In a lush forest, where rivers sparkled like silver and birds sang sweet melodies, lived a tiny turtle named Dheema. Dheema moved slowly, but his heart was big, and he was always ready to help others. In the same forest lived a cheetah named Tejas, who was extremely proud of his speed and strength. He often teased the other animals, saying, “No one is faster than me! You’re all slow and weak!”
One day, a terrible drought struck the forest. Rivers began to dry up, and the animals had to wander far and wide in search of water. Tejas, who always boasted about his speed, climbed the tallest mountain in the forest, where a secret waterfall flowed. He thought to himself, “I’ll drink all the water from this waterfall. Why should I share it with the others?”
Dheema, concerned for his friends, saw Tejas heading toward the waterfall. He realized that Tejas’s arrogance and selfishness could spell trouble for the forest. Dheema called his friends—a wise crow named Kali and a hardworking ant named Shramika—and devised a plan.
Dheema said, “We must teach Tejas that arrogance and selfishness never bring happiness. Kali, fly to the waterfall and keep an eye on Tejas’s actions. Shramika, take your ant army and create a path to bring the water to the forest. I’ll slowly make my way there and talk to Tejas.”
Kali soared into the sky and spotted Tejas at the waterfall, drinking greedily and chasing away other animals. Kali teased him, “Hey Tejas, you’re fast, but can you outfly a little crow like me?” Furious, Tejas chased Kali, but the crow swiftly flew into a dense tree and hid.
Meanwhile, Shramika and her ant army worked together to dig tiny channels, redirecting the waterfall’s water toward the forest. When Tejas returned, he was shocked to see the waterfall drying up as the water flowed toward the forest. He roared, “Who did this?”
Just then, Dheema arrived slowly and said, “Tejas, you may be fast, but your arrogance blinded you to the needs of the forest. We worked together to share the water, because unity is our strength.”
Tejas realized his mistake. He apologized to Dheema, Kali, and Shramika and promised to stop being arrogant. From that day on, Tejas used his strength to help the forest and lived in harmony with the other animals.
Moral Lesson: Arrogance and selfishness lead to loneliness; unity and humility bring true happiness.