The Ant & the Grasshopper

Dear Kids,

Today, I've got a story which has two versions - one for small kids (roughly below 14 years of age), and the other meant for older children.

Hope you enjoy the story!

The Ant & the Grasshopper
For kids below 14	For Teenagers
In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant walked by, grunting as he carried a plump kernel of corn. "Where are you off to with that heavy thing?" asked the Grasshopper. Without stopping, the Ant replied, "To our ant hill. This is the third kernel I've delivered today." "Why not come and sing with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of working so hard?" "I am helping to store food for the winter," said the Ant, "and think you should do the same." "Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; "we have plenty of food right now." But the Ant went on its way and continued its work. The weather soon turned cold. All the food lying in the field was covered with a thick white blanket of snow that even the grasshopper could not dig through. Soon the Grasshopper found itself dying of hunger. He staggered to the ants' hill and saw them handing out corn from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.	This one is not new, but has a good lesson! MODERN VERSION The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so? Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house. Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other grasshoppers demanding that grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter. Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper. The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance). Opposition MP's stage a walkout. Left parties call for "Bharat Bandh" in West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry. CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among ants and grasshoppers. Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'. Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act [POTAGA]", with effect from the beginning of the winter. Arjun Singh makes Special Reservation for Grass Hopper in educational Institutions & in Govt Services. The ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV. Arundhati Roy calls it "a triumph of justice". Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice'. CPM calls it the 'revolutionary resurgence of the downtrodden' Koffi Annan invites the grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly. Many years later...The ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi billion dollar company in Silicon Valley. 100s of grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India ... As a result losing a lot of hard working ants and feeding the grasshoppers India is still a developing country..... .

Happy reading!

Uncle N

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Bhima meets Hanuman

Bhima meets Hanuman

Dear Kids,

Often, some of us think that we are great. But for every great person, we often find another person who is much greater. We must realise this, and learn to be humble and show respect to others.

See what happens to Bhima in this story from the Mahabharata:

Narayanaashrama is a holy place in the Himalayas. Many sages spent their lives there in meditation. The Pandavas went to this place during their exile.

The sages received them happily and invited them to spend some days there. Yudhistira accepted their invitation.

One day Draupadi saw a lotus floating in the river. It was a thousand petalled lotus with very sweet fragrance. Draupadi approached Bhima. She showed that flower to him and said, "Can you please get me more of such lotuses? We shall worship the sages with these". Hearing Draupadi's simple request, Bhima immediately agreed.

Accordingly he set out in search of that lotus. He walked for long He saw many fragrant flowers but he still did not find the lotus he was searching for. On the way, in a banana grove, Lord Hanuman sat in ecstasy repeating the Lord's name. He was Bhima's elder brother. The wild animals ran helter-skelter on hearing the footsteps of Bhima. Hanuman understood that his younger brother was approaching him.

Hanuman decided to have some fun at his brother's expense.

He spread out his tail and sat blocking Bhima's path. Bhima came up to him. Hanuman pretended not to know him and asked, "Who are you? And why have you come here?

Bhima replied, "I am Bhima, the son of Kunti".

Hanuman replied, "You cannot go any farther. This is my place. You can eat some fruits here and depart. Please turn back and do not disturb me."

Bhima was a little irritated and pressed Hanuman to let him move forward. At this, Hanuman told him, "I am an old monkey. I cannot move. If you can please lift my tail and place it by the side then you can go forward."

Bhima carelessly pushed the tail with his leg. He could not move the monkey's tail. He then tried with both his hands. Still he could not move the tail. He put in all his strength and tried. He still did not succeed.

Bhima realized that he was not dealing with an ordinary monkey. He told Hanuman, "Respected Sir, please reveal to me who you are? You must be a great person".

Hanuman saw that Bhima's pride was humbled. He revealed himself. "I am Hanuman your elder brother. The pond where you can find your flowers is very near. Go collect the flowers."

Bhima was happy to have met his brother. He begged his forgiveness and requested Hanuman to show his Visvarupa.

Afters much pleading from Bhima, Hanuman revealed his cosmic form that extended beyond the sky. Bhima bowed to him in reverence and Hanuman blessed him and said, "Bhima! We should show respect to old people. May the Lord help you in your efforts!"

His pride humbled, Bhima collected the flowers and returned to Draupadi.

Happy reading!

Uncle N

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The Broken Pot

The Broken Pot

Dear Kids,

Sometimes, you'll notice that a friend of yours always scores higher marks in Maths. Another friend will always come first in the running race in school. A third friend will have a great voice and will sing better than all other classmates.

When you observe all these friends, many of you will either feel depressed or feel jealous.

Both these feelings are negative in nature, and you must learn to avoid such thoughts. Read this story, which has a wonderful lesson for all of you:

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on an end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the masters house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his masters house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

"I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your masters house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts." the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the masters house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the Pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pots side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my masters table.

Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, the Lord will use our flaws to grace His Father's table. In Gods great economy, nothing goes to waste. Don't be afraid of your flaws.

Acknowledge them, and you too can be the cause of beauty. Know that in our weakness your strength is made perfect

Happy reading!

Uncle N

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Birbal Goes to Heaven?

Birbal Goes to Heaven?

Dear Kids,

Jealousy of smart friends, brothers, sisters, etc. can cause a lot of temporary pleasure but will be harmful for you in the long run. See what happens in this story of Birbal and his jealous friends.

As Birbal was very wise and witty, the Emperor's courtiers and other people used to be jealous with him and used to find some way to degrade him.

One day the court barber, who was very jealous of Birbal, plotted a plan against him. So when the King called him again to trim his beard, he went and started trimming his beard. He said, "Sir, last night I dreamed about your father." The King got interested, so he asked, "What did he say to you?"

"Sir, he told me, that everything is good in paradise, but he feels a great absence of a good humorous man who can amuse him." The King thought and thought, but nobody else he could think of except Birbal who could perform this kind of duty very well. And, naturally, the only way to go to heaven was through death. For a moment, Akbar was very sad to lose such a good man, but thinking of his father, he made up his mind.

He summoned Birbal and said, "I think Birbal you love me very much and you can sacrifice anything for me." Birbal tried to understand his point but couldn't guess. He said, "You know Majesty, I do." "Then Birbal, please go to heaven to give company to my dear father." He asked Akbar for the sudden request, and Akbar told him the story of the barber's dream.

Birbal understood that this was a wicked plan of the courtiers and the barber to kill him. He told the Emperor politely, "I will do so, but I need a few days to prepare myself to go to heaven." The King said, "Certainly. You are giving me such a great favour, I will allow you one week to prepare yourself."

Now Birbal was worried. He thought, somebody has planned very well and he could not escape from this plan. He thought and thought. And then he found a way. He dug a ditch near his house which would serve as his grave, and dug a tunnel too which would open in a room of his house. After doing this, he returned to the Imperial Court. He said, " I am ready, His Majesty, but there two conditions." Akbar was so happy to hear this that he forgot that Birbal could put some odd conditions to him. He asked, "What are those conditions? Tell me soon. I will try to fulfil them so that you can go to heaven to be with my dear father."

Birbal said, "His majesty, I wish to be buried near my house. And I want to be buried alive so that I can reach heaven alive to amuse your dear father." The King found this logical and agreed up on them immediately.

So Birbal was buried alive near his house. Of course he made his way to his house where he lived in confinement for six months. After six months, he came out of hiding with grown beard and shabby hair and asked the permission to appear in the Royal Court.

Looking at him Akbar cried, "Where have you been Birbal"?

Birbal said, "Your Majesty, I was in Heaven with your dear father. I had a very good time there with your father. He was so happy with my services that he gave me special permission to return to Earth." Akbar was very anxious to know about his father, he asked, "Did he send any message for me?" Birbal said, "Yes Your Majesty, he said that very few barber can make it to go to Heaven, you can make out this from my grown beard and shabby hair, so he has asked to send your own barber to him immediately.

Akbar understood everything. He gave Birbal a big prize, and his barber the life sentence.

Happy reading!

Uncle N

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From Idlis to IIM

Dear Kids,

I'm sure that your grandpa must be telling you to read the newspaper to improve your vocabulary.

I would strongly urge you to listen to your grandpa - It will improve not only your vocabulary but also your knowledge of a wide range of issues including:

• Politics
• Sports
• Business
• Movies
• Special achievements of people

From time to time, I'll recommend some links of nice articles which will be worth reading.

Today is one such day when I came across an inspiring story of a truly poor boy who achieved great heights through sheer will power, intelligence, hard work and perseverence.

Please read the following link from Economic Times, a popular newspaper published in India.

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=RVRDSC8yMDA3LzA4LzIxI0FyMDIzMDE=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom

Happy reading!

Uncle N

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Gift from the student

Gifts for the teacher

Dear Kids,

Teacher's day is fast approaching. Nowadays, children have started giving lots of nice gifts for their teachers on this occasion. Here's a joke that I read on the net recently about one such teacher's experience:

On teacher's day, a kindergarten teacher was receiving gifts from her pupils. The florist's son handed her a gift. She shooked it, held it over her head, and said, "I bet I know what it is - flowers!"

"That's right!" said the boy, "but how did you know?"

"Just a wild guess," she said.

The next pupil was the candy store owner's daughter. The teacher held her gift overhead, shooked it, and said, "I bet I can guess what it is - a box of candy!"

"That's right! But how did you know?" asked the girl.

"Just a lucky guess," said the teacher.

The next gift was from the liquor store owner's son. The teacher held the bag over her head and noticed that it was leaking. She touched a drop of the leakage with her finger and tasted it. "Is it wine?" she asked.

"No," the boy replied.

The teacher repeated the process, touching another drop of the leakage to her tongue. "Is it champagne?" she asked.

"No," the boy replied.

The teacher then said, "I give up, what is it?"

The boy replied, "A puppy!"

Happy reading!

Uncle N

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The Clever Leader

The Clever Leader

Dear Kids,

Once upon a time there lived in a village a man by name Dhanapalan. The people of that village were all good-natured. They led a very virtuous life. However, Dhanapalan alone was a troublemaker teasing someone or the other.

A sadhu by name Venkatesan also lived in this village. Suddenly, one day Dhanapalan said to Venkatesan,"You have borrowed ten thousand rupees from me. Return it at once. " Hearing this a very scared Venkatesan said, "I have not borrowed anything from you. Why then are you saying so?"

Dhanapalan replied, " A month back I had a dream in which you asked me for a loan. I lent you ten thousand rupees." The perplexed Venkatesan took his problem to the village Panchayat. The panchayat leader was a clever man. He asked Venkatesan not to worry over this matter and within a day or two called for a meeting of the panchayat.

All the villagers took part in this hearing. The panchayat leader asked for a big mirror and placed it in this court. He then placed Rupees ten thousand in front of the mirror. He called for Dhanapalan and said to him, " Venkatesan borrowed the money from you only in the dream and not directly. Hence you can take the cash seen in the mirror. Dhanapalan not knowing what to do stood with his head bowed. Venkatesan felt relieved. The villagers praised the smart judgement of the panchayat leader.

The story goes to show that there is always a person smarter than one is.

Happy reading!

Uncle N

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How Many Crows are there in the Kingdom?

How Many Crows are there in the Kingdom?

Dear Kids,

One day Akbar was strolling in his palace gardens with his dear minister Birbal. Many crows were flying around. The King enjoyed their flying. Just then he thought of a way to corner Birbal, and asked him: How many crows are there in my kingdom?

Birbal thought a moment, and promptly said, "They are ninety-five thousand, four hundred and sixty three (95,463) crows in your kingdom, Huzoor."

Akbar was stunned: "How do you know that for sure?" the King asked.

Birbal was ready with his answer - "You can get them counted, Huzoor." Birbal said.

The king again said, "If there will be less than that, then?"

Birbal replied immediately, "That means that the rest of them have gone on vacation to some neighbouring kingdoms."

"Or if there were more than that, then?"

"Then it means that other crows are visiting your kingdom, Huzoor."

Akbar was very pleased with these answers and gave Birbal a whole lot of nice gifts in appreciation.

Happy reading!

Uncle N

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Failure - and facing it

Failure - And lessons from failures

Dear Kids,

Too often, it seems to me, people lose their courage in facing life because of past failures or fear that they may fail in the future. One good way to cure such fears is to remember the story of a man who actually built a life of great accomplishments out of defeats, many of which would have made any other man give up all hopes.

The following list of failures, is a living and eloquent example of what happened in a real person's life in the United States of America. At the end of the long list of failures, you'll find the name of the person.

1. Lost job, 1832
2. Defeated for legislature, 1832
3. Failed in business, 1833
4. Elected to legislature, 1834
5. Sweetheart (Ann Rutledge) died, 1835
6. Had nervous breakdown, 1836
7. Defeated for Speaker, 1838
8. Defeated for nomination for Congress, 1843
9. Elected to Congress, 1846
10. Lost re-nomination, 1848
11. Rejected for Land Officer, 1849
12. Defeated for Senate, 1854
13. Defeated for nomination for Vice-President, 1856
14. Again defeated for Senate, 1858

The man who failed so repeatedly throughout his life: Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest leaders in the history of United States of America.

What happened next:

• Elected President of USA, 1860

Hence, dear kids, you must always remember that even the greatest of people tend to fail in various stages of their life. What makes them great is their confidence and ability to overcome all their negative thoughts that accompany those failures, learn proper lessons from those failures, and go right ahead to try and achieve even greater heights.

Happy reading!

Uncle N

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TRANSPARENCY OF ABDUL KALAM, THE OUTGOING PRESIDENT OF INDIA

TRANSPARENCY OF ABDUL KALAM, THE OUTGOING PRESIDENT OF INDIA

Dear Kids,

Those of you who are from India would be familiar with our beloved Abdul Kalam - A great president, and more importantly, a loveable human being.

All of you must have heard many stories about his various positive qualities (besides his great intelligence) - simplicity, transparency, honesty, etc.

Here is an example:

This anecdote is a revelation - so far kept under wraps at Rashtrapati Bhavan (under Presidential orders): In May 2006, President Kalam's relatives from the South decided to descend on him (as relatives tend to often do).

On instructions of the President they were welcomed by his staff at the railway station, and were looked after right up to the time they departed.

But the Controller of Household was under strict instructions to keep a meticulous account of all the expenses incurred on behalf of the relatives - all 53 of them. Not once was an office vehicle used for any of them.

It was made clear by the President that he would pay - not only for the transport of all his relatives to and from Delhi, and also within Delhi. He would also pay for the various rooms occupied by them at Rashtrapati Bhavan and the food that was consumed by them - the rooms at the prescribed rate, the food on the basis of expenses actually incurred.

When his relatives left after a week's stay, the President was of course sad to see them all go, but he was also lighter in his pocket: the total expenses debited to his personal account was Rs 3,54,924/=!

As practising lawyers often say in court, "the facts speak for themselves". President Kalam has set a high benchmark of rectitude in public office - worthy of emulation. And, as a living embodiment of 'Transparency-National', his parting words of advice were: "Don't accept gifts." Delicately put: what he meant to say of course was: "Don't accept gifts for favours in return."

This is indeed a rare example of transparency and honesty in the midst of all the negative examples that we read in newspapers about people giving and accepting bribes, misusing their official position, etc.

Happy reading!

Uncle N

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Mercury and the Axe - Part II - If you're greedy, you will lose everything!

Mercury and the Axe - Part II - If you're greedy, you will lose everything!

Dear Kids,

Whenever you get sweets from your mom, you must share it with your brothers, sisters and friends. Otherwise, you will become greedy, and end up suffering. Just see what happened to the greedy man in the following story:

The woodcutter in the old story about Mercury and the axe was happy to get back his axe. He patiently finished chopping all the wood that he needed for the day.

After he had finished chopping his wood for the day he went back to his friends who were working in another part of the wood, and told them of his good luck. As they listened, one of the men thought that he too would like to get an axe from Mercury.

So the following day he went down to the river's edge, and threw his axe into the fast flowing waters. When it had disappeared he sat down on the bank and, began to cry as loudly as he could. In a little while Mercury appeared again, and asked the man why he was so sad.

'I've lost my axe,' said the man. 'It just slipped out of my hand as I was cutting wood. It's fallen in the water and I can't find it.'

Mercury felt sorry for the man and once more dived into the cold waters of the river. He soon appeared and shouted to the man, 'I can see something down there. Is your axe a golden one?'

The eyes of the man lit up. 'Oh yes,' he said, 'it is made of real gold.'

The god was angry now, for he knew the man was lying. 'What a shame,' said Mercury, 'the axe that I have found is just an ordinary one. I cannot find your golden axe anywhere in the river. As this is not your axe I'm afraid I cannot help you. I must go and find out who this axe belongs to.' With that Mercury and the axe disappeared.

Left on the bank, without any axe, was a sadder but wiser man.

Happy reading!

Uncle N

ps: Dear Kids, I'll be out of town (and offline) for the next 10 days, and will not be posting any new stories for you. Hence, during this period, be nice to your friends, parents, teachers and everybody around you. Hope to share more stories with you soon!

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The King's Choice - Part II

The King's Choice - Part II

Dear Kids,

You'll remember the old story of how the camel was saved. Here's what happened next, because the camel was foolish!

The lion had given up hope of tasting camel's meat. But the clever fox thought of a plan. Off he ran into the desert, saying, "I will bring some help." After some time, he found the camel. How surprised the camel was to see a fox in the desert! "Hurry up, friend," said the fox." Our king wants you at once." "Our king? Who is that? I don't know any king. I know only my master, for whom I carry loads across the desert." "Our king is a lion. He has killed your master. Now you are free. The lion invites you to live at his court. Come along." So the camel followed the fox.

When the fox and the camel reached the lion's camp, the crow and leopard were surprised. Even the lion was pleased, in spite of his burned paws. The camel was presented to the king. "Get on the camel's back, your Majesty," said the fox. "We will return home." The lion at once jumped on to the camel's back. The fox and the leopard sat behind him. With the crow flying ahead as the guide, they set off on the long journey back.

By the time they returned to the forest, they were tired and hungry. The fox, the leopard, and the crow looked at the camel. Then they looked at each other and smiled. They had brought the camel along for the king. Now it was time for dinner. The lion knew what his courtiers were thinking. He turned to the camel. "Friend," he said, "I have to thank you for saving my life. You are welcome to live with us as long as you like. I promise you protection." The courtiers were shocked. Had they not risked their lives to get him camel meat? And now the king wanted to let the camel live.

How could they say anything? After all he was their king. Now, the lion's paws were so badly burned that he could not hunt. He was very hungry indeed. "Fox! Leopard! Crow!" he roared." Don't you see I am ill and hungry? Go and get me some food!" The courtiers had to obey the king. So they went, but not far. They sat down to discuss what to do. "I know," said the fox after a while, " we shall make the camel request the lion to eat him." He told the others of his plan. They agreed it was a good idea. Back they went to the king.

First the crow stepped forward, bowing low. "Your Majesty, we have found no food. But we cannot let you suffer. I am a little creature. Please eat me." The fox pushed the crow aside. " I have more flesh on me. Please eat me, Sir." The leopard rushed in. " I'm even bigger, your Majesty." He camel felt he should not be found wanting in loyalty to his king. "Your Majesty," he said, "I too am willing to sacrifice my life to save yours. These friends are more useful to you than I am. Eat me, instead." At these words, the crow, the fox, and the leopard got ready to pounce on the camel.

Thus, due to the foolishness of the camel, it was about to die.

Fortunately, the lion was a true leader and a great king.

Hence, the lion stopped them. "You are all good and loyal subjects. I am touched by your offers. I accept them all. I shall eat you one by one." There was not a moment to lose. Away flew the crow. Away ran the fox and the leopard. The lion had a hearty laugh. Then he turned to the camel. The camel stayed put, quiet and calm. "You have been loyal and good. You shall be my friend as long as I live." The camel was grateful and happy.

Happy reading!

Uncle N

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Miser and the Pot of Gold - Part II

Miser & the pot of Gold - Part II

Dear Kids,

Remember the old story of the miser that you read a few days back?

The miser followed the advice of the Sanyasin, and picked up a big pot, filled it up with stones and buried the pot at the same place near the old wall.

He continued to look at it daily.

After looking at it, he went and hid behind the wall to keep an eye on who comes near the spot.

Lo and behold, the same old workman who stole the gold coins came after a week and started digging the hole to find out the new treasure!

Needless to add, the miser caught hold of him and gave him a good thrashing, following which the poor workman confessed his crime and returned the pot of gold coins ot the miser.

Moral of the story:

1. Even if you are a thief, don't be greedy
2. Even if you are a miser, if it is your hard-earned money, it is likely to come back to you
3. If you are dumb, you lose money - whether you are a rich miser or a poor thief!
4. Last but not the least, you must neither be a miser nor a thief

Happy reading!

Uncle N

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