Story 45

Following the story of Hayavadana Phileas has another animal story for you.

There once lived a crow called Bipu who lived in a small village called Siri.  It was a very cold day and so Bipu was resting cosily on a tree near the village.

In the distance on another tree sat a very old crow called Rani.  The cold had made Rani shiver and she had no strength to fly far in the bitter cold. Below Rani’s tree, there were four men who were warm in their woollen blankets and were sitting round a lovely hot fire. They were chatting and enjoying a snack of bread and tea. 

Rani was very tempted by the warmth of the fire and she crept closer to the fire to try and get warm.  But the men thought she was trying to steal their bread and went “sshhoo…sshhooo…” to scare her away.  Rani tried to plead with the men….”I only want to get warm by the fire.  I won’t eat your bread.. please…”.  But the men refused to let her near their lovely warm fire. 

Bipu had been watching this from his tree and as he felt very sorry for Rani, he decided that he wanted to help her.  Bipu thought about making his own fire for the crows but was not sure how to do it.  He decided that he needed help from his friends. 

Bipu crowed loudly and soon all his friends had gathered around him. Bipu shared his idea with the other crows and asked them to think hard about how they could make a fire. Suddenly a little crow came up with a great idea. She asked each of the crows to fetch a few twigs and a little hay. Soon they had gathered plenty of dried twigs and hay. 

But they needed a spark to light the twigs. Bipu and the little crow gathered a few stones to rub and start a fire. They sat on the pile of twigs and kept rubbing the stones…..soon flames lit up the heap of hay and twigs… hurrrrayyyy… now they could all be warm!! The crows were delighted. Rani was very comfortable near the fire and thanked Bipu and his friends. 

So the spark of ideas and teamwork kept the crows warm and happy.

The Clever Crow

A Kannada story by Indira Nadig

Taken from www.worldstories.org.uk

Story Number 44

Hayavadana

Do you know what Hayavadana means?.... No? It means Horse-face and this story is about a man called Hayavadana, who unfortunately had the body and voice of a human but had the head of a horse. Why did he have this infliction? Let me explain...

It is said that long ago in a little village near the South of India called Dharmapuram lived a horse-headed man called Hayavadana. Now Hayavadana wasn't from Dharmapuram this is just where he ended up, no one actually knew where he was from, people say that he travelled around the whole of India crying and crying and crying. The reason why Hayavadana travelled around the whole of India was because he was searching for someone who could remove this dreaded horses head and the reason why he cried is because no one could help him. Whenever he asked someone for help they either laughed, cried, shouted or ran away. Some people would ask him how it happened, they would ask "Was it a curse of some Rishi?" or "was it some holy place of pilgrimage, a punyasthana, which you desecrated?" or "did you insult a pativrata, dedicated to the service of her husband?" Although these might seem like logical reasons for why someone might have a horses head and a humans body, but they were wrong. Hayavadana had done none of these things and the fact that no one  could understand his problem made him very unhappy. Hayavadana asked everyone: magicians, mendicants, maharshis, fakirs, saints and even sadhus - sadhus with long hair, sadhus with short, sadhus with beards, sadhus in saffron, hanging, singing, rotating, gyrating. He had tried them all. Hayavadana was fed up, so he cried all the way to Dharmapuram hoping to find the answer. Hayavadana had heard that there was a Bhagavata there, a Bhagavata is the worshipper of the adorable one Krishna, and with all the Bhagavata's kindness and punya hayavadana thought surely he would be able to help him, but................................ 

If you want to find out whether the Bhagavata helped Hayavadana or not, you will have to wait until the Fairlop Fair!

Over half way, it's story 43!

Phileas noticed how much Calcutta had changed since his last visit, there were now internet cafe's with computers inside! Phileas decided to visit one and whilst inside he found this wonderful Tamil story...I do hope you enjoy it!

Manav the Monkey makes a new friend

“Come outside and play,” said Manish the monkey tugging on Manav’s tail. “It’s boring watching you on the internet all day long.”

“Go away,” said Manav as he carried on typing. “I’m chatting online. You can play outside if you want to”.

Manish peered over his older brother’s shoulder.  “You know you’re not supposed to be in these internet cafes.  Mum will go mad if she catches you!”

“Only if you tell her,” retorted Manav. “Go away and play your stupid games.”

Manish scampered away with his tail between his legs and his head hanging. He hated it when Manav was mean to him. It was horrid being the littlest brother. He wanted Manav to notice him. Manish ran out of the internet cafe and along the street.  He ran past the food seller serving up hot spicy curry. He ran past the stalls of women in the market selling brightly patterned cloth. He ran past the men working at the garage fixing the cars and mopeds. He ran past the furniture shops selling hand-made wooden beds and tables and chairs.  Manish ran and ran and ran to his favourite place, a small grove of trees on the outskirts of the town. This was where the rainforest began.  Manish climbed and climbed and climbed to the top of his favourite Jackfruit tree. From the highest branch of the tallest tree Manish could see for miles. He could see across the town, where people were going about their business. People driving, people walking, people working, children flying their kites and playing outside.  Manish could see across the fields, he could see across the forest, where the brightly coloured birds were nesting. Deep inside the rainforest Manish could see the tigers roaming.  They loved to bask in the warm early evening sun. The cubs were chasing each other whilst their mother looked on, keeping a watchful eye.  Manish climbed down and down and down from the top of his favourite tree. Then he ran and ran and ran deep into the rainforest.   

After school the next day Manish waited for Manav outside the school gates. “I’m going to play football.  Are you coming?”

“Not now Manish, I have things to do” said Manav and he hurried off to the internet cafe.

Manav loved the internet. There was so much information there. You could find out anything you wanted.  You could find out how far away the moon is. You could find out how deep the oceans are.  You could chat to your friends online. He knew his mother was worried about him visiting internet chatrooms but he liked to chat to new people there.  He couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about.  Manav logged in to his favourite website, Monkey Mania. 

Ping! A bright blue box popped up. He had a message!  “Hello!” it said. 

“Hello!” Manav typed back. “I’m Manav. What’s your name?” 

“My name is Aabha” said the message.  A picture appeared. Aabha was beautiful. She was smiling and she looked like so much fun.  Manav and Aabha chatted online for ages. Aabha said they were the same age.  They chatted about what they were doing at school. They chatted about sport. They chatted about television.  Manav was so happy.  “Would you like to meet up?” asked Aabha.  Manav was so excited about making a new friend.  “I would love to!” he said. And so they arranged to meet the very next day after school.

Friday’s maths lesson seemed to take forever. Manav was looking at his watch. He couldn’t wait for school to finish. He had arranged to meet Aabha. Finally the school bell rang and Manav grabbed his bag and ran. As he reached the school gate he saw Manish. “Manav!” shouted Manish. “No time!” said Manav and he ran past the school gates. Manav ran down the street.  He ran past the food seller serving up hot spicy curry. He ran past the stalls of women in the market selling brightly patterned cloth. He ran past the men working at the garage fixing the cars and mopeds. He ran past the furniture shops selling hand-made wooden beds and tables and chairs. 

Manav ran and ran and ran until he reached the edge of the rain forest. He paused for a moment. He had never been further than this on his own.  Then he carried on running.   The forest grew thicker. The forest grew darker. Manav was not sure where he was going. All he knew was that he going to meet Aabha. After what seemed like forever Manav found a clearing in the wood, just like the one Aabha had described.  Manav sat himself down on a rock to wait. The sounds of the forest were all around him. He could hear the mynah birds singing, calling out to each other and he could hear the crickets chirruping. But he could also hear something else.  It was some kind of rustling.

“Aabha,” he called out. “Is that you?” There was no reply.

“Hello?” he shouted, looking around. There it was again. This time it was louder. 

“Hello!” he cried out.  “Who is it?”

Manav was starting to panic now. The noise was growing louder still. Now he could hear something that sounded like a low growling.  It seemed to surround him.  It seemed to be getting louder. Rustling and growling.  Growling and rustling.

 “Aabha, Aabha where are you?” Manav asked.  He was beginning to wish he had never come here. He was beginning to wish he was playing football with his brother, or at home with his mum.

Suddenly there was a sound louder than Manav had ever heard before.  A loud, loud roar.  Suddenly, there, right before him was a tiger.  Manav turned to run – but there was another one, and another one.  A whole pack of tigers surrounded him.  They stood in a circle around him.  

“Who are you?” cried out Manav.  “What do you want?” The tigers began to close in on Manav.  He looked around, this way and that, searching for an escape route but there was none.  Manav whimpered and huddled into the rock. The tigers prowled around him hungrily.  Then, one stepped forward and leant forward

“Manav.”  The tiger said in a low voice. “Why are you here?”

Manav looked up.

“Are you looking for Aabha?” The tiger asked.   

“What have you done with her?” Manish whimpered.

“Manav,” the tiger said gently. “I am Aabha.”

“But…we were chatting online!” said Manav, looking confused. “She sent me her picture” he said pulling out a picture of the young, smiling money.

“And what made you believe that this was Aabha?” the tiger asked.

“I…I don’t know. She told me so much about herself and we arranged to meet here” Manav said.

“Manav, you are young and naïve. You must understand that you cannot believe everything you see on the internet. You cannot trust everybody you meet online. Some people may wish to harm you” and with that the tiger let out a fearsome roar which echoed through the rainforest.

The roar was so loud it could be heard by the food seller serving up hot spicy curry. It could be heard by the women in the market selling brightly patterned cloth. It could be heard by the men working at the garage fixing the cars and mopeds. It could be heard by people at the furniture shops selling hand-made wooden beds and tables and chairs.  It could be heard by Manish and Manav’s mother who was at home making their dinner.

The tiger raised up a huge paw and Manav cringed and closed his eyes. The tiger rested his paw on the young monkey’s shoulder. “Manav,” the tiger said, her eyes full of wisdom and kindness “Go home to you family and friends. Warn people to beware – that online you cannot always be sure who you are speaking to.”

Manav opened his eyes and as he did so he saw the tiger pack part. He could see a small figure running between them. It was his brother!

“Manish!” he said embracing him. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry Manav,” said the littlest brother. “I wanted you to see what a risk you were taking and so I asked the tigers to help teach you a lesson.”

 “Come on,” said Manav “Let’s go home for dinner. And then we can go outside and play.” With that the two brothers scampered out of the clearing and headed for home. 

A Tamil Story by Angela Walker

http://www.worldstories.org.uk/stories/story/138-manav-the-monkey-makes-a-friend/english

Story 42

Phileas and Passepartout were running to the rail to so that they didn't miss the steamer to Hong Kong. But when they got there, Phileas realised that the steamer to Hong Kong was not leaving for days yet!

"Passepartout!" said Phileas annoyingly "why on earth did you make us run when we are so early!"

"But Sir, I never said...it was the guide..."

"Don't try to get yourself out of this, come let's try find somewhere to stay"

While Phileas and Passepartout are searching for a place to stay here is a story about a boy who stopped lying...

The Three Diamonds

There was a young thief and he lived with his grandmother. ‘Oh, my grandson, will you not change your ways? I will die an unhappy woman. You drink. You gamble. You steal. You lie. Will you not change your ways?’
‘How, grandmother, can I change my ways? I drink to forget our poverty. I gamble to have some pleasure in my life. I steal so that we may eat.’
‘Well then at least change one of these things,’ said the grandmother.
And the young thief thought about this and said:
‘Very well, I will stop lying. If you insist, from now on I will only tell the truth.’
Now there lived in that city a King, a Rajah, and he was a powerful and rich man, but he was not happy for his advisor did not always tell him the truth. But the Rajah really wanted to know the truth, and one night he went out in disguise dressed as a beggar in rags, and there in the street that evening he met the young thief.
‘Where are you going?’
When the young thief spoke he remembered his grandmother’s words, and what came out of his mouth was... the truth. ‘Why, I am going to the palace of the Rajah and I will steal what I can get.’
‘To the palace,’ said the Rajah. ‘Ha, ha, ha, then follow me.’ And he led the young thief through the streets until they were outside that magnificent palace. ‘Slip through when the guards change on their duty and go to the throne room. There, under the throne, you will find a box and inside the box... well, you will find treasure.’
So the young thief slipped past the guards - he was an expert thief - and he found his way to the throne room. And there, under the throne, he found a silver box. And when he opened the silver box inside were three huge, sparkling diamonds. And so he pocketed those three diamonds. And then he hesitated. He asked himself:
‘Three diamonds. With these I will be rich beyond my imaginings. Do I really need all three?’
And when he answered himself, he found he was telling himself the truth. ‘No, I only need two.’
And so he left one diamond in that box and he slipped past the guards and out of the palace, and there, waiting in the darkness, was the beggar.
‘Did you steal what you were looking for?’
‘Why, I stole two diamonds, but one I left behind. You aided me. What do you deserve?’
And he remembered his grandmother’s words, and what came out of his mouth was... the truth. ‘You deserve one of the diamonds for you assisted me.’ And he gave one diamond to that seeming beggar and on his way he went.
And the Rajah, seeing him going, followed him and saw him arrive at the poor hovel that he shared with his old grandmother.
And the Rajah now returned to his palace and took off those rags and by next morning he was calling his advisor:
‘There has been a theft in the palace this night. Look and see what has been stolen!’
And so the advisor went directly to the throne room. He took out that box and opened it and he found one diamond.
‘Strange. The treasure has been stolen, but not all of it.’ And he looked around. ‘Ha, ha, ha, who will know?’ And so the advisor put that diamond in his own pocket!
‘Oh, my Rajah! Oh, my King! See, the treasure has been stolen! The box is empty!’
‘The box is empty!’ said the Rajah. ‘Then send guards to the house of the young thief.’
And the young thief was brought to the palace, and a scaffold was standing there and a noose was hanging down.
‘Why,’ said the advisor, ‘have you stolen the Rajah's treasure, the three diamonds?’
‘I have stolen,’ said the young thief honestly, for he spoke the truth, ‘but not three diamonds. I left one behind. I stole only two.’
‘Liar!’ said the advisor. ‘What thief would steal just two diamonds when there were three?’
‘Oh, it is true.’
‘What about those diamonds then?’ said the advisor. ‘Show them.’
And so the young thief reached into his pocket and took out just one diamond. ‘Why, the other one I gave to a beggar who helped me.’
‘Liar!’ said the advisor. ‘What thief would share what he had stolen?’
And now you know who stepped forward? It was the Rajah himself in his magnificent robes, and he said:
‘He speaks the truth. I was the beggar dressed in rags, and indeed he gave me one diamond. But of the other diamond... let us see. Guards, search my advisor.’
And so the advisor’s pockets were searched and indeed, although he resisted, they did find... another diamond.
And now the Rajah spoke to all of those who were assembled in front of the palace who were there to witness an execution, and he said:
‘What should I do with this advisor who has cheated me, this man who I have trusted?’
And the people looked. ‘Why, he should be hanged, not the young thief!’
‘Indeed,’ said the Rajah.
And the advisor was led to the scaffold and the rope was put around his neck and he prepared to die.
‘And what of this young thief who speaks the truth?’
‘Why,’ said the people, ‘make him your new advisor!’
‘Ha, ha,’ said the Rajah, ‘it must be so!’
And the young thief became advisor. But that is not the end of the story for his first advice to the Rajah was this:
‘See that man upon the scaffold? He has made a mistake. I too have made mistakes. Now I am your advisor my life will change; no more will I need to drink to forget my poverty. I will no longer be poor. No longer will I need to gamble. From now on my work will be advice for the good of the land. No more will I steal for I will be wealthy. I will only tell the truth, and the truth is...
The truth is that this advisor deserves a second chance just as I have been given a second chance. Take away his riches. Take away his gown. Take away his status. Let him live a poor man.




The Three Diamonds

A Tamil folk tale retold by David Heathfield

Taken from www.worldstories.org.uk

Number 41 

The travel to Calcutta (Now known as Kolkata) 

Phileas had to reach Calcutta in less than twenty four hours in order to catch the steamer the next day which would leave for Hong Kong and at the rate they were travelling he wouldn't make it in time.

"Why do we have to travel with these elephants Phileas? They are so slow!" Moaned Passepartout. "Although the elephants might be slow they are very useful animals to travel, especially on the bumpy roads." Explained the guide. "Well I think they are useless! I wish that these elephants could fly. That would get us  to Hong Kong quicker." Said Passepartout, Phileas laughed at Passepartout's silly statement. "If only that was the case, my funny friend" chuckled Phileas. "Would you like me to tell you two a story about why elephants can't fly" said the guide. "Here we go again... not another story. This must be atleast the 41st" Moaned Passepartout... again.

A long time ago, much longer than most people can remember, elephants could fly! They had four enormous wings and they whizzed through the sky so fast that it amazed the other animals.  But these big beasts were sometimes also stupid. But shhh… the other animals would keep quiet about it and never discuss it.

Because the elephants were so strong and so fast, God decided to take their help. He could ride on these big beasts and they could help Him to put the finishing touches to the world. In a moment He could be in China and from there, within the blink of an eye, He could zoom off to Iceland! And these elephants were so strong that they pushed and pushed at mountains and icebergs, shifting them until everything in the world was perfect. For example, they helped God to put the Himalayas in India and in Tanzania, they had Mount Kilimanjaro. By riding on these elephants, God sorted the whole world out and made it absolutely perfect.

Once this big job had been completed, God told the elephants that they could have a permanent holiday. Uh… that is, until He had something else for them to do. Now the elephants did not have very much to do. Then do you know what happened?

The elephants became idle and to pass their time, they talked about the old days. They talked about how strong they had been. They talked about how fast they were, and how God had favoured them. And the more they talked, the more they came to think that they were much, much better than all the other animals on earth. They were definitely the most important!

The elephants chattered idly to each other. ‘Look at that peacock,’ they would say unkindly. ‘See how ugly and brown his little wings are compared to ours!’ And they would always make sure to raise their voices high so that the little peacock could hear their mean words. And the poor peacock, who was kind and humble at heart, could not disagree with the elephants. He thought – ‘The elephants are right. I am small. My wings are not beautiful like those of the fairies and nor am I strong like the elephants.’

As time went on, the elephants began to pride themselves. They began to think that they could do whatever they wanted. The greedy elephants would take all the bananas from the banana tree, leaving none for the other animals. The other animals were sad because they did not get even one banana for their meal! And you know what the elephants did with these bananas in their trunks?

The elephants would come down into a village, any village they liked – they would spread their wings like a carpet and sit down to have their picnic. The whole village would be squashed under the weight of the elephants. The houses would be flattened and the fields would be ruined and the villagers would be deeply upset.

The poor villagers were very angry at the destruction of their homes, and the animals with their empty stomachs were also very cross. And so God decided enough was enough. These proud and greedy elephants had gotten far too big for their trunks, and needed to be taught a lesson!

God invited all the elephants for a chat. He said to them – ‘Oh mighty elephants, listen to Me. I am very grateful to you for helping me make the world perfect. So I want to throw a party. Only for the elephants.

All the elephants were very happy. One elephant said to another – ‘See! Even God can see how strong and brave we are. How much we have helped Him. It is right that He should have a party just for us!’

So the greedy elephants, all puffed up with pride and confidence, turned up to the feast one by one. As promised, God had found the best food, and there were mountains of it! Bright yellow bananas, deep red pomegranates, tangy guavas, juicy mangoes … whatever fruits you could imagine, they were there. The greedy elephants were delighted. And they ate it all up. Every last bit.

By the end of the meal the elephants were so full that one by one they dropped off to sleep surrounded by discarded banana peels and mango skins. This was the moment God had been waiting for. When the last elephant had closed his eyes, God took out a very big knife. Quietly, He went to each elephant and chopped off their wings. And He gave these beautiful wings to the little peacocks. The little peacocks were so happy that they ran into the forest to sing and dance.

Have you seen the peacocks dance, the peacocks dance, the peacocks dance?

Have you seen the peacocks dance, all around the trees?

Yes, I’ve seen the peacocks dance, the peacocks dance, the peacocks dance,

Yes, I’ve seen the peacocks dance, all around the trees.

And now think of the elephants. When the elephants finally awoke from their long sleep, they were shocked to see the beautiful peacock swishing his impressive feathers at them. They were really, really angry. But God had no time to listen to their complaints. Instead He said, ‘I want you elephants to become nicer, kinder. I want you to use your strength and help the villagers to re-build their houses.’

The elephants felt very ashamed of what they had done. They resolved to help the villagers as much as they could. So even today, in every village, there are elephants that come and go, helping people as they pass by. 

Why Elephants Can't Fly

A Hindi story bu Becky Walker

Taken from www.worldstories.org.uk

"What a wonderful story! Thank you very much. It seems like Passepartout enjoyed that story" Said Phileas. Passepartout by this point was now trying to dance like a peacock. "Passepartout! Stop mucking around, we have a steamer to catch."

Here it is....it's story 39!

DON'T FORGET, all of the stories from Phileas's Travels can be re-read and viewed in the pages at the top. Read them to loved ones, or wait until you hear some of them at the Fairlop Fair on July 6th 2013!

As Phileas is in Allahabad, he decided to experience some of the rich Culture. In January of this year, more than 100 million people, yes ONE HUNDRED MILLION people attended the Hindu festival of Kumbh Mela, which took place over the space of 55 days. Phileas was told that on the opening day, people bathed in the river Ganges and Yamuna. It is the belief that a festival dip in the water will cleanse the sins. 
Here is a Hindi story called 'To Give', that Phileas read whilst in Allahabad. Enjoy!

Story 39!

To Give

Once upon a time, there was a very powerful and very generous King who gave much of his gold to the poor people of his lands. Each morning, the King would wake up early and share his gold with the poor people who had gathered at the gates of his palace so that they might buy food and clothing.

One night, a peasant crept up to the palace and huddled up against the wall where he would not be seen. The peasant decided that he would camp by the gates of the palace so that he would be the first in line to receive some gold pieces from the King the following morning. ‘If I am the first,’ reasoned the peasant, ‘then perhaps the King will give me more gold and I will no longer be poor or hungry.’

But when one of the royal guards noticed the peasant creeping around at the gates of the palace, he thought that the man must be a thief come to steal the King’s gold in the night. And so the guard captured the peasant and locked him away in the prison beneath the palace.

The next morning, after being told of the events of the previous night, the generous King decided to go and talk to the peasant who was locked in his prison.

The King approached the dark and damp cell and asked the peasant, ‘Why would you want to steal from me when all you had to do was ask for gold in order to feed and clothe yourself; do you not know that I would have given it to you gladly?’

The poor man explained that he was not a thief at all, but simply a peasant who had fallen on hard times and now needed help. ‘I was once a good farmer and a good businessman,’ said the man, ‘until the droughts came and thieves stole my cattle.’

The peasant looked directly at the King. ‘I did not come to steal from you,’ he insisted, ‘I came in the night so that I might be the first to receive some gold in the morning. That is all, I promise.’

Upon hearing the peasant’s story, the generous King was much moved. He ordered the guards to release the man from his prison, then he gave the peasant ten gold pieces with which to change his fortunes. The peasant thanked the generous King and left the palace with his gold.

But the next day, the peasant was not satisfied with his gift of ten gold pieces. Each night he returned to the palace and waited by the gates, and each morning the generous King bestowed upon the peasant ten more gold pieces.

This went on for many nights and many days, until the King asked the peasant, ‘Why do you continue to come to my palace when I have given you so much gold.  Surely you are no longer poor or hungry?’

‘But I wish to be like you,’ said the peasant to the King. ‘I want to be rich and powerful.’

‘But will you also be generous to the poor of the land?’ asked the King.

The peasant thought about this question for a few moments before he answered. ‘Yes indeed I would, Your Majesty.’

‘Then I shall give you half of my Kingdom and half of my riches,’ replied the King, ‘but you must promise me that you will always be generous to those who might need your help.’

The peasant agreed, and so the King gave half of all his wealth and half of his entire Kingdom.

The years passed quickly and the peasant proved to be a wise and generous man. He used much of his gold to plant food and raise cattle, and very soon he had doubled his riches and was able to share more and more wealth with the poor people of the land.

The King watched from his palace and was very pleased with what he saw. He knew then that to give was the greatest pleasure there ever was in the world. By sharing what he owned with others, the generous King was able to make many people happy. The peasant had learned this lesson well and he too shared his wealth and happiness with those around him. And very soon, because both the King and the wise peasant both gave so generously, there was no more poverty or hunger in the whole of the land.

A Hindi Story by Vimal Shinagadia

on: http://www.worldstories.org.uk/stories/story/94-to-give

Story 38!

Story Number 38

Today Phileas decided to spend the day at the zoo. While he was there he saw so many different animals from Elephants to Monkeys to Lions and Tigers. While Phileas was at the Tiger pen a worker came along called Abbey Ledger-Lomas and told him a story about one the tigers, and he wanted to share it with you as well

Aharsi the Bengal Tiger

Aharsi the big Bengal Tiger was having a good think. It was winter and he was still getting used to the feeling of ice on the pads of his paws. He shivered a little, missing the warm ooze of mangrove mud. Aharsi was missing lots of things. He missed the way the sun made his coat glow a regal orange, or how the glare of midday brightness made his black stripes look so bold and striking like black lightening bolts. He missed dozing in the evening heat and catching the last shafts of sunlight as they cut through the jungle vines. He wondered if he would ever again hear Doyel birds chattering in the trees, or catch the scent of ripe mangoes on the breeze. It was these fleeting, poignant moments that the Bengal tiger was trying so hard to picture in his mind. Aharsi missed his home.

His whiskers bristled as he let out a big sigh, sending the starlings that had been pecking at the frozen ground scattering up into the grey sky. Three hours had passed, and despite his intense concentration, all the tiger had managed to remember was some vague half images of mangoes and mangroves. He was worried that he was forgetting about his old home all together.

When Aharsi first arrived at the zoo in England with his mother and father, everything was so exciting. He lapped it all up; his amber eyes burned with curiosity as he jumped from tree to tree or smelled each flower or pawed at each tiny insect.

‘Now just calm down, Aharsi,’ his mother would say. ‘You have come a long way. There is plenty of time to explore; now you must rest.’

But the young tiger was too busy to rest. There were new animals to meet, new trees to climb. There was so much to learn about his new home. Before the sun went down on that first day, Aharsi had bounded around all of the animals’ cages, asking them question after question, absorbing the strange exotic colours of the paradise birds and smelling the sweet and unfamiliar smell of the hay in the rhino stalls. But the more he explored, the more Aharsi realised how different his new home was to where he’d come from. And now the young tiger was worried that he’d lost all of the precious memories he had of his homeland. He was worried that he had forgotten all about being a Bengal Tiger.

Aharsi squeezed his eyes closed and flicked his tail purposefully from side to side: ‘Remember,’ he told himself. ‘Try to think harder!’

Hours passed, the day grew dimmer and the rest of the animals started to settle down in the twilight. After a while, Aharsi felt someone looking at him. He opened one eye, keen to stay as focused as he could on reclaiming his lost memories. It was Zody the Leopard.

‘What are yoooouuu doing?’ came the deep, purring voice.

‘I’m remembering,’ Aharsi answered. ‘Now if you don’t mind…’ Aharsi closed his eye once more and tried to concentrate even harder.

‘Reeeemembering?’ asked Zody.

‘Yes. I’ve forgotten all about being a Bengal Tiger, and where I’ve come from, so I’m trying to remember it before it’s all gone forever. Now if you don’t mind…’

Once again Aharsi squeezed his eyes shut and tried to summon images from his homeland.

‘You won’t get faaaar with your eyes closed,’ said Zody.

Aharsi opened his eyes wide and looked quite annoyed. ‘I won’t get anywhere unless you leave me alone to think!’ he said. ‘You wouldn’t understand anyway, you’re not even a tiger, let alone a Bengal Tiger! You’re a leopard!’

‘You silly animal!’ said Zody, rattling with laughter. ‘Look there!’ She pointed to a shiny slick patch of ice on the hard ground.

Aharsi stared back at Zody in some confusion. ‘I think you may have gone a bit bonkers, Zody,’ he said, and just then he almost wanted to laugh himself.

‘If you want to remember how to be a tiger,’ said Zody in a kind voice ‘just look.’

‘Fine, if you’ll leave me alone then I’ll look.’

Aharsi bent his neck a little and peered into the glassy ice mirror on the ground. Zody purred over his shoulder.

‘What beautiful stripes you have,’ she said. ‘When I look into the mirror I see my spots. Nobody else has spots quite like mine. My mother had spots, and my mother’s mother, and my mother’s mother’s mother… all the way back to when my great great great Grandma prowled the grasses of South Africa!’

Aharsi noticed Zody’s eyes get brighter as she pictured the sun baked savanna and plush green jungles of her home. ‘When I see my spots,’ she continued, ‘I see my whole history. And I will always have my spots.’ She winked at Aharsi. ‘After all,’ she said, ‘a leopard never changes its spots!’

‘But don’t you ever get homesick or sad?’ the young tiger asked in a slight mewl. ‘Everything is so different here.’

‘We all get homesick,’ Zody replied while pawing at the ice, ‘but look here at our reflections. We are not so very different. You are from Bengal and I am from Africa, but see how we have the same whiskers. And see here…’ Zody cut an impressive jagged line in the ice with her sharp claws and then raised them up so that they shone in the fading light. ‘We both have these,’ she said with a grin.

Just then there was a great trumpeting sound from the elephant’s enclosure in the east corner of the zoo.

‘Well that’s not so amazing,’ said Aharsi. ‘We are both cats. But I’m nothing like the elephants over there, am I?’

Zody giggled. ‘They might look different and sound different, but I’ll bet even elephants get homesick too. That is something you have in common.’

Aharsi looked unsure as he thought that the elephants were far too big and strong to ever be sad. ‘I bet they still remember where they are from,’ he said. ‘My mother told me that an Elephant never forgets.’

Zody hissed and giggled and rolled around on the hard ground. ‘That’s true!’ she admitted. ‘An elephant never forgets!’

‘And I bet the Zebras don’t get scared,’ Aharsi continued, still a little bit sulky but starting to smile at his friend’s antics.

‘Haven’t you seen them running from the zookeeper’s tractor?’ asked Zody

‘And… and the crocodiles? Do they get scared and sad too?’ Aharsi asked.

‘Haven’t you seen them hiding beneath the water?’ Zody replied as she gave her friend a playful bump with her nose. ‘We all miss home sometimes, Aharsi. But that is why we all look different. We are different so that we can remember. Look at me. I have this beautiful tail which reminds me that we leopards are the best at balancing up high in the trees.’

Aharsi felt much better and soon began to rumble with a deep purr. ‘And I will always have my stripes for hiding in the tall grass. We tigers are the best hunters in all of Bengal!’

‘Your stripes go wherever you go, Aharsi,’ Zody said with a smile.

‘And when the elephants feel sad they can look at their trunks to remember that they are the best at splashing in the water,’ said Aharsi. ‘And when the crocodiles feel sad or scared they can look at their webbed feet and remember that they are the fastest in the river…’

The young tiger trailed off a little, his eyes were growing heavy and he yawned without noticing. It was evening now and the zoo was alive with the crooning calls of countless animals. Some were stripey, some were spotty. Not any one of them was the same as the other. As night fell and a million stars filled the sky, Aharsi began to understand that though all of the animals were different, they all felt the same sometimes. That is when he knew he would never be alone, and that is when he knew he would always carry his home in his heart forever.

This story can be found at http://www.worldstories.org.uk/stories/story/120-aharsi-the-bengal-tiger

Story 37!

Look at this lovely illustration of Phileas travelling from Kholby to Allahabad found at http://christineparkdesign.com/blog/?p=1217

Below you can see the railway journey from Bombay to Allahabad, look how far it is! Phileas traveled most of this by elephant...what a long way to travel! The line is 1,322 miles long!

Visit http://maptal.es/tales/9#step9 to see an interactive map of Phileas's journey!!!

Now for Story 37! 

The Four Fox Cubs

This can be enjoyed in Punjabi, just follow http://www.worldstories.org.uk/stories/story/44-the-three-fox-cubs/english

A Punjabi Story by Mohindro Ram Thaper & Kamleish Ram Parfect

There was once a family of foxes who lived in the woods. There was a mother fox, a father fox, and four baby fox cubs. The cubs were named Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul.

One day, the daddy fox said to his four cubs, ‘I must go out to work and I may be gone for many days. You must promise me that you will be good and do what your mother tells you while I am gone.’

The fox cubs all agreed to do as their mother instructed. And when it was time for their father to leave, the cubs all gathered at the door and waved goodbye and wished him luck on his journey.

Several days passed in which the cubs played and did their chores and behaved as their father had instructed. But one day, mother fox realised that the cupboards were all empty of food and she would have to go to the market. She said to her young cubs, ‘I must go out to the market to get food, but I cannot take you with me as it is too dangerous and I cannot look after you alone. You must stay here at home even though I do not like to leave you. At least here you will be safe.’

The mother fox thought about how best to protect her cubs for the short while she would be at the market, then eventually she said: ‘You must keep the door locked the whole time that I am gone, and you must only open the door when I return.’

The youngest of the cubs asked, ‘Mother, how will we know that it is you at the door?’

And the mother replied, ‘I shall call out your names like so... Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul, open the door! And you will recognise my voice and let me in.’

Then the mother fox went off to the market and the cubs continued to play games at home, making sure to keep the door locked and not to open it unless they heard their names being called.

But there was a very sneaky and very greedy lion who was walking close by, and the lion had heard everything that the mother had said to her young cubs. The sneaky lion thought to himself, ‘Aha! I can go to the house where the cubs live. I can stand by the door. And I can call out... Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul, open the door! They will not know that it is me,’ thought the sneaky lion. ‘They will think that I am the mother fox and they will open the door and let me in. And then I will eat them all up!’

So the sneaky lion crept up to the door of the house where the cubs lived, took a very big breath, and called out, ‘Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul, open the door!’ 

When the young cubs heard the call they thought, ‘That is very strange. Those are our names being called, but that does not sound like our mother. What shall we do?’

Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul, grew very scared because they were not sure whether to open the door or not, and they wished that their father and mother were at home to protect them.

Luckily the cubs had very good neighbours. There were many fox families nearby, and there was also a monkey who was very brave and very strong. The family of foxes who lived closest to the cubs had heard the lion calling out and quickly found the monkey. They asked him, ‘Monkey, monkey, what shall we do? That lion is going to eat those little fox cubs while their mother and father are away!’

‘Do not worry,’ said the brave monkey, ‘I shall protect the little cubs from the lion.’ And with that the monkey searched the forest floor until he found a big, heavy branch. He raised the branch above his head and charged towards the sneaky lion. Whack, whack, whack, went the monkey with the big, heavy branch as he chased the lion away from the house and out of the forest.

When the mother fox and the father fox both returned home they were very grateful to the brave monkey and to the other foxes for protecting their cubs while they were away.

And that was the day that young Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul, learned a valuable lesson indeed. The young cubs learned that it is very important to know your neighbours and be kind to them because they will always look after you in return, and will offer help when you need it most.

Story Number 36

Here is a gruesome excerpt from Around the World in 80 days... When Phileas encountered a procession of Indian men, women and children whom were about perform a human sacrifice for the Goddess Kali, although the story may contain strong imagery it is a fascinating insight into a Hindu ritual.

...The guide unloosed the elephant and led him into a thicket, at the same time asking the travellers not to stir. He held himself ready to bestride the animal at a moment's notice, should flight become necessary; but he evidently thought that the procession of the faithful would pass without perceiving them amid the thick foliage, in which they were wholly concealed.

The discordant tones of the voices and instruments drew nearer, and now droning songs mingled with the sound of the tambourines and cymbals. The head of the procession soon appeared beneath the trees, a hundred paces away; and the strange figures who performed the religious ceremony were easily distinguished through the branches. First came the priests, with mitres on their heads, and clothed in long lace robes. They were surrounded by men, women, and children, who sang a kind of lugubrious psalm, interrupted at regular intervals by the tambourines and cymbals; while behind them was drawn a car with large wheels, the spokes of which represented serpents entwined with each other. Upon the car, which was drawn by four richly caparisoned zebus, stood a hideous statue with four arms, the body coloured a dull red, with haggard eyes, dishevelled hair, protruding tongue, and lips tinted with betel. It stood upright upon the figure of a prostrate and headless giant.

Sir Francis, recognising the statue, whispered, "The goddess Kali; the goddess of love and death."

"Of death, perhaps," muttered back Passepartout, "but of love-- that ugly old hag? Never!"

The Parsee made a motion to keep silence.

A group of old fakirs were capering and making a wild ado round the statue; these were striped with ochre, and covered with cuts whence their blood issued drop by drop--stupid fanatics, who, in the great Indian ceremonies, still throw themselves under the wheels of Juggernaut. Some Brahmins, clad in all the sumptuousness of Oriental apparel, and leading a woman who faltered at every step, followed. This woman was young, and as fair as a European. Her head and neck, shoulders, ears, arms, hands, and toes were loaded down with jewels and gems with bracelets, earrings, and rings; while a tunic bordered with gold, and covered with a light muslin robe, betrayed the outline of her form.

The guards who followed the young woman presented a violent contrast to her, armed as they were with naked sabres hung at their waists, and long damascened pistols, and bearing a corpse on a palanquin. It was the body of an old man, gorgeously arrayed in the habiliments of a rajah, wearing, as in life, a turban embroidered with pearls, a robe of tissue of silk and gold, a scarf of cashmere sewed with diamonds, and the magnificent weapons of a Hindu prince. Next came the musicians and a rearguard of capering fakirs, whose cries sometimes drowned the noise of the instruments; these closed the procession.

Sir Francis watched the procession with a sad countenance, and, turning to the guide, said, "A Sati."

The Parsee nodded, and put his finger to his lips. The procession slowly wound under the trees, and soon its last ranks disappeared in the depths of the wood. The songs gradually died away; occasionally cries were heard in the distance, until at last all was silence again.

Phileas Fogg had heard what Sir Francis said, and, as soon as the procession had disappeared, asked: "What is a Sati?"

"A Sati," returned the general, "is a human sacrifice, but a voluntary one. The woman you have just seen will be burned to-morrow at the dawn of day."

http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Jules_Verne/Around_the_World_in_80_Days

Page by Page Books.^TM

Jules Verne

Story 32!

In his first journey around the World in 80 Days, Phileas landed in some great difficulties leaving Bombay. He had been travelling on The Great Indian Penisular Railway and had discovered that the line ended in a little Hamlet called Khloby and started again 50 miles down the route at Allahabad. This caused Phileas much dismay, as he was then required to hire a guide and ride the next part of his journey by Elephant!
During his journey to Allahabad by Elephant, Passepartout and Phileas rescued an Indian woman Aouda, from her death! She then joined Phileas on his journey around the World!
As Phileaus arrived in Khloby, he remembered this moment and hired a guide to ride by Elephant once more.
Whilst journeying, his guide shared with him some stories. 
Here's one of those for you to enjoy!

The Clever Old Woman

Once upon a time there lived an old woman in a kingdom ruled by a beautiful queen.  She had four sons but they use to fight a lot and their wives were also unkind to each other.  They all lived in the same house but as they argued so much, everyone had separate kitchens. The old woman was very sad as she wished that they would be able to live as one big happy family, helping each other.  She threatened to throw them out of the house if they could not learn to live as a united family and in order to save money she told her sons and their wives that they would only be able to use one kitchen.  She hoped that this would mean that the wives would learn to live in harmony with each other.  The sons were also fed up with the situation and agreed to their mother’s command.

As the old woman was very poor, the sons all gave their daily earnings to their mother.   One day the youngest son went to find work in the city but had no luck. He saw a dead snake when returning home that evening and sadly he picked it up in order to take something back to his mother. When the old woman asked for his earnings, he told her that he had been unable to find work that day and passed the dead snake to her.  She consoled him and asked him to try again the next day.   But knowing that the snake would not make a good meal for them all, she threw the dead snake onto the roof of her mud house.

On that same day, the queen of the kingdom went to a beautiful pond to take a bath. She removed her expensive diamond necklace and left it near the bank in the care of her maids.  Suddenly, an eagle appeared overhead.  The eagle was attracted to the bright shining necklace and swooping down, she clasped it in her claws and flew away. The maids screamed but to no avail. The queen was so upset that she made an announcement that whoever could find the lost necklace would be granted a grand prize.

After flying for a while, the eagle saw the dead snake on the old woman’s roof.  Realising that the snake could be eaten while the necklace could not, she left the necklace there and took away the dead snake.

The next day, the old woman went up to her roof to put some clothing to dry in the sunshine when she spotted the necklace. She understood that this was the queen’s stolen necklace and that the queen desperately wanted it back.

It happened that the festival of light known as Diwali was in 2 days time.  At that festival, everyone lights oil lamps and candles to appease the Goddess of Wealth. The old woman made a plan. She went to the queen’s palace and asked the guard if she could see the queen. When the queen saw her necklace, she was very happy and promised to give the old woman a large sum of money.  

But the old woman declined.  Instead she said, “Thank you very much, my lady, for your offer but I am poor and won’t be able to guard this treasure.  If you agree, I want that on the night of Diwali only my household should be allowed to light oil lamps, and no one else should be allowed to light their lamps.”   

The queen was surprised at this request, but was so grateful that she granted the old woman her wish and issued instructions that only the old woman’s house would be lit at Diwali that year.

The festival of Diwali came.   The old woman asked all the members of her household to clean every nook and cranny of the house and decorate it with beautiful scented flowers.  Everyone worked together on these tasks and in the evening, the old woman lit lamps and candles in every part of her house.

At midnight, the Goddess of Wealth came for her annual visit.  She was disappointed to see pitch darkness everywhere in the kingdom.  Then she saw beautiful lights shining from the old woman’s house.  As the goddess loved lights, she quickly made her way straight to the old woman’s house and knocked on the door.  Hearing the knock, the old woman opened the door signalling her sons, daughters in law and grandchildren to welcome the goddess with flower garlands, perfume and sweets. This they did and the Goddess was very pleased. She asked them what they would like her to give them in return for their devotion to her.

The old woman came forward and said “We ask that you stay in our house forever so that we live in prosperity and happiness.”

The Goddess thought for a moment and said “I am happy to stay here in your house for ever but only if you all stay united, not fighting but loving each other. If anyone disobeys this condition, I will leave the house.“

Everyone was so happy to know that the Goddess was pleased, that they all agreed to her request and since then all the members of the family lived in harmony, filled with love and respect for each other.  The old woman was very happy as her desire for her children to live peacefully had finally been granted. And the Goddess of Wealth stayed in their house for all the coming generations. 

A Hindi Story by Mansha Sahay

Story from:

http://www.worldstories.org.uk/stories/story/156-the-clever-old-woman/english

Story 31!

Phileas has been delayed in his posting of this next story, as he has been thoroughly enjoying the culture of Mumbai! 

Image from http://kasamaproject.org/south-asia-revolution/902-34nepal-maoists-mumbai-attack-signals-intervention
Mumbai is in India. Above is a map of India, can you see Mumbai marked on? Whilst in Mumba, Phileas saw a remarkable sight...a man riding an elephant! After seeing this, Phileas had to have a go for himself and the man let him.  Upon finishing his incredible ride, the man told Phileas this story....

Why Elephants Can't Fly

A long time ago, much longer than most people can remember, elephants could fly! They had four enormous wings and they whizzed through the sky so fast that it amazed the other animals.  But these big beasts were sometimes also stupid.  But shhh… the other animals would keep quiet about it and never discuss it.

Because the elephants were so strong and so fast, God decided to take their help.  He could ride on these big beasts and they could help Him to put the finishing touches to the world.  In a moment He could be in China and from there, within the blink of an eye, He could zoom off to Iceland!  And these elephants were so strong that they pushed and pushed at mountains and icebergs, shifting them until everything in the world was perfect. For example, they helped God to put the Himalayas in India and in Tanzania, they had Mount Kilimanjaro.  By riding on these elephants, God sorted the whole world out and made it absolutely perfect.

Once this big job had been completed, God told the elephants that they could have a permanent holiday.  Uh… that is, until He had something else for them to do.  Now the elephants did not have very much to do.  Then do you know what happened?

The elephants became idle and to pass their time, they talked about the old days.  They talked about how strong they had been. They talked about how fast they were, and how God had favoured them. And the more they talked, the more they came to think that they were much, much better than all the other animals on earth.   They were definitely the most important!

The elephants chattered idly to each other.   ‘Look at that peacock,’ they would say unkindly. ‘See how ugly and brown his little wings are compared to ours!’ And they would always make sure to raise their voices high so that the little peacock could hear their mean words. And the poor peacock, who was kind and humble at heart, could not disagree with the elephants.  He thought – ‘The elephants are right.  I am small.  My wings are not beautiful like those of the fairies and nor am I strong like the elephants.’

As time went on, the elephants began to pride themselves.  They began to think that they could do whatever they wanted.  The greedy elephants would take all the bananas from the banana tree, leaving none for the other animals.   The other animals were sad because they did not get even one banana for their meal!  And you know what the elephants did with these bananas in their trunks?

The elephants would come down into a village, any village they liked – they would spread their wings like a carpet and sit down to have their picnic.  The whole village would be squashed under the weight of the elephants. The houses would be flattened and the fields would be ruined and the villagers would be deeply upset. 

The poor villagers were very angry at the destruction of their homes, and the animals with their empty stomachs were also very cross.  And so God decided enough was enough. These proud and greedy elephants had gotten far too big for their trunks, and needed to be taught a lesson!

God invited all the elephants for a chat. He said to them – ‘Oh mighty elephants, listen to Me.  I am very grateful to you for helping me make the world perfect.  So I want to throw a party. Only for the elephants.

All the elephants were very happy.  One elephant said to another – ‘See!  Even God can see how strong and brave we are.  How much we have helped Him.  It is right that He should have a party just for us!’

So the greedy elephants, all puffed up with pride and confidence, turned up to the feast one by one.  As promised, God had found the best food, and there were mountains of it!  Bright yellow bananas, deep red pomegranates, tangy guavas, juicy mangoes … whatever fruits you could imagine, they were there.  The greedy elephants were delighted.  And they ate it all up. Every last bit.

By the end of the meal the elephants were so full that one by one they dropped off to sleep surrounded by discarded banana peels and mango skins. This was the moment God had been waiting for.  When the last elephant had closed his eyes, God took out a very big knife.  Quietly, He went to each elephant and chopped off their wings.  And He gave these beautiful wings to the little peacocks.  The little peacocks were so happy that they ran into the forest to sing and dance.

Have you seen the peacocks dance, the peacocks dance, the peacocks dance?

Have you seen the peacocks dance, all around the trees?

Yes, I’ve seen the peacocks dance, the peacocks dance, the peacocks dance,

Yes, I’ve seen the peacocks dance, all around the trees.

And now think of the elephants.  When the elephants finally awoke from their long sleep, they were shocked to see the beautiful peacock swishing his impressive feathers at them.  They were really, really angry.  But God had no time to listen to their complaints. Instead He said, ‘I want you elephants to become nicer, kinder.  I want you to use your strength and help the villagers to  re-build their houses.’ 

The elephants felt very ashamed of what they had done.  They resolved to help the villagers as much as they could.  So even today, in every village, there are elephants that come and go, helping people as they pass by. 

Hindi Story by Becky Walker, can be found on http://www.worldstories.org.uk/stories/story/131-when-elephants-did-fly/english