Ramendra Kumar on Pitara Kids Network

The Great Escape

Mon, 23 Sep 2002 21:19:40 +0000

On the outskirts of a bustling city near the sea coast was a zoo named Kananvan. It was famous all over the world for its magnificent white tigers, exotic birds and several other rare species.

However, there was one special quality that made the zoo different and about which no human knew. The animals of Kananvan practiced a democracy that is quite rare even in the so-called civilised world. A democracy in a zoo? I’ll explain.

Babolito

Sun, 10 Nov 2002 04:15:30 +0000

Mohanty ma’am was teaching the class five students of Arya Wonderland about similes.

“As beautiful as?” she asked, looking at the students.

“The rose, the Taj Mahal, Aishwarya Rai….” There were several shouts.

“And now, as ugly as?” Mohanty ma’am questioned.

There was a pause then a girl said in a loud and clear voice: “As ugly as Sarita.”

There were a few giggles, a couple of sniggers and then laughter.

Sarita felt herself burning with shame and pain as all eyes turned towards her, bored into her, making her feel exposed. She hid her face in her hands and wept.

Chakram

Sun, 20 Oct 2002 17:57:08 +0000

Chakram was a happy-go-lucky donkey who lived in the Rumpum Jungle. In the brains department he was sadly lacking, even as donkeys go.

But on the scale of contentment he rated very high. He was a happy, carefree sort of fellow who wanted nothing but tender grass to chew on and the shade of a leafy tree under which to laze. And since Rumpum had plenty of both, Chakram was as close to nirvana or salvation as any donkey can get.

A Tale of Tails

Sun, 05 Mar 2000 17:55:47 +0000

Dear reader, I am sure you know that a snake and a mongoose are sworn enemies. They are always ready, willing and waiting to kill each other. But I do not think you know that this wasn’t always the case. Once upon a time, not very long ago, they were the best of friends. Surprised? Let me tell you the full story….
On the foothills of the Himalayas, there was a forest. In one corner of the forest, beside a huge river called Neera, lived a snake and a mongoose. The snake was called Sarpu, while the mongoose was named Mongu.They had grown up in each other’s company, hunting, eating and playing together.

Greed Never Pays

Mon, 18 Dec 2000 14:16:20 +0000

Bhim the elephant and Hanoo the langur lived in the Brindavan Jungle. They were the best of friends. Their friendship had, however, started as a need-based one. You may well wonder what would an elephant and a langur need from each other!

Let me explain. Bhim who lived alone had grown quite old. He was extremely fond of fresh fruits. However, most of the time he was unable to get them. He was beaten by the more agile, younger and nimbler animals like Jeera the giraffe, Hiran the deer, Ghoda the horse and even Gadha the ass. He would get only leftovers which were hardly tasty.

The Spirit of Christmas

Wed, 09 Jan 2002 19:13:43 +0000

Tony counted the notes and coins. He had Rs. 163 in all.

He put the money in his pocket, the money he had saved from his part time job. Today was Christmas eve and he had some important shopping to do.

As he walked towards the market he thought of Christmas eve the previous year. How lovely everything had been. His father, Jacob Kurien, and he had decorated the Christmas tree. He had gone with his mum, Janet and dad to the church to attend the midnight mass.

Gappu – The Brave

Sat, 13 Sep 1997 13:35:52 +0000

In a busy town in south India was a zoo. In it lived a hippopotamus whose name was Gappu. Gappu was a kind and gentle creature who loved children. However the children always made fun of him and this made him very sad. “See how ugly that creature is.”

“Yes, it has such a thick, oily skin and such a horrible face.”

“Isn’t it slow, fat and stupid looking?” The kids would yell to each other making faces at poor Gappu. The hippopotamus would listen to all this and shed silent tears.

Internet in the Jungle

Wed, 04 Jul 2001 21:39:37 +0000

Why are you looking so sad?" Ullu, the wise old owl, asked Kabbu, the white pigeon.

“You too would look sad if you were going to lose your job,” snapped Kabbu.

Kabbu was the head of the Postal Department of their jungle Olango, which was the biggest and most prosperous jungle around. Kabbu and his fleet of 21 pigeons carried letters, parcels, money orders, postal orders, etc., from Olango to the other jungles and back. Their fleet was considered the smartest, fastest and easily the most efficient in all of Jungledom. Kabbu’s Postal Department had won several awards for the quality and the efficiency of its service.

The Beast

Wed, 11 Sep 2002 12:18:10 +0000

Ten-year-old Preeti looked at the computer screen. She had received an email from the editor of the site Natkhat informing her that her story had been accepted for publication. The editor wanted to create Preeti’s home page and had sent her a questionnaire asking her to list out her favourite things.

The very first question was – who is your favourite person?

“Mr. Rajeev Kumar, my papa,” she typed out on the keyboard without any hesitation.

The Grateful One

Sun, 04 Apr 1999 09:37:17 +0000

Appa, how did you become a Police Inspector?" Kartik asked his father. The two of them were sitting in their little garden on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

“Before I tell you that let me tell you a story,” his father said.

“Please Appa make it a long one. Your stories are always very short.”

“Okay son, now listen. This is a tale of a twelve year old boy called Subbu. He was an orphan and he used to work in a Doctor’s house. The Doctor and his wife were kind but their son Ganesh was a real nuisance . He was two years younger to Subbu but would always order him around.

The Survivor

Sun, 10 Mar 2002 05:44:21 +0000

In the Indian ocean was a tiny island, no more than a mere speck on the globe. It was called Aranya. Its people were ruled by a wise and brave chief called Parvat. He was 60 years old.

There was a beautiful garden right in the middle of the island. It was dotted with lush green trees bearing delicious fruits and beautiful flowers of every imaginable colour.

Once a year on the first full moon night after the rains, the people of Aranya worshipped their deity, Bhumidev. On that occasion the chief would visit the garden and select the most beautiful flower. This flower was then offered to Bhumidev.

Fairy Tale Country

Mon, 27 Apr 1998 09:57:59 +0000

Anjali got up. Her grandmother was still asleep. It was quite bright outside. ‘It must be eight. Why hasn’t Naani got up?’ she thought to herself. She placed her hand on her naani’s forehead. It felt warm.

“Naani,” Anjali softly whispered in her ear. Naani opened her eyes and looked around. “Oh my! You will be late child. I am sorry I should have got up earlier,” she said attempting to get up.

“Take it easy Naani,” said Anjali, placing her hand on Naani’s arm. “There is no hurry. Last night’s khichdi is there. I’ll have that and go. You take rest. I think you have fever.”

Manohar Learns a Lesson

Wed, 07 Mar 2001 23:24:47 +0000

Hey look! Langdu has come in a colour dress today. Must be his birthday,"
Manohar sniggered.

“Happy Birthday, langdu!” Manohar’s gang chorused and Varun’s face
turned red with embarrassment. He had hoped that at least on his birthday Manohar and his friends would spare him.

Varun and Manohar were class five students of Digvijay Public School. Varun had fallen down the staircase when he was a toddler and had twisted his ankle. As a result of this injury he had developed a permanent limp. This made him an ideal target for everyone to poke fun at.

Toy Gang

Fri, 08 May 1998 08:23:00 +0000

Nina got down from the school bus and looked around. Sarala was nowhere to be seen. She was surprised. This had never happened before. Sarala would always be standing at the bus stop waiting for Nina. The moment she saw Nina she would rush forward, give her a big hug, take the school bag in one hand and grasping Nina’s hand in the other, start walking.

“Nina how was your day? Did Rahul tease you today? How is your new English teacher, Moushami maam? How much homework do you have?” she would badger her with questions.