Yesha Desai

One day Akbar was strolling in his royal garden with several courtiers. It was springtime and the garden abounded numerous brightly coloured flowers.The Rajkavi (royal poet) pointed towards a beautiful flower and said, “Look Jahanpanah, what a beautiful flower it is! No man can ever create something as beautiful as this.”Birbal was also there. He said, “I beg to differ, Rajkavi! Sometimes man can make much more beautiful things than this.”Akbar chipped in and said, “No Birbal, Rajkavi is absolutely right. This flower is really very beautiful and I don’t think that there is anything in this world that can surpass its beauty.”After a few days, Birbal presented a very skilled craftsman from Agra in the Emperor’s court. The craftsman presented a beautifully bouquet of carved marble flowers to the Emperor. The Emperor was full of praise for the intricate carving done in the bouquet, and gave him one thousand gold coins.Just then a young boy came and presented a beautiful bouquet of real flowers to the Emperor. Akbar was very happy to see it too, and gave a silver coin to the boy.Birbal was waiting for this opportunity only! He said with a meaningful smile on his face, “So, the man made thing was more beautiful than the real thing.”Akbar understood what Birbal meant by that and smiled back at his witty minister. Moral:Creativity of man can be as beautiful and valuable as natural objects.

This is a classic story from Akbar Birbal.

Flowers for Akbar

Ravina Sewani

Once upon a time, there was a donkey named Udhata who used to work for a washer man. Every day, the washer man used to make the donkey carry loads of clothes to the river for washing and then again back home. The donkey was dissatisfied because he thought that his master made him work a lot and gave him very little food to eat. So, he stealthily wandered into the nearby fields and ate the crops growing there. One day, as the donkey was roaming around in the fields, he met a fox. They talked to each other and soon became friends. They began to roam around together looking for good food. One night, the fox and the donkey came across a field where large, juicy watermelons were growing. As the farmer and his family were asleep, the fox and the donkey quietly slipped into the field and ate the delicious watermelons to their hearts’ content.After having many watermelons, the donkey became so happy that he felt an intense desire to sing a song. He said to the fox, “Friend, I am so happy after having this wonderful meal that I must express my joy by singing a melodious tune.” The fox replied, “Don’t be such a fool! There are people sleeping around the field. If you sing a song, they will wake up and will beat us up with their sticks.” “I don’t care,” said the donkey. “Singing makes one happy and healthy. Whatever happens, I am going to sing a song.”The fox became worried because the farmer was sleeping just a little distance away from them. But he realised that the donkey was adamant and would not change his mind. So, he said, “Okay, friend. If you have made up your mind to sing, then do so. But wait for just a moment while I jump over to the other side of the fence for my safety.So, the fox jumped over the fence and got out of the field. The donkey began singing happily in what he thought to be his most melodious voice. Hearing a donkey braying loudly, the farmer woke up from his sleep. When the farmer saw the donkey and all the damage that he had caused to his crop, he was furious. He took a thick, heavy stick and beat the donkey till he could hardly walk.After getting this severe beating, the donkey somehow managed to crawl out of the field. There he met his friend, the fox. The fox said to him, “I’m really sad to see you in this sorry state, my friend. I warned you. Had you listened to my advice, you would not have got into trouble.” The donkey realised his mistake and hung his head low in shame. Moral:Think before you act.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.This is a story of donkey, farmer and fox.

The donkey who sang a song

Nishita Sanghvi

In a remote village, lived a very kind lady in a small hut. She would occasionally feed animals who would be roaming around her house.A hen had been looking for food in the village and then he got to know about this kind lady who often fed the animals. She was also delighted to have him around as he did not have a place to live. She did not mind him staying there and give&nbsp;food every now and then.Soon, this became known to the dogs in the village and one of them came around. He too was fed by this kind woman. This became a daily practice. However knowing about the dog his other friends also came in expecting to be fed.Kind as she was she would feed all of them. But one day, she fell sick and was not in position to give them food. The hen did understand this but the hungry dogs would not, and they attacked the lady's kitchen. This made her so furious that she drove all the dogs as well as the hen away.Moral -One should not take advantage of a person's kindness.

The moral of this story is kindness.

The kind lady and her animals.

Pallavi Hota

Bible is the collection of 66 books written by different authors describing the God's action and purpose with all creations. Bible contains life stories of Jesus. The bible gives the messages God has desired for us to understand. Following is a story from “The Bible”. Jesus, the Son of God, knew that his time as a mortal was nearly over. His job on earth was nearing completion. But there was still some work to do. He knew that his final gift to mankind would be his death on the cross.But before that, he had a few more things to share. So, on his last night alive, he called his apostles for the last supper. He spent the evening sharing his wisdom and knowledge because now it would be up to the apostles to spread the word of God.Then Jesus got down on his knees and washed their feet. This was a teaching on how to treat each other once Jesus was gone.Then all of them sat down for supper. Jesus shared food and drinks with them. He told the apostles that they must remember him whenever they had their supper.As they were eating their supper, Jesus told his friends that one of the 12 apostles would betray him. Though Jesus knew that it was Judas who would betray him, he did not confront him because he knew that it was all God's plan.Soon Judas left the table on some pretense and returned with soldiers to arrest Jesus. Peter tried to protect him, but Jesus told him not to. He knew that it was time for the final sacrifice. Moral:Love even those who betray you for they too are doing God's work.

This is a story of Bible, Apostles and Jesus Christ.

The Last Supper

Shina Utavani

In a jungle, there once lived a jackal. He was very smart and clever. One day, he was passing by and saw a dead elephant in his way. The jackal was happy to see the elephant and could not wait to eat the flesh. He went closer to the elephant and tried to cut the skin of the elephant with his teeth. He tried very hard but could not cut the skin as it was very tough. The jackal tried many times but failed.After trying it many times, he was very tired and stopped trying to cut the flesh with his teeth. He sat near the dead animal and started thinking about how to cut his flesh. Suddenly, the jackal saw the lion coming towards him. Seeing the Lion, he said, “Majesty, I am guarding this dead elephant for you. Please eat it.” The lion replied, “I never eat animals which are killed by others.” The lion went away. The jackal was happy that he saved the elephant from the lion. He wanted to eat it all alone. He again started thinking about how to cut the flesh.The jackal was thinking and he heard the roaring of the tiger. He thought that the tiger would surely eat the elephant. So, the jackal said, “Please go away from here. I am guarding this for the king. The king lion has gone for a bath and he asked me to warn him when a tiger comes. The king wants to kill all the tigers of this jungle.” The tiger got very scared and quickly left the place.Then after some time, a leopard approached the jackal. The jackal was very hungry and knew that the leopard had sharp teeth. So, he cleverly said to the jackal, “Hey, Friend. I am seeing you after a long time. You look tired and hungry. Why do not you take a few bites from the dead elephant which I am guarding for the king lion? He has gone for a bath.” The leopard said, “Why would I eat the king’s meat. He would kill me if he saw me eating his food.” The jackal said, “I will warn you when he returns. Till then you can take a few bites.” The leopard agreed and proceeded near the elephant.The leopard started to bite the elephant but as the skin was hard it took time. As soon as the leopard took off the skin, the jackal shouted, “Beware, the lion is coming.” Hearing this, the leopard quickly left the place. The jackal laughed out loud and sat near the elephant and ate all the flesh alone. Moral:Wisdom makes victory.

This is a story of elephant, jackal, leopard, lion and tiger.Moral: smartness and wisdom

The Clever Jackal

A small boy called Johnny was always eager to show his wit. One morning he decided to play a trick on the barber. He went to the barber's shop and sat in the chair against the mirror.The barber asked, "Yes, Johnny?" Johnny said in a stern voice, "Will you please shave my beard?" The barber saw through the game. But he politely said, "I will surely do so, young master."The barber then put a piece of cloth around Johnny's shoulders. He also applied soap on his face. Then he got busy with some other work. Johnny waited for quite a long time. Waiting with soap all over his face was difficult. He shouted at the barber, "Why do you keep me waiting?"The barber smiled and coolly replied, "I'm waiting for your beard to grow." Moral:When you play a joke on someone, keep in mind that someone can play a joke on you too.

This is a classic story from Vikas books.This is a story of barber.Moral(s) of the story: wisdom

Johnny and the barber

Once a goat was grazing on the grassy slope of a hill. It decided to taste the grass on the hills across. A narrow log served as a bridge across the stream. While crossing the bridge, it saw another goat coming from the other side. The bridge was so narrow that only one animal could cross the bridge at a time.The first goat said to the other, "Let me pass first." "You let me pass first", shouted the other goat. They started arguing and finally got into a terrible fight. They lost their balance and fell into the stream.The other grazing goats witnessed this and learnt a lesson. After few days, two other goats encountered the same problem.&nbsp;One goat said to the other, "I'll sit down and you can step over my body and pass." The other goat replied, "Thank you. Next time, I'll sit down and let you cross first."Thus both of them were able to cross the bridge safely.Moral: Wisdom is better than weapons of war.

This is a story of goat and jataka tales.Moral(s) of the story: cooperation, foolishness, understanding and wisdom

Two Silly Goats

The Ramayan is an ancient Sanskrit epic written by the famous sage Valmiki. It describes Lord Rama's effort to rescue Sita from the demon king Ravana. It also describes the challenges faced by Lord Rama, Laxaman, and Sita when they were exiled from the kingdom for 14 years. Following is a story from “The Ramayana”.Ravana is depicted as the king of Rakshasas. He is said to have ten heads. But he was not born with ten heads.Ravana was a big devotee of Lord Shiva. Ravana performed an intense penance (self-punishment or tapasya) to please Lord Shiva which lasted for several years. During the penance, Ravana chopped off his head 10 times as a sacrifice to please Lord Shiva. Each time he sliced his head off, a new head arose, thus enabling him to continue his penance.Finally, this dedication of Ravana pleased Lord Shiva and he granted him ten heads. Ravana became one of the most powerful beings on earth. The ten heads of Ravana symbolise the six Shastras and Four Vedas, making him a great scholar and the most intelligent person of his time.

This is a story of head and Ravan.Moral(s) of the story: penance

The Story Behind Ravana’s 10 Heads

Sachin Tendulkar had a very close bond with his coach. His name was Ramakant Achrekar. His coaching helped Sachin in becoming a great batsman. The coaching of Mr. Ramakant Achrekar is quite different than other coaches. Here is an incident which describes the relationship between Sachin and his coach.Coach Ramakant Achrekar would put a 1-rupee coin on top of the stumps behind Sachin when he practised. The coach would say, “If you get bowled out, the coin would get to the bowler and if you manage to stay for the entire training session, you would get the coin.” Sachin accepted the challenge and played very carefully. He would play with utmost concentration in order to collect those coins.Sachin claimed that he had collected 13 coins from his and they are his most prized possessions.This incident shows a unique coaching technique adapted by coach Achrekar. Sachin had great respect for his coach. He used to follow all his rules and teachings.

This is story of coach, cricket, Sachin Tendulkar.Moral(s) of the story: passion

fictional characters stories

Stories help in improving a child's imagination. Here are a few interesting ones for you to narrate to your child.