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Children's Stories (English)
The White Crow
It was a hot summer day. Luse, a crow, was resting on the branch
of a dense tree. He was about to fall asleep when he felt some liquid
falling on his body. His body became drenched with the dropping
of other crows. He looked above and saw two mischievous crows, Chuchhe
and Buchhe, laughing at him.
Luse was angry with Chuchhe and Buchhe. But he was helpless, because
they were known in the forest for their mischief. They made fun
of every bird. They had defecated on his body and his black shining
feathers had turned white with their droppings.
Luse flew from his perch in search of water to wash his body.
But the rivers and ponds in the forest had dried up because of the
hot summer. There were no other sources of water nearby. Therefore,
he flew towards the village. But most of the water sources in the
village had also turned dry. Even the small ponds where the cattle
drank were dry. Then he went to the village crossroad where there
were big Pipal and Bar trees. A platform was constructed around
the trees. It was a meeting place for the villagers and a resting
platform for the wayfarers. Some charitable villagers had put water
in earthen pots for the thirsty travelers. People who were tired
rested there and quenched their thirst with the cold water from
the pot and wished the charitable people good fortune.
Luse sat on the branch of the Bar tree and looked at the people
drinking water. He could not bathe in the earthen pot. Nor did he
see any appropriate place to wash his feathers. He was helplessly
gazing at the people below when all of a sudden some people exclaimed
with excitement. "Look! There is a white crow." Luse saw
all the people gazing at him with astonishment.
Luse could not understand what the matter was. He looked at his
own body and saw that because of the bird droppings his body had
turned white and it had become dry and shining. He felt uncomfortable.
He wanted to hide himself from the people's sight. So, he flew into
the dense branches and disappeared behind the leaves.
But the curious villagers did not leave him alone. Some of them
said "See the white crow is a sacred bird. It brings good fortune
to the village. It may be the descendant or a reincarnation of Kaagbhusundi.
It is mentioned in the great epic Ramayana that Kaagbhusundi helped
Lord Ram to look for Goddess Sita. We must welcome and worship this
crow."
The news of the arrival of the white crow at the village cross-road
spread like wildfire. The villagers congregated around the tree
in large numbers. They brought milk, bread, cooked rice, vermilion
powder and flowers to feed and worship the crow. They displayed
all these offerings on the platform and all of them stayed little
away from the tree so that the crow could come and accept the offerings.
Seeing nobody on the platform Luse came down from the tree. Since
he was hungry and thirsty he drank the milk and ate the food hurriedly.
When he was full he flew up to the branches and hid behind the leaves.
Meanwhile, other crows including Chuchhe and Buchhe arrived there.
When they started to attacking the offerings the villagers drove
them away with sticks and stones.
Luse wondered at the villagers' strange behavior with the other
crows. He tried to find out why they welcomed him and drove the
others away. He guessed that it must be because of the white color
of his feathers. He himself had never seen a crow with white feathers.
He felt pity on Chuchhe and Buchhe. He did not mind their mischief.
People gathered at the platform again and started talking about
the epic bird Kaagbhusundi. Some of them started singing religious
songs. They even discussed about constructing a temple for Kaagbhusundi
near the cross-road.
It was getting dark. Birds had started returning home. Chuchhe,
Buchhe and other crows had returned to the forest. However, Luse
decided to pass the night on the Bar tree.
It rained at night. It was a great relief not only for the villagers
but also for other living beings. People living in the village and
around became happy. They thanked the graceful white crow for the
rain.
In the morning when the sun appeared on the horizon Luse looked
at his body. Alas! His feathers were white no more. The rain had
washed his feathers. His dark body was shining in the sun.
Poor Luse flew straight towards the forest in search of Chuchhe
and Buchhe.
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