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Narrator- deep in a dark, green forest is a school for animals. It is called the jungle pattashala. Many animals go to that school. It is principal is Shriman Sheroo, the lion, and here he comes. Good morning Shriman Sheroo! Are you going to begin school soon?

(Enter lion)

Lion- (roaring) yes! It is getting late. I must soon call my pupils for class. Roar!

Narrator- now is not this better than ringing a bell? Shriman Sheroo has the longest voice in the forest. He roars three times and soon school begins. Look! Here come the animals.

(All the animals come)

Lion- good morning

Animals- good morning Shriman Sheroo

(Lion looks at everybody)

Lion- today we will began a new activity

Animals- what fun! How lovely! We like new activities.

Lion- quiet everybody. Each of you has to teach another animal something. Each of you knows something that no one else can do. You have one week to complete this activity.

(The animals look at one another)

Narrator- everyone was thinking the same thing. Each one thought that he could teach many things. But there was nothing that he could learn from anybody else.

Elephant- huh! What can this yellow and black tiger teach me? I am so much bigger than he is!

Tiger- grr1 what can the dark brown deer teach me? He is always quiet and shy. I am foe braver than he is.

Dee- (tosses his head) what can the sharp faced fox teach me? I can run so much faster then him. And I am much more beautiful.

Fox- (puts his head on the ground) now what can this strange little mole teach me? He is slow and cannot see well. And I am so much cleverer!

Mole- (sniffs) can a creepy –crawly caterpillar teach me anything? No, nothing. I can dig deep holes in the ground where it is dark and cool.

Narrator- Shriman Sheroo let everyone talk for sometime and then roared loudly.

(Lion roars. All become quiet)

Lion- each one of you knows something very special. Come back in a week’s time. By then I hope each of you would have learnt something new. Go now.

Narrator- so the animals walked away slowly. (All exits) let’s follow them and see what happens.

Scene-II

(Enter caterpillar and narrator)

Narrator- I can see the big, grey elephant stamping towards me with is thick huge legs.

(Enter elephant)

Cater pillar- help! Stop! Watch out!

(Elephant stops. Looks around)

It is me, the caterpillar. You nearly squashed me. You must look where you are putting your feet.

(Caterpillar gets up and dusts himself)

Elephant- ha! Ha! Look indeed! Why should I look where I put my feet? Elephants do not care for little, creepy, useless caterpillars. Elephants are big and important. They can do big things like carrying heavy logs of wood.

Caterpillar- well caterpillars are important too.

(Elephant laughs and waves his trunk)

Narrator- look that is here! Uncle Prajapati. He is a beautiful, busy butterfly.

(Enter butterfly. He runs among the flowers)

Caterpillar- tells me big elephant, do you like flowers?

Elephant- I love flowers, especially their smell.

Caterpillar- well then- there is some pretty flowers near that rock. Take some pollen from a flower and put it in another flower.

(Elephant goes near tries to put his foot into the flowers)

Narrator- stops big elephant. You foot is too big. You will squash the flowers. Try using your trunk.

(Elephant puts his trunk into the flowers and sneezes)

Elephant- Oh! I have blown away the flower. I can not do it. I am too big.

Caterpillar- meets uncle prajapati. I will soon become a butterfly like him. You know that caterpillars become butterflies.

Butterfly- hello big elephant! I am sorry I cannot stay long. I must go. This is my busy season for taking pollen from the flowers.

(Butterfly goes)

Narrator- for flowers to grow well, pollen from other flowers has to be given to them. Only small creatures can do this work. Butterflies are important because they carry pollen. And caterpillars are important because they become butterflies.

Elephant- get on my trunk little caterpillar. I will carry you. I do not want to step on you. Elephants are big. But sometimes they are too big.

(Elephant and caterpillar go ut)

Narrator- I can see the brown deer coming this way. How gracefully he runs. He is stopping to nibble some grass. Ah1 here he comes.

(Deer comes in. There is loud bang)

Narrator: - that was a hunter with a gun. Run deer! Run and save yourself.

(More shots, a tiger –cub comes running in.)

Deer- what are you doing here? Where are your mother and father? Run away little cub. The hunter is in the forest.

Tiger –cub- (weeping) I am lost. I don’t know where my mother and father are. I am frightened of the hunter. And I can not go home.

(Weeps loudly)

Deer- sash! Do not weep little cub. Come with me. (Both go to an older tree) sit down behind me maybe the hunter will not see me.

(Hunter comes in)

Hunter- I thought I saw an animal move. But I can’t see anything here, just this old brown tree (Looks around, goes out.)

Narrator- the dark brown color of the deer’s skin looked like part of the dark brown tree trunk. And so the deer saved himself and the cub).

(Enter tiger)

Tiger- (growling) where has my cub gone? The hunter is in the forest. I hope he has not hurt my cub.

(Tiger –cub jumps up)

Cub- father here I am. This nice deer saved me. I like him.

Tiger- you have saved my cub. Thank you. Let’s be friends. Come home for tea.

(Deer, tiger and tiger –cub go out)

(Mole runs in from the other side)

Narrator- hello mole! What’s hurry? Why are you running?

Mole- I have so much to do before winter comes. I have many holes to makes as yet. Nice deep holes deep into the ground.

(Sniffs around the tree. Fox runs in and jumps on mole)

Fox- Aha! Now I shall eat you for my lunch.

Mole- stop ox! Stop and think. Do you know that I am one of the best friends you have?

Fox- ha! You are my friend? Don’t be silly. (Suddenly barking is heard)

Narrator- that sounds like the hunter’s dogs. They are after the fox to catch him. (Fox looks around and jumps into a hole)

Narrator- now the fox is safe in that hole. The dogs won’t catch him.

(Dogs are come in. look around. Can’t find fox)

(Fox comes out of the hole)

Fox- mole, so you make the holes I hide in? I never knew. Thank to you mole. Please let me help you in some way. (Both go out)

Narrator- fox helped mole get ready for winter. He never again tried to eat mole. They become friends.

Scene-III

All the animals are in the jungle pattashala.

Lion- last week we had begun a new activity. I hope all of you have done it.

Animals: - yes.

Lion- good, Elephant! Tell us what you learnt?

Elephant- I have learnt that it does not matter who you are or how big you are. It does not matter what you look like. Everyone knows how to do something very special. (Animals clap)

Lion- tiger! Have you learnt anything?

Tiger- yes friends. I have learnt that animals are kind and helpful. When enemy is near, we must help one another. (Animal clap)

Lion- fox! Did you learn anything?

Fox- I have learnt that sometimes we hurt our best friends. We must think about this. We must look around and find out the friends we have. (Animals clap)

Narrator- and so one by one each animal told his own story. Each one had learnt something very special from another animal.

Lion- good! I am happy with you all. Now you know how much you need each other. Everyone is important in his own way. Today’s class is over. You may go home. Good bye. (Lion goes)

Narrator but no one wanted to go home. Each animal wanted to stay with his friend. So they played for a long time. In the evening al the animals walked into the dark, green forest. And each one walked with a friend.