The Little Mouse

Once upon a time there was a Baby Mouse and Mother Mouse. They lived in a hole in the skirting board in a big, warm house with lots of cheese to eat, where they wanted for nothing. Then, one day, Mother Mouse decided to take Baby Mouse outside of their home. Waiting outside for them was a huge ginger tomcat, licking it’s lips and waiting to eat them both up.

“Mother, Mother! What should we do?” Cried Baby Mouse, clinging to his mother’s tail. Mother Mouse paused, staring up into the beady eyes of the hungry cat. But she wasn't scared, because she knew exactly how to deal with big, scary cats. She opened her mouth and took in a deep breath.

“Woof! Woof! Bark bark bark!” She shouted, and the cat ran away as fast as he could. “Wow, Mother! That was amazing!” Baby Mouse said to his mother, smiling happily. “And that, my child, is why it is always best to have a second language.”

The Frogs & The Tower

(By Jennifer Fisher)

Once there was a bunch of tiny frogs. who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants.

The race began. Honestly, no-one in crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. One could hear statements such as: "Oh, WAY too difficult!!", "They will NEVER make it to the top". "Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!" The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one.

Except for those who in a fresh tempo were climbing higher and higher. The crowd continued to yell "It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!" More tiny frogs got tired and gave up. 

But ONE continued higher and higher and higher. This one wouldn't give up! At the end, everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top! 

THEN all the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to climb the tower? A contestant asked the tiny frog how the one who succeeded had found the strength to reach the goal? It turned out. That the winner was deaf.

Moral: Never listen to other people’s tendencies to be negative or pessimistic because they can take away your most wonderful dreams and wishes. Always think of the power which words have because everything you hear and read will affect your actions! Therefore, always be positive and above all, be deaf when people tell you that you cannot fulfil your dreams! Always think: “I can do this!”

The Woman and The Bread

A woman baked chapatti (roti) for members of her family and an extra one for a hungry passerby. She kept the extra chapatti on the window sill, for whosoever would take it away. Every day, a hunchback came and took away the chapatti. Instead of expressing gratitude, he muttered the following words as he went his way: “The evil you do remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!” This went on, day after day. Every day, the hunchback came, picked up the chapatti and uttered the words. “The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!” The woman felt irritated. “Not a word of gratitude,” she said to herself… “ Every Day this hunchback utters this jingle! What does he mean?” One day, exasperated, she decided to do away with him. “I shall get rid of this hunchback,” she said. 

And what did she do? She added poison to the chapatti she prepared for him! As she was about to keep it on the window sill, her hands trembled. “What is this I am doing?” she said. Immediately, she threw the chapatti into the fire, prepared another one and kept it on the window sill. As usual, the hunchback came, picked up the chapatti and muttered the words: “The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!” The hunchback proceeded on his way, blissfully unaware of the war raging in the mind of the woman.

Every day, as the woman placed the chapatti on the window sill, she offered a prayer for her son who had gone to a distant place to seek his fortune. For many months, she had no news of him. She prayed for his safe return. That evening, there was a knock on the door. As she opened it, she was surprised to find her son standing in the doorway. He had grown thin and lean. His garments were tattered and torn. He was hungry, starved and weak. As he saw his mother, he said, “Mom, it’s a miracle I’m here. While I was but a mile away, I was so famished that I collapsed. I would have died, but just then an old hunchback passed by. I begged of him for a morsel of food, and he was

kind enough to give me a whole chapatti. 

As he gave it to me, he said, “This is what I eat everyday: today, I shall give it to you, for your need is greater than mine!” ” As the mother heard those words, her face turned pale. She leaned against the door for support. She remembered the poisoned chapatti that she had made that morning. Had she not burnt it in the fire, it would have been eaten by her own son, and he would have lost his life!

It was then that she realised the significance of the words: “The evil you do remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!”

Moral: Do good and don't ever stop doing good, even if it is not appreciated at that time.

Sharpening Skills

Once there was a group of men - a young hot-blooded, strong chap and a big number of old folks, doing timber job (Wood cutting) in a jungle. This young chap is very hard working. He always continues to work through his break time and complains that those old folks were wasting time, taking break few times a day to drink and chat. 

The first day, the young woodcutter brought 15 trees. "Congratulations," the boss said, "Carry on with your work!" Highly motivated by the words of his boss, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he only could bring 10 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but he was only able to bring 7 trees. 

Day after day he was bringing less and less trees. As times goes by, this young chap noticed that even though he worked through break time and hardly took a rest, those old folks are chopping the same amount of trees as he did and sometimes did more than he did.

It was as if those old folks work through the break time as he did. So he decided to work harder the next day, unfortunately the results were even worse. "I must be losing my strength." The young woodcutter thought. 

One day, one of the old folk invited him for a drink during their break time. That young chap refused and said he has no extra time to spend! Then the old man smiled to him and said it was just a waste of effort to keep chopping trees without re-sharpening your Axe. Sooner or later you will give up or be so exhausted as you have spent too much energy. 

Suddenly the young chap realised that actually during break times while those old folks were having a chat, they were also re-sharpening their Axe at the same time! And that's how they can chop faster than him and yet spending lesser time! 

The old folk said what we need is efficiency by making use of our skill and ability intelligently. Only then can we have more times to do other things.

The Perfectionist

The Perfectionist

A gentleman once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God.

Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, “Do you need two statues of the same idol?”

“No,” said the sculptor without looking up, “We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage.”

The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage. “Where is the damage?” he asked.

“There is a scratch on the nose of the idol.” said the sculptor, still busy with his work.

“Where are you going to install the idol?”

The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high.

“If the idol is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?” the gentleman asked.

The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said,

“I know it and God knows it!”

Moral – The desire to excel should be exclusive of the fact whether someone appreciates it or not. Excellence is a drive from inside, not outside. 

Excel at a task today – not necessarily for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction.

Value Time

Value Time

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with Rs 86,400.
It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day.
What would you do?
Draw out every single rupee, of course!!!
Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME.
Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours.
There is no going back. There is no drawing against the “tomorrow”. You must live in the present on today’s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success!
The clock is running. Make the most of today.

To realize the value of one year, ask a student who has failed his final exam.

To realize the value of one month, ask the parent of a premature baby.

To realize the value of one week, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize the value of one day, ask a daily wage laborer who has a large family to feed.

To realize the value of one hour, ask lovers who are waiting to meet.

To realize the value of one minute, ask a person who has missed the train, the bus, or a plane.

To realize the value of one second, ask a person who has survived an accident.

To realize the value of one millisecond, ask the person who has won a silver medal at the Olympics.

Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time. And remember that time waits for no one.

Valentine Day in My Life

Today when i thought about valentine day in years related to my life, its more over a point to bring smile on my face. And this smile force me to write some thing here related to it. 33 years passed with 33 valentine days and each day has its significant meaning for me, for my friends, for my family and for my parents. here some for u all. Years wise valentine day and meaning for me in those years.

14 Feb 1981 - Don't know about it and i am sure mummy papa also don't know about it.

14 Feb 1982 - May be My Uncle(Mama) knew about it being an Engineer from IIT and found his soul mate in the same year.

14 Feb 1983 - Every one was busy in their life and My papa and mama got their new Girl-Friend as Daughters.

14 Feb 1984 - I was sill a child but found one for me in kinder garden, don't know about this special day but love to hear the song and dance "Nani teri morani ko more le gaye" from that lil one.

14 Feb 1985 - Shifted to Lucknow and loved to sit next to my new friend. can call in today's language Girl-Friend.

14 Feb 1986 - Still unaware of this day but love to exchange chocolates and toffees on b'day. 

14 Feb 1987 - Shifted to Saharanpur and become cuties boy of teachers and classmates, have more then 7 girls in class and only me.

14 Feb 1988 - Love being in company with my sweet, big, thin, fatty class mates and on their bday, also took my sis along and made her wait for me, so got scolded many a times by mummy and papa.

14 Feb 1989 - Now actress made a impact on me, as always search Punjab Keshari thursday edition for their pics which help to raise a boy in me. 

14 Feb 1990 - College change, a pure boys one but me came in touch with many boys with good or bad habits.

14 Feb 1991 - Always took a chance to go in debate and seminar which helped me to enter in girls college.

14 Feb 1992 - Yearly fairs in our college helped all of us to talk and watch the girls of all the college s in our College for a full week.

14 Feb 1993 - Friends teased me with the name Lala Mangeshkar and teachers loved me in morning prayer and song competitions.

14 Feb 1994 - News paper helped me to know about Valentine week and a sense of Love developed in me, but impact of "Dar" was always there. A good and studious guy didn't dare to do it.

14 Feb 1995 - Again get in touch with girls in tuition and they become a point of our daily gossips.

14 Feb 1996 - Still 14 feb didn't get any special meaning for me, beside a bold and sweet touch of a girl in tuition, which force me to change the timing. Good boy can't do it. "Dar" and "Sanskar" force me. 

14 Feb 1997 - Tuition classes off. Teachers was in full of tension if any thing happens wrong. We stayed at home watching TV.

14 Feb 1998 - Even Degree College was Closed, Involved in next day gossip about Pairs and didn't miss to say "Kash apana bhi koi hota".

14 Feb 1999 - It was a Limit Man, Could you imagine Engineering College was off on the same day. Purchased a Rose for the next day meet but unable to collect courage and choose one for me as all are engaged or chosen by others.

14 Feb 2000 - Love in the Air - "Kash Koi Ladaki Mujhe Pyar Karati".

14 Feb 2001 - I still remember the song  from Vijay(My Friend) - "Pyar Manga Hai Tumhi se Na Inkaar Karo". but still didn't dare to do or ask.

14 Feb 2002 - My Friends provocation, teasing, forcing, Last year of College, Love, Desire. Unable to think anything else. But "Dar" was still there in mind and life path with responsibilities.

14 Feb 2003 - College life ends, Work life start, being in IIT as a research engineer only watching others(Students) to do research on "Love". No scope for us.

14 Feb 2004 - One scope came but IIT Life ends here. "Ek Anar Sou Bimar". All were gossiping but no one can open his heart. And a Best Friend !!!!! Never.

14 Feb 2005 - Delhi Life/Yahoo Chat/Group Chats. wow so much opportunities but still matching problem as kya kare yaar kahi frequency match hi nahi hoti OR can say no one was free in delhi to give us time to match frequency.

14 Feb 2006 - Desperate to enjoy on this day but no chance. All were already busy. still guts was missing. UP ka chhora.

14 Feb 2007 - Finally in search of my own soul mate, where no guts or "Dar" has its place.

14 Feb 2008 - Search was on every where, Matrimonial Sites, Office, Social Sites, Roads, Malls etc. Developed  a feeling that to love those who love me first as its learned from exp. "Angur Khatte hote hai".

14 Feb 2009 - At Last search ends. Got sole mate with 2 bonus. "I Love You" Oops mere kan kab se taras rahe the for these 3 magical words. Finally i got a meaning for this special day.

14 Feb 2010 - Exploded with all love stored in my Heart and life and enjoyed this day as fullest as we can.

14 Feb 2011 - Now number of GF increases with one sweet and cute Ivy "My Daughter".

14 Feb 2012 - All day enjoyed with full of love and care. Ivy loved to hug and kiss with teasing her mother.

14 Feb 2013 - Happy Valentine Day Pappu -"Ivy"

Tried to write as much truth as i can .... :):)

Amit Kumar Shrivastava