By Naramsetti Umamaheswararao
In the forests of Vamsadhara lived many animals. Among them was a young monkey named Durmukhi. She was mischievous, arrogant, and fond of troubling others. She enjoyed playing pranks and laughed when other animals suffered because of her behavior.
One day, the animals went to her parents and complained, “Your daughter is becoming a bad influence on our children. Please help her change and learn something useful.”
A wise pigeon suggested, “The old bear doctor is the only healer left in the forest. Let Durmukhi learn medicine from the bear. She may improve, and our forest will gain a new doctor.”
The animals liked the idea and persuaded Durmukhi to visit the bear.
The bear was a skilled and kind doctor who treated everyone without expecting rewards. It hoped to pass its knowledge on to a worthy student. After hearing about Durmukhi’s behavior, the bear decided to teach her an important lesson.
“To become my student,” the bear said, “bring me something completely useless. Only then will I accept you.”
Durmukhi laughed. “That will be easy,” she thought and set off into the forest.
Soon she met a donkey.
“People often use ‘donkey’ as an insult,” she thought. “This must be useless.”
When she explained her task, the donkey replied, “I carry heavy loads and help people in many ways. Even my milk is valued. I am not useless.”
Durmukhi moved on.
Next, she saw a crow sitting on a tree.
“People complain about noisy crows,” she thought.
But the crow said, “I help keep places clean by eating waste. People even believe their ancestors accept offerings when crows eat them. I am useful too.”
The monkey continued her search and met a cat.
“People accuse cats of stealing milk,” she said.
The cat replied, “I protect homes by catching rats. Many people keep me as a beloved pet.”
Again, Durmukhi had no success.
A little later she came across a cow.
The cow explained, “My milk provides nourishment. People make curd, butter, and ghee from it. My family helps farmers in their fields.”
As the cow walked away, it left behind some dung.
“Surely this is useless!” thought the monkey.
She bent down to collect it.
To her surprise, the cow dung said, “Farmers use me as manure to enrich the soil. People use me in traditional practices and as fuel. I am useful too.”
Durmukhi was shocked.
“Is there nothing useless in this world?” she wondered.
Just then, an elephant came by. The monkey explained her problem.
The elephant listened carefully and then asked, “Every creature and even cow dung has shown you its value. Tell me, what useful thing have you done?”
The question struck Durmukhi deeply.
She thought and thought but could not find an answer.
The elephant gently said, “You have spent your time troubling others instead of helping them. Right now, you are less useful than the things you considered worthless. Go back to the bear. Learn medicine and become someone who serves others.”
Durmukhi finally understood. For the first time, she felt ashamed of her behavior.
She returned to the bear and said, “I searched everywhere but could not find anything useless. Every creature and every object has a purpose. I alone have done nothing useful. Please teach me so that I can become helpful to others.”
The bear smiled.
“Now your eyes are open,” it said. “You have learned the first lesson—humility. I will gladly teach you.”
Durmukhi became the bear’s student. She worked hard, learned medicine, and changed her ways.
Years later, she became a skilled healer. The same animals who once complained about her now respected and admired her. She spent her life helping those in need and became known throughout the forest for her kindness and service.
Moral: Everything in nature has value. True worth comes from learning, humility, and helping others.
Naramsetti Umamaheswararao has written more than a thousand stories, songs, and novels for children over 42 years. he has published 32 books. His novel, Anandalokam, received the Central Sahitya Akademi Award for children’s literature. He has received numerous awards and honours, including the Andhra Pradesh Government’s Distinguished Telugu Language Award and the Pratibha Award from Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University. He established the Naramshetty Children’s Literature Foundation and has been actively promoting children’s literature as its president.
.
PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL
Click here to access Wild Winds: The Borderless Anthology of Poems
Click here to access the Borderless anthology, Monalisa No Longer Smiles