Yesha Desai

Emperor Akbar was passionate about hunting. One day, Akbar was on his hunting trip, when he heard two owls hooting in a shrill voice on the trees.Akbar asked Birbal, “Birbal, look at those two owls! They are creating such a ruckus. Can you tell me what they are quarreling about?”Birbal said, “Huzoor, I can tell you but I fear that you may not be happy to know.Akbar said, “Tell me Birbal, I really want to know what these birds are discussing.”Birbal said, “They are arguing over the dowry amount. The first owl is the groom’s father and the second one is the bride’s father. The groom’s father is adamant on taking 40 jungles in dowry, with no animals at all.The bride’s father is saying that he can arrange only 20 jungles at the moment.”In the meantime one owl hooted once more very loudly. Akbar asked Birbal, “I see! Tell me now what is he saying?”Birbal said, “He is the bride’s father. He is requesting the groom’s father to give him just six months more, and then he would certainly give him 40 jungles without animals.”Akbar said, “Really Birbal? How does he propose to do that?”Birbal said in a grim tone, “Jahanpanah, the bride’s father says that he has come to know from reliable sources that if Emperor Akbar’s hunting sprees continue at this pace, soon all the jungles would be devoid of animals and then he would easily be able to fulfill the demand of the groom’s father.”Emperor Akbar understood the harmful consequences of his hobby on the environment and quit hunting from that day onwards.This is how Birbal addressed Akbar’s conscience and made him realize his folly. Moral:We must understand the environmental consequences of our actions and try to make the Earth a better place.

This is a classic story from Akbar Birbal.Moral(s) of the story: health, hygiene and responsibility

Hunting and dowry

Once, there was a careless clown. He always ended up losing his things and breaking stuff.Everyone said that he should be more responsible about his things and be careful when he uses other people’s stuff.One day while performing, his jacket tore up a little bit because he carelessly bumped into something. The clown did not pay it much heed and just stitched it up loosely instead of properly fixing it.Soon, there was a very important performance. The town’s mayor and his family were going to be watching the show. The clown was nervous and wanted to impress the mayor.During the performance, the clown was perfect. He made people laugh and was very proud of that.But then during the final event, his jacket tore entirely. Everyone laughed but this time it was not because of the clown’s talent. The clown was very embarrassed and wished that he had fixed his jacket properly.Since then the clown decided to properly take care of his things and be responsible. Moral:Being talented is not the only thing that matters. Being responsible and taking care of the belongings can help us go the long way.

This is a story of clown.Moral(s) of the story: responsibility

The clown learns responsibility

Ajay is the only child of rich parents who have worked very hard to get where they are but growing up in the lap of luxury, he barely understands the struggles.He heavily relied on the house help to get his daily chores done. He had a maid who would clean his room, to fold his clothes, to wash his clothes, to make his bed. He had a chef who would cook food for him and serve his food. He had a driver who would drive him everywhere, even if it was just nearby, so he did not have to walk or use his cycle.In short he rarely did any work on his own.More than that, he seemed to not respect the house help either. He often degraded the trash collector, who collected trash from his house and helped in keeping the city clean, as he thought that he was more superior than the worker.This really bothered his parents because they did not want Ajay to grow up to be a brat.So one evening her mother asked every worker to take a few days of paid leave. When Ajay woke up in the morning, he asked for someone to make his bed but no one came.He asked for someone to bring his clothes, but no one came. He asked for someone to pack his lunch but no one came to help him do this either. He asked his mother, “Ma? Where is everyone? I am getting late for school.” His mother replied, “I have sent them home for a few days. You will have to do your chores by yourself now. Come on, get to it.”Ajay frowned but did not say anything. That day, he packed the wrong books, he forgot his tie, his bed was unmade. He had tried to do all his chores but he realised that he was truly lost and would not survive without help.Ajay realised that he should do his own work by himself instead of handing it off to others otherwise he would never learn. Moral:We must not be totally dependent on others for our tasks and learn to do it ourselves.

This is a story of chef, driver, house help, maid, parent and trash collector.Moral(s) of the story: gratitude and responsibility

Ajay’s lesson

One day, a doctor went to a police station complaining about robbers in his village. The police inspector listened to his worries. No actual robbery had happened to the doctor but he was worried that he would be robbed as he regularly travelled alone late at night to treat patients in the district. The policeman told him that he will investigate. The policeman told the doctor not to worry and continue his life. The doctor was not satisfied with the policeman’s response but agreed with him nonetheless. Finally, one day, the doctor got robbed. The doctor was a rather influential person in the village so a lot of people gathered. The policeman was there too. The policeman told the people around him, “The doctor should have been more careful and protected his assets better. He should not have travelled alone so late at night.” One of the relatives of the doctor said, “Sir, your advice is of no use now!” The policeman realised that he was a little too late and should have acted responsibly in the first place. Moral:A stitch in time saves nine. It is better to address the problem immediately than to wait until it gets worse.

This is a story of a policeman and a doctor.Moral(s) of the story: responsibility

A little too late

Ravina Sewani

Long ago, in a small village there lived an old woman who owned a black baby elephant. The children in the village called her Granny, and they had nicknamed the elephant as ‘Granny’s Blackie.’Granny’s Blackie was a very friendly elephant and used to give joy rides to all the children. The children also loved him dearly and shared their food with him. The old woman used to do stitching and tailoring work while Blackie used to enjoy the whole day with the children. Some years happily went past like this.One day Blackie wanted granny to accompany him to the woods. The old lady declined the offer, saying, “My dear, I cannot walk that far now. My health is deteriorating and I am no longer as active and energetic as I used to be some time back.” Blackie realized that Granny was growing feeble and older.He thought to himself, “This kind woman has looked after me for so many years. Now, it is my turn to repay the debt. I must find some work and start earning money for her.”Blackie set out to find some work for himself. When he was walking along the river’s bank, he saw a man who was looking troubled. He had some heavily loaded bullock carts standing in the middle of a river and his bullocks were finding it difficult to lug them. When he saw Blackie, he asked him to help his bullocks in carrying out the carts out of water. He promised to pay two silver coins for each cart that Blackie pulled out of the water.Blackie gladly agreed to help. He went into the river, and drew one cart after another across to the bank of the river. After completing his job, he went to take his money from the man. But, he saw that the dishonest man had given him only half the money he had promised.Blackie was really upset with the man’s dishonesty. He went and stood in the road and did not let the carts go past him. The man tried to get Blackie out of his way, but he did not budge an inch from his place. The man soon understood what the elephant wanted. He went back and gave Blackie the other half of the sum, as promised. He apologised to Blackie and put all the silver coins in the bag that Blackie was carrying around his neck.Blackie happily went home to give his first earning to his dear Granny. Blackie had been out since the morning, so Granny was getting worried for him and was waiting for him to return at the doorstep. When she saw Blackie coming back, she was overjoyed and asked him where he had been. Blackie narrated the entire story to her and put the bag full of silver coins in her hand. Granny was very proud of her Blackie! Moral:&nbsp;When you learn, teach. When you get, give. A life lived with a heart which is ready to give back, is a life full of satisfaction.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

This is story of elephant, grandmother and Jataka tales.Moral(s) of the story: gratitude and responsibility

responsibility stories

Kids moral stories help in improving their imagination & relate to real-world life. Here are age-specific bedtime stories for children by renowned storytellers.

Hunting and dowry

The clown learns responsibility

Ajay’s lesson

A little too late

Granny’s Blackie

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