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The Bird with the Golden Droppings - Jan

The Bird with the Golden Droppings - Jan

One day, a hunter was passing through the forest. It had not been a good day for him since he had been unable to catch any animal or bird. He was feeling very sad and tired too. He thought, “Today has been a really bad day. I have not caught anything. I should take some rest and try again. May be, then I will have some luck.”

He sat down under a tree to rest. It was a large tree. A gentle breeze was flowing. The hunter drifted to sleep. Suddenly, he was woken up by a soft sound. A little bird had landed on the tree under which he was sleeping. The bird was a special bird called Sindhuka. The hunter was both curious and relieved. He had never seen such a bird. He thought, “If I have some luck, I might be able to catch it.”

While such thoughts were crossing his mind, the hunter saw the bird's droppings fall near him. He turned to look at them and as he was watching them, their colour changed. Soon, they turned into real gold. The hunter

 was struck with wonder. It was very strange. He thought, “It is a special bird. I must catch it. If I do, I will be rich.”

Slowly, he tiptoed to the nearby bushes and hid behind them. After some time, the bird flew away to look for food. The hunter set up a trap in the tree and hid again.

When the bird returned, it did not see the trap and was caught in it. The hunter put it in a cage and was very happy. However, the bird Sindhuka, was very upset with her carelessness. She continuously repented her mistake but nothing could happen now. Only a stroke of luck could save her.

On the way back, to his home, the hunter thought to himself. “If I keep this bird, I will become really rich. I will buy a big house. I will marry a beautiful woman.” He began to smile. But then he thought, “People will take notice and they will come to know about my secret. They might report this

 to the king. The king will definitely punish me. I should rather go to the king myself and give him the bird. Then, he might give me a reward.”

So, the hunter went to the king and offered the bird as a present.

The king was amazed to hear his story. He was very happy and asked his ministers to take care of the bird. “Put her in a golden cage and feed it with the best food and give her water to drink.”

The ministers were, however, suspicious. They did not believe the hunter's story.

They shared their feelings with the king. “How is it possible that a bird's droppings can turn into gold? The hunter cannot be trusted. He has cooked up this story to take reward from you. He must be punished for cheating and the poor bird should be freed.”

The king thought about the ministers' advice. It seemed very genuine. How a bird's dropping could turn into gold? He felt very sad that he had believed the hunter. He ordered his guards to arrest the hunter and free the bird.

As soon as the bird was released, it flew up and sat on the gate. At that moment, the bird discharged its droppings, and to the surprise of the king and his ministers, it turned into gold.

The king realized his mistake and ordered his guards to catch the bird. But the bird was free. It had realized its mistake of being careless. So, it flew away so that nobody could catch it.

Moral: Carelessness can become a cage of misfortune.

Questions:

Q1. Why was the hunter feeling bad?

Q2. What strange things did the hunter see while he was resting?

Q 3. What was the hunter thinking after he caught the bird?

Q4. What advice did the ministers give the King?

Q5. What lesson did the bird learn?

Glossary

Tiptoed      : Walk quitely and carefully with one's heels raised and one's weight on the balls  of feet

Suspicious : Showing or having distrust of someone or something

 



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