Ravina Sewani

Once there was a little mouse named Fred who wanted to paint his mouse-house red.All the little critters came and said, "Oh please don't paint your mouse-house red, Fred!If you do then you could lose your bed! Some big, old kitty might see that redAnd come on over and take your bed!"Fred whispered to them with fearful dread, "Don't want that kitty to take my bed! I like my bed!" that little mouse said.The animals said to their friend Fred, "We sure don't want you to lose that bed." So they got together and they said, "We'll help you plant red flowers instead!"They tilled the dirt where the critters tread,Where many of them were born and bredAnd planted seeds behind and ahead.They covered Fred's house with flowers red.Round and round the animals sped.Fred gave them all some jam and bread. Then they all went home and went to bed!

This is a story of mouse.Moral(s) of the story: friendship

A Mouse named FRED

King Vikram was given the duty of bringing Betal to a tantric. Betal traditionally means ‘evil spirit’. Each time Vikram tried to capture Betal, it told him a story that ended with a riddle. If Vikram could not answer the question correctly, Betal agreed to remain in captivity. But, if the king knew the answer and still kept quiet, his head would burst into a thousand pieces. And if King Vikram spoke, Betal would escape and return to his tree.Once upon a time there lived a king named Chandrakant. He was very popular due to his valour and generous nature.One day, a guard, who was responsible for guarding the main entrance of the palace, came to him and told him, “His Majesty! You must alert our soldiers, as the enemy’s army might attack our country within a few days.” Chandrakant asked him how he could say that beforehand. The guard did not give a proper reply to that and said that it was just a hunch.After a few days, the neighbouring country did launch a massive attack on Chandrakant’s kingdom, but as his soldiers were alert, they were able to counter the attack. The enemies were vanquished and king Chandrakant was able to save his kingdom.Once the war was over, he decided to give a suitable reward to the guard for his accurate information. Next day, the guard was summoned in the court to receive his reward from the king. The king asked him once again that how he could predict so accurately that the enemies were going to attack the kingdom. The guard replied, “Sir I can see things which are going to happen in my dreams. One night, while I was doing my duty, I had a dream about the enemy army attacking us.” After hearing this, the king gave him one thousand gold coins. And then, suddenly he said to the guard in a firm tone, “You are dismissed from the post of the guard,” Everyone in the king’s court was surprised by the king’s decision, but no one dared to ask him why. The guard quietly accepted the king’s decision. He bowed down before the king and went away.After the story, Betaal asked Vikram, “Could you tell me, why the king dismissed the guard even when he had helped him to win against the enemy?Vikram answered, “Betaal, the duty of a guard is to take care of the palace’s gate. As the guard said, he had a dream during his duty, the king got the idea that he was sleeping on duty. So, although he helped him win against the enemy army, he forgot to do his duty. That is why the king dismissed him from the post of the guard.”As soon as Vikram finished his answer, Betaal flew back to the tamarind tree. Moral:Perform your duties and work with full dedication and then pay heed to other things around.

This is a classic story from Vikram betal.Moral(s) of the story: dedication

 Reward for the Gatekeeper

A long time ago, in a jungle there lived a deer, a mouse, and a crow. They were very good friends. They used to spend most of their time with one another and had their meals together. One day, a turtle came to them and said, “I’m all alone in the jungle. I also want to join your group and become your friend.”“You are most welcome to join our company,” the three friends said. The crow asked the turtle, “But what about your personal safety? You know that the jungle is full of dangers. Many hunters keep coming to the forest regularly. Suppose a hunter attacks, how will you save yourself?” The turtle replied, “That is the main reason why I want to join your group.” The four friends had hardly finished talking when they noticed a hunter approaching them. Quickly, to save their lives, the deer ran away into the forest, the crow flew high in the sky and the mouse darted into a nearby hole. Turtles, as we all know, are slow creatures. The turtle could not crawl away fast enough and the hunter trapped him in a net. Though the hunter was disappointed on not being able to catch the deer, he thought that it was better to at least have a turtle to eat rather than going hungry. The deer, the mouse and the crow were very worried to see the turtle getting trapped. They sat together to think of a plan for freeing their friend from the hunter. Together, they came up with a plan and started working on it. First, the crow flew high up in the sky to locate the hunter. He spotted him next to the river. Then, the deer overtook the hunter, unseen, and went and lay at a little distance, pretending to be dead. When the hunter reached this spot, he saw the deer lying on the ground. He thought that the deer must be dead. He was very happy at having found a deer finally. He thought that he would feast upon the deer’s flesh and sell its skin in the market for good money. So, he put the turtle on the ground and started moving towards the deer. As soon as the hunter left the turtle’s side, the mouse appeared out of a hole and nibbled off the net in which the turtle was trapped. The hunter, completely unaware of the animals’ plan, walked towards the deer thanking his stars. But, as soon as he came near the deer, the deer suddenly got up and bolted into the forest. The hunter was completely taken by surprise. Before he had time to react, the deer was gone. Dejected, the hunter went back to the place where he had set the turtle down. He was shocked to see that the turtle was gone! There was only a piece of nibbled net lying on the ground. By the time that the hunter was away, the turtle, freed by the mouse had crawled to the river and swam away. These strange occurrences were too much for the hunter. For a moment he thought that he must be dreaming. But the damaged, gnawed-through piece of net was evidence that all these things had truly happened. The hunter could not think of any explanation for these strange happenings other than that it was just a miracle. Scared out of his wits, the hunter ran away from the jungle as fast as he could.The turtle thanked his three friends for saving his life. Thereafter, the four friends lived happily. Moral:A friend in need, is a friend indeed.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.This is a story from crow, deer, mouse and turtle.Moral(s) of the story: friendship

The four friends and the hunter

Shina Utavani

According to the traditional significance, Thanksgiving is mainly celebrated to thank god for the good harvest. The god is praised through various hymns and prayers. It is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States, and around the same part of the year in other places. Although Thanksgiving has historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, it has long been celebrated as a secular holiday as well. The main significance of the festival is that it is a festival of bondage between family members. The festival supports the idea of living, eating and praying together. The families come together and celebrate the oneness with delicious food. Special recipes are prepared and are rejoiced together with dance and other amusements. Elders of the family tell various stories to children. They are taught family values and respect for elders.&nbsp; The Bible's importance for Thanksgiving represents prayer, sacrifice, praise, and offering. Thanksgiving as an act of worship is a grateful expression to God.Thanksgiving is a harvest festival, but it is now celebrated in the United States together with Christmas and the New Year. Thanksgiving's popular belief in the USA emerges from the recorded 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts where the pilgrims first stayed when they first came to America. The Pilgrims and Puritans who in the 1620s and 1630s began to emigrate from England brought their religious tradition of Fasting Days and Thanksgiving Days to New England.&nbsp; When the 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Hundred in Charles City County in 1619, it was remembered as a day of remembrance and celebration and a day of thanksgiving to God for the safe landing of their ships at the harbour. The First Thanksgiving had several days of celebration including the Pilgrim holidays at Plymouth in 1621 and 1623 and the Puritan holiday at Boston in 1631. In the American Revolution also, thanksgiving has relevance. Royal governors such as John Hancock, George Washington, and the Continental Congress issued several proclamations giving thanks to God. George Washington declared the first national thanksgiving in America on November 26, 1789 when he became the president of the United States.

This is a story of thanksgiving.Moral(s) of the story: gratitude

Thanksgiving

It was a hot summer day. A grasshopper was lying in the shade, relaxing from the heat of the sun when an ant passed by. The ant was dragging a huge seed of corn. “Ant, Ant, why do you work all day? Why don’t you come sing a song with me?” the grasshopper asked.“I am stocking up the food for winter," said the Ant, "and advice you to do the same." “Why bother about the winter?" said the Grasshopper; "We have got plenty of food at now." The Ant sighed and walked away with its seed.When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger - while it saw the ants enjoying their food that they had stocked in the summer. The Grasshopper realized that he was a fool to not consider the ant’s suggestion and mock the ant. Moral:Always be prepared for challenging times.

This is a story of ant and grasshopper.Moral(s) of the story: dedication and lying

The Ant and The Grasshopper

There was once a boy called Mario who loved to have loads of friends. He showed off a lot, always talking about how many friends he had at school, and how he was so friendly with everyone.One day his grandfather said to him, "Mario, I bet you a big bag of popcorn you don't have as many friends as you think. I'm sure many of them are nothing more than companions, acquaintances, or partners in crime."Mario accepted the bet without hesitation. However, he wasn't sure how he could test whether or not his schoolmates were real friends, so he asked his grandpa. The old man answered, "I have just exactly what you need, it's in the attic. Wait here a minute."Grandpa left, soon returning as though carrying something in his hand, but Mario could see nothing there. "Take it. It's a very special chair. Because it's invisible it's rather tricky to sit on, but if you take it to school and you manage to sit on it, you'll activate its magic and you'll be able to tell who your real friends are.”Mario, brave and determined, took the strange invisible chair and set off for school. At break time he asked everyone to form a circle, and he put himself in the middle, with his chair. "Nobody move. You're about to see something amazing." And Mario attempted sitting on the chair. Having difficulty seeing it, he missed and fell straight onto his backside. Everyone had a pretty good laugh."Wait, wait, just a slight technical problem," he said, making another attempt. But again he missed the seat, causing more surprised looks, and a few cat calls. Mario wouldn't be beaten. He kept trying to sit on the magic chair, and kept falling to the ground... until, suddenly, he tried again and didn't fall. This time he sat, hovering in mid-air...Then it was that he finally experienced the magic that his grandfather had been talking about. Looking around, Mario saw George, Lucas, and Diana - three of his best friends - holding him up, so he wouldn't fall. Meanwhile, many others he had thought of as friends had done nothing but make fun of him, enjoying each and every fall. And there the show came to an end. Leaving with his three friends, he explained to them how his grandfather had so cleverly thought of a way to show him that true friends are those who care for us, and not just any acquaintance who happens to be passing by. Even less would a friend be someone who takes joy in our misfortunes.That evening the four children went to see Mario's grandpa to pay out the bet. They had a great time listening to stories, and eating popcorn until fit to burst. And, from then on, they used the magic chair test on quite a few occasions. And whoever passed it became friends for life. Moral:True friends stick with us through thick and thin.

This is a story of chair, grandfather and magic.Moral(s) of the story; friendship

Mario and the magical chair

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated all over India but the people of Maharashtra celebrate it with the most zeal. It is believed that Goddess Parvati created Ganesha from dirt off her body while having a bath. Then, Parvati set Ganesha out of the door to guard while she finished her bath. Shiva returned and Ganesh did not know him so he stopped him from entering. Shiva too did not know Ganesha. He got angry and used his Trishul and threw it towards Ganesha. The trishul went through the neck of Ganesha and his head fell down. When Parvati returned, she was shocked to see this. She became very angry. Shiva promised that Ganesha would live again.&nbsp; Shiva directed every God to go in search of the head of a dead person. The only head they could find was of an elephant. Shiva fixed the elephant’s head on the child and Ganesha came back to life.&nbsp; Lord Ganesha is considered as the symbol of wisdom, good fortune, and luck. Ganesh Chaturthi marks the birth of Lord Ganesha. It is a ten-day-long festival and people celebrate by bringing an idol of Lord Ganesha in their homes. After ten days, the idol is immersed in the water and the day is called Ganesh Visarjan.&nbsp; The festival is loved by everyone. People celebrate it with great love and enthusiasm. The festival not only involves prayers but also includes activities like dancing on dhols, and singing.&nbsp;

This is a story of Ganesh, Ganesh Chathurthi, Parvati and Shiva.

Ganesh Chaturthi

Pallavi Hota

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, Laxman, and Sita when they were exiled from the kingdom for 14 years. Following is a story from ìThe Ramayana.Jatayu was a very old vulture. When he met Ravana, he was very old. He was the King of the vultures but not very strong at that time. He saw that Sita was in trouble, and Jatayu did not hesitate a moment to serve her.Jatayu flew off into the sky to fight Ravana because he wanted to serve Lord Rama. He said, ìMy body is of no value if it is not used in the service of the Lord. The Lord's most precious mother Sita is being kidnapped. It is my duty to stop this.So Jatayu fought with Ravana and gave him a good run. He made it so difficult for Ravana for a while thinking that mother Sita was going to be out of the trap of this demon king. But then Ravana regained his strength. Ravana chopped and somehow severed the wings and limbs of Jatayu. Jatayu fell in the midst of a heap of blood and his life was slowly going away.When Jatayu was losing his life, Lord Rama and Lakshman came there. Seeing Jatayu, they thought that he must be the demon trying to catch Sita. So they approached with caution. When they saw Jatayu actually dying because of Ravana, Lord Rama's heart was in pain. Jatayu told Rama, ìMy dear Lord, please forgive me that I could not execute my service to the best of my ability. I failed in my service.

This is a story of Jatayu, Laxman, Ram and Sita.

Jatayu's sacrifice in fight with Ravana

Once Sage Durvasa cursed all the gods and all of them lost their powers. They were powerless and deprived of all the fortunes. The gods went to seek help from Lord Vishnu. He suggested them to churn the ocean to retrieve nectar that can help them become immortal and regain their lost glory.The gods partnered with the demons to combine their strength for churning the ocean. They used Vasuki, the serpent as a churning rope and the mount Mandara as the churning staff. Lord Vishnu took the Kurma avatar and stood below mount Mandara, while the gods and demons churned the ocean.While churning the ocean, various gems and precious stones came out of the ocean. Along with them, ‘halahala’ poison came out from the ocean. Halahala was a dangerous poison that could wipe out all creation. The terrified Gods and demons approached Lord Vishnu for help. Lord Vishnu advised them to seek help from Lord Shiva, as he is the only one who could protect them. Lord Shiva, out of compassion, swallowed the poison. But he squeezed his throat to prevent the poison from entering into his body. Thus, the poison was stuck in Shiva’s throat and it was so potent that it changed the colour of Shiva’s neck to blue.The poison turns Shiva’s throat blue and hence he is also called Neelkanth, wherein Neel means ‘blue’ and Kanth means ‘throat’.

toes stories

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