Story on Pitara Kids Network

Long bony fingers

Sun, 23 Mar 2003 17:18:47 +0000

Somu loved to read ghost stories. Every time he paid a visit to the library, he got back a teeth-chattering horror tale. It was a signal that he was getting ready to play a scary trick on his friends. He was 10 years old.

His parents had learnt to recognise the signs now. The days on which the slim boy’s cocker spaniel eyes shone brighter than ever, and his brown wavy hair seemed to have a movement of their own, they knew that he must have read a ghost tale and was hatching a plot to scare someone.

Go For It, Bablu!

Fri, 07 Feb 2003 01:20:48 +0000

It happened on the day school started after a heavenly two months of summer holidays. Shankar refused to wake up at 6 am. He wanted to dream more about his visit to his grandparents’ home. They lived in the picturesque city of Mysore in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. He particularly wanted to remember his two trips to the Bandipur National Park. It was a magical forest in the shade of the Nilgiri mountains which always seemed to have their heads in the clouds! Shankar had been lucky to see the stately Asian elephant, the Mugger crocodile, the four-horned antelope, and the leopard. The tiger had been elusive. “Next time,” Shankar told himself happy at the thought.

A Friend in Need

Tue, 06 May 2003 06:54:12 +0000

It happened not very long ago. But when you’re a snail, days move at snail’s pace, too. So, if you were to ask our friend the snail when this happened, she’d tell you, it was y-e-ars ago…

Well, to get on with our story. In the shade of a cool, damp log, snoozed a shy snail. She wasn’t alone in her cosy home, oh no. She had company. There was a slug the snail called Cousin Glug because, you see, snails and slugs are part of the same family. Now, since they both lived on land, they didn’t know, of course, that they had other cousins in the ocean!

My Trip to Nainital

Mon, 25 May 1998 23:16:50 +0000

Satyanshu Mohan is student St. Joseph’s Intermediate College at Allahabad and is studying in class four. Here he recounts his trip to Nainital with his family.

Nainital is a beautiful hill station in Himalayas. My father is very fond of Nainital. This year we went just after Deepawali to Nainital on a short trip. There is no direct suitable connection by train to Nainital from Allahabad so we first went to Rampur and then from there we took a train to Kathgodam.

Bhoja's Eagle

Mon, 25 May 2020 00:30:00 +0000

Bhoja lived in the terai. The terai is the region at the foot of the Himalayas where the grasses grow tall, and the forest is thick.

Bhoja loved the forest. He knew the birds and beasts that lived there. He knew the trees where the honeybees built their huge combs, and the caves where the bats hung upside down.

He liked to sit by the pond where the sarus cranes waded, and the deer came when they were thirsty. And he loved the pool where the frogs croaked all day.

What Freedom means to me...

Mon, 03 May 1999 15:30:18 +0000

Freedom means many things to many people. When we spoke to some children in the age group of 8 to 14, we were amazed to learn the different meanings they gave to that one word ‘freedom’. Here they put their ideas exactly the way their thoughts arose in their minds…

Radhika Jain (8 years)

“I don’t have to study.”
“Being able to watch my favourite channel Star Plus, Cartoon Network whenever I like.”
“Cycling in the morning instead of going to school.”

My Robot Robbi

Thu, 22 Feb 2001 12:38:07 +0000

Have you ever seen a robot? No?
Meet my robot friend and philosopher, Robbi. To be precise, its name is Robbi-999XHA.

You may wonder what is Robbi-999XHA. Just as cars, washing machines or xerox machines are of different models with different names, does this strange name also indicate something similar? Yes, you’re absolutely right! It is a particular domestic model of a robot. 999 stands for the year of its make — 1999, X stands for deluxe model, and HA is for home appliance.

An Unforgetful Trip

Sun, 04 May 2003 22:43:03 +0000

The Thunderbirds – This was the name that Namrata, Pooja, Kajari, Latika, Ayesha, Moni, Geetika, Ritu, Parul and Priyanka had given to their gang of 10. Everyone in St. Anna Girls’ School knew them. They were always seen together.

“Guys!!!!! The list of places for the mid-term trip has been put up on the notice board,” announced Namrata, who in her excitement had got up on a chair to grab everyone’s attention.

That did it. What had been an orderly classroom a few seconds earlier was now an empty class. The entire class had dashed off to see the announcement on the notice board.

The Puppy that wanted to Play

Fri, 17 May 2002 07:10:16 +0000

Bruno, the little, brown puppy wanted to play! He needed a friend.

“Come play with me!” said Bruno to the white cow.

“No! No! No!” replied the white cow, shaking her head. “I have work to do. I
have to give milk for Tinnu and Minnu. Milk for their family, too. Go away. I
have WORK to do! MOOOOOOOOO!”

The Puppy that wanted to Play [Illustrations by Shiju George]

Bruno went to the brown cock.

Durga Puja in Calcutta

Tue, 30 Apr 1996 09:53:31 +0000

Durga Puja in Calcutta [Illustration by Shiju George]

Durga Puja is the biggest festival in Bengal. We celebrate this puja very nicely in our city. We look forward to Durga Puja every year It is a joyous occasion for all of us. In Calcutta, Durga Puja is a wonderful celebration. Being vacation time, we enjoy ourselves very much.

Durga Puja usually lasts for five days. It begins with ‘Shashti’ and ends with “Dashami”. In our locality, we decorate the ‘pandal’ (tent) very nicely . The Honourable Minister of Transport comes for the inauguration of the Puja to our locality . Every year I go with my parents and my sister to visit the pandal and worship the image of the Goddess Durga.

Toys For a Big Boy

Mon, 05 May 2003 11:48:53 +0000

Ronit Subramanian was seven years old and he was the tallest student in his class. It made him feel very proud. But when he remembered some of the things he used to do as a small kid, he felt a little shy. He wished his mother would not tell those stories to her friends again and again.

Last week his mother’s old school friend had come to see her. They were meeting after 10 years. Ronit was just back from school but his ears pricked up when he heard his mother say in that goofy tone, “You know what my Ronit used to do as a baby? He used to think everything and everyone was a part of the Subramanian family. So he would call the refrigerator ‘frig Subramanian. And he would call the doggy that curled up on our doormat outside ‘doggy Subramanian’”. Ronit heard his mother’s friend say, “cho chweeeet” and he ran out of the house – without any lunch. “I wish mother would not do these things,” he said for the thousandth time.

Limits of the Mind

Fri, 13 Dec 2002 06:33:35 +0000

Ekalavya was a little boy, born in a poor family, many many years ago. His people lived a little away from Hastinapura, the capital of the Kuru kings. They used to clean other people’s dirt for a profession.

And for this reason they were shunned by society. Ekalavya and other kids of his group knew they too had to follow their parents’ professions.

Their parents often told them, “You are not meant to go to school. What use is school for carrying garbage which is your only job?”

The Boy with a Catapult

Thu, 21 Sep 2000 16:19:33 +0000

Our class at school has an odd assortment of boys. There was Harbans Lal who, when asked a difficult question, would take a sip out of his inkpot because he believed it sharpened his wits. If the teacher boxed his ears he would yell, “Help! Murder!” so loudly that teachers and boys from other classes would come running to see what had happened. This caused much embarrassment to the teacher. If the teacher tried to cane him, he would put his arms round him and implore, “Forgive me, Your Majesty! You are like Akbar the Great. You Emperor Ashoka. You are my father, my grandfather, my great grandfather.”

The Good Turn

Sun, 30 Mar 2003 09:09:35 +0000

Every time Gina walked down the lane where she lived, some neighbour or the other would remark that ‘The Brat’ was off to some place.

The six-year-old was the only child of her parents and they spoilt her totally. Even when she was a small child, her parents had never refused her anything. And she, in turn, always made sure that she got what she wanted.

One day Gina’s mother, Nitya Mehta, suddenly noticed that her daughter was not ready to share anything with her friends – be it a book, a toy or something to eat.

The Butterfly in a Bottle

Sat, 02 Nov 2002 23:43:58 +0000

Poltu was wide awake in his bed. He had had a marvellous dream in which he had won the football match in the inter-school competition. He was getting ready to receive the trophy when the alarm rang. So loudly that it jarred him awake.

But Poltu wasn’t too unhappy at the intrusion. He ran straight to his study table. There, in an empty jam bottle, was the treasure. A colourful little butterfly. How difficult it had been to catch it. It had kept flying away from his grasp. But catch it he did. Without a net, too. And now it was going to be part of his biology project in school.

Tansen – The Magical Musician

Sun, 10 Jun 2001 15:16:12 +0000

Almost exactly in the centre of India is a town called Gwalior. In this town is the tomb of Tansen, one of the greatest musicians that ever lived.
Next to his beautifully carved stone tomb stands a little tamarind tree. It is believed that by eating a leaf of this tree and touching the tomb, a singer can improve his voice.

If this sounds like magic, the story of Tansen is equally magical. Even today, many famous musicians follow the style of music created by Tansen known as the “Gwalior Gharana”.

Guddu's Lucky Day

Mon, 13 Jan 2003 16:19:52 +0000

The sun shone through Gayatri’s window. It teased her eyelids open. She yawned, stretched and got out of bed – things she had done a thousand times before. For Gayatri, today began like any other day.

Gayatri Verma was a bright, 12-year-old girl with sparkling eyes and dimpled smile. She was an eighth grade student in a local school, forever praying to God for a new bicyle. She hated travelling in a school bus. After all she was big enough to ride the bike on busy streets. But who would make her mother understand?

Shaikh Chilli

Tue, 16 May 2000 20:16:03 +0000

Long, long ago, there lived a simpleton whose name was Shaikh Chilli. Because of his stupid but innocent actions, he was popular among his friends. They enjoyed his company.

One day, the village zamindar (landlord) sent for him. This landlord was well-known for his dishonesty. He asked Shaikh Chilli to count all the houses in the village. He promised to pay him at the rate of twenty paisa per house.

Poor Shaikh Chilli worked hard for many hours, walking through the streets and lanes. By evening, he had given the total number of houses to the zamindar and received payment.

The Special Prize

Thu, 03 Oct 1996 10:11:41 +0000

What a naughty boy! He deserves to be thrashed. I have also received reports of his getting into fights with other boys. Send for him. “Mohan! Hey Mohan!” the headmaster shouted for the chowkidar. Mohan guessed from the growl in the voice that the headmaster was very angry. He rushed in and asked apprehensively, “Yes, Sir?”

“Hurry and get Tapan of class V,” the headmaster ordered.

Let me introduce the reader to the boy named Tapan. He is the second son of Ratan the clerk of Padumani village. Although rather thin, he is strong, somewhat dark and has bright eyes. He is quite good at his studies. But both at home and outside, there is no end of his pranks. He is always getting into trouble. But it must be admitted that he is never the first to pick a quarrel. But if anybody offends him he never hesitates to give as good as he gets. He is the leader of his age group and is always ready to take up the cudgels on their behalf. He is popular and respected by his companions.

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.

The Three Butterflies

Mon, 11 Jun 2001 02:20:40 +0000

Neeli, Peeli and Lali were three brothers. And they were butterflies. The most handsome butterflies in all the land, and best friends, too. Their mother, Rangberangi, had taught them all they knew. She told them many things, “But”, she said, “the most important thing of all to remember is that you must always depend on and support each other. Together, you will be stronger than the Sun, Wind and Rain combined even though you fly on delicate gossamer wings. Individually you are just ordinary butterflies, weak and fragile. So never let each other down.”

The Wedding Chain

Sat, 21 Dec 2002 11:42:10 +0000

Mother always wore her wedding chain. She wore it indoors and outdoors, she even wore it in the bath. She never ever took it off. It was a gift to her from father. His eyes shone with tender love when he had brought her to his home after their marriage, and put it around her neck.

It had been made-to-order to a special design that father gave to the goldsmith. The chain had bits of twisted gold interspersed with five black beads, followed by another bit of twisted gold chain.

It All Began with Drip Drip

Sun, 28 Mar 1999 20:45:12 +0000

A tiger was caught in a storm, he had wandered into the fields looking for something to eat. He huddled close to the wall of Naini’s hut for shelter. Naini was an ill-tempered old woman who lived on the outskirts of the village. She was feeling especially ill-tempered that day, because her roof leaked badly.

“This drip-drip!” she muttered, pushing her tin trunks and bed from place to place to keep them dry. “Is there no escape?” She slammed the bed against a trunk, picked up a small wooden box and shoved it against the wall. The wall shook.

The Magic Painting

Thu, 23 Aug 2001 20:16:36 +0000

Once upon a time there was a person who loved to paint. His name was Ankit. One day he made a painting. He loved it so much that he made it his masterpiece.

That night when he slept, an angel came and blessed his painting that it should come alive.

He was always lonely. He always wanted a companion to talk to and share his work and secrets. Next morning when he woke up he heard some sounds near his painting. When he looked at the painting he was shocked that it was talking! He thought that his wish had come true.

Granny’s Fabulous Kitchen

Mon, 23 Apr 2001 03:27:04 +0000

This story is from the book The Adventures of Rusty. Rusty is a 12-year-old boy, and as you read on, you might think that he is very much a part of you! The book has two sections, and Granny’s Fabulous Kitchen is the beginning of the first section.
As kitchens went, it wasn’t all that big. It wasn’t as big as the bedroom or the living-room, but it was big enough, and there was a pantry next to it. What made it fabulous was all that came out of it; good things to eat like kababs and curries, chocolate fudge and peanut toffee, jellies and gulab jamuns, meat-pies and apple-pies, stuffed turkeys, stuffed chickens, stuffed eggplants, and ham stuffed with chickens!
Granny was the best cook in the world.

A Train Adventure of Wild Animals

Fri, 30 Mar 2001 02:06:40 +0000

An empty goods train was speeding through a jungle. Up front, in the engine, was the driver and at the back, in the last compartment, was the guard. Apart from them, the entire train was empty.

A goods train carries goods. Like logs of wood, or boxes of chocolate – ummm, even cars and jeeps. But this train had been carrying coal. It had brought coal from a mine in Dhanbad in Bihar for a thermal power station in Delhi called “Badarpur”. After unloading all the coal in Delhi, the empty train was going back, to get more coal.

A Baby Lion Learns To Roar

Thu, 05 Feb 1998 00:33:35 +0000

Once upon a time, in a faraway jungle, there lived a Papa Lion with his son, a cute and cuddly Little baby Lion. Papa Lion loved him very much. But he was also very worried. The baby Lion had still not learnt to roar. For that matter he could not even growl.

One day Papa Lion decided to appoint a tutor to teach his son how to roar. He asked Jackknife, the Jackal, to be his son’s tutor. The next morning Mr. Jackknife bathed, shaved, dressed up smartly and came over to the lion’s cave. The baby Lion had never seen such an interesting tutor.

Waiting for the Rain

Sat, 15 Dec 2001 23:13:10 +0000

I hope it rains at least today," Velu thought, as he opened his eyes. Velu was a farmer.

The sun was beginning to rise, glowing crimson like fire. Velu scanned the sky. There was not a cloud.

“It doesn’t look encouraging,” he muttered to himself and got up.

Rain or no rain, a farmer wakes up early. Velu worked hard. His piece of land never failed him. Season after season he cultivated it, harvesting jowar one season and dal the next. Throughout the year he worked, never thinking of rest or taking a holiday. For nearly six years it had been so, ever since he had got his own piece of land.

The Three Pals

Tue, 22 Oct 2002 18:07:30 +0000

Oops, Oh and OK were pals.

One day, Oops got visitors – uncle Silly and cousin Funny.

Uncle Silly said, “What about some ice creams?”

Oops said “Oops!” Oh said “oh!” and uncle Silly thought they didn’t want ice cream.

He said. “We won’t go”.

Cousin Funny said “I’ll screammmmm!!!” so they all went for ice creams.

His name should be Punny not Funny, no?

Oops, Oh and OK dropped ice cream all over their shorts and T-shirts. Ugh-Yucky-Sticky.

The Man who Saved the Moon

Tue, 22 Aug 2000 15:00:01 +0000

A kind-hearted man, looking down into a well, saw the reflection of the moon in the water.

“Oh! My God! The moon has fallen into the well,” he muttered mournfully and hurried to fetch a hook tied to the end of a long rope.

Quickly, he let the hook fall deep into the well, holding fast to the rope.

The hook hit the water and, reaching the bottom of the well, caught fast to a stone.

The Tiger and the Dried Persimmons

Sat, 06 May 2000 10:05:50 +0000

There was once a small and sleepy village, surrounded by mountains on all sides.

A tiger lived on the mountain behind the village. Whenever he climbed to the top of the mountain and roared, the people in the village trembled with fright.

On a winter night, when all the world seemed to be covered with snow, the tiger climbed down. He had not eaten for several days and was very, very, very hungry.

The Tiger and the Dried Persimmons [Illustrations: Kusum Chamoli]

As he was desperately looking for food, he came near the window of a house. A lamp was flickering inside.

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!”

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.

Juan Tamad and the Flea-Killer

Tue, 25 Apr 2000 18:50:32 +0000

One weakness leads to another. So it was with Juan Tamad’s laziness. As his body was lazy, so was his mind. Truth being often hard to tell, he took recourse to lies, which came easy to him. Telling lies became his second nature.

One day his mother sent him to town to buy a cooking pot. It so happened that the townspeople were afflicted by fleas. Nobody knew where they came from. They crawled up one’s legs and body and lodged themselves in the hair until one itched like mad. It was horrible.

Adal-Badal: The Exchange

Fri, 24 Aug 2001 11:30:56 +0000

It was the hour of twilight on the day of the Holi festival. A group of village boys, gathered under a neem tree, were playing, throwing dust at one another.

Amrit and Isab came walking arm-in-arm and joined them. Both were wearing new clothes stitched that very day, identical in every respect: colour, size and material. The boys were in the same class, at the same school and lived in houses facing each other at the corner of the street. The boys’ parents were farmers owning about the same size of holdings and occasionally had to borrow money from the moneylender to tide over difficult times. In short, the two boys had everything in common except that Amrit had both parents living and three brothers, whereas Isab had only his father.

Excerpts from Snake Trouble

Wed, 10 Oct 2001 22:23:11 +0000

Grandmother was tolerant of most of his pets, but she drew the line at reptiles. Even a sweet-tempered lizard made her blood run cold. There was little chance that she would allow a python in the house.
“It will strangle you to death!” she cried.

“Nonsense,” said Grandfather. “He’s only a young fellow.”

“He’ll soon get used to us,” I added, by way of support.

“Lock that awful thing in the bathroom,” she said.

Excerpts from Snake Trouble [Illustrations by Mickey Patel]

“Go and find the man you bought it from, give him twenty rupees or twice as much, and get him to come here and collect it! He can keep the money you gave him.”

The Popular Student

Fri, 20 Sep 2002 21:03:50 +0000

Just how popular was Mini? Very. Every year, her classmates voted her as the favourite student. She was easy to get along with and great company. The number of friends she had by far outnumbered those of anyone else in her group.

One day the 10-year-old was caught yakkety-yakking in the class and ordered to stay back as punishment. Staying back meant doing something ‘useful’, like helping in the garden or library after school.

Now the school in which Mini studied had a rule of sorts. Once a month, you could interchange your punishment schedule with someone else. If you had something else to do the day you were punished, you could ask a friend to stand in for you. Of course, you had to return the favour, but in that same month itself. Otherwise the favour cancelled itself out.

Where is Manbhavan?

Fri, 01 Nov 2002 06:25:21 +0000

“Where’s Manbhavan?” Nitya cried. Her pudgy face showed great surprise.

“Where is Manbhavan?” repeated Bhavna, peering into Nitya’s cupboard. The cardboard box in which he lived was wide open – and – absolutely empty! Bhavna gingerly picked up the blouses and skirts that lay arranged in neat piles on the shelf and poked around them with a hesitant finger. “Hmm – he’s not here, that’s for sure,” she said.

“My cupboard was shut!” Nitya cried indignantly. “Someone stole him – or, deliberately let him go. I’m going to report it!”

A Town Called Boring

Tue, 20 Nov 2001 00:47:49 +0000

Once upon a time in India,there was a town called Boring. It was by the side of Dull Lake. The people of Boring never smiled; they did not know how to — Whether it was grownups or children.

All the children ever did was study. They studied in school all day. On returning home they got busy with homework and with revision for class tests in school. No one played any games — there were no playgrounds in the town.

What's in a Name?

Wed, 30 Oct 2002 11:53:16 +0000

There were two things in the world that Ghagra Geeta Bali hated. The first was the way Rani, the domestic help, combed her hair. Rani said she combed hard to make sure that there was no lice or dandruff in her hair. But she did it with such force that Ghagra Geeta Bali feared it would remove bits of her scalp, as well.

The second was, you guessed it, her name. She hated her name so much that she prayed to god every night: Dear god, let me die and be born again. So I too can have a name like Rita or Preeti or Mina or Koel. A short, smart one-word name.

The Stamp Album

Fri, 19 May 2000 00:51:38 +0000

Rajappa sensed a sudden drop in his popularity. For the past three days everyone had been crowding around Nagarajan.

Rajappa tried to tell them that Nagarajan had become swollen headed, but no one paid any attention to him. For Nagarajan was generous in sharing the stamp album his uncle had sent from Singapore. The boys gathered around Nagarajan and devoured the album with their eyes till the school-bell rang for the morning class; they hovered round him at lunch-break and in the evening invaded his house.

Sadako’s Cranes

Tue, 06 Nov 2001 11:07:11 +0000

The atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima ten years ago. I lived a mile away from the city so nothing much happened to me, though the city and its people were burnt. The bomb didn’t do anything to me — so I thought for ten years.

I love running. A few months ago, while I was practising for a relay event, I felt dizzy. I thought it was only because I was tired. Then a few weeks after that, I fell down in the field and couldn’t get up. The teachers rushed me to the hospital and the doctors found I had leukemia — a sort of blood cancer. This was one of the things that the bomb gave us.

The Rainbow

Mon, 03 Dec 2001 14:18:25 +0000

Out in the lush, green garden Binnu chased the multi-coloured butterflies which flitted from flower to flower.

Plants take root easily during the monsoon and with plenty of water to nourish them, new sprouts appear.

The Rainbow [Translated by:Mala Singh]

Suddenly there was a flash of lightening.

Soon, the sky was completely overcast and it begun to rain.
Binnu and his mother sheltered in the verandah and watched the rain.

Double it up!

Wed, 02 Oct 2002 06:37:23 +0000

Raju and Savitri lived in Tanjore in the state of Tamil Nadu. Raju worked in the rice fields of a local landlord or zamindar for six months a year. In turn, he received four sacks of rice as salary. He would then sell three of them in the local market and keep one sack for himself for food.

At the local market he would exchange the rice for vegetables, flour, and groceries. Savitri would do the cooking and washing and look after the home.

The Price of Pride

Mon, 15 Oct 2001 06:28:51 +0000

This is one story from the book “The Best Thirteen: A collection of the best stories from 13 languages of India”.

You know that a pearl can be so valuable that it is said to be without price. Pearls are formed inside oysters who live on the ocean-bed inside their shells. This is the story of one such oyster.

This oyster was very pleased with himself because he believed that he was the most important creature in the world. Of course, the silkworm was quite useful too, but silk did not fetch the same price as pearls, so the oyster felt that he had good reason to think well of himself.

Lonely Kalu

Mon, 16 Sep 2002 05:27:58 +0000

Kalu was the only son of a farmer and his wife.

“I wish I had a brother or a sister, to play with,” he told his parents one day. “Everyone has a brother or a sister. I don’t like it when the children who come to play with me, on our farm, go back to their homes at night.”

“Don’t be silly,” said his father. “Their parents love them and want them back.”

But his words had some effect, because within a year, the farmer and his wife were blessed with twin girls. But Kalu was still unhappy. “I’m fond of my baby sisters,” said Kalu. “They are too small to play with me, just yet. Mother is busy with them, as they take up too much of her time. I’m lonely and bored.”

A Verbal Trade

Thu, 26 Apr 2001 02:15:03 +0000

One evening, an old man was passing through a village. From the interior of a small house, he heard a sweet, melodious voice singing. He stood outside on the road till the song ended. Then he went near the house and looked inside. The singer was a small girl. He patted her affectionately and gave her a gold mohur.

The girl’s father, Mohan, who was standing nearby, was delighted at the unexpected present. He snatched the gold mohur from his daughter’s hand. As soon as the old man turned to leave, Mohan shouted, “Wait, what about the rest of my dues?”

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.

Nine of Ten

Thu, 21 Dec 2000 13:49:00 +0000

Once, in a dry desert, a man was urging ten camels forward to a water pool. After walking a few miles, he mounted one of the camels and counted the rest. He counted nine of them, then immediately dismounted and walked back in search of the lost one.
Seeing no sign of any camel, he thought he had lost it. He discontinued the search and hurried back to the camels, grieved and dismayed. There, to his great joy, he found all ten of them. Happily he mounted one, and after a while he thought of counting them once more.

The Magical Sunglasses

Thu, 22 Feb 2001 15:52:05 +0000

It was a hot summer afternoon during the holidays and Ma was taking a nap. Deepak was bored. He came upon a naughty idea. Boys are like that. When they want to be naughty, they have to be naughty.

So Deepak, in his naughty mood, decided to do what Ma had told him never to do. He decided to open Grandpa’s black wooden box that lay in the guest-room. It was a lovely old, square box with brass hinges. The whole box was studded with buttons of brass that had tarnished and turned black with age.

Tilak and Sudhir

Fri, 19 Oct 2001 10:50:29 +0000

“Guess what, Tilak!” his mother said, a week after they had moved into their new house. “I’ve discovered that one of my old friends lives nearby and her son is your classmate at school. Isn’t that nice?”
“What’s his name?” Tilak asked.

“I think he is Sudhir,” said his mother. “Isn’t he your friend?”

Tilak shook his head. “Oh! Sudhir? That chap isn’t good at games or anything. He keeps reading some old books all the time.”

The Ride to Bondage

Thu, 28 Dec 2000 03:24:46 +0000

Chintu and Gullu were very, very excited. They were going to ride camels!

Both of them worked in a fireworks factory where they made firecrackers for Diwali and other festivals. Their meagre earnings helped their families to make life worth living. Now their lives would totally change. Mr. Ali had seen to that.

Mr. Ali was Chintu’s father’s new friend. He lived far, far away. He had told Chintu’s father that Chintu was exactly right for riding camels — the right size and the right weight. Not too fat, nor too thin, or too tall. He was exactly RIGHT!

Lion On The Loose!...!...

Wed, 13 Jun 2001 21:29:28 +0000

Once it started raining, it just wouldn’t stop. The sky wept great tears in an endless stream until the clouds had entered everyone’s hearts and made them feel as grey and weepy as the weather. But still it rained on and on.

Everyone stayed at home, gloomy and bored. “I wish we could DO something,” moaned Geeti, “Nothing exciting ever happens to us” said Vikki.

Mummy wouldn’t let them go out but she tried to cheer them up by baking a cake. The children helped too. The cake was yummy and they ate it hot. The rest they covered and left on the table.

Kaku and Lal Hawa

Thu, 25 Apr 2002 04:38:01 +0000

Kaku lived in a small village called Chhoti Dadi. The small village had a small school. Everyday Kaku had to walk from his little hut at one end of the village to the primary school near the village well. On his way to school, he passed through green paddy fields, the village lake and the old Ram Lila ground. All his friends, be it dreamy Jhunjhunu, colorful Pinaki or talkative Tachi, did not like walking to school.

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.

A Lucky Hunter

Sun, 16 Jan 2000 15:14:12 +0000

There was once a hunter who, on the seventh birthday of his son, decided to go hunting to get something nice for the feast. But as he reached for the gun on the wall, it slipped from the pegs, hit the stone mortar below and alas, its barrel was bent like the letter L.

“Father, that’s a bad sign,” cried the boy, “please don’t go hunting today.”
“You are silly!” said the father. “That’s a good sign. The gun hit the mortar. That means it’ll hit the game, too.”

Chinese Sparrows

Thu, 28 Dec 2000 20:37:41 +0000

Once there was a merchant who happened to acquire six sparrows from China.

“They’ll make a fine gift for my lord,” thought the merchant. But knowing the lord to be very superstitious and always concerned about omens, he suspected that His Lordship might not like the number ‘six’. In order to make the number a lucky ‘seven’, he added one Japanese sparrow, and presented them in a beautiful cage.

The lord was greatly pleased to have such a rare gift. He admired the birds and looked very carefully at each one of them.

The Friends

Tue, 29 Jan 2002 15:26:37 +0000

Two friends, Hemant and Vikas, planned to go hiking in the woods. They packed their knapsacks, lugged them over their shoulders and started out.

One evening, while walking through the dense forest, they heard a bear growl. They were very scared and started to run away, but “Twick, twick”, they could hear the twigs breaking with each step the bear took towards them.

Desperate, Hemant saw a low branch hanging from a tree. He quickly caught hold of the life-saving branch and climbed on top of the tree as soon as possible. He was so scared that he did not even look at his friend once.

The Fish and the Dinosaur

Fri, 29 Jan 1999 17:44:38 +0000

The Fish and the Dinosaur []

Once there was a pond in a jungle. In that pond there were 63 fish. One day a Dinosaur came to the pond. In one day it drank half of the water of the pond.

The fish were worried that the Dinosaur will drink the whole pond. The fish queen asked everyone that who would defeat the Dinosaur? One poor fish said, “I will defeat him”.

Birju and the Flying Horse

Tue, 03 Mar 1998 22:11:57 +0000

In a far off city, there lived a boy called Birju. He longed to run and play like other children. But he had a lame leg. He found it difficult to even walk properly. Birju’s father worked as a gardener in a rich man’s garden, close to the hut in which they lived. His mother washed dishes in other people’s houses. One day, his father came home looking very pleased. “Look, Birju,” he said, “Look what I’ve got!” He held up an old wooden rocking horse. “Bibiji gave it to me.” The horse was old and battered. The paint had peeled off, the saddle was torn and one of the ears was about to fall off. But Birju was thrilled with his new toy. He had never owned anything like it before. He climbed on it at once and began to rock.

Ruff and Kabir

Mon, 30 Sep 2002 13:05:50 +0000

Ruff was everyone’s favourite. Three feet tall and four feet long,
sparkling eyes, moist nose, a lovely shade of brown and so cuddly. He was the loveliest German Shepherd anyone had seen.

Ruff went to the park every evening with Tanya and her Grandpa. And all the children would be waiting for him there.

“Ruff’s come!” they would all shout and rush to hug and pat him. Ruff loved
the attention he got.

Very willingly he would take toddler Kanishka on his back for a joy ride. Whenever Rahul hit a six, Ruff would be the “cricketer” to run and fetch the ball.

The Story of Appu

Fri, 24 Jan 1997 03:31:18 +0000

There was a small village called Pearl Island. But neither were pearls collected in the village nor was it an island. Perhaps the village was named so because it was far away and isolated and difficult to reach. The nearest town was miles away – a two-mile trek to Gudem, an overnight boat journey to Palem, an hour’s horse-cart ride to Gortipadu, and then three hours by bus. By rail, the journey from the city was four hundred miles long.

The Clever Dog

Thu, 26 Feb 1998 00:44:01 +0000

Bandita Nath is a sixth class student of Delhi Public School. She loves to draw and write.

Once upon a time, there was a rich moneylender in a village. His name was Seth Karam Chand. One day, a kind and a generous man named Sunder Singh came to Seth Karam Chand to take a loan. He took five hundred rupees loam from Seth Karam Chand.

The Clever Dog [Illustration by Anup Singh]

After a few months, Seth Karam Chand came to Sunder Singh’s house to colelct his debt. But poor Sunder Singh couldn’t pay back his debt.

Bunty Rabbit Runs a Race Again

Mon, 19 Aug 2002 15:16:22 +0000

Bunty rabbit hopped home angrily.

“What happened?” asked Mama Rabbit. “No school today?”

“Why did great-great-great-great-great grandfather lose the race against the tortoise?” shouted Bunty tearfully. “Everyone laughed at me when Ma’am Owl told us the story.”

“Great-great-great-great-great grandfather rabbit was a proud rabbit,” said Mother Rabbit sternly. “He was always boasting and never even thought once that someone could outsmart him. That day, the tortoise did.”

Bunty Rabbit Runs a Race Again

“Slow and steady won the race!” muttered Bunty angrily.

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 Last of the Big Ones

Thu, 29 Mar 2001 10:48:16 +0000

The red-and-silver Dragonfly happily flitted across the pool:

“Zim, Zim, Zim,

Over the water I skim.

Now dart in,

Now dart out,

Dash across

And turn about.”

The Last of the Big Ones [By Uma Anand]

“Oh, bother,” croaked a hoarse voice as with a plop, a large Bullfrog settled himself on a lily pad. “A little less darting and dashing might be better all round. It’s hot and dusty enough without your hovering above my head.”
“Zim, Zim,

Double Vision

Sat, 29 Jun 2002 11:36:18 +0000

It was hard to say when Neeti got double vision. It wasn’t there one minute and the very next it was. Suddenly, the road turned terribly crowded. People were jostling each other, pushing to get ahead. She rubbed her eyes, shook her head violently. But that instant crowd didn’t disappear – it rushed on at her.

Then…she realised what had happened. All of a sudden, everyone had multiplied into two, sprouted a twin – like a shadow walking next to them. Neeti’s heart leapt up.

The Adventures of a Magic Turtle

Wed, 11 Jul 2001 06:29:50 +0000

One winter afternoon, a little boy sat below a ‘neem’ tree, next to a river. He was returning from school, and carried a large bag on his back.

He looked very sad. And as he sat staring at the water, big fat tears started dripping from his eyes creating little round ripples in the pond.

The Adventures of a Magic Turtle [Illustrations by Amarjeet Malik]

He had only been sitting there for a short while, when he saw a turtle swimming towards him. It was not very big, but it swam slowly.

Two Girls and a Lotus

Tue, 10 Nov 1998 10:08:41 +0000

On top of a three-hundred-foot hill was a quaint old temple. A hunched, old man performed puja here. Enshrined in the centre of the temple was a beautiful idol. Usha and Lalita, two good friends, enjoyed talking to the kindly temple priest and watching him adorn the beautiful idol with multicoloured flowers.

Often in the morning, Usha and Lalita climbed the hill, dancing between the rhododendron bushes, jumping, singing and playing hide-and-seek. Woken from its slumber, a dovelet would coo sleepily, “Coo! How noisy these Brobdingangian doves are!” A squirrel would skip past, flicking its bushy tail and chattering, “Audacity! They dare show me how to play hide-and-seek!” A bright, yellow warbler, flying overhead, would trill, “Silly modern girls! Their frocks are the colour of my undercoat. Are they just trying to tease me?”

The Cookie

Mon, 29 Apr 2002 11:13:20 +0000

The dining table was loaded with goodies – cake, pastries, pies, halwa, laddoo and yes, her favourite cookies. Nina wanted to eat them all. The 10-year-old stuffed a couple of cookies in her mouth but the cookies tasted a little different. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t gulp them down.

The dream broke at that point.

Nina woke up with a start and found herself chewing on a bed sheet. She was in her dormitory bed and it was pitch dark. A grumbling stomach reminded her of how terribly hungry she was. All because of Mr. Katiyaar, the poker-faced warden of the residential school which had been her home for the last one year.

The Cloud That Refused To Cry

Sat, 15 Dec 2001 21:47:59 +0000

It was a stifling hot day in the second week of June and the animals of Jhilmil forest were miserable. The bumblebees no longer droned but sighed. A tail heavy with perspiration made Billori, the squirrel, sit sadly on a patch of dry earth, as hard as a turtle’s hide.

The Cloud That Refused To Cry [Illustrations by Kusum Chamoli]

In another corner of the forest, just outside his cave, was Gabru the lion, his tongue hanging out. He did not even have the energy to frighten a lamb that skipped by — despite the fact that it was lunchtime. Nor did he feel like telling the whole world with great pride, “Sara jungle mujhe loin ke naam se jaanta hai” (he always made the mistake of pronouncing l-i-o-n as l-o-i-n).

My Ambition

Thu, 10 Dec 1998 08:03:09 +0000

My Ambition [Illustration by Shinod A.P.]

Rishika Das Roy, who is from Kolkata, seems to be very determined about what she wants to become when she grows up.

Sometimes I wonder what I would like to be when I grow up. I think of a different ambition every year. Since I turned eight, I would wonder what I really wanted to be. Would I be a teacher, a singer, a journalist or no, an astronaut.

Divaswapna – An Educator’s Reverie

Wed, 01 Aug 2001 07:59:38 +0000

I waited eagerly for the school to begin. I was eager to take my class and start my work; eager to put my new plan into practice; eager to bring about peace and order in the class; eager to make classroom teaching interesting and win over my pupils. I felt my pulse throbbing.

The bell rang. The boys entered their classes. The headmaster took me to my class and introduced me to the pupils.

“Listen boys!” he said. “Henceforth, Mr. Laxmiram here, will be your class teacher. You must obey his orders and no pranks and mischief, I warn you!”

The Silent Passer-by

Sun, 25 Aug 2002 02:48:15 +0000

When I was a child, I didn’t have hair on my head, just some stubs.

I liked to watch my friends play. I would join them now and then, but I preferred watching.

Every day, we would see an old man walking by our playground, carrying an umbrella. He had big ears and a bald head. The moment my friends saw him pass by, they would shout, “Hey, deaf and dumb, what’s the time?” They told me that he could neither hear nor speak.

The Gifts

Mon, 02 Sep 2002 23:05:14 +0000

Seema and Reema were highly excited. Their uncle was coming today, from Mumbai. It wasn’t the actual arrival that excited them, it was the thought of the gifts he would bring for them. There would certainly be gifts, of that they were sure. No self respecting uncle would arrive at a brother’s house without gifts for his eight year old and nine year old nieces. But there was nothing they could do but wait.

So they waited. Their father had gone to the station to pick him up. They awaited his return eagerly. The train was expected to arrive at 10:00 p.m. But it was well past 11 now and there was no sign of their father’s return. They called up the station (again), only to be informed (again) that the train was delayed. Their patience wore thin. They were very cross with Indian Railways. Then suddenly in the depths of their despair they heard the honk of a car. It was their car! They had come! He had arrived at last!

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.

The King who Played Marbles

Tue, 29 Jun 1999 23:20:05 +0000

The little kingdom was plunged in darkness. There were no festivities, no sounds of music or laughter. Grief was writ large on the faces of the people and the lamps in the palace burned low.

Outside the curtained bedroom of the young ruler, the men and women who worked for him stood and sat in anxious postures, full of sorrow. Many were weeping softly.

The king was ill. He was on his deathbed. The short illness that had struck so suddenly but a week before, had been pronounced beyond treatment by the doctors who had come their heads together and tried every possible medicine… but death was stronger than their medical knowledge.

The Jungle Contest

Mon, 11 Feb 2002 08:30:39 +0000

“ROAR!” growled the lion. “Everyone is scared of me!”

“HRMPHH!” trumpeted the elephant. “Everyone is scared of me!”

“What about me?” purred the panther. “I, too, frighten everyone!”

The Jungle Contest [Illustrations by Shiju George]

“No one can run faster than me!” snarled the cheetah. “Everyone is scared of
me!”

“GROWL!” growled the tiger, baring his teeth. “I dare any one to cross my
path! I’ll gobble them up!”

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.

Golu Rabbit's Day Out

Thu, 14 Feb 2002 08:02:01 +0000

In the Kanha forest in India, lived a little bunny rabbit called Golu. He was called Golu because of his small round ball of a tail.

Golu lived with his mother Molu in a deep burrow under the tall grass of the forest. The burrow had large rooms and many doorways and Golu loved to run from room to room hoppity-skip.

Every morning Molu went out into the forest and nearby farms to hunt for carrots and radishes.

The Clever Lioness

Thu, 09 Aug 2001 12:57:49 +0000

There once lived a clever lioness in the champak forest. She had four healthy and really adorable cubs. They were very young and their eyes hadn’t still opened. They slept for most of the time and the only time they were awake was when their mother fed them. But if the mother was late even by a minute, they would wail so loudly so as to bring the whole cave down!

In the same forest, there lived another lion. He was old and feeble. His sight and hearing had become poor and many of his teeth and claws had also broken. This made him completely unable to go hunting for animals. The only food he therefore ate was fruits and leaves.

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.

Meenu's New Pet

Thu, 12 Sep 2002 01:50:06 +0000

Meenu’s mother was worried about her. A week had passed since their dog Tommy’s disappearance, and her daughter had still not got over it.

Meenu adored Tommy, who had been her faithful companion since her third birthday. He had become a part of the family as he was a loving and well trained dog. Meenu simply adored him. And Tommy, on his part, followed her around everywhere.

During the summer holidays, the family would usually go to Baroda, where Meenu’s grandparents lived. Because it was difficult to take Tommy along with them, Meenu’s parents would leave him with their neighbour Mr Rao.

Teaching a Lesson!

Mon, 12 Aug 2002 12:04:38 +0000

“It’s my turn tomorrow,” mumbled Raghu to himself as he climbed the stairs of his school building, very slowly as if he were sleep-walking. He had been dreading this day ever since Pal declared his grand class prodigy scheme, two months ago.

Pal was the much feared History teacher.

“It has been said that genius is 99 per cent perspiration and one per cent inspiration,” he had said in his usual pompous manner. “I suggest we test this theory. Beginning next week, we shall have one student present a chapter of this book (he dangled the History book like the Sword of Damocles), as if he were the teacher.”

The Dress

Fri, 28 Jun 2002 02:32:13 +0000

One evening, Maya was making plans for her birthday. She sat in the living room with her father and instructed him on what to get for her.

“I want a chocolate cake…only a chocolate cake…and white candles on top, please ensure they are white…and five-differently coloured balloons, and of course, Nina’s blue dress,” she told him gravely.

Her father who was writing all this down, looked up. “Why Nina’s blue dress?” he asked.

“Because it is the only one that is the colour of the sky,” she answered. “You know daddy, blue is my favourite colour.”

Back to School

Sun, 21 Apr 2002 13:03:18 +0000

The day I joined as a teacher at P.S 18 (Public School 18) in New York was a decisive day for me. I came from a small town in Buffalo and New York really awed me. My friend, who was teaching at a nearby institute, had warned me about the big bad city and the kids at my school.

They were a hearty bunch of future hoodlums, he warned me. I laughed away his warning. My heart was full of hope at the thought of shaping the minds of tomorrow.

The Snake with the Golden Teeth

Tue, 12 Dec 2000 06:38:56 +0000

There was once a man called Paolo Maria Encarnacao Esplendido. He lived at Manaos in Brazil. He was a very rich man. He owned two gold mines and a silver mine. You might think one got more money from a gold mine than a silver mine because gold is worth more than silver. But, as a matter of face, more money goes down gold mines than comes out of them, because people are always digging mines for gold in places where there isn’t enough to make it worth their while.

The Red Flower

Sun, 31 Jan 1999 00:43:46 +0000

RED FLOWER: Hello friends. I am Red Flower. I live here in these fields. All the trees, animals, birds, clouds, winds and the sun are my friends. But my best friend is Sun. It is morning now and time for him to come.

(Morning comes.)

SUN: Hello Red Flower. I bring a good morning to you. Did my sister Night give you any good dreams in your sleep?

RED FLOWER: Yes, more than you dear Sun. She gave me so many dreams from the countries you go to every day. Tell me what you really saw on the other side while I was sleeping?

The Day the Jackal Fooled the King of Beasts

Thu, 06 Mar 1997 17:20:33 +0000

One day long ago, Jackal was trotting through a narrow and rocky pass when he came face to face with the Lion, who was coming from the opposite direction. Realising that he was too near to escape, Jackal was afraid, for he had played many tricks on the Lion in the past, and now Lion might take the opportunity to get his revenge.

In a flash, he thought of a plan. He cowered down on the cliff path, looked above him, and cried, “Help!”

Mad Mango

Sun, 02 Jul 2000 12:57:47 +0000

This is the story of a mango tree which did not want to spend its life rooted in one place. It wanted to travel, see the world and make new friends. Some excerpts from the first part of an exciting journey, when ‘Mad Mango’ learnt to walk.

Many monsoons had come and gone, but Mango still stood in the same place, his hands reaching out for the sky, his feet going deeper and deeper into the earth. He had seen many friends grow up around him — Baby Berry had shot up before his very eyes, Jackfruit, four years his junior and, in his shade, the Drumstick blossom.
He did not know Grandma Tamarind’s age. Maybe the goddess in the temple did — though Tamarind said she was already a sapling when the temple was built. Despite her age, Tamarind stood tall and straight. Cattle gathered around to listen to her tales and sometimes monkeys played hide-and-seek among her branches. When pods began to hang down from her branches, they made village urchins’ mouths water and they pelted Tamarind with stones.

The Not-quite Robbery

Thu, 22 Aug 1996 06:04:42 +0000

This time, the summer vacation felt longer than normal to Vamshi. Nothing exciting was happening. So many exciting things happened to children in stories but never to Vamshi. He discussed these observations with his friends Jayesh and Samir. “Other kids often get a mystery or something to solve,” he told them woefully. They all pondered in silence. Lives in stories were so exciting. “Maybe we should make things happen,” said Jayesh. “How about creating a mystery for others to solve,” said Samir, suddenly excited. “What do you mean?” asked Vamshi suspiciously. “Maybe we could rob a bank or something…,” said Samir carelessly. There was a period of silence as the idea began to sink in slowly.

A Sister for Shubya

Wed, 11 Sep 2002 20:14:41 +0000

It all began when Shubhya walked into her friend Diya’s house one evening. The Sharma household was agog with excitement. Shubhya was quite surprised to see so many people at Diya’s house. All of Diya’s aunts, uncles and various cousins were around. Even her grandparents had arrived from Jaipur.

Shubhya wondered what was up. Suddenly, Diya spotted Shubhya. “Shubhya”, she shouted excitedly, “I’ve got a baby sister! I had told you that we were going to get a baby. Now I have someone to play with all the time. Come and see her.”

Spiderman and Spidermamman

Sat, 24 Apr 1999 20:53:51 +0000

Spiderman and Spidermamman [Illustration by Shinod AP]

One day when Peter was going he saw a new Spiderman. It was a bad Spiderman. Peter ran home and came out, black Spiderman.

He said, “Who are you?”

The new spider man said, “My name is Spidermamman. My short form is SMM and I destroy the city.”

Spiderman said, “I will destroy you SMM.”

SMM tried to destroy Spiderman but something black black came and washed the fire and SMM got caught in that black black thing.

Elephants Don’t Diet!....

Mon, 03 Dec 2001 06:40:28 +0000

Poor Gol Matolu’s always sad. Why? I don’t know. She looks like the most perfect elephant. Tall, broad big ears, long strong trunk. No one likes to be sad. So why don’t you come with me to find out what the matter is with Gol Matolu?
Ah! Here comes Hornbill, let’s ask him. “Hello, do you know why the elephant’s so sad?”

“Of course I know.
Just look at her if you will.
Would you call her nose a nose or a bill?
That snake which hangs in front of her face Makes her feel shy and out of place.”

The Stinky Caveman Who Never had a Girlfriend

Sat, 02 Jan 1999 06:29:33 +0000

The Stinky Caveman Who Never had a Girlfriend [Illustration by Shinod AP]

This is a story about a caveman who had never had a girlfriend in his life and you’ll find out why.

In a deep cave lived a terrifying, threatening, scary-looking ugly creature called Slobberpot. He ate everything he saw. If he saw a stone, he ate it. If he saw a person, he ate him. If he saw his friend, he ate him too. Slobberpot was the fattest, biggest and most enormous creature living. All he could say was ‘Boomba’.

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.

Borrowed Feathers Help

Sat, 14 Jul 2001 06:25:58 +0000

Haka and Phaka, the twin jackals were feeding on some juicy berries. They sat eating their berries with their mouths and paws quite blue with the juice.

They were enjoying themselves thoroughly when they saw Mor, the peacock, strutting down the path hurriedly. The poor bird looked terrified!

“Hey, what’s up Mor bhai? What’s the hurry?” Haka asked.

Borrowed Feathers Help [(Story and illustrations first published in WWF India Quarterly Apr-Jun 1995)]

“We peacocks are in great trouble Haka. Humans are hunting us for our feathers. There is not a moment of peace!” Mor was in tears. “I believe they are making fans and other things out of our feathers,” sobbed poor Mor.

The Fairy Doll

Tue, 25 May 1999 05:21:47 +0000

Not that!" screamed Sheila. “Yes not her!” repeated Anna. “She will stay with us.” Sheila snatched Matilda from her maid and they ran to their room.

In case you are wondering what I am talking about or who is Matilda? Well, Matilda is Sheila and Anna’s favorite doll and the children, along with the maid, were sorting out their old toys to be given to poor children on Christmas.

The Fairy Doll [Illustrations by Kusum Chamoli]

Matilda was a funny little doll, stuffed with bits of old clothes. Her eyes were made of two little black buttons, her hair was made of red wool and her nose was flat. Matilda was always smiling and was very soft and cuddly. She was given to the children by their grandmother when Sheila was three years old and Anna only two.

Where’s the Catch?

Mon, 23 Jul 2001 20:46:15 +0000

Imagine this scene:

In a village hut, dimly lit by a diya, members of the household sit in a frightened circle, watching a tantrik muttering mantras and performing strange rituals with a skull perhaps, the thighbone of a sheep, and other items.

Sitting among the women is one who has wild staring eyes, untidy hair and a strange expression. She speaks in a voice that doesn’t seem to be her own. Everyone present is convinced she has been possessed by an evil spirit which the tantrik must now get out of her.

How to Bell a Thief

Thu, 29 Nov 2001 08:30:23 +0000

Sonapur was a small village. It was famous for its little temple. The temple had no deity. All it had was the imprint of a pair of feet. According to folklore, these were of a pious sage. A diya burned brightly, night and day. Seven beautiful bells hung in the little temple, gleaming brightly in the light cast by the diya.

The villagers of Sonapur were content and happy. Their fields yielded abundant crops. Earnings were enough to meet the needs of each family.

Mama Moo on a Swing

Tue, 14 Aug 2001 16:01:01 +0000

It was a summer’s day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and the flies were buzzing. All the cows were grazing in the pasture — all except Mama Moo.

Mama Moo had sneaked away from the others and jumped over the fence. She had taken her bicycle and rode off toward Crow Forest. She was carrying something in the package holder on her bicycle.

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!

Mama Moo knocked on Crow’s branch.
“Hi, Crow!”, she whispered.

The Fox and the Goat

Sat, 17 May 1997 05:10:00 +0000

The Fox and the Goat []

One day a fox fell into the well. He thought, how to get out. After some time a thirsty goat came. The goat asked whether the water is good? The fox got an idea for getting out. The fox said this is good water. You can come in. The foolish goat jumped into the well. The fox used the goat’s horns to climb and jumped out.

A Surprise On Christmas

Tue, 13 Jul 1999 10:18:51 +0000

Jimmy and Jenny were very excited. It was Christmas Eve and they were busy hanging their stockings at the end of their beds.

“You must go to sleep quickly,” said mother, “because Santa Claus won’t come until you are fast asleep.”

So Jenny and Jimmy jumped into bed and shut their eyes. It wasn’t before long that they were both fast asleep and dreaming. Then even the grown-ups went to sleep. The lights were turned out and the house was dark. Everything was quiet.

How the Donkey Came To Be

Thu, 26 Mar 1998 18:11:57 +0000

How the Donkey Came To Be [Illustration by Anup Singh]

Long ago when the world was brand-new, the sun rose in the sky and brought the first day. Flowers jumped up and stared, astonished. Then from every side, from under leaves and from behind rocks, creatures began to appear. To begin with, all creatures were very alike – very different from what they are now.

Five and a Half Wishes

Mon, 05 Nov 2001 12:33:54 +0000

Bhuvan’s parents had just moved to Chikmagalur from Bangalore. They had been waiting for a long time to get away from the pollution, noise, traffic and fast paced life. They thought Bhuvan being only six years old would adjust with ease to life in a small town. But Bhuvan was far from pleased. He didn’t like the children in his school from the first day. His friends in Bangalore had been so smart. Here everybody wore unsmart clothes, spoke in Kannada and carried curd rice to school. He decided that he wasn’t going to like this place at all.

Getting Bored – Read This

Sat, 08 May 1999 18:26:46 +0000

Getting Bored – Read This [Illustration by Anup Singh]

Pooja Desai studies in Class IX at Jasudben M L School in Mumbai. Here she writes for all those who are getting bored and have nothing to do.

If you have nothing to do at all, think what you would like to do, watch tv, drink water, go to see a movie, sleep, read or nothing of this sort.

Veerappan's Folly

Fri, 10 May 2002 18:22:47 +0000

In the forests of South India lived an infamous rogue called Veerappan. There was no marksman who could shoot as well. His gang was known for its acts of cruelty. Mothers would frighten their kids with tales of Veerappan and how he kidnapped naughty children.

The entire gang was high on the government’s wanted list, for Veerappan and his gang had killed 2000 elephants for their ivory and over 300 forest rangers. But, either through fear or otherwise, the villagers never informed on Veerappan.

Heading For Trouble!

Wed, 08 May 2002 20:08:29 +0000

Dadaji (grandfather) comes visiting during summer holidays. And stays on till Diwali, which makes it half a year of fun. I’ll tell you why. First, he arrives with bundles of gifts. Stuff that no one ever brings me. Homemade laddoos bumpy from fingers that shaped them, sticks of sugarcane that smell of his fields, papads rolled out in his courtyard. I never know which is more fun, opening the bundles or wolfing the stuff down!

The Candy

Fri, 10 May 2002 01:57:51 +0000

It was a hot Tuesday afternoon in the month of October. The geography lesson was interesting but Sharmila was getting restless waiting for the class to get over. The ice candy man had come some time ago and his day’s quota would soon get over.

He visited the school every Tuesday and Thursday to sell his delicious candies that the children waited for eagerly, every week. It was always a struggle for the teachers to hold on to the students’ attention during the last period of school on those two days.

A Day in the Life of a Magician

Thu, 13 Sep 2001 13:31:25 +0000

Excerpts from ‘A Day in the Life of a Magician’. First published by Vigyan Prasar, India

Years ago I gave up hanging up a stocking on Christmas Eve. One reason is that I have no stockings to hang, because I almost always wear trousers, and even when I wear shorts I wear socks with them so as to make my calves brown. And I don’t think Father Christmas would find room in a sock for all the things I want. So when I woke up on Christmas morning I was rather surprised to see one of my socks hanging on the bottom of the bed, and much more so when it got up and walked along the counterpane towards me.

Follow the Leader

Wed, 20 Mar 2002 23:48:38 +0000

Chimpoo has a balloon. It is a BIG balloon! It is a BIG, RED balloon! It is a BIG, RED, ROUND balloon!

Chimpoo has a LITTLE dog. His name is Chutku. Chutku loves Chimpoo. Chutku loves to PLAY with Chimpoo.

There is a BIG, BLACK cat! Chutku does not like the cat! There is a TINY, GREY mouse. The BIG, BLACK cat does not like the TINY, GREY mouse!

Follow the Leader [Illustrations by Shiju George]

Cat loves Chimpoo. Mouse loves Chimpoo. Chimpoo likes the cat. Chimpoo likes the mouse.

Runu and Chotu

Fri, 18 Feb 2000 05:16:49 +0000

A June morning. Holiday morning. “Fun! fun!” Runu thought as she woke up. No school, lots of cartoons on TV, computer games, and surely, a trip to the ice cream parlour. Fun, fun indeed! Runu gulped down her chocolate milk.

Mom and Dad came in to pet her. Dad said, “Sorry baby, but we have to go see someone who is ill, can’t take you out today.” Seeing Runu pull a long face, Mom said, “I’ll leave the computer on for you, and your favourite CDs. Is there going to be Scooby Doo and Pop Eye on TV today? Smile please”. Runu decided to smile and bid them ‘bye.’

Tea At The Dhaba

Sun, 25 Feb 2001 11:05:19 +0000

This story is from the book The Adventures of Rusty. Rusty is a 12-year-old boy and as you read on, you might think that he is very much a part of you! The book has two sections, and Tea at tha Dhaba is one of the stories of the second section called “Running Away”.

Running away from school! It is not to be recommended to everyone. Parents and teachers would disapprove. Or would they, deep down in their hearts? Everyone has wanted to run away, at some time in his life if not from a bad school or an unhappy home, then from something equally unpleasant. Running away seems to be in the best traditions. Huck Finn did it. So did Master Copperfield and Oliver Twist. So did Kim. Various enterprising young men have run away to sea. Most great men have run away from school at some stage in their lives; and if they haven’t, then perhaps it is something they should have done.

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.

Mushir and the Magic Rickshaw

Mon, 26 Apr 1999 15:17:12 +0000

This story took place many years ago… not in a kingdom, not in a village, but in a small town called Kalpanagar. This is not a story of a prince, nor a farmer, but of a young school boy named Mushir, who, quite to his surprise, became a very special person for the townsfolk of Kalpanagar.

Now we listen to the tale…. The summer of 1967 was blistering. The heat came in great waves and beat upon the flat tin roofs of the fifty or so houses in the small dusty town of Kalpanagar. Pigeons and sparrows in flight would fall to the ground because of the terrible heat. The leaves of the mango trees crackled, snip snap, and fell off the branches, forming wide brown carpets of tumbling leaves. In the homes the water taps grumbled when they were opened. The water in the nearby dam had dried up and animals as well as humans had to make do with very little water. Kalpanagar had been turned into a hot, hot stove that very unkind summer in ‘67.

Excerpts from 'A Parcel for the Postmaster'

Sun, 13 May 2001 10:51:09 +0000

Dak Babu had first come to Panarsa on transfer several years earlier. He had liked it so much that he stayed on. For the town he came from was noisy and crowded and he was never really happy in that hustle-bustle. In Panarsa there was perfect peace; it seemed as if the mountains which enclosed the little valley had been placed there especially to keep out the din and clamour. Moreover, Panarsa had trees whose tops touched the sky. It had lush green fields; and gardens laden with flowers and fruit. The air was pure and the Beas river’s crystal-clear water gurgled merrily along; but, above all, the people of the valley were simple and honest.

Excerpts from Gay-Neck: The Story of a Pigeon

Wed, 14 Feb 2001 16:54:42 +0000

Gay-Neck’s birth happened exactly as I have described. About the twentieth day after the laying of the egg, I noticed that the mother was not sitting on it any more. She pecked the father and drove him away every time he flew down from the roof of the house and volunteered to sit on the egg. Then he cooed, which meant, “Why do you send me away?”

She, the mother, just pecked him the more, meaning, “Please go. The business on hand is very serious”.

Bashir Leaves Home

Sat, 10 Feb 2001 10:18:28 +0000

Bashir was leaving home. No one in the family understood him anyway. And he was sure no one would miss him. Not his Ammi or Abbu, nor his bhaijaan Khalid. Only his dog Chand would think of him, so to save him the pain, Bashir was taking Chand along with him. In this big wide world, there must be some place where a heart broken seven year old boy and his dog could live in peace.

Know-it-alls and Find-it-outs

Thu, 28 Feb 2002 05:18:34 +0000

Once upon a time, there was an island called the ‘Land
of the Sun’. People of all shapes, sizes and appearances lived there. Everybody knew
everybody and they were like one big happy family.

But slowly, as time passed, the children grew bigger
and had more children who grew bigger and had more
children.

Things reached a stage where there were so
many people in the island that not everybody knew
everybody else.

People started doing their own things,
talking in their own languages and writing their own
scripts.

The Holiday

Sun, 10 Mar 2002 22:29:58 +0000

Hooty owl was puzzled. No one had come to the jungle school. “Maybe the little ones are late,” thought the teacher. “I’ll wait for a little while longer.”

Hooty owl did not know that her students had decided to miss school. They had started out for school but then changed their minds.

“I am NOT going to school. I hate it,” said Squeaky squirrel.

“I’m feeling lazy and so I’m NOT going to school,” said Hoppy rabbit .

The Lame Groom and his English Bride

Mon, 25 Jun 2001 18:47:09 +0000

Kamini loved her dolls. She had three of them. Two of them were Indian and she had named them Rukmani and Ranjani, so that they rhymed with her name. Her uncle had gifted her another doll that he had brought from London, who she had named Jenny. Kamini’s dolls were her babies. She brushed their teeth in the morning, washed them and dressed them up. When she had her breakfast she would have them sitting by her side. At night before going to sleep, she would put them to sleep. Her brother Vivek would indulge her by allowing the dolls to take rides in his various cars.

Surprising Success

Tue, 28 Sep 1999 06:05:01 +0000

Surprising Success [Illustration by Shinod AP]

I, John, a horse-trainer, still cannot make up my mind after a year whether one particular show was a failure or a success. I am tempted to say this, as the show from the point of view of skill, was a complete disaster but seemed like a tremendous success with our audience.

We, now a world famous circus called ‘Rocketeers’, were putting up our maiden performance. It was Friday the 13th, which is always supposed to be a day of bad omen. The Big Top was glittering with lights and the crowd was pouring in, expecting a spectacular performance. All the gimmicks were ready. The beginning of the show went off perfectly well. The clowns made the people hysterical with their funny jokes.

The Chair

Sun, 24 Sep 2000 07:17:01 +0000

Once the mountain kingdom of Nepal was ruled by a liberal and kind-hearted king. He liked discussing problems of the state with important people of his kingdom. This practice made him popular and successful.

In one such meeting, he noticed that no one except himself had a comfortable seat. Being kind-hearted, he was concerned. He decided to get suitable seats made for all participants in the meeting.

He ordered the carpenters in country to present suitable models. He announced a handsome cash award for the winner.

The Wolf-donkey

Sun, 22 Apr 2001 08:14:04 +0000

Chun Chun hated carrots. He felt his anger rise as he heard his mother speak.

“How will you grow if you don’t eat your vegetables?” scolded Mama Rabbit. “You won’t have the strength to say BOO to a goose!”

“But I eat so many things!” protested Chun Chun angrily. “Just because I hate carrots, you scold me every day!”

Mama Rabbit sighed.

“How many times have I told you — carrots will improve your eyesight?” she said.

Elephants and Leopards

Sat, 20 Nov 1999 15:15:32 +0000

_Shatrunjay Hegde is eight years old. He is studying in the 4th standard in Valley School at Bangalore. _

Elephants and Leopards [Illustration by Anup Singh]

We went to Bandipur National Park near Mysore for a three day jungle camp and safari. During this trip we went for many safaris. We went trekking in the jungle. We talked about elephants, tigers, leopards and many other animals. We went to the museum at Bandipur where we saw tiger jaws and elephant jaws and we also saw pictures of all the animals which are in the Bandipur National Park.

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.”

The Tinkle of the Goat Bells

Sun, 25 Feb 2001 09:39:21 +0000

Tanvi ran swiftly through the pine forest, the peppery smell of the herbs she crushed beneath her feet tickling her nostrils. She had to meet her friend Ramli, the goat girl at their favourite meeting place by the spring. Today they were planning to go down to the river bed and picnic there.

She was late. Ramli had said that they should leave before the sun rose too high or it would be too hot by the river. So eleven year old Tanvi hurried, her bag of lunch bouncing on her back.

The Friends of Custard House

Sat, 06 Oct 2001 07:53:07 +0000

Robert Custard was a gentleman to be sure. Though he was only three-and-a-half feet off the ground and sometimes he even sported a milk moustache, he was still, quite definitely, a gentleman at the age of nine.

Now, you must consider that we are talking about the India of the 1930s. The British were ruling the country. Little boys and girls were expected to behave in a certain way. They were never to be seen covered in dirt. They were never to be heard yelling at each other and even their games were expected to be civilised.

Boomba – The Lion Kid

Sun, 14 Jan 2001 00:36:53 +0000

Boomba was the lion king’s son. He had a bright yellow coat and his mother often told him lovingly, “Boomba, you look like a ball of wool!” His parents were very proud of him and knew that one day he would grow up to be the handsomest lion around.But Boomba was not happy with his looks. At times he secretly desired a beautiful tail like the peacock’s or wings like the butterfly’s. All his friends were tired of him, because in the middle of a game he would always stop and ask, “How do I look?”.

The Prasad

Fri, 29 Jun 2001 07:23:24 +0000

In a small village in South India lived a poor farmer. He had two children, Uma, an eight-year-old girl, and Gopal, a baby boy.

When his wife died, his daughter Uma took over the responsibility of looking after her brother. A few years later the farmer also died, and the two children became orphans.

Uma was very mature for her age. She knew that she would have to be both father and mother to Gopal. She also had to make ends meet. She had to plough the field, manure and water the land, sow seeds and ultimately harvest the crop. The neighbours, who admired her courage, helped her, and she had a good harvest and was able to support her brother and herself.

SuperZero

Thu, 22 Feb 2001 13:15:24 +0000

You’ve heard of superheroes, of course. Batman, Superman, He-man.

Then there are supergirls – Catgirl, Batgirl, who knows, even Ratgirl.

There are superanimals like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. All these heroes can perform amazing tricks. They’re really good at everything and good looking besides. Although, I personally don’t think that men with little pointed ears on top of their heads are very good looking. But then, you always see the girls going batty over Batman.

The Gracious Gift

Tue, 27 Jul 1999 10:16:46 +0000

Once there was a King who was generous and kind. He was interested in the welfare of all his subjects and it was his greatest wish that all should live in peace and happiness and none should have any cause to grumble. So he wandered about the country incognito to learn the true condition of his people.

One day, when he was in disguise, he saw a strange sight. A farmer was vigorously ploughing his field but instead of a pair of oxen, he had yoked a woman to the plough. The King’s blood boiled. He could barely control his anger.

Excerpts from Ek-kori’s Dream

Tue, 18 Dec 2001 09:43:36 +0000

Ek-kori’s Dream
By Mahasveta Devi; Translated by Lila Majumdar; Illustrations by Judhajit Sengupta, Published by National Book Trust, India

There was no other way but to take cover as early as possible. The village school would open as soon as it was light and Aunt would certainly send him to school today.
The mango tree was outside the house, a huge fajli mango tree. Ekkori’s grandmother used to plant good mango saplings year after year, but Grandfather uprooted them all. Aunt grieved over it to this day. “Oh dear, dear!” she would say sadly, “no one shouts in the house now-a-days! Mother and Father quarrelled all day long and the whole house echoed with it!”

A Free Bird

Thu, 19 Apr 2001 04:08:27 +0000

A Free Bird [Illustrations by Kusum Chamoli]

Everybody in his family called him ‘shy baby’ — not ‘cry baby’ to be sure, but shy baby. Young Somu was shy, but not just a little shy. Somu was very, very shy. When guests came to his house for tea or dinner and asked him his name, Somu would dig his chin into his neck and close his eyes and after a few minutes he would run out of the room. His parents always felt embarrassed about his behaviour and every time after the guests left the house Somu would end up getting a sound scolding.

No Monkey Business

Thu, 12 Apr 2001 02:09:03 +0000

Bandar, Bandariya and Baby Bandar were ready for their show. Come Sunday morning and their tamasha would begin in a congested and busy Bombay suburb witnessed by an excited group of children.

Raju, the Bandarwala, would announce his arrival with the familiar drumbeat and sound of ghungroos. Sometimes he even brought along a sleepy black bear.

Each week it was the same routine. Dressed in dotted pyjamas with a shiny red sleeveless jacket and a Wee Willy Winkey cap edged with tiny bells, Bandar cartwheeled and somersaulted backwards and forwards.

The Weepy Wempati!....

Thu, 01 Nov 2001 15:10:51 +0000

Once upon a time there lived a little Wempati. She was a very sweet little thing who loved her mummy, papa, sister, baby brother, pet dog and favourite doll very much. She was a very happy Wempati.

When Wempati was four years old, Papa Wempati and Mama Wempati had a serious talk.
“It’s time that little Wempati went to school” they said. That sounded like fun to little Wempati.

The Weepy Wempati!…. [Illustrations by Priya Nagarajan]

Her sister went to school and always went with yummy things packed in her lunch box and came back with delicious paint stains on her hands and clothes.

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.

Samantha's Gymnastic Classes

Mon, 14 Jun 1999 18:34:03 +0000

Samantha’s Gymnastic Classes []

One cold day, in the month of December, Samantha was in school. It was the English period and Samantha could hardly wait for the period to get over.

As soon as the bell rung, Samantha ran out of the class and went off to her locker. She put on her snowsuit, her boots and her woollen cap and went off to catch the bus. Once she got on the bus, she saw she was the first one. So she sat on the first seat and waited for the others.

Small Business

Mon, 01 Jan 2001 20:42:14 +0000

Shobhan ran to his father who was just leaving for work.

‘Papa! Papa!’ he called, ‘Jeetu Chacha is my best friend next to you.’

‘He is! That is fine. What has he done?’

‘He just phoned to say he and I are going to Delhi for one week.’

‘Well, are you telling me or asking me?’ Said Papa laughing.

‘Both. You are my best friend;’ said Shobhan looking up into his father’s laughing face.

‘Of course. You can go if its alright by your mother.’ Papa walked out of the little gate to board his bus. It wasn’t long before Jeetu Chacha drove his scooter into the garden path. Together they set off for Delhi.

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.

Excerpts from 'The Crystal Cave'

Fri, 30 Mar 2001 01:32:09 +0000

“Yuk!” exclaimed Thenyak. “It tastes awful!” Changun said nothing. But her screwed up features told all!

“Don’t like it, do you?” said Grandma Kamlong with a toothless grin. “But watch now.”

Using the ladle, she scooped up a little salt from a wooden bowl and put it into the broth. She sang a Nocte ballad as she stirred, smiling mysteriously all the while.

This was what made Grandma Kamlong such great fun! She could put life and mystery into the most trivial chore!

If The Tooth Be Told!...

Sun, 17 Jun 2001 14:53:11 +0000

Dada and Dadi were very funny. They were good fun too. They loved everyone and always had a good thing to say for everyone they met. They could always make people laugh.

All, that is, except each other. Somehow, they just had to look at each other, and they’d start fighting. It was really silly how the two of them were forever snapping at each other. And since they spent lot’s of time together, their moods were becoming more and more sour. Soon they didn’t have a good thing to say about anyone. They made no one laugh anymore. In fact, they often ended up making people cry.

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 Ms for Freedom

Mon, 27 Jan 1997 19:33:16 +0000

Chandu wait. Let’s celebrate our victory," Abdul requested.

“I’ll just be back – I must tell Baba the news. It was his training that helped me win against the New English School Giants in the Kabaddi finals,” screamed Chandu.
“I know, it was your stamina and speed that really worked,” Abdul said, “Thanks to Baba.”
Chandu rushed home, “Baba, Baba! we won! Thanks to you Baba,” Chandu yelled excitedly. But there was no appreciation or ‘Shabashi’, Chandu looked up and saw his father’s worried face.

All in a Day's Work

Wed, 20 Jun 2001 02:20:25 +0000

Wake up, Ajay! If you’re not up in a minute, I shall have to come in and drag you out of bed!" Mrs. Anu Rao shouted to her son from the drawing room. “And where is Sandy,” she continued, “I can’t believe that any dog can sleep for so many hours. Oh God, the way these two sleep!”

Her husband, Mr. Vinod Rao, looked up from his newspaper and said, “Let Ajay sleep at least during the holidays.”

300 Years of the Khalsa Community

Fri, 02 Feb 1996 14:20:07 +0000

“I would like to share with you something great. Have you heard of Sikhs. They are also called Khalsa,” writes Amtoj Singh

Hi friends,

I would like to share with you something great. Have you heard of Sikhs. They are also called Khalsa.

The Khalsa community was created by Guru Gobind Singh to protect the rights of fellow human beings. On 13th April ‘99, the Khalsa community is celebrating 300 years of its existence. It is great event for all those who love equality of human beings. I would invite children to celebrate it by creating sense of equality all around.

Take Care

Thu, 04 May 2000 14:39:05 +0000

Look out for the traffic! Be careful! Don’t fall into the drain!"

“Oh, Mum! I’m only going to the shop to buy you a loaf of bread. The way you’re going on, the neighbours will think I’m cycling all the way to London! You know there’s very little traffic on our quiet estate roads… and anyway, the drains are not even big enough for me to fall into!”

Shen’s mother sighed as she called after him, “Look out for cars! Be careful! Take care!”

My Magic Collar Stud

Sat, 02 Dec 2000 17:43:28 +0000

I suppose you think there aren’t any more fairies nowadays, or witches or wizards or goblins. Well, of course they don’t go about dressed up like the ones in picture books. You don’t see little fairies with butterfly wings perching on the chimneys at Hendon, or old ladies in pointed hats riding down Oxford Street on broomsticks and waiting for the green lights to go on. But they’re doing other things. The good magicians are still doing magic things like radio and chemistry. When you’re ill the doctor comes and writes a prescription on a bit of paper, and then the chemist gives you something in a bottle. If it does you good, that means that the bit of paper was really a spell, and the medicine a potion. And you meet fairies in all sorts of places, looking like quite ordinary people.

Something Special

Tue, 02 Nov 1999 12:57:06 +0000

The children were very excited about it. Early in the morning they woke up to the bird songs. Before the sun’s rays could peep in through the treetops they were ready in the jeep. This was their first visit to the jungle with their parents and the guide who knew the jungle well.

Welcome to the National Park said the guide. There are lots of interesting things to see. Let’s be on the look out. As they drove off, all senses were alert. Thick bushes were all around them. The jeep pulled up.

The Mystery of the Old Cemetery

Thu, 18 Mar 1999 01:10:38 +0000

The Mystery of the Old Cemetery [Illustartion by Shinod AP]

“I wish father were here”. These were the last words of two children when they were mourning their father’s death in a cemetery. They died a few minutes later because of a fire. This is how it happened.

A burial ceremony was taking place close by and a man smoking a cigar dropped it onto the dry grass. Flames shot up in the air and all the people present at the burial escaped as they were aware of the fire. But the two young children were not so fortunate. They were caught unawares and both succumbed to the flames.

Keep Hope Alive

Sun, 24 May 1998 14:28:16 +0000

First prize winner of Spin-A-Tale contest

It was destiny that bound us. Jamie, the black kid whose mum worked for us and me, Kevin the kid, whose mother employed Jamie’s mum. When I saw him first he was just this skinny kid walking around with his head drooping down to his feet. I asked him if he went to school but I got no answer.

Keep Hope Alive [Illustration by Shinod A.P.]

I assumed that he was just shy, so I went about my own work while he just sort of kept staring at anything. Later that night my parents started discussing Jamie over dinner and that’s when I came to know that Jamie was deaf… I was really shocked and not because he was deaf because I have seen lots of disabled people but the horrifying manner in which he had lost the power to hear.

The Great Barrier Reef

Thu, 19 Feb 1998 04:20:42 +0000

The Great Barrier Reef [Illustration by Shinod A.P.]

The Great Barrier Reef, which lies off the coast of Australia, is the world’s largest coral reef. It stretches 2010 kilometres along the north-east coast of Australia. Many kinds of corals grow here. Some pink, some orange, some bright blue and some yellow.

It is like a great underwater garden. Bright coloured fishes and plants live around the turquoise waters of the reef. The starfish are the reef’s most dangerous enemies and they cannot be destroyed.

Rats

Sun, 15 Jul 2001 03:08:12 +0000

Excerpts from ‘Rats’. First published by Vigyan Prasar, India

Now at this time there was a great plague of rats in the London Docks. They were specially fierce rats, whose ancestors had come on steamers from Hong Kong along with tea and ginger and silk and rice. These rats ate all sorts of food which are brought to London in ships because we cannot grow enough food in England to feed all the people here. They are wheat from Canada and cheese from Holland, and mutton from New Zealand and beef from Argentina. They bit out pieces from the middle of Persian carpets to line their nests, and wiped their feet on silk coats from China.

Richer or Poorer?

Sat, 10 Jan 1998 00:18:12 +0000

Second prize winner of Spin-A-Tale contest

Hello! My name is John! I used to be rich but I became poor. Here’s the story.

Richer or Poorer? [Illustration by Shinod A.P.]

Mom and dad said they wanted to go to Africa to donate rupees 4.5 crores (1 million dollars.) So, we went there. Almost all the taxis were gone. We caught one taxi and went to a very poor village to stay there for five days and to feel how it is to be poor. In one day, I met a boy named Jillyoin.

Global Warming

Thu, 14 Aug 1997 19:44:43 +0000

Konish Biswas, a student of Standard VIII puts forth his views on a problem that is affecting the whole planet.

Nowadays as you know, there is a lot of pollution in the atmosphere. The level of carbon dioxide and other such gases (known as greenhouse gases) is rising. These gases trap the heat and do not let it escape from the atmosphere.

Global Warming [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

When the presence of these gases goes beyond a level, the temperature rises. This happened to planet Venus and today, it has deadly clouds of carbon dioxide. Its atmosphere is blazing hot.

Woes Beat Foes!

Mon, 21 Feb 2000 22:22:48 +0000

Vikram and his friends were in the land of giants!

“That must be a giant’s house! " said Vikram, shading his eyes and peering into the distance.

“Let’s say hello to him!” giggled Anshul.

“Don’t be silly!” retorted Ajit. “Want to be gobbled up?”

Vikram was already making his way towards the building.

“FEE! FO! FUM!” roared someone. “Who’s there? I smell the blood of man! Be he alive or he dead, I’ll have him with my bread!”

Something Foolish

Thu, 30 Jan 1997 02:27:14 +0000

Numerous events have happened in my life but the one that tops the list of foolish events is the one that happened sometime ago, on a Saturday.

Something Foolish [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

As it was a holiday, I was at home. My mother had to buy some articles from the nearby general store. She left after ensuring that I had locked the door properly and said that she would return within 15 minutes.

The Stowaway

Wed, 03 Jan 2001 23:56:07 +0000

Marco Puss, the famous cat explorer, arrived at the docks one day. It was all new to him — the noise and bustle, the interesting smells, the cranes, the ship.

‘A house on water,’ he thought. ‘How exciting!’ Tail in the air, he stalked up the gangway. When he was halfway up he heard a shout.

‘Whose cat is that? Get him off the ship!’

Marco was booted off the ship. His dignity was hurt.

Tawara Toda

Sat, 04 May 1996 14:35:19 +0000

In Japan, in 365 AD, the Yamato Empire flourished, gaining strength and fame with each passing year. The emperor Nintoku was a fierce warrior well-known for his conquests.

In Nintoku’s army, there was a soldier named Tawara Toda. He was a poor and simple villager who was devoted to his land and emperor even though he was considered the joke of the army.

Nintoku’s guards whipped him regularly, yet every night before sundown, in his prayers he would ask Lord Buddha to protect his emperor and keep his land from harm.

Best Day of the Term

Tue, 23 Feb 1999 22:10:21 +0000

Best Day of the Term [Illustration by Navin Pangti]

As I sat down to work out a page of sums on the first school day of 2001, I couldn’t help but think of that lovely day, the best day of the term, just three weeks ago.

“Surbhi, give me your number! Hey, Aradhana! Wait for me, will you? Seen the ice cream man?”

Box Full of Chocolates

Fri, 09 Oct 1998 01:38:23 +0000

Third prize winner of Spin-A-Tale contest

Once upon a time there lived two friends Ramesh and Ganesh. Both were very close to one another. They were inseparable. One day Ramesh spotted a juicy chocolate bar in a shop.

Box Full of Chocolates [Illustration by Anup Singh]

He wanted it desperately. The very thought of it made his mouth water. As he was dreaming about the chocolate, came his close friend Ganesh. Ramesh, that day had a new writing pencil. Ganesh saw that Pencil and liked it very much. He asked Ramesh the cost of it.

Sister

Mon, 21 Jul 1997 23:37:20 +0000

Naman Saraf, a student of Standard IV, writes with feeling about what a sister means to him.

Sister [Illustration by Anup Singh]

What should I say about sisters? Sisters are like best friends. Whenever we have a difficulty, after our parents we look to our sisters. Sometimes they scold us, sometimes they take tender care. We all love our sisters. I, too, love my sister. She always helps me in my difficulty. She is my best friend.

The Girl who Loved Danger

Thu, 01 May 1997 13:15:32 +0000

Once there was a lovely girl named Ginger. The one thing she loved the most was danger. There was only one reason she loved danger. She loved it because she had never faced any danger.

She was forbidden to go any farther then the garden. Her father would not allow it because one day her mother went beyond the garden to get her scarf that had blown away. She never returned. Ginger was also the daughter of the richest man in Teton, where she lived.

Rani

Thu, 05 Feb 1998 09:39:56 +0000

Noopurmadhuri Tijare is studying in the sixth class at Mahila Samaj Primary School at Bhandara.

My fast friend in the class. .

She is a very different kind of girl. She never dropped her first position in the class.

Rani [Illustration by Anup Singh]

Her general awareness is very good.

She is a good dancer and very good painter.

She always tries to help others. .

A few days back we were shocked when she announced that she was going to put a stall in Anand Mela during the Sharda Utsav.

Children in Harmful Professions

Thu, 19 Feb 1998 22:49:20 +0000

Children in Harmful Professions []

Today in our country, only 40 per cent of the total children go to school. What about the other 60 per cent of the children? What do they do? The answer would shock many. The bulk of our child population is employed in hazardous and menial jobs. We see them in hotels and dhabas (roadside eateries) as waiters, working in factories and in houses as domestic help.

The Final Verdict

Fri, 05 Mar 1999 15:42:11 +0000

Khushboo Banka is a IX standard student of MB Girls High School, Calcutta. Here, she puts forth her views about Mother Earth.

The Final Verdict [Illustration by Shinod AP]

Beyond the horizon, stands Mother Nature waiting for the final verdict – her destruction. She is serving a life-term of millions of years and she is sentensed by her own children. Yes, us Humans.

A few million years ago, when Nature became the mother of thousands of living things, she had not thought that her own children will become her murderers. But how can her children forget that without her they would not survive either? If she dies, who will take care of them? Where will they go? How will they breathe? Will they try to change their destiny?

The Haunted House

Wed, 03 Jul 1996 15:01:59 +0000

This is a contribution from one of our young pitara viewer Shilpa from Barbados. She is six years old.

The Haunted House []

One day when I was playing a game called dodge ball, our ball went on a hill way up high. When we reached the top, we saw an old house. It was very calm, so we went in to investigate.

When we went in, we saw old chairs and we also heard voices. We saw skulls and skeletons. It was really horrible. So we immediately got out of that house and never went to that house again. Did you ever see a house like that? If you have please write about your experience.

ओमू ने खुशियां खरीदीं

Sat, 25 Sep 1999 16:08:41 +0000

देहरादून लौटते हुए काका ने ओमू को दस रूपये थमाए। काका दफ्तर के किसी काम से ओमू के गांव आए थे और उसी के घर में उसके परिवार के साथ ठहरे हुए थे। उस दौरान ओमू ने उनकी खूब टहल की थी। उसने उन्हें गांव भर में खूब घुमाया फिराया था। उनके छोटे छोटे काम कर समय पर मदद की थी।

काका को ओमू बहुत पसन्द था। उन्होंने ओमू के पिता से ओमू को अपने साथ देहरादून चलने की बात भी की थी। काका ने कहा था कि वे ओमू को देहरादून के किसी अच्छे विद्यालय में भर्ती करा देंगे और उसके बाद कालेज भी भेजेंगे। काका सम्पन्न थे और उनकी कोई औलाद भी नहीं थी।

बैंगन के गुण

Mon, 28 Dec 1998 16:09:26 +0000

बबलू बहुत देर से अपनी बहन से झगड़ रहा था। बहन उससे बड़ी थी और काफी देर से सब्र कर रही थी। आखिर उसे गुस्सा आ गया। बोली चुप करता है या नहीं, वरना मार मार कर भरता बना दूंगी।

बबलू सिर्फ झगड़ालू ही नहीं खाने का भी बड़ा शौकीन था। उसने भरता सुनते ही बहन की जुबान पकड़ ली, अरे वाह! भरता तो मुझे बेहद पसंद है। बैंगन का भरता गरमा गरम पराठे के साथ। बहन ने समझ लिया कि अपने पाजी भाई से जीतने वाली वह नहीं। उसने ही सुलह करने की पहल की। पेटु राम, जब देखो तब खाने की सूझती है। अच्छा यह बताओ भरता खाना है बैंगन का। बबलू इतनी आसानी से समझौता करने वाला जीव नहीं था। उसने कहा, मुझे बैंगन का भरता थोड़ी खाना है मुझे तो बघार के बैंगन ज्यादा पसन्द है।

सोमवार की सुबह

Thu, 06 Feb 1997 16:07:37 +0000

स्वामी और उसके दोस्त का प्रथम अंश

सोमवार की सुबह थी। स्वामीनाथन की आंखे खोलने की इच्छा नहीं हो रही थी। सोमवार उसे कैलेंडर का सबसे मनहूस दिन लगता था। शनिवार और रविवार की मज़ेदार आजादी के बाद सोमवार को काम और अनुशासन के मूड़ में आना बहुत मुश्किल होता था।

स्कूल के विचार से ही उसे झुरझुरी आ गयी वह पीली मनहूस बिल्डिंग जलती आंखों वाला कक्षा अध्यापक वेदनायकम और पतली लंबी छड़ी हाथ में लिए हैडमास्टर।

प्यारे पिताजी

Mon, 11 May 1998 15:58:18 +0000

कहानी का प्रथम अंश

सब्जी बनाने से पहले झींगी के दो टुकड़े कर छुरी की नोक से उसका जरा सा गुदा निकाल बिपुल की मां ने मुंह में डालकर चख लिया। कहीं झींगी कड़वी तो नहीं। झींगी और तोरी की कुछ प्रजातियां इतनी कड़वी होती हैं कि अगर सब्जी में पड़ जायें तो पूरी सब्जी कड़वी हो जाती है।

इस कारण बिपुल की मां झींगी या तोरी की सब्जी बनाने के पहले उसे जरूर चख लेती है।