Taatayya Kathalu in English

           Once, a woodcutter brought home a wounded little boar. The boar had fallen into a pit dug for catching wild elephants. The woodcutter medicated the boar and after a while, the boar had gone stronger and healthy. The woodcutter took the boar back into the forest and left him in the area from where he had taken it.                   The boar was soon hungry and had to hunt for his food. Suddenly, a wild tiger pounced on the boar in an attack. The boar somehow managed to kill the tiger. After that, the boar roamed into the forest and soon found his friends. He narrated the story to his friends. His friends told, "Is this the real story? A cunning fox had fooled us by telling us that he was the one who killed the tiger.         The wild boar got really angry. He went in search of the cunning fox and killed him fiercely. When the fox had tried to escape by climbing on a fig tree, th...

       There lived a peasant who had a big farm. In his farmyard, he had some sheds where he had some domestic animals.            There were two calves and a piglet in the lot. The peasant used to feed the piglet with very healthy food. He let the calves graze by themselves he did not much bother about feeding them. Once in a while, he fed them with some hay and grass. The younger calf was very sad about the partiality of the peasant. He complained about the elder calf, "Dear brother! look at our master.          He always feeds the piglet with very healthy food and leaves us to search for our food." The elder's calf consoled his younger brother, "Oh! Don't worry little brother. There is always a reason for everybody's action. People always grow piglets so that they can have a nice meal one day. True to the words of the elder brother, the marriage function of the peasant's daughter came. The peasant took the pig...

         It was peak summer. Water in many lakes had dried. Animals in the forest near the lake started to relocate. They went in search of places with more water. A crab was worried about its future. While birds can fly off, animals can runoff, the crab was annoyed that he could not get out of the lake and survive till he searched for another lake to live in. A crane flew to the lake in search of food.          She knew that the lake was fast drying. She was hoping to get a nice catch there. She saw the sorrow-filled crab, seated on a rock and weeping. The crane came near the crab and asked, "Why are you crying, friend?" The crab replied in a sad voice, "The lake is drying and the fish are all dying. I am worried about our future."          The crane said in a caring voice, "Come with me to the lake I live in. There is plenty of water." The crab agreed happily. The crane carried the crab on her back and started ...

           Deep in the forest, lived a doe and a deer. They were a perfect couple. They were in deep love. They were totally devoted to one another. Life was happy for them. One day, the deer was caught in a trap laid by a hunter. He warned the doe, "Don't come here, dear wife. You will also get caught." However, the doe did not leave her husband.   Soon, the hunter came to catch the deer. He was astonished to see the doe lying near the deer. On seeing the hunter, the doe started in a feeble voice, "Hey hunter, if you really want, take me instead of my husband. I can't live without him." The deer said, "Hey hunter, please kill me first. can't see my wife being killed." The hunter was wonderstruck at the depth of their love. He set the deer free and went empty-handed. Only his hands were empty, his heart was full.  Moral: TRUE LOVE WINS !!! *** *** ***

            There was a cruel lion in the forest. He was very greedy too. He tortured other animals because he was mighty. The animals could no longer bear his torture that they came to the lion and pleaded, "Oh lord of the jungle, we humbly request you consider our request.                We are willing to offer one animal a day for you. Please accept and leave us in peace." The lion also accepted this agreement. From then on, one animal was sent to the lion. Once it was the turn of a rabbit. That was a wise rabbit. He started to cook a plan on his way to the lion's den. The rabbit was late to reach the lion. The lion roared in anger, "You tiny fool, how long should I wait for your arrival? I am terribly hungry. Tell me, what made you late?"           The rabbit said in a feeble voice, "Your majesty, I was coming to your palace. On the way, I was pulled by another lion. I had to plead with hi...

              Pintu was a mischievous monkey. He was always very playful. He was also shooting troubles. Once, the pack of monkeys in which Pintu was a member wandered into a nearby village.  A group of lumberjacks were cutting big pieces of wood from the logs. Pintu watched with wonder at the ease with which the lumberjacks split large logs. He was observing their work. When a lumberjack had inserted a wedge to split a log, the bell rang to indicate their lunchtime. The lumberjacks set aside their work and went away for their lunch.         Pintu ran to the log with the wedge stuck deep inside. His curiosity increased. He left his hand inside the split end and tried to pull the log apart. Nothing happened. So Pintu decided to pull out the wedge and see what happened. In his anxiety, Pintu did not notice that he was sitting across the log and that his tail was wagering in the split of the log.  The moment Pintu pulled out ...

            In the outskirts of a village, there was a herd of goats. The mother goat had given birth to five new kids. A wolf that used to hunt in that part of the village had set his eyes on the kids. The mother goat was very careful in rearing her kids. She always advised her kids, "Be careful of the evil around you dear children.               There are many wild animals ready to kill you. Never graze alone in the woods. Stay close to mummy. When you get older, you can graze by yourself. " One fine morning, when the mother goat had gone out in search of food, the fox took its chance. He came to the kids and said in a very sweet voice, "Hello kids, I am your uncle. Come out with me.              Let me show you some sweet herbs to eat." One kid replied, "How can you say you are our relative? You don't resemble us." The wolf smiled and said, "Look my child, I had left the herd a lo...

        There lived a family of cuckoo birds on a treetop. The mother bird laid many eggs and all of them hatched out into beautiful cuckoo chicks. One among them was a disabled chick The mother bird was very affectionate with this chick.           So was the father bird too. Both the parents took turns to feed the chick. One day, there was a big forest fire. It was spreading fast too. All birds and animals vacated the place in fear. The father bird said to his chicks, "Fly away children. Fly away to safety." The mother bird asked with sorrow in her throat, "How can we leave this poor chick that can't even walk?" The parents decided to stay with the chick.              The disabled chick started praying earnestly, "Oh Lord, please quench the forest fire and save all the animals. Look at the affection and love my parents have for me. You are the Father of the world. Don't you have affection like that of my pa...

               Elephants have the habit of roaming in families throughout the forest in search of food and water. They cover large areas in a single day. When they roam, they usually tread upon many small animals and kill them. So, when the smaller animals hear the trumpeting of the elephants running for their lives.  Many times, rabbits get crushed under the heavy feet of the elephants and lose their lives and those of their loved ones. Even though the rabbits try hard, they could not outrun the elephants. But, the elephants did not seem to even notice the death of the rabbits. The bereaved rabbits gathered together. They were filled with sorrow. They looked at one another, not knowing what to do. There was one smart rabbit in the herd. He opened up, "Friends if we do not think of a way to divert the elephants, we are sure to die one day or the other." "What shall we do?" asked the other rabbits in a single voice. "Let me talk with the eleph...

             Once, in a forest, there lived a group of monkeys. They made their homes at the top of the trees. There were so many baby monkeys also. There was a river in that forest. It was summer season. The monkeys enjoyed taking baths in the river. They used to play in the evening and eat fruits from the trees. They lived together as a family in order to safeguard themselves from enemies and rear one another. It was autumn, and the forest was rich with fruits fallen to the ground. The monkeys enjoyed lots of food. One day, a playful monkey came across deep red plums and mistook them for a piece of burning fire. He started collecting as many 'fire pieces' as he could. Soon, many of the monkeys joined in the task. "These fire pieces will keep us warm throughout the winter," they were saying to one another. A colourful parrot was watching the whole scene. She started feeling pity for the monkeys. From high up the tree she called, "Hello! Dear monkeys, ...

             Once, a fox found the corpse of an elephant lying across a forest footpath. The fox thought to himself, "My long time wish to taste elephant meat is going to be over today." He hungrily got ready to eat the elephant, but could not bite the tough skin of the elephant corpse.                 At that moment, he saw a lion coming that way. He ran to the lion and said, "Hey King of the forest, I want to taste elephant meat. I have seen a dead elephant. Can you tear it open for me?" The lion replied, "I am terribly sorry for you dear fox. I don't eat dead meat. Also, I don't eat leftover meat. And, I don't eat kills of other animals," and left the place. Now, the fox had to wait for some other bigger animal to come that way.              Soon, a tiger came that way. The need to taste elephant meat was very strong in the fox. He came with a plan. He ran to the tiger a...

   Lion is called the king of the forest not just because he but also because he is very considerate. He never kills unnecessarily. Once, a lion was returning to his den after a nice hunt. He found an infant jackal crying. The baby had lost his parents. The lion took pity on him and brought him to his den. "Dear wife, I found this baby jackal crying in search of his parents. I think his parents are lost. Take care of him like our cubs," he told the lioness. The baby had lost his parents. The lion took pity on him and brought him to his den. "Dear wife, I found this baby jackal crying in search of his parents. I think his parents are lost. Take care of him like our cubs," he told the lioness. The lioness also took care of the baby jackal like her own cubs. The baby jackal grew along with the remaining cubs. The cubs too accepted the jackal as their brother.               The lioness began to teach her cubs how to hunt. The jackal too joined in...

          In the deep forest there lived a beautiful doe (female deer). She looked very beautiful in the moonlight. She had wide round eyes that attracted any other deer.  A buck (male deer) fell in love with the doe. He followed the doe wherever she went. He started to be very possessive over the doe, He wouldn't allow any other deer to even talk with her. The doe herself was annoyed by the actions of the buck. She 1 said, "Hello buck, stop following me, please. I can't bear your annoyance. I don't have any kind of feelings for you." But, the buck didn't listen to her words. He kept on sticking to his own flirting behaviour. There was a rumour in the forest that hunters had camped in that area to capture animals. The doe was very hungry and could not resist grazing the lush grass near the spot where the hunters had set their traps. The buck tried to warn the doe, "Darling, don't go there. There are many traps laid by hunters." The doe replied, ...

     Pigeons are birds that live in groups. It is very difficult to see a single pigeon. Hunters know this fact. So, whenever they lay nets to catch pigeons, they get many pigeons together. This is one such story. A hunter had laid his net near a paddy field. He was waiting high up on a branch of a nearby banyan tree. Soon a group of pigeons flew to the paddy field to graze. They all got caught in the net. They were all very afraid of what would happen next. There was one wise pigeon. He said, "Friends, we should not be afraid. We have to be courageous. Let us join together. It is time for us to be united. We should fly all at once. Let us flap our wings in unison." Saying this, the smart pigeon started to flap its wings. All other pigeons also started to flap their wings. Soon there was a rhythm and they started to rise. This encouraged the pigeons to flap still faster. Suddenly, the net tore away and the pigeons were free. They flew away happily. Moral: UNITY IS STRENGT...

           It is a known fact that the owl is a night bird and the swan is a day bird. An owl nested in a tree near the pond where a swan lived. Both at dawn and dusk, they both used to share their friendship. As summer started, the tree on which the owl had nested withered its leaves. The owl was forced to leave the tree to find another nest. The owl invited the swan, "Dear swan, why don't you also come with me to my new homeland?   We both can live there happily as we are today." The swan replied, "Sorry my friend, I can't leave this pond. There is still plenty of water. Soon there will be rain. You can always return here." The owl waved goodbye and left for his new homeland. The swan could not stay without seeing his friend for long. So, he decided to have a visit to the new living place of the owl. The owl was very pleased to see his friend. "Stay for a couple of days with me, my friend," requested the owl. The swan too agreed. In the meantime...

         There was an old lion in a forest. He was so old that he could no longer hunt effectively. He could not get food by himself, He had to eat only the leftovers of the kills made by other animals. Sometimes he had to stay hungry for days together if he could not find such leftover food.  A jackal and a crow were true followers of the lion. They were happy to stay with the lion and eat what the lion gave them. They too were very sad to see their king's pathetic state. "We have to do something to make our king really happy," said the jackal to the crow. The crow replied, "Yes, my friend. We have to make our king happy." At that time they happened to come across a sick camel. The camel was counting his days. He staggered in the direction of the jackal and the crow. "What are you discussing folks?" asked the camel. The wise jackal said, "Our king lion is too old to hunt anymore. So, we were talking about who would sacrifice their life for the ki...

Jackals are very secret in nature. At the same time, they are cowards. They are very afraid of even small things. Shintu was no exception. He was a jackal who was filled with fear. Even his wife got annoyed and chased him away. Poor Shintu was turned homeless.     Shintu roamed in the jungle with a place to go. He shivered to his bones when he heard even snake sounds. He could not eat properly and sleep properly. He came across a path in the jungle where a battle had taken place recently.             Suddenly, he heard a loud roaring sound that was so strange. He had never heard such a sound. It was nothing like the roaring of a lion or tiger. It was not like the trumpet of the elephant. It was not even like the bark of the dog. Shintu was totally filled with fear. Shintu gathered all his strength and crawled slowly in the direction of the roaring sound. He saw a strange thing lying on the ground. He went near and wagged his tail. When his t...

      Long ago, a partridge was living in the hollow of a tree in a forest for a long time. One day. it had become scarce in that part of the forest and he had to go to some other place in search of food. He found a field of ripe rice at a long distance. He stayed there for many weeks and didn't return back. Soon he became healthy by eating rice grains.  Meanwhile, a rabbit started living in the partridge's nest finding it empty. After some time, the partridge returned and found the rabbit in his nest. "Who are you? What are you doing in my house," the partridge asked angrily. "It is mine and I have been living here for many days." said the rabbit. They started quarrelling with each other. At last, they decided to solve their problem with someone. A forest cat had been watching them for quite some time. He had an eye on them and was waiting for an opportunity to kill them both. With an aim to fulfil his wish, the cat volunteered, "Hey folks, what is the...

  The story goes like this. In a forest there was a heavy fight to choose a king. The old lion king had fallen sick and was about to die. There were many younger ones who were fighting among one another to capture the throne as king of the forest.  A poor jackal was very hungry. So, he went in search of food to a nearby village. He saw a big pot kept in the backyard of a weaver's house. He fell into the pot of blue dye thinking that it was a pot of waste food. The jackal turned blue. The jackal looked at itself in the river water and thought, "Well, let me try to scare other animals in the forest." When the jackal entered into the forest, all animals got frightened for real. The jackal took its chance and started to command them, "Look fellow creatures, I am the new king. From now on you shall bring food and water for me daily. Whatever I say shall be the rule in this forest." The animals took turn to serve their new king.  Once, there was a heavy rain in the fo...