Once upon a time, an elephant lived in a forest. There were also many jackals and they looked greedily at the elephant. “What a feast we would have if we could kill this elephant,” whispered the jackals to one another. An old jackal said he would get the elephant for all of them. The old […]
Captain Meriwether Lewis was born on 18th August 1774 in Virginia and he died on 11th October 1809 (aged 35 years). As the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition his mission was to explore Louisiana Territory. He collected scientific data on indigenous nations, the flora and fauna of the area. Captain Lewis and Clark
King Virasena ruled the kingdom of Kannauj. He had a handsome son whom he made the viceroy of Virapura city. One day as the Prince was riding through the city, he saw a beautiful woman. She was Lavanyavati, the wife of a merchant’s son. He fell in love with her, and on getting back to
There lived a crow couple on a banyan tree. In the same tree, there was a hole. A snake lived in it. He would climb up to the nest to eat the newly hatched babies. But Mother Crow would peck at him and drive him away. The crow couple went in search of food every
“Staying hidden in the lake may be wiser and easier for Slow-Toes,” suggested Nibbles. “Why do you say that, Nibbles?” asked his friends, “Isn’t it better for him also to come away with us to another part of the forest?” “Slow-Toes cannot move fast on land, my friends,” observed Nibbles, “Trying to go across land,
Vasco da Gama was born in about 1460 in Sines, Portugal, and he died on 24 December 1524 in Kochi, Portuguese India. In 1497, Vasco da Gama was appointed to command a ship with the goal of discovering a sailing route to India. A nobleman commissioned to find a maritime route to the East, he
“A hunter was chasing me!” said Dapple, “So I had to run away. I am glad to have found friends like you.” Dapple had also brought some news that he shared with the others. He had heard that Rukmangada, the Prince of Kalinga, was going with his army to defend the borders against enemies. “He
Wise-Eye, Slow-Toes and Nibbles became friends and were very happy living in the forest and sharing stories and their ideas. One day, a deer with dappled skin came running through the forest where the three sat. It seemed to be running away from something. The three friends, sensing danger, promptly hid themselves. Slow-Toes slid into
The moment he saw the scrap of meat on the bow, the jackal wanted to eat that too. Why should he let even that little bit of meat go? In spite of having plenty of food available, the jackal was so mean and greedy that he did not wish even that small scrap of meat
Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian, born on 9th March 1454 in Florence and he died on 22nd February 1512 (aged 58 years) in Seville, Spain. Amerigo Vespucci undertook several expeditions during which he discovered Brazil; he recognised that South America was an all new continent and not an extended part of Asia. After being made
One day, a great hunter, wishing to eat venison (deer’s meat), went hunting in the forest. He killed a deer. As he was going home, a huge wild boar attacked him. He shot an arrow at it, but the wounded boar killed him. But the boar itself had been injured by the hunter’s arrow. Soon
Nibbles said he had learnt that a healthy mind and body and the company of good people is better than wealth and that true knowledge is to know the difference between good and evil. He was happy in the forest and glad to have the crow and the tortoise for friends. They discussed the merits
Christopher Columbus was an Italian navigator, born on 31st October 1451 in Italy and he died on 20th May 1506 (aged 55 years) in Spain. Christopher Columbus discovered the ‘New World’ of the Americas on an expedition while trying to find a route to India making four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain between
There was a crane who lived near a pond full of fish. But as he was old, it was difficult for him to catch them. So he came up with a plan. Standing by the pond, he wailed, “Soon, this lake will dry up and no one will survive. I will have to live by
Nibbles said that there was a town called Champaka which had a college where students came from far and wide to study. One of the students was a young priest named Chudakarna who begged for alms daily. When he had eaten, he put his begging bowl with leftover food on a shelf and went to