Being Honest - Honesty is the Best Policy

Rohit was playing with his sister.

Suddenly, his foot slipped and he fell on the table.

The flower vase on the table fell down. It broke into many pieces.

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Rohit’s sister started crying. Hearing the cry, mother came. When she saw the broken flower vase, she was very angry. She asked, “Who broke the flower vase?”

Rohit said, “Mom I broke the flower vase by mistake. I am really very sorry. Please forgive me.”

Mother looked at Rohit and said, “You are an honest boy. I forgive you. But be careful in the future.

image courtesy: google images

Moral: Honesty is the best policy.

The Ant and the Grasshopper

One summer’s day a Grasshopper was hoping about, chirping and singing merrily. An ant passed by, carrying an ear of corn to the nest. The grasshopper said, “Why not come and chat with me”. The ant refused and said, “I am helping to lay up food for the winter and you should also do the same.”

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The grasshopper said, “Why should I bother about the winters? We have got plenty of food at present. “But the Ant went on it way and continued to gather food. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found himself dying out of hunger, while it saw the ants enjoying the corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper went to the ant and asked for food. The ant refused and said, “You should have worked and gathered food in summer, rather that just sitting and singing.”

Moral: It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.

Staying Alert - Soumya The Brave Little Girl

Soumya was an eight year old girl. She was a bright and smart girl. She had a five year old brother named Raghav. Their mother and father worked in a bank. So, when they were not home, she would often take good care of Raghav.

One day, Soumya was alone at home. The parents had gone to attend a wedding in the city. Soumya played with Raghav for a while. She also read a story to him. Then, Raghav went to sleep.

Soumya then decided to watch cartoons on the television. As she was enjoying the show, she suddenly saw thick smoke coming out of her parents’ bedroom.

She knew that something was wrong. “Oh God, a fire has broken out,” she shouted.

But she did not panic. She called her father, “Papa, there is a fire in your bedroom. I have called the neighbors for help. I am also going to call the fire service.”

“Well done Soumya, you did the right thing,” said her father, “we are leaving immediately. I am coming home in ten minutes.”

Soon the neighbours came and took Soumya and Raghav out of the house. Soumya had already called the fire service. With in no time, the fire brigade came and put out the fire.

Soumya’s parents came home quickly. Everyone praised Sourmya for her brave act. Brave Soumya, she saved the house from fire. “We are so proud of you. You are a brave girl.” Said her mother and hugged her.

BE BRAVE AND BOLD

The End

The Rich Man and the Old Woman

Once upon a time, there lived a rich farmer in a village. He was a very kind man. He was always ready to help the poor and the needy. Often he gave money to make wells, parks and schools in the village.

One day, as he was coming home, he saw an old woman lying under a tree. He went to her and asked, “Old woman! Why are you lying near the tree? It is dark. Go to your home.”

The old woman was very hungry and had high fever. She could not speak.

The man took pity on her and asked his servants to take the woman to his house. There, he gave her food and water. She told him that she was poor and had no home. Later, he told her to take care of his garden and gave her a room to live in his house.

Days passed by. The old woman took very good care of the garden. She also planted many useful herbs in the garden. One day, when the rich man’s son was playing in the field a snake bit him. No one knew what to do. On hearing this the old woman immediately went to the garden and picked up some herbs. She made a paste and gave it to the boy.

After some time, the boy was fine. The man was very happy.

He told the old woman, “Thanks a lot for saving my son’s life. I can never repay your help.

The old woman smiled and said, “Son! Once when I was dying, you also saved my life. It was my duty to save your son.”

Moral: Be kind to everyone

God is Great

One evening, King Bhoja and Kalidasa were walking along the banks of a river. There were many orchards [fruit gardens] near the river.

King Bhoja and Kalidasa entered one of the orchards to get some fruits.

On entering the orchard, King Bhoja looked around. There were creepers which bore fruits like watermelon and muskmelons on them. These creepers had thin delicate stems lying on the ground.

Also, there were many big trees bearing many tiny red fruits.

King Bhoja looked at the fruits and said, “This is odd. Why do the weak creepers have such big fruits while the big tree has such small fruits? Why has God made these plants like this? I think big fruits should grow on big trees and small fruits should grow on thin stems! What do you think Kalidasa?”

“Your majesty! God has created this Earth and every being on this with some thought. You would soon understand the reason for this,” replied Kalidasa.

Soon, they saw a man sleeping under the big tree, which had red fruits. Suddenly, a strong wind blew. One of tiny fruits fell on the head of the man. He woke up immediately. King Bhoja and Kalidasa saw this.

“Your majesty! Did you see that?” said Kalidasa. “The man was sleeping under the big tree because there is shade. When the wind blew, the fruit of the tree, fell on him. What would have happened if there were watermelons instead of small red fruits on the tree?”

The king started laughing and understood the reason behind God’s creation.

Everything is right in its own place.

Nature is God's gift to us. We should be thankful to God for giving us so many things.

Gandhiji and the Three Monkeys

Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of Nation, believed in simple living and high thinking. He used to live with a very few things. Some of the things which he always kept with him were – tin cup and spoon, a pair of sandals, his glasses and … a set of “no evil monkeys”. 

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Gandhiji was the leader of the freedom movement of India. Many people from all over the world used to visit him. He would often advise them about something or the other.

One day, a group of visitors came from Japan. “Gandhiji, we have brought you a small gift,” they said. “It is no bigger than a child’s toys, but it is famous in our country. “To Gandhiji’s delight, it was a set of three monkeys.

Gandhiji asked them, “What do these three monkeys tell us?”

One of the visitors said, “Gandhiji! The first monkey has its mouth covered with its hands. It shows ‘speak no evil’.”

Another visitor then spoke, “The second monkey has its eyes covered with its hands. It shows ‘see no evil’.”

“The third monkey has its ears covered with its hands. It shows ‘hear no evil’.”

Gandhiji was very happy to learn about the three monkeys. He himself believed in truth and non-violence. He said, “These monkeys are indeed one of the most valuable gifts I have ever received. They actually teach us the truth of life.” 

From that day, Gandhiji kept the monkeys always with him. In one of the meetings, he pointed out at the monkeys and said, “Each of these monkeys tells us how to live our life properly. The first monkey tells us not to say anything harsh. Never say anything bad to hurt your fellow beings. The second monkey tells never to look for faults in others. And the third monkey tells us never to hear any evil.

Speak no evil, see no evil and hear no evil.

Sindbad The Sailor

Hundreds of years ago, there lived a young man named Sindbad. He was a merchant. In order to sell his wares, Sindbad had to often sail around the world. Most of his voyages were full of exciting adventures.

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On one occasion, Sindbad had to go to China with a cargo of dates form Arabia. When he was returning, his cargo met with a tempest. The mighty waves overturned the ship. Luckily, Sindbad escaped unhurt and managed to reach the shore. It was a strange land with huge white rocks all around.

“Oh, thes white boulders seem so sommth!” Sindbad wondered. As he went to one of the rocks, a huge eagle landed next to him. And then… to his awe and surprise, he found that the white rocks were nothing else but the eggs of the eagles. “So.. Iam in the land of giant birds,” Sindbad mused.

He crawled behind a huge eagle and fastened himself to its leg. The huge bird took off in the sky and soon landed in a valley where there were gems and diamonds all around. Suddenly, a piece of meat fell beside Sindbad, and a diamond got stuck onto it. He got reminded of the story of the valley.

The natives of the valley used to throw meat so that the gems could get stuck on them. When the birds carried the meat to their nests, the people used to collect the gems and leave the meat in the nests. “The birds may swoop anytime,” thought Sindbad. He quickly collected as many gems as he could.

Tying the diamonds in his waistband, he waited near the piece of meat. As soon as an eagle landed there to pick up the meat, Sindbad tied himself to the bird’s leg. The huge bird took off in the sky… and off went Sindbad flying high. The bird landed in another valley. Sindbad untied himself.

People of the valley were startled to see him. And when they came to know that he was Sindbad, the sailor, they were pleased. For some days, he stayed with them, telling them about his adventures. Then one day, he took leave of them. “Another voyage awaits me,” he said. And Sindbad went on his way..

His voyages continued…

The End.