Swapna Dutta on Pitara Kids Network

Do You Like Fruits?

Wed, 01 Aug 2001 14:23:37 +0000

Apples in the winter time
Chikoos in the fall
Mangoes in the summer time
I like it best of all!

Oranges and kinnows bright
Sugar-cane so sweet
Melons and the juicy grape
All of them – a treat!

How the Moon was Created

Tue, 16 Oct 2001 13:28:03 +0000

Long long ago when the world was just created there was just the sun but no moon. So there was just day with the sun shining brightly all the time. The sun did not set. So there was no night. People worked until they were too tired to work any more. There was no set time for work or a fixed time for rest.

One day the creator of the world came to visit it. He saw men working in fields.

My Garden

Sat, 06 Jan 2001 17:15:59 +0000

There’s a garden in my house
A garden full of flowers
I love to be there all the time
And spend just hours and hours

There are roses, every kind
And lilies in the pool
Sunflowers looking trim and bright
And jasmines white and cool.

There’s a lawn of velvet grass
So soft and oh so green
Like a carpet beneath my feet
The nicest I have seen.

Monu Makes his Mark

Sun, 24 Nov 2002 06:05:27 +0000

Monu the mongoose crawled out of the ditch in the back garden. His mother was already out with his three little brothers. They had long bodies with short legs. They had bushy tails and tiny ears. And they had bright eyes, which shone like beads.

They did things fast. They were already good hunters like their mother. But Monu was not smart like his brothers. He didn’t like chasing mice and garden rats like they did. He didn’t even like to go for frogs and lizards. And he disliked snakes most of all! His brothers laughed at him. “Little coward!” they teased, “Poor frightened baby!”

Parrots in My Garden

Wed, 29 Aug 2001 10:57:26 +0000

When it’s early morning
Before it’s really light
A flock of parrots flies across
Looking trim and bright

They swoop down on the juicy grams
Which I love to throw
They are not afraid of me
The way they come and go!

Soon my lawn is clean and clear
Of every little grain

And then the parrots leave the place
To fly back once again.

Have You Seen the Cuckoo Bird?

Fri, 23 Jun 2000 21:27:22 +0000

Have you seen the cuckoo bird
With raven-coloured wing?
Although I haven’t seen one yet
I’ve often heard her sing.

The cuckoo on our champak tree
Is hidden from our sight
Because the leaves are thick and close
But how she sings at night!

‘Cuckoo… cuckoo’ says the bird
‘I may be dark, it’s true
But there is not a single bird
That sings the way I do!’

Roses

Mon, 21 Aug 2000 15:52:13 +0000

Roses in the winter time
Roses in the fall
The roses in my garden
Are the nicest of them all

Some prefer the jasmines
The champaks on the tree
Or the lilies in the pool
But it’s the rose for me!

The wild roses climbing up the wall
Which hang in clusters white
The sprawling bush of roses pink
Which looks so trim and bright

Haroo, the Croc

Wed, 19 Sep 2001 13:49:34 +0000

Here’s a lazy crocodile
Snoozing on the bank
He is quick at catching prey
So do keep off his tank!

His skin is rough, his teeth so sharp
And he is moody too
So don’t annoy or throw him stones
And take care what you do!

Sparrows

Tue, 11 Jan 2000 00:17:09 +0000

Sparrows [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

Sparrows on the mango tree
Sparrows on the grass
Sparrows on the windowsill
And on my looking glass!

Sparrows on the gravel path
And on the garden chair
Sparrows by the lily-pool
You find them everywhere!

The Fleeting Deer

Thu, 05 Jul 2001 21:52:18 +0000

The deer runs fast
With nimble feet
By lucky chance
You may just meet!

Sweet deer, do pause
Beneath the tree-
Won’t you please
Make friends with me?

The Fleeting Deer [Illustration by Anup Singh]

The Court Jester and the Hilsa Fish

Sat, 15 Sep 2001 17:39:29 +0000

Maharaja Krishna Chandra was the king of Bengal during the middle ages. It was customary for kings in those days to patronise talented people. So every king had his own court poets, artists, singers, town planners, architects and what have you. And plenty of ministers to advise him on different matters.

And every king had a court jester. The jester was a very important person for his ability to make people laugh and feel happy. Solving the problems of the kingdom and dealing carefully with rival kings meant a lot of tension. So he needed someone to make his tension lighter with his jokes – and help him with unexpected advice where no one else could help. That was the job of the court jester.

Sunflowers

Fri, 05 Jan 2001 01:03:05 +0000

Sunflower, sunflower, I love you
You look so gay and bright

Sunflower, sunflower, I love you
You make me think of light

When I see your cheerful face
I want to dance and sing

Sunflower, sunflower I love you
You make me think of spring!

The Jester and the Straw Roof

Thu, 13 Sep 2001 04:35:00 +0000

And every king had a court jester. The jester was a very important person for his ability to make people laugh and feel happy. The king had a lot of serious work to do, lots of difficult problems to solve and deal carefully with rival kings! It meant a lot of tension. So he needed someone to make his tension lighter with his jokes. And help him with unexpected advice where no one else could help.

Tiger King

Sun, 25 Feb 2001 04:51:18 +0000

Oh tiger, you’re so regal
Majestic and tall
With your bright and stripe-y coat
You look the king of all!

Oh tiger, you’re so handsome
Your cubs are lovely too
They say, the cat’s an aunt of yours-
Do tell me, is this true?

Tiger King [Illustration by Anup Singh]

The Fearless Rhino

Tue, 16 Jan 2001 00:37:29 +0000

The rhino looks so fierce and strong
He has a pointed spear
His skin is rough and oh so tough
He knows not what is fear!

Do you want to meet him too?
Go eastward – if you care
Kaziranga is the name
You’re sure to find him there!

The Fearless Rhino [Illustration by Anup Singh]

Swinging Monkey

Sat, 03 Feb 2001 02:50:21 +0000

Look up there
And you will see
The monkeys swinging
From the tree

I like the way
They jump and flee –
Now, do they want
Some nuts from me?

Swinging Monkey [Illustration by Sudeer Nath]

The Shop at the Corner

Sat, 03 Feb 2001 11:59:14 +0000

Butter and bread,
Needle and thread;
Sweets and candy,
Yellow and red.

Ice-creams, chocolates,
Bells that ring;
Music – which you’d
Love to sing.

Books and biscuits,
Dolls and toys;
I keep them all,
For girls and boys!

The Shop at the Corner [Illustration by Anup Singh]

The Jester and the Stranger's Language

Wed, 17 Jan 2001 22:16:10 +0000

Naughty Kit

Mon, 29 Jan 2001 12:39:57 +0000

Minty is a naughty kit
Tell her ‘stand’ – she’s sure to sit
She laps up milk without a trace
But give her curds, she’ll turn her face!

Minty is a naughty kit
Tell her ‘come’ and she’ll just quit
Tell her ‘Run!’ – she’ll sleep all day
Call her – and she’ll run away!

Naughty Kit [Illustration by Anup Singh]

Fluff, the Cat

Sat, 16 Jun 2001 09:16:35 +0000

Fluff, the cat is my own pet
She’s cuddle-y and so soft
She loves to feast on fish and milk
And snooze upon the loft.

Fluff is bright and really smart
And so alert all day
When she prowls around the house
The mice just run away!

Fluff, the Cat [Illustration by Anup Singh]

Rip my Puppy

Fri, 16 Mar 2001 08:37:39 +0000

Rip my puppy is so smart
He loves a bounce-y ball
I love to see him run and jump
And rush back at my call!

I miss him so when I’m at school
And Rip is far away
He jumps with joy when I return
And we rush off to play.

Rip my Puppy [Illustration by Anup Singh]

The White Flowers

Wed, 31 Jan 2001 09:13:22 +0000

I love the snow-white jasmines
I love the tube rose too

The champaks are so lovely
I’ll share them all with you!

They do not boast of colours
They are not bright to see

But they fill the place with fragrance
And bloom for you and me!

The White Flowers [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

The Spider on the Wall

Sun, 18 Feb 2001 21:26:20 +0000

Spider, spider on the wall

Some are big and some are small

In their web they quietly lie

And pounce upon the moving fly!

The Spider on the Wall [Illustration by Anup Singh]

My Squirrel Friend

Mon, 04 Dec 2000 06:03:08 +0000

Have you seen my little friend?
I call him nimble-feet
Because he moves so swift and fast
Is nimble – and discreet!

He runs away with all my nuts
And yet is never caught
His striped coat is ever bright
And clean – without a spot

My Squirrel Friend [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

He helps himself to all my things
Which I would never lend
And yet I cannot do without
My frisky squirrel-friend!

The Whopping Hippo

Fri, 11 May 2001 14:19:56 +0000

The hippo loves the waterside
Where it can bathe and swim and glide
And all the little fishes there
Swim away and cry – ‘beware’!

The hippo loves to laze all day
And snooze the winter noon away
He’s never cold, for don’t you see
He needs no quilt like you and me?

The Whopping Hippo [Illustration by Anup Singh]

The Lily Pool

Fri, 11 Feb 2000 08:30:27 +0000

The Lily Pool []

We have a little lily pool
With lilies pink and white
And though they look so fresh by day
They mostly bloom at night

The leaves are round and dusky green
With an edge that often curls
And when there’s water on the leaves
They look like drops of pearls

Come and see our lily pool
And sit there – like I do
See the lilies blooming bright
I know you’ll love them too!

Joking with the Goddess

Fri, 22 Sep 2000 11:39:52 +0000

Gopal was in great pain. A big battle seemed to be raging in his stomach. Of course, there was nothing unusual about this. With his weakness for good food — sweets in particular — he often did overeat and this was the inevitable result. As long as the pain lasted, Gopal was full of remorse, and made wild promises to eat moderately, but all were forgotten the moment he was well.

This time the pain was worse than anything he had ever experienced before. “It must have been the fish,” Gopal said aloud. “I thought it did not look fresh.”

The Three Kittens

Sun, 06 Feb 2000 07:52:41 +0000

The white cat said, ‘I’m fair as snow’
The black cat said, ‘I shine!’
The tabby said, ‘well, that’s alright
But the bowl of cream is MINE!’

The black cat said, ‘I’m warm as wool’
The white said, ‘I’m like silk!’
The tabby said, ‘say what you will,
I’m off to drink that milk!’

The Three Kittens [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

Take me Too

Mon, 07 Dec 1998 18:51:02 +0000

Oh camel with a humpy back
Do take me for a ride
You’re so strong! For don’t you cross
The sandy desert wide?

Take me too when you go next
For I would love to see
The desert and an oasis
Which are unknown to me!

Take me Too [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

The Wonder Elephants

Sat, 03 Feb 2001 18:18:47 +0000

Ramu plays at football
While Shyamu rings the bell
They make the circus lively –
We clap our hands and yell!

Ramu is so clever
And Shyamu is so free
They’re the wonder elephants
Whom people come to see.

The Wonder Elephants [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]