“How can we do that?” asked Silver Plume. “There is Mahabala, the heron king of the Sinhala island. Let him create some disturbance for King Jewel Plume first.” The King agreed and, therefore, a secret message was sent to Mahabala through Vichitra, a crane. Meanwhile, the spy who had been sent to the King of […]
“How does one deal with enemies, Chakravaka?” asked the King Silver Plume. “There are four ways, Sir, as told to us in the scriptures,” explained the wise minister, “We can make peace with them, win them over with gifts, punish them or create discord among them to weaken them.” A messenger had come from King
Sir Richard Francis Burton was born on 19th March 1821 in Torquay, Devon, England, and he died on 20th October 1890 (aged 69 years) in Trieste, Hungary. The first European to visit the Great Lakes of Africa, Richard and his companion were the first to reach Lake Tanganyika. He wrote a well-documented trip to the
Meanwhile in the camp of the Swans, King Silver Plume was consulting his minister, Chakravaka. A spy was sent again to the camp of King Jewel Plume to find out whatever he could and return with the news. The King asked Chakravaka whose help should not be asked for during the war. “Never use a
“We will make friends with the enemy we defeated?” asked Jewel Plume, who found this was unbelievable. “If you remember, Sir, I did not advise you to start this war,” said Doordarshi. “What makes you think that Silver Plume is a good king?” asked Jewel Plume wishing to learn something from his wise minister. “There
It was explained to the brothers that they were warriors, unlike the Brahmins or the merchants or manual workers. So, they would have to prove their strength through a combat. The brothers agreed to a trial of strength. They began a duel that ended very soon. They were so violent that they killed each other
Lord Shiva was, of course, furious, but having agreed to grant the boon they asked for, he was helpless. He had to gift them goddess Parvati. The two demons were completely infatuated with the beauty of the Parvati. The brothers were competing with each other to impress her. Therefore, very soon they began to quarrel
It was clear that Doordarshi had a story ready. So, Jewel Plume asked him what it was. Long, long ago there lived two brothers named Sunda and Upasunda who were rakshasas (demons). They wished to gain enough power to rule the three worlds, so they began to worship Lord Shiva. In order to prove that
“How can we just leave Karpuradweepa without anyone in charge of it?” asked the King. “Sir, we have won the battle. Was it by our strength or by our clever trick that we did so?” asked the vulture. “By the clever plan that you suggested, of course,” said Jewel Plume. “we have thus shown the
Pedro de Alvarado was born in about 1485 in Badojoz, Spain, and he died on 4th July 1541 (aged 56 years) in Guadalajara, Mexico. A Spanish conquistador and Second-in-command to Hernan Cortes in the expedition for the conquest of Mexico, Pedro occupied the Aztec capital. He was also sent to take over the Mayans and
Joseph Banks was born on 24th February 1743 in London, UK, and he died on 19th June 1820 (aged 77 years) in London, UK. Joseph was a Botanist, scientist and explorer. He explored the newly discovered areas of New Foundland and Labrador and even went as far as Iceland to study the natural history of
Once, a partridge lived under a tree in a beautiful house. One day, while searching for food, he found a field full of grains. He stayed there eating to his heart’s content, and returned after a few weeks. While the partridge was away, a hare had occupied his house. The partridge asked him to go
Richard Evelyn Byrd was born on 25th October 1888 in Winchester, Virginia, and he died on 11th March 1957 (aged 68 years) in Boston, Massachusetts. The first person to reach the South Pole by air, Richard completed the distance in 18 hours and 41 minutes. He was an American naval officer and polar explorer. He
John Galt was born on 2nd May 1779 in Irvine, Scotland, and he died on 11th April 1839 (aged 60 years) in Greenock, Scotland. Appointed to aid the colonization of Canada, John opened roads through the thick forests between Lakes Huron and Erie and founded the cities of Guelph and Goderich. He explored and travelled
Deep in the jungle, a jackal found a dead elephant. But he could not pierce the elephant’s thick skin and eat it. Soon, a lion walked by. The jackal said, “Your Majesty, I have been guarding your meal.” The lion replied, “I do not eat animals killed by others. Feast on it.” The lion went