Readers’ Club Bulletin - nbtindia.gov.in · This Bulletin is meant for free distribution to...

Tkknwxj izksQsljMkW- gfjÑ".k nsoljs 2

The Merry Old Man... Hema Pandey 7

Captain Bamchik Ramendra Kumar 9

yksgs dh lsuk latho tk;loky 13

Hkwr dh 'ksj ls nksLrh glu teky 17

The Rattle Dash Benhur 20

rksrs dk cPpk :fp flag 21

The Most Beautiful... S. K. Bhatia 23

ehBk xkuk MkW- Jhizlkn 25

fcUVw dh le; ;k=k jkuh flag 28

Readers’ Club BulletinikBd eap cqysfVu

Vol. 18, No. 5, May 2013 o"kZ 18] vad 5] ebZ 2013

Printed and published by Mr. Satish Kumar,Joint Director (Production), National Book Trust,India, Nehru Bhawan 5, Institutional Area,Phase-II, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi-110070Printed at Pushpak Press Pvt. Ltd., 203-204,DSIDC Shed, Ph-I, Okhla Ind. Area, New Delhi.

Typeset at Nath Graphics, 1/21, SarvapriyaVihar, New Delhi.

Editorial Address / laikndh; irkNational Centre for Children’s Literature, National Book Trust, India, Nehru Bhawan 5, Institutional Area,Phase - II, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi-110070

jk"Vªh; cky lkfgR; dasnz] us”kuy cqd VªLV] bafM;k] usg: Hkou] 5 baLVhV~;w”kuy ,fj;k] Qsl&II] olar dqat] ubZ fnYyh&110 070

E-Mail (bZ&esy ) : [email protected] Copy / ,d izfr Rs. 5.00 Annual subscription / okf"kZd xzkgdh : Rs. 50.00Please send your subscription in favour of National Book Trust, India.dì;k Hkqxrku us'kuy cqd VªLV] bafM;k ds uke HkstsaA

This Bulletin is meant for free distribution to Readers’ Clubs associated with National Centre for Children’sLiterature.;g cqysfVu jk"Vªh; cky lkfgR; dasnzz ls tqM+s ikBd eapksa dks fu%”kqYd forfjr fd;k tkrk gSA

Contents/lwphHk;&fuHkZ; MkW- vferkHk 'kadj jk;pkS/kjh 2

The Burning of the Santha Rangachary 6Khandava Forest

The Big, Banyan Tree Prema Ramakrishnan 12

jkst dgkuh izdk'k euq 14

My Ideal Player Soham Sen Gupta 15

ikuh esa c-QZ vkSj mcky vkboj ;wf'k,y 16lkFk&lkFk

xqfM+;k dh pIiy jsuw pkSgku 17

esjh igyh fidfud xqyvQ'kk 18

Raju Avani Medhekar 20

Evils of Proudness Manas Ranjan Samal 21

Kulkulbaazi Mohan Lal Mago 23

tjk&lh Hkwy ljyk HkkfV;k 25

How the Tortoise got his Shell! Ratna Manucha 29

gjs vaMksa okys ,ew 'kSysUnz ljLorh 31

Editor/laikndManas Ranjan Mahapatraekul jatu egkik=

Assistant Editors/lgk;d laikndDeepak Kumar Guptanhid dqekj xqIrkSurekha Sachdevalqjs[kk lpnso

Production Officer /mRiknu vf/kdkjhNarender KumarujsUnz dqekj

Illustrator/fp=dkjSanjay Bhattlat; HkV~V

Readers’ Club Bulletin May 2013 / 1

As part of NBT’s continuous effort topromote reading habit and books in thetribal areas, a Festival of Reading washeld from 29 March to 1 April 2013 atDamanjodi (Koraput, Odisha) incollaboration with National AluminiumCompany (NALCO), M&R Division. ASeminar, a Women Poets’ Meet, aReading Session with eminent HindiPoet Shri Manglesh Dabral, a LiteraryConference and a 4-day exhibition ofbooks were held in this Festival.

The Festival was inaugurated byShri B.N. Mohanry, Executive Director,NALCO, M&R Division on 29 Marchevening. Lauding NBT’s effort for thepromotion of reading habit in remoteareas, Shri Mohanty hoped that suchendeavours will help in creating a bookreading society in the under-privilegedsector.

Dr. Chaganti Tulasi, eminent scholarin Telugu and Odia chaired over theseminar on the topic Amara AdivasiSanskruti 0 Ajira Sahitya. Shri PravakarSwain, Subash Chandra Mishra, Dr.Narayan Panda, Bijay Upathyay, RabiSatpathy, Deepanwita Das among otherstook part in the discussion.

The Women Poets’ Meet on 31March was chaired by Dr. PrativaSatpatty, eminent poet. Several notedwomen poets from the state including

Festival of Reading

Dr. Ranjita Nayak, Pravasini Mahakud,Sailabala Mahapatra, Paramita Satpathy,Sujata Choudhury, Deepanwita Das,Dr. Pritidhara Samal, Madhuri Pandaand Rajalaxami Sahu participated in themeet. This was followed by a LiteraryConference the same evening.The nextday, Mangalesh Dabral, eminent poet inHindi and Executive Editor, The PublicAgenda, Dr. Paramananda Rajabanshi,Vice- President, Asam Sahitya Sabha,Dr. Krutibas Nayak and SailabalaMahapatra, eminent authors interactedwith children. Over 20 children recitedtheir poems on the occasion.

Several senior functionaries fromNALCO, M&R Division includingShri Rabi Narayan Tripathy, GM,Hemant Kumar Pal, DGM and R.S. Das,DGM graced these events as chiefguests. Manas Ranjan Mahapatra, Editor,NBT, Chandiprasad Rao, Convener,Welfare Committee, NALCO andAmeya Vikramanandan Bhuyan, poet andactivist coordinated this Festival.

2 / ebZ 2013 ikBd eap cqysfVu

/kjkokfgd ^lkr leqanj*

Hk;&fuHkZ;MkW- vferkHk 'kadj jk;pkS/jh

vuarh us jlksbZ?kj ls vkokt nh&^^vjsxk;=h] lqu rks csVh!**

xk;=h i<+ jgh FkhA ogha ls mlus iwNk& ^^D;k gS ek¡\**

^^tjk dkWQh dh I;kyh] fxykl vcvk¡xu ls /kksds rks ykA**

^^vHkh vkbZ ek¡A**xk;=h cSBdj cjru lkQ dj jgh

FkhA vpkud mldk gkFk #d x;kA mldsxys ls ,d ph[k fudyh&^^vEek& nknh!**

^^vjs cgw] ns[kks rks fcfV;k dks D;kgqvk!** nknh us ekyk Qsjrs&Qsjrs gh vkoktnhA fQj Lo;a mBus dh dksf'k'k djusyxhA

vuarh Hkh pkSds ls ckgj fudy vkbZ &^^D;k gqvk\**

rHkh Bkdqjth ds dejs ls ukjk;.kuHkh fudy vk, FksA ckgj fudydj mUgksaustks n`'; ns[kk mlls og ,dckjxh LrC/kjg x,A le> esa ugha vk;k fd gk&gkdjds Å¡ph vkokt esa g¡l nsa ;k viuk ghflj ihV ysaA

xk;=h ds gkFk ls LVhy dh I;kyh fxjpqdh FkhA og vk¡[ksa QkM+dj ns[k jgh FkhAmlds nksuksa gkFk QSys gq, Fks & vkSj Bhdmlds lkeus cSBk ,d cM++k&lk es<d mls

fugkj jgk FkkA cM+h&cM+h vk¡[ksa] flj ijtM+h eksfr;ksa dh rjg ped jgh FkhaA xysds uhps ihyh peM+h Åij&uhps gks jghFkhA ^^VjZ&VjZ!** tSls iwN jgk gks & ^^gsyks]dSlh gks& cksyks \**

vuarh eq¡g ij vk¡py fn, f[kyf[kykdjg¡l iM+hA vk¡xu ds dsys ds isM+ ij ,dcksueku ;kuh jkefpjS;k cSBh b/kj&m/kjrkd jgh FkhA dgha fdlh vk¡xu esa eNyhfn[k tk, rks og QqjZ ls mM+dj >iVsAjkefpjS;k pkSaddj mM+ xbZA


ukjk;.ku vkxs c<+dj viuh dqeqeksyxk;=h dh ihB FkiFkikus yxsA ,dk,dmUgsa ;{kxku ds ukVd ds ik= nq;ksZ/ku dslaokn ;kn vk x, & ^vjs Mj! crk dgk¡gS rsjk ?kj\ ftUgksaus fn;k gfFk;kj Mky] rwjgrk muds fny ds vanj!*

xf.kr ds f'k{kd 'kf'k'ks[kj ukjk;.kudks yxk tSls 'kwU; ls xq.kk dj nks rks dksbZHkh la[;k flQZ 'kwU; gh gks tkrh gS] mlhrjg eu esa ,d ckj Mj lek tk, rksfdlh dk dksbZ Hkh xq.k /kjk&dk&/kjk jgtkrk gSA mudh iksrh dks thou esa vkxsc<+uk gS fd ughaA mUgksaus vuarh ls dgk]^^?kj ds vanj nqcddj jgrs&jgrs rks xk;=hvkSj Hkh Mjiksd cu tk,xhA dy ls eSabls Hkh vius lkFk iaik esa ys tkÅ¡xkA**

^ôgk¡ tkdj ;g D;k djsxh\** nknh usiwNkA

^^rSjuk lh[ksxhA**fdlh dks dqN dgus dk volj fn,

fcuk os okil eqM+ x, vius dejs dhvksjA

Hkksj gksrs gh mUgksaus xk;=h dks Hkhtxk;k] ^^py&py] eq¡g&gkFk /kks ys!**

'kq:&'kq: esa xk;=h esa Hkh dkQh mRlkgjgkA tYnh ls rS;kj gksdj vius nn~~nk dsikl vk [kM+h gks xbZA

^^vjs] ,d xeNk ugha fy;k\** ukjk;.kuus iwNkA ;g dgrs gq, mUgksaus Lo;a rkj ijyVds gq, diM+ksa esa ls mldk ÝkWd] xeNk

vkfn ysdj ,d >ksys esa Hkj fy;kA

u, o"kZ ds çkjaHk esa ̂ fo'kq* dk mRlo pkjksa

vksj euk;k tk pqdk gSA fr#ouariqje ds

in~~eukHkLokeh eafnj esa cM+h /kwe/kke ds lkFk^vjkr* vkSj ^mYlkou* ds mRloksa dk Hkh

lekiu gks pqdk gSA cl cknyksa dks tSls blh

volj dh ryk'k FkhA ebZ ds vkjaHk esa ghns[krs&ns[krs vjc lkxj ls mM+dj ;s dkyh

ifj;k¡ dsjy ds vkdk'k esa e¡Mjkus yxhaA dbZ

fnuksa ls tc&rc ckfj'k gks jgh FkhA blle; ikuh cjl ugha jgk FkkA f>yfeykrh

lM+d ij ;s nksuksa vkxs c<+ jgs FksA

^îk¡; ykxw ekLVjth!** Hkksj ds ehBs

çdk'k esa m/kj ls vkrs gq, vknfe;ksa ds

>aqM ls ,d us dgkA

ukjk;.ku us eqLdqjkdj gkFk mBk;kA

;s lHkh xk¡o ds ckgj jcj ds cxhps esa

dke djrs gSaA Hkkjr esa uCcs çfr'kr jcj

dk mRiknu rks dsjy esa gh gksrk gSA oSls]dsjy ^dsjk* vFkkZr~ ukfj;y dk vky;e

;kuh LFkku gSA ijarq jcj ds cxhps ls Hkh

dsjy dk çk;% dksbZ dksuk vNwrk ugha gSA

iaik ds fdukjs Hkh nks&,d vkneh fey

x,A NksVk&lk xk¡oA lHkh ,d&nwljs dkstkurs gSaA

Vhdk yxk, gfjine ds çfrf"Br fo}ku

ukEcqfnfjikn vk jgs FksA mUgksaus g¡ldjxk;=h ds flj ij gkFk Qsjk] ^^rks vkt


dqpqeksy Hkh vius vIiqiu ds lkFk Luku

djsxhA**

?kkV ds ikl tkdj ukjk;.ku us flQZ ,dckj dgk] ^̂ys xk;=h] rw Hkh diM+s mrkj ysA**

cl bruk dgdj mUgksaus rks ikuh esaNyk¡x yxkbZ] b/kj xk;=h lksp jgh Fkh &vkt jgus nsrs gSaA dy ns[kk tk,xkA

vkse ueks fooLors czg~e HkkLors fo".kqsrtlsA

txr~~lfo=s 'kqp;s lfo=s deZnkf;usA

bne~~ v/kZe~~ vkse Jh lw;kZ; ue%AA

eSa lw;Z dks ç.kke djrk gw¡ tks fo".kqHkxoku ds leku rstoku gSA leLr txrdks vius deksZa ds çfr çsfjr djrk gS---

Luku ds ckn ukjk;.ku lw;Z dks Lrou

Hkh dj pqds FksA xk;=h fdukjs cSBh Vqdqj&Vqdqj ns[k jgh Fkh] unh esa bDds&nqDds ukopys tk jgs FksA eYykg yXxh ls uko vkxsc<+k jgs FksA dksbZ iwtk dj jgk Fkk] rksdksbZ Mqcdh yxk jgk FkkA ?kkV ds Åijdcwrj xqVqj&xqVqj nkuk pqx jgs FksA

^^vjs xk;=h] b/kj vk!** mUgksaus mls iqdkjkA

^^nn~~nw] vkt ugha] dy---A** og fleVdj[kM+h jghA

^^dky djs lks vkt djA vkt djslks vc]** dgrs gq, ukjk;.ku unh ls ?kkVrd vk x, vkSj uUgh xk;=h dks xksnh esamBkdj mUgksaus ikuh esa Qsad fn;kA

gsMekLVj lkgc dks ekywe Fkk fd ygjksadk lkeuk fd, cxSj dksbZ vkxs c<+ ughaldrk] nwljksa dh m¡xyh idM+dj ftanxhth ugha tkrhA bl ckj mUgksaus Bku yh Fkhfd xk;=h dks rSjuk fl[kkuk gS] lks vkt^djks ;k ejks* okyh eqnzk esa os fu"iydns[krs jgsA

xk;=h Mwc jgh Fkh] iqu% ikuh dh lrgds Åij mldk flj >k¡d jgk Fkk] ogikuh ihus yxhA ,dk/k ckj mldk foo'kLoj lqukbZ fn;k]** nn~~nw] cpkvks] vksg!**

;g ?kkV] o`{k fdukjs ij vkrs&tkrsyksx] lkjh i`Foh&mldh vk¡[kksa ds lkeusvLi"V gksus yxhA varr% og gkFk&ik¡oekjus yxhA ns[krs&gh&ns[krs og iaik dsikuh esa rSjus Hkh yxhA


,d ckj fQj mldk flj ygjksa dsuhps vn`'; gks x;kA og tjk&lk MwcxbZA fQj rsth ls gkFk pykus yxhA brusesa mlus ikuh Hkh ih fy;k FkkA fQj ,dgkFk vkxs c<+ xbZ---

uko ij cSBk bV~~Vq dsV~~Vq eYykg fpYykusyxk] ^^vjs xq#th] iksrh dks l¡Hkkfy,---**

ukjk;.ku ,d dne vkxs c<+s] xk;=hdh m¡xfy;ksa ls mudk 'kjhj Nw x;k---^^vIiqiu] vksg!**

yiddj mUgksaus mls lhus ls yxkfy;kA xk;=h QQddj jks iM+h] ^^nn~~nw!**

^^/kr ixyh] jksrh gS\** mUgksaus mldsflj ij gkFk Qsjrs gq, dgk] ^^ns[kks\ rwpkgs rks lc dqN dj ldrh gSA**

?kj vkrs le; fuyeis: dh nqdku esaos #d x,A mUgksaus iwNk] ^^D;k [kk,xh\bMyh ;k Hkkth\**

Xkk;=h g¡l nhA

fQj D;k Fkk\ xk;=h jkst vius vIiqiuds lkFk iaik esa ugkus tkrh] vkt nlgkFk] dy chl gkFk + + + bl rjg /khjs&/khjsmldh rSjkdh dh nwjh c<+rh jghA ?kj vkrsle; nknk [kq'k gksdj dsys ds iÙks ijxjekxje bMyh f[kykrs] dkWQh fiykrsA

;gh Fkk mldk iqjLdkjA

Lusg dk iqjLdkjA¼Øe' k % ½

lh26@35&40,] jkedVksjk] okjk.klh&221001 ¼m-ç-½


One day when the battle of Kurukshetrawas over, and Yudhishthira had beeninstalled as King of Hastinapura,Krishna and Arjuna were sitting on thebanks of the Yamuna enjoying the coolevening breeze. Life had been peacefulsince the battle ended — too peacefulfor their liking. They enjoyed adventureand excitement.

As they sat gossiping about the newministers and statesmen at the court,they saw a tall man, who looked noblebut sick and troubled, coming towards

From NBT’s Treasure Trove

The Burning of the Khandava ForestSantha Rangachary

them. He walked as if each step was astrain. He came near and said piteously:“ Food, give me food. I am famished.”

Krishna and Arjuna, speaking withone voice, said: “We shall immediatelyarrange for you to be fed to your heart’scontent. Sit down and rest while weorder food.” People were very hospitablein those days.

But the stranger shook his head andsaid: “I do not want ordinary food. I wantcrunchy, mouth-filling food. Can’t yourecognize me? I am Agni.”


Krishna and Arjuna looked closerand saw that it was indeed the Fire Godwho had changed so much that they hadfailed to recognize him. They salutedhim respectfully and seating himcomfortably enquired about his welfare.

Had he been ill recently? Whatspecial food would he like? Even if itwas rare and difficult to obtain, it wouldbe brought and cooked as he wanted.

“There is no need to make anything,”said Agni weakly. “My special dinner hasalready been prepared.”

“Where is it ? What is it?”

“It is the Khandava forest.”

“You mean it is in the Khandavaforest.”

“No, it is the Khandava forest itself.”

“What?” asked Krishna withastonishment.

“You want to eat a forest?”

“Yes,” replied Agni. “I shall tell youwhy. Have you heard of King Swetaki?”

“Yes,” said Arjuna. “Isn’t he the Kingwho has acquired such fame and renownbecause of his religious ceremonies andsacrifices?”

“Yes,” agreed Agni gloomily. “Oneday Swetaki undoubtedly will go toheaven. But while he is still on earth,not a Brahmin in his kingdom will speakto him.”

“Why?” asked Arjuna.

“They have become almost blind inhis service”, explained Agni. “What elsewould you expect if you sat before asmoking fire and recited Vedic hymnsday after day, month after month? I wasnot responsible for the smoke. Afterevery kind of dry wood in the countryhad been exhausted, they tried to feedme with green branches. Hence thesmoke. It got into the eyes and throatsof those poor Brahmins. The result wasthat the King had to send for priestsfrom a neighboring kingdom to officiateat his last ceremony.”

“Do you mean that these religiousceremonies have been going on for along time?” asked Arjuna, avoidingKrishna’s eye in case they should bothburst out laughing.

“Years,” said Agni wearily. “Nosooner did King Swetaki end oneceremony than he began another. Heperformed the five great sacrificeswhich all Kshatriya kings are expectedto perform. Then he undertook anotherceremony to give gifts to a thousandBrahmins. This was followed by yetanother to please the gods so that thewomen and children in his kingdomwould be happy and healthy”.

“That does seem excessive even fora virtuous king”, said Krishna gravely.

“Look what it has done to me!” saidAgni sighing. “See my condition! You


could not even recognize me when Icame. For years I have been only fedghee which has been poured on me inbarrelfuls during these endlessceremonies. Just think what it must belike to eat nothing but ghee for so manyyears! Look at my complexion. Whereis the sheen, the glow, the radiance thatwas the envy even of women? I amfamished for healthy, nourishing food.I feel listless and weak.”

“Is that why you want to eat theKhandava forest?”

“Yes, that is one reason. TheKhandava forest has everything I crave:dry trees which will crackle in mymouth, green, juicy plants, shrubs andvines whose sap I can lick with one ofmy many tongues, animals whose fatwill taste like nectar to me.”

“You said this was one reason,”Arjuna said hastily. “Is there another?”

“Yes,” replied Agni, turning away histhoughts with an effort from the idea offood. “The Khandava forest has becomeone of the outposts of the empire ofIndra, the King of the gods of space. Ihave never understood why Indra, whowields so much power and has at hiscommand innumerable gods, shouldsuffer from a sense of insecurity. He isalways on the lookout for possiblerebels and usurpers, both on earth andin heaven. He sees enemies around everycorner.”

“So Indra has got friends andwatchdogs in the Khandava forest?”asked Krishna.

“Yes, and guess who is their leader?Takshaka.”

“What!” exclaimed Arjuna. “Doesthe King of serpents descend to the levelof a spy and an informer?”

“He himself does not,” said Agni. “I have no quarrel with him. We go ourseparate ways. But his army of snakesin the forest does not have as keen asense of justice as he has. Moreover,there is a strange collection of fiends,demons, devils, monsters and uncleanspirits. There are vampires, gnomes,dwarfs, giants and cannibals. There arecurious-looking birds, savage beasts andferocious brutes. People are afraid togo out after sunset because wildanimals carry away their young. Andthroughout the night, such weird noisesare heard from the depths of the forestthat even grown-up men and women lieawake trembling. Something has to bedone. The forest has to go.”

“Do you really think you canconsume this huge forest?” Arjuna askeddoubtfully.

“Yes,” said Agni licking his lips, “butI need help. I have tried to do it aloneseven times but never even got started.Indra himself protects the forest withthe help of the gods of the heavens. Indespair, I went to Brahma, and he said:


‘Go and ask Krishna and Arjuna to assistyou.’ Can you help me?”

Krishna waited for Arjuna to makethe decision. The Khandava forest waspart of his kingdom.

“We shall help you,” said Arjunaafter some thought, “but we needweapons. For instance, I want a heavierbow than the one I have and a largenumber of arrows. I would also need achariot to carry this load. And thechariot must be drawn by pure whitehorses which can run as fast as the windon wheels which, when they turn, willdisperse the clouds for miles around.Krishna will want some weapons too. Ifyou can supply us with these, we areready to help you reduce the Khandavaforest to a well- cooked meal.”

“Krishna will only need the chakra,”said Agni. “I shall give it to him myself.Arjuna., as for the weapons you want I’llask Varuna to supply them to you.”

Krishna got thechakra, a wheel with aserrated edge and a hole inthe centre in which his rightindex finger fitted. Hecould throw it in such away that it would cut off hisenemy’s head smoothlyand swiftly and return tohim like a boomerang.

Arjuna got Varuna’smarvelous bow along witha magic quiver of arrows.

When one arrow was taken out, anotherat once appeared in its place. He wasalso given a chariot built byVishwakarman, the architect who haddesigned the universe. It had whitesteeds with golden harnesses whichmoved across the sky like a flash oflightning. In addition, Varuna gave Arjunaa huge mace which, when flourished,sounded like thunder.

Arjuna put on his coat of mail,girded his sword, drew on gloves of softleather, strung his bow, examined thechariot for any possible defects andthen turned to Agni.

“We are ready,” he said. “Please goand surround the forest. Then Krishnaand I will take up our positions. I promiseyou will get your Khandava meal.”

As the God of Fire hissed his wayround the Khandava forest, Krishna andArjuna rose into space and stationedthemselves above the dense greenfoliage.


Hundreds of living creatures, largeand small, of all shapes, sizes andcolours, had already smelt the fire andwere looking for a means of escape.Some had huge heads and webbed feet,others were one-eyed and still othershad scaly wings and long claws. Someof them panicked and ran straight intothe fire. Burning like torches they rolledon the grass trying to put out the flamesbut tongues of fire spreading wider andwider in the forest caught them againand they died howling frightfully.

Large-winged strange birds roselike black clouds into the sky. Krishnaand Arjuna’s arrows dropped them intothe flames below where, in the twinklingof an eye, they were reduced to steamingmounds of flesh. Deep in the forestmany animals stood in terror watchingwith dilated eyes the flames creepinggreedily closer and closer. Snakes triedto wriggle through the grass and escapebut Agni, ever watchful, burnt the grassand they perished.

The streams and ponds within theforest began to boil because of theintense heat. Fish died in shoals andfloated on the water.

The smell of burning flesh pervadedthe forest. The people in the surroundingvillages left their homes and fled fromthe sight, sound and smell of burning.

The gods of space watched in awefor a while and then went in a body to

their King, Indra. Indra was furious.

“What!” he roared. “has the stupid,ghee-eating Agni dared to attack mystronghold in Khandava? Takshaka and Iwill teach him a lesson which he willnever forget.”

“If you remember, Sire,” said one ofthe gods, “Takshaka is not in Khandava.He has not yet returned fromKurukshetra. But even if he were there,it would be difficult to protectKhandava.”

“Why would it be difficult?”

“Because Agni is not alone. Krishnaand Arjuna are helping him. At thismoment their chariot is standing abovethe burning forest.”

This made Indra pause for amoment. Krishna and Arjuna werefamous warriors, and were known to beinvincible. But such was the arroganceof the King of the gods that he sworethat I will now take care of two birdswith one stone — save the forest and atthe same time defeat Krishna andArjuna—and become the greatestwarrior of the universe.

Having come to this decision, Indraset to work. He made his gods coverKhandava with miles of thick cloudsoverhead which would, at his bidding,pour rain over the forest.

As the clouds gathered above,Krishna and Arjuna fired innumerable


arrows just above the forest but belowthe clouds. These arrows, lyinghorizontally side by side, covered theforest like a canopy below the cloudlevel. They were so closely packed thatwhen it began to rain, the water couldnot seep through, but slid off theumbrella of arrows and collected at theedge of the forest. Soon it was as largeas a river. The fleeing forest creatureswere caught between the fire and thewater and perished in the one or theother.

Indra then brought his gods — Yamathe God of Death, Kubera the God ofWealth, Vayu the Wind God and manyothers—into the fight and led themhimself on his white elephant. ButKrishna and Arjuna put them all to flight.Even Indra was routed. But he did notleave the field of battle and save himself.He had to keep his promise at any cost.He had to save Takshaka’s wife and son.It was a pledge he had made to Takshakawhen he had sought the serpent-King’shelp in managing the strange birds,beasts and reptiles with which he hadfilled the Khandava forest.

When Takshaka’s wife saw Indra’smagnificent mount over the forest, shecame whizzing through the flames, herlovely skin singed by the heat. Arjunasaw the splendid female snake rise intothe sky, and got ready to shoot her down.But Krishna stopped him. “O wife ofTakshaka,” he called out, “where is your

son? I cannot see him. Are you leaving himin the forest to perish while you escape?”

“My son is in my belly,” repliedTakshaka’s wife.

“I swallowed him to protect himfrom the flames. You will have to killme before you can get at him.”

On hearing this, Arjuna dropped hisbow. The Khandava forest burned forfifteen days. Agni, summing largequantities of flesh, blood and fat withhis many flaming tongues, was at lastsatisfied. And when exhausted and sated,he stopped, the once large, thickly-populated forest stretching for miles inall directions was but an unending desertof grey and black ashes.

(From the NBT publication Tales for All Times)


The Big, Banyan TreePrema Ramakrishnan

There was a big banyan tree. It stood ina clearing in the forest. Among itsbranches lived many birds. Along itstrunk, in holes, lived squirrels.Travellers who passed by the forest alsocame to take shelter under its shade inthe hot summer months.

Gopal, the cowherd also came to restunder its leafy boughs when he broughtthe cows to graze every morning. Heloved the big, banyan tree, for it was herehe ate his little lunch and lay down andkept watch as the flock grazed happilyall along the grassy patches that grewalongside.

One evening before he was about togather his cows and get home he saw twomen arriving on the scene. He knewthem to be woodcutters for he had seenthem in the village. So he hid behind abush to see what they were up to.

One of them said, “What a big tree!If we cut it, we can sell some of the

wood and the rest can be used asfirewood to last us through this winter”.

The other man said, “Let us comebefore daybreak and begin the work ofcutting. We don’t want people to knowthat we have come here to chop them.We can cut a couple of branches at atime and not raise any suspicion.”

Gopal was very upset when he heardthis. The birds and the squirrels sensingdanger began to weep and wail “Whereshall we find such a nice shady tree withso many branches? We have lived herefor so long. Our houses will bedestroyed and little ones will die!”

Gopal understood their plight atonce. He knew he had to help his birdand squirrel friends. He had to find a wayto save the tree.

After the woodcutters went awayGopal also went home. He was very sadand wondered how he could help hisfriends.

That evening when he was eating hismeal, he heard his father telling hismother.

“Do you know? Poor Kalu’s dog wasbitten by a cobra last night and it died”.

His mother said, “We told them longago not to build their house in that place.It is visited by an old cobra that is


supposed to live under that big banyantree near the hillside. But they chose notto listen.

“Don’t you remember whathappened when some years agosomebody tried to cut down that big,banyan tree in the forest? One of themen got bitten by that very cobra. Yetthey did not believe it. Nobody likes tobelieve such things even when tragedybefalls them. They call us superstitiousif we tell them these tales.”

Gopal was very excited. “Does acobra really live there?” he asked.“Infact, some woodcutters were lookingat that tree under which I sit every daywhen our cows are graze in the forest.So many birds and squirrels live on thattree. They are planning to cut it.”

Gopal’s mother said, “You shouldnot sit under the tree! Find anotherplace!” Before Gopal could reply, toGopal’s great delight, his father said,“We should not allow that tree to be cut.I will speak to the village head man inthe morning.”

Anyway, before his father could goto the village head man, Gopal decidedto act. He woke up, as usual, at break ofday and set off to the hillside with hiscows.

He sat under the tree and waited forthe woodcutters to arrive. They camewith nicely sharpened axes to cut downthe tree. Gopal said to them, “Please

don’t cut this banyan tree!”

The men were very angry. They wererude and said, “Look boy, out of our way.We have to cut this tree before anybodycomes here. So keep out. And don’t tryto stop us or we shall show you howstrong we are!” And one of them cameto give the boy a big push.

Gopal said, “Don’t cut the tree, I warnyou. They say that an old cobra has beenliving under this tree for many years. Ifyou cut down the tree, it will surely biteyou!”

They ignored his warning and beganthe job of cutting. One of them hadalready climbed up the tree and wasabout to lop off a branch. Another wasmid way through the climbing. Gopaltried in vain to stop them but would theylisten? They did not believe the oldsuperstitious village people. Just thenGopal heard some voices. Yes, thevillage head man was coming with hismen. The woodcutters were veryfrightened and clambered down the treeat once!

The head man said to them, “If I seeyou cutting any tree again here, I willreport and take you both to the forestofficer and drive you out of the village!This time I am letting you go.”

That day little Gopal became thehero of the village. He had saved hisbeautiful banyan tree for himself and allhis beautiful friends.


,d dgkuh ifj;ksa okyh

,d dgkuh ftlesa gkFkh]

,d dgkuh ftlesa uV[kV

tksdj curk lcdk lkFkhA

,d dgkuh fnu Hkj yM~Mw

ftlesa [kk;k djrk 'ksj]

,d dgkuh ftlesa ckny

ls cjls Fks vkgk] csjA

,d dgkuh fxYyw okyh

iguk ftlus pk¡nh NYyk]

,d dgkuh ftlesa fpfM+;k

[ksy jgh Fkh ysdj cYykA

jkst dgkuhizdk'k euq

,d dgkuh ftlesa eksVk

fcYyk jkLrk Hkwy x;k]

,d dgkuh ftlesa pwgk

[kk&[kk djds Qwy x;kA

,d dgkuh ftlesa phaVh

us gkFkh dh fiV~~Vh dh]

,d dgkuh ftlesa [kq'kcw

us taxy esa NqV~~Vh dhA

<sj dgkuh eq>dks lquuh

dgks] lqukvksxh uk ukuh]

ij gj fdLls esa dqDdw gks

dqDdw dh gks ubZ dgkuhA545] lsDVj&29]

Qjhnkckn&121008 ¼gfj;k.kk½

bl ij g¡ldj cksyh ukuh

dqDdw ;g rks gS euekuh

vk lax cSBsa] jkst cuk,¡

rHkh cusxh ubZ dgkuhA

ukuh&dqDdw] dqDdw&ukuh

nksuksa cqurs jkst dgkuh

gj fdLls esa dqDdw gksrk

gj fdLls esa gksrh ukuhA


I have an ideal playerI hope, you want to know

My ideal player is heWho keeps on playing his game

My ideal player is heWho never misses a chance

My ideal player is heWho always scores his goal

My ideal player is heWho has a strong sportsman spirit

My ideal player is heWho never says, “I quit”

Above all, he has to be a good manAnd a real man in reality

My Ideal PlayerSoham Sen Gupta

My Page

Madhubanti (Near Ashok)34, Mohiary, 3rd Bye Lane

GIP Colony, JagachaHowrah -711112 (West Bengal)


rek'ks ds fy, t+:jh lkeku%

,d gkMZ Xykl VsLV&V~;wc] eksecÙkho ekfpl] cQZ] laM+lh rFkk dqN uV ;kok'kjA

rek'ks dh rS;kjh%

VsLV&V~;wc dks ikuh ls vk/kk Hkjdj]blesa cQZ ds nks&rhu VqdM+s MkyksA ;sikuh dh lrg ij rSjus yxsaxsA

cQZ ds VqdM+s lrg ij rSjus dh txgisanh ls fpids cSBs jgs a blds fy,VsLV&V~;wc esa buds Åij ls ok'kj ;kuV Mky nksA

vc ns[kks rek'kk%

rqels ;fn dksbZ dgs fd bl VsLV&V~;wcdk ikuh mcyus yxsxk vkSj cQZ blesafQj Hkh ekStwn jgsxh rks rqe bl ckr dks'kk;n ugha ekuksxsA rqEgkjk dguk ;ghgksxk u fd lkjh cQZ ds fi?ky tkus ijgh ikuh mcysxk\ ijarq vkt Lo;a ns[kyks fd lp D;k gSA

VsLV&V~;wc dks laM+lh ls eksecÙkhdh ykS ds Åij FkksM+k >qdkdj bl rjgidM+ks rkfd ykS VsLV&V~;wc esa Hkjs ikuhdh lrg ds ikl jgs] u fd bldh isanhds iklA

ikuh esa ciQZ vkSj mcky lkFk&lkFkvkboj ;wf'k,y

bl fLFkfr esa tYnh gh lrg ds iklikuh mcyrk ut+j vkus yxsxk] tcfdisanh esa iM+h c-QZ viuh mlh j-¶rkj ls/khjs&/khjs fi?kysxh ftlls ;g ikuh dksfcuk xeZ fd, fi?kyrhA gk¡] ykS dks isanhds ikl j[kk tk, rc rks cQZ ds fi?kytkus ij gh ikuh mcyrk gS] ;g ckrBhd gSA ij ,slk gksrk D;ksa gS] bldkdkj.k le> esa vk;k rqEgkjs\

[kqn djds ns[kks


vkblØhe [kkdj ydM+h ds pEep vkiQsad nsrs gSa uk\ tkurs gSa] buls vkidhxqfM+;k ds fy, lqanj&lh pIiysa culdrh gSa\ vkb, tkusa] dSls\

lkexzh

� pIiysa cukus ds fy, vko';dlkexzh % vkblØhe [kku s okysydM+h ds pEep] ilan ds jax omlh jax dk ekseh jax] fpidkusokyk inkFkZA

fof/

� lcls igys vkblØhe dspEep dks ,d vksj ls jaxysaA vc pEep ds pkSM+hokyh rjQ Åij dh rjQmBh gksuh pkfg,A ysl dhÅ¡pkbZ pEep ls bruhÅ¡ph gks fd iSj ?kqlkusdh txg gksA blh rjgpEep dh iryh okyhrjQ Hkh ysl yxk ldrsgSa] tks fd pIiy dk fiNyk fgLlkgksxkA

xqfM+;k dh pIiyjsuw pkSgku

� è;ku j[ks a] fpidus okyk inkFkZpIiy dh myVh vksj yxk,¡A

� vxj vkids ikl iryh ysl gksrks vki pIiy ij ysl dks ØkWldh rjg Hkh fpidk ldrs gSaA

� yhft,] vkidh xqfM+;k dh pIiyrS;kjA igukb, xqfM+;k dks vkSj ystkb, mls vius lkFk ?kqekusA cl]blh çdkj viuh ilan ds jax ofMtkbu dh pIiysa cukrs tk,¡A

ch&ch@6ch] tudiqjhubZ fnYyh&110058

[kqn djds ns[kks


esjh igyh fidfudxqyviQ'kk

esjk iUuk

vkt ge Ldwy dh vksj ls fidfud dsfy, tk jgs gSaA vkt eSa cgqr [kq'k gw¡D;ksafd iwjs ,d lky esa vkt gesa Ldwydh vksj ls vius nksLrksa ds lkFk ?kweusdk ekSdk feyk gSA eSaus vkt ls ,d fnuigys fidfud ij tkus ds fy, cgqr&lhrS;kfj;k¡ dh FkhaA eSaus vius cSx esa cgqr&lh[kkus dh phtsa j[khaaA T;knk ugha] ij ogesjs fy, dkQh FkhA mlds ckn tc ikikjkr dks ?kj ij vk, rks eSaus muls dqNiSls ek¡x fy;s] rkfd eq>s ogk¡ ij dqN[kjhnuk gks rks eSa oks [kjhn yw¡A

jkr Hkj eSa fidfud ds ckjs esa lksprhjghA tc lqcg gqbZ rks eSa tYnh&tYnhrS;kj gksdj Ldwy ds fy, fudyhA tc eSaLdwy esa igq¡ph rks esjs lHkh fe= ckrsa djjgs FksA ge ,d&nwljs ls iwN jgs Fks fddkSu D;k lkeku yk;k gSA mlds ckn clvkbZ vkSj ge lc nkSM+&nkSM+dj cl esap<+us yxsA tc eSa cl esa cSBh rks esjh [kq'khdk fBdkuk u jgk vkSj fQj ge fidfudds fy, jokuk gq,A fç;adk esjs lkFk cSBhgSA mlus eq>s migkj fn;kA tc eSaus mllsiwNk fd ;g fdlfy, gS rks mlus eq>s;kn fnyk;k fd nks fnu igys esjk tUefnu

FkkA mlds ckn eq>s irk pyk fd eerkvius lkFk pk; ykbZ gSA tc og ,d&nwljsdks pk; nsus yxh rks cl ds pyus dsdkj.k og fgy&fgydj fxjus yxh vkSjuxek dh Ldwy Mªsl Hkh [kjkc gks xbZAfQj geus fpIl [kk, vkSj xkuk xkrs gq,lQj dk etk fy;kA

f[kM+dh ds ckgj ns[kk rks utkjk cgqrlqgkouk FkkA ekSle ml fnu cgqr ghvPNk FkkA esjs eu esa ls ,d vkokt vkjgh Fkh fd ;g bruk vPNk fnu cgqr ghtYnh [kRe gks tk,xkA eSa FkksM+k mnkl gksxbZ] fQj eSaus lkspk fd tks vk;k gS og rkstk,xk gh vkSj bu lcdh fpark NksM+djeq>s bl le; etk djuk pkfg,A

lcls igys ge bLdkWu eafnj esa tkusds fy, jokuk gq, Fks vkSj vc ge ogk¡igq¡p x, gSaA ckgj ls ns[kus esa ,slk yxkfd vanj vkSj Hkh cgqr&lh lqanj phtsagksaxh] ijarq vanj tkus ij ik;k fd ;g rks,d lk/kkj.k&lk eafnj gSA ijarq ckn esairk pyk fd vanj ,d lqjax gSA ;glqudj eSa cgqr mRlkfgr gqbZA vanj tkusij eSaus cgqr&lh phtsa ns[khaA eSaus mlesa,d ewfrZ ns[kh ftldh 'kDy 'kkyw ls fey


jgh FkhA mlds ckn tc geus iwjseafnj dh lSj dj yh rks ge [kkuk[kkus ds fy, ,d lkFk cSBsA geus[kkuk [kkus ds ckn pkWdysV [kkbZAmlds ckn esjk eu fd;k fd eq>sgjh&gjh ?kkl ij nkSM+uk pkfg,Atc eSa nkSM+us yxh rks ns[kk fd Qwyksadh lqanj&lqanj D;kfj;k¡ gSaA oSls]Qwyksa dks rksM+uk ugha pkfg, ijarqfQj Hkh eSaus ogk¡ ls nks&rhu QwyrksM+dj viuh uksVcqd esa j[k fy,vk Sj vc ge cl ij cSBdjdqrqcehukj ds fy, jokuk gq,A tcge dqrqcehukj igq¡ps rks ogk¡ ijcgqr&lh bekjrsa Fkha] ijarq lHkh VwVhgqb±A vdsyh ,d dqrqcehukj fcydqyBhd FkhA ml ij vjch Hkk"kk esacgqr dqN fy[kk FkkA mlds ckneSaus nwljh bekjrksa ij dh gqbZ uDdk'khdks Nwuk 'kq: fd;kA

eq>s mls Nwus esa cgqr gh etkvk jgk FkkA eSaus ,d&,d djdslkjh bekjrksa dks NqvkA ij ,d xkbM useq>s le>k;k fd iqjkrkfRod egRo dh,slh bekjrksa vkSj [kaMgjksa dks gesa ugha Nwukpkfg,A eq>s viuh Hkwy dk vglkl gqvkA

ogk¡ ij cgqr&ls fons'kh yksx Hkh FksAeSaus muls ckr Hkh dh vkSj fQj geus tciwjk dqrqcehukj ns[k fy;k rks fQj ?kj dsfy, jokuk gq,A tkrs le; gesa cgqr&ls

v¡xzst ^ck;* djus yxs vkSj vc ge fQj,d&nwljs ls ckrs a djus yxsA ckrs adjrs&djrs gesa irk gh ugha pyk fd gedc Ldwy igq¡p x,A ogk¡ ls ge vius&vius?kj pys x,A ?kj igq¡pus ij eSa cgqr Fkdpqdh FkhA ijarq esjs gkFkksa esa fcydqy nnZugha Fkk vkSj eSa ;g ys[k fy[kus yxhA


Lazy Raju spent his days sleeping andeating. His mother wanted him to beintelligent, smart and strong. He was toolazy that his parents had to take afternoonbatch for his schooling. He had a badhabit, whenever he ate something hewent to sleep in no time. He lovedcustard very much.

One day his friends Rajesh andRamesh, the two brothers, went to hishouse to give some fruit custard. Rajusmelled it, went to them, snatched thecustard and ate it up.

Ramesh and Rajesh felt very bad asthey had bought it for Raju and hisfamily as well. They decided to teachRaju a lesson. His mother also felt thatthere was a need to teach Raju a lesson.

Next morning, they went for apicnic. Raju was very excited to hearthis and thought, “I wonder where are wegoing?”. Soon they were ready for thepicnic. They reached Krish Garden.

RajuAvani Medhekar

Raju did not know that his uncle was thefriend of the owner of the Krish Garden.

After having their breakfast, Rajufell asleep. The owner of the gardenshouted at Raju. He said, “You boy, youhave made the place untidy. You will bepunished for this. Clean this place now!”

Raju was disappointed. Since Rajudid not know that this was a plan to teachhim a lesson, he started cleaning thegarden. When he finished the work, hismother called him for the lunch. Afterhaving lunch, he remembered thepunishment which was given to him afterthe breakfast. But he slept thinking thatthe man who scolded him was not there.

After some time he heard a noise,“You boy, you always make the placeuntidy, just now in front of me, clean itup again”. He thought, “Why is this manscolding me?” And started cleaning theplace.

After tidying up the place, he thought,“When I go to some mall or hotel, they donot scold me like this man, I must go andask my mom the reason for this?” Hismother told him that it was a lesson forhim. He understood that it was a bad habitand never followed it again in his life.

Shri Arvind Chetra KendraPune-38 (Maharashtra)

My Page


There was a village, a smallvillage. Neither it had a concreteroad nor it was clean.

A barren stony road passedthrough bushy and dense forest.

Besides the small villagehaving five to ten thatched houses,situated a barren hill covered withvarious types of trees like teak,sal, mango and many other trees.Flower plants with green leaveswere stretched where animals andbirds like elephant, deer, tiger andpeacock had taken shelter.

A heavy shower of rain from theblack cloud above the sky drenched thebarren hill and a stream of water floweddown the village. Passing throughbushes, surrounding villages and severalbridges, the stream finally turned into ariver. The stretched water dazzled as therays of sun reflected on it.

The heavy shower from time and timeagain had formed a big river, starting fromthe barren hill. Now fishes startedswimming, many plants grew along theriver side. The river looked attractive inthe moonlit night. Beasts and birdsdepended on the river for water. Peoplestarted farming and cultivation due tosurplus water of the river.

Evils of ProudnessManas Ranjan Samal

When it stretched a long way, manyroads, buildings and bridges wereconstructed for a new township.Several civilizations like Indus valleycivilization, Mesopotamia in Babylonand other human civilizations grew upon its banks and the banks of itsstretched offsprings. Many hermitagesand Ashrams were also established.

The importance of the riverincreased gradually. Balmiki wrote theRamayana near river Tamasa . Sita madeit sacred by taking birth, Shri RamChandra took exile for fourteen yearson the banks of river Godavari.Merchants sailed on oceans for businesspurpose and accumulated wealth andgold.

Now the river took pride of such


developments due to its existence.Overcoming innumerableobstacles on the way, it advancedtowards the sea.

Again when it rained in therainy season, flood water made itover loaded and proud. Thisproudness crushed over manyvillages, corn fields resulting indeath of large number of men andanimals. Proceeding towards thesea, it took pride in destruction ofmany lives and creations whom itonce nourished on its banks. It feltthe pride of sharing happiness aswell as sorrow at its own accord.

At last reaching its destinationmerging into the sea, the riveraccused the sea to be salty despiteadding its sweet water. So came thehesitation to provide sweet water to seaas an alm but in response sea said thathe had no loss or profit regarding anymixing or detachment of water. It wasfor the welfare of the community as awhole. Sea keeps its heart open for theSun God to soak the water high abovesky in the form of vapours of smokes.

But all these spiritual advices, riverdid not like to listen from the sea andreturned without merging in the sea.Now the sea got annoyed and didn’tallow its water to form vapours as aresult of which no rain or monsoonscould be created and there was no

rainfall on the hilltop, so rivers dried upand turned into landscapes. Accumulatedwater became dirty and no one used it,everybody got disgusted with the river.

At last river could realize itsmistake of its proudness and apologisedbefore the sea and cried a lot. Seaforgave the river and allowed vapours tobe formed as before and continuousprocess went on. Sacrificing oneself isthe real service to mankind and it is thereal emancipation for which riversdecided to merge into the sea.

144-Govt. Ind. TenementCharbatia-754028

Dist. Cuttack (Odisha)


It is really good at winning competitions,making thousands of humans flock tokabootarbaazi events—the amazingscience of training them to do so.

At Kuberpur (Agra), the Khalifas orpigeon-fanciers show off their skills.The trick for someone to win thecompetition is that if he starts off with100 pigeons and ends up with 150 —

KulkulbaaziMohan Lal Mago

the 50 pigeons are weaned off fromvarious competitions.

Kabbootarbaazi, also known asKulkulbaazi, is an annual festivalthat many say is attracting more andmore youngsters each passing year.They are being pulled to such eventsfor the love of one of India’s oldestsports.


The competition was revived in2004 and draws some of the bestpigeon-fanciers. The venue is changedevery day so that the birds do not havethe advantage of recognizing the loftson which they were raised.

The festival of sorts goes on for aweek. Pigeons are literally raised likekids and fed on a rich diet of dry fruits,desi ghee, millet and corn. A typicalkhalifa spends hours every day to trainhis birds.

P-65, Pandav NagarMayur Vihar, Phase-I

Delhi-110091

✶

✶ ✶

✶ ✶

✶

✶


tjk&lh Hkwyljyk HkkfV;k

^^vkt rks 'kqØokj dk cktkj gS u nknh& eSa Hkh vkids lkFk lCth vkSj Qy[kjhnus pyw¡xhA** ehrk g¡ldj cksyhA

^^t:j pyuk] vPNk] lCth mBkus esaesjh enn gks tk,xhA og dkWVu dkjaxhu FkSyk vius lkFk ys pyuk] mlh esaHkjdj Qy&lCth yk,¡xsA**

^^nknh] vc rks gekjs Ldwy esa Hkh dbZtxg fy[kk x;k gS] ikWyhFkhu dks udgksA ;g chekjh dk ?kj gSA lc txgxanxh QSykrk gS vkSj ikuh esa xyrk HkhughaA**

^^Bhd fd;k gS] ij yksx le>sa rcu! LoLFk jgus ds fy, lQkbZ cgqr t:jhgSA lQkbZ esa ekewyh&lh pwd ds dkj.kchekjh dk [krjk c<+tkrk gSA** brus esavkuan Hkh vk x;k vkSjcksyk] ^^nknh] 'kqØokjdk cktkj rks yx x;k(pyks] eSa Hkh vkids lkFkpyw¡xkA lkbfdy ijvkid s F k Sy s mBkykÅ¡xkA**

^̂ okg! vkt rks lHkhesjh enn djus dks rS;kj

gSaA eSa rS;kj gksdj vkrh gw¡A**

Ckkt+kj dh 'kksHkk ns[krs gh curh FkhAlCth okyksa dh jsfM+;k¡ ,d rjQ vkSj diM+ksavkfn dh nqdkusa nwljh rjQA ,d nqdkunkjus rks 'kkfe;kuk Hkh yxk j[kk FkkA

^^nknh] esjs fy, ,d uSifdu [kjhnnks] Ldwy esa jkst ,d pkfg,A**

nke iwNus ij nknh cksyh] ̂ ^rhl #i,ds Ng uSifdal rks lLrs gh gSaA HkbZ] uhysjax ds uSifdal iSd dj nsukA**

^^Qy vkSj lCth dh ekdsZV pyksAvc ogk¡ pyrs gSaA** nknh us vkxs dgkA

^^HkbZ] iihrk dSls gSa\ D;k nke gSa\**

^êk¡ th] 20 #i, fdyks gSa fMLdksiihrkA cM+k mEnk gSA vki rks ;gk¡ gj


'kqØokj dks vkrh gSaA eSa rkSydj iSd djnsrk gw¡A**

^^NksVs&NksVs nks iihrs nsuk] ogh BhdjgsxkA** xktj] ewyh] f'keyk fepZ] eVj]ikyd vkSj eSFkh [kjhn ysus ds ckn FkSykdkQh Hkkjh gks x;k rks vkuan us ,dnwljk FkSyk fudky fy;kA

^̂nknh] ckdh ds Qy blesa Mky nks & ?kjrks ikl gh gSA eSa ogk¡ tkdj j[k vkrk gw¡A**

nl o"kZ dk vkuan [kwc gksf'k;kj gSAifjJe djus esa mls [kwc etk vkrk gSAlkbfdy ij ?kweuk vPNk yxrk gSA

?kj igq¡pdj nknh cksyh] ^êhrk csVh]bl FkSys dks vHkh ckgj gh jgus nsukAdHkh Hkh cktkj ls lh/ks lCth ykdjfÝt esa ugha j[kuh pkfg,A**

^^D;ksa nknh\**^^fcuk /kqyh lCth esa dbZ çdkj ds

cSDVhfj;k ;kuh dhVk.kq fpids gksrs gSa]tks gok esa ?kqydj iwjs fÝt ds okrkoj.kdks çnwf"kr djrs gSaA fQj] bu lfCt;ksals Nq, x, gkFk fdlh vU; [kk| lkexzhls Nw tkus dk Mj Hkh jgrk gS] ftlls^Md oeZ* tSls dhM+s ds vaMs isV esa pystkrs gSa vkSj ,uhfe;k dh vk'kadk gkstkrh gSA blfy, uhrk] lCth vkSj Qydks LVhy okys flad esa Mkydj /kks yksA/kksus ls ,d vkSj ykHk gS fd mu ij yxsjklk;fud nok dk vlj Hkh dqN gn

rd [kRe gks tkrk gSA**^^nknh] eSa rks xktj dk twl fiÅ¡xk&

rc rks nhnh xktjksa dks [kwc vPNh rjgls /kksdj Nhy yks] fQj twl fudkyukA**

^^nknh] lkQ&lQkbZ ds ckjs esa dqNvkSj Hkh crkvks u\ fuca/k fy[kus esa vkidhtkudkjh dke vk,xh!**

^^csVh] vdlj efgyk,¡ [kkuk cukrsle; chp esa vU; NksVs&NksVs dke tSlsVsyhQksu lquuk] njoktk [kksyuk ;k NksVscPps dks lkQ djuk vkfn djrh gSaA ijgkFkksa dks /kksuk Hkwy tkrh gSaA txg&txgdh xanxh muds gkFkksa esa fpid tkrh gStks Hkkstu ds lkFk isV esa pys tkus dsdkj.k chekjh dh otg cu tkrh gSAjlksbZ?kj esa gkFk iksaNus vkfn ds fy,]xSl lkQ djus ds fy,] cjru iksaNus dsfy, rFkk fdfpu dk IysVQkWeZ lkQ djusdk iksaNk Hkh vyx gksuk pkfg,] D;ksafdQ'kZ ij twrs&pIiyksa dh xanxh diM+s lsfpiddj ;fn [kkus&ihus okyh phtksa dsj[kus okyh txg ;k crZuksa ij yx tk,rks og LokLF; ds fy, gkfudkjd fl)gksxhA**

^îj nknh] bu diM+ksa dks gj jkstlkcqu ls vPNh rjg ls /kksdj rst /kwi esaHkh rks Mkyuk pkfg,A ,slk gekjh Ldwy dheSMe us crk;k FkkA diM+ksa vkSj uSifduksa dhlQkbZ] xeZ bLrjh djds dh tk ldrh gSA**


^^lgh crk;k eSMe usA vkSj gk¡] ckbZls dguk] crZu /kksus ds ckn flad dhlkQ&lQkbZ vPNh çdkj ls djsA mldsdksuksa esa vdlj dwM+k&djdV Q¡l tkrkgS] tks ckn esa crZuksa ls fey tkrk gSAflad ds dksus rFkk ukfy;ksa ds vkl&ikldh lQkbZ esa >haxqj] dkWdjksp o vU;NksVs&eksVs dhM+ksa&edksM+ksa ls cpko gksldrk gSA ojuk ;s dhM+s rks chekjh dk?kj gSa ehrkA** nknh us dgkA

^^vktdy ikuh Hkh rks cgqr xank gksx;k gS] nknhA T;knkrj chekfj;k¡ ikuhls gh gksrh gSa&VkbQkbM vkSj ihfy;kjksx rks blh dh nsu gSA ;s lHkh tytfurchekfj;k¡ gSa] gS uk nknh\**

^^fcfV;k] rw rks nloha Dykl esa igq¡pxbZ gSA rq>s rks lc dqN fl[kk;k tkrk

gSA ftl ikuh esa ge Hkkstu idkrs gSa oglkQ gksuk pkfg, vkSj ihus dk ikuh rkslnk mckydj gh ihuk pkfg,A oSls]ikuh 'kq) djus okys vusd midj.k dkç;ksx Hkh fd;k tk jgk gS] ij mckykgqvk ikuh lcls vPNk gSA**

^^vc rks ge Hkkstu rS;kj djds fÝtesa j[krs gSa] ysfdu dksbZ Hkh O;atu cgqrT;knk le; rd ugha j[kuk pkfg,AvkSj Hkkstu dks <ddj fÝt esa j[kukpkfg,A B.Ms okrkoj.k esa gkfudkjddhVk.kqvksa dh o`f) cgqr de gks tkrhgSA**

^^nknh] [kkus&ihus ds lkeku dksv[kckj ds dkxt esa yisVuk Hkh xyrgSA D;ksafd bldh L;kgh Hkkstu esa yxdjisV esa pyh tkrh gSA blls fnekx ij


cqjk vlj iM+rk gS vkSj dSalj gksus dk

Hkh [krjk jgrk gSA eSMe us crk;k Fkk

fd [kkuk j[kus ds fy, uSifdu] lQsn

dkxt ;k diM+s dk ç;ksx djuk pkfg,A

^^nknh] vkt eSa viuk ckFk:e Hkh

Lo;a lkQ d:¡xhA eEeh&ikik [kq'k gks

tk,¡xsA igys ckYVh vkSj ex lkQ d:¡xh

vkSj fQj Vkbysa vkSj flad vkfnA vkuan]

rw esjk gkFk c¡Vk,xk uk\**

^^nhnh] eq>s rks dke djus esa [kwc

etk vkrk gS] ij eq>ls ikuh dh Hkjh

ckYVh rks mBkbZ ugha tkrhA**

^êSa rsjh enn d:¡xhA tk] igys

ikS/kksa esa ikbi ls ikuh Mky nsA rc rd

eSa rsjs fy, twlj ls xktj dk twl

fudkyrh gw¡A nknh] vki Hkh fivksxh uk!**

^^t:j fiÅ¡xh fcfV;k! yk] eSa xktjksa

dks Nhy nw¡A vc rks fctyh Hkh vk xbZ

gSA feytqydj dke djus esa fdruk

etk gS!** nknh dh ckrksa dks lqudj vkuan

viuh dfork jVus yxk%dke ds le; dke[ksy ds le; [ksythou esa [kq'kh ds fy,viukvks ;s esyAvk/kh&v/kwjh dksf'k'k lsvxj fd;k dkethou dh j.kHkwfe esa

gks tkvksxs ukdkeA

mldk ;g xkuk lqudj lc g¡liM+sA

lh&13] Lokeh uxj ¼lkmFk½ubZ fnYyh&110017


The tortoise was a slow and lazy creature— and because he was slow, he was alsovery forgetful.

One moment he would be searchingfor some nice, juicy leaves to nibble on,but before he could reach the leaves, hehad forgotten where he was going! Yousee, he had spotted some butterfliesflitting about and had started playing withthem. He had completely forgottenabout his hungry stomach!

“Ooh! I’m having so much fun!” thetortoise cried gleefully as he playedhide-and-seek with the butterflies. “Butwhy is my stomach rumbling so much?”

“May be you’re hungry”, suggesteda butterfly helpfully.

At once the tortoise rememberedthat he was going to eat his breakfastwhen he started playing with thebutterflies.

“Oh! Yes! I’d better be going home”,he replied as he crawled off.

But there was one more thing thetortoise always forgot — he justcouldn’t remember where he lived!

It was lunchtime by now and mostof the animals in the forest werescurrying back home for their afternoonsiesta.

How the Tortoise got his Shell!Ratna Manucha

The tortoise stood by and watchedthe animals hurrying past. He completelyforgot that he was hungry! “I think, I’llhave a little nap too”, he decided andcrawled slowly into the first hole thathe saw.

But the hole was too narrow and thetortoise found himself squeezingagainst a very angry snake.

“What are you doing here?” hissedthe snake angrily.

“Why, I’ve come for my afternoonsiesta”, replied the tortoise. “What areyou doing in my home?”

“Oh, you silly creature! hissed thesnake in exasperation. “You’ve forgottenyour home again”.

The tortoise crawled sheepishly outof the hole and entered the rabbit’sburrow nearby. But the rabbit was busyfeeding carrots to her little bunnies andthere was no place for the tortoise.

“I wish you would remember whereyou lived and stopped being anunwelcome visitor”, complained therabbit.

The tortoise, mouth open, fronthands on his head. The rabbit has turnedaway and is putting her bunnies to sleep.Dim lights.


The poor tortoise was feeling veryconfused. “Why am I so forgetful?” heasked himself. “I crawled out from myhouse this morning. How could, I haveforgotten where I live?”

“Do you know where I live?” heasked the rabbit. “I don’t know why I’msuch a muddle-head”.

“Get out of my burrow and asksomeone else”, snapped the rabbitcrossly as she turned to put her bunniesto sleep.

“I am indeed a muddle- head,thought the tortoise to himself. “Itwould be so much easier if I could carrymy home with me whenever I went andthen, I wouldn’t have to worry at all!”

This thought made the tortoisesmile. He was so proud of himself forthinking of such a wonderful idea!

“I wish the Lord of the Jungle couldread my thoughts”, said the tortoise tohimself.

Far, far away, the Lord of the Junglecould indeed read the thoughts of thetortoise. In fact, he knew what eachanimal in his forest was thinking! He wasaware of how the poor tortoise waspushed around by the other animals dueto his forgetfulness. So, he thought of aplan.

“I think I’ll give the tortoise a nice,hard shell on his back, which he can useas his home. Since he is such a slow andforgetful creature, this shell will keephim from all harm”.

The Lord of the Jungle used hismagic power and whoosh! All of asudden the tortoise had a beautiful shellon his back.

“This is your new home”, the Lordof the Jungle told the tortoise as hesmiled down at him.

“Now you do not have to worryabout trying to remember where youlive. You will always carry your homeon your back and whenever you feeltired, you can curl up inside, without acare in the world. It will protect youfrom the sun and the rain and fromanybody else who may try to harm you”.

Saying this, the Lord of the Jungledisappeared. This is how the tortoise gothis shell on his back!

PrincipalLittle Flower School

6, Haridwar RoadDehradun-248001 (Uttarakhand)


gjs vaMksa okys ,ew'kSysUnz ljLorh

vxj vki vÝhdk ds 'kq"d vFkok fdlhcjlkrh taxyksa dh lSj djus tk,¡ rks vki,d i{kh dks ns[kdj pkSad ldrs gSaA yachxnZu okys bl i{kh dks ns[k vxj vkilksp jgs gksaxs fd dgha ;s gekjs Hkkjr dsjktLFkku esa ik;k tkus okyk i{kh xksMko.krks ugha\ rks egk'k;] vki fcydqy xyrlksp jgs gSaA ;g i{kh gS ,ew&'kqrqjeqxZ dsckn lalkj dk lcls cM+k i{khA

lEiw.kZ fo'o esa ,ew dh flQZ rhu çtkfr;k¡ikbZ tkrh gSaA bl i{kh dh vkSlr Å¡pkbZ 6ls 7 QqV rd gksrh gS] ;kuh ,d lkekU;euq"; ftruh vFkok mlls Hkh vf/kdA

vkWfLVªp çtkfr ds bl 'kehZys i{kh dkotu 30 ls 45 fdyksxzke rd gh gksrk gS];kuh ,d fo'kky dn gksus ds ckotwn ;g/kjrh ij gyds gksus dh otg ls cM+hvklkuh ls cgqr gh rst j¶rkj ls nkSM+ldrk gSA tkurs gSa] fdruh j¶rkj ls\50 fdyksehVj çfr?kaVk dh j¶rkj ls! rHkhrks vPNs&vPNs f'kdkfj;ksa dks bldk ihNkdjus esa ilhuk NwV tkrk gSA bl rstj¶rkj esa bldh yach Vk¡xksa dk dkQh ;ksxnkugksrk gSA ;s Vk¡xsa bldh xnZu ftruh ghyach gksrh gSaA rks ;g i{kh viuh yach Vk¡xksadh otg ls gh viuh tku cpkus esa l{kegksrk gSA

blds ia[k vfodflr gksrs gSa] vr% ,ewdHkh mM+ ugha ikrkA jkspd rF; rks ;g gSfd ,ew ds iatksa esa flQZ rhu v¡xqfy;k¡ ghgksrh gSa] tks blds Hkkxus esa lgk;d gksrhgSa rFkk pyrs le; xtc dk larqyucuk, j[krh gSaA

,ew dh vkokt cM+h fofp= gksrh gSAbldh vkokt xys ls ?kqVdj dqN blrjg ls fudyrh gS fd bl vkokt dksyxHkx 2 fdyksehVj dh nwjh ls Hkh lquktk ldrk gSA bldh fofp= vkokt dhotg ;g gS fd bldh xnZu ls fudyusokyk Loj ukd ds jkLrs ls dafir gksdj


fudyrk gSA bl rjg vkokt esa Loj dk;ksx gksus ls vkokt dkQh fofp= vkSj rstgks tkrh gSA

,ew ds ia[k vkSj peM+h bl rjg lscuh gksrh gS fd ;g viuh m"ek dks fc[kjusugha nsrkA Åij ls Hkkjh vkSj ,d gh gM~~Mhls cus blds ia[k ckgj dh BaMd dks jksdnsrs gSaA bu ia[kksa dh uhps dh Ropk dkyhgksus ls] vanj dh xehZ Lor% gh vo'kksf"krgks tkrh gS vkSj mls ia[kksa rd gh cuk,j[krh gSA viuh blh fo'ks"k 'kkjhfjd cukoVds dkj.k ,ew 'kq"d vkSj cjlkrh ouksa dsdkj.k okrkoj.k esa [kqn dks vklkuh ls<ky ysrs gSaA

,ew xfeZ;ksa esa tgk¡ isM+ksa ij mxh ouLifrgh [kkrs gSa] ogha o"kkZ _rq ds le; mNyusokys dhV] tSls >haxqj vkSj fVM~~Ms budheuilan [kqjkd curs gSaA [kkus dh ryk'kesa ,ew ,d fnu esa 15 fdyksehVj dh nwjhr; djrk gSA

eknk ,ew lw[kh tehu ij >kfM+;ksa dschp dbZ vkM+h&frjNh lw[kh MafM;k¡ yxkdjviuk ?kksalyk cukrh gSA ?kksalyk cukus esauj vf/kd lg;ksx djrk gSA vkSj rks vkSj]vaMk lsus dk dke Hkh eknk ugha] cfYd uj,ew gh djrk gSA eknk ,ew lky esa 30 vaMsnsrh gS ysfdu vaMksa dh vf/kdre la[;k60 Hkh gks ldrh gSA ;s vaMs vkdkj esadkQh cM+s gksrs gSa vkSj budk otu 400 ls900 xzke rd gksrk gSA ,ew dk ,d vaMkeqxhZ ds ianzg vaMksa ds cjkcj gksrk gSA

vkSj vc vkidks gSjku dj nsus okyhtkudkjh&nqfu;k esa tgk¡ nwljs i{kh çk;lQsn jax ds vaMs nsrs gSa] ,ew ds vaMs mulsBhd myV] gjs jax ds gksrs gSaA vaMksa lsfudys cPpksa dh ihB ij lQsn vkSj lysVhifV~V;k¡ cuh gksrh gSaA o;Ld gksus ij ,ewdh ;s ifV~V;k¡ xk;c gks tkrh gSa vkSj lkjk'kjhj lysVh jax dh ckyksa okys Hkkjh&Hkjdeia[kksa ls <d tkrk gSA

,ew ds ckjs esa nq[kn rF; ;g gS fd budsvaMksa rFkk ek¡l dks ikus ds fy, budk Hkkjhrknkn esa f'kdkj fd;k tk jgk gSA blds'kjhj ls fudyus okyk rsy Hkh dqN vk;qosZfndnokb;ksa esa mi;ksx gksus ds dkj.k bldh tkudk nq'eu cu x;k gSA ;gh otg gS fdnqfu;k dk nwljk lcls cM+k i{kh foyqfIr dhdxkj ij igq¡p x;k gSA

ukjk;.kh fuokl] eksckby VkWoj ds lkeus]

vkpk;Z je.k dkWyksuh] vLrks dh ckjh ds ckgj

chdkusj&334005 ¼jktLFkku½

An old lady lived in a little house amongthe mountains high. A grey cat, a yellowdog and a brown hen also lived with her.One evening as she was about to preparedinner, a monk stood at her door andasked if there was any room for him. Theold lady welcomed him and startedpreparing the dinner.

As she was about to serve the foodto the monk, she heard a voice of a youngman, requesting her to stay at her home.In meantime, other visitors including awoman and two men with a donkey alsoknocked her door and asked for help. Thegenerous old lady welcomed them all andshared dinner with them.

Book Review

The visitors wondered and asked theold lady how she managed to fit them allin her small home. The old lady smiled.The monk replied, “There will always beroom in your home, as long as there isroom in your heart.”

This charming folktale from Bhutan,contains teachings about openness andgenerosity of spirit.

Room in Your HeartKunzang Choden

Illustrated by Pema TsheringYoung Zubaan

ISBN 978-81-89884-95-6`195/-

Date post:	24-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	vuongque
View:	215 times
Download:	2 times

Readers’ Club Bulletin - nbtindia.gov.in · This Bulletin is meant for free distribution to...

Documents