CULTURE ONE

A Hasty Step

report by Vijay Singh

Once a mother was going out to get some water and she left a mongoose near the baby's bed. A snake came in and the mongoose tried to protect the baby. He bit on the snake's neck and killed it. When the mother came back she saw the blood on the mongoose, and [she] thought the mongoose killed the baby. So, she killed the mongoose. When she went into the room, she found that she was not right. The baby was not dead. She prayed about what she had done and knew it was wrong.

Bhajirao's Bravery

by Roma Desai

Many years ago, there was a Mughal Emporer in India. He had a governor called Nizam. In one part of India, there were local rulers called Marathas. One such ruler was Shahu of Satara. Shahu was the grandson of Shivaji.. Shahu's mother was a prisioner of the emporer.

The Peshwas were officers of the Maratha rulers. Balaji was a Peshwa and his son was Bajirao. Bajirao was brave. He helped win the release of Shahu's mother. He became a Peshwa at age 20.

Drawing of Bahubali

by Vijay Singh

Balban

by Sriram Balasuryan

Balban was very honest and very hard working, and faithful man. He rose to power from a slave, by hard work and courage.

Bappa Rawal

by Gita Ramamurti

Bappa Rawal was a Rajput. He fights his enemies to build a strong empire.

Barber at the Zoo

by Arjun Gokhale

If you are in trouble, and if you think smartly and wisely you can get out of it. In this story, Badlu Singh, the barber at the zoo and the chimp got in trouble in the lions cage, but because the chimp acted smartly, they could escape out of the cage.

Buddha

by Arjun Ramamurti

When Prince Siddhartha was born, a sage said that the prince would become either a great king or a great saint. The prince became Gautama. He got knowledge under a Bodhi tree. He taught everyone how to be good and kind and truthful. His followers are called Buddhists.

The Camel who was Beguiled by his Companions

by Amudha Pazhanisamy

Once there was a group of people going through a jungle with their camels. One of the camels was very weak and fell down and would not get up. The people left the camel behind in the jungle. After a day or two, the camel got up and ate some grass and regained his strength. One day a lion, leopard, a jackal, and a crow all walked together and came to that side of the jungle. The lion saw the camel. It asked the jackal who that strange animal was. "Oh King, that is a camel," said the jackal. They went up and asked "what are you doing in the jungle?" He told the whole story what had happened to him. The lion said, "Poor camel! Don't worry, you are under my protection."

Days passed and the lion got hurt one day and could not go hunting. For several days they had nothing to eat. So the king asked them to go hunt for food. They came back from hunting and told the king that they could not find any animals. So the crow said, "Eat me master." The leopard said, "You are too small for the king to eat." Then the jackal said, "Eat me master." The leopard said, "You are not big enough. Please let the master eat me instead." The camel thought that everybody was offering themselves, but the lion did not hurt any of them. So he said, "Eat me master." The lion said, "Move away brother leopard." Before the lion killed the camel, all the animals jumped over and killed the camel. The lion and the crow bit. The crow bit the eye. The end.

Moral of the story: Watch your step with false friends!

The Cat and the Tortoise

by Tina Oza

Chand Bibi

by Anjan Purohit

I read the book called "Chand Bibi". It is a story about a princess called Chand Bibi, who was very brave and a very good warrior. She was a great ruler of the city Ahmednagar. She defended the fort of Ahmednagar very bravely against the army of emporer Akbar. She was very wise in the successful negotiation with Akbar for the peace between the two kingdoms. Till today, she is remembered as a great queen and a ruler of Ahmednagar. I liked the book.

Choice of Friends

by Indu Ohri

Choice of Friends by Indu Ohri (continued)

The Crow, The Deer, And The Jackal

Report By Atul Soni

Once upon a time, there was a crow and a deer. They were very close friends. There was a jackal that lived close by. One day the jackal saw the deer eating some berries. The jackal thought "This would be a good meal." So he went to the deer and said "Isn't it a nice day." The deer said "Who are you. "Why I'm a lonesome jackal that doesn't have any friends. "Poor guy" said the deer "let me take you to my friend the crow." Who is this guy?" asked the crow. " This is my friend Jackal" said the deer. Don't you know that he is a stranger. "He could kill you!" "Now Mr. Crow you were a stranger when you met him ." "The deer is my friend. Why don't you want be my friend? "OK" said the crow and they went to bed. They went early and came late at night. One day, when the crow had left, the jackal said to the deer "I know someplace where there is a whole field of grass." While the deer was grazing the jackal thought "Ha ha soon I will feed on him." Just then the owner of the field came and said "So you are eating my crops." He set a trap to catch the deer. "Help, help I'm trapped! " I'm going to be dead if my friends don't help me." Then the sly old jackal came he was waiting for this part to happen. The deer said "You are just in time gnaw at the ropes and set me free." "I'm so sorry this net is too hard to break." " I'll try to open it tomorrow." And then he went away. When the crow returned he was worried he thought his friend might have been killed. After searching everywhere the crow came to the field and found his friend. The crow asked where is that jackal? The deer answered "He is hiding somewhere waiting to taste my flesh." The deer said "If you don't leave you also will die. No! I will wait with you to the end. Suddenly the crow saw the farmer and thought his friend might die. Just then an idea struck the crow. He told the deer to lie down, puff his belly up, make his legs totally straight. Then he said "I will peck on your eyes and when I croak , spring to your feet and run. When the farmer saw the deer he thought he was dead of fright. So he started removing the net. The jackal was watching and was about to pounce and just then the crow said "croak". Then the deer ran as fast as he could. The farmer got angry and threw his club. It hit the jackal and killed him.

THE MORAL OF THIS STORY IS... BE CAREFUL OF STRANGERS & TRUST YOUR FRIENDS.

Harsha

from Amar Chitra Katha

report by Prarthna V. Desai

Harsha was son of Prabhakar Vardhan the king of Thaneshwar. Harsha and his brother were at war with huns. After they won the war, a messenger came and told him that his father was very sick. He and his brother rushed back. They were late. Their father had died. Raiyavardhan the elder brother was made king. Greedy king Devgupta killed their sisters husband and forcibly carried her with him. After winning the war with Devgupta his brother was killed by Shashank who posed as his friend.

Harsha was made king. He went to war with Shashank and also saved his sister. He conquered various small kingdoms and brought peace in the region. He was returning home and was attacked by another king. Harsha lost the war. He was a very wise king. He decided not to fight wars. He gave help to poor and sick people. He also helped students to pursue their studies. People in his kingdom prospered. People of different faiths lived in peace and harmony. Hiuen Tsang a Chinese pilgrim came to his kingdom. While Hiuen Tsang was living with him he decided to hold a seminar on religions. Seminar lasted for many days. He made Hiuen Tsang an acharya and warned jealous people not to harm him. Towards the end, he presented gifts to the scholars and priests and peasants. He donated every thing that he had including his own clothes. He did this every five years.

Hiuen Tsang finished his studies. He returned to China. His memories and writings made king Harsha and India famous all over the world.

The Hunter Outwitted

by Anjali Patel

There once was a stag named chatur in the forest. Chatur was very clever. One day Chatur got caught in a trap. Chatur acted as if he is dead. Hunter opened up a trap, and went to collect sticks. Chatur stood up and ran into the forest.

Jahangir

by Indu Ohri

Jahangir was the fourth Mughol emporer, and the son of Akbar. He had two brothers and sisters. Jahangir loved his father, but within a couple years they began drifting away from each other. Akbar began to accuse Jahangir of things he didn't do. Jahangir soon went to Allahabad, away from his father. Jahangir wanted to make up with his father and asked if he could meet him, but Akbar said "No." After a while, Akbar and Jahangir made up. When Akbar was dying, he called for Jahangir and announced him King.

Kalidas

by Anita Raheja

Kalidas is one of the greatest poets.

The King Elephant and the Mice

by Ashok K. Bhaskar

Once a herd of elephants trampled upon a mouse colony when they were going in search of water. The mouse leader begged them to find another path. The elephants agreed. The mice repaid their kindness by freeing the elephants when they got trapped by hunters.

Moral: Even small things (creatures) can be important and useful.

The Lord of Lanka

by Pooja Amin

Ravana was the King of Lanka. One day Ravana disguised as a monk and went to the forest to make Sita his wife. The End.

Mahiravana

by Nihar Sarna

Mahiravana is son of Ravana, who is the ruler of Lanka. Mahiravana is the king of Nether world. He is summoned by his father to help him fight a war against Rama and his monkey army. Ravana has captured Sita, Rama's wife, to avenge the insult to his siter by Rama. Rama sent Hanuman to search for Sita. He finds Sita, when Ravana's men try to catch him, he sets fire to Lanka. The battle breaks out between the two and many of Ravanas warriors and generals, and all his sons except Mahiravana are killed. Mahiravana disguises himself as King Dasharartha, and gets past Hanuman's fortress. Mahiravana takes Rama and Laksmana prisioner to Nether world. Hanuman follows them. He hears gossip about how two men were going to be sacrificed to Durga. He assumes the form of a fly and reaches the secret chamber where Rama and Hanuman are tied. Durga tells Hanuman what course to take to destroy Mahiravana. Ram and Lakshman refuse to bow to Mahiravana, and asks him to show them how to bow. When Mahiravana bows, Hanuman assumes his normal form and grabs the sword, and struck Mahiravana, who dies instantly. Hanuman carries Rama and Lakshman back, who defeats Ravana and victory is theirs.

Panchatantra

by Vineeta Kannan

Panchatantra is a collection of moral stories. The characters are mainly animals and birds. It teaches children about courage, nobility, and cleverness.

"Pundalik"

by Jayaji More'

Pundalik was the only child. He had bad habbits. He gambled with his friends all day long. He did not work. He used up all his parent's money and gold. He did not care about his family. He made his mother beg for food. They were tired of their life and decided to go on a pilgrimage to Kashi. After his parents left, Pundalik came to know that no one cared for him. He decided to find his parents. He had to cross a jungle. He saw three black girls who were the three rivers, ganga, saraswati and jamuna. The girls took him to a sage. Pundalik prayed to the sage. The sage told him to find his parents and take care of them.

He found his parents and they went to kashi and bathed in the waters of the ganga. Then they travelled south to pandur. Then he built a hut for his parents and took very good care of them. One day, while be was taking care of his parents, lord krishna came in and granted him a boon for his good deeds. Pundalik asked the lord to remain there forever. When the lord left, there was his idol. Pundalik took the idol to the town and the town built a temple called the "Temple of Vithoba"

The end

Rama

by Trupti Ingle

King Dasharatha is the ruler of Ayodhya. He has four sons - Rama, Laxmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna. Rama picks up a heavy bow and wins marriage to Sita, the daughter of Raja Janaka.

King Dasharatha is getting old so Rama will be crowned King. Queen Kaikeyi wants her son Bharata to be king, so she asks King Dasharatha to crown Bharata as King, and to send Rama to the jungle for fourteen years. When Rama finds out, he says okay, and he goes to the jungle. Bharata says, I don't want to be the king. He keeps Rama's sandals and rules in his name.

Ravana, the ten-headed King of Lanka carries Sita away. Hanuman goes to rescue Sita. Ravana puts fire to his tail. Hanuman's tail gets bigger and bigger. He sets fire to the whole city of Lanka.

Rama declares war on Ravana. Rama cuts off Ravana's head several times, but another takes its place. Vibheeshana tells Rama that Ravana's life is stores in his navel. Rama shoots at Ravana's navel. Soon all his heads and arms are struck with arrows and Ravana is dead. Rama takes Sita back to Ayodhya and he rules for many years.

This is Rajastan

by Arun Nijhawan

Rajastan is a place in India. It is hot in the day and cool in the night, because it is a desert. Camals carry waterbags.

The Rani of Kittur

by Tanushree Soni

Rani of Kittur got married with Mallasarai, the King of Kittur. She got two sons. Five years later, one son died, and the king died. She blessed the new king. Two years later, war broke out between the British and the Peshwa. Meanwhile, the new king fell ill and died. Before death, he adopted a son, but the Britishers refused that he adopted a son. Then, the Rani fought bravely with the Britishers for her rights. The Britishers captured her and kept her in prision. Five years later she died.

This is a picture of an Englishman who is captured by an Indian man.

Tarabai

by Jay Oza

This book starts in Thoda. It is about a girl named Tarabai and her father named Rai Surtan. The Afghans took the land of Rai Surtan which was in Thoda. Thoda is in Rajasthan. They had to move to Badnor. Tarabai was bom in Badnor. As she grew up Rai Surtan often told her stories of their old home in Thoda. Then Rai Surtan tried to win Thoda back several times from the Afghans but he failed. Tarabai wanted to try and win Thoda back so she started training to be a warrior. She was so good and well focused that even riding a horse at full speed she could shoot an arrow straight at her target. Her training in household duties was just as good as her training as a warrior.

Soon Tarabai was easily the most accomplished girl in Mewar. Rai Surtan decided that Tarabai was strong enough to go to battle. He called Tarabai to him." Tara prepare for battle. We shall march into Thoda to win the land back." In Thoda the Afghans were ready. Rai Surtan's troops taught well but they were greatly outnumbered. This attempt too was a failure. As the father and daughter rode back to Badnor Rai Surtan said "we have failed, but we must not loose hope."

Meanwhile the news of her beauty and talant reached Mewar and Rana's third son Jaimal wanted to marry her. He came to Badnor and asked her to marry him. She said " you may have my hand if you get the land of Thoda back from the Afghans." But Jaimal had no intentions of doing so. He tried to enter her room and her father killed him.

The Rana heard of his son's death. He was a noble man and he understood why Rai Surtan killed Jaimal. He deserved to die. Ms second son Prithviraj wanted to win Tarabai's hand also, Tarabai laid the same condition to him. Prithviraj gathered his troops and went to Thoda during the festival of Muharram. He attacked when the Afghans were off gaurd. His lance and Tarabai's arrow killed their chief. They got their land back and made Rai Surtan happy. Tarabai and Prithviraj got married. They stayed for a few months and Tarabai started -getting restless. So they left for Mewar. In Mewar the traitors took Rana by surprise and he was about to retreat when Prithviraj and Tarabai came and motivated their soldiers and defeated the enemy. Then they settled down in Khumbalmer.

A letter received from his sister married to the Sirohi prince Pabhoo Rao upset him. His brother-in-law was mistreating his sister. He decided to punish him and went to Sirohi. He was going to kill him when his sister said to forgive him. He wanted to embarrass him so he made him put her slippers on his head and touch her feet! Pabhoo Rao wanted his revenge and so he poisoned some sweets and gave them to Pritviraj to eat on his way home to Khumbalmer. As Prithviraj was riding his horse he ate a few sweets. He started feeling odd and sleepy. He realised that he had been tricked but before he could reach Tarabai he was dead.

When Tarabai heard the news, she was heartbroken and she joined him on the funeral pyre which was a custom in those davs. There is a shrine made of the heroic couple in Khumbalmer near Udaipur.

Tarabai was a very brave, strong, supportive, beautiful, accomplished, and heroic lady in history.

The Turtle Who Fell Off A Stick

by Neha Kashalikar

Near a lake lived three good friends. As years passed, there was no water. The turtle had an idea. "I will try" said the swands - "but don't talk". "Okay" said the turtle, and they were off. They flew over people. "Look, look. What is all that noise?" said the people. He [the turtle] forgot what the swans said, and down fell the turtle!

The moral is: Think before you talk!

Vasavadatta

by Sonia Sujananai

King Pradyeta of Ujjaini captured King Udayana of Kaushambi through a trick. King Pradyota's daughter Vasavadetta fell in love with him. They escaped and got married.

Vikramaditya

by Saatvik Ahluwalia

There was a big brother and a little brother. They went out with their friends to the swamp. Over there, they saw a lion. The small prince killed the lion. The king said to his guards that go to the swamp and see what they are doing. The guards went to the swamp and saw the younger prince next to the dead lion. They went and told the king that the small prince had killed the lion. The king said the small prince will be the new king. However, when the king died, the minister made the big brother king. One day, the new king went with his people, and he was blocked in front and back by bad people. The king sent a man to find what the bad king wanted. The man told the king that the bad king wanted the king's wife. When the king agreed to give away his wife, Prince Chandragupta disguised himself as the queen and killed the bad king. The king was jealous that his brother was so popular and tried to kill him, but the smaller one woke up and killed the king. The Prince was made the new king and he went to fight all the bad people. He killed all the bad people and came back home and all the people called him Vikramaditya.

Vikramaditya

(A Story from ancient Hindu mythology)

by Pranav Sachdev

Indra, the king of the gods pleased Shiva. As a reward, Shiva gave him an exquisite throne, with beautiful carvings of elephants and women on it. There was a picture of the sun painted on the back of the throne. Meanwhile, on earth, there was a very good and famous king, Vikramaditya. He looked after his subjects very well. Even the gods respected him, and when they could not decide which two apsaras was the better dancer, they asked Vikramaditya to help them decide. When he did so, God Indra gave him the throne Shiva had presented to Indra, so impressed was he by Vikramaditya. After Vikramaditya sat on the throne, he became even more powerful and good, and there was no evil in his kingdom.

Drawing of Vikramaditya's Throne by Anita Raheja

Vishvamitra

by Arohan Patla

This is the story about how Vishvamitra, the great king, became a great sage.

Vishvamitra was a great king with a vast kingdon. He loved hunting. One day, he went hunting with a huge group of people. After a busy day of hunting, everybody was hungry and thirsty. They came upon the hermitage of sage Vashishta.

Vashishta gave them all milk and food, and offered them bedding. The king was amazed, because the sage was alone, except for his cow and he calf. Vashishta explained to the king that the cow, Nandini was not a normal cow, but was magical. The king wanted thje cow. When the sage refused, the king brought a huge army. The magical army of the cow defeated the king's army.

The king realized that the sage's power was greater than a king's army or wealth. Then, he decided to become a sage himself, and to defeat sage Vashishta.

Ashoka

by Preeti Ravaliya

This is the story about the King Ashoka. Ashoka was the son of Bindusara. He went to suppress the rebels of Taxita and Ujjaini. On his way he met a lovely girl named Vidisha who was Buddhist. They were married and had two children who they named Mahindra and Sunghmitra. After a few years Ashoka went back to Patliputra to see his father who wad ill. Before Ashoka left, Vidisha asked Ashoka to promise he would preach non-violence. But he fought for the throne. This made Vidisha mad. She sent the children to Ashoka and went to the Buddhist sungha. When Ashoka went to war with Kalinga he saw the dead people. This made Ashoka sad because he killed these people. After this his children wanted to be a monk and join the sangha. From then on he preached non-violence. This is a historical story. I did know this story before. I liked this book very much. I liked it because of the pictures. The book was easy to understand. There is a moral to this story. It is , to always keep a promise. The picture in this book are well drawn. I would recommend this book to a friend.

The Beautiful Peacock

by Natasha Ingle

This book is about birds. Though peacock is a bird, it is different from other birds in many ways. Most birds sing but the peacock cries. Ducks swim, but the peacock never tries. Most birds fly, but the peacock barley knows how to fly. Some birds have small tails, but the peacock's glory is in it's tail. When the peacock dances it's fan opens. The peacock is also lndia's national bird.

I liked the book because I like peacocks. The pictures are well drawn.

The Big Lion and the Little Rabbit

by Amar Patel

Once there was a lion. He killed lots of animals. The animals decided to give the lion one animal a day. One day, it was the rabbit's turn. By the time the rabbit got there, the lion was very hungry. The rabbit told him that five more rabbits came, but another lion ate them. The lion asked rabbit to show him where he lived. Rabbit took him to a well. When lion saw his reflection, he jumped in and drowned. The End. MORAL: Mighty Brawn is No Match For Nimble Brain.

The Blue Jackal

Panchatantra - Book IV

by Mayur Contractor

The was a jackal who was looking for food. He walked for a very long time. After a while, he came in a city. He knew it was dangerous, but he had to take the risk. He heard a signal, dogs were after him. He ran into a house. In the yard was a tub of blue dye. He fell into it. He went out the back door. There were lots of animals there. He said to them, "I am your king". So they served him like a king. Once, he heard a pack of jackals howling. So, he started to howl. Immediately, the animals knew he was a cheap jackal!

The story was about animals. I did not know this story before. I liked the book. I liked it because the pictures were good. It was easy to understant it. There was a moral, and I learned not to cheat! The story contained enough pictures which were drawn well. I would really reccomend this book.

The Story Of Buddha

Book Report By Kapil A. Dilwali

This story is about the life and teachings of Lord Buddha. Gautam Buddha began his life as Prince Siddhartha. A sage predicted that the baby prince would either become a "King of Kings, " or a Saint. As a young boy, Siddhartha did not like to play cruel games. He liked to save the animals instead. He got married to Yashodhara, and had a son. One day, the prince decided to go see his kingdom. On the way, he saw sorrow, illness, and death. He decided to give up his life of pleasure and pain in search of Truth. Prince Siddhartha decided to become a saint. He found a way to end sorrow and taught others. His teachings were spread all over the world. The End.

Chaladevi and Raja Bheemdev

by Gauravi Prabhu

Chaladevi did not want to marry Raja Bheemdev. Marriage was not the right thing for her. She loved Raja Bheemdev, but she loved her land, Gujarat, more. Raja Bheemdev was [so]in love with Chaladevi that he forot his royal duties. Chaladevi reminded him that his duties towards his kingdom were of more importance than their getting married.

The Foolish Tortoise

by Roshni Mirchindani

Once there was a lake. A tortoise and two swans lived there. There was no rain, and the lake started to dry up. The swans said they have to leave. They told the tortoise, and the tortoise said to get a stick. I will hold on to the middle. You guys hold on to the sides, and we will fly away to another lake. The swans liked the idea, brought a stick; and went on their way. The villagers saw this and started shouting. The tortoise did not like it and said, "Why do they shout, there is nothing strange about this". The moment he uttered these words, he fell and died.

Ghatotkacha

(retold by Lakshmi Seshadri)

by Kavita Patel

The Pandavas were orphans and the people loved them. They sent the Pandavas to a house made of lac. They set it on fire. The Pandavas had made a secret escape tunnel. The mother and the Pandavas escaped. They met a rakshasa. The girl rakshasa changed her form into a beautiful girl, thinking Bheema will marry her. Bheema killed her brother and Kunti, his mother woke up. They soon married. The Kavrava's invited them for dice and he lost his kingdom, and he had to go to the forest for thirteen years. Soon, the Mahbharath started. At the end, Ghatotkhacha was killed. Ghatotkhacha was Bheema's son. The Pandava's won the war.

The Lion and the Rabbit

from Amar Chitra Katha

by Parth V. Desai

Once there was a lion. He was mean. He always ate other animals. So the animals said to the lion that they will send him an animal everyday. Then an animal came there everyday, lion killed and ate the animal.

One day it was the rabbits turn. Rabbit was very small and clever. He went there late. Lion was very angry. Lion told him that he was too small for his meal. So the rabbit said to the lion that other rabbits came but they got eaten by another lion. Lion wanted to find out where other lion was. So the rabbit took the lion to the well. The lion saw his reflection in the water and jumped in the well to kill "other" lion and died. All the animals lived in peace after that.

I recommend this book because it teaches you not to be greedy and be wise. it also teaches you that, it is your mind and not how tall or strong you are that makes you smart.

The Lion Makers

A Story From The Panchatantras

report by Vinay Bhatt

Long ago there were four friends. First three were learned, the fourth was not but had a lot of common sense. One day the three went out but the fourth friend wanted to go too, but two.of them did want him to go but the third one said," He is our friend too, he must come with us". So all four went out and came to a forest and found bones. They put the bones together, they put flesh and blood in it. But the fourth one said," Do not put it together, it is a lion!". The other three friends did not listen to him thinking that he was stupid. So he climbed a tree before they put life into the dead animal. It came to life and ate the three learned friends and the fourth one on the tree climbed down and went home.

MORAL: 1. Use your common sense

2. Always think of results of your actions.

3 Use learning such that it does not harm you or anybody else.

The Monkey & The Crocodile

Stories from The Panchatantra

report by Anila Sinha

Once upon a time there was a monkey who lived in a rose apple tree and a crocodile who lived in the water. One day the crocodile came to the rose apple tree and the monkey said who are you? And why are you here? and the crocodile said he wanted to try some of the rose apple and the monkey said that he would give some and if he liked it he would give him some more he liked it so the monkey gave him some. The crocodile had a wife and he used to take apples from the monkey and bring it home for his wife.

One day, when the crocodile went back home, his wife said that you have got all these rose apples from a monkey! We are supposed eat monkey's! But he is my friend I do not want my friend to be eaten up ok. Then do you want to call him see if he can come over for dinner? No! o.k and years passed and the crocodile's wife got jealous then one day she got a plan so first she pretented to be sick and she was ill.and she pretented that the doctor said that the only cure was to eat a monkey's heart. The monkey finally agreed. VIhen he went to get the monkey and the monkey said you are late today yes because I and my wife want you to came over, but I will drowned oh no said the crocodile, you won't get drowned. 'ne crocodile carried the monkey on his back, but as he started going into deep water, the monkey told him that he will get drowned. The Crocodile did not stop, so the monkey knew that something was wrong. He told his friend that he had left his heart back on the tree in one of the rose apples, and he must go back to get it. The crocodile took him back, as soon as they reached the shore the monkey jumped up on the top of the tree and told the crocodile that he should go back and tell his wife that her husband is the greatest fool in the whole world!

The Monkey & The Crocodile report by Anila Sinha (continued)

Moral of story : The moral of the story is

1) Never cheat on a good friend.

2) Do not tell lies.

3) If someone helps you, you should not be rude to them.

This is a story from the Panchatantra, about animals. I had not heard this story before. But I really liked this story. I liked this book because it was very easy to understand and it was fun to read it. The pictures are real good. I would like my friends to read this book too.

How Munia Found Gold

report by Swati Varshney

There was a bird named Munia. She lived in a big tree. Once during a monsoon it rained for days and days. Munia was not able to leave her tree. She was wet and hungry. Finally the rain stopped and the sun came out. A beautiful rainbow filled the sky. Munia flew mto the garden and saw a ripe cherry on the ground. She picked it up and flew to a dry place to eat it. Munia flew over fields and trees. At las she found a dry, bare branch and sat on it. The blue sky, sun and rainbow filled her heart with joy. Munia quickly forgot about her hunger and started to sing. But, right when she opened her mouth, the cherry dropped to the ground, Munia flew down to get the cherry, but the cherry was nowhere in sight. Munia looked everywhere for it but still she could not find it. 'Ihe rain made the earth soft. So, the cherry was buried in the mud.

Munia did not forget about the cherry. Munia found another cherry to fill her stomach. Every day Munia would return to the old branch to look for the cherry she had dropped. One morning, Munia found a seedling where she had dropped the cherry. Munia liked the seedling and came every day to watch it. A few days later a rabbit came by and saw the tiny plant. Many animals liked to eat fresh green leaves. The rabbit's mouth started to water. Munia knew if a plant loses its leaves it can not take the sunshine and will soon wither away and die. When the rabbit tried to nibble the leaves, Munia frightened it away. Then one day a fawn came and sniffed the plant. It was about to eat the leaves. Then, Munia flew down and scolded the fawn. The fawn ran away. Munia was worried about her plant. She wanted to protect it. Soon, she found some sticks and grass and built a wall around it. One night, there was a storm. The sticks and grass blew away. Hiding behind a stone Munia watched helplessly as the tender plant swayed and bent with the wind.

The next day Munia called her friends to help build a stronger wall to protect the plant from strong wind and rain that could pull at the roots before they got a firm grip on the ground. In a few years, the little plant became a big plant and then a healthy tree with big green leaves. One spring day, Munia saw pink and white flowers on the tree. A few weeks later, to Munia's surprise, the flowers turned into big golden cherries like the one she had dropped. Munia called her friends. There were enough big golden cherries for everyone. The tree would be their home. It would shade them from the hot summer sun and the heavy monsoon rain. Munia had now found something more precious than gold.

The Story of Prahalad

by Hemang Acharya

Once there was a king named Hiranyakashipu. One day a boy named Prahalad was born to him. One day he asked Prahalad "Dear son, tell me what is the best thing in life?". Prahalad said "to renounce the world and seek refuge in Vishnu". Hiranyakashipu became mad and he tried to kill Prahalad, but it didn't work. He sent for Prahalad, and said "You wicked wretch, are you trying to destroy me and my race?" Prahalad said Vishnu was everywhere. "Where is he?" said Prahalad's dad. "If he is everywhere, why is he not in this pillar?" He cut open the pillar, out came Nara-Simha. Nara-Simha killed Hiranyakashipu. The End.

Rama To The Forest

by Nikhil Shah

Rama to the forest is a historical is a historical story about Rama, who was made king by his father, Dasharatha. But his stepmother, Kaikeyi wanted her son, Bharat, to be king. She asked Dasharatha to make her a promise that Bharata would be king, and Rama would go to the forest for fourteen years. Lakshmana and his wife Sita, went with Rama to live in the forest. King Dashratha was so sad after Rama left that he died. When Bharata came to the palace, he was very upset with his mother after hearing the whole story. He went to the forest to bring Rama back, but Rama said he must keep the promise he made to his father. So, Bharata ruled the kingdom with Rama's sandals on the throne.

This book is very interesting because it reminds us to keep the promises we make to other people, and not to take things that belong to others. The book was easy to understand, and had enough pictures to make it more interesting. I would reccommend this book to all my friends.

Shravana & His Blind Parents

by Rohan Lathia

Shravana had parents that were blind and of a poor family. Shravana took his parents to all religious places. One day they reached Kashi. It was very dark and Shravana's parents were very tired and thirsty. Shravana went to get water,, he saw a pool of water and filled his jug with it. However he did not know that king Dasrath was hidina behind a tree to hunt deer. King Dasrath mistook Shravana for a deer and shot an arrow. The arrow hit Shravana in his heart and he cried out in pain. When king Dasrath learned that he shot Shravana instead of a deer, he felt very sad. He went to Shravana for help. Shravana told him to bring the water to his blind parents who were tired and thirsty and then Shravana died. King Dasrath took the water to Shravana's parents but they did not take the water instead they cursed him and said "you will also be parted from your child when YOU die".

Shravana

by Shreyas Mistry

Shravana was in a poor family, and they were going to Kashi for getting water. Shravana died when he was getting water. Shravana was a boy, and his mom and dad were blind. He told Kashi to bring the water to his mom and dad. Shravan died.

The Swan & the Crow

from Amar Chitrakatha

by Parth Desai

Once upon a time, in a village, there were three boys who liked a crow. They admired and fed him every day. This made the crow think that he is the most handsom and clever bird. Then, swans came. He tells the swans that they are ugly and all they can do is flutter in the breeze like a torn ribbon. He tells them that he is a better flier. To teach him a lesson, the swans challenge him. They went flying very far over the ocean and the crow gets tired. He was going to drown, but the swan saves his life, and brought him back on te land. He finally realizes that he is only a crow, and tells the swans that they were superior.

I like this story because it teaches you a lesson that one should understand their limitations. It also teaches you to be humble like swans.

The Three Fish

by Rishi Nijhawan

There were three fish. One was blue, and he was really wise. The second one was clever and happy. the third one was grave. One morning, the blue fish saw two fishermen. One fisherman told another fisherman that they would come back tommorow. The blue fish told his friends that the fisher- men would come tommorow. The blue one wanted to go away. The red one said that he was going to stay right there. The brown one said he would stay too. The red one and the brown one were caught too. The red one pretended he was a dead fish. The fisherman threw out the red fish. The brown fish was still struggling. The brown one was chopped with a blow, and that's the end.