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Katha Originals

The teacher asking her students why they had stopped coming to class

They skipped school. But the teacher did not give up

I am a primary school teacher. Do you know that even teachers attend classes from time to time? We become students and learn from senior teachers! In one such class, I met a senior teacher, Mrs. Sasikala. She was a kind person and was a good teacher. She was part of…
  • by Subba Rao
  • January 25, 2020
  • 2 minute read
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The stranger handed the candle to a young girl

The stranger in the night – A Diwali story

A stranger was on a pilgrimage to Kashi. One evening, he rested in a village. The villagers were kind and helpful. They offered him food to eat and a place to stay. As he got ready to leave the next morning, his host had a word with him, “As you…
  • by Subba Rao
  • January 25, 2020
  • 3 minute read
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Ben and Jenny waited as the lion drifted off to sleep

Lion and the kids

Ben and Jenny were running in their school’s hallway. Unfortunately, they were caught by principal Stan. They were sent to his office, where they had a long talk. As punishment, Ben and Jenny had to write an essay on why they should not run in the hallway. Meanwhile, in the…
  • by Sahil+Ishir
  • January 25, 2020
  • 2 minute read
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The baseball bat

Once there was a baseball bat. The bat was owned by a nice kid called John, who loved sports. John played with his friends at the park every weekend. He would pick a basketball one week, a badminton racket the other, and even a tennis ball at times. But the…
  • by Sahil+Ishir
  • September 18, 2019
  • 2 minute read
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Rivals in the sky

Jeet made his own kites. He would carefully cut the paper to size and stick it to frame made with thin, but strong twigs. He would then add a flying line and a tail. As he pulled the string, the kite would soar into the sky. It would rise above…
  • by Subba Rao
  • July 27, 2019
  • 3 minute read
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The eerie tale of red chillies

During my school days, I stayed with my maternal grandmother for two years at a small town near Bengaluru. Granny lived in a big bungalow. She had rented out the western half of the bungalow to her nephew, Nagaraj, who stayed with his wife and her granny. This granny came…
  • by Anant Dhanankar
  • July 27, 2019
  • 5 minute read
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Happy Diwali

A pilgrim was passing through Kuppargaon. It was well past noon when he arrived in the village. He found all doors closed. No one was walking on the muddy village road. The street was littered with garbage, which was the only indication that people lived in the village. The pilgrim found…
  • by Subba Rao
  • July 27, 2019
  • 3 minute read
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Navaratri Special: A surprise for grandparents

The story so far: The grownups were taking their afternoon nap. The children were busy playing. Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound. The elders were up in no time, running towards the inner room from where the sound had come. The inner room was part of the larger guest…
  • by Subba Rao
  • July 27, 2019
  • 4 minute read
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Navaratri Special: The treasure hunt

It was called Dodda Mane, the Big House. It was easily more than a hundred years old, surrounded by trees. The local folk called it ‘Fountain House’ because there was a circular pond in front of it, with a fountain in the middle of the pond. There was a time when the…
  • by Subba Rao
  • July 27, 2019
  • 3 minute read
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Demon outwitted

The story so far: Shivraj the farmer had a special person helping in the fields. A demon! The demon would do any task given to him. But if Shivraj stopped giving him tasks, the demon would threaten to gobble him up. Shivraj somehow managed to fool the demon and save…
  • by Subba Rao
  • October 30, 2020
  • 3 minute read
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