A mouse was in constant distress because of its fear of the cat. A magician took pity on it and turned it into a cat. But then it became afraid of the dog. So the magician turned it into a dog. Then it began to fear the panther, so the magician turned it into a panther. Whereupon it was full of fear for the…
A fox who lived in the deep forest had lost its front legs. No one knew how: perhaps escaping from a trap. A man who lived on the edge of the forest , seeing the fox from time to time, w o n d e r e d how in the world it managed to get its food. One day when the fox was not far from him, he had…
Winter was coming, and the birds had flown far to the south, where the air was warm and they could find berries to eat. One little bird had broken its wing and could not fly with the others. It was alone in the cold world of frost and snow. The forest looked warm, and it made its way to the trees as well as…
‘Soda Water’ Lake of Kenya Nature has gifted human beings with a readymade store house of its bounties in the form of Lake Magadi in Kenya, which is not far from the extinct volcano Mount Kilimanjaro. This lake, which is approximately one hundred square kilometers in size, is fed by waters carrying soda in pure solution. The heat…
Tina and Sonu were neighbours, and they lived in what was once a quiet, cheery locality in Bangalore. But that was before Bangalore was transformed into just another big, ugly, chaotic and suffocating Indian city. They were now in their early teens, but Tina and Sonu could still fondly recall being pushed in their prams by their mothers down the road to the neighbourhood park. How empty…
A.I.Makki The first Muslim armies fought a series of battles with the Persian Empire and emerged victorious. At that time, Harmusan was the ruler of a small part of the Persian Empire. He was the last among the Persian Kings to fight courageously with the Muslims. It was at the end of the third phase of the final battle that he was taken prisoner and was…
By Maqbool Ahmed Siraj (Translated from Urdu) Illustrations by Fakrunnissa Mohsin He was an old man who had not tasted any grief in his life. He had lived a happy life, siring a number of sons and daughters. His business had had a remarkable stability, never having suffered any loss. Now he and his wife were left alone in their cottage, with all children having set up their…
Barber Vishwanath was busy shaping up his customer in his small kiosk underneath the big banyan tree near the village chaupal. Ramu was again at his doorstep with his outstretched palm seeking the usual two-rupee coin. “I have not seen a boy more stupid than this, just see the fun and decide for yourself, whether I am right,” said Vishwanath in a tone barely audible to anyone…
