Lesson 1: Afro- Asian Short Story

By: Janice C. Padayogdog

Objectives:
At the end, the students have:

Described the characters in the story Four Friends

Related the lesson of the story into real life
Performed the story in front of the class

Topic: Four Friends (an Indian short story)

Procedure:
Pre-reading
Teacher will show pictures of a mouse, a crow, a doe and a tortoise to the students
then let them identify what they are. Saying these:

Teacher: Okay class first, what is this? (A mouse) what about this? (A crow) . This one?
(A tortoise) Last one, what is this? (A doe) Among these four animals, who is your favorite
and why? (Students will answer)

Now, do you want to read a very wonderful story about them? It will surely
change your relationship towards your friend.

During reading
Students will read the photocopy of the story silently with understanding and
then taking notes with the important events happen in the story for the drama activity
later.
 FOUR FRIENDS
----Anuradha Shankar

Once in a dense forest lived four friends. The first was Mooshak, a mouse; the second
Kak, a crow; the third Mantharak, a tortoise and the fourth Harini, a doe. The four friends
used to meet every morning sharing jokes and discussing various matters.

One morning, Mooshak, Kak and Mantharak sat by the lake side waiting for Harini.
She was late and they were getting worried.

Mantharak said, Dear Kak, it is very late now, almost noon. Why dont you fly
around and locate Harini. I fear she is not in some danger?

Kok promptly took flight and while flying he spotted Harini trapped in a hunters net.

Oh dear Harini!, exclaimed Kak, Mantharak was right. Here you are trapped in the
net while we waited for you.

Dear Kak, do find some help and set me free, cried Harini.

Kak flew back to his friends and told of Harinis plight. After thinking for some time
Mantharak said, Well, Kak, why not take Mooshak with you? He will gnaw at the hunters
net and surely Harini would be free to join us.

That is right, agreed Mooshak but in a grim voice he said. How can I reach such a
long way off quickly before the hunters arrival?

Dont worry, said Kak, for I will carry you on my back.

So Mooshak hopped on Kaks back and Kak flew him to Harini. Mooshak promptly
set to cutting the net and soon Harini was free. By that time Mantharak, the tortoise, had
reached the spot crawling slowly.

Just as the friends embraced each other joyfully they heard the hunters approaching
footsteps. Harini hid behind a. bush, Mooshak jumped into a treehole and Kak flew up to a
tree. Mantharak scrambled towards a rock to hide beneath it.

The hunter saw his damaged net and exclaimed, Oh the doe has escaped and my
net is torn too. Oh ! what is thisa fat turtlebetter take this than the doe for at least I will
not be hungry.
 Thus, the hunter picked up the slow-moving tortoise and put it in his bag. Now
Mooshak, Kak and Harini were worried about setting Mantharak free. They quickly made a
plan. .

At a distance, the hunter again spotted Harini chewing on lush green. He thought,
What luck ! A tortoise and the deer too for dinner tonight. So saying he dropped his bag
and went to catch Harini. But Harini was a fast runner and she led him far away.

Meanwhile, Mooshak cut open the hunters bag and Mantharak was set free. As
soon as Mantharak was safely hidden beneath a rock and Mooshak was in the tree-hole,
Kak flew to Harini.

Harini bound away fast and the hunter, tired as he was decided to return to his small catch,
the tortoise.

But was ! when he returned he found no tortoise and he had no doe for dinner either.

Post reading
Students will have a drama

Teacher: Okay class, I will divide you by two groups and then you will perform an
impromptu drama entitled Four Friends by Anuradha Shankar. Ill give you 10 minutes to
practice.

After 10 minutes

Students have performed the drama in different level of performances: good and very good.

SHORT STORIES

By that time Mantharak, the tortoise, had reached the spot crawling slowly. -
http://shortstoriesshort.com/story/the-four-friends/