The sparrow who beat the elephant

Told in English, Telugu.

Once upon a time, in a thick green forest near the Godavari river, there stood a tall tamal tree. High up on one of its branches lived a little sparrow named Chinni and her husband. Together they had built a soft, round nest of grass and feathers. And in that nest lay three tiny eggs, warm and safe.

Every morning Chinni would sit on her eggs and sing softly. "Soon, my little ones," she would say, "you will open your eyes and see the sun."

But one hot summer afternoon, a huge elephant came stomping through the forest. He was big and strong, and very, very proud. The sun was burning, and he wanted shade. So he came and stood right under the tamal tree.

"This branch is in my way," he grumbled. And without even looking up, he wrapped his long trunk around the branch and pulled. Crack! The branch broke and fell to the ground.

Chinni and her husband flew up just in time. But the little nest tumbled down, and the three tiny eggs broke on the ground.

The elephant did not even notice. He simply flapped his big ears, stood in the shade, and then walked away.

Chinni sat on a low twig and cried and cried. Her husband sat close beside her, his wings around her, saying nothing, because sometimes there are no words.

Just then, her good friend Vadrangi the woodpecker came flying by. "Chinni, my dear, why are you crying?" he asked gently.

Chinni told him everything. Vadrangi was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "I am so sorry, my friend. What is lost cannot come back. But that elephant was careless and proud, and he hurt you. He must learn to look where he puts his trunk and his feet, so that no other little bird is hurt like this."

Chinni wiped her eyes. "But he is so big, Vadrangi, and I am so small. What can a tiny sparrow do to an elephant?"

"Alone, maybe nothing," said Vadrangi with a smile. "But together, we can do a lot. I have a friend who is even smaller than you. Come with me."

They flew to a bush where a tiny gnat named Jhumjhum was buzzing among the flowers. When she heard the story, Jhumjhum buzzed angrily. "That is not right at all! I will help. But we need someone very clever to make a plan. Let us go to my friend Megharaju the frog. He is the wisest one in this whole forest."

So the sparrow, the woodpecker and the gnat went to the edge of an old pond, where a fat green frog sat on a stone. Megharaju listened to every word. Then he blinked his big round eyes and said, "A big elephant feels strong. But a big elephant can also be tricked by small friends who think together. Listen carefully, and I will tell you my plan."

They all leaned in close. Can you guess what the plan was? Let us see.

The next afternoon, the sun was hot again. The proud elephant was resting under a tree, feeling sleepy. First, little Jhumjhum flew right up to his big ear and began to hum the sweetest song. Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm. It was so soft and lovely that the elephant smiled and slowly closed his eyes.

That was the signal! Vadrangi the woodpecker swooped down from a branch. In his beak he carried sticky wet mud from the pond. Splat! He dropped it right over the elephant's eyes. Splat! Again, over the other eye.

The elephant woke with a start. "Hey! What is this? I cannot see!" he trumpeted. He shook his head this way and that, but the sticky mud stayed on.

Now the elephant was hot and confused, and very, very thirsty. "Water," he moaned. "I need water to wash my eyes."

And right then, he heard a sound. Croak! Croak! Croak!

"A frog!" said the elephant. "Where there is a frog, there must be water!" And he began to walk toward the sound.

But Megharaju was not sitting by a pond. He was sitting at the edge of a deep, muddy pit, where the rain had made a big soft hole in the ground. Croak! Croak! He called again and again.

The elephant walked closer, and closer, and closer. And then, squelch! His front feet went down into the thick mud. Squelch! His back feet went in too. He was stuck!

The elephant pulled and pushed, but the mud held him tight. Water from the pit splashed up and washed his eyes clean. And when he could see again, what do you think he saw?

Sitting in a row on the edge of the pit were a little sparrow, a woodpecker, a tiny gnat and a fat green frog.

"You?" said the elephant in surprise. "Such small creatures did this to me?"

Chinni flew down and sat in front of him. "Yesterday," she said softly, "you broke the branch where my nest was. My three little eggs fell and broke. You did not even look."

The elephant was quiet for a long time. Then his big eyes filled with tears. "I did not know," he said. "I was so busy thinking about myself that I never looked at the small ones around me. I am truly sorry, little sparrow."

"Then promise," said Chinni, "that from today you will walk gently and look before you pull any branch."

"I promise," said the elephant. "I will never forget this day."

Megharaju smiled. "Good. Now push with your back legs and lean forward. The mud is soft near this side." The elephant did exactly that, slowly, slowly, until at last he climbed out, covered in mud from his trunk to his tail.

And he kept his promise. From that day on, the big elephant walked carefully through the forest, always looking up at the trees and down at the ground. And when Chinni built a new nest the next spring, he stood guard nearby, so that no one would disturb her.

So you see, my dear, it is not how big you are that matters. When friends think together and help each other, even a little sparrow can win against a mighty elephant.