About the Author
The chapter "What Happened to the Reptiles" is written by Zai Whitaker. She is an Indian writer who loves nature and animals. She writes stories to teach kids about wildlife and how to live in peace with others.
What’s the Story About?
This story teaches us about living together in peace. It starts with a boy named Prem. He lives in a village where people fight because of different religions. The fights get very bad, and houses burn. Prem gets scared and runs away. He runs far and reaches a village called Pambupatti. There, people from all religions live happily without fighting. Prem feels sick from running, so kind people help him. An old man with a long white beard sits with him and tells a story to make him feel better. The story is about animals, but it has a big lesson for people.
Long ago, in a forest near Pambupatti, only reptiles lived. Reptiles are animals like crocodiles, snakes, tortoises, and lizards. No birds or other animals were there. The reptiles had a big meeting every month to talk about things. The leader was Makara, a very big crocodile. He sat on a flat stone and told others what to do.
One day, Makara said the tortoises must leave the forest. He called them slow and stupid because they carry their homes on their backs. The other reptiles agreed, and the strong crocodiles made the tortoises go away. The tortoise leader said they would be sorry, but no one listened.
After the tortoises left, the forest started to smell bad. Why? Because tortoises ate old, rotting fruits and leaves. Without them, the bad smell spread, and everyone felt sick.
Next, Makara called another meeting. He said the snakes must go. He called them slimy and said they make hissing sounds that scare him. The snakes left, even though they warned about problems.
Without snakes, rats came in big numbers. Snakes used to eat rats, so now rats ate all the food, ran everywhere, and even ate crocodile eggs. The crocodiles got worried.
Then, Makara said the lizards must leave. He said they change colors and have funny eyes, so they are silly. The lizards went away.
Without lizards, insects like mosquitoes grew a lot. Lizards used to eat them. Now, insects bit the crocodiles all day and night. The crocodiles could not sleep or rest.
Makara and the crocodiles were very sad. The forest was full of smell, rats, and insects. Makara remembered the warnings and felt sorry. He sent messages to call back the tortoises, snakes, and lizards. They came back, and soon the forest became clean and nice again. The reptiles learned to live together happily.
The old man finished the story and told Prem that people are like these reptiles. Different religions are like different animals. If we fight and send others away, life becomes hard. But if we live together and help each other, everything is good. Prem understood and decided to go back to his village to tell others this lesson.
Who’s Who in the Story
Here are the main people and animals in the story:
- Prem: A young boy who runs away from his village because of fights. He listens to the old man's story.
- Old Man: A wise person in Pambupatti with a long white beard. He tells the story to teach Prem about peace.
- Makara: The biggest crocodile and leader of the reptiles. He makes bad choices at first but learns from them.
- Tortoises: Slow animals with shells. They help by eating bad fruits and keeping the forest clean.
- Snakes: Long, slimy animals that hiss. They eat rats and keep them under control.
- Lizards: Small animals that change colors. They eat insects and stop them from growing too many.
- Crocodiles: Strong animals who follow Makara. They stay in the forest but face problems alone.
Themes and Moral
Themes (Main Ideas):
- Living in peace with others who are different from us.
- How every person or animal has an important job to do.
- Problems happen when we fight over small differences, like looks or ways of living.
- Learning from mistakes and saying sorry to fix things.
Moral (Lesson):
The big lesson is that we are all connected. No one can live alone without help from others. We should respect everyone, even if they look or think differently. Just like the reptiles needed each other, people from different groups need to stay together for a happy life.
Important Vocabulary and Phrases
Here are some key words and phrases from the chapter. I explain them in simple words:
- Reptiles: Animals that crawl on the ground, like snakes, lizards, and crocodiles.
- Forest: A big place full of trees where wild animals live.
- Meeting: When a group comes together to talk and decide things.
- Slimy: Wet and slippery, like something covered in mud.
- Hissing: A sound like "sss" that snakes make.
- Rotting: When fruits or leaves go bad and start to smell.
- Invaded: When many things or animals come into a place without being asked.
- Mosquitoes: Small flying insects that bite and make you itch.
- Warnings: Words that tell you about danger or problems coming.
- Peace: When everyone lives without fights or anger.
Phrases:
- Burnt down: When fire destroys houses or things completely.
- Felt sorry: To feel bad about a mistake you made.
- Live together: To stay in the same place and help each other.
- Big lesson: An important thing to learn that helps in life.