Work is worship
Narada is a devotee of Lord Vishnu. But he wonders if he is the greatest devotee. However, Lord Vishnu has an interesting take on devotion.
The bird in the golden cage
A merchant in Persia, received a gift from his friend. It was a green parrot in a beautiful golden cage. “I got this talking parrot especially for you from India. Just feed this parrot chilies and hear its beautiful songs,” said the friend. One day, the merchant announced that he…
The four friends
An unusual group of four friends lived deep inside a forest. The four friends were: a deer, a crow, a mole and a tortoise. They would meet every afternoon under a shady banyan tree and talk for hours. One day, the deer did not turn up at the usual time.…
Mohandas takes a spelling test
It was a typical day at Alfred High School in Rajkot, Gujarat. The school had a big ground. Boys were running about. Some were playing football. One boy shouted, “Look!” The boys saw an Englishman riding a bicycle. Behind him was a peon who had to run to keep pace…
Sheikh Chilli’s Grand Plan
One day Sheikh Chilli set out to sell mustard oil. He walked with an oil vessel on his head and dreams in his head. “I will get a good price for the oil. What shall I do with the money I’m going to earn?” he wondered. Just then a herd…
The ghost catcher
Sanju was a barber. He would roam from place to place to find clients looking to get a haircut or a shave. He carried all his tools safely in a small box. The box had a pair of scissors, shaving blades, combs and a mirror. Sanju used to take it…
Baluram’s secret
Baluram was the royal barber. Every month, a chariot would come to his house, to take him to the palace where he would give the king a royal haircut. Baluram’s friends teased him, “The king must be generous. A big tummy is a sign of prosperity.” Baluram would join his…
The lion and the hare
It was noon. The sun was overhead. It was meal time. The lion king was hungry, but there was no sight of food. It had never happened before. As the sun came overhead, an animal would approach the Lion king and offer itself as food. There was a time, the…
Dal-vada King
All roads lead to Chandra Mahal in Chandrapur. No, Chandra Mahal is not a palace, it is a popular restaurant in the town. Morning walkers time their walk to arrive at Chandra Mahal at 7.30 in the morning for a hefty breakfast of idli, vada, and dosa, followed by piping…
Buddha remains cool
Gautama Buddha used to go out with a begging bowl to collect a morsel of food for the day. As soon as he appeared in front of a house, the lady of the house would come out with some cooked food, and offer it Buddha. Buddha would accept it, thank…