7. The Big Tree and the Reeds

There was a big tree on the banks of a river.

It always thought that he was far stronger than the reeds.

He said to reeds " I stand up upright in a storm I don't bend my head in fear everytime
the wind blows.But you are really weak."

The reeds simply laughed at him.

One day a big storm blew and the big tree was uprooted.

"My God" sighed the reeds."We are better.We bend but we don't break.

Pride has a fall.

6.The cunning tiger

Once upon a time,in the depths of a mountain range,there lived a tiger.

He was a very strong tiger,but,thanks to the fact that he was unusually clumsy,
he could hardly ever catch any animals.

One day he went out from his cave to look for food.As he went along he saw a cat
speeding towards him,coming down the mountainside.The cat's swift and easy movements were the envy of the tiger,which thought to himself,

"Wouldn't it be fine if I were as clever as the cat?"

He went to the cat and said pleadingly,"Honoured Teacher Cat,could you teach me how to
climb the mountain as you do?"

Knowing that tigers are wicked at heart,the cat was afaid that if she
taught him all she knew,then probably her own life would be in danger.She therefore
shook her head and said,rather hesitatingly.

"I don't think I'd better.If I do,how do I know you'll not use your knowledge against me?"

The tiger bowed and said

"I am a man of my word.If you will be so kind as to teach me,I will not betray your
goodness."

Trapped by these honeyed words,the cat began to be sympathetic.

She said,"All right.If you really promise that,and are sure you will not be
ungrateful,I"ll teach you."

The tiger was overjoyed.He kept his word for sometime,and behaved to the cat as
one should behave to a teacher.Everyday from dawn to dusk the cat did her best to
teach her pupil. Very soon she had taught him all her tricks except one.
The tiger was very pleased with himself and highly satisfied with the cat as a teacher.

Then one day,when he came to his teacher for further instruction,he looked at the
cat's plump body,and his mouth began to water.What a good meal she would make!

But the cat was fully aware of his bad intentions.She decided to give him a test.

"I have taught you all I know," she said.
"You need no further lessons."

The tiger thought his chance had come."Aha! he said to himself.This fat little cat
will not escape my claws now!" But he thought he had better make sure that he had not
misunderstood her,so he asked again,"Teacher Cat,are you certain you have taught me
everything?"

"Yes,everything!" said the wily cat.
An idea flashed into the tiger's head,and his eyes sparkled."Teacher," said he,"what is
that there on the tree?"

As the cat turned her head to look,the tiger,his jaws wide open and his claws out,
threw himself upon her.But as quickly the cat ran up the tree.

The cat sat up in the tree,and said indignantly,"Well! You ungrateful creature!
Your word is worth nothing.It was lucky for me that I had been prudent enough not to
teach you how to climb trees.If I had taught you that,I see,you would have eaten me
by now."

The tiger flew into a rage and flung himself repeatedly at the tree.But he did not know
how to climb it.He tried to gnaw it down,but the trunk was so thick that he could
make no impression on it.The tiger grew angrier and angrier, and raged about,but there was
nothing he could do.Finally the cat jumped easily to another tree,and then another,
until she had vanished.

All the tiger's wicked schemes came to naught,and all he could do was to make his way up
the mountain again.

5. Honesty and Greed

Oneday a woodcutter was cutting wood on the bank of a river.

Suddenly his axe fell into the water.The poor woodcutter did not know how to swim.

So he prayed to the river fairy.

The river fairy heard his prayer and appeared before him.

"What is the matter,my good man?" she asked.

"Help me," said the woodcutter."I am poor and I lost my axe.If I don't get my
axe back,I will starve to death."

"Very well"'answered the fairy."You shall have your axe. Fairy dived into the river
and brought up an axe made of gold. "Is this your axe,my good man?"she asked.

"No," said the woodcutter."That is not my axe."

Then the fairy brought out a silver axe.The woodcutter again said that it was
not his axe.The third time she brought up the axe which woodcutter had lost.

The woodcutter was very happy and said, "This is my axe."

The fairy was pleased with woodcutter's honesty.She gave the gold axe and the
silver axe to him and praised him for being honest and said

"The gold and silver axes are rewards for your honesty."

The happy woodcutter returned home with all the axes.

The woodcutter's neighbour was curious and went to him and asked

How is it,my friend you have a gold and silver axe with you?"

The woodcutter told him what happened and the next day the neighbour took an
axe to the river to try his luck.

He dropped the axe into the river and waited for the fairy.

The fairy came out with the same axe he dropped and asked
Is this your axe,my good man?"

No," said the woodcutter."That is not my axe."

Then the fairy undestood the greed of this man and wanted to teach him
a lesson.The fairy again dived into the water and brought the silver axe out.

The woodcutter again said that it was not his axe hoping that she will bring the

gold axe next.

The fairy came out with the gold axe and asked "Is this your axe?"

And he said,"Yes its mine" and he reached his arm out to grab it.

The angry fairy dropped the gold axe in the water and said
'You are a greedy man,I know that the first axe you dropped was yours."

'The gold and the silver axe don't belong to you."

Then the fairy vanished into the water.The greedy woodcutter lost even his own

axe for being dishonest.

He returned home with nothing in hand.


The moral he learnt was"Honesty is the best policy and greed will take him nowhere."

4.Fate of the little fish

There was a small river in which daddy fish was trying to teach the baby fish how to swim.

The baby fish was finding it very hard to learn and it was heart broken.

Daddy fish felt sorry for its son and said
"Watch me swim and follow me along the waves.You will swim very well very soon."

The baby fish was obedient and followed all the instructions its father gave.

Days passed by and the son fish learnt to swim very well.Daddy fish was proud to see its son swim well.

Father fish was slowing down a little bit,as it was getting old.

One day both of them left to search for food.

Son fish was following the daddy fish that was swimmming slowly.

It got impatient and said
"Dad,you swim very slow,look at the way I swim,I move like a breeze."
It also said
"you are too old,you can't even swim properly.I don't want to swim with you.
I'am loosing all the fun because of you."

Father fish felt very sad of its son's arrogacne but kept quiet and continued swimming slowly.

The son fish took lead and swam very fast.

They could not find any prey and they didn't stop searching.

Suddenly father fish that is experienced in finding prey for the family found a fly fall in water.It swam fast and caught it.

The son noticed it and was jealous because its old father could catch its prey and it had not caught any yet.

It wanted to prove to its father that it was superior.

So it swam faster than ever and found a worm wiggling in the water near the shore.
Overjoyed by that,it opened its mouth to catch it.

Father fish saw its son and yelled "Stop it son,don't catch that worm."

Son ignored its father and caught the worm.

All of a sudden the fish felt its mouth caught with the worm.

It only realised that the worm was bait
but it was too late.

Father fish wept when it saw the son fish being pulled along with the bait.

The fisherman on the shore pulled the bait and along came the fish.

The fish understood that its father stopped it from catching the bait.

It failed to understand that though its father was old,it was experienced and could differentiate between bait and food.

But it was too late to learn that with experience and modesty one would achieve more than with arrogance and jealousy.

3.The Lion and the Mouse

One day a Lion in a forest ate a big meal and he went to sleep under a tree.
A Mouse came there and he saw the  Lion sleeping.He ran up the tail.The Lion did not wake up.

The Mouse became bold.He ran up the Lion's back.The Lion did not wake up.
The Mouse became more bold and danced on the Lion's head.

The Lion got up with  a loved roar.He was angry.He caught the mouse with his paws.

The Mouse was very scared.He said Lion King ..I am sorry.Please don't eat me.Please allow me to go.
I shall always be your friend and may be one day I can help you.

The Lion laughed and said ' you are  very small. How can you  help me? I ate a lot and I am not hungry now.
So I will let you go'. The Lion put the mouse down.

A few days later,some hunters spread out nets to catch animals.The Lion was caught in a net.He roared loudly.

The mouse heard the Lion's roar .He said to himself 'The Lion is in trouble.He needs my help'.
The Mouse saw the Lion in the net.He bit the net with his sharp teeth and slowly made a big hole in it.
The Lion came out of the net through the hole.

The Lion thanked the Mouse  and said ' you are small,but you saved my life.'

2.The Ant and a Grasshopper

One sunny day ..a Grasshopper saw an ant which was busy gathering food.
He laughed at it ' why are you working so hard?'he asked.

The Ant said " I am collecting grains for the winter also.
Sunny days won't last for ever."

"Winter is far away" said the Grasshopperr.

The winter came.

The Ant settled down well in the snug home.

It had plenty of food to last for the whole winter.But the Grasshopper had
nothing to eat.It went to the Ant and begged for some grain.
The Ant gave some grains to the Grasshopper and said "you laughed at me
when I worked in summer.But you were idle at that time.Now you are begging
for some grains."
The Grasshopper now learned to not to be idle at anytime.

DON'T BE IDLE AT ANYTIME.

1.Greedy Dog

A Dog once had a large juicy bone and decided to enjoy that sitting in a lonely place.

On his way he had to cross a bridge over a small river.

He saw his reflection in the water from the bridge.

He could not follow that it was his shadow.
Rather he thought it to be another dog with a bone in his mouth.
Being greedy by nature he wanted that bone too.

So he barked at the other dog.
His bone fell into the water.
The dog has lost the bone.

THE GREEDY MAY LOOSE EVERYTHING.