Champak Mar09(First)

Champak

Chekers-164

March (First) 2009 Rs 15.00

SS..MMaalllliicckk

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Editor, Publisher & Printer : Paresh Nath

MARCH (FIRST) 2009NO. 754

STORIESMILK THIEF 4THE NOOSE 11CHICHI’S LIFT 15TRAITORS 19LESSON 28PAN AND THE BREAD 32INTERVIEW OF

CAMMY CAMEL 45FLOODS IN

CHAMPAKVAN 51JULIE WAS LEFT

GAPING 56WHEN THE ELEPHANT

FLEW 66

FARMHOUSE THIEVES 70PINK WATCH 76

PICTURE STORIESLIGHTNING 8A STICK IS USEFUL 24CHEEKU 38THE TRADER AND THEDONKEY 64

YOUR PAGEFROM YOUNG

READERS 36CHAMPAK CHEKERS 41WHO AM I? 59IT IS FUNTIME 68

FOUNDER

VISHWA NATH1917-2002

LUCY WAS a clever cat. Sheoften said, “There is no oneas smart as me. King lion

also takes advice from me.” But the animals were in trouble

with Lucy's cleverness. They knewher crookedness and dishonesty.

One day, when the animalswere sitting at a meeting, squirrelsaid to the rabbit, “Lucy is veryclever but her cleverness is of nogood. She only does everything forher benefit.”

The cow retorted to goat, “She isnot clever but selfish.”

Suddenly, the Ratu Mousespoke, “There is no use discussing

Mil

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4 Champak

her and talking about her. We will have to teach hera lesson. If we are together, we can cut her intosize.”

Everyone promised support to the mouse. Themouse described his plan to all. They were allhappy with the scheme.

They made it sure that Lucy would not knowabout the plan.

One day, when Lucy was going to the pond todrink water, she met the cow who said, “Lucy, youand the lion are of the same family. But the lion isthe king of the forest and you? You are hissubordinate, though you are cleverer than him.”

Lucy was surprised to listen to this and moved ontowards the pond. She put her head in it. There

was a tortoise. He was terrified, “Is it Lucy? I wasfrightened. Your shadow in the pond appeared thatof a lion. I was almost dead. You were looking likethe lion.”

When Lucy was returning, she saw a herd of deergrazing.

Seeing Lucy, one of them shouted, “Run, the lionis prowling.”

Lucy called out, “Don't run. I am Lucy Cat.”But by then the deer had vanished. Lucy reached

her house. A donkey was grazing there. She askedhim, “Brother donkey, tell me honestly, how do Ilook?”

The donkey looked carefully at the cat for sometime and then innocently said, “You look good,what else?”

“O, I mean whom do I look like? Can youcompare me to anyone?”

The donkey again replied carelessly, “I am aMarch (First) 2009 5

donkey. I don't have so much brain. But Lucy dear,you may be small in size but your mind is very big.You are terribly quick. I wish had such quicknessand I would have been the king of the jungle. Butone thing for sure is that if I had my way, I wouldhave made you the king of the jungle,” and thedonkey left.

Lucy was on the seventh sky. She startedcomparing herself with the lion. The mouse arrivedand said to the cat, “You are the talk of the town,Lucy. Everyone in the jungle considers you themost clever animal around. Now you only competewith the lion and he is very powerful. He drinkslots of milk daily. You too must have milk.Wherever you see milk in any house, you mustdrink it away stealthily. There is no need to tell

6` Champak

anything to anyone. If you want, we can help youbecome the king.”

Lucy was fooled. She decided that she would gohouses and do as advised. At the slightestopportunity she would enter any house and drinkaway the milk.

Everyone now was angry with Lucy's acts. Manytimes she was caught having milk but she could nothelp giving it up.

The King came to know about it. Lucy was produced in the court. She could not

give reasons for stealing milk. What could she havesaid?

The mouse alleged, “Your Majesty, I will tell you.Actually, Lucy is aiming at your throne. She wantsto be the king. She wants to become powerful likeyou by drinking all the milk.”

Hearing this, the king lion first laughed andthen roared loudly, “Deceit with the king! You

fool, lions don't drink milk. Now listen to me. Fromnow you and your generations will have to drinkmilk by stealing it all your life. Your class willnever be loyal.

“Now get out from here and don't ever show meyour face.”

Lucy came back with a hung face. All werelaughing at her foolishness.

As the court finished and all came out, Lucygrowled, “You mouse, I will eat you up. All this wasyour planning.”

The mouse was scared and he hid inside hisburrow.

Since then the cat is the enemy of the mouse. Thecat still drinks milk stealthily. ��

March (First) 2009 7

LLIIGGHHTTNNIINNGG

BYSHIRAZ MUJAWAR

LIGHTNING FROM THE SKY CAUSES LOT OF LOSS TOHUMAN LIVES EVERY YEAR.

CLOUDS IN THE RAINY SEASON ARE THE MASSIVE STORE OF MAGNETIC POWER.

THE UPPER LAYERS OF THE CLOUDSCARRY POSITIVE.ELECTRICAL CHARGE.,WHEREAS THE LOWER LAYERS OF THECLOUDS CARRY NEGATIVE ELECTRICAL

CHARGE.

THE NEGATIVE ELECTRICAL CHARGE TRIESTO GO DOWN TOWARDS THE EARTH.

8 Champak

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN A RAINSTORM, THEN WHERE WOULD YOU FIND A SHELTER? IS IT SAFE TO BE UNDER A TREE OR TO BE IN A VEHICLE?

THE LIGHTNING FROM THE SKY TRIES TO SEEP IN THROUGH THE EARTH AND GETS TO THEPOTENTIALLY THE GOOD CONDUCTORS OF ELECTRICITY WHICH THE TREES.ATTRACTED.

... AND IF THE LIGHTNING STRIKES THE VEHICLE, THE ELECTRIC CURRENT WILL PASS THROUGH THE METAL TOP OF THE VEHICLE. THUS WE WILL BE RATHER SAFER BY BEING

INSIDE THE VEHICLE THAN BEING UNDER THE TREE.


by Om Prakash Kshatriya

The NooseThe Noose

“What happened, sister?” Cheeku Rabbitasked Chichi.

“Nothing brother,” Chichi said. “You call me brother and don't want to tell the

cause of your worry. Surely, there is something thatyou don't want to tell me.”

Chichi was quiet. Cheeku suggested, “Maybe Ican help you?”

Chichi thought that she might find somesolution by telling her problem to Cheeku. So shesaid, “Brother Cheeku, I am worried because thistime I have laid eggs.”

“This is good news,” Cheeku was excited,“chicks will come out of them and you will becomea mother.”

“But it does not happen like that?” Chichi hadtears in her eyes.

“Why? If you have laid eggs, chicks will comeout.”

“Everytime Sonu Snake eats my eggs away.”“What?” Cheeku was surprised. “He dares so

much? We will have to teach him a lesson.”Chichi felt encouraged, “Will I be able to keep

my eggs safe this time?”“Yes, why not, sister?” Cheeku consoled. “When

will your brother be of help to you.”“Well, how will you stop that wicked snake?”“I will tell you,” Cheeku said. “First, you tell me

how does that wicked snake reach your eggs?”Pointing out towards the hole in the tree, she

said, “He lives here. Climbing the tree from here,he reaches my nest and eats away the eggs.”

“Well, do as I tell you. Get a plastic string fromsomewhere.”March (First) 2009 11

CHICHI BIRD was very sad this time too.

Chichi quickly went and got a plastic string.“Take.” Chichi giving it to Cheeku she asked,

“Now what will you do of it?”“Keep watching,” Cheeku said. Then he tied

one end of the string to a root of the tree. Making anoose from the other end, he placed it at the mouthof the hole of the tree.

“Now the trap is ready,” Cheeku said. Chichi asked, “Now what will happen with

this?”“Sonu will not be able to reach your

nest,” Cheeku said. But Chichi still did notunderstand anything.

She did not understand, how Sonu couldbe stopped with the string.

“I did not understand, brother Cheeku.”Cheeku said, “You will know it just now.

First, let Sonu come out of the hole and proceedtowards the nest. Then see.”

“Ok,” Chichi replied and was very excitedabout her eggs.

Sonu got the hint by seeing Chichi verychirpy and bright.

Taking out his head first from thehole he started climbing the tree in thehope of having a feast. Seeing this,Chichi got petrified.

“Brother, Sonu is advancingtowards me,” Chichi shouted.

“Don't worry. Now go andpull the string,” Cheeku said.

Chichi did as she was told.She quickly went and pulledthe string. The noosetightened at the tail of Sonu.

But still Sonu kept moving ahead.As Sonu was proceeding forwards, the noose

was tightening. Sonu stopped after going a little further. He was

not able to move ahead. When he turned aroundand looked, he was shocked.

“Oh! What is that?” He was already trapped inthe noose.

Sonu tried his best tocome out of the noosebut could not. Finally, hehad to return to the hole.

This way Chichi'seggs were safe fromwhich pretty chicks cameout.

Chichi would oftentell her chicks the plan

made by her brother Cheekuto save them. They happily listened

to her. But till today they did not knowwhat happened of Sonu Snake. ��

13

Find out the mistakes :Win prize-43

Selected 5 Candidates--

Shivendra Pratap Singh Parmar, Kota (Rajasthan).

Raghav, Kota (Rajasthan).

Vishal Anand, Patna (Bihar).

Amit Jain, Mysore (Karnataka).

Pankaj Kumar, Hanumangarh (Rajasthan).

Colourthe

picture.14 Champak

CHUCHU MOUSE was very mischievous. Hismother would always say, “Son, it is notgood to make so much mischief all the

time.”“I love making mischief, mother,” he would

reply.“Look at your brother Chichi,

how cool he is,” mothercompared.

“Yes, that is why I havesaved him so many times fromBinny Aunty,” Chuchureminded. “Because of thismischief I have been able tosave myself also fromBinny many times.Ask Chichi howmany times Ihave saved himtoo?”

“ Y e sm o t h e r ,brother isr i g h t , ”C h i c h is e c o n d e dand said toC h u c h u ,

Chichi’Chichi’s Lifts Liftby Om Prakash Kshatriya


“Come on brother, let us go out and play.”And they both went out. Chuchu never ran straight. He would sometimes

climb the wall and somtimes take a leap from aboulder.

Chichi, on the other hand would run straight buthe would often lag behind in the process ofwatching Chuchu.

“What happened Chichi, you have again lost?”Chuchu commented.

“I was looking at your stunts, brother,” Chichisaid.

“How interesting was your jumping from theboulder taking 2 turns.”

Then halting for some time, he spoke again,“Aren't you frightened doing these things,brother?”

“Fright? What does that mean?” Chuchu againtook a leap while glancing at Chichi. He did notrealise that there was a pool where he was jumping.He straight fell into the pit.

He could not balance and hold himself straightbecause there was plain ground earlier where thispool now existed which he did not realise. He fellon his feet that got sprained.

He quickly got up but to his utter surprise, hecould not stand. The sprain was bad and the feethad swollen.

How will he come out now? For once he wasnervous but after a moment he thought that

getting scared would not help. He will have to try.So he tried to climb the pool wall.

But because of swelling in the feet, he could notclimb. 16 Champap

Suddenly, he heard Chichi, “Don't be scared,brother.”

Throwing a thick rope from near a basil shrubChichi said, “Every time you save me when I was introuble.

“Today I will pull you out from the pool andsave you.”

“Wow! My tiger,” Chuchu encouraged Chichi.Throwing the rope on the branch of basil shrub,

he hung it into the pool. Then he said to Chuchu, “Now brother, tie the

rope around.” Chuchu did the same and then stood on the ring

of the rope.“Good, now I will tie a

stone to one end of therope.”

“Why?” Chuchuasked.

“This is my lift. I willnow drop the stone tiedto the lift into the pit, andpull the rope from here.”

Dropping thestone in the pithe said, “Boththe stone’sweight andmy weightwill pull


you up from that side like a lift.”And Chichi pulled Chuchu out by pulling the

rope.Coming out of the pool Chuchu said, “Honestly,

Chichi, today you have proved that you are mybrother,” and both left for home.

Chichi was happy but Chuchu felt that motherwould get angry at his mischief.

But it was a mother's heart. On seeing her son'ssprained foot, she treated it lovingly and said,“That is why dear I say, it is not good to make somuch mischief.”

“Don't worry mother, I am there,” Chichiassured and everyone laughed loudly.

Chuchu too could not stop bursting out inlaughter. ��

DPBEA

18

18 Champak

SHARPEYE55

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THIS TIME Aryaninvited all his friendsto visit his village.

His grandmother lived in asmall coastal village namedSherpur.

Grandmother welcomedAryan and Anisha alongwith their friends Harsh andMeet. They got to savourdelicious dishes made bygrandmother after a longtime.

“Wow! Grandmother,this rice dish made by you isout of the world. I feel like

TTraitorsraitors

by Anil Satija

[Part-I]

eating it over and over again,” Meet said.Grandmother insisted, “Have some more.”“You do not know grandmother, what a glutton

Meet is. You will get tired of serving but he will notget tired of eating.”

“All are jealous of me grandmother, is not it?”Meet miffed. After meals, Aryan took them to meetKishore and Geeta.

“O Aryan! How happy we are to see you in thevillage after so many years,” Kishore expressed hishappiness.

“Me too,” Aryan replied. “Let us go swimmingin that same old lake.”

“Don't talk of that place. Nobody goes therenow,” Geeta crossed her fingers.

“Why, what is wrong?” Aryan asked.

“The brakes of a tanker passing from near thelake failed and it met with a terrible

accident. All the chemical loaded on it seeped intothe lake water.

“Since then the lake water has becomepoisonous. There is a notice board standing, sayingthat water of the lake is prohibited from drinkingand swimming.”

“Did anyone in the village see the accident thattook place?”

“No. The owners of the tank quickly got it liftedovernight. Next morning, they left after warningthe villagers and putting up this notice board.”

“Well, then we can surely go to the nearbyground to play cricket,” and everyone agreed.

At night Aryan was thinking about the lake. “Such a big accident and no one saw? I doubt

the accident itself.”20 Champak

The next day Aryan went to the lake. He carrieda glass bottle and filling some lake water into it,returned.

The next day, Aryan said to all his friends, “I amgoing to bathe in Sona Lake today,” all weresurprised.

“Don't be surprised, the lake water is notpoisonous. I had sent the water for checking to thelab in town.

“Here is the medical report which I have got thismorning by post. It clearly states that the water isclear of any lethal chemicals.”

“Then why did they tell lies to us?” Geeta asked.

“This is exactly what we have to find out,friends. What can be the purpose of keeping the

villagers away from the lake?”Aryan and Harsh came to the bank of the lake in

the afternoon. Everything was still. Aryan looked around for

some proofs.

Suddenly, his eyes went on a packet that wasstuck in the bushes. Aryan pulled out the packet and returned with

Harsh.Coming to his room, Aryan opened the packet in

front of all friends.“O, they look like parts of some machine,”

Harsh guessed.“But what machine?” Harsh was inquisitive.For the next half an hour, Aryan and his friends

were busy solving the puzzle. Aryan tried tosomehow join the parts together. He had barelybeen able to join 2-3 of them when he jumped, “Ihave understood what it is.”

“What?” all asked.“These are all pieces of a rifle. Probably AK-47.

I have seen photographs of this rifle in news-papers and magazines.”

Everyone was shocked.“I was apprehensive from the beginning that

someone is making his own fortune by making afool of the villagers by keeping them away from thelake.”

Then Aryan packed the things as they were andstarted explaining his plan to everyone.

The 4 friends surrounded the lake as eveningapproached. They hid in the nearby bushes. It waspindrop silence till 1 o’clock at night. But then theyheard a faint grinding noise. (To be continued.)22 Champak

Find out the bird and animalfrom this picture.


EH! THAT’S MYFRIEND– THE BEAR

ONCE THERE LIVED A RABBIT NAMED CHIMPU.ONE DAY, HE WAS GOING TO THE TOWN TO MEET

HIS UNCLE. THEN–

MY DEAR FRIEND, I AMVERY HUNGRY. WILL YOU

PLEASE GIVE MESOMETHING TO EAT?

I DON’T HAVE ANYTHING FOR YOU TO EAT. BUT, I CAN GIVE YOU THIS STICK.

AA SSTTIICCKK

IISS

UUSSEEFFUULL

24 Champak

A STICK? THAT’SUSELESS!

EH! HE HAS GONE. ANYWAY, HE HAS GIVEN THIS TO ME AS GIFT.

I WILL KEEP IT.

BY

VENU VARIATH


THE RABBITWALKED

FURTHER.THEN–

HAI, MANGOES, LUCKY THAT I AM HAVING THIS STICK.

SOON, THERABBIT

PLUCKED SOMEMANGOES WITH

THE HELP OFTHE STICK.

CHIMPU ATE THE MANGOES AND SATISFIED HIS HUNGER. SUDDENLY, VEERU FOX

CAME THAT WAY.

EN! I MUST GET AWAYSOON.

CHIMPU RAN AWAY. THE FOX RAN AFTER HIM.

I MUST CROSS THIS CANAL.LUCKY THAT I AM HAVING

THIS STICK.

26 Champak

ALAS!HE ESCAPED.

I NEED NOT BE AFRAID OFTHE FOX ANYMORE.

SUDDENLY, THE RABBITHEARD A VOICE.

RABBIT UNCLE!RABBIT UNCLE!

EH, ANTS!

FRIENDS, WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU?

WE WANT TO

CROSS THIS CANAL.

CAN YOU HELP US

BY MAKING A

BRIDGE?

CERTAINLY THE RABBIT MADE A BRIDGE, USINGTHE STICK GIVEN BY THE BEAR.

THANK YOU, RABBIT UNCLE.

A STICK IS ALSOVERY USEFUL.

SOME CALVES of Rocky Giraffe were playingbasketball on a court of a stadium in Mangalpurjungle. This stadium was recently built by King

Shera for his animals. He had a great love for sportsand particularly for basketball. So he built a modernbasketball court and named the court as the MichaelJordon Basketball Court after his hero’s namelegendary Michael Jordon.

Since it was the only of its kind in entire kingdomof the woods, the animals of the jungle had come towatch the game in curiosity every evening.

One day, when children of Rocky were playingbasketball on the court, rowdy Micky Monkey and hissome friends sitting on a mango tree were watchingthe game wih a nasty intention of disturbing thegame. So Micky jumped on the court during the gamesession and snatched the basketball off from thechildren and went back to the summit again to sitthere along with other monkeys.

Rocky and other animals repeated requests withMicky to return the ball to them. But Micky turneddown their request in shameless manner.

The environment that was filled with immenseexcitement little earlier, now had turned completelyinto an unpleasant situation there. They were not ableto concentrate on the idea about how the ball was to bereturned. The poor animals even did not have theextra ball. Meanwhile, monkeys were tossing the ballamong their friends and passing it to all just totorment the animals that how they are happy withplaying their ball. If any animal would proceed

by Tapan Susheel

LessonLesson

28 Champak

towards then in a hope that the ball might drop offfrom their hands and they picked it up instantly, thenasty monkeys would bite the ball to tease thembadly.

Thanks to their luck that Bholu Bear reached thestadium at that time.

“Hey children, the king asked me to visit thestadium to know whether our animals did reach hereregularly or not in the evening for play. So I came toyou,” said Bholu.

“You animals, what is the matter. Why you are notplaying the basketball?” he questioned.

Mona Dear, who was standing next to Bholu,narrated him all troubles of Micky and his group andnarrated how they usurped their ball.

“Children, no problem at all. The rascals knowonly the language of might not of the love. Until theserascals are not beaten up, they would not refrain fromsuch wrongdoing,” said Bholu.

“But Bholu uncle, how it would be possible toteach them a lesson,” asked all the animals jointly.March (First) 2009 29

“Don’t worry I check it, let me think over it.”Bholu replied.

After few seconds, Bholu brought out his mobilefrom a pocket of his coat and dialled the number of hisfriends, Robert langur.

“Robert, you have to come to stadium at once.Listen, there is rowdy Micky and some other monkeyssitting on the mango tree with a ball that they hassnatched from the animals playing the basketball.See, you have to nab them,” communicated Bholu.

After some time, even the animals could not figureout when Robert came there. They only learnt his

arrival when they heard deep crying of Micky and hisfellow friends.

Robert, a giant langur, had cought Micky and hisone friend and after slapping them heavily one by oneon the tree for some time, brought them down withthe ball from the tree. Reaching on the ground, hetossed the ball towards the animals but tied Micky’stail with his friend tightly. This led the both to a veryodd and uncomfortable situation. As one movedahead in their head’s direction simultaneously, otherhad to be dragged towards the head of the first but byfrom his back side.

So, it created a thick environment of laughter onthe zigzag movement of poor Micky and his friend.Both folded hands and were asking to set them freeanyhow. The scene had changed into a greatamusement for the animals there.

“Hey fellow animals, let them live alone to be herefor ever in this position. It is only treatment of wickedpersons,” saying this, all animals flocked with Bholutowards the jungle thanking Robert langur fordelivering a good lesson to Micky and his group. ��30 Champak

THE half-bakedbread was feel-ing proud sitting

on the black pan. ‘How lucky the pan

is who gets to keepsuch a flower-likedelicate bread sit in itslap,’ the bread thought.

The pan kept

Pan Pan and and thethe

BrBreadead

by Parshish

32 Champak

observing the happy bread. He thought, 'Howsimple the bread is. If I want, I can burn her or flatten her unbaked by not providing her heat.'

One day, the bread smiled at the pan and said,“In spite of being so dark, you still keep smiling.You are great.”

“Yes,” the pan said humbly, “it is my nature.Similarly, like you keep bloated with pride ofbeauty.”

“I am surely beautiful like a full moon. I have areason.

“But you are as dark as coal. How do you keepsmiling?”

“I smile because having got baked on me youkill people’s hunger. I have a big responsibility. Isnot it?”

“You are wrong. Anyone can do this. What a foolyou are,” the bread rebuked.

“I may be a fool but I will not tell a lie. No pot or pan can bake you so well as I can. In

mild fire I heat you so well that people love eatingyou.”

“Can't I be baked so well without you?” thebread asked irritatedly.

She turned around asking the pot and thencommented, “That is why you keep smiling inpride.”

“What pride? This is a small thing. “If I want, Ican burn you black and ugly and flat like me.”

“Oh, this is nonsense.” “Do I show you?” and telling something to the

fire, he turned terribly hot. The bread was burnt badly. The pan again


cooled down.This time the

second bread onthe pan shrinkedin the absence ofadequate heat.

The bloatedbread kept in theplate lookedsurprisingly atthe shrinked one.

It actuallyhappened as thepan had said.

The breaduttered shyly,“Good, that Iasked you the

reason for your smile. “I now realise the sacrifice you make for me by

burning yourself in fire. I am no one.”“You fool you are still far away from the truth,”

the black pan said.“Nothing in this world happens by itself. Everything happens with the help of others. If

the fire was not there, how would I become hot. Ifthe blacksmith did not make me, how would I havebaked bread.

“This way we all work with one another’s helpand become friends for ever.”

“And we will be friends,” the bread too smiled.“Thanks for explaining this to me.”

“Ok naughty girl,” and with happiness the panhelped the bread to bloat 4 times its size. ��34 Champak


Colour the picture.

Greedy Hunter

ALL THE animals lived in Champakvanamicably. One day, a hunter came to thejungle. He laid the trap and poor Sonam

Sparrow was trapped in the trap. She pleaded,“Please do not kill me. If you will let me go, then I willgive you a diamond.”

The hunter was delighted at the offer and healmost jumped with happiness. He tied a string in thesparrow's feet and said, ”You go to your nest andbring the diamond and then I will set you free.”

The sparrow flew to her nest and brought adiamond for the hunter. The hunter became greedy tosee such a beautiful diamond. He said, “I will set youfree, but you have to give 4 such diamonds.”

Sonam Sparrow was in tears to hear hunter'sdemand. She said, “But I have only 2 diamonds asof now. Please take these diamonds and let me go.”

The hunter’s mind was filled with greed. He

thought, 'Let me take her 2 diamonds first. Then Iwon't set her free. As a result she will give all thediamonds on her own. The hunter tied her legs firmlywith the thread and set her free.

The sparrow flew away to Kalu Snake who livedin the hole in the tree and told him everything indetail.

Kalu Snake whispered something in the ear ofSonam Sparrow. The sparrow then returned empty-handed .The hunter was infuriated to see her withoutany diamonds.

Sonam tried to calm him down and said, “Youplease do not get angry. You will certainly get 4diamonds instead of 2, as demanded by you. Youhave a look at the diamonds which are in the hole ofmy tree.”

The hunter was instantly delighted. He set her tofreedom.

Sonam Sparrow fluttered her wings and flewaway to her nest.

The hunter happily went near the tree. But themoment he put his hand in the hole to take out thediamonds, Kalu Snake attacked the hunter's handwith a loud hiss. The hunter was scared to death.Somehow, he managed to escape never to returnagain.

Sonam Sparrow alighted from her nest, KaluSnake too emerged from his hole. They both peeledinto laughter to see the hunter running head over hisheels to save his life.

CHEEKU AND MEEKU STARTED RUNNINGWHEN THEY SAW THE FOX. THE FOX TOO

STARTED CHASING THEM.

HOW FAR WILL WE RUN?

COME FAST, LET USCLIMB THIS TREE.

THEY BOTH CLIMBED THE TREE. THE FOX TOO CAME OVER AND SAT

UNDER THE TREE.

OH GOD! THIS FOX HAS COME HEREAND SAT UNDER THIS TREE.NOW WHAT SHALL WE DO?

NOW, SOMEHOW, WE HAVETO SHOO THIS FOX AWAY.

HOWSOEVER LOUD WE MAY SHOUTTOGETHER, THIS FELLOW IS NOT GOING

TO GO AWAY.

WHO IS GOING TO HEAR USSHOUTING FOR HELP? IT IS ONLYTHE WOODPECKERS' KIDS WHO

ARE SHOUTING UP ON THE TREE.

38 Champak

CHEEKU BEGAN TO SILENCE THEWOODPECKERS' KIDS.

INSTEAD OF BEINGBOTHERED TO SAVE

HIMSELF, HE IS ALL UP TOSILENCE THE

WOODPECKERS' KIDS.

CHEEKU GAVE SOME CHOCOLATES TOTHE WOODPECKERS' KIDS AND THEY

BECAME QUIET.

MAYBE THEY WERE HUNGRY.

THANKS, CAN I BE OFANY HELP TO YOU?

SURE, SOMEHOW PLEASE DRIVE AWAYTHIS FOX FROM THIS PLACE.

WITHIN NO TIME THE WOODPECKER CUTONE OF THE BRANCHES OF THE TREEWITH HIS STRONG BEAK. THE HUGE

BRANCH FELL ON THE FOX AND HE FELLUNCONSCIOUS.

OKAY, LET US SEE WHAT WE CAN DO.

MEEKU, LET US RUN BEFORE THEFOX REGAINS CONSCIOUSNESS.


2

1

DPBEB 7

There are some mistakes in picture 2. Find out how many

mistakes are there. Send your answers through SMS. First type the

keyword DPBEB. Then leave one space and then type the total

number of mistakes. For example, DPBEB 7, as shown in the photo

of mobile. Then send the SMS on 57007. You may send as many

SMS as you like. Any 5 correct respondents will be asked to send

their complete address. They will be given a gift of Rs. 100 each.

Your answers should reach us by 20 March, 2009.

Find out the m

istakes : Win prize-47

● The aim of the game is to destroy the terrorists’bunkers in the hills.

● You can begin the game when you get 1 on yourdice.

● If you do not have a dice, then pick up yourChampak magazine. Now with your eyes closedopen the magazine. Count and move boxes as perthe last digit of the right hand side page numbersuch as 1, 3, 5, 7, 9.

● Before starting the game each player has to selectthe colour of his choice.

● Maximum 4 players can play this gameat one time.

● Please note :� Injured — Leave 2 turns.� Facing terrorist — Move when you get 5.� Bullet Shot — Start again.� Lobbing grenade — Move ahead 5 boxes.� Bomb blast — Out of the game.

● While following the rules throughout the game, anyplayer who reaches the ‘target’ first, shall be thewinner.

Rules of the Game

Start.

Facingterrorist.

Grenadelobbing.

Bombblast.

Bombblast.

Bullethit.

Bullethit.

Bullethit.

Bombblast.

Injured.

Injured.

Target.

Facingterrorist.

Facingterrorist.

Bullethit.

Bombblast.

Grenadelobbing.

Injured.

Ros

han

Bab

u

44 Champak

Colourthe

picture.

THIS TIME the king of Dejivan had speciallyinvited reporter of Champak Times CheekuRabbit for the annual desert festival. Seeing

the invitation card, Cheeku was very excited. 'Good, I will get to see

camel festival and alsointerview Cammy Camel,'Cheeku thought andstarted preparing for thetrip.

It was winter andCheeku landed Dejivanon the day the festival wasstarting.

“Welcome to Dejivan,Cheeku,” shaking hands

by Shailendra Saraswati

InterviewInterview

ofof

CammyCammy

CamelCamel

with Cheeku Cammy camel said.“I am also glad to meet you Cammy, but it is

quiet cold here. I used to think that deserts arealways hot,” Cheeku was shivering with cold.

“It is the specialty of a desert that it is as cold inwinters as it is hot in summers. This is becausesand gets hot and cold very quickly,” Cammysmiled and informed Cheeku.

Surprised Cheeku asked, “Then how do youmanage to stay in extreme hot and extreme cold inthe desert?”

“We camels are made for the desert, Cheeku. Weare not affected at all by the heat because we canmanage our body temperature according to thetemperature outside. So even in the hottest seasonswe are cool,” Cammy informed.

“When I came here, I had great difficulty inwalking on the sand but I see that all camels walkvery easily on it, how?” Cheeku asked.

“Have you noticed the difference in your feetand ours? Compared to other animals our feet arebroad and cushiony which help maintain balancein the sand and they don't sink in it,” and heshowed his feet.

Before Cheeku could question him any further, acamel came and informed Cammy that the

festival had started. Cheeku along with Cammy proceeded towards

the festival. The festival had been organised on asand hilltop. Two humped camels had also come inthe festival. Cammy introduced one of them toCheeku.

“He is my cousin Batty Bactrian Camel. He livesin cold regions and has come to take part in this46 Champak

festival,” Cammy introducedCheeku to Batty.

Cheeku commented, “That iswhy they have wool on their humps,” and everyonelaughed.

It was evening and very coldbut still Cheeku was enjoying thecamels' dancing.

“Here, take these dates and hotcamel milk. This will provide warmth toyou,” Cammy had called for dates and camel milkfor Cheeku.

Cheeku did as said. He was now actually feelingless cold.

“Now I have so much strength that I can ask youthousand questions,” Cheeku said to Cammy.

“Yes, why not? I will be happy to answer yourquestions.” Cammy sounded encouraging.

“Then first tell me why were you moving yourjaws constantly while watching the festival?” Itwas Cheeku's first question.

“We camels' don't chew our food but collect it ina bag inside our mouth by swallowing it. Thenwhile sitting idly, we bring it back in the mouthand crush them under our teeth.”

“This means that before coming here the neemleaves that you had were collected in the bag andnow you are chewing it,” Cheeku asked.

“Yes, you are right,” Cammy smiled andanswered.

“There is another interesting thing related toour habit.”

“What is it?” Cheeku was inquisitive.“We can stay without food for 7 days


continuously. The hump on our back takes care ofall the needs of our body for these 7 days. Noteating for a week makes our hump shrink.”

Then Cheeku posed the second question, “WellCammy, tell me whether you collect water too like you collect and then chew your food? “

“When thirsty we camels can drink 100 litres ofwater in 10 minutes. We have another bag in thestomach to collect water. In case of not gettingwater in the desert, we keep ourselves alive bydrinking this collected water,” Cammy informed.

Then looking at his eyes Cheeku asked, “Youhave such big eyes, how do you protect them fromthe dust storms of the desert?”

Cammy replied, “Dear friend, if you have 3guards to secure your home, no thief can dare enteryour house.”

A surprised Cheeku looked at Cammy, “But…. I

did not get you, Cammy.”“We have 3 layers on our eyes which protect our

eyes from heat and sand. This way, nothing canharm them,” Cammy answered.

As Cheeku was about to ask the third question,Cammy's son Nami arrived.

“Now my son Nami will inform you further,”Cammy said to Cheeku.

More than eager to answer Nami said, “I will tellyou all special things about us.

“Wild camels walk with a speed of 5 miles perhour, whereas the domestic ones can run at thespeed of 40 miles per hour.

“We have about 34 teeth.“Our ears may be small but they have

tremendous listening power.“We very easily search for water in the desert.“Our bodies have sufficient quantities of

potassium, iron and vitamin.“Our total height is more than 7 feet.“A young camel weighs more than 100 kg,

whereas a baby camel weighs only 40 kg.“For being able to walk in the desert easily and

getting easily adapted to the hot and cold weatherof the desert people call us 'Ship of the Desert.'

“Last of all, we baby camels are without humpas you can see,” Nami showed his humpless back toCheeku.

Cheeku thanked Nami for so much informationsand enjoyed the festival. He also took colouredphotographs from his camera.

Promising to return to the festival next year,Cheeku bid goodbye to Cammy and flew off toChampakvan. ��


AT NIGHT Champakvan was completelysilent as all the animals were tired after thewhole day hardwork. They were sleeping in

their homes. Tinu Owl and Champu Bat wereguarding their group and the jungle.

As Tinu Owl went and sat on his tree aftertaking a round of Champakvan, he heard loudnoises.

Hearing the sounds Tinu's wife Tina said, “It

Floods in ChampakvanFloods in Champakvan

by Aparna Majumdar


seems a bomb has exploded somewhere.”Tinu said, “No, it is not a bomb's sound. This

comes from Champak Dam.”Suddenly, Tinu's mobile rang. He had switched

it on. Champu Bat spoke from the other side, “Tinu,hurry up. Get Champakvan vacated as soon aspossible.”

“Why?” Tinu asked.“Champak Dam has given way. Water is gushing

out with great speed. It seems, it will soon give waycompletely.”

Listening to Champu, Tinu said to Tina,“Champak Dam is broken. We have to inform allanimals as soon as possible so that they reach safeplaces.”

In loud voices Tinu and Tina started warning

52 Champak

the animals, “Champak Damhas broken. Leave your housesand go to higher safer placesas soon as possible.”

Hearing the announcement,all animals packed theirexpensive things and eatablesand started running towards saferplaces.

Blacky Bear loaded a drum of honey on his back.Hari Deer took along with him a bag full of greengrass. Pusy Cat too carried a bowl of cream with herand Chunni Fox ran with her makeup kit.

All animals reached Champak hilltop andheaved a sigh of relief by reaching a safe place. Inno time Champakvan was flooded.

Suddenly, Blacky Bear realised that MunnaMouse and his family had not come. All theanimals were worried too.

Tinu and Tina went and looked into their colonybut could not find them anywhere.

All were very sad at the thought of the mouse'sfamily.

King Sher Singh who was present there said, “We are extremely sorry about losing ourfriends.”

Champu Bat spoke, “There is no need to worry,Your Majesty. Munna Mouse's family is alive andsafe.”

“Alive?” the king was surprised.“Yes, Your Majesty, I have seen them on the

pipal tree and I am going to save them,” Champuflew off with his friend Tinu.

They pulled down the members of MunnaMouse's family from the tree and took them toMarch (First) 2009 53

Champak Hill one by one.Champakvan was flooded

with water everywhere. OnlyChampak Hill was safe andwas looking like a smallisland. All the big and smallanimals had collected on

Champak Hill.Blacky Bear was sitting

tight with his drum of honey. Hethought, 'Good, that he got the

drum with him. Now for some days hecan feed on the honey.'

Hari Deer and Pusy Cat were also sitting tightwith their grass and bowl of cream respectively.Other animals did not have anything to eat. Littleones started weeping with hunger. Whatever othershad, they gave to the children. Even after that thelittle ones would not be quiet.

Blacky could not see children crying. He tookout honey from the drum and started distributingto them. Hari Deer and Pusy Cat too did the same.

King Sher Singh was very happy when he sawthis. He commented, “Today all Champakvan isappearing like a family. Be courageous, thisdifficult time will also pass off.”

By then all the animals saw eagles and crowshovering on the sky. The smaller animals gotscared. They thought that the birds of prey wouldeat them up.

But to their utter surprise, the eagles and crowsstarted dropping food for the animals.

The king of eagles came to the king and said,“Your Majesty, all this food has been sent as reliefby animals of Satpura, Nandanvan and Sundervan.54 Champak

They have sent a message that till the floods last,they will supply relief to all of you.”

King Sher Singh said, “Convey my thanks tothem that they have thought of helping us in timesof difficulty.”

A month's time passed waiting for the waters torecede. The crows and eagles kept supplying foodand other essentials to the animals on the hilltop.

Little sparrow along with her family keptgiving medicines to them. Taking example fromthem the parrot, maina, cuckoo and other birdshelped animals of Champakvan.

As the waters started receding, all animalsstarted returning to their homes. A lot of

damage was done with the breaking of ChampakDam. All animals were rendered homeless. Alltheir clothes and food were swept away in thefloods. The animals of nearby jungles helpedChampakvan animals a lot during this time. In notime Champakvan again blossomed.

King Sher Singh said, “In times of difficulty, ifeveryone helps one another, then all troublesvanish.” ��

Do you have something to say?Children are invited to contribute their own views,

poems, jokes (not published so far), amusing anecdotes andcartoons. Give full name and address separately for eachcolumn.

Kindly send them to: The Editor, Champak, E-3, Jhandewala Estate, Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi-110055, stating that it is your own original, unaided,unpublished work.


FOR MANY daysJulie Cat wasbehind Pintu

Mouse. She wanted toeat him.

But Pintu was a veryclever mouse. He veryeasily made a fool ofJulie and slipped offeverytime from her

clutches. Julie would be left high and dry.After all, what could Julie do. Pintu was very

intelligent. Whenever he would be caught by Julie,he would make such sweet talks that Julie wouldget carried away and then sensing opportunity, hewould run away.

One day, getting fed up Julie decided that shewould not listen toPintu at all andwould just gobblehim up at the firstinstance. Becauseof Pintu's smart-ness, she hadbecome a butt ofridicule inChampakvan.

Soon, Julie gota golden oppor-tunity.

One day, sheclimbed on to theterrace of the four-storeyed house ofBinny Bear. She

JulieJuliewas Leftwas LeftGapingGaping

by Dr Rajiv Gupta

was surprised to see that Pintu was coolly sittingthere and eating uncle chips. The place was strewnwith many empty packets.

'Oh, so he is enjoying a picnic here and I amsearching for him in the entire Champakvan. I willteach him a lesson today,' Julie thought and quietlylatched the door.

Pintu heard the sound and looked at the stairswith worry.

To his surprise, he saw that Julie was staring athim with anger.

In fear Pintu could barely speak, “Goodmorning madam, would you like to have unclechips?”

“You scoundrel! Today I will see how youescape. If I don't eat you on this lovely day, I willchange my name,” Julie said, staring at him withanger and very carefully started advancing towardshim.

Pintu sensed that today he could not make a foolof Julie. He thought that he would have to think ofsome other way out or he was dead.

His mind started working fast. Then thinking something, he picked up a

polythene bag kept near him in which he had gotsome eatables.

He held it tightly and ran towards the wall. Julietoo ran behind him. She was sure that Pintu couldnot escape from his clutches. But the next momentshe was shocked to see that Pintu jumped from thefourth floor on the road below.

‘Now he is surely dead. Has anyone remainedalive by jumping from such height. It would

have been better if he became my morsel,’ Juliethought and coming down on the overhanging wall,she tried to peep down. But Pintu could not be seenanywhere.

She suddenly heard Pintu's voice, “I am here,madam.”

Julie looked in front. Pintu was flying in the airwith the polythene bag. He used the polythene bagas parachute as it got filled with air. He was comingdown slowly.

Julie was watching him with surprise. At thesame time she was praising his courage andpresence of mind.

That day again Pintu escaped and Julie was leftgaping. ��

Champak 58

1. Dispur is the capital of which of the followingstates?(a) Rajasthan (b) Manipur.(c) Assam. (d) Chhattisgarh.

2. Which country is also known as theland of Kangaroo?(a) Thailand. (b) Australia.(c) Sweden. (d) China.

3 'World Forest Day' is celebrated on which of the following days?(a) 19th March. (b) 20th March.(c) 21st March. (d) 22nd March.

4. Where is 'Chaarminar' situated?(a) Ahmedabad. (b) Hyderabad.(c) Secunderabad. (d) Jaipur.

5. How many players are in a basketball team?(a) 3 (b) 5(c) 7 (d) 9.


Who Am I ?� ☺ � � ☺ �

??

1. Blue is my neck with crown on the head.

Spreading my feathers and dancing is my passion.

I am the national bird.Can you guess my name?

2. Green, yellow and slim is his body.

Is used to send your messages.

You can buy it any time.At peanut price.

3. I am your best friend.Always guard your house.Provide you with sense of

security.How about guessing my

name.

4. If a parrot finds me,He is happy to eat me.But if small kid finds me,He cries the moment he

tries to eat me.

How Much Do You Know?

AnswersWho Am I? : (1) Peacock. (2) Postcard. (3) Lock. (4) Green chilli.How Much Do You Know? : (1) c, (2) b, (3) d, (4) b, (5) b.

CHUCHU BIRDlived on ablackberry tree

with her 2 small chicks. Alittle further away fromthe tree in the jungle wasan old temple. ElephantDada was the priest of thetemple. He was verysimple and innocent.Chuchu bird and elephantwere close friends. Theelephant was alwaysready to help Chuchu inevery way.

Very often the elephant

WhenWhen

thethe

ElephantElephant

FlewFlew

by Abha Srivastav

would shower water onChuchu's chicks from the watertank in the temple premises.

The chicks would be veryhappy.

The elephant surely lovedChuchu but he was jealous ofseeing her fly in the open skies.

Chuchu would go flying far awayto fetch food for her chicks andwhen she would return, she wouldfeed them with love. Seeing themcheerful elephant too would get lostin their happiness.

The elephant had gone old butthe wish of flying in the sky stilllingered strong in his heart.Sometimes he would look atChuchu's tiny delicate body andsometimes his heavy built. Then hewould wonder if his wish wouldever come true.

One day, the impossible becamepossible. One morning when theelephant woke up, he saw to hisutter surprise 2 colourful beautifulwings on his body. He bloated withpride. "Wonderful! Now even I willfly like Chuchu.”

He spread his wings and flew alittle and then sat down again.Seeing the elephant flying, therabbit, squirrel and Chuchuenjoyed.

In spite of the wings, theMarch (First) 2009 61

elephant was always scared of falling down withhis huge body.

He thought if he flew higher and fell from there,everyone would laugh at him.

But having acquired wings, the elephant alsostarted behaving like a child. As he could not flyfar, he would fly small distances.

Sometimes he would go till the jungle lake andsometimes till the pipal tree. Rest of the time hewould be sitting at the temple door with his wingsfolded.

One day, Chuchu fell ill so serious that shecould not even move. She was unable to go to62 Champak

collect food for her chicks. She went to the elephant and wept, “Brother

elephant, I am not well. I can stay hungry but whatdo I do for my children. How do I get food forthem?”

The elephant felt pity for her and said, “Don'tcry Chuchu, I will do something.”

With a spirit of helping Chuchu, the elephanttook a long flight. He flew far off and got food inhis trunk.

But before reaching Chuchu's nest, he fell on thetree with his heavy body.

The blackberry tree fell down with theelephant's weight. In spite of having fallen down,the tree was worried about Chuchu and herchildren.

It took care of the little birds and the nest bycovering it with its green branches. The tree gotangry on the elephant who had badly damged thetree.

The elephant was sorry about his childishbehaviour. He started crying. Oh! What have I

done? The food was filled in the pot. I could havegot it from there. But the love and anxiety of flyingdoomed the elephant's name.

Picking up the nest by his trunk, the elephantcarefully kept it on another tree. He then fedChuchu and her chicks. The tree too straightenedsomehow.

That night itself the elephant thought what usewere such wings that could not be of any use to thelittle creatures. He thought that he did not need thewings. Next morning, when he got up, his wingshad vanished. ��


TTHHEE

TTRRAADDEERR

AANNDD

TTHHEE

DDOONNKKEEYY

BY SHIRAZ MUJAWAR

A TRADER WAS SITTING UNDER THE TREE.

NEARBY, HIS DONKEY WAS GRAZING AS WELL IN THE LUSHGREEN PATCH OF THE LAND.

SUDDENLY, THE TRADER HEARDHIS ENEMY APPROACHING.

HE QUICKLY GOT UP AND WENTNEAR HIS DONKEY.

64 Champak

TRADER SAID--

HURRY UP, LET US GET GOING FAR AWAYOR ELSE WE WILL BE TRAPPED IN THEHANDS OF OUR ENEMY.

THE DONKEY WAS COOL, HE SAID–

WHY SHOULD I EXERT MYSELF FORNO REASON?

YOUR ENEMY WILL NOT LOAD ME WITH ANY LESSER LOAD. EVEN IF I SAVE YOUBY CARRYING YOU ON MY BACK, EVEN YOU TOO WILL NOT LOAD ME WITHLESSER WEIGHT.

FOR ME BOTH OF YOU ARE ONE AND THESAME. IRRESPECTIVE OF WHOM I AM WITH,LOAD ON MY BACK WILL NEVER BE LESS.

WHOSOEVER MAY RULE, ITDOES NOT EFFECT POOR

MAN'S LIFE IN ANYMANNER.


Speaking pictures.

66 Champak

Colourthe

picture.


Ninny: It is very coldthese days. How do Ibathe?

Mayank: You can usethe quilt and have bath,you will not feel cold.

—Naresh, Kolkata.

*Neha: What is the

difference between themorning and the evening?

Sunny: In the morningteacher scolds, whereas inthe evening, the father.

*

Mummy: Son, becareful while lifting theplates and be sure thatthe plates do not fall.

Son: Never mindmummy, the plates arevery light. Even if theyfall, I won't hurt my feet.

—Himanshu, Chennai.

*Vicky: Will you not

come with me for playingtoday?

Raju: No, because I

have to help my fathertoday.

Vicky: Really, but forwhat?

Raju: For doing myhomework.

—Ravi, Mumbai.

*Sanjay: I have got a

guitar as my birthdaygift. There could not havebeen any better gift forme.

Neeraj: How?Sanjay: You know

Papa pays me 100 rupeesfor not playing it.

—Ashok, Meerut.

*Son: Papa, have you

ever visited Egypt?Papa: No, my son.Son: Then how did you

find 'Mummy'.

*Teacher: What are you

writing on your fingers?

Student: Sir, all theimportant days and datesfrom the history.

Teacher: Why?Student: Because you

only said that all theimportant days and datesfrom the history shouldbe on your finger tips.

—Aakash, Modinagar.

*Bunty: What is the

capital of Rajasthan?Minny: Why don't you

know?Bunty: Yes, I know.Minny: Then why are

you asking me?—Arjun, Uttar Pradesh.

*Papa: Did you go to

see the circus?Jayant: Papa, you are

mistaking, the ticketwhich you have is of thecinema and not of thecircus. —Deepika, Shimla.

*

IT WAS a much-awaitedwonderful Sunday. Aryan hadinvited his 'gang of 4' for an

evening party at his uncle'sfarmhouse.

As the evening fell, Aryan andhis friends Harsh, Meet andAneesha assembled at thefarmhouse. They had travelled tothe venue by bus.

“Uncle's farmhouse has lots ofmango trees. I wonder if you everhave had so sweet mangoes,” saidAryan.

“Really,” Meet was delighted.He was very fond of eating. Hisfriends had thus nicknamed him

as “Motu.”After walking for a little while,

they arrived at uncle's house. Theyreceived a warm welcome by uncleand his family. Motu and hisfriends were extremely delightedwhen they were served withdelicacies made from the farmhouseproduce.

“This mango juice is really tasty,uncle. Can I have more of it?” saidMotu.

“Of course, you can. It is made

FarFarmhouse Thievesmhouse Thievesby Anil Satija

70 Champak

from our farmhouse mangoes,” said the uncle,” butI am worried man because of these mangoes.”

“Why, what happened, uncle?” asked Aryan. Hewas curious to know.

“Somebody is stealing our mangoes every night.If it is not stopped soon, we will be left with nomangoes to sell in the market.”

“But you must have employed a caretaker tolook after your farmhouse.”

“Yes, I have a caretaker. His name is Radhe Lal.But he cannot be everywhere in the farmhouse at

one point of time. He has to carry raw mangoes tothe market tomorrow for selling.

After the snacks, all the friends were taking astroll in the market.

“Uncle has to arrange for selling the mangoestomorrow. It means the thieves would be havinglast chance tonight. They will try to steal maximummangoes tonight. We must do something,” saidAneesha.

“You are right, Aneesha.Tonight we will keep awatch on mango trees in turns,” suggested Aryan.

It was past midnight. Aryan and Harsh were onthe guard. But soon Harsh was overpowered by thepangs of sleep as he was reclining against the tree.

Radhey Lal who worked as a security guard,lived in his hut in the farmhouse.

Suddenly, Aryan saw a strange-looking manwith thick moustaches heading towards the hut ofRadhey Lal who came out of his hut and startedtalking to the stranger. He took out some currencynotes from his pocket and gave it to Radhey Lal.And he blew a soft whistle.

At the sound of the whistle, 2 men emergedfrom the darkness and climbed the 2 separatemango trees. The man with the thick moustachesplaced big baskets under both the trees. The menon the trees started collected the mangoes in thebaskets.

Radhey Lal stood there as collecting silentobserver.

Aryan looked towards the gate. Their auto-rickshaw was ready to cart the stolen mangoes.Aryan ran to Harsh and shook him up. “Hurry upHarsh, the thieves are going to flee with stolenmangoes in their autorickshaw.”

Aryan made a quick plan and explained toHarsh, who ran towards the autorickshaw and

punctured 2 out of its 3 wheels.Aryan was in position. He took out his catapult

and used it to fire a glass ball at the thief.With the sudden hit, the thief lost his balance

and he fell on the ground like ripe mango. Thesecond thief also met with the similar fate. Theyboth were crying in pain.

Aryan was about to aim at the man with theMarch (First) 2009 73

moustaches when Radhey Lal held his neck. “So it was you who was staging all this, you

rogue,” said Radhey Lal angrily. Aryan tried hard to get himself free from his

grip but he did not succeed. By then the man with the moustaches came

running as well.“We have to get away with the loot fast. This boy

has spoiled everything.” The man with moustachesdid not even complete, when Harsh held him at hisgunpoint and said, “Don't try to escape or else youare a dead man.”

By then uncle came running when he heard thecommotion. Radhey Lal and all the thieves weretied with the rope. The man with the moustacheswas a fruit merchant.

Uncle lodged the complaint and all the thievesincluding Radhey Lal were handed over to thepolice.

The next day while having the breakfast at thedining-table, Aryan informed, “The man with

the moustaches, the fruit vendor used to bribeRadhey Lal for stealing the mangoes, which heused to sell in the market at huge profit.”

“They had been fooling me for all this time,”said the uncle.

“But uncle, even Harsh has outsmarted them totake the revenge.”

“But how?”“I did not train any gun on the man with the

moustaches, but it was just small thick branch fromthe tree.”

Harsh informed everybody with sense of greatpride in his smartness. ��

74 Champak


Make numeral figure.

VIVEK'S AUNTY had brought him pinkwatch. It was a really beautiful watch.Vivekwas delighted to have a brand new watch.

He had resolved that he would set alarm to get upearly in the morning to study.

Vivek placed his pink watch on his study table.His pencil box, notebooks, books, pens, geometrybox were already kept on the table and they were allgood friends. Six months had already passed sinceVivek's classes had begun in June last year. As aresult, the books and the notebooks had becomeold.

The Book saw the Pink Watch and welcomed her,“Welcome to the home, friend.”

The Pink Watch looked at the Book indifferentlyand remarked, “Get away from me and don't try tobe friends with me.”

“What are you talking? We are all Vivek's friendsand thus we are friends as well,” the Book tried toexplain.

“You and your friendship?” the Pink Watchmade a face and said arrogantly, ”I am so beautifuland just look at yourself. You look so old andbattered. How can there be friendship between us?”

“We too were beautiful once. But with constantuse by Vivek's sweaty hands, some of our pages hasbeen spoiled. But believe me, we are not very old,”the Notebook tried to explain her point of view.

“Sweat?” the Pink Watch covered her nose and

Pink Pink WWatchatchby Sanjeev Jayaswal ‘Sanjay’

76 Champak

said,” That is why you people are stinking. Better beaway from me. Is that clear to you all?“

“It is not fair to be so proudy. It is in our owninterest to live amicably.” The Pen also tried toreason it out.

“Now you better be quiet. You lanky fellow.How can you argue with me?” the Pink Watchsnubbed the Pen.

The Pen was favourite of Vivek.The momentVivek used to hold him, he used to write at the topspeed. The Pen also worked hard to ensure thatVivek writes the best in the examinations.Vivekalso cared a lot for his Pen. Every morning he usedto clean and fill it with ink and later he used to keepthe Pen very carefully in his pocket.

Today, it was the first time when anybody hadscolded the Pen. His eyes were filled with the tearsbecause of the insult. The Compass in the Geometrybox was also infuriated. He wanted to pierce his

pointed leg in the Watch to teach her a lesson. Butthe Protractor in the geometry box controlled him.

At night when Vivek retired to bed, he kept thePink Watch on his bed. She looked at the otherfriends with proudiness in her eyes. As if shewanted to convey, ‘See, how much I am loved byVivek that he is making me sleep in his own bed.And you all keep lying on old table.’

Vivek kept lying on the bed for some time butthen he suddenly remembered that he had not setthe alarm. He picked up the watch and startedrotating her ears.

“What are you doing? It is hurting me. Leaveme,” the Pink Watch was shouting.

Vivek did not listen to her shouting. He left onlyafter setting the alarm in her system. Her eyes

were filled with tears due to insult and pain. Vivektoo went off to sleep. The Pencil and the Compasswere smiling at the Pink Watch's condition.

She kept sobbing for long time. Later, she wentoff to sleep. Sharp at 6 in the morning, she suddenlyfelt some kind of twisting in her stomach. Beforeshe could understand anything, a loud sound of‘trin..trin..trin...’ started coming from her stomach.

“Well done, my sweet watch. You have wokenme up right on time. Now I can study properly,”said Vivek while kissing the Pink Watch.

With sudden action inside her stomach, the PinkWatch was still in state of shock. It was totally newexperience since her birth. She had no clue as towhy Vivek had congratulated her. But with his love,her fear had reduced.

Vivek had to leave for the school by 7 o'clock. Hewent away to get ready for the school after studying78 Champak

for 2 hours. The Pencil found an opportunity andsaid, “Did the fly come out of your ear?”

“What fly? What are you talking about?” askedthe Pink Watch.

“The one which had entered your ear,” said thePencil.

“But when did the fly entered my ear,” asked thePink Watch who was totally surprised.

“Really, when Vivek was shaking your ear?” saidthe Pencil laughingly.

“No, she must have acted smart. That is whyVivek was giving her a lesson by pulling her ears,”the Compass commented with a loud laughter.

The Pink Watch filled her eyes with tears for herinsult. She felt very angry. But she could not doanything despite her desire to give them a befittingreply.

The Pencil and the Compass wanted to make funof the Pink Watch, but the Book advised them not todo so. The Pink Watchwas as proudy butthe insult madeher angrier.She thought

that Vivek had twisted her earsby mistake. That is why heexpressed his love in themorning.

But very soon her wrongnotions were removed. The next

day too, Vivek placed her next tohimself on the bed but before going

off to sleep, he twisted her ears likebefore.

Now this had become daily routine. The Penciland the Compass never missed the opportunity toridicule the Pink Watch. Her anger was aggravatedall the time and she was on the lookout for a rightopportunity to take the revenge for her insult.

Within few days, she understood that she couldwake everybody up by ringing her alarm bellanytime. Now whenever Vivek used to go off sleep,she would wake him up just after one hour. Thisused to irritate Vivek which enjoyed by the PinkWatch.

Everybody— the Book, the Notebook, the Pen,the Protractor—advised and explained to the PinkWatch that they all were there to help Vivek and notto trouble him. But all the advices fell on the deafears of the Pink Watch. She continued to troubleVivek all the time.

Totally disgusted Vivek reported the matter tohis Papa. He took the Pink Watch to the watch fixerwho inspected the Pink Watch and declared that allwas fine with watch. Such a positive commentaggravated her pride in her ownself. Now shedisturbed Vivek's sleep many times during thenight.

Few days later Vivek's aunty visited him again80 Champak

on his birthday. Vivek told his problem with thePink Watch to her aunty. She said laughingly,“Don't worry my son, I have brought you a mobilephone as your birthday gift. You can set the alarmon your mobile phone. It will never disappoint you.

Vivek was pleasantly delighted to get mobilephone as his birthday gift. He came to his room andpicked up the Pink Watch and commented, “You arebeautiful but you are useless at the same time.”

Having commented, Vivek removed the batteriesof the Pink Watch and placed her in the

almirah. It was pitch dark in the almirah.The PinkWatch was cursing her fate, but repenting now was futile. She had landed herself in such asituation because of her false pride The Book andthe Notebook felt pity on her state, but werehelpless despite the fact that they really wanted tohelp her.

Vivek now used to study till late night. Then heused to set the alarm on his mobile and used to gooff to sleep. The mobile phone always woke him upon time and helped him to study.

Vivek scored very good marks in the nextexaminations. In his success, his friendscontribution too was included. The Notebook theBook had helped him a lot. The Pen worked veryhard and helped him to write all the answers to thequestions properly. The Geometry Box, theCompass, the Scale, the Protractor, the Eraser madebeautiful drawings in the answersheets.The teacherwas very delighted with Vivek's work.

Vivek too was very happy. If anyone was sad, itwas the Pink Watch for which she herself wasresponsible. ��


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Champak Mar09(First)