Story Prism

Today’s story, Tenali And The Three Dolls, is a story about an essential skill of observation.

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The great king Krishna Deva Raya had a lot of wise ministers in his court. The wisest of them was Tenali Rama. One day, a merchant came to the king’s court from a foreign kingdom. He saluted the king and then said, “Your Majesty, I have heard from many people that you have very wise ministers in your court. But with your permission, I would like to test the wisdom of your ministers.”

Children, could you think of how he would test the wisdom? Yaa! By giving a difficult Math problem, or solving a puzzle..)

“This is a good chance for me to prove that I have the wisest of wise ministers to all the neighbouring kingdoms,” thought the king and he gave the merchant his permission. The merchant gave the king three dolls that looked identical. He said, “Though these dolls look similar, they are different in some way. If your ministers can find out the difference, I will bow to their wisdom. But if they can’t, I will assume that there are no wise ministers in your court. I will be back in thirty days for the answer.”

The king asked all of his ministers except Tenali Rama to assemble. He gave them the three dolls and told them to find the difference in them in three days’ time. But unfortunately, none could find the difference at the end of three days.

How do you think the king felt at this time? Worried, sad that nobody in his court is smart etc.

The king got worried, “ This would be very humiliating. Other kingdoms will make fun of us that we don’t have wise people in our kingdom.” So he called Tenali Raman. Tenali Raman reported immediately, “My honour! Your order is my command. Please tell me what to do.” The king said to him, “Tenali, I did not summon you before because I thought that this problem will be too simple. But since no one has been able to find the solution, it is up to you now and saves us from humiliation. Find the difference between these dolls.” Tenali took the three dolls and went away.

Children, can you guess what was the difference between the three dolls?

Difficult right?

The problem proved difficult for Tenali too, but at last, after a lot of effort, he figured out the difference.

Happily, he went to the court with the three dolls on the day that the merchant had to return. Then, he announced in front of the whole court that he had found the difference between the dolls.

The king was worried and hoped for Tenali’s answer to be correct.

Tenali said, “These three dolls are different because one of them is good, one medium and one bad.” The king was pleased till the merchant asked, “ Tenali, please tell which doll is which.”

Tenali Raman showed them a tiny hole that was present in the ears of each of the dolls. Then, he took a very thin wire and put it in the hole of the first doll’s ear. The wire came out from the doll’s mouth. He did the same with the second doll and the wire came out from the doll’s other ear. In the third doll, the wire went to the heart and did not come out.

Tenali Rama explained, “In the first doll, the wire went in through the ear and came out through the mouth. So, this doll is bad as it represents people who cannot keep a secret. In the second doll, the wire came out of the other ear. So, it is a medium and represents harmless people who do not understand what is said to them. The third doll, in which the wire went to the heart and did not come out, represents good people who will preserve the secret that you tell them.”

The king, the merchant and all the ministers were very impressed with Tenali’s wise answer.

As usual Tenali Raman saved the day.

Well, children, eagerness to explore and learn is the only way to expand our experiences and views!

Then Tenali added another explanation, “But there can be another explanation too. The first doll represents people who gain knowledge and spread it among others, so it is good. The second doll represents people who do not understand what they are taught, so it is a medium. The third doll represents people who have knowledge but keep it all to themselves. They do not teach anyone anything and so they are bad people.

Before I take you on a journey today, let me tell you something exciting. You and I can now meet at clever.fm/storyprism and have fun discussing various aspects of the story. Here, you can answer a question from the story, ask me something about the story, or even share what you liked or didn’t like about it.

The link to the website is: https://clever.fm/storyprism

'The Town Musicians' is an adapted folktale from Germany. We all have heard humans play music. But this story is about a group of animals forming an orchestra. Their statue was constructed and is still standing tall in Bremen town.

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/the-town-musicians

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Transcript:

Once upon a time, there was a donkey, who lived on a farm with his master. The donkey had become old and one day he got fed up on working on the farm and decided to leave his master. He thought he would become a musician.

He set off for the nearby town of Bremen.

On his way, the donkey met a dog, who had also left his home and master. “Will you come with me to Bremen?” asked the donkey. "Let's become musicians in the town orchestra. You can play the drums and I will play the guitar.” The dog agreed and they continued on their way together.

With dreams of playing in the town orchestra, they walked towards Bremen. A little bit further they met a cat and invited him to go with them to Breman and invited him to go with them to Breman. They also requested him to join the town orchestra as a lead vocalist.

The cat meowed in agreement and the three animals hurried on to Bremen.

As they were passing by a castle, the three saw a cockerel, crowing as loudly as he could, so they asked him why he was singing so loudly. “They are going to cook me and eat me tomorrow," he said, “so I am saying goodbye to life.”

But the donkey said, “Don’t be silly! Come with us! You can play the saxophone and you could be in the Bremen orchestra. That is where we are all going.”

The cockerel, who really didn’t want to be cooked, jumped on the donkey’s back and the four continued on their way.

Children, do you think this animal team would make good music? Why? Why not?

Let’s listen ahead.

The sun had started to go down and the four friends were looking for shelter for the night. They came across a house which was being burgled. The donkey looked through the window and saw a table, which had been generously laid with food and drinks. Since the four friends were very hungry, they decided to drive the men away, not knowing that they were burglars away so that they could eat the food.

The dog climbed on the donkey’s back, the cat stood on the dog’s head and the rooster perched on the cat’s back. They started their concert on three: “Hee-haw!” brayed the donkey, “Woof-woof!” barked the dog, “Meoooowww!” said the cat, and “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” crowed the cockerel. At all the noise the burglars started shouting in fear, “Help! Ghosts are coming to get us!” The men ran out of the door as fast as they could. They left the house that very second, thinking that the house was haunted by millions of terrifying ghosts.

The four friends made sure that the burglars had run a long way away and then went into the house. They sat down for dinner, ate, drank, and were merry.

Full from the delicious meal, they looked for a place to sleep and turned off the lights. The dog curled up behind the door, the cat snuggled in by the fireplace, the rooster perched on the back of a chair, and the donkey settled in one of the kitchen nooks. They soon fell fast asleep.

Meanwhile, the burglars gathered and the ringleader decided to send one of them to check whether the ghosts were still in the house as it was dark. The man who was sent approached the house quietly, shaking with fear. He reached the door and stood to listen. Since there was no noise, he went into the kitchen. He wanted to light a fire. So, thinking the cat's glowing eyes were burning coals, he held a candle next to them, hoping it would catch the light.

The cat jumped on his face and started scratching him. In a panic, he stepped back, stepping on the dog, who bit the man’s leg fiercely. The man couldn’t see anything and began to run around in the dark in a blind panic. He was kicked by the donkey. Then the cockerel crowed and started flying around.

The burglar ran to the ringleader and said “It's not just ghosts! Now there are witches in the house! Some of them scratch, others bite, others kick… It would be better for us if we moved somewhere else.” When the rest of the burglars heard him, they left the place as quickly as they could.

For the rest of their days, the saxophone-playing rooster, Cat, the lead singing cat, the drum playing, dog, and the guitar-playing donkey, lived in the cottage and played for the animals that lived around the daisy-filled clearing.

Children, do you play any musical instruments?

Soon they became the best city musicians Bremen ever had. After the animals had died, the citizens erected a statue in memory of them. - It still stands next to the town hall. 

Before I take you on a journey today, let me tell you something exciting. You and I can now meet at clever.fm/storyprism and have fun discussing various aspects of the story. Here, you can answer a question from the story, ask me something about the story, or even share what you liked or didn’t like about it.

The link to the website is: https://clever.fm/storyprism

Today's story, 'The Mouse Deer And The Snail' is about a forest animal, Mouse-deer who is known for his cleverness He is able to trick wild animals even bigger than him. This made him arrogant and he started thinking too much about himself. He felt that no other animal could match his cleverness. Let's see what happens in the story today.

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Transcript:

On a sunny day, The Mouse Deer was walking in the forest. He decided to climb a hill so as to get a view of the whole forest from there.

Huffing and puffing he reached the top of the hill. Feeling proud to have climbed the hill, he shouted "O inhabitants of the forest, I am the mouse-deer, the smartest animal on the earth. No other animal in the forest is as clever as I am.”

Children, according to you, who amongst all the animals is the smartest of all?

A number of animals in the forest such as monkeys, beetles, birds & other animals, felt annoyed by the screams of the mouse-deer and his arrogance, but they did not say anything.

After being satisfied screaming on the hill, the mouse-deer then walked down the hill until finally, he arrived at a river. While walking along the bank of the river, he saw a snail.

"Hi Mouse Deer, where are you going? Looks like you are having a lot of fun screaming on the hill.?”

"Hi snail, Yes, I just wanted to tell all the forest dwellers that I am the smartest animal here." answered the mouse deer proudly.

"Hmm, but you are wrong little. I fact, I am the smartest animal in this forest." replied the snail.

"What? Seriously? You are a snail. You have a tiny body! How can you be smarter than me? " Mouse Deer replied emotionally.

“You underestimate me mouse-deer. Just because my body is small doesn’t , mean that I am not smarter than you. What if I dare you to run a race with me. Trust me, you will not win the race against me," challenged the snail.

"Ha ha ha ... snails, you are a tiny little creature and you want to challenge me to a race? That’s the funniest thing I have heard in a long time. But since it’s your wish, how about tomorrow morning we race? " said the mouse-deer.

"Alright, mouse-deer. Tomorrow morning I will wait here for the race. I will surely beat you mouse-deer!” said the snail again.

Children, who will win the race? Why do you say so?

After the mouse-deer left, the snail immediately gathered his friends. He asked his friends for help to beat the arrogant mouse-deer in the race the next day. He had a great plan up his sleeve. The snail asked his friends to wait all along the track. He also advised his friends to answer, “Hi Mouse Deer! I'm here in front of you. Why did you stop the mouse deer? Are you tired of running?” when mouse-deer called him.

The next day, it was very sunny. The Mouse Deer immediately got up from his sleep and then walked to the snail's place for the race. He was sure to beat the little snail easily and was beaming from ear to ear. Meanwhile, all of the snail's friends were ready and waiting along the track.

"Hey snail, are you ready to race with me?" asked the mouse deer to the snail when he arrived at the race site.

"Of course mouse deer. I'm ready to race with you. Let's just get started with this race. " replied the snail.

The two of them then took a position at the start line. After the count of three, the race started. Both of them tried to run fast according to the best of their capabilities. The mouse -deer, of course, ran very fast, leaving the snail behind.

After running for a long time, the mouse-deer stopped for a moment. He looked back and said, "Hey snail! Where are you? Just a few minutes of running you are far behind me.” said the mouse-deer arrogantly. He thought the snail had already lost the race.

“Hi mouse-deer! I'm here in front of you. Why did you stop the mouse deer? Are you tired of running? " replied one of the snail’s friends who had been waiting along the track.

The mouse-deer was shocked. “How could the snail be in front of him?” he pondered. He did not know that the snail in front of him was actually a friend of the snail. He then returned to running fast to beat the snail. He was sure this time the snail would not be able to catch up with him. After making sure he was far from the earlier place, he stopped for a moment again and said, "Hey little snail! Where are you now? Surely you are still far behind me. "

"I'm in front of you mouse-deer. What's the matter that you keep calling me? Are you tired already? Just say when you want to give up.” said the snail friend who got the task of waiting near that location.

“I won't give up. I stopped just to make sure that you are still able to match my speed." replied the mouse - mouse -deer was very surprised, at how the snail was always in front of him in spite of being a slow animal.

This kept repeating itself. Every time the mouse-deer asked the position of the snail, the snail in front answered.

The mouse-deer was extremely tired of he was always trying to run faster. But he was happy because the finish line was in sight. The mouse-deer was now very sure that he would win the running race.

But, the mouse deer lost the running competition

Only a few steps from the finish line, suddenly a snail called him. “Hi Mouse Deer! Why did you take so long to arrive? I've been here. I told you, right? That I will win the race with you? ” said the snail smilingly.

Hearing the sound of the snail, the mouse-deer felt like he was struck by lightning. He couldn’t believe he could be defeated by a snail. He then sat down on a rock feeling very tired. "I can't believe you won the race snail," said the mouse deer softly.

"That's why you should not be an arrogant mouse-deer. You are a smart animal, but I am smarter than you," said the snail.

"I've been too arrogant because I felt I could outsmart wild beasts like tigers and crocodiles. But it turns out that you are smarter than me. Thank you snail for teaching me a lesson. " said the mouse deer.

Before I take you on a journey today, let me tell you something exciting. You and I can now meet at clever.fm/storyprism and have fun discussing various aspects of the story. Here, you can answer a question from the story, ask me something about the story, or even share what you liked or didn’t like about it.

The link to the website is: https://clever.fm/storyprism

Today's story, 'The Mouse Deer And The Crocodile' is from the archives. It is a story about the mouse deer tricking the crocodile to have his favourite berries.

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/the-mouse-deer-and-the-crocodile

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Transcript:

One day, the Mouse Deer went down to the river. He wanted to take a drink. But he knew Crocodile might be waiting underwater to eat him.

Mouse Deer had an idea. He said out loud, “I wonder if the water’s warm. I’ll put it in my leg and find out.”

But Mouse Deer didn’t put in his leg. Instead, he picked up a stick with his mouth and put in one end.

Children, think fast and guess why the Mouse Deer put a stick in the water?

Let’s see

Chomp! Crocodile grabbed the stick and pulled it underwater.

Mouse Deer laughed. “Silly Crocodile! Don’t you know a stick from a leg?”

And he ran off to drink water somewhere else

The angry crocodile yelled, “ I’ll catch you and eat you another day!”

The mouse deer sang his song:

 I am quick and smart as I can be.

Try and try, but you can’t catch me.

Another day, Mouse Deer wanted to cross the river. He wanted to eat tasty fruits and roots and shoots on the other side. But he didn’t want Crocodile to eat him first!

So, the Mouse Deer had an idea. He called out, “Crocodile!”

Crocodile rose from the water. “Hello, greetings Mouse Deer. Have you come to be my breakfast?”

“Not today, Crocodile. I have orders from the King. He wants me to count all the crocodiles in this part of the river as he is throwing a big party and wants to know the exact number of all the animal guests.”

“The King, a party!” bellowed the Crocodile. “Tell us what to do.”

“You must line up from this side of the river to the other side.”

Elated, the Crocodile got all his friends and family. They lined up across the river.

Children, how do you think the mouse deer will count all the crocodiles?

Well, the Mouse Deer jumped onto Crocodile’s back. “One.”

He jumped onto the next crocodile. “Two.”

And the next. “Three.”

Mouse Deer kept jumping till he jumped off on the other side of the river.

“How many are there?” called out the Crocodile.

“Just enough!” said Mouse Deer. “And all are silly!”

Once again The Mouse Deer Tricked another animal bigger than him!

Then he went off singing his song

I am quick and smart as I can be.

Try and try, but you can’t catch me.

Before I take you on a journey today, let me tell you something very exciting. You and I can now meet at clever.fm/storyprism and have fun discussing various aspects of the story. Here, you can answer a question from the story, ask me something about the story, or even share what you liked or didn’t like about it.

The link to the website is: https://clever.fm/storyprism

Today's story, 'No Ordinary Ornament' explains the significance of some of the Christmas ornaments in a fun setting of a story.

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/no-ordinary-ornament

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Transcript

It was late November, little Rhea watched as the movers carried luggage into the apartment next door. She was excited that finally, she would have neighbours. She crossed her fingers and prayed that the new family would have kids who could be her companions. She kept peeping out of her window now and then to check and get an update on the move.

It was around noon when she heard the kids and rushed to the door. To her delight, she saw three kids walking toward the next-door apartment. Rhea waved and they came to meet her and introduced themselves as Tim, Kelly, and Ryan.

Children, how do you enjoy with your neighbours?

That’s great!

Well! What followed were days of playing, chatting, and sleepovers. In fact, a strong bond of friendship developed among them. They all celebrated Rhea’s birthday together on the 20th of December, which Rhea claimed was the best so far.

All the kids were excited that the Christmas holidays were around the corner and Kelly invited Rhea to her house to put up their Christmas tree on the first day of the holidays. Rhea had seen many Christmas trees in the malls and schools but never helped someone put one up. So she was thrilled.

On the first day of the holidays, Rhea went to be with her friends. She could hear Christmas carols from outside their apartment. That sure gave a feel of Christmas.

Ms Brown, the children's mother, brought the big fir tree in with the help of the children. Mr Brown unpacked the boxes filled with all the decorations from the previous years.

“This is going to be my first time decorating a Christmas tree!” said one very excited Rhea with a twinkle in her eyes.

Taking out the lights from one of the boxes, Kelly replied, “Let's put up these lights first. You may then unpack the bells my father wraps so well every year so they don't break.”

“Sure! But why do we put these beautiful bells on the Christmas tree?” asked Rhea innocently. Kelly glanced at the two siblings looking for an answer. And they in turn looked at their father for the answer.

“Children, bells have been rung to announce the arrival of the Christmas season for centuries. They symbolize the announcement of the birth of Christ when angels in heaven praised God and declared, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.

Bells are rung in the church after the mass. When you go to the church you hear the bells right? And that’s why we also put bells on the Christmas tree,” answered the father.

“That's interesting,” Tim nodded as he started to open the next box. “So dad, why do we put all decorations on the tree; the candy canes, the bird in the nest, angels, etc? Is it for decoration or is there some significance that is there?”

“I’ll take this one!” mom replied, taking out a candy cane. “I’m glad you asked. This ubiquitous Christmas candy cane is a symbol of the simple roots of Christianity, one so old that we have all but forgotten its origin. The candy takes the shape of a shepherd's crook, representing the humble shepherds who were the first to worship the newborn Christ.

And the wreath is for...” before she could finish Tim jumped in, “Sprucing the front door!”

Children, can you name some of the items you use to decorate a Christmas Tree?

Great! Now listen ahead.

“No dear, that represents the thorns worn by Jesus and the red berries represent the blood.”

All the children were indeed intrigued by the significance that each ornament had.

Holding a rabbit in one hand and a fruit basket in the other Rhea pensively asked, “What about these, aunty?”

“These too are no ordinary ornaments. The rabbit symbolizes peace with nature and the fruit basket is hung so we always have plenty to eat and to remind us to be generous and share with others.”

“Mom, Dad, how come you never told us about this earlier?” Kelly inquired.

“I was waiting for you to be inquisitive enough and ask yourself,” mom said lovingly hanging the bird ornament on the tree, “and this bird in the nest reflects happiness and joy. Don’t you like their tweeting? It soars our spirits, doesn’t it?”

The tree was already looking beautiful.

Ryan opened another box and took a frog. He kept thinking of how a frog can be related to Christmas. Giving up, he asked, “Hey mom, this frog must be from Kelly's toys!”

“Ha, ha! This frog is from the Christmas boxes, not from Kelly’s toys. You know, frogs traditionally are symbols of good luck. And they only move forward, not backward or side to side. Does that tell you something?”

The father jumped in, “They always move forward suggesting we all achieve our goals and accomplishments.”

“Mmm… I will be like the frog from now onwards, moving ahead to achieve my goals,” Rhea thought to herself.

Ryan rummaged through the box and took out the teapot, “Now this for sure has no meaning!”

“Dear Ryan, you serve tea to guests in the teapot. This teapot ornament symbolizes hospitality. It tells us that guests should be welcomed in our homes,” Ms Brown responded.

Rhea said, “I have seen angels being hung. Do you have them?”

“Oh, of course! Open the box marked ‘angels and stars’, right over there,” Mr Brown replied. “Rhea, angels are a must, for through them we ask for guidance in our lives.”

“But what about this house ornament?” questioned Kelly.

“That symbolizes shelter and protection for the family. And you know

the star that we perch on the top symbolizes the star of Bethlehem. It is this star that led the three wise men to baby Jesus,” the mother helped the children understand. “Now I'll ask you all a question. Why is there a Christmas tree during Christmas in the first place?” asked father.

Kelly, Rhea, and Ryan looked puzzled but Tim yelled out, “I know, I read somewhere, it's because the evergreens would always keep the evil spirits away! Isn't it?”

“You’re right! The Christmas tree is to keep evil spirits and illness at bay,” Mr Brown 

patted Tim.

Everybody stepped back to look at the Christmas tree. It looked gorgeous, adorned with all the ornaments.

Then Ms Brown announced, “Rhea join us on Christmas Day morning to find the Christmas pickle ornament.”

“Pickle ornament?” one very confused Rhea asked.

Kelly excitedly said, “You know, it's a Christmas tradition to hide a pickle ornament in the tree, and the first person who finds it gets an extra present and has a year of good fortune.”

“I'll be there for sure! Thanks, uncle and auntie, for letting me be a part of your Christmas traditions and I learned so much today,” Rhea said.

“So did we!” said the siblings unanimously.

Before I take you on a journey today, let me tell you something very exciting. You and I can now meet at clever.fm/storyprism and have fun discussing various aspects of the story. Here, you can answer a question from the story, ask me something about the story, or even share what you liked or didn’t like about it.

The link to the website is: https://clever.fm/storyprism

Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources are available at www.rituvaish.com/the-big-escape

Send your artwork to [email protected].

Welcome to the Elephant Tales series. Today’s story- 'The Big Escape' is a story about how a little elephant runs away from the circus without knowing what’s in store for her. To know about her adventure, listen to the story.

Transcript

Golu was getting excited. It was the day of the circus! Golu loved the circus – all the animals and the people. It was so much fun!

At eight o’clock Golu and his parents arrived at the huge red and white striped tent called the ‘The Big Circus’.

The ringmaster shouted with his huge booming voice, ‘Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!’ Then the lights went up to the top of the tent and Golu saw a man and a woman dressed in sparkly clothes balancing on a huge swing. They flew through the air. ‘Ooooo!’ shouted the people every time they flew. It was very, very exciting.

Children, name a few animals that would probably be seen at a circus.

Great.

After that, a door opened and the lions bounced into the ring – there were six of them all looking huge, fierce and dangerous. The man in the middle was the lion tamer. Golu watched as he made the lions jump through a fire ring.

‘Ooooo!’ shouted the people in horror and amazement.

After the lions came to the clowns. They were wearing brightly coloured clothes – blue and yellow and red with spots of green. They had red noses and painted faces and funny red hair. They fell over, told lots of jokes and did lots of very silly things. ‘Ha, ha, ha!’ laughed the people – and Golu laughed too.

Children, please share a joke.

Thanks, that was funny.

Finally, the elephants arrived in the ring - there were three enormous grey elephants and one smaller one. The small one balanced on one leg and did lots of tricks.

Then it stopped and looked up at Golu.

‘Hello,’ said Golu to the elephant.

‘I’m Golu.’

‘I’m Minny,’ replied the elephant to Golu’s surprise.

Then suddenly the small elephant turned around and ran towards the door of the tent. It ran out of the tent into the street and off into the town. All the people rushed out of the circus tent screaming, ‘Aagh! The elephant – it’s escaped!’ ‘Help!’ cried the ringmaster. ‘Minny the elephant has escaped!’

But, Minny was a very happy elephant. It was the first time she had been out of the circus! It felt good to be free!

Children, what do you think Minny would do now that she’s free?

Let’s listen ahead.

She ran along the main street towards the centre of the city. She saw the fountain in the centre of the road. She climbed into the big fountain and sat down in the water. People tried to walk by but Minny sprayed water at them using her huge trunk!

‘Oh, this is much more fun than the circus!’ cried Minny.

After a while, Minny decided to explore. She went along the street and into the big supermarket. All the people who saw Minny ran out of the supermarket screaming!

Minny had a wonderful time – she helped herself to the bananas and scoffed a large chocolate cake, ten packets of biscuits and a large number of buns. When she had finished eating Minny decided to explore again so she went out into the street.

In the distance, Minny saw a big house, but there was something strange about it – there was a red light all around it. Minny got nearer to the house and then she heard the people in the house shouting and screaming. A fire had broken into the house.

‘Help!’ they shouted. ‘Save us!’ Minny rushed into the garden opposite the house. There was a big pond with lots of water. She put her trunk in the water and took in as much water as she could. Then she rushed over to the house and sprayed the house with water. She did this many times and the flames and fire died away.

From the top window, Minny could see a small boy. He opened the window and Minny took him out of the house using her trunk.

‘Minny!’ he cried. ‘It’s me!’

‘Hello, Golu,’ said the elephant. ‘You saved me!’ cried Golu. ‘You are the bravest elephant in the world!’

Golu’s mother and father were away and as they returned, they saw a lot of commotion near their house.

They couldn’t believe what they saw, black soot all around.

Golu was safe and their house was safe – and all because of an elephant.

The next day all the people in the town made a crowd outside the town hall. They gave Minny the elephant a special medal. Golu rode around the city on Minny’s back, waving and smiling at all the people. They went slowly back to the circus to rejoin the other elephants. Minny was extremely happy with her adventure.

Before I take you on a journey today, let me tell you something very exciting. You and I can now meet at clever.fm/storyprism and have fun discussing various aspects of the story. Here, you can answer a question from the story, ask me something about the story, or even share what you liked or didn’t like about it.

The link to the website is: https://clever.fm/storyprism

Today's story, 'The Turnaround' is a story that teaches children about different kinds of penguins and learning that anger doesn’t help.

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/the-turnaround

Send your artwork to [email protected].

Transcript

On a beautiful snow-covered Antarctic island with steep cliffs, there lived a rookery of chinstrap penguins. The black strap on the chin was like a strap of a helmet. That made them look aggressive. The whole island echoed with their harsh screeches that could even break the stones; true to another name by which they are called - stone-cracker penguins.

Children, after listening to the story look at the map and find out the Antarctic islands.

Stones are what the chinstrap penguins build their nest with and in this one such nest, there were two eggs that hatched at the same time.

The chicks soon grew up, one of them was very and calm and quiet, and parents named him ‘Zola’. That stands for calmness in Swahili  language, the language of African people. While the other was short-tempered and the parents’ named her ‘Hasira’, Swahili for anger.

 What do you think this story is about?

Well, life on the island went on normally. Penguins were busy swimming, preening their feathers, feeding the chicks, and climbing the steep white cliffs.

Unfortunately, Hasira, would get angry with even a little provocation. She would fight with other penguins, screech at the top of her voice and shoo them away with her flippers when they approached her to play.

 She often overheard the other penguins whisper

“She is so mean.”

“She is very unkind.”

“She is so unfriendly.”

But it did not bother Hasira.

Mother tried explaining that she should try to be more friendly, “ You can’t make friends when you keep getting angry. Aggression helps, but only when you are face a predators. Always remember: Kindness with friends , but aggression with the predators.”

But Hasira, would not pay any heed to her advice.

One day, Zola asked Hasira to play with him. Surprisingly, Hasira agreed, but in the middle as she started to lose the game.  

Children, how do you behave when you are playing with others?

In anger, she started hitting Zola and tossing him over. Zola started crying as he was hurt.

Father penguin heard Zola’s cry and came to sort out the fight between the siblings. After listening to both siblings, the father told Hasira to leave Zola alone. On hearing that Hasira grew even angrier.

“He asked me to play, not me!” she screeched. Furiously, she ran towards the ocean, jumped in the icy water and swam deep in it, only to come out to get her breath.

Being furious, Hasira kept swimming and went far away from her island and didn’t look back.

Finally, she approached an island and waddled her way to the shore.

Where do you think Hasira has landed?

She saw hundreds of penguins, bigger than her parents, and the rest of the family members, whose squeaks weren’t as harsh as her own family’s screeches. They were all spread along the shore. She was confused.

They all stopped squeaking and stared at her.

For the first time, Hasira got scared and was about to run away back into the sea, when she heard, “We are Emperor penguins. Welcome to our island dear Chin-Strap penguin.”  

Children, do you think emperor penguins are friendly? 

Another few moved forward with a friendly smile, “Come join us, it is very cold. We all huddle together on such icy cold days to stay warm.”

“I am fine. Go away! I don't want anybody!” screeched the angry chick so loudly that all the emperor penguins closed their ears.

All the emperor penguins called their chicks and huddled together.

What do you think will happen to Hasira?

Well, by now Hasira was very cold and she collapsed on the shore due to the chilli winds.

When she opened her eyes, she saw hundreds of penguins all around her looking at her lovingly. They all broke into an ecstatic display of happiness with their head swinging and flippers outstretched that their guest was alive.

Emperor penguins helped her recoup and played games with her. No one was ever angry here!

Under the tender care angry penguin, Hasira , recovered and was ready to swim back home. Most importantly, she learnt to be calm and not fight with anyone.

Have you ever taken care of an animal that is hurt? How did you do that?

“Thanks a lot for taking care of me. I am sorry I was ill-tempered when I landed here. You all showed me that being kind and calm makes us also feel happy in return.” bowed Hasira.

“You are welcome Hasira. Visit us soon,” the emperor penguins waved with their wings.

With a sense of happiness that she had never felt before and a smile she started her journey back home.

After swimming for a while, a rookery of little blue penguins landed in front of Hasira. Normally, she would have pushed and kicked them aside, but after spending time with the Emperor penguins, she had a change of heart. So, she gently played with those tiny penguins. She even took them for a ride on her back, and had fun.

Suddenly, she sensed a predator.

What do you suggest she should do?

“Is that a leopard seal?” she thought to herself.

She recalled her mother’s words, “ Kindness with friends, but aggression with the predators.”

She quickly huddled the little blue penguins behind a rock, then screeched loudly with her flippers outstretched to display anger.

Thinking it to be a sea animal bigger than him, the leopard seal turned back and vanished.

The little penguins exclaimed, “ Thank you for saving us!

“You are a hero, “ said another brushing Hasira with its tiny wings.

“You are such a nice and friendly penguin,”  squeaked another from behind.

“You are so kind. I would like to be like you,” swam a tiny one who was the angry one in their rookery.

Hasira was flabbergasted by such lovely compliments and felt good. She bade them good bye and swam back home.

Children. Who is your good friend? And what does one quality that you like about this friend?

The whole rookery was delighted to see her alive. They all did their happy dance to welcome her back.

She  waddled up to her parents, “Please forgive me I will try and not be angry.” Turning to her brother, “ Zola, I promise not to trouble you, I am sorry !”

Looking at her chick’s eyes mummy penguin knew that Hasira had changed. She patted her with her wings and climbing the steep slopes said, “Let’s go home!”

Before I take you on a journey today, let me tell you something very exciting. You and I can now meet at clever.fm/storyprism and have fun discussing various aspects of the story. Here, you can answer a question from the story, ask me something about the story, or even share what you liked or didn’t like about it.

The link to the website is: https://clever.fm/storyprism

Today's story, 'It Is Okay To Be Scared' belongs to the 'Turtle Tales' series. It is a story about a little turtle who is frightened of everything! But with the help of his sister, he learns to conquer his fears.

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/it-is-okay-to-be-scared

Send your artwork to [email protected].

Transcript

OMG! What was that? I got hit by lightning…oh my god, I am really scared. Today the lightning bounced off, but what is next time…. I am petrified!” shrieked one very scared baby turtle, Timmy.

Children, could you please describe thunder and lightning in the sky?

Awesome!

Let’s listen ahead

“Timmy, you’ve got to come out of that shell of yours. so we can get moving and reach the water!”

Even though Timmy knew his sister was right, he was still too scared to come out of his shell.

Ever since Timmy was hit by lightning, he was afraid of everything! From, the gurgling of water, to chirping crickets, to the little field mice, to the moonlight. Even the slightest bit of wind startled and scared Timmy and he would go into his shell.

The lightning bolts and thunder from the storm still haunted his dreams. Just thinking about them made Timmy tremble.

“Of all the eggs that mamma laid, we’re still the only two who haven’t reached water yet,” said Timmy’s Sister.

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t do it,” said Timmy.

“Come on, Timmy! You can too. This is just something you have to face. There’s going to be tougher things in life to deal with than just a little storm.”

“Just a little storm – you call that a little storm? The lightning bounced off my shell!”

“Well, I must admit it was amazing to see it bounce off you, Timmy. But why are you so afraid now?”

“Where there’s one there’s bound to be another,” said Timmy. “Maybe next time the lightning bolt doesn’t bounce off me and goes straight inside. Then I’m a goner!”

“Look, Timmy, if we don’t find a pond soon we’re both going to be goners anyways. And besides, the chances of you getting struck by lightning again are probably one in a million.”

“Yeah, which means it could happen,” said Timmy.

“You’re going to have to trust me, Timmy. Since you were the last egg to hatch, I have to look after you. That’s the rule! You’re my baby brother, after all!” said Shiny.

“You hatched forty seconds before I did,” said Timmy. “What makes you so grown up?”

“I’m not all grown up. But like it or not, I am still your older sister. And unlike you, I’m not afraid of everything under the sun.”

Shiny’s explanation wasn’t enough to get Timmy out of his shell.

“Nice try. But I’m still not risking it,” said Timmy.

Children, can you please suggest something to Timmy to be able to overcome his fear of lightning?

Great!

Just then, a little turtle named Goldie walked up to ask for directions. Goldie was a baby turtle too.

“I hope I’m not disturbing you, but could you please tell me where to find Crimson Lake? I need to reach it to be with my family. I am afraid of being away from my family.”

As soon as Timmy heard Goldie, he felt calm and for the first time since the big storm, Timmy didn’t feel afraid as he realized that other turtles are also afraid of something.

Without hesitation, Timmy popped out of his shell to offer Goldie assistance but then felt too shy to say anything to her.

Shiny saved him though – she pointed to where she believed Crimson Lake to be and asked Goldie if she wanted help finding it.

“It shouldn’t be too hard to find,” said Goldie. “Thanks for your help and I hope we’ll meet again someday. Let me rush to my family.”

As Goldie walked away, Timmy exclaimed, “You see, Shiny, I’m not afraid. I’m out of my shell and nothing will ever scare me again,” said Timmy gleefully.

But before Timmy could utter another word he had jumped right into Shiny’s arms!

“What is it now, Timmy?” asked Shiny.

“Oh, I just heard the most awful sound in the world. The sound of thunder! Another storm must be on the way.”

A couple of giggles followed by a loud grumpy laugh could be heard close by. It wasn’t thunder that had frightened Timmy.

Children, can you guess who made that sound?

A little squirrel pounding rocks against a tree was what had scared him.

“Kid, are you sure you’re a turtle and not a chicken?” asked the squirrel sarcastically.

“Don’t tease my little brother,” said Shiny. “There’s nothing wrong with being afraid.”

“Well, I’m not afraid of storms and all I have is a bushy little tail, whereas you have a strong shell. If I had a shell-like his, I wouldn’t be afraid of anything.” said the squirrel.

“I saw you running away from a stray cat yesterday,” said Shiny.

“Yeah, so what?” said the squirrel.

“You were scared to death of that cat, but that cat didn’t scare me.”

Children, what are you scared of?

“What are you saying?” asked the squirrel.

“Everybody gets scared sometimes. Why is my brother being afraid of thunderstorms any different from you being afraid of a cat?”

The squirrel knew that Shiny had made a good point, so he just shook his head and darted out of sight.

“Wow. Thank you,” said Timmy. “You really are a great older sister.”

“As I said before, Timmy, that’s my job.”

“You know, sis, I’ve learned something today. I may not like thunderstorms, but being afraid of them isn’t something to be ashamed of.”

“That’s right, little brother. And it takes courage to know that.”

As Timmy and Shiny journeyed to find Crimson Lake, Timmy felt proud about having gained the courage to finally leave his shell.

Throughout his life, Timmy would encounter many thunderstorms to be sure, but none were as scary as the first one. That’s because Timmy never looked at them the same way again.

And oh how he loved telling his grandchildren about the summer lightning bounced off his shell!

Story Prism Podcast celebrated its 100th episode last week in a very special way.

We had requested our listeners to send their original stories to us at clever.fm/storyprism. We are overwhelmed by the stories written by children, for children. And we are very delighted to share one of those stories with you!

Today’s story isn’t a story from Panchatantra, Tenali Raman, Birbal. It's not a story from around the world or even one of my original stories. So what is it?

It’s a story by Darshika Sanwaria about a girl going shoe shopping. To find out if the girl succeeds in shopping for shoes or not, listen to the story in Darshika’s, the author of this story, own voice. A story for the children by the children.

The link to the website is: https://clever.fm/storyprism

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/shoe-shopping

Send your artwork to [email protected].

Transcript

Shoe Shopping

Racks and rows of shoes were aligned all along the walls. The strip lights attached illuminated each shoe making them glimmer and easy for clients to see their beauty. People stood at different sections of footwear choosing, trying out, and deciding what to buy. Faint music played while the new shoe scent filled the atmosphere. After a lot of time, Reena finally selected a pair of sneakers. She stood at the counter, admiring her brand-new sneakers. It was her turn next to pay up. She reached into the back pocket of her trousers for her wallet,

Oh no, it wasn’t there!

Frantically, she checked all the other pockets, but it was not to be found. Her heart was racing, and she couldn’t think straight.

Looking at her condition, the cashier asked her what was wrong, and Reena told him that she couldn’t find her wallet.

She shouted, “There’s a thief in here who has stolen my wallet!”

He gently inquired if I had accidentally forgotten my wallet. I stepped aside, so as not to delay the other customers.

Reena rewound what she did while preparing to go to the mall.

She remembered keeping the wallet in the back pocket, switching off the lights, and grabbing her car keys. So, she was confident about keeping the wallet.

Immediately, Reena requested the staff to check the store in case the wallet had fallen from her pocket. Everyone was extremely helpful. But it was nowhere to be found and Reena was almost having a breakdown.

She asked the manager to keep everyone inside and check their pockets in hope of finding the person who had stolen it. The manager, taken aback said, “Sorry madam, we can’t do that, only the police is authorized!”

She tried persuading but her efforts were in vain. By now, everyone in the shop was staring at Reena and probably judging her to be a crazy woman.

Reena felt ashamed but couldn’t help the situation. Apart from the money, the wallet had credit cards, a driver’s license, and Id cards. Just then Reena got an idea. She addressed the manager, “Could you please show me the CCTV footage?’

“Most certainly, we can do that!” replied the manager.

The manager took her to the surveillance room. It was a dark room with five monitor screens showing the shop from different angles. She crossed her fingers hoping that this didn’t lead to a dead end. The manager re-wound all the screens to when Reena entered the shop. Spotting herself, she saw the wallet jutting out of my back pocket as she made her way through the store. The screen then displayed the part where Rena was sitting on the sofa and trying out the new shoes. A man came and sat behind her trying on his own shoes. As she attentively looked at herself, she realized what had happened. It wasn’t the man but her carelessness that had caused the wallet to disappear. While she stood up, the wallet had fallen into the shoebox that had her new sneakers. Being the least expected place, no one had bothered to check for it. Embarrassed, she made her way back into the store while she received death stares from everyone. As she opened the shoe box to take out the wallet, murmurs broke out across the room none too pleasant. Publicly apologizing, she went to the cash counter, not daring to have eye contact with anyone.

Reena straight away made it to the exit. This incident would certainly echo in her mind for years to come. It sure taught her a lesson about not blaming anyone.

Story Prism Podcast is celebrating its 100th episode today in a very special way.

Today’s story isn’t a story from Panchatantra, Tenali Raman, Birbal. It's not a story from around the world or even one of my original stories. So what is it?

We had requested our listeners to send their original stories to us. And we are so delighted to share those stories with you! For our episode today, and in the next few episodes, there’ll be stories written by children, for children.

This 100th episode also has responses from some young listeners to the question asked on clever.fm/storyprism. The question is: what comes to your mind when you hear the number 100?

 I am delighted with the creative answers of the listeners and encouraged to continue asking critical-thinking questions in our episodes. Guardians do help out the children to log into clever.fm/storyprism to type or record their answers.

 Thank you again!

The link to the website is: https://clever.fm/storyprism

Today's story: A Man In Disguise is a very clever story written by Snehal Samal from New Delhi, India.

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/a-man-in-disguise

Send your artwork to [email protected].

Transcript

As the scorching rays of the sun poured through the window, Lily woke up by the loud noise of the television. Yawning, stretching, and rubbing her eyes she went into the living room only to be surprised by the breaking news - a criminal escapes the prison and is on the run.

However, Lily didn’t pay much heed to it as she was quite excited to visit her friend’s house.

At the friend’s place they played, chatted, and enjoyed themselves thoroughly. A few hours had passed, and darkness had descended over the city. Lily unwillingly decided to return home before it was too late.. She sauntered down the dark and dingy street. The street was isolated, and a creepy silence made the place quite eerie Her mind drifted to the breaking news earlier. She thought that the news of the escaped prisoner compelled the people to stay inside their houses. The streetlights flickered and the dark sky engulfed the city. She was a little scared now. . As she trudged, she noticed a car parked near the sidewalk. She could see a shadowy figure, that of a man coming out of the car. Lily couldn’t see his face due to the darkness but could make out that the man was wearing a hat, a long coat, and a long mustache. Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine. She remembered the news of the escaped prisoner. Doubting the man, she scampered across the street, her heart racing. To her immense horror, the man was following her. Lily was now sweating buckets and she could feel her heart thumping in her chest. She bolted towards her house, panicking and praying at the same time. She reached her house after some time and kept banging on the door until her father opened it and said, “What happened, Lily? Why do you look so frightened and worried?”

Breathing heavily, Lily replied, “I saw a man. He was following me. I am afraid, he might be the escaped prisoner.”

However, Lily’s father wasn’t listening. Instead, he was glaring at someone standing behind his daughter. Lily was bewildered and turned to get a glace of who was behind. She realized that it was the same man wearing a hat and a long coat who had been following her. Before Lily could speak anything, her father bellowed, “You scoundrel! I will report you to the police. How dare you escape the prison?”

On hearing this, the man chuckled. Lily was flabbergasted as the man removed his mustache, took out his hat, and smiled widely. Lily’s father’s jaw dropped, and he gasped in surprise. He exclaimed, “Dean, my friend! What a pleasant surprise!”

Dean too exclaimed, “Arthur, my dearest friend. I have been waiting to meet you for a very long time. I can’t express happiness They hugged each other and upon seeing Lily’s stunning face, Dean said, “I am Dean Taylor, your father’s childhood friend.”

Arthur, Lily’s father added, “Yes, Lily. I know he resembled the escaped prisoner because he had disguised himself in that way. He has a habit of disguising himself, frightening the people, and then giving them a surprise.”

“Or I would say a heart-rending shock,” added Lily.

Dean turned to Lily, and said, “I am sorry to have frightened you.”

Lily forced a smile on her face and said, “No need to be sorry, sir. But I must confess that it was a harrowing experience and that your acting skills are quite appreciable.”

Dean laughed heartily and patted Lily on her back. Dean and Arthur went inside the house still chatting and giggling. Through the corner of her eye, Lily saw a shadowy figure with bushy hair just like the one shown in the news of the escape from prison. Lily dashed inside her room clutching her heart. Probably, the escaped prisoner was somewhere near their house!