Hello, Sparky here.
Ø
With the coming change
in weather, one another thing that will change and very frequently at that will
be our mood. We will be happy one day looking forward to the rain, sad the next
day that it’s taking so long for it to arrive, then when the rains do arrive,
we will be elated for a few days that the ‘dog days’ of summer have ended then
when the rain keeps coming down with no signs of abating we will feel exasperated
by the dampness and dullness. In short, our moods are going to ‘swinging’.
Ø The Otters who have been watching
us curiously as we make our daily jaunt to the mango tree finally broken their
silence this week and asked what the mangoes taste like. When each of us described
it differently, their eyes widened with surprise at first then disbelief followed
which finally settled down at longing. So, many of us who read their faces,
brought back mangoes with us through the week on our daily visit to the mango
tree and quietly deposited it around their burrow.
Ø I have never named the Otters
before. As they were always referred to together, it was easier to just call
them Otters but this week’s narration calls for them to be named as I will be
referring to them as individuals – they do have names, beautiful sounding names
at that. One is Udra and the other is Samudra.
Ø So, Udra was the first to spot
a mango, by his burrow and I was by my hollow in the Banyan and had a good view
of the entire proceeding. He tentatively sniffed the air, then inched a little
closer and sniffed the mango. The smell of a mango is like an invitation – subtle
but compelling at the same time. It’s the kind of smell that makes you want to
smell it again and yet again, even if it’s only to ensure that you didn’t
imagine the smell. It’s heady and relaxing all at once. You savour a mango
first by the smell before you sink your teeth or beak into it. Even the animals
and birds that don’t eat mangoes know the smell of a ripe mango once they have
recognized it. But the otters grew up on another island without a mango tree so
it was the first time Udra smelt the mango and not just the trace of the smell
from someone else’s face. Left to himself, am not sure what he would have done
next but that decision was taken out his paws as Rooty monkey came there with a
mango intending to leave it by their burrow like the rest of us had done but
when she saw Udra standing there, she smiled at Udra and settled down to eat
the mango. Udra took the cue and copied her. He tossed the mango into his mouth
like it was a fish and sat down there chewing the mango.
Ø Samudra came out of his burrow
to see Rooty and Udra chewing on the mango with relish, already their whiskers
a bright and dripping orange from the mango pulp. Samudra looked at Udra in
surprise who pointed at a mango lying around. Samudra was a little aghast and
shook his head and swiftly walked over to the river, like he was going fishing.
Am sure, Samudra thought there was some flaw in his vision or there was
something faulty with Udra’s brain. Just before he dived into the water, he
turned around to have another look at Udra. He kept returning to where he had
dived into the water to check out Udra’s moves. What do you think Udra did
next? He spat the seed down on the ground and picked up another mango close by
just as Rooty did the same. I am sure that’s the beginning of a beautiful friendship
between Udra and Rooty.
Ø Bewildered Samudra held out
for another day while he watched Udra tuck in many mangoes and then he took a
tentative bite which am sure is the beginning of how he ‘acquired a taste’.
Ø I had written to my uncle in
the city to send me an update about the ‘elephant who died chewing on an
explosive filled pineapple’. He sent me word through a Roller bird that was
coming here. The explosive filled fruit was meant for wild boars which ‘raid’
the farms and destroy humans’ crops. So, that absolves everyone from the crime
as far as humans are concerned. It was the elephant that blundered.
ØFirst, humans take away our
land, our forests, and our natural habitat and then when we enter these lands
and eat what would have been ours to eat before the humans invaded, we become
trespassers to be dealt with severely. Do they even stop to consider how it is
alright to take a life thus? Or how it is OK for a boar to be dealt like this
but if an elephant dies like this she becomes eligible for their sympathy at
least in death? This is what comes of being confused, of thinking that rules
can be framed to value different lives differently. The entire planet is
suffering for humans’ severe lack of sense & sensibility.
ØIf you want to take your mind
off unpleasant things, eating a mango will surely help or in its absence you
could try solving some puzzles. Here are a few activities for you for the week:
Answers to last week’s puzzles:
·
Solve
the riddles one by one and get a word that solves another riddle.
This can be
tough, especially of people and things you love extremely,
Let them go
gracefully and they will come back again cheerfully.
|
|
The one who
takes more than his due,
the one who
thinks of nothing but his own view,
who rules over
everyone by force, leaving everything askew.
|
|
Self-centered and
egotistical,
There’s only ‘__’,
no space for anybody else at all.
|
|
There have been
many in the past,
To err is human,
but to learn from and be better needs a heart.
|
|
Lessons there have
been many,
Only this will
tell, if there will be learning, if any.
|
|
The final riddle – first letter of
the answers above will also solve this riddle below:
|
|
The first step
to correct a fallacy is to accept this,
All things can
made right, that are amiss.
|
·
Based on the season of ‘mood swings’
here is a puzzle on moods. Match the moods with their meaning.
Sombre
|
Feeling depressed
|
Reflective
|
Sad
|
Melancholy
|
Fanciful
|
Idyllic
|
A feeling that something bad is
going to happen
|
Whimsical
|
Thoughtful
|
Ominous
|
Deep and serious thought
|
Gloomy
|
Happy, peaceful
|
Pensive
|
Deep sadness and seriousness
|
·
There are many words which look very
similar to each other and can be confusing, put a little thought and the
confusion will soon clear up else if you read a lot, you will not be confused
by these words. Try these to see how you do.
1.
The Barbets were ________(uninterested/disinterested)
in the literary gatherings around the Otters’ den
2.
There was a
competition to see which of the baby monkeys could eat a mango without a mess
and the Otters were the________ (uninterested/disinterested) judges.
3.
One of the baby
monkeys was _________ (unqualified/disqualified) from the competition as he had
used a bib while eating a mango which he later removed while the judges came
around.
4.
A Duck who came over
to see the Otters’ collection of books asked them if they had a Masters in
Library sciences degree. When they said they didn’t, she said they were
________ (unqualified/disqualified) to run a library.
5.
The boys, who were
throwing stones at the mangoes, didn’t even stop to think that there were
_______ (unarmed/disarmed) monkeys and squirrels on the tree, they are ________
(disgraceful/ungraceful) guests.
6.
The boys were
_______ (unarmed/disarmed) and taken away just in time. They narrowly escaped having
Mr. Goldback’s wrath unleashed on them else we would have been witness to them __________
(disgracefully/ungracefully)shrieking and running around.
7.
Last year there were
far ______ (fewer/lesser) birds than this year who visited Banyan Island during
summer.
8.
Since the humans are
all at home waiting for the virus to go away, there’s _____ (fewer/lesser)
pollution in the river this year.
- Here’s a ‘word-hunt’. In this issue of the magazine – from the beginning till right here, find all the words which mean ‘mistake’
Author’s
Note:
|
Mr. Ankit Agrawal, a regular
reader of the magazine, suggested that I have ‘word hunt’ included as a puzzle.
Many thanks, Ankit. I had to work a tad bit harder to incorporate a few of the
synonyms for the word hunt. I enjoyed doing it. Thank you.
|
Author’s Note: Painting Competition
|
|
|
And this is Aafreen's painting:
See you all next week with
more news, activities and answers to this week’s puzzles.
In the meanwhile, if you would
like to write to me, email me at Sparkyatbanyan@gmail.com
Answers to last
week’s puzzles:
·
Solve
the below riddles to get the names of few popular fairy tales.
Cinderella
|
A wicked
family who takes away her fortune,
A fairy
arrives to make it right, at a moment opportune.
Attend and
hasten away from a ball,
A shoe finally
turns out to be her rescue call.
|
Snow White
|
Another wicked
mother, very many in these tales-all wicked, none wise.
Lives on
kindness of strangers, when she’s to be killed, it’s ordered
Again, in the
end by a prince, rescued,
How else is a
girl supposed to survive, otherwise?
|
Rapunzel
|
A witch for a
change, who locks up her charge in a stair-less spread.
A prince, yet
again, comes to rescue but needs to be rescued instead.
|
Puss in Boots
|
A cunning animal
helps his human, who is undeserving.
Is it right
for cunning and lack of merit to be thus extolling?
|
·
Here
are some animal derived words used as adjectives. Can you match the words to
their meaning:
Adjective
|
Meaning
|
Sluggish
|
Extremely
slow
|
Lamb-like
|
Meek
and gentle
|
Waspish
|
Very
quick to anger
|
Catty
|
Intentionally
hurtful
|
Fishy
|
Suspicious
|
Sheepish
|
Feel
embarrassed
|
·
Crossword Puzzle for
the week. All the words end with ‘el’.
·
The Otters regularly go to the
bookstore to ‘trade’ books. They sell the books they don’t want anymore and buy
books that they want. The books that they sell are bought by the shopkeeper at
60% of the book’s original price and the books that they buy are offered to
them at a 10% discount. They can also buy ‘used books’, which are books that
have been sold back to the bookstore by readers. These used books carry a
discount of 30% on the original price. Here’s
the list of books with the original price mentioned against it. Could you
calculate the amount that the Otters had to pay the bookstore owner?
Books
sold by the Otters
|
Books
bought by the Otters
|
||
Pride & Prejudice – Jane Austen
|
10
|
North
& South – Elizabeth Gaskell
|
15
|
The Mayor of Casterbridge –Thomas
Hardy
|
15
|
Anne
of Green Gables - Lucy Maud Montgomery (Used book)
|
12
|
The Mill on the Floss - George
Elliot
|
12
|
One
hundred years of Solitude - Gabriel García Márquez
|
20
|
Kings Solomon’s Mines - H. Rider
Haggard
|
8
|
Siddhartha
- Hermann Hesse
|
15
|
Books Sold by the Otters
|
Books bought by the Otters
|
||||
Pride & Prejudice – Jane Austen
|
10
|
North & South – Elizabeth Gaskell
|
a
|
15
|
|
The Mayor of Casterbridge –Thomas Hardy
|
15
|
Anne of Green Gables - Lucy Maud Montgomery (Used book)
|
b
|
12
|
|
The Mill on the Floss - George Elliot
|
12
|
One hundred years of Solitude - Gabriel García Márquez
|
c
|
20
|
|
Kings Solomon’s Mines - H. Rider Haggard
|
8
|
Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse
|
d
|
15
|
|
Actual price of books sold by Otters
|
Total of above
|
45
|
New Books purchased at 10% discount:
|
(a+c+d)*90%
|
45
|
Original Selling price would be what the Otters would
have paid for the books while buying it, which is 90% of above 'actual price'
|
(45*90%)
|
40.5
|
Used books purchased at 40% discount
|
b*60%
|
7.2
|
Otters get: 60% of above price on books sold by them
|
(40.5*60%)
|
27
|
Price for purchase of books
|
(45+7.2)
|
52
|
Amount paid at bookstore
|
(52-24)
|
25
|
|||
- Homophones are words that sound same but have different meanings. Can you choose the right words for these sentences?
v The
Otters’ advised (advised/adviced) us to take the stories of fairy tales
with a pinch of salt.
v The
Otters’ advice (advise/advice) was well received by the residents of
Banyan Island.
v Gumphu
and the Otters complement (complement/compliment) each other as they
have similar interests.
v Since
the time Gumphu’s taken charge of the baby monkeys’ education, she’s been
receiving many a compliment (complement/compliment).
v The
Koel’s loud and repeated calls affected (affected/effected) our sleep.
v The
effect (affect/effect) of Koel’s loud and repeated calls could be seen
in our unrested eyes.
v Squirrels
cannot swim as they cannot hold their breath (breath/breathe) under
water.
v Squirrels
inability to breathe (breathe/breathe) under water means they cannot
enjoy a refreshing swim.
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