THE LAZY DREAMER

Story-31:The Lazy Dreamer

Once, in a small village, there lived a poor Brahmin. He was very learned, but did nothing all day. He lived on the alms the villagers gave him every day.

One day, as usual, the Brahmin got up in the morning, performed his morning rituals and set out to beg for alms. As he went from door to door, people gave him several things. Some gave dal. Others gave him rice and yet others gave him vegetables. But one generous lady gave the Brahmin a large measure of flour.

"Ah! What good luck. I will not have to beg for alms for a long time," thought the Brahmin to himself.

He went home and cooked his lunch. After he had eaten, the Brahmin put the flour into a large mud pot and hung it near his bed. "Now, it will be safe from rats," he said to himself as he lay down in his cot for an afternoon nap.

He began to think, "I will save this flour until there is a famine. Then I will sell it at a very good price. With that, I will buy a pair of goats. Very soon, I will have a large flock of goats. With their milk, I will make more money. Then I will buy a cow and a bull. Very soon I will also have a large herd of cows. Their milk will fetch me a lot of money. I will become very wealthy. I will build for myself, a huge palace and get married to a beautiful woman... Then we will have a little son. I will be a proud father. In a few months my son will start crawling. He will be mischievous and I will be very worried that he may come to some harm. 1 will call out to my wife to take care of him. But she will be busy with house work and will ignore my call. I will get so angry. I will kick her to teach her a lesson like this..."

The Brahmin threw out his leg up. His foot hit the pot of flour hanging overhead and it came down with a resounding crash, spilling the flour all over the dirty floor. The lazy Brahmin realised that his foolishness and vanity had cost him a precious measure of flour. The laziness and foolishness taught him a lesson. Thereafter he lived an active life which took to heights.

A GLASS OF MILK

Story-30:A Glass of Milk

Once, there was a poor boy who made a living by selling various objects from door to door. This was the way he earned money to pay for his school.

One day, as he was walking from house to house as usual, he felt very hungry and weak. He felt that he couldn't walk even a few steps. He decided to ask for food at a house. He knocked on the door and was stunned to see a beautiful young girl open the door. With much hesitation, he asked the girl for a glass of water.

The young girl understood his condition and offered him a huge glass of milk. With an astonished look, the boy drank the milk very slowly.

"How much do I owe you for this milk?" he asked her.

The girl replied, "I do not want any money for this."

The boy thanked the girl from the bottom of his heart and left the place.

Years passed by. The young girl grew up. In her youth, unfortunately, she fell ill and was diagnosed with the rarest kind of nervous disorder. Many experienced doctors were baffled at her condition, and she was admitted in the city hospital with the most advanced facilities.

Dr. Kevin, a renowned neuro specialist was called in by the hospital to examine her. Even with his extraordinary expertise, Dr. Kevin found the girl's illness very hard to cure. However, with perseverance and hard work that lasted months, he was finally able to get the disease under control. With careful medication and monitoring, the girl was completely cured in the end.

Everyone praised the doctor, but the girl was quite worried about how much the hospital bill would come to. Her family had just a little money kept away in the bank, which was by no means enough to pay for such a long treatment in that reputed hospital.

The girl was given the hospital bill finally. With trembling hands, she opened it. She was stunned to see that the bill had been crossed out and cancelled, and there was a note underneath signed by Dr. Kevin.

"Bill paid years ago with a glass of milk!"

Moral: One good turn begets another.

HUMANITY

Story-29:Humanity

Father and son, went to a temple.

Suddenly son shouted after seeing the pillars of Lions at the entrance of the temple.

"Run Dad, or those Lions will eat us."

Dad consoled him saying "they are just statues and won’t harm us."

Son replied, “If those lion statues won’t harm us then how could statues of God give us blessings."

The father wrote in his diary...

"I am still speechless on my child’s answer and have started searching for God in Humans instead of statues. I didn't find God but I found humanity."

THE BICYCLE

Story-28:The Bicycle

Mike was an 11 years old boy. He was the only son to his parent. His father worked as a carpenter and his mother was a home maker. Although Mike's family wasn't a rich one, they lead a happy life.

Mike's school was located a mile away from his home. Mike's birthday was coming up in a week. He requested his father to buy him a bicycle, so that he can go to school in cycle and not by walk and depend on his father to drop him at school. His father also promised him to buy a bicycle so that he need not walk to school anymore. Mike felt so happy.

The birthday boy woke up happily with his mother and father wishing him with all smiles on his birthday. Mike was feeling very happy and expects that his father would gift him the bicycle. He had a beautiful gift wrapped nicely in his father's hand and surprised.

The father gifted him the parcel and Mike saw a set of books as the birthday gift from his father. Although he was a little unhappy as he did not receive the bicycle, he thanked his father.

Mike's father was depressed as he did not have enough money to buy a cycle. He promised to his son that he would soon buy him a cycle.

After a week, when he was walking on his way to his home back from school, he saw a boy riding a cycle. Mike felt that the cycle was too small for the big boy. Suddenly, the boy crashed into a post and skidded in the street. Mike rushed to him and recognized him. He was his school mate, named Sam.

Sam was injured badly and there was no one near to help him except Mike. Mike helped him stand up and provided him water. Since Sam was riding the cycle faster, his left leg and hands were severely injured. He asked him to sit in a corner and took the cycle and rushed to a nearby hospital to get help.

An ambulance came and carried Sam to the hospital. He then rushed to Sam's home and informed about the accident to his parent.

Sam and his parent thanked Mike for the timely help. Mike in turn thanked, 'It was all possible just I had Sam's cycle.' Mike also told Sam's parent, 'cycle is too small for Sam to ride and that's why he was injured.' Sam and Mike became close friends. Mike met Sam every day in hospital until he was discharged.

Sam got a new cycle and he came to know that Mike doesn't own a cycle. He gave his old cycle to Mike and with Mike's parent permission, Mike accepted the gift from Sam.

One deserves from another for their wellness.

BRAVE WOMENS

Story-27: Brave Womens

Karan Singh was all set to go to the fields. Among the other things he carried with his agricultural tools, were his sword and a gun. A merchant, who always noticed this, could not but help satisfy his curiosity. One day as Karan set out to go the fields, the merchant asked him why he always carried his weapons along with his other agricultural tools.

Karan Singh went to his shop and told him that even if he told him the reason, he might not understand it. Hence, he advised him to concentrate on his shop's accounts, rather than focusing on matters that did not concern him. He also added that it was mainly because of Dadua, and that the villagers should be prepared when Dadua attacks. Hence, it was wise to always carry the weapons.

The merchant had the least idea who Dadua was, and asked him, "Who is Dadua, and what does he want from us. Are there so many dacoits near our village?"

Karan understood that the merchant was getting apprehensive. It was understandable, because the dacoits always looted the merchants first, because they were also the local moneylenders. In order to pacify the merchant, he sat down and told him the story of Dadua, the famous dacoit.

In those days, might was right and the sword belonged to those who used it with honor. Accordingly, the sword settled all quarrels. The village, where Karan Singh and his brother Ram Singh stayed was called Pachegaon. In addition, not too far from this place was the neighboring village of Vala. A Thakur Sahib, a very powerful man, who had a large army of soldiers, ruled the neighboring village.

The village of Pachegaon mostly consisted of Rajput warriors, who were united and stopped all attacks from the Thakur. Finally, the Thakur realized that he could not beat the Rajputs. Therefore, he turned to the dacoit, Dadua for help. He promised to give one whole village in his territory, if the dacoit could capture the particular village of Pachegaon.

Dadua, with the help of Thakur's soldiers tried many times to capture the village of Pachegaon, but he was unsuccessful. Each time, there was much bloodshed, but Dadua could not capture the village. He knew that the people were united and the only way he could possibly beat them was to break that unity. Their loyalty to each other was so great, that it was like a fortress against any enemy. Dadua knew that the only way that he could possibly get in was during the time, when the warriors were working in the fields or hunting.

One early winter morning, when the dacoits were all sitting around the fire and smoking their hookahs, a messenger came and told them it was harvest-time at Pachegaon. It was likely that all men at the village would be at the fields, and only the women and children would be at home. They knew that this was the ideal time to attack. Dadua collected a few men and getting on their horse, they rode to the village.

The villagers were always ready to fight the dacoits. Even the women were prepared. A few of them also kept a sword next to their oven, where they made their bread. Even the children played dacoits and soldiers amongst themselves.

By the time, the dacoits reached the village, it was already mid-morning. They looked around and envied the villagers. The fields were rich yellow and ripe for harvest. There was plenty of vegetables and dairy stock around. For a moment, Dadua thought of settling down and becoming a farmer.

Meanwhile, Vama, and Mala, the wives of Karan Singh and his brother Ram Singh were busy cooking the afternoon meal in the kitchen. They were talking to themselves, and suddenly, Vama said to Mala, "I feel very restless today. All the men are in the fields and only the women, children and old men are left in the village. What if the dacoits attack the village today?"

Mala asked Vama not to worry and said, "They will not come, and even if they do, we have our sticks and swords."

Mala went to the next room, brought out her sword, and pulled it out of the scabbard. She started brandishing it and said, "Who knows, I might need this today."

When the lunch was ready, then tied it into bundles, and set out for the fields. The men saw the women coming and they stopped working. They gave their bullocks some grass to eat and proceeded to wash themselves in the stream. Then, they all sat under the tree and began to eat.

Suddenly, from far, the women saw in a cloud of dust, horsemen fast approaching. Mala said, "This must be Dadua's men. He must have got word that the village is unguarded today."

The men got up, when they realized it was Dadua and his men. Soon, a fierce battle began and in the ensuing battle, Karan Singh was badly wounded. Soon his brother was also shot dead. Both Vama and Mala came to their husband's side. Karan Singh told them, "You are Rajput women. Don't allow them to pass this field."

Vama, Mala and the other Rajput women began throwing stones at the horses. The horses began prancing, when the shower of stones began to hit them. The horses soon threw the riders off balance. The dacoits picked their swords, and ran towards the women, who were ready with their swords.

However hard they tried, the dacoits were unable to beat Vama, Mala, and the other few women. Clearly, the women were outnumbered, but the dacoits were no match for them. They asked Dadua, whether they could shoot them, just like they shot Karan and Ram Singh.

Dadua shouted at them, and said it was even shameful to think that. The fight went on and soon only four of the twelve dacoits were remaining, while Vama and Mala were still fighting hard. They were slightly injured but showed no signs of stopping.

Finally, Dadua decided to leave and return another day, now that the main men were dead. Besides, the other farmers, hearing the sound of guns had also reached the scene. All they saw was these two women, all bloodied, brandishing swords and screaming, "Come back and fight."

The farmers' quickly attended to the wounds of the women and pacified them. Then they gave the dead men a hero's burial, and returned to the village.

THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE

Story-26:The Hare and the Tortoise

There once was a speedy Hare who bragged about how fast he could run. Tired of hearing him boast, the Tortoise challenged him to a race. All the animals in the forest gathered to watch.

The Hare ran down the road for a while and then paused to rest. He looked back at the tortoise and cried out, "How do you expect to win this race when you are walking along at your slow, slow pace?"

The Hare stretched himself out alongside the road and fell asleep, thinking, "There is plenty of time to relax."

The Hare and the Tortoise StoryThe Tortoise walked and walked, never ever stopping until he came to the finish line.

The animals who were watching cheered so loudly for Tortoise that they woke up the Hare. The Hare stretched, yawned and began to run again, but it was too late. Tortoise had already crossed the finish line.

Moral: Slow and steady wins the race.

This is the story that we have all grown up with. But recently, two additions have been proposed to the story.

Addition 1
After being defeated by the tortoise, the hare did some soul-searching. He knew that though he had tried hard in the beginning, he was not consistent, and had grown overconfident. He was determined to undo his mistakes, and invited tortoise for another race. This time, the rabbit was careful to run the whole distance, and of course, emerged the winner.

Moral: Fast and consistent may be better than slow and steady.

Addition 2
Well, after emerging the loser in the second race, the tortoise thought long and hard. He knew that in any traditional terrain, the hare would win, if he was fast and consistent. Therefore, he thought of a non-traditional terrain for the race. Then he invited the rabbit for another race. This time the rabbit laughed out loud, thinking that the tortoise was out of his head. But the tortoise insisted that there should be another race and the terrain would be decided by the tortoise. The rabbit agreed to the idea.

The race began. The rabbit was leading in front, with the tortoise far back trundling along. Around half way through the race, they came across a river. The rabbit halted on the bank of the river, wondering how to cross the river. Meanwhile, the tortoise approached the river slowly, got in to the water, swam across, climbed up on the other bank, ran the last few kilometers, and won the race.

Moral: when your capabilities are below par, choose a playing ground that gives you a natural advantage.

GOLDEN WINDOWS

Story-25:Golden Windows

Little Molly lived in a small beautiful town. Her tiny house is constructed on the banks of a beautiful river, near the mountain. She was the only daughter for her parent. Although they weren't very rich, they lived happily.

Her house was surrounded by huge trees and beautiful plants. It was a single bedded house, made of woods. Molly did not like her house very much. She felt that the house was too small and not very neat. Little molly was very fond of the mountain. The steep and sloppy mountain had a beautiful but abandoned castle like home with golden windows.

Yes, she liked the home on top of the mountain because of the glittering golden windows. The windows sparkled and glazed so beautifully that little Molly was completely mesmerized.

She went crazy for that the glittering golden windows and she started to hate her home more.

However, little Molly was so sweet and she understood the struggles her family undergoing. So she accepted everything silently. Still her desire went on growing.

Years passed by and she grew up quickly. She became 12 years and looked very beautifully like a golden princess. She believed that she is supposed to live in a house with golden windows, not in an old wood house.

As she grown older, her mom allowed her to move around her house. It was holidays for Molly and she requested her mom that she wanted to wander in the garden near the river. Her mom also agreed and told her not to go so far.

Molly decided to climb the mountain and peek into the house with the golden windows.

She took her bicycle and started her journey towards reaching the top of mountain. She found a narrow road in the mountain towards the abandoned home in the mountain. With so many struggles, she reached the top of the mountain.

She was so shocked to see the dirtiest house, in fact the damaged castle with dark windows. What she used to see from her home wasn't there in the mountain. Yes, the golden windows she saw from the lap of the mountain were in fact the reflection of the dark and dirty windows.

She was very upset and sat quietly for some time as she lost words. Her desire got vanished. Suddenly, she looked at her home. A window in her was shining like gold. She realized that the sun rays reflecting in the water makes the window glows.

The truth was she lived in her dream home, the home with beautiful golden windows. She realized it too late. What she dreamt for years just vanished away.

So understand that all glitters are not gold!