1. Unity is Strength.

One day all the parts of the body were arguing as to who was the most
important and greatest of them all. Each part of the body felt that it was
indispensable and made fun of the others.

THE Hand felt that it did all the hard work and so it was very important
to man. The Leg felt that man could only move because of it and hence it
was very crucial for his existence. The teeth claimed that it chewed all the
food and helped man to live a healthy life.

Every part of the body thus went on and on claiming that each one was
more important than the other. It led to a big argument and all the parts
decided to go on strike.

“I won’t carry a thing." said the Hand.

“I won't walk any further." said the Leg.

The Teeth stopped chewing food and the Mouth refused to take in food or
water. With the result that the body became very weak in just a couple of
days. Since the Stomach stopped receiving any food it could not energize
the other parts of the body and there was no proper blood flow in the
body. The body was nearing a state of collapse.

It was then that all the parts of the body realized how stupid they had
been. They understood that they were not really important as individual
parts and had to function cohesively to maintain a healthy body. They
decided that henceforth they would all work together as one healthy body
and stop fighting among them. They realized that each one was important
in their own way and unity always resulted in strength. Thereafter all the
parts of the body did their respective works regularly. This resulted in
better coordination. Soon the body recovered from its weekness and
became active as it was once few days back.

We all have to learn a lesson from this episode. United we stand and
divided we fall.
*We can overcome even the toughest problems if every one of us unite
and work together. A King can conquer an enemy only if his army is
united. Similarly for any task, concerted efforts from all concerned will
help complete it successfully. Instead of wasting our strength, effort and
time in doing a job individually, if a group of people plan and work, they
can complete the task faster and better.

2. You can not judge a book by its cover.

When Anbu was selected to be the School Pupil Leader by the Principal
many doubts were raised about his capabilities by the teachers and staff.
He was a new student who had joined the school only that year and the
teachers preferred somebody who was popular to be elected as the SPL.
Anbu was a tall, thin and quiet boy who had just started making friends in
school. Although everyone knew that he was good at studies, he did not
seem to be a very dynamic person and certainly did not impress with his
looks.

But Mrs. Sathya, the Principal, was very adamant and told the teachers
that Anbu was a boy with many hidden talents who could inspire and lead
the other students by example.

A few months later Anbu proved that the Principal had indeed been right
in her judgment. Since Anbu was very good at singing and debating, the
school won prizes at all the inter-school cultural events unfailingly. Anbu
was selected to lead the Tamilnadu Contingent in NCC at New Delhi for
the Republic Day Parade and won many medals in shooting and
extracurricular activities. He was selected as the Best Cadet and the State
won the Best Contingent Award under his leadership and he returned
home to a hero’s welcome.

*This proverb means that it is not right to judge someone or something

merely by appearance. Just because the cover of a book is beautiful or
attractive, it does not mean that the content inside will be of immense
value and vice versa. An ordinary looking book may contain invaluable
information. To realize that, one has to read the book fully. Similarly one
has to interact with a person before deciding on his capabilities, character
and talent.

3. You Can Lead a Horse to Water But You Cannot Make it Drink.

Once there was a boy called Rohit who was very good at sports. He loved
to play all outdoor games like football and tennis but his favorite game
was cricket. He played for the school team and performed excellently in
every match. Every one who saw his play was sure that he would one day
become a great cricketer.

But the only problem with Rohit was that he never paid attention to
cleanliness. His mother and his teachers tried their best to make him
realize the importance of cleanliness but to no avail.

“Rohit, please have your bath before you sit down to eat," his mother
would say every time when he returned home from a match or a practice
session.

But Rohit would always ignore the good advice and start eating with his
unclean hands. This made his mother very angry because he often fell
sick due to infections.

One day Rohit was informed by his school principal that he had to appear
for the selections of the Under-12 State Cricket Team. Rohit was very
excited since it was a great opportunity to realize his dream of playing for
the State. The whole school was proud of Rohit since they knew that he
would certainly get selected.

But on the day of the trial Rohit found himself down with high fever and
diarrhea. The doctor said that Rohit had severe stomach infection and that
he was in no position to go for the trials. Rohit was completely shattered
and in tears. He realized what a costly mistake he had made in not
listening to his mother’s advice on cleanliness. His foolishness had made
him lose a golden opportunity. He had to wait for another such
opportunity to get selected for the State Cricket Team. From that day
Rohit decided that he would put in his best efforts to keep himself and his
surroundings absolutely clean.
*The proverb stresses the fact that the learned and the wise are always
witting to help us with useful advice. We should take this advice
seriously and mould ourselves for the better. We need to put in our efforts
to make best use of their advice, ideas and suggestions to lead a
successful life. No one can bring about positive changes in our life unless
we are open to accept it. Others can only show us the means and
opportunities. It is up to us to utilize them. Here the term HORSE is used
just as an euphemism.

4. Where there is a will there is a way.

“Your son Tommy is too stupid to learn. Get him out of school." - This
was the note that the teacher sent in a little boy’s pocket as he walked
home one day.

The boy’s mother decided to teach the little boy herself from that day.
Today we just cannot imagine life without his inventions. Although at
that time his mother did not realize that he would achieve so much yet,
she kept goading him on and the little boy is remembered to this day with
love and gratitude for his genius and scientific discoveries. He is Thomas
Alva Edison. A fact that many people may not know is that Edison had
only three months of formal schooling and he was partially deaf too.

*This proverb is very important to every one of us since it drives across a

very important truth - if we have the resolve then we can surmount any
difficulty in file.

5. Too many cooks spoil the broth.

The annual day function of any school is an event that everyone looks
forward to since it’s a time to celebrate the achievement of the school in
various fields of activities. It was the same at Aravind’s school too, where
he worked as the Maths teacher. It was going to be different this time
since the entertainment part of the function was to be organized by the
students themselves. The Principal had asked the teachers to coordinate
with the students and had appointed a representative each, for the teachers
and for the students.

Mr. Mathew was the teacher-representative, a man who did not believe in
giving students so much responsibility. The students on their part had
agreed to organize everything in their enthusiasm but had no idea on how
to go about it in an organized way.

The day of the function arrived. The students in their enthusiasm had
concentrated on the costumes and music but had completely forgotten
every aspect of stage management. Each group thought that the other was
looking after those details.

With the result that the curtains got stuck midway through giving rise to
some hilarious moments as the audience could clearly see all that was
going on backstage. Fear and tension confused the students further
messing up the programme.

But luckily the Chief Guest for the evening was a very nice person who
understood the situation clearly. He encouraged the students and told
them not to get depressed by the turn of events and told them to learn
valuable lessons which would help them do better next time. Things
would have worked out well if everyone had been assigned specific jobs
instead of the entire student lot getting involved. It was clearly a case of
TOO MANY COOKS SPOILING THE BROTH.

*If too many people are invoked in cooking a particular dish each might
add a different ingredient which, in the end, spoils the entire dish.
Likewise when too many people take up a job or project, they are likely
to make a mess of it due to lack of coordination. Unless there is proper
planning and demarcation of responsibility, the job will not be done. This
is the meaning of this proverb.
6. The leopard can not change his spots.

Once there was a jackal that went to a village in search of food and
accidentally fell into a tub containing blue colour dye. The jackal looked
pretty strange since it was blue in colour and all the animals in the forest
ran away in fright. The animals in the forest called for a meeting to
discuss about strange looking animal - not realizing that it was only the
Jackal. They unanimously decided to keep away from the blue creature.

The cunning jackal decided to take advantage of the situation and

declared that he was sent to earth by God to rule over as the King of the
forest and asked all the animals to obey him. The frightened animals
agreed immediately. The jackal was scared that his fellow jackals might
find out his true identity and banished all of them from the kingdom.

The poor jackals had nowhere to go and were very upset. They guessed
that the strange blue creature was indeed a jackal and wanted to teach him
a lesson for treating his fellow beings so badly.

They came up with a plan. The oldest and wisest of them said. “Let us all
howl collectively. If he is a jackal then he cannot resist his innate nature
and he too will start howling." All these jackals waited for an opportunity
to reveal the natural characters of the Blue Jackal to other animals in the
forest. As waited for, the opportunity came for their help.

So one day when the Blue Jackal was presiding over his court, all the
banished jackals started howling together. The Blue jackal forgot for a
moment that IT was THE King and responded immediately. When the
other animals realized that they had been cheated by the cunning jackal
they pounced on him and chased him away.

However the jackal tried to cheat other animals in the forest, the fact it
was nothing but only a jackal came to light for the simple reason that the
jackal could not conceal its natural tendency.

*This proverb means that one cannot change one’s basic nature. A
leopard cannot take away the spots it has. The leopard is identified and
has exclusivity only because of its spots. Similarly we cannot change the
basic characteristic that one is endowed with. It may seem to disappear
from time to time but will soon resurface.
6. The grass is greener on the other side of the fence.

Raj had always dreamt of working in the USA. It was his long time
ambition to study abroad and also find employment there. He was not
happy to stay and work in India. He was always complaining about the
living conditions, corruption, pollution, population and traffic. He forever
spoke highly about the disciplined life, working culture, clean
surroundings and economic opportunities that other countries had to
offer.

In short Raj thought that living abroad was the best way to earn money
and enjoy a lavish lifestyle. So when he got an offer to work in the USA,
he readily grabbed the opportunity.

Raj enjoyed his stay in the US during the first few months. The new
surroundings and varied landscape were a source of great wonder and
excitement for him. But slowly he realized that he was missing Indian
food. He realized that people abroad led a very mechanical life and there
was no interaction between neighbours. Since everyone gave too much
importance to privacy and individual space, people were not really close
to one another. Raj felt very lonely because of this. He also understood
that he would always be treated as a second citizen - an outsider - there.

Although one could earn a lot of money and stay in clean surroundings,
Raj realized that things like family camaraderie, colourful festivities that
we have in India, the variety in food, clothes, culture and entertainment
were all missing there. He was missing the very crowds that he had
complained about.

It was then that he realized that every place and situation had its own
advantages and disadvantages. It is foolish to compare people, places or
things. Each has a distinct feature. We always think that the other side
looks more appealing. Only when you experience you realize that
everywhere there are problems to be faced and issues to be solved. So the
best way to be happy is to stay contented and stop grumbling.

*The grass always look green from afar. Only when you go closer will
you realize that it is not so. Similarly this proverb simply goes to say that
one must always be content with what one has and not keep comparing it
with what others have.

When we are not happy with what we have, then what the other person
possesses always looks better. Only when we place ourselves in their
position will we realize that everyone has their own set of problems and
difficulties.

8.The end justifies the means.

Once there was a crow that lived with his wife in a huge tree in the jungle.
The couple led a peaceful life until a large green snake make appeared
and decided to stay in the hollow of the same tree. That’s when all the
trouble started. When the crows went out in search of food, the snake
would sneak up the tree and eat up their eggs and the little ones.

The crow couple was very upset and sad because of this. But they did not
know how to fight the evil snake. They went to the wise owl living in the
neighboring tree and sought his help. The wise owl said, "You can win
over your enemy – the snake only if you are cunning. So stop worrying
and follow my plan."

The next day the crow flew down to the palace and found the ladies of the
royal family having their bath at the royal pool. They had kept all their
jewels in a comer. The crow picked up an expensive diamond necklace
and flew away.

The guards at the palace chased the crow. The crow dropped the necklace
in the hollow of the tree where the snake lived. The crow knew that once
the guards found the snake they would definitely kill it. The guards went
to retrieve the necklace from the hollow of the tree as the crow had
expected.

They disturbed the snake and it started hissing at them and the guards
were frightened of the snake. They killed the snake and took the necklace
out. Thus the crow got rid of the evil snake and lived in peace. The crow
went to the wise owl and thanked it for its witty idea to get rid of the
snake which was killing the future of the crow.
Although the snake did not steal the necklace it had to pay the price for
being evil at heart.

*At times certain problems can be solved only by following wrong or

unfair means. Although it could appear to be unfair, ultimately the result
it brings will be beneficial for all concerned. In order to put down evil
forces one will have to resort to means that may appear a bit wrong at
times. The benefit achieved in the end will be so huge and good that the
means employed will seem justified. Of course, care must be taken to see
that no one is unduly hurt in the process.
9. The Early Bird Catches the Worm.

Daya was a vegetable vendor in a small village. The vegetables and fruits
that he sold in his shop were always fresh and everyday there were loads
of people frequenting his shop. Daya opened his shop much before the
others and invariably all his stocks were exhausted by noon and he went
home a happy man with a bag full of money. This caused a lot of jealousy
among the other vendors in the market because the crowd was always
more in Daya’s shop than in theirs. They agreed that his stocks were fresh
but never really understood the reason.

The other vendors decided to spy on Daya to find out the reason for his
success. So one afternoon they followed him as he closed his shop for the
day. Daya went home, rested and then set out in his bullock cart by
evening to the nearby town where the wholesale market was located.
Daya rested there for the night and got up very early in the morning and
bought all the stocks that he required and returned to his village before
sunrise. This way he was able to get fresh stocks from the wholesale
market at cheaper rates and open his shop much before the others.
Moreover there was no wastage since he could sell all his stocks.

The other vendors realized that the secret behind Daya's success was his
hard work and good planning. He made sure he was well ahead of all the
others in procuring the vegetables so that he got fresh stocks, even if it
meant sacrificing his sleep. Daya was well aware that to succeed one had
to grab opportunities at the earliest because that was the only way to have
an edge over the others.

Other vendors in the same market where Daya sells his vegetables now
understood the reason for the success of Daya. They started to follow the
methods of Daya in order to make success.

*The proverb literally means that when there are many birds vying with
each other to catch a single worm, the bird that arrives early has the best
chance of catching the worm. Similarly in life a person must be well
ahead of others in terms of efforts or preparation. Only then can he make
best use of the limited opportunities that are available. One must plan
well in advance and grab at chances before the others arrive. Only then
can success be yours.

10.Stitch in Time Saves Nine

Once there was a tailor bird called Chirpy who lived on a big mango tree.
Chirpy was a busy little bird who took good care of his family. He was
always flitting in and out of his cozy little nest looking for insects to feed
his little ones or collecting grass to strengthen his nest from the
approaching winter. In the same tree lived Chintu - the crow - who was
very lazy and spent all his time sleeping or gossiping with the other birds
in the neighbourhood.

Many a times Chirpy told Chintu, “Please repair your nest. The monsoon
is soon approaching and the heavy winds could blow it away."

“You worry too much Chirpy. You must learn to enjoy life. I can get it
done in a jiffy. After all it is a small hole," Chintu would say.

As the days went by, the hole in Chintu’s nest grew bigger and bigger and
it was in danger of falling apart. One day there was heavy thunder and
lightning and it started raining. It was then that Chintu realised that his
family was in grave danger.

He flew from tree to tree looking for twigs and tiny sticks to repair his
nest. While Chirpy sat snugly in his nest. Chintu flew helter shelter to
save his home and almost collapsed in exhaustion. Finally Chirpy also
gave a helping hand and helped Chintu rebuild his nest. Chintu realised
his foolishness and promised never again to postpone any work that
required immediate attention. Thereafter the crow Chintu did all those
things when the time requires immediate attention and action. Both the
Chirpy and the Chintu lived happily as friends.

*This proverb simply means that it requires only a few stitches to repair a
small tear in a garment. But if you ignore it, the tear will become bigger
requiring more stitches. This means that you have to put in more efforts
to get it mended. Similarly, in life, it is better to tackle all problems at an
early stage. Delay in finding a solution for a problem only complicates it
further making it difficult to undo the knots.

Tiny problem that can be solved easily develops into a huge one when we
ignore it, thus giving rise to confusion and loss of precious time and
energy in untangling it. There is a small story to illustrate the point.

11.Spare The Rod and Spoil The Child.

There was once a little boy who was very intelligent but who was a
kleptomaniac. He had the bad habit of stealing things from people. Right
from notebooks to pencils, from footwear to food in lunch boxes, he was
always stealing things. His mother thought that her son was
extraordinarily skilled and never scolded him or told him that what he
was doing was wrong. So the boy thought that his actions were all correct
and quietly carried on.

What just started as fun slowly developed into an addiction and soon he
graduated into bigger thefts. Soon he became an expert thief and was
feared by all in the village. One day he was caught in the act of stealing
and the judges after enquiring into his crimes decided that he should be
punished severely so that others would also learn a valuable lesson.

On the appointed day as he was being taken away to be whipped in public,

the thief was asked if he wished to meet anyone before being taken away.
He wanted to know if he could see his mother. His wish was granted.

When he met his mother the thief shouted at her with utter disrespect
much to the shock and astonishment of the onlookers.

When asked for the reason he said, “I know what I did is wrong. But I
want all the mothers in this world to take this as a lesson. My mother
should have disciplined me as a child when I got into the wrong path. If
she had guided me properly, I would not have become a thief. But she did
not do her duty well. So here I am as a seasoned criminal in front of you
now."

On hearing this, his mother realized her mistake and went and pleaded to
the judges to reduce her son’s punishment since she was partly
responsible for his becoming a thief.

The judges listened to her patiently and then told her, "The law of the
land is the same for every one. Since your son and you have both realized
your mistake we can take this as a special case and change the nature of
the punishment."

On hearing this, the thief's mother hugged him and begged him for
forgiveness.

*Parents have to be strict when it comes to instilling good values in their

children. If they are soft, the children will not be disciplined in life.
SPARE THE ROD literally does not refer to sparing the child from
physical beatings. It means not being strict enough. Children should be
given freedom but at the same time they should also be taught to value it.

12.Self-help is the Best Help.

Suresh was a final year student of Engineering who was exceptionally

brilliant in academics. He was a scholarship student since his parents who
were tailors could not afford to pay for his studies. Suresh also did part
time jobs. He saved money and thus earned for his higher studies. He
worked as a pizza delivery boy in the evenings.

One day he was delivering pizzas to the inmates of a huge bungalow

when there was a power failure. Confusion prevailed and Suresh offered
to check the fuse since he suspected a problem there. In a few minutes he
had the fuse wire changed and the inmates of the house were very happy
and thankful to him for setting things right. They struck a conversation
with him and were surprised to find that he was an engineering student.
He also told them that he was to receive a Gold medal for his academic
performance at the convocation the following day.

The next day at the convocation Suresh was called to the stage to receive
his medals. The Chief Guest who was a very prominent industrialist came
to the mike and had this to say…. “I am very inspired by the motivation
levels of this young boy. Despite so many constraints he has had the will
to work hard and achieve excellence. He is a brilliant example of how
youngsters should be. As a token of my appreciation I have decided that I
will undertake all expenses for his higher studies abroad and encourage
him in whatever he wants to pursue in future."

There was thunderous applause from the audience and Suresh’s parents
were overjoyed on hearing this. It was only then that Suresh realized that
he had delivered pizzas at the industrialist’s house the previous evening.
The industrialist had listened to Suresh's conversation with his wife and it
was a wonderful coincidence that he was to be the Chief Guest at the
convocation function.

Someone came forward to help Suresh because helped himself in his

studies by taking part time job.

*We must at all times try to help ourselves and not wait for others to
come to our aid When we put in our best efforts, we can be rest assured
that our problems will be surely solved through some good persons or
external forces. Instead, if we are lazy and expect others to understand
our problems or come to our aid, we will never overcome our obstacles.

13. Pride goes Before a Fall.

Once there was a beautiful antelope that lived in a forest. He

was very proud of his antlers and knew that it helped him look
majestic. The antelope would feel very proud whenever other
animals stopped by to have a look at him. He always thought
that he was a special creation and all the other creatures were no
match for him in looks.

But he was always discontented about his legs. He thought his

legs were too thin and wished he had better-looking legs. His
attitude was so haughty that the other animals did not befriend
him at all. No one really liked or respected him although they
did agree that he was a very good-looking antelope.

One day as he was quenching his thirst in a lake the antelope

suddenly heard the sound of hunters nearby. He had been too
busy admiring his reflection in the water that he had not heard
the sound of the hunters earlier. Fear gripped him and he ran as
fast as he could. The hunters were closing in on him but his legs
were so powerful that he was much faster than them.

As he ran through the trees his antlers got caught in the branches
of a tree and the antelope could not run further. He struggled to
free his antlers and could hear the hunters getting closer. It was
then that he realized that what he had all along thought of being
his best feature was actually getting him into trouble. Whereas
his legs which he had always looked down upon was actually
saving his life.

Luckily with a little struggle the antelope was able to free its
antlers from the branches and run to safety. The antelope
realized at that moment that its pride had almost cost its life. All
along, it had been very proud of its antlers and was blind to the
dangers that it might bring about. Now it realized the value of
being humble and was happy to be alive. Thereafter the antelope
always thought very high of its legs.
*People are never fond of anyone who is proud, over confident
or over bearing. It is better to be humble than to have a
superiority complex Invariably pride not only brings your
downfall but also makes you look foolish. But people who are
proud realize this only when they face a grave situation in life
and the experience teaches them a valuable lesson.

14. Opportunity knocks only once.

RAMAN was famous in Tenali for his wit and humour. But he
wanted to become very rich and become a Minister in the court
of King Krishnadevaraya. He heard that the King's Chief
Rajguru Thathachariar was visiting a nearby town. Raman went
and met him with a set of poems that he had written. The Chief
Minister was very impressed and told Raman that he should one
day adorn the court of the King. RAMAN RETURNED home
feeling elated.

Weeks passed and there was no news from the Rajguru. Raman
decided to go and visit the Rajguru. When the Rajguru saw him
he was surprised that Raman had taken his words so seriously
and chased him away. But Raman was not one to give up He
was just waiting for an opportunity to prove his worth to the
King.

THE next day Raman was present at the court where a famous
magician was entertaining the King and his courtiers. At the end
of the show the magician challenged anyone present in the court
to come and defeat him. The King was ashamed as no one came
forward including the Rajguru. Just then Raman stood up and
declared that he could challenge the magician. The King
promised Raman a bag of gold if he won the challenge.

Raman then proceeded to whisper something to the guard who

went out and soon came back and handed over a bag to Raman.
Raman told the magician, “I am now going to do a trick with my
eyes closed. But you must do the same trick with your eyes
open." The magician agreed without a second thought.

Raman at once took a handful of sand that was in the bag and
put it over his closed eyes. The magician immediately accepted
defeat since he knew he could not put sand inside his eyes. The
King was very happy with Raman and gave him a bag of gold
and appointed him as one of his ministers then and there. Thus
Raman utilized the opportunity that came his way and made
good use of it.
*We must make the best use of an opportunity when it comes
our way. We may not get a second chance. So we have to be
alert and identify an opportunity, grasp it as it comes along and
make the best use of it. When there are hundreds of people
looking for the same opportunity, we have to be intelligent
enough to realize its value and act accordingly.

15. Necessity is the mother of invention.

Tenali Raman was a court jester of King Krishnadevaraya of
Vijaya Nagar. He was well known for his quick wit and
intelligence and his fame spread far and wide. Once there was a
very learned and famous saint who was passing through the
Vijaya Nagar Kingdom.

Tenali Raman was not very convinced about the greatness of the
saint and made fun of him. This angered King Krishnadevaraya
very much and he ordered his guards to take Raman outside the
city and bury him in a neck-deep pit and have an elephant crush
his head.

The guards did as they were told. Raman wanted to escape from
the punishment and was trying to find a way out of the tricky
situation. He knew he did not have much time since the guards
had gone for lunch and had decided to bring an elephant on their
way back.

Raman saw a washer man who had a hunchback returning from

the river bank with some clothes. The washer man thought that
Raman was a saint when he saw him neck-deep in the sand and
sought his blessings.

Raman suddenly got an idea and said. ‘I am just a washer man

like you and not a saint. I also have a hunchback like you
because of carrying heavy loads of clothes. A saint asked me to
try this remedy and that is why I am under the sand. If you dig
me out you can also get your back straightened.’

The innocent washer man believed what Raman said and dug
him out. He buried himself in the sand. Raman escaped from
there. After a while the washer man saw the guards walking
towards him with an elephant. He started screaming. The guards
realized that Raman had escaped and reported it back to the king.
The king was at first angry but later realized Raman’s wisdom
and presence of mind to get out of a tricky situation was indeed
amazing and pardoned him.

The necessity of the Tenali Raman to escape from the trap is

what motivated him to think of an idea to distract himself from
the situation.
*History has proved that great inventions have always been
made in emergency situations. When a grave necessity arises,
man has always come up with a new invention to manage the
situation. Similarly our presence of mind is very important when
we are faced with unusual threats in real life. Finding quick and
intelligent solutions can only get you out of a messy situation.

16. Many hands many work light.

Once there was a village that was situated on the slopes of huge
rocky mountain. During the monsoon time it was very common
to witness landslides in the area. Huge boulders of rock came
sliding down and often fell on the roads blocking traffic for
hours together. One night the rumbling sound and the crashing
sound that followed indicated to the villagers that a boulder had
come rolling down the hill side. When the villagers ran out they
found that a huge boulder of rock had fallen across the railway
track. It was so dark that the boulder was hardly visible and it
was sure to spell disaster to the trains passing that way. The
villagers checked the time and were relieved to realize that the
last passenger train for that evening would have already passed.
So that gave them time to remove boulder.

Just as they went about informing the government officials

about the emergency situation, one of the villagers came running
and informed them that the last train had not passed by since it
had got delayed due to poor visibility and they could expect it
any time. The villagers were alarmed on hearing this and
immediately got into action. They gathered as many people from
the village as possible and tried to push the boulder but to no
avail. They knew they had to warn the oncoming train. It had
stopped raining. So they gathered loads of twigs and started a
big fire some distance away from the boulder so that the train
driver would stop the train on seeing it.

As planned the train driver applied the brakes on seeing the fire.
The villagers explained the situation and all the passengers came
forward to help. With a large number of hands available to help,
they removed the huge rock in a short time and the train was
able to proceed to its destination without any problem.
*When efforts are taken by all of us to solve a problem, it
becomes ready easy. When many of us handle a task, however
big or complicated, it automatically gets done in a short time.
The term LIGHT WORK used here does not necessarily refer to
physical work. It refers to simplifying a task that otherwise
seems tough. It is to be used in general terms and relates to
finding a solution to any type of problem or puzzle.
17. Make hay while the sun shines.
Once there lived a grasshopper with his family. All summer
when the sun was shining and the grass was green the
grasshopper family enjoyed themselves singing and dancing and
making merry. Food was available in plenty and the lush green
surroundings made them enjoy a lazy lifestyle.

In direct contrast was the ant family that worked tirelessly all
day in transporting food and storing it all up in the ant hill.

Father grasshopper made fun of the ants saying, “Why don't you
ants enjoy the beauty of summer instead of slogging like this?
Don’t you ever enjoy life?’

The Father ant would smile and reply, “Friend, if we don't work
hard now we cannot survive the winter. Food is available in
plenty now. It is wise to store it for future use. Aren't you
worried about winter?"

‘There is still a lot of lime for winter. You worry too much. I
can’t slog like you," said the grasshopper.

Soon winter came along and the entire place was covered with
snow. Food was scarce and all the creatures ran in search of
warm places. The grasshopper family was desperate to find food
but could not find any. They saw the ant family enjoying
themselves in their cozy warmth of their home eating steaming
hot food all the time.

Father grasshopper went to the ant’s house and requested them

to be allowed inside. But father ant said, “You were lazy when it
was time to work and made fun of me. Now we have enough
food to see us through winter. We do not have extra food for
guests. I am very sorry".

In disappointment, the father grasshopper returned to its place.

The other grasshoppers also spent their winter days with very
little food and starved for want of food. They felt sorry for their
lack of vision.

The grasshopper repented for his laziness and realized that

working hard at the right time paid rich dividends. It felt
depressed that it had let go of opportunities that would have
helped it live comfortably through the winter months.
*We can dry grass and make it into hay only when the sun
shines. Hay cannot he made in the rainy season. It requires
bright sunshine. Similarly we must carefully analyze the
experiences that come our way and convert them into
opportunities that will help us grow. One must make the best use
of any situation and draw the best out of it.

18. Look Before you Leap.

Long time ago a group of frogs lived happily in a well. Since the
monsoon failed that year, there was no rain and all the ponds
and wells were drying up. The frogs got together and decided to
move to a better habitat that had plenty of water. The oldest and
the wisest of the frogs warned the younger frogs to be careful
while choosing their homes. Sticky and Slimy were two naughty
little frogs who never listened to the elders.

“You have to be aware of the dangers that surround us. So you

have to be careful, little ones. The water could be poisonous or
there could be dangerous predators like...." even before
grandfather frog could finish Sticky and Slimy hopped away at
great speed in search of a living place.

They soon came across a deep pond which had plenty of water.
They gladly jumped into the pond extremely pleased with
themselves at having found a lovely home before the others did.
They croaked loudly and swam from one end of the pond to the
other. Sticky and Slimy did not notice that there was a crocodile
in the pond. All the noise they had made had woken up the
crocodile that was fast asleep. Angered at being disturbed, the
crocodile came to the surface of the pond with a loud swish of
its tail.

The sudden movement threw Sticky out of the pond and Slimy
found himself sitting on the back of the crocodile. Slimy had
never seen such a huge animal before and was trembling in
fright. Just then the older frogs that had come looking for the
two naughty frogs found them in this extremely dangerous
situation. Grandfather frog quickly drew a plan.

He threw a stick in to the water to distract the crocodile and

asked Slimy to swim to the bank. All the frogs then hopped
away to safety. The two naughty frogs learnt a very important
lesson that day which they never forgot in their life.
*It is very wrong to take hasty decisions. We must always look
at the advantages and disadvantages before attempting any kind
of work. Literally the proverb means that we should always look
at our next step. One should not blindly jump into anything
without considering the dangers or disadvantages that could be
in store for us.

It is always better to enquire, evaluate and then take action.

19. It takes a thief to catch a thief.
Tenali Raman was a very famous Minister and a favorite of
King Krishnadevaraya. A lot of people were jealous of his
popularity with the king and plotted to get rid of him. They
decided to put the plan into action through the royal gardener
who was very close to the king. The gardener one day told the
king that Goddess Kali had appeared in his dream and told him
that unless a very intelligent person like Raman was sacrificed
to appease the Gods, the kingdom will be ruined.

The king immediately called Raman and told him about it. The
king decided that Raman should be thrown into an old unused
well at the end of the town and left to die without food and
water. Raman immediately knew that something was amiss but
readily agreed to obey the king’s order. In the meantime Raman
quietly ordered a few close friends of his to dig a tunnel from
the well under the cover of darkness as an escape route. On the
appointed day Raman was dropped into the well. The king felt
very sad that he had to sacrifice his favorite Minister in this
manner to save his kingdom.

Raman quickly escaped through the tunnel and hid himself in

his house for a couple of days. On the third day Raman appeared
in court much to the astonishment of the king and his courtiers.
The king was angry and asked Raman why he had escaped from
the well.

Raman quickly replied, “Your Highness. I was sent back from

heaven by Goddess Kali who wanted you to send the royal
gardener to heaven as they did not have a skilled gardener
there."

The gardener immediately realized Raman had indeed outwitted

all of them and ran to the king and begged for forgiveness. The
king was very angry and ordered the gardener and all the
ministers behind the sinister plot to be thrown into prison.
Raman was smart enough to guess the manner in which a
cunning mind will work and plan accordingly. He had to think
like a criminal himself in order to catch the people who were
plotting against him. It was Raman’s intelligence and quick
thinking that saved his life in the end.
*In order to catch a thief or a criminal we must know how their
mind works. Only then we can trick them into being caught. So
unless we think like a thief we will not be able to gauge his
actions and be prepared to counter it and make him fall into our
trap. The proverb does not in any way recommend one to be a
thief. It only says that we have to be aware of how the mind of a
thief operates and plan accordingly to catch him.

20. If You want a friend be a friend.

Once there was an eagle that lived on a tree along with its
family. There were also some monkeys that lived in the same
tree and they all lived together in peace. On a stormy night a
hare came along shivering in the cold along with its family and
requested permission to live in the hollow of the same tree. The
monkey and the eagle readily agreed to it and welcomed the
hare family with open arms. The hare thanked them profusely
and settled down in the hollow with its family. As the days went
by they all became good friends.

One day a hawk came to visit his friend the eagle and soon
noticed that there was a hare living in the hollow of the tree. The
hawk also saw that the hare had a few babies in its nest. The
evil-minded hawk immediately told his friend the eagle that
baby hares are very tasty to eat and that the eagle should have
them once for lunch.

The eagle was now filled with evil thoughts too and wanted to
eat the baby hares. When the father and mother hare went
looking for food the next day, the eagle quickly stole a baby
hare and took it to its nest. On seeing this, father hare was very
furious and requested the eagle to return the innocent baby. But
the eagle thought that the hare was too weak and small to harm
it in any way and refused to return the baby to the hare. When
the monkey family heard of this they got furious and pleaded
with the eagle to return the baby hare. When it refused to do so,
the monkey and the hare got together and picked up a few twigs
and threatened to set the tree on fire. The eagle realized its
stupidity and immediately returned the baby hare. The eagle
then chased the hawk away for spoiling its true friendship with
the monkey and the hare.

*If we are kind to people they will also be kind to us. If we think
of harming others through bad deeds, we will have to face bad
times ourselves. We must never wish that bad events must occur
in other people’s dives. This is the basic principle that rules our
lives. If we are a sincere friend to others, they too will
reciprocate and be friendly with us. We only get back, what we
give.

So we must always make sure that we do good to others.

21. Honey catches more flies than vinegar does.

Once upon a time there was a farmer who lived in a small

cottage by the woods. He was very old but was a very
kind-hearted gentleman who looked after any animal that lost its
way or was injured. He fed them and gave them shelter and
nursed their wounds. Apart from his own cows, dogs and
poultry, he had an assortment of animals including a horse, a
couple of deer, a porcupine, a few cats and rabbits living in his
barn. He treated them like his own children and they all lived
together as one happy family.

One day the farmer had to travel to the next town and informed
all the animals to look after the cottage safely. The animals
loved the old man dearly and cheerfully agreed to it. All the
animals took turn to keep watch. In the middle of the night the
dogs that were keeping watch came and woke up the rest of
them, saying that they had found a few burglars trying to break
their way into the cottage. Since the burglars were armed, the
animals decided they would all have to act collectively to
outsmart the burglars.

They hatched a plan. Just as the deer and the rabbits distracted
the attention of the burglars all the animals rushed in and
attacked them with all their might. The cats scratched them and
the dogs bit them. The cows charged at the burglars and threw
them down and the horse kicked them while the porcupine
poked them. The burglars were shocked and surprised at this
sudden attack and soon realized that they were no match for the
animals. They fled the scene badly bruised. The animals jumped
in joy.

When the farmer returned, he sensed what had happened and

was grateful to the animals for saving his cottage from the
burglars. He realized that the animals had repaid his kindness by
protecting his house in his absence. He fell overjoyed at their
loyalty and affection. They all lived happily ever after.
*The essence of this proverb is… you only get back what you
give. Being good and doing good to others makes them treat you
in a very nice way. If a person is pleasant and helpful by nature,
people are automatically drawn to that person. Just as honey
attracts flies, good people attract good company whereas people
with rude and unpleasant manners hardly have friends. Here
vinegar refers to someone with a Bad temper.

22. Honesty is The Best Policy

“Students I want all of you to finish your record work By
tomorrow. I will collect all the books tomorrow and anyone
handing over an incomplete notebook will be punished severely.
And I will give you extra marks if you do a neat work’, said Mr.
Johnson, the Science teacher of Class VII to his students.

The entire class knew that Mr. Johnson meant every word of
what he said because he was very strict. Ashok and Ram were
students of the same class and there was always a tough
competition between them as to who stood first in class. Both of
them knew that getting the extra marks for record work would
certainly help them get the first rank.

That evening Ram sat down to do his record work. Some of the
drawings were very tough. But Ram somehow wanted to get the
extra marks that Mr. Johnson had promised. So HE ran to the
house next door and asked Uncle Shiva who lived there to help
him out. Uncle Shiva was a friendly old man very good at
drawing who loved to help children in the neighborhood with
their home work.

Next day the beaming Ram went to school, sure that Mr.
Johnson was going to give him the maximum marks for his
record work. Mr. Johnson was very impressed and as expected
Ram got the extra marks as well as the first rank beating Ashok
by five marks. But strangely Ram did not feel very happy. He
knew that he had cheated by asking someone else to draw for
him whereas Ashok had done his own drawings.

Ram felt very guilty and ashamed. He immediately went and

confessed the truth to Mr. Johnson and told him that it was
Ashok who deserved to get the first rank and not him. Although
Mr. Johnson was angry at first, he appreciated Ram’s honesty
and patted him for having the courage to speak the truth. Ram
felt relieved to get the guilty feeling off his mind and apologized
to the whole class for his distasteful behavior.

*Being honest at all times is the best policy to follow in life.

Speaking the truth may at times put you through hardships, But
ultimately only good things will result from it. To stand up to
the truth requires a great deal of courage and an honest person is
always treated with respect and loved by everyone.

23. He who Who Plays with fire Gets Burnt.

Once there was a frog that always fancied itself to be a great
singer and troubled everyone with his loud singing. No amount
of advice from his fellow species would deter him from this
activity which led to him making more enemies than friends.

His friends often wanted him that he would find himself in great
trouble because of his arrogant attitude. The frog was foolish
enough to think that he could get away with his mischief and
would often proudly say. “I can jump into the pond and
disappear instantly and escape from my enemies. So I will not
stop singing."
There was an old owl living on a tree near the pond who was not
keeping good health. Owls normally hunt during the night for
food and sleep all day long. The frog’s singing disturbed the owl
so much that he could not sleep and was very irritated. The owl
requested, then pleaded and even begged the frog to keep quiet
and allow him to sleep. But the frog rudely said. “I will do as I
please." and sang even more loudly.

Just then the owl saw a vulture hovering over the tree. The loud
croaking seemed to have alerted the vulture of the frog’s
presence.

The owl called out to the frog. “Dear friend... you better watch
out! There is a vulture ready to swoop down on you. You better
get back to the safety of your pond."

The stupid frog thought that the owl was trying to stop it from
singing and said, “Don’t think you can fool me by saying all this.
I shall not believe you." As the frog continued singing with his
eyes closed, the vulture swooped down and grabbed the frog and
flew high up into the sky.

It is always better to listen to those who are more experienced

than us. The frog did not realize the danger that was in store for
it despite being warned by the owl and paid the price for it. The
story clearly tells us that we must exercise caution while
tackling dangerous situations.
*Fire is a dangerous and powerful element that is to be dealt
with cautiously. Anyone who tries to play with fire or take it
lightly is to be burnt or injured by its intensity. Similarly in life
too we must take proper precautions when we tackle dangerous
situations.
We must be aware of our weakness and never try to be
over-confident. And never underestimate the strength of the
enemy.

24. Health is better than wealth.

· SANJAY and Prasad were good friends. Prasad was a very
rich man who believed that wealth was everything in life.
Prasad worked very hard to earn money and felt that since he
was working hard, he had every right to enjoy life too. Prasad
led lavish lifestyle and partied all night, paying scant attention
to his health. Sanjay on the other hand believed that a healthy
mind was far more important than money. Sanjay exercised
regularly and was very careful about timely and healthy meals.
· As he grew wealthier, Prasad became addicted to alcohol
and became a drunkard. When Sanjay tried to discipline him,
Prasad brushed aside his concerns as being stupid. One night as
he was returning home from a party, Prasad was under the
influence of alcohol and lost control of the car he was driving.
An accident happened there and Prasad was taken to hospital in
serious condition.
· As a result the car crashed against a lorry and he was badly
injured. Alter prolonged hospitalization Prasad recovered but he
had had injured his spine so badly that he was confined to a
wheel chair for life.
· Sanjay was pained to see his friend in this state but he had
warned him enough number of times. Although Prasad had
more than enough money and facilities to live a life of extreme
comfort, his movements were restricted due to lack of health. If
he had paid attention to his friend’s words and took them
serious, Prasad would not have been in this bed-ridden
condition for the rest of his life. Of course, the best things
appear only after the time is over for them.
*Good Health is extremely important, invaluable and
indispensable. A Healthy body paves the way for a healthy mind.
When the mind is at peace a lot can be achieved in terms of
name, fame and money. Having excessive wealth without good
health is of no use. No amount of wealth will be able to bring
back a broken limb or handicap. At best wealth can only get the
best treatments but cannot give back healthy body. With a
healthy body even impossible feats seem easy.

25. Half a Loaf is Better than None.

Once upon a time there was a hunter who was very fond of
hunting birds. He was very skilful in using his bow and arrow.
He would often go into the forest and hunt down birds by the
dozen and sell them all in the town market for a huge price.

One day on one of his hunting expeditions the hunter found a

deer roaming around and wanted to hunt it down since it would
fetch him a good price. So he came back the next day and set a
trap for the deer. The unsuspecting deer got caught in the trap.
Meanwhile the hunter saw a few birds up in a nearby tree and
went about hunting them. The deer knew that it had to do
something before the hunter returned.

Unfortunately the hunter was not able to hunt even a single bird
that day and was disappointed. He was however elated on seeing
the deer caught in the trap and jumped of joy. The deer lay very
still and pretended to be dead. The hunter came close to the deer
and when it did not move he assumed that it had died. He
wanted to carry the deer as soon as possible to the market so that
he could sell its meat and make lot of money.

He decided to fetch some logs to tie up the deer and carry it

home. The deer lay very still waiting for the opportune moment
to escape. The hunter released the trap from the deer’s legs and
was beginning to tie the deer on to the logs when he heard a
rustling sound. He looked up and found a beautiful bird sitting
atop a tree branch. The greedy hunter immediately wanted to
shoot the bird down. Thinking that the deer was dead he quietly
stood up and took aim at the bird with his bow and arrow.

The deer realized that the hunter’s concentration was now on the
bird. So it leapt up and ran away into the forest at full speed.
Hearing the noise the hunter turned around and was shocked to
find the deer disappearing into the forest. He missed his aim and
the bird too flew away when it heard all the commotion. It was
then that the hunter realized that his greed had made him lose
both the deer and the bird and he had to return empty handed
that day.
*Contentment is the essence of a harmonious life. When you are
greedy we wish to possess more things. In the process of
acquiring it, we tend to loose what little we have with us and
end up with nothing. When we have a bird in hand it is better to
be happy with it. There is no point in aiming for two birds in the
bush which you may not be able to capture.

26. Forewarned is Forearmed.

In real life we too can protect ourselves from dangerous
situations by heeding to the advice of the authorities. We have to
follow the good advices of the experienced people in our daily
lives.
For example we are often warned by the police to refrain from
accepting food or packages from unknown people. We hear
stories of how passengers are duped of their belongings by the
biscuit bandits who offer them snacks that contain drugs which
results in them becoming unconscious. Many people who have
quite often traveled in trains and log-distance buses have come
across such incidents which might have duped them of their
belongings. The innocence of many people has placed them in a
bad-conditions to face the lose of valuables and belongings.

Similarly we are always warned not to touch unclaimed baggage

soon after terrorist attacks for fear that they might contain
explosives.
*When we are aware that something dangerous is going to
happen, we can prepare ourselves to face it and tide over the
danger. Forewarned here means getting a hint or a warning
signal about the impending danger. And forearmed refers to the
actions which we take to plan and equip ourselves to face that
danger.

27. Fools rush Where Angels fear to Tread.

Once there was a young pigeon which was very naughty and
often got into trouble despite being warned by its parents. One
day the pigeon flew into a distant part of the forest very eager to
see places he had never been hitherto. It flitted from tree to tree
enjoying the natural beauty calling out to all the birds and
creatures it saw.

AN old owl sitting close by called out to the pigeon and told it
not to make too much noise for it could attract the attention of
the predators. The owl advised the pigeon to get back home
because that part of the forest was full poisonous fruits which
the pigeon was too naive to identify.

“Do not eat fruits that look colorful and shiny for they are full of
poison, little one," said the owl.

The pigeon was in total awe as it listened to the numerous

stories that the owl had to narrate.

After a while it started to feel hungry and decided to fly back.

On the way it stopped at a couple of trees and looked around for
something to eat. It remembered the words of the owl. It stopped
by a tree that had nice juicy looking berries. But since they were
black in colour the pigeon did not want to eat it. As it flew along
it came across a huge tree with tiny red fruits that looked like
mini apples and were looking fresh and shiny.

Although it remembered the owl’s words the pigeon thought

that the owl was being over cautious and had no sense of
adventure. It was too tempted by the lovely looking fruit and
decided to eat it. It ate a couple of fruits and felt very uneasy.
The fruits were indeed poisonous. Soon it fell to the ground and
died.

If the pigeon had heeded the advise of the old owl. It would
have survived without eating the colorful fruits of the tree. The
pitiable pigeon was foolish that it ventured into the places where
the wise owls hesitated to travel to.
*Wise people will never venture into anything dangerous. But
foolish people never heed to the advice of the wise and indulge
in foolish acts without a second thought. Fools seldom think of
the risks involved in taking up a job and often take hasty
decision. This results in them facing unwanted and painful
consequences Here the term angel refers to the wise and the
intelligent.

28. Failures are the stepping stones to success. :

Lincoln lost a lot of money in business at the age of 21. He was

defeated in his attempt to become a Legislator when he was 22
years old. He tried his hand at business only to fail again at 24.
He faced the death of a very dear friend when he was 26
followed by a nervous break down the next year. He contested
and lost two very important political elections - one for a
congress seat and the other for senatorship - when he was 34 and
45 respectively.

Lincoln failed in his effort to become the Vice-President when

he was 47 and lost a senatorial race when he was 49. Any other
person would have just given up. But not Lincoln. He still kept
trying and was elected to the highest office of the country the
President of USA - when he was 52 years old.

It is said that Thomas Alva Edison failed several hundreds of

times before he invented the electric bulb. Unfazed by failures,
Edison was so positive in his approach that he said. “I learnt
how not to invent an electric bulb all these times".

*Failures should not be seen as isolated events. They should be

seen as a process - that is a part of your growing up. We must
not be ashamed of failures for any one who has achieved
something in life has faced at least a few failures. One has to
learn from such failures and convert them into steps and to
climb up and reach the top. Stepping stones here refers to the
valuable lessons that we learn from failures.

29. Experience is The Best Teacher

Once there was a farmer who had four sons. They were very
lazy. They were not interested in doing any work and only
wanted to enjoy life. The farmer tried his best to advice them
but they paid no heed. So he decided to teach them a lesson.
One day he called them and informed them that a huge amount
of treasure was hidden in their farmland and that he wanted
them to find out where it was.

All the four sons were too excited to wait and started digging the
farmland straight away. By the end of the week they had dug up
the entire field but did not find any treasure. They were angry
and tired. The farmer consoled his sons and gently told them,
“Since the field is so well dug why don’t you sow some corn in
it?" The lazy sons agreed to this and did as they were told.

A few weeks later it rained heavily and soon the farmland was
filled with fully grown corn. The farmer called his sons and told
them that they will find the treasure once they harvested the
corn and sold it in the market. The sons sold the corn and came
back with a bag full of money. They asked their father where
they could find the treasure. The farmer pointed out to the
money and told them. “This is the treasure that I was talking to
you about. It was all along there in the soil. It just needed a bit
of your hard work to bring it out. If you continue with your
efforts this treasure will be forever yours."

The sons then realized their folly and understood the truth. Their
own experience was their best teacher. They have learned from
their experiences. Thereafter they continuously worked on their
lands and harvested a great deal of grains and sold them in the
market to make big money year after year.

*This proverb reiterates the fact that we can learn a lot of useful
lessons from our own experiences. The wise advices us on a
number of things. We also come to know about other people's
experiences through magazines and television. We seldom take
these advices seriously. But it is only when we face difficult
situations in life, we realize the truth and the wisdom behind the
words of the learned and the elderly.

30. Every Dog has His Day.

Amudhan was a very sincere and hard working youngster who

worked for a big industrial house in the Research &
Development Department. He came up with brilliant ideas for
projects which had been always accepted by the management.
But unfortunately all the credit for his achievements was always
taken away by his manager Mr. Ghai.

Amudhan was very angry every time this happened but was
helpless because Mr. Ghai was in control of the entire
department. He always earned a good name from the directors
of the company by boasting that all the projects were the result
of his ideas.

So one day Amudhan and his friends hit upon an idea. They
presented a project for making an energy saver for the company.
The manager in turn gave it to his superiors without even
reading it properly. The manager as usual kept talking about
how hard he had worked to make the idea a success and how it
would save energy and crores of rupees for the company. A day
was fixed for the demonstration of the machine.
At the appointed time Amudhan disappeared from the office and
Mr. Ghai was left to do the demonstration. Since he had not
bothered to read the report he had problems in getting it working.
When he requested Amudhan’s friends for help, they clearly
told him that since Amudhan had developed it he was the right
person for the job.

The manager cut a sorry figure in front of the directors who

were very angry with him for being so irresponsible. Just as they
were ready to leave, Amudhan appealed and explained the
working of the machine. The directors were in total awe as the
energy saver was indeed a splendid discovery. Snatching the
opportunity Amudhan also requested the directors if they could
view one more of his inventions.

The manager was angry that Amudhan had not told him about it
but was waved aside by the directors who were willing to spend
any amount of time with Amudhan. At the end of the day the
directors realized how talented Amudhan was and how Mr. Ghai
had all along dominated him. They praised Amudhan and
promoted him as the head of the department and fired Mr. Ghai
for being selfish and suppressing true talent.
*This proverb simply denotes the fact that one cannot take away
the success of another. Each one has a talent and deserves to be
successful. And under the right circumstances anyone can
outshine another. Every person has his / her moment of glory.