he found his way to the river's edge and swam further away.
One fine morning, When he flapped his wings against his sides, he rose high into the air. He flew on and on till he found himself in a beautiful, fragrant garden. From a thicket close by, came three beautiful white swans, rustling their feathers and gliding lightly over the smooth water.
The duckling remembered the lovely birds. He was afraid to meet them but he felt a strange longing to be with them. He made up his mind to approach them, no matter how badly they treated him later on.
He swam towards the beautiful birds and bowed his head down to the surface of water. And what did he see in the clear stream below ? His own image - no longer a dark, gray, ugly bird but a graceful and beautiful swan. The other swans swam round the newcomer and welcomed him.
The bird that had lived a miserable life as an ugly duckling was a swan after all ! He curved his slender neck ＆ cried joyfully from the depth of his heart, "I never dreamed of such happiness as this, while I was an ugly duckling !"
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Flint
An emerald is as green as grass,
A ruby red as blood;
A Sapphire shines as blue as heaven;
A flint lies in the mud.
A diamond is a brilliant stone,
To catch the world's desire;
An opal holds a fiery spark;
But a flint holds fire.
The Champa Flower
Supposing I became a champa flower, just for fun,
and grew on a branch high up that tree,
and shook in the wind with laughter
and danced upon the newly budded leaves,
Would you know me, mother ?
You would call, 'Baby. where are you ?'
and I should laugh to myself
and keep quite quiet.
I should slyly open my petals
and watch you at your work.
When after your bath,
With wet hair spread on your shoulders,
You walked through the shadow of the champa tree
to the little court where you say your prayers,
You would notice the scent of the flower,
but not know that it came from me.
When after the mid-day meal,
You sat at the window reading Book,
and the tree's shadow fell over your hair and your lap,
and the tree's shadow fell over your hair and your lap...
I should fling my wee little shadow
on to the page of your book
just where you were reading.
But would you guess that it was the tiny shadow
of your little child ?
When in the evening you went to the cowshed,
with the lighted lamp in your hand,
I should suddenly drop on to the earth again
and be your own baby once more,
and beg you to tell me a story.
'Where have you been, you naughty child ?'
'I won't tell you mother.'
That's what you and I Would say then.
Getting to Know the place we Live in
Getting to Know the place we Live in
How does a town form?
In very old times, before man began farming, he lived a nomadic life. He was dependent on hunting animals and gathering fruit, roots and bulbs for food. Later, man learnt to grow crops. He began to settle where he found suitable land and water. people began to build houses in such places and settled there. They began to help each other in farming. Their houses were close by. Thus, settlements were formed. The settlements began to grow bigger. Many settlements merged together to form villages. People felt safer living in such settlements.
As farming developed, people had to do different kinds of work. One person could not do all of them. So work was divided between the people. for example, making wooden implements, repairing them, weaving cloth, making jewelry and making clay pots. Thus, there were artisans engaged in different occupations.
A village, town or city has buildings such as temples, caves, mosques, churches, memorials, forts, museums, etc. A place becomes known by these buildings. They tell us about the richness of the place. They help us to understand our history. These buildings are our treasures. They must be protected. To protect them is our responsibility.
A Place may also become famous because of a religious place, fair, or fort. For example, Raigad district is known for the Raigad fort.
People in villages are dependent on weekly markets for their daily needs. These markets sell all essential item. Mainly food grains, vegetables, farming implements. clothes, etc. become available here. The market is also the place where people can meet one another and enquiry about each other's well-being.
Grains, vegetables, milk, etc. Come from villages. Bicycles toys, books, etc. come from the city. Farming implements, cloth medicines, automobiles, soaps, glass, light bulbs, etc. are made in factories. Factories are mostly situated near the city. People living both in villages and cities use all these things. Thus, rural and urban people are dependent on each other for their needs. Means of transport and communication are necessary to fulfill the needs of the people.
Earlier, there was a big difference between the city and the village. Now, this difference is reducing. The facilities available in cities are now becoming available in villages as well.
Means of Transport : As man's needs increased, he invented new means of transport. Earlier, goods were transported by animals like bullocks, elephants, camels, horses and donkeys. Next, vehicles such as bullock carts and horse carts were used. Then ships, automobiles and trains were invented, followed by Aeroplan. Thus, transport became faster.
Nowadays, transport facilities are available in most villages and cities.
DIALECTS : Man uses language to talk to each other and to communicate his thoughts to other people. The same language is spoken in different ways in different regions. The pronunciation of the words changes with the region. Words from other languages enter our language. It is influenced by other languages. In this way, different dialects of the same language form in different regions. For example, Ahirani, Malvani and Varhadi are some dialects of the Marathi language. Marathi is the State Language of Maharashtra.
Do you know ?
In the olden days, means of sending messages were not very advanced. In those days, information was communicated by different means. Sometimes, trained pigeons were used for this purpose. A message was sent by writing it down on a piece of paper or cloth and tying the piece to the bird's leg.
What's the solution ?
Services like mobile phones, telephones and computers are not available in the area where Rohan and Rupali live. They need to send a message to their relatives in another town. How will you help them to send their message?
Always remember -
Recently, there has been great development in the means of transport and communication. However, increased use of these means has also led to an increase in pollution. Therefore, everyone should use them carefully.
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Value : Sensitivity, Tidiness, [Story]
THE LITTLE BLACK KITTEN
A little black kitten had entered Tina's garden. Five-Year-old Tina, who was playing in the garden, saw the little kitten. She felt very excited.
"How sweet it is," She said to herself, "I will take it home."
She took the little kitten home. Her mother gave it some milk. Tina was very happy and began to play with it.
"I'll call him Blackie," She told her mother. After some time, Tina's mother heard Blackie mewing loudly. She went into Tina's room to see what the matter was. She saw Tina sitting on the floor with little Blackie, pulling his tail.
"Listen to this, Mummy, "She Said. "When I pull Blackie's tail, he mews loudly, just like my toy kitten does!"
She pulled Blackie's tail again and he mewed loudly. Tina clapped her hands.
But Mummy was not pleased.
"Don't do that, Tina," she said gently. "Blackie is not a toy kitten. He is a real kitten. You must not hurt him. He, too, feels pain, just like we do."
But naughty Tina would not listen and continued with her game. Finally, poor Blackie ran away and hid himself under the bed.
That evening, when Mummy was combing Tina's hair, she accidentally gave it a tug.
"wow! Mummy, you're pulling my hair! It hurts!" cried Tina.
"Yes, my dear, "said Mummy. "I'm sorry. But remember, When you pull Blackie's tail, it hurts Blackie in the same way, and that is why he too cries."
"Yes, Mummy , I understand," said Tina. "I shall never hurt Blackie or any other animal again."
She pulled Blackie's tail again and he mewed loudly. Tina clapped her hands.
But Mummy was not pleased.
"Don't do that, Tina," she said gently. "Blackie is not a toy kitten. He is a real kitten. You must not hurt him. He, too, feels pain, just like we do."
But naughty Tina would not listen and continued with her game. Finally, poor Blackie ran away and hid himself under the bed.
That evening, when Mummy was combing Tina's hair, she accidentally gave it a tug.
"wow! Mummy, you're pulling my hair! It hurts!" cried Tina.
"Yes, my dear, "said Mummy. "I'm sorry. But remember, When you pull Blackie's tail, it hurts Blackie in the same way, and that is why he too cries."
"Yes, Mummy , I understand," said Tina. "I shall never hurt Blackie or any other animal again."
WHO WILL BE CHOSEN?
(Value : Tidiness)
John and Jai were both clever and smart boys. They both took part in elocution and quiz competitions. They both scored good marks in the exams.
Both of them were good boys. But there was one big difference between the two. John was always dressed neatly in clean clothes. He combed his hair and kept it tidy. His handwriting was good and his books and bag were also neat.
In this respect, Jai was quite unlike John. Jai was very untidy. His tie was never properly tied and his shoes were rarely polished. His handwriting, too, was bad.
Jai's mother and teacher often scolded him for this, but Jai did not listen to them.
Then one day, a notice was put up on the school notice board. An inter-school quiz competition was being planned and one boy from Std. IV would be chosen.
Everyone wondered who the boy would be. "It will be John," said some of the children. "John is very clever."
"No, it will be Jai," Said some other children. "Jai, too, is very clever."
Their teacher gave John and Jai a G.K. Test.
"Choose John," said the Principal. "I Know that both the children are equally good. But when a student from our school goes to another school, he represents our school. So he should not only be clever, but also neatly dressed and well behaved. So, we will send John."
Poor Jai! He felt very bad about it and was upset for many days after that. But wasn't it Jai's own fault that he was not chosen?
Both boys scored the same marks. She asked them to recite a poem. Again, both of them did equally well. Whom should she choose? Their teacher was confused, and sought
the advice of the principal.
"Choose John," said the Principal. "I Know that both the children are equally good. But when a student from our school goes to another school, he represents our school. So he should not only be clever, but also neatly dressed and well behaved. So, we will send John."
Poor Jai! He felt very bad about it and was upset for many days after that. But wasn't it Jai's own fault that he was not chosen?
THE LAZY FARMER
(Value : Punctuality )
There was once a farmer named Veeru. He was very lazy. He always tried to postpone whatever work he had to do.
"I'll do it tomorrow," was what he always said.
He had a small field, but he was too lazy to do any work in that field. He tried to find other people to do the work for him.
There was a big family of rats in his field. Every day, the rats ate some of the grain and they grew bigger and fatter. They were very, very happy in Veeru's field.
"There are rats in my field, "said Veeru to himself. "I must harvest my crop quickly. I'll find someone to do it today."
He asked his son. But his son was too busy. "Maybe I'll do it next week," said the son.
He asked his friends. But they had to look after their own fields.
"Maybe we'll do it after we finish our own work," they said.
Veeru asked his daughter. "I am not strong enough to do Such things, Dad," she said. "Why don't you do it yourself?"
"I'll do it tomorrow," said Veeru."I have just had my food. I'm feeling rather full."
Every day, the rats ate some more grain and grew fatter and stronger. Their families also grew larger.
Finally, the farmer roused himself one day. "I Suppose I'll just have to do it today, "he said.
"Oh! If only I had not been lazy and done the work on time, I would have saved my crop, "thought Veeru.
Poor Veeru! He had learnt a lesson. That year was a very bad year for him. He decided never to be lazy again and to do all his work on time.
Finally, the farmer roused himself one day. "I Suppose I'll just have to do it today, "he said.
He went to his field. But what do you think had happened? There was no grain left at all! The rats had happily finished off everything!
Poor Veeru! He had learnt a lesson. That year was a very bad year for him. He decided never to be lazy again and to do all his work on time.
THE NEW STUDENT
(Value : Courteousness)
Suman, John and Nita were playing in the small garden near their house.
Suddenly, Suman saw a girl sitting quietly on a bench all alone.
"Look, that is the new girl who has just joined our school," She said," Shall we ask her to play with us?"
"No! I don't like her," said Nita. "She did not talk to anyone in class today."
"She's new to the place and she does not know anyone yet," said Suman. "How can she talk to anyone?"
"I still don't think we should ask her to play with us, "said Nita angrily.
"Nita, do you remember the time when we went to stay with our aunt in Delhi last year?" asked John, Nita's brother. "The children in aunt's building refused to play with us and we felt so lonely and unhappy. You cried a lot at that time."
Nita nodded her head slowly, recalling the incident. "Yes, it felt so terrible to be ignored by the others."
"That girl must be feeling just like you felt then, "said Suman. "Let us be friends with her."
Nita nodded. "All right," she said, "I understand."
They all walked towards the new girl. "Hello," said Suman. "I'm Suman. This id Nita and this is John. What is your name?"
"Aditi," said the girl with a smile.
"You are in our class, aren't you?" asked Nita. "Would you like to come and play with us?"
With a big smile, Aditi jumped off the bench and went to play with them. They enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
Aditi was a very nice girl and they all liked her very much.
"Thank you," she said softly, as they were going home.
"I was eager to play with you, but I was too afraid to ask."
Today, Aditi is a very good friend and they have together decided to welcome and help any new or frightened student.
THE VILLAGE OF RAMPUR
(Value : Scientific Attitude)
Most of the people of the little village of Rampur were sick. Some were even dying.
The king of that little village was very, very worried.
"What is the matter with my village and my people?" he asked his adviser." God is being cruel to us. He is perhaps angry with us. I will perform a grand 'pooja' to make Him happy. We will spend a lot of money and feed the whole village. Inform the villagers of this immediately."
The adviser obeyed the King. He mounted his horse and went around the whole village.
At many places, he saw people washing their clothes and their animals and also taking a bath in the river. Then these people filled their pots with the dirty river water and carried it home for cooking and drinking.
He saw people washing their utensils and clothes very close to their wells. Again, they used that same dirty well water for drinking and cooking.
He saw people throwing garbage onto the roads and allowing their animals to roam around on the road and eat the garbage. Some of the animals looked thin and ill.
He saw pools of dirty water collected on the road and flies and mosquitoes buzzing on the surface of this stagnant water.
He saw people spitting on the roads and urinating by the roadside.
He saw that people often ate from the dirty roadside stalls.
They did not take care of their health.
The adviser was an intelligent man. He went back and told the king, "Performing a 'Pooja' will be of no help, Your Majesty. There are many other things that we need to do to help the people. God only helps those who help themselves."
THE HARD WORK
(Value : Dignity of Labour)
One day Kaif was feeling very bored. As he walked to school through the park, he kicked the stones in his path.
"School is so boring," he thought. "We have to work so hard all the time."
He looked around. He saw the birds and the bees flying about merrily and the little squirrels rushing happily from place to place.
"How happy and cheerful they are!" he thought. "They have no work to do."
Kaif decided not to go to school. Instead, he would play with the little birds, bees and the squirrels.
He sat down on the ground. A little sparrow hopped over to him.
"Hello Chirpy," said Kaif to the sparrow. "Will you play with me?
The little sparrow looked at him in surprise. "Play! What do you mean? I have no time to play. Can't you see that I am busy ?"
She began to collect little bits of dry grass and twigs. "I am building my nest and have no time to waste," She said.
Kaif looked at the bees. "Hello, Mr. Bee," he said to a nice, big bee sitting on a flower. "Will you play with me?"
The bee lifted his head and buzzed loudly. "Play! Can't you see that I am busy collecting nectar to make honey? My Queen wants it and I have no time for you."
Sadly, Kaif turned to the bushy-tailed little squirrel, which was looking at him with beautiful black eyes.
"Bushy-tail, are you at least free to play with me?" he asked.
Bushy-tail shook his head regretfully. "I'm Sorry, but I am collecting nuts to store. Otherwise, I will starve during winter. I am too busy working. Go and find someone else."
Poor Kaif! He looked around him. Then he realized that all the animals he could see, right from the tiny ant to the large bull, were all busy doing their work. No one was idle.
She began to collect little bits of dry grass and twigs. "I am building my nest and have no time to waste," She said.
Kaif looked at the bees. "Hello, Mr. Bee," he said to a nice, big bee sitting on a flower. "Will you play with me?"
The bee lifted his head and buzzed loudly. "Play! Can't you see that I am busy collecting nectar to make honey? My Queen wants it and I have no time for you."
Sadly, Kaif turned to the bushy-tailed little squirrel, which was looking at him with beautiful black eyes.
"Bushy-tail, are you at least free to play with me?" he asked.
Bushy-tail shook his head regretfully. "I'm Sorry, but I am collecting nuts to store. Otherwise, I will starve during winter. I am too busy working. Go and find someone else."
Poor Kaif! He looked around him. Then he realized that all the animals he could see, right from the tiny ant to the large bull, were all busy doing their work. No one was idle.
Kaif realized his mistake. "I too, must work hard," he thought and ran to school.
THE LADY WITH THE LAMP
(Value : Gender Equality)
Have you heard or read about Florence Nightingale? She is called "The lady with the lamp'.
Florence was born in the year 1820 at Florence in Italy. In those days, women were not allowed to attend school or to take up jobs. These things were done only by men.
Florence was very interested in studies. As girls were not permitted to go to school, Florence's father taught her various subjects and languages at home. She was an excellent student, always eager to learn more.
Florence saw that people did not Know how to look after their health properly. As a result, they often fell sick and died of sickness.
She was upset by this and wished to change it. She wanted to become a nurse and look after and take care of the sick and the wounded. People did not like this, because she was a woman and there were many objections. But Florence boldly overcame everything and studied hard to become a nurse.
She slowly became famous in her field. During the Crimean war, she went to Turkey to look after the sick and wounded soldiers.
She found that the conditions there were terrible. The place was full of swamps, dirt, flies and mosquitoes. Florence decided to improve the conditions.
Under her loving care, the wounded soldiers soon began to recover. Her fame spread far and wide. People began to ask her for advice. Soon, under her guidance, a nursing school for woman was set up.
Florence is remembered even today, for all that she did. She proved that women are not weak; they are not frightened of difficulties. They are as strong, capable and clever as men.
Today, if we look around, we will see that most of the nurses in our hospitals are women.
She slowly became famous in her field. During the Crimean war, she went to Turkey to look after the sick and wounded soldiers.
She found that the conditions there were terrible. The place was full of swamps, dirt, flies and mosquitoes. Florence decided to improve the conditions.
Under her loving care, the wounded soldiers soon began to recover. Her fame spread far and wide. People began to ask her for advice. Soon, under her guidance, a nursing school for woman was set up.
Florence is remembered even today, for all that she did. She proved that women are not weak; they are not frightened of difficulties. They are as strong, capable and clever as men.
Today, if we look around, we will see that most of the nurses in our hospitals are women.
Time For Everything
There's a time to run and a time to walk;
There's a time for silence, a time for talk;
There's a time for work and a time for play;
There's a time for sleep at the close of day.
There's a time for every thing you do,
For children and for grown-ups, too.
A time to stand up and a time to sit _____
But see that the time and actions fit.
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A Mad Tea Party
(Alice in Wonderland is a fantasy novel written by Lewis Carroll. It tells us of the adventures of a little girl called Alice who falls into a rabbit hole and finds herself in a fantasy world where funny people mingle with peculiar creatures. Here she happens. to attend a tea party with three. of them.: the March Hare, the Mad Hatter and the Dormouse.)
There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it: a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. 'Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse,' thought Alice; 'only, as it's asleep, I suppose it doesn't mind'.
The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it; 'No room! No room!' they cried out when they saw Alice coming. 'There's PLENTY of room!' said Alice indignantly, and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.
'Have some wine,; the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.
Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. 'I don't see any wine.' she remarked.
'There isn't any,' said the March Hare.
'Then it wasn't very civil of you to offer it,' said Alice angrily.
'It wasn't very civil of you to sit down without being invited,' said the March Hare.
'I didn't know it was YOUR table,' said Alice, 'it's laid for a great many more than three.'
'Your hair wants cutting,' said the Hatter. He had been looking at Alice for some time with great curiosity, and this was his first speech.
'You should learn not to make personal remarks,' Alice said with some severity; 'it's very rude.'
The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he said was, 'Why is a raven like a writing-desk?'
'Come, we shall have some fun now!' thought Alice. 'I'm glad they've begun asking riddles - I believe I can guess that,' she added aloud.
'Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?' said the March Hare.
'Exactly so,' said Alice.
'Then you should say what you mean,' the March Hare went on.
'I do,' Alice hastily replied; 'at least - at least I mean what I say - that's the same thing, you know.'
'Not the same thing a bit!' said the Hatter. 'You might just as well say that 'I see what I eat'' is the same thing as ''I eat what I see"!'
'You might just as well say,' added the March Hare, 'that 'I like what I get' is the same thing as 'I get what I like!'
'You might just as well say,' added the Dormouse, who seemed to be talking in his his sleep, 'that ' I breathe when I sleep' is the same things as 'I sleep when I BREATHE!'
It IS the same thing with you, ' said the Hatter, and here the conversation dropped, and the party sat silent for a minute, while Alice thought over all she could remember about ravens and writing-desks, which wasn't much.
'Have you guessed the riddle ... yet?" the Hatter said, turning to Alice again.
'No, I give it up,' Alice replied: 'What's the answer?'
'I haven't the slightest idea,' said the Hatter.
'Nor I, ' SAID the March Hare.
Alice sighed wearily. 'I think you might do something better with the time,' she said, than waste it in asking riddles that have no answers'.
'If you knew Time as well as I do,' said the Hatter,' you wouldn't talk about wasting IT. It's HIM.'
'I don't know what you mean,' said Alice.
'Of course you don't!' the Hatter said, tossing his head contemptuously. 'I dare say you never even spoke to Time!'
'Perhaps not,' Alice cautiously replied: but I know I have to beat time when I learn music'.
'Ah! that accounts for it,' said the Hatter. 'He won't stand beating. Now, if you only kept on good terms with him, he'd do almost anything you liked with the clock. For instance, suppose it were nine o'clock in the morning, just time to begin blog:. You'd only have to whisper a hint to Time, and round goes the clock in a twinkling! Half-past one, time for dinner!'
( 'I only wish it was, 'the March Hare said to itself in a whisper.)
'That would be grand, certainly,' said Alica thoughtfully: but then - I shouldn't be hungry for it, you know'.
'Not at first, perhaps,' said the Hatter: 'but you could keep it to half - past one as long as you liked.'
A bright ideas came into Alice's head. 'Is that the reason so many tea- things are put out here ?' she asked.
'Yes, that's it,' said the Hatter with a sigh: 'it's always tea-time, and we've no time to wash the things between whiles'.
'Then you keep moving round, I SUPPOSE?' Said Alice.
'Exactly so,' said the Hatter: 'as the things get used up.'
'But what happens when you come to the beginning again?' Alice ventured to ask.
'Suppose we change the subject,' the March Hare interrupted, yawning.
'I'm getting tired of this. I vote the young lady tells us a story.'
'I'm afraid I don't know one,' said Alice, rather alarmed at the proposal.
'Then the Dormouse shall!' they both cried. 'Wake up, Dormouse!' And they pinched it on both sides at once.
The Dormouse slowly opened his eyes. 'I wasn't asleep,' he said in a hoarse, feeble voice: 'I heard every word you fellows were saying'.
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Little Tales [ The Pen and Pencil ] Story
New Vision
Once there was a beautiful garden. There, people used to come to chat with each other and kids used to play around. Hawkers sold their products and earned some money. Once, a girl visited the garden with her father. She must have been about 10-12 years old. She was absolutely amazed seeing the garden from its entrance. She expressed her happiness by clapping her hands.
She stated running in the garden freely. She was very happy after seeing the beautiful flowers, the green tress, soft grass, butterflies, lamps etc. It was as if she did not know what to see first!
She started playing in the garden. She rolled on the lawns.
She ran around in circles. She started asking childish questions suddenly. This behavior of her quickly got the attention of other people. They gathered around her and started laughing at her. Her happy state vanished. After seeing the people laughing at her, she got scared and ran and hugged her father. She was about to cry. Her father felt sad for his daughter's condition.
Looking at the crowd, her father asked them, "Why did you do this to my daughter? Why did you steal away her happiness?" One of the persons in the crowd came forward and replied, "Your daughter looks abnormal to me. Please take her to a doctor!" Hearing this, the girl's father started crying profusely.
He said to them, "Never judge anyone before you know them very well. Just last week, my daughter, Mugdha, had her eye operation. She was blind all her life up to his point. She went to a blind school and learnt Braille. She had never seen these things earlier. She is experiencing the garden, trees, butterflies, fountain for the first time. Won't a person be happy, if she sees such beautiful scenery for the first time? Please think about this. She can see today, because someone donated eyes!"
"This man called my daughter abnormal, without knowing us, Why? Have you ever thought why we behave like this? Should we not change our viewpoint?"
For a few seconds, everyone started feeling guilty. Shame had taken over them. Then they started clapping and congratulating Mugdha. Seeing this, her father said, "It's okay. I forgive you. But please remember; our eyes can change someone's life. Please donate your eyes after you die. You never know in whose life you might bring happiness. AND DON'T FORGET TO FILL THE FORM BEFORE YOU DIE. "EVERYONE SPONTANEOUSLY AGREED AND STARTED GOING TOWARDS THEIR HOME.
That is why I Sing
The cuckoo started singing. Her sweet voice filled the surroundings. The crow started getting restless as the cuckoo was getting praised for her melodious voice and thought; 'No one noticed my sharp intelligence. Even that cuckoo looks more or less like me. But in the season of spring she is given preference.' The crow started getting full of envy.
He thought of changing this. Now let there be a disturbance in her singing. Let us see then how can she sing! I am not a crow, if I do not ruin her singing. So when the cuckoo was singing, he went and sat on the same tree as her. But she did not notice it. She was engrossed in her singing. The crow started distracting her. He started moving the branch of the tree with power. But she continued her singing.
Now the crow took out his weapon. He started cawing in a hoarse Voice, "Caw! Caw! "
Even after this, the cuckoo never gave attention. So the crow went and sat on the same branch as the cuckoo and started cawing in her ears. Now the cuckoo started getting disturbed. She realized that the crow is doing it purposefully and decided to teach him a lesson. Without getting irritated, She maintained her calm.
The Cuckoo asked the crow, "Hello! You do not seem to have any work today? Are you not going to touch the oblation or pind? (Pind is the rice cake Kept for the deceased). Brother crow, this is not the right place for you. This tree is of no use to you. Don't you even have wisdom, not to disturb someone doing her job?"
The crow asked her shamelessly, "What kind of a big job are you engaged in today? Why are you troubling your throat since morning?"
The cuckoo replied, "You are troubling your throat. What a hoarse voice! Even though we look similar and are black in color, our qualities are quite different!"
The crow responded, "Hey Cuckoo, you only sing in Pancham that is the fifth note. That too only in the season of spring! Tell me, why do you sing?"
The Cuckoo answered very calmly, "Look, God has given me this talent and I use it for the betterment of the society. I sing to increase the quantity of mangoes after the blossoming. That way more people can eat them. I sing without any accompanying instruments like Tabla, Harmonium etc. I don't want anyone to praise me. I don't sing for any publicity. In fact, I Sing by being behind the leaves. My sincere desire is not to disturb others!"
Now the crow felt ashamed. He flew away cawing caw, caw.
Peacocks Got Colors !
Sunderban had a lot of peacocks. They used to play in the open ground and dance at will. Children-Those days the peacocks had white feathers. Pure white skin color and pure noble thoughts inside! They roamed freely and did not trouble anyone. Now, in the jungle there were many flowering plants and they attracted a lot of bees. The bees sucked honey from the flowers and buzzed around with joy. The flowers also attracted a few butterflies. The butterflies developed a bond with the petals and always flew around them.
One day, some black bees were flying around and humming loudly. This angered the butterflies. They said, "Blackies! Blackies!! You make such a rowdy noise!
The bees felt very bad. They were hurt. They moved away and kept quiet.
The peacocks were observing all this. They felt sorry for the bees. They asked the butterflies to stop misbehaving. They said, 'Nature had made each creature differently. She has given each creature a sense of smell, taste and touch. Some creatures are colored differently and some are built differently. There is joy in this diversity. Let us give joy to others by the qualities we have. The black bees have their purpose. They will stay near the lotus and play with the wind."
Suddenly the sky became grey. Dark clouds gathered and a strong wind blew. Lightening lined the sky. A loud thundering sound filled the air. It started raining. The peacocks were delighted. They danced with joy and spread their plumage or feathers. The Goddess watched them dance and was pleased with them. She showered them with diamonds, pearls, sapphires and rubies These precious stones stuck to the feathers and remained with the peacocks forever. They shone brightly and were also happy from within.
The Goddess then blessed them,
You will get lot of importance!"
Thus twice blessed, the peacocks were extremely happy. Since then, every monsoon, the peacocks Welcome the rains with a joyful dance! The children often invite them to dance in their gardens.
The Test of Wisdom
After the day's hard work, Emperor Akbar liked to chit-chat with his courtiers. He would ask weird questions to them and would enjoy their silly, funny, witty or clever answers. The Wittiest ones would come from his favorite minister Birbal.
One evening King Akbar decided to test Birbal's brilliant brain.
"Take this and hide it somewhere in your pocket." The king said and laughed. "But Your Highness!" Mastan was about to ask but the King stopped him.
"Just do what I say. Pretend as if you have stolen the ring. And wait until Birbal arrives to the evening meeting."
Mastan could not fathom what the king was trying to do with it. He just did what the king asked him to do.
"Welcome Birbal, "King Akbar said. "I was waiting for you. Please come."
"You were waiting for me Jahapnah. Is everything ok?" Birbal replied.
"Yes Birbal. I have got a little problem. And I hope you will help me solve it."
"Yes Your Majesty. You know that you can count on me. I am always at your service." Birbal said.
"Birbal, I have lost my ring somewhere. I am not able to recall where I put it." King Akbar said.
"Oh, that's pretty sad, "Birbal said. "May I ask you where did you see it lastly?" "I don't know Birbal. I just don't remember it."
King Akbar said.
"Have you checked your bedroom? Your closet? Everywhere that it could possibly be?"
"I don't know Birbal. I just don't remember it." King Akbar just kept repeating the words. It was not very easy to lie for such a big king.
Birbal asked so many questions to find out where the ring could be but the Emperor kept repeating his answer.
Something is fishy. Birbal looked down and thought. When he looked up, some of the courtiers were smiling and some were laughing. Now Birbal became sure that the king is trying to trick him. But Birbal was Birbal. He knew what to do.
"Ok Milord, I think I have found the thief." Birbal announced.
"What? How? Who?" The king could not believe it.
"Yes Milord. And I can tell you that the thief is present in this room. Right now." Birbal said with confidence.
"Are you sure?" the king asked. "How can you say that?"
"Your Highness, In fact, it's very simple. Anybody can find him. The thief who stole your ring has a unique thing."
"What unique thing?"
"Hujur, when the thief came inside the Durbar, he had his turban on. But now the turban is gone. It just disappeared." Birbal declared and started looking carefully to all the courtiers.
Mastan, who hid king Akbar's ring inside his pocket checked his head for his turban. And Birbal caught him.
Everyone in the mead hall laughed out loud. They all appreciated Birbal's wisdom. After all everyone agreed that, it requires wisdom to understand wisdom.
Emperor Akbar was highly impressed. Birbal passed the test of wisdom. Sharada, the Ideal Student
Sharada was a brilliant student. She was studying in eighth standard. A very mature girl, she never Quarrelled with anyone. She kept to herself and did not talk to anybody without reason. She did not trouble anyone and complained about none. Her homework used to be ready on time. Her note-book was well organized. Her hand-writing was excellent. And her teacher was very pleased with her. Polite and punctual, Sharada was the favorite of all.
Sharada, the Ideal Student
Mid-term examinations were over. Diwali Holidays had started. All the students went home with the mood of celebration. They dreamed of the sweets their mother would make and the crackers they would burst.
The holidays were over all too soon.
School started again. It was the first day of school after the holidays. The Teacher entered the class. She asked her students what they had done during the holidays. Everybody started talking at once.... Some said they made forts of clay, some had learnt the art of making gift cards and some spent time painting the pictures.
A week passed and the results of the mid-term exams were announced. Everyone received their report cards. The teacher asked them to show it to their parents and get them signed.
The reports were collected. Report cards of some students were not signed. The parents of such students were called to the school.
Tell me, who has signed the report card?"
Sharada's mother smiled and said with a lot of confidence, "I signed!"
The teacher was surprised, "But you........"
Sharada's mother quickly explained. "Sharada is very keen that we all learn to read and write. But we live on daily wages. We live in low income houses and we never went to school. But Sharada took on the burden of educating all of us. She took efforts for the past six months. She taught us to read and write.
We no longer give our thumb prints. Everybody signs!"
Sharada's mother cordially invited the teacher to observe the class of adult education. The class teacher and the principal were quite impressed with that class. They praised Sharada. Sharada was publicly felicitated in the school, the next day. She received the title ------- ' Sharada, the Ideal Student!'
Dark Clouds
Summer had just started and the sun was melting down. There was drought like condition all around. Everyone was tired of the heat. All the water sources had dried out. The water from the oceans had started to turn warm. Sea water had begun to evaporate. Humidity began to decrease only when the cool breeze started flowing. In a few minutes, the water vapor got converted into clouds. The wind started teasing the clouds Due to the strong winds, the clouds started moving in the direction of the wind. Due to these winds, the clouds started bumping into each other and they got angry. Seeing the clouds angry, the wind got more motivated to tease them.
Seeing the clouds so angry, the sun got worried. He somehow silenced them and said, "Oh! King of clouds, nothing can be solved violently. Let's come to a conclusion peacefully."
After hearing this, a cloud said, "You Yourself get so angry during the summer, and you tell us to talk peacefully?"
After hearing this, the sun laughingly said, "Please understand why I become so hot and then criticize me. I do this so that the evaporated heat leads to the formation of clouds. That is you!"
"What does it mean? "asked a cloud.
The Sun responded, "Dear clouds, you maintain the existence on earth. Your water gives life to many. You pave the way for life."
All the black clouds moved forward and asked the sun "Ok, but we still have a complaint". The sun asked them regarding their complaint. The black clouds said that the sun had been unfair to them.
He had made some clouds pure white in color and some pure black. The clouds said that the white clouds looked beautiful whereas the black ones did not.
The sun said, "Oh clouds, you are forgetting Your importance. Everyone lives for self! But living for others is what matters, and you guys do just that! Outside looks don't matter! What matters, is what you have inside. Even though you are black, the farmers love you. They eagerly wait for you."
Your rains make the whole world full of greenery. Rivers, lakes, etc get filled up only because of you. The seeds sown in the earth grow only because of your water droplets. After hearing this, the clouds said "Oh Sun, You opened our eyes to reality!" After this, the clouds burst open and started raining heavily along with the lightning. The whole world became fresh. The children started dancing and singing, "Oh Rain, Please come!"
Chhotu Fish
A water-stream and an ocean were very good friends. Everyone was astonished seeing their friendship. They used to think, 'How could a small stream be friends with such a huge ocean?" They both used to chat daily. Even though the stream was small in size, it used to feel proud of its cold water. Sometimes it used to ask the ocean, "You are so vast, but your water tastes salty! Of what use are you to a thirsty person ? In the end, I have to quench the thirst of a person!" Hearing this, the ocean would just calmly smile and keep quiet.
A small fish from the stream used to always listen to this conversation. He always used to wonder as to how the ocean kept so calm. Once he asked his mother, "Mother, why doesn't the ocean get angry?" The mother replied, "Forgiving nature is the virtue of the Great. Taking care of each other, is the main rule of friendship." After hearing this, the little fish started respecting the ocean. He used to think about the ocean day and night. He used to think of meeting the ocean. He asked his mother, "Can I go and swim in the ocean?" To which, his mother replied by saying, "You are still a baby. There are large and dangerous fishes in the ocean. They will eat you. How will you protect yourself?"
But the small fish was not satisfied hearing this. His attraction towards the ocean kept increasing day by day. After a few days, he thought to himself, " I am big enough to go and explore the ocean myself. my mother always keeps thinking that I am still a baby. "So one day he slipped into the great ocean without his mother noticing. He was just enjoying floating on the waves of the ocean. He was engrossed in floating on the waves.
He did not realize when he reached the middle of the ocean. He realized where he was, only after seeing large fishes. He noticed that the bigger fishes ate the smaller ones. After seeing that, he got scared. It would be difficult to get away from the clutches of the big fishes. He started panicking and remembered his mother. He realized that he was at fault here. He started crying. He swam so far that he had forgotten his way home. He got scared and couldn't decide what to do. He thought he must listen to his mother in future.
Being scared, he started looking for help. Just then, a whale saw him. The whale realized that Chhotu had come without informing anyone. He understood the reason Chhotu looked so Frightened. He tried to approach Chhotu to console him. Seeing such a huge fish for the first time, Chhotu got scared. Seeing this, the whale said, "Don't get scared!"
After becoming comfortable with the whale, Chhotu told him his story. Chhotu asked the whale if he could drop him home. The whale agreed but on one condition. The condition was that Chhotu should always listen to his mother. Chhotu agreed. After that, the whale carried Chhotu on his back all the way to Chhotu's home. They reached the stream. Chhotu jumped once he saw his mother. His mother said,
"Safety comes with power!"
Lazy Wife
A blacksmith and his wife lived in a village. The blacksmith worked very hard. It was physical work. So he used to get tired, at the end of the day. Even after toiling so hard, he would not get rest at home. After coming home he would not get food until he cooked for himself. Sometimes he would just not have the energy to cook food. But how would he get the energy without eating? So he was hungry and tired at the same time.
The blacksmith was very quiet in nature. He could not scold anyone. Sometimes he would get very angry on his wife. His wife would not even do her daily chores properly. She would lie down whole day. She was not even willing to work to earn money. But the poor blacksmith could do nothing.
After this double working, the blacksmith used to get really tired. But he never complained. The wife had guessed that he won't scold her. The blacksmith always tried to avoid fights between the two. But his wife would take advantage of the same.
One day the blacksmith became sick due to over work. His health started deteriorating steadily. His wife also got scared. After trying homemade remedies, they finally decided to consult a doctor. The Doctor said, "Bring your husband to the hospital!" The did so. The doctor told them that his health had deteriorated, due to physical and mental stress. If not cared for, he could die very soon. After hearing this, his wife panicked. She thought that she herself was responsible for her husband's condition.
She realized that since their marriage, she had not done any work at all. She had not even moved a single stick. Even after her tantrums, her husband had simply kept quiet. She now started feeling guilty. She felt ashamed of her laziness.
She now decided to bring her husband out of this. So she started taking his care. She gave him proper food and medicines. Slowly his health started improving.
Soon, the blacksmith got completely cured. But doctor had advised him bed rest. So his wife also started taking more care of him. And she was serving him whole heartedly!
Now they are happy. Both of them take good care of each other.
THE CUNNING JACKAL
In a forest there was a heavy fight choose a king. The old lion king had fallen sick and was about to die. There were many younger ones who were fighting among one another to capture the throne as king of the forest.
A poor jackal was very hungry. So, he went in search of food to a nearby village. He saw a big pot kept in the backyard of a weaver's house.
He fell into the pot of blue dye thinking that it was a pot of waste food. The jackal turned blue.
The jackal looked at itself in the river water and thought, "Well, let me try to scare other animals in the forest."
When the jackal entered into the forest, all animals got frightened for real. The jackal took its chance and started to command them, "Look fellow creatures, l am the new king. Form now on you shall bring food and water for me daily. Whatever l say shall be the rule in this forest." The animals took turn to serve their new king.
Once, there was a heavy rain in the forest. There was loud thunders and bright lightning. All animals ran to their new king and pleaded, "Hey mighty blue king, save us from the rain. "The jackal replied, "Don't worry poor animals, l shall stop the rain. "When the jackal came out rain water poured and the jackal got wet.
Slowly, the blue dye got dissolved in the rain water and the original color of the jackal appeared. When the jackal could not stop the rain it started to say, "Sorry my folks, "but before it could continue all other animals shouted, "You cunning jackal...." The jackal had to run away to save its life.
CUNNING MINDS DON'T WIN FOR LONG
The peasant And The Cobra
This is a story of trust.
There was a peasant named Kalia. He was a hardworking trustworthy farmer. He toiled hard in his farm to make his living. He had a son named keshav. He too helped his father in his chores.
In the farm where Kalia worked was a termite mole. Kalia wanted to destroy the mole as it was a hindrance to his ploughing. He had almost destroyed it. A big snake came out. On seeing the snake Kalia Knelt down and offered a plate of milk and left to his home.
The next day, when Kalia arrived there, he found a gold coin lying on the plate He thankfully took that coin. From then on, every day Kalia kept milk and the next day took home a gold coin. Once, Kalia had to leave to a nearby town to buy some farm equipment. He asked his son to keep a plate of milk for the snake.
Keshav followed his father's request. The next day when Keshav went he found a gold coin. Being a youngster Keshav did not understand the truth. In his greed, he wanted to kill the snake. He thought that the snake would be full of gold. No sooner Keshav took a big stick to beat the snake, the snake bit him to death.
When Kalia returned home he was grief struck. He had lost his son. At the same time he was pitiful for the snake. He went in search of the snake. When he saw the snake, he offered milk as usual and pleaded, "Please forgive my son for his wrong doing. Trust me as in the past.
I Shall not let anyone harm you. "The snake hissed back and replied, " Sorry my friend, neither shall l forget the wrong doing nor shall you forget your son's death. Let us part. Form now on don't try to search for me. "Saying this, the snake slithered away.
Trust Once Lost Can Seldom Be Renewed
The Honest Minister
An honest minister valued fair trade in the kingdom and paid the sellers well. The greedy king thought, 'If he keeps paying everyone so fairly, all my wealth will soon be lost. I will appoint someone who will pay less, ' He selected a foolish man for the post. Just then, a horse-dealer brought 500 horses for sale. The foolish man valued them at one measure of rice. The horse- dealer asked, 'What is the value of one measure of rice?
The whole kingdom, of course!'
The king brought the honest minister back.
Moral: Value just and fair dealings.
Fox in the Wolf's Skin
A Fox and a wolf were good friends. One day, the fox said. 'I just eat fowls. Please teach me how you kill sheep!' The wolf said, 'You will find the dead body of my brother near the river. Wear his skin and come back.'
Then, the wolf taught the fox to growl and hunt.
Some days later, the fox went to the river wearing the dead wolf's skin. Just then he saw some some sheep and caught a fat sheep.
Suddenly, he saw a fowl. At once he left the sheep and pounced on the fowl.
Moral: Natural habits do not change.
The Magic Fish Bone
A long time ago, a man had twelve children but he was poor and there was not enough to eat. His eldest child was an obedient and hard-working girl, Alice, The Sea Fairy felt sorry for her and gifted her a sardine, telling her to keep its magic bone safe eating the fish. 'Make a wise choice,' she told Alice, 'as this magic fish bone will grant you only one wish.' Many times Alice wanted to make a wish but managed to set things right on her own.
One day, their father was very sad as he had lost all his money. It was then that Alice rubbed the magic fish bone lying in her pocket.
The Sea Fairy appeared and began solving their problems. She even found a handsome youth to marry Alice, who would look after her, so that she would never even want to have a magic fish bone again.
The Lazy Three Princes
An old king was going to die, but had to decide who would be king after him. As his three sons were all very lazy, he decided to leave his kingdom to the son who was best at doing nothing!
His first son said: 'If a speck of dust lands in my eye when I'm trying to sleep, instead of removing it, I keep my eyes open all night.'
The second said: 'When I sit near a fire to warm myself, I let the flames burn my feet rather than make an effort to move them.'
The third prince confided: 'If I were being hung and given a knife to cut the rope, I Would prefer to die rather than make an effort to raise my hand.' The king was greatly astonished. 'My kingdom is yours,' he told his third and laziest son.
The Game of wit
A family of jackals found an empty lion's den to live. The father jackal hid inside, while his wife protected the den. When the lion came back the mother jackal shouted. At this, the father jackal asked his cubs to shout aloud. The surprised lion's meat. The lion got scared. The fox told him about what the jackals had planned. They both came to the den. When they saw them, the mother jackal scolded the fox. She said. "Why did you return with one lion when I had asked you for five?' Both the lion and fox ran away!
Moral: The physically weak can defeat the strong with a sharp mind and cleverness.
The Wicked Heron
One day, an evil heron caught a bluefish. The bluefish was very angry at the heron. The fish said to heron, "Leave me at once or else I will turn you into a tree, and you will never be able to eat us again, The heron did not believe the fish and still wanted to eat it. The fish said again, "You know, you have a lovely voice. Why don't you sing so that more fish will come near and you can eat all of them too?" The heron agreed. As soon as the wicked heron opened its mouth to sing, the fish from his mouth jumped out and swam far away."
Moral: If you are kind to others, you will be a happy person.
The Wind and The Sun
Once, the wind challenged the sun to prove he is mightier. "Fine, I challenge you. Look! A man is walking down in his coat. Whoever can get him to remove his coat will prove his might." the wind said proudly. So the wind went first and started to blow air with full force. But instead of removing his coat, the man held on to his coat more tightly!
At last, the wind stopped. Now it was the sun's turn The sun simply came out of the clouds and showered his bright warm rays over the man. Feeling the heat, the man removed his coat as it was too warm. Seeing this, the wind was in shock. "Well, I told you. Instead of force, I used gentleness. And it worked!" the sun said.
Moral: Gentleness is better than using force on someone.
The Eagle and The Woodcutter
Moral: Kindness will always get great rewards.
The Monkey And The Crocodile
The monkey happily jumped on the crocodile's back. But as soon as he jumped, the crocodile told him about his wife, who wanted his heart.
Moral: Foolishness can make you take wrong decisions.
The Foolish Donkey
One day, a farmer let the donkey loose at night, so that he could graze the fields. As the donkey was eating, he befriended a fox. The fox said, "Let us go to that maize field and enjoy more food." The donkey agreed. As they were grazing, the donkey turned to the fox and said," I feel like singing."
"Are you foolish? You will wake the farmers of this field," the fox said in his hush voice. The donkey did not listen to the fox. Just as he was about to begin, the fox left him and went to hide behind the nearby bushes. With the loud braying of the donkey, the farmers of the maize field came running. They spotted the donkey and beat him up belt.
Moral: We must know the proper place and time for doing the things we want.
Stubborn Sandra
One morning dark clouds were looming in the sky. Sandra's mother advised her to take an umbrella to school, but she refused.
"If I get wet, I could always dry my uniform. Don't worry, Mummy, "She said.
It rained and sandra uniform got wet. She stayed in wet clothes all day and caught a bad cold. She had to visit the doctor, who gave her many bitter medicines so she would get well soon.
Sandra regretted not taking an umbrella along.
Prevention is always better than cure.
Hardworking Ted
Ted was a young boy who was weak at Math. His Friends often teased him for being unable to add and subtract correctly.
Ted started working really hard. He began to focus on the lessons. Slowly. his grasp over Math improved. In the Final examination, Ted scored full marks in Math! His friends never teased him again.
Practice makes you perfect.
Martin the Engine Goes off Track
Once there was an engine named Martin. He travelled on the same track every day for years. One day , Martin grew tired of running along the same route. When the engine driver fell asleep. Martin ran off into the field. The ten bogies behind him followed as well. The people in the bogies started screaming.
Martin had a great time running all over the field. On the other hand, the engine driver and the screaming people tried to get him back on track. Finally, Martin was tired. He looked back and was horrified to see the damage he had done! He had destroyed the whole field and many people were very angry with him.
After that day, people refused to sit in the train that had Martin s the engine. They were scared that he would run off into the field again. Martin lost his job. He was then transferred to a train shed, where he sat gathering cobwebs and dust. Martin's good days were over.
Think of the consequences before you act.
The Pen and Pencil
The pen asked the pencil, "Don't you feel sad that every time someone uses you, you get shorter?"
The pencil replied, "I felt sad in the beginning. But then, I saw the beautiful drawings that I helped draw and I realized how lucky I am."
Be thankful for what you are.
Phil's Smile
There was a boy named phil. He loved smiling. He would smile at everyone, even strangers. One Christmas Eve, Santa Claus was getting ready to distribute Christmas presents. Unfortunately, Santa couldn't find his smile. He didn't know where he had kept it.
Suddenly, he thought of phil. Santa climbed on Rudolf the reindeer and landed at phil's doorstep. Phil opened the door and gave Santa the largest smile ever. That's how Santa Claus got his smile back!
A SMILE CAN GO A LONG WAY.
Jim and the Old Lady
This is the story of jim, an eleven-year-old poor orphan boy. He earned a living by polishing people's shoes jim barely earned enough to buy one square meal a day.
One winter night. When it grew cold outside, an old lady knocked on jim's door. When jim opened the door, she requested him to give her some food. She had not eaten for days and looked very weak. too.
jim had just one loaf of bread that he was about to eat for dinner. He hadn't eaten anything the whole day. Looking at the old lady. he thought that she needed the bread more than he did. He willingly gave her the bread.
As soon as the old lady ate the bread, she transformed into a fairy! She was happy with jim for being such a good boy. She blessed him with lots of food and riches.
Jim never went hungry after that day.
Good deeds don't go unrewarded.
After a bath
After a bath,
I try, try, try,
To wipe myself,
Till I'm dry, dry, dry.
Hands to wipe,
And fingers and toes,
And two wet legs,
And a shiny nose.
Just think how much,
Less time I'd take,
If I were a dog,
And could shake, shake, shake.
Toothbrush
I have a toothbrush,
Neat and gay,
To brush my teeth,
With everyday.
I brush them each morning,
I brush them each morning,
I brush them each night,
Till all are shining,
Clean and bright.
The Postman
Here comes the postman,
With a sack on his back.
He's coming up the path,
with a rat-a-tat-a-tat.
I Wonder what he's brought,
Quick, let's see.
A letter for Daddy.
Oh! And one for me!
Our Band
Listen to our big drum,
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Listen to our triangle,
Tang! Tang! Tang!
Listen to our trumpet,
Toot! Toot! Toot!
Listen to our tambourine,
Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!
Good, Better, Best...............
Good, better, best.
Never let it rest
Till your good is better
And your better, best.
Mr. Cross swats a fly !
Mr Cross was always angry. He was always angry with his family and friends. He lost his temper every now and then. He shouted at his wife and children. He shouted at his friends too. So they all stayed away from him, as far as possible. This made him angrier.
One day, Mr Cross was busy writing a letter. He wanted to complain to the Mayor about all the other people in the town.
Just then, through the open window, a fly buzzed in. Oh, bother ! At once, Mr Cross got up and began to shoo away the fly.
"Shoo ! Out ! Out you go !"
But the fly didn't go away. It began to buzz around the ink-pot on the table. Mr Cross grabbed a ruler and hit at the fly.
But oh ! What's this ? The ink-pot fell and all the ink splashed over his letter. Now Mr Cross was very very cross with the fly.
"Hey, you, fly ! You dirty thing ! Wait till I swat you." He rushed after the fly.
The fly flew into the Kitchen. It settled on a pot of honey. Down went Mr Cross's ruler. It toppled the pot of honey. The honey spilled on the table.
Buzz... buzz.... buzz... Went the fly. Snap, snap, snap went Mr Cross's ruler, trying to get the fly. But, no ! He couldn't swat the fly. It buzzed merrily from place to place.
The fly then flew to a shelf of jars. Mr Cross was now trembling with anger. "Wait, you wicked creature ! I'll get you still !"
He picked up a rod and brought it down heavily on the fly. But the fly was too quick for Mr Cross. The rod landed on the jar and ... crash ! The jar broke into a hundred pieces.
Buzzzzz went the fly louder than ever. Wherever the fly went, Mr Cross followed with his rod. Buzzz.... buzzz... buzz... ! Jars, cups, saucers, plates, bowls, glasses, pots,... everything went crashing to the floor. What a mess the kitchen was!
But Mr Cross could not stop now. He threw away the rod and began to look for something bigger to swat the fly.
He found a large and heavy frying pan. Holding it in both his hands, he got ready to strike. Just then, the fly came towards Mr Cross and settled on his nose.
"Got you !" cried Mr Cross and, oh dear ! He struck his own nose with the pan !
The fly flew out of the window.
Plant Magic
A little seed
For me to sow...
A little earth
To make it grow....
A little hole
A little pot...
A little wish
And that is that.
A little sun
A little shower
A little while,
And then a flower.
I Wish I Were
Ashwin had gone to the park with his mother. He saw a red balloon floating high in the sky. "Look at the balloon, "he said to his mother. "How pretty it looks ! I Wish I could be a balloon.
"And what will you do if you were a balloon?"
"I'll go up in the sky and roam with the wind. When I see children who don't have any toys, I'll go down and play with them."
.......................................
Ashwin had gone for a picnic with his family. It was a hot afternoon. Ashwin spotted a big, green mango tree at a distance. "What a beautiful tree !" he said to his mother. "It looks so cool and shady. I wish I could be a mango tree."
His mother smiled and said, "And what will you do if you were a mango tree?"
"I'll give shade to people and animals. I'll have fruits for everyone who visits me."
.......................................
One night, Ashwin was going back home with his mother. He looked up and saw the big lights on the tall lamp-posts.
"How bright and lovely they are, "he said to his mother. "I wish I were a tall street light!"
"Hmm, " said his ,mother with a smile.
"And what will you do if you were a street light?"
"I'll shine brightly and light up the road so no one will be afraid to be out in the dark."
.......................................
Ashwin was watching TV with his mother. He saw a big river flowing past forests and woods, fields and villages.
"What a lot of water ! I wish I were a big river!"
"Oh, my ! And what will you do when you are a river?"
"I' ll flow along forests. I'll water the fields. I'll be a home to fish and turtles. I'll go to places where there's no water and make the people happy."
.......................................
Ashwin's mother thought, " My little boy wants to be so many things to make people happy. But he makes me happy simply because he is Ashwin."
The Lion and the Mouse
A big, strong lion was sleeping in the sun. A little mouse was playing nearby. It ran here and there and between the lion's paws. The lion woke up and caught the mouse in his paw. The little mouse said, "Let me go, please. I shall help you some day."
The lion began to laugh, "I am so big and you are so small. How can you help me? But anyway, I will let you go."
After a few days, the lion was caught in a net. It roared and roared, but the net was too strong. The little mouse heard the lion and ran to help him. It nibbled at the ropes of the net. The ropes began to snap and soon the lion was free.
"Thank you, little friend,"
said the lion.
Simple Simon
Simple Simon met a pieman Going to the fair. says Simple Simon to the pieman, 'Let me taste your ware.'
Says the pieman to Simple Simon, 'Show me first your penny.'
Says Simple Simon to the pieman, 'Indeed I have not any.'
Simple Simon went a-fishing for to catch a whale;
All the Water he had got Was in his mother's pail.
He went for water in a sieve But soon it all fell through;
And now poor Simple Simon Bids you all adieu.
The Sky is Falling !
Chicken Licken is hopping about under the trees.
Chicken Licken : I hop here, and hop there, Any tidbit anywhere ?
Suddenly, a leaf fell on its head.
Chicken Licken : Oh ! Help ! Run ! The sky is falling.
It begins to run. It runs into Henny penny.
Henny penny : Now there ! Why are you running so fast, Chicken Licken ?
Chicken Licken : Run, Henny Penny, run! The sky is falling. A piece of it just fell on my head.
Henny Penny : Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck. What hard luck ! Run fast!
They begin to run. They run into Cocky Locky.
Cocky Locky : Cock-a-doodle-doo ! Where are you off to, Chicken Licken and Henny Penny?
Henny Penny : The sky is falling. A piece of it just fell on Chicken Licken's head. Run, Cocky Locky, run for your life.
Cocky Locky : Goodness me! The sky's falling? Wait! I'm coming.
They begin to run. They all run into Ducky Lucky.
Ducky Lucky : My word ! It's Chicken Licken, Henny Penny and Cocky Locky.
Hey, why are you running?
Cocky Locky : The sky is falling ! A Piece of it just fell on Chicken Licken's head. Run before all of it falls down.
Ducky Lucky : Quack, quack, quack ! I must run to save my back..... Wait for me !
They all begin to run. They run into Goosey Poosey.
Goosey Poosey : Honk, honk ! Oh, dear, dear ! Why are you running in such fear ?
Ducky Lucky : Hurry, Goosey Poosey, run ! Run to save your life. The sky is falling. A piece of it just fell on Chicken Licken's head.
Goosey Poosey : Oh, no ! Dear me !
They all begin to run. They run into Foxy Loxy.
Foxy Loxy: (to himself) I can't believe it. Chicken Licken, Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Ducky Lucky and Goosey Poosey. A big feast for me ! Tasty ! Delicious !
(Aloud) Why are you running ? Where are you going in such a hurry ?
Goosey Poosey : Run, Foxy Loxy, run ! The sky is falling. A piece of it just fell on Chicken Licken's head.
Foxy Loxy : Really ? Don't worry. I will take you to a safe place. Come ! Follow me! Quick !
Foxy Loxy takes them to his cave.
Foxy Loxy : Here ! Get inside ! Quick, quick !
They all rush in. Foxy Loxy shuts them in the cave.
Foxy Loxy : Ha, ha, ha, ha ! I have got you locked inside, you foolish creatures. Now you cannot escape. Some good lip-Smacking meals for me ! Ha, ha, ha .....
Chicken Licken : (Shouting) Help ! Help ! Let us out. Somebody, please help !
Henny Penny : No use shouting.
Cocky Locky : You have got us into trouble.
Ducky Lucky : Now you must get us out.
Goosey Poosey : Oh, what are we to do ?
Chicken Licken : Let me think !
Chicken Licken goes round and round in the cave, thinking hard. He finds a big sheet of cloth.
Chicken Licken : Yes! I have an idea. Wicked Foxy Loxy has tricked us. Now we will also trick him using this sheet.
Chicken Licken whispers to the others. Then, they all huddle together and cover themselves with the sheet. They begin to shout.
All : Help ! Help !
A monster ! There's a monster in the cave ! He is going to eat us all up ! Help ! The monster wants to gobble up all of us.
Foxy Loxy rushes back to the cave.
Foxy Loxy : What ? Who dares eat up my meal ?
Foxy Loxy opens the door of his cave.
He sees a big white shape dancing in the cave.
Foxy Loxy : Who are you ? How did you get in ?
The birds, hiding behind the sheet, rush at Foxy Loxy.
Foxy Loxy is scared. He runs away.
Goosey Poosey : That was a very good idea, Chicken Licken !
👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎
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