Thatha and The Magic Grain

Thatha and the Magic Grain - Stories for children by
Satya Sarada Kandula.

Authorship and Copyright Notice: All Rights Reserved to all Content : Satya
Sarada Kandula. For images courtesy other artists, the copyright vests with the
creators.
Authorship and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada Kandula 1
Contents
Thatha and the Magic Grain - Stories for children by Satya Sarada Kandula. ............1
About KathaKanchiki ..............................................................................................3
1. Thatha and the Magic Grain................................................................................3
3. The Maths Teacher finds a Quest!.....................................................................11
Saraswathi Namastubhyam.
About KathaKanchiki
The story goes to Kanchi.
Telugu stories fo children begin with anaganaga (it is said and said and said…) and end with
kathakanchiki, manam intiki (the story to kanchi, and us homeward).
That is the way we say ‘once upon a time’ in Telugu stories for little children. And we end them
with ‘Katha kanchiki, manam intiki’. Which means the story to Kanchi and us to home. Manam
is a special word in Telugu, which I am told few other languages have. It is the inclusive ‘we’, it
includes the person that one is talking to.
Anaganaga was my favorite word as a child. Luckily for me there were four people in my family
who used it frequently. My great-grand-mother (she lived till she was 95 and I was 14), my
grand-father (he lived with us till he was 70+ and I was 15), my grandmother (she lived till she
was 80 and I was 31) and my father who still loves to write and tell stories.
Our stories were never interrupted by commercials. Only by delicious snacks that my mother
served up from time to time. The distinguished user of the magic word anaganaga.. Would adapt
the tale depending on the light reflecting in our expressive, eager eyes, dragging out some parts,
repeating some bits and skipping over unpopular parts. They were truly interactive, responding to
our spoken and unspoken wishes.
What greater joy in life to have a grandfather recline in an easy chair and light his cigar and call
for his grandchildren and use the magic word. Or to cuddle up on each side of grandmother and
demand a story before our favorite lullaby “Chunchu duvvi pincham petteda, Gopala Krishna”.
Or for father’s eyes to twinkle and shine indicating clearly that there was an “anaganaga” in the
offing. Or to catch the eternally free great grandmother, Thathamma, and say, tell us a story, now,
right away.
1. Thatha and the Magic Grain

A Thatha
Once upon a time, long ago, in an Indian village, lived a Thatha. What is a Thatha? A Thatha is a
grandfather of course. Any grandfather! He need not even have actual grandchildren. It is enough
if he looks like one.
Then everyone will call him Thatha. A little white hair, a little white beard. Not dyed. A warm
brown wrinkled face. Twinkling brown eyes. Wrinkles and Twinkles are very important in any
proper Thatha. Grandchildren may be borrowed, but you must have your own wrinkles and
twinkles. A nice knobbly stick, not very straight, is optional, but very desirable.
A Village Sunset
So, one day, this Thatha made a mistake. The actual mistake he made is not very important. I
think someone paid him twice for the same work, or he thought they did, and he took it at the
time, but he really grieved about it later. But he did not give it back. So he grieved about it a little
more. Then he spent the money on something. May be he fed some hungry orphans – he did that
sometimes. Or may be fed himself. He did that too sometimes.
Actually, Thatha liked singing, way, way, more than he liked working.. and he had a secret quest,
that everyone knew about. In India, it is hard to keep secrets when everyone is so interested in
you. So secret actually does not mean something that no one else knows about. It really means
something that you wish, everyone else would stay out of. Of course this cannot happen. And
Thatha knew it.
A Thatha with a stick!
Thatha was looking for a small magic grain. He had fashioned a sieve out of wood and wire. It
was his own design. It was a sieve that would let all seeds pass through it, except the magic one!
He had read about the magic grain in books that he owned and books that he borrowed, and in
books that he owned because he had borrowed them. He grieved about these books that he had
not gotten around to returning, but he kept them anyway.
Most people knew that Thatha was a kind of black hole when it came to books, nothing would
ever escape and they laughed at his borrowing habits. They also hid their other books when he
came to visit and talked of gardening and weather. Indians are helpless against Thathas with
twinkles and wrinkles, especially if they have white beards and white hair. And this one also had
a knobbly stick!
One day Thatha decided that the magic grain was not to be found in his little village. So he
decided to set out into the wide world. He took his magic sieve, and returned the books he
borrowed. His neighbours packed him some snacks in a cloth bundle which he tied to a stick and
put over his shoulder, and waved goodbye to his friends.
A trail to set off on...
He had snacks that could be crunched and snacks that could be munched and snacks that could
be chomped. He had snacks that he could lick and snacks that he could chew and snacks that he
could swallow. It is amazing how much Indian neighbours can pack for you in little cloth
bundles.
As he went along, Thatha would sing. He would sing from the bottom of his heart and at the top
of his voice. He had a deep reverberating voice. Cows and goats and sheep and birds would look
upon him delightedly as he sang. Children would follow him as far as their parents would let
them and then some. They could not really turn back. Then their parents would have to chase
after their children to bring them home. Then they too would walk along with Thatha, listening
to his songs.
Getting ready to go!
They would invite him home for a snack or two and feed him till he couldn’t eat anymore. Then
they would repack his little cloth bundle and ask him where he was going. Thatha would tell
them about the books and sieve and magic grain. They would excitedly bring out all the kinds of
grains they had and they would test them in the sieve. When all of them passed through the sieve,
they would shake their heads and laugh at Thatha. They would say, “Such magic grains don’t
exist, you are wasting your life looking for one. If there had been a magic grain, it would have
been found by now.”
The children were more helpful. They swore that they had seen the exact grain that Thatha was
looking for. Some said north, some said east and some said they had seen it in faraway lands
across the sea or under the sea. Some said, they had one just till yesterday when a sparrow had
flown away with it. Thatha would ruffle their hair and give them a hug and be on his way.
Lunch time!
How far he traveled, we do not know, and neither did he. As he grew tired and sadder, his songs
grew better and better. People who heard him would stand transfixed, unable to move or think. It
was only the extremely tone deaf and practical people, who would remember to feed him and
repack his little bundle. They were the ones who had the grains fetched and tested in his sieve.
They were the ones who told him to give up his impractical search. They were the ones who
made sure he slept on a bed at least when they could make him listen to them.
Thatha traveled on and he grew older and older. In his travels he saw many places and many
kinds of people, his songs grew wise as well as beautiful. They were full of beautiful thoughts
and stories and the music was unimaginably wonderful. Even the people who were tone deaf,
were captured in that wonderful philosophy and wisdom. Now it was only the people who were
deaf to music and closed to philosophy that made sure that he was fed and rested. They put
ointment on his feet and oil on his back. It broke their heart to see him weak, and they sent word
for all the grains as far as they could, and personally tested them in the sieve for him. They told
him to give up his silly search and to stay with them where they could take care of him.
Villagers working in the field
Thatha wended his way forward. People of one village made sure that someone went along with
him at least till the next village, in case he needed anything. Young students ran behind him,
making notes of his songs so that they could sing it later. They made sure that he had water to
drink and some shade over his head. People said that it was a great good fortune to serve him and
competed with each other for that honour.
Then one day…. Thatha saw a huge tree under which there sat a sage. Around him sat hundreds
of disciples in silence. He paused his songs and went towards the sage. Some of his protective
villager friends, apologized to the sage on his behalf. “He is just a thatha sir, he sings a lot and
forgets to eat. He has a sieve and looks for a magic grain, we are just keeping an eye on him, till
he reaches the next village safely. He is a foolish man on an impossible errand. But he harms no
one. Please don’t be annoyed with him”.
The sage looked kindly at Thatha. “Is this the grain you are looking for?” he asked. It was a
beautiful grain, full of a million colors and a joy just to look at. Thatha tested it in his sieve and it
was the one!
Then he sang that day. It was a wonderful perfect song of joy and wisdom of journeys and
adventures and treasures found and friends made. Even the most practical people in the world
forgot to feed him that day. All animate creation stood still. They say the stones and rivers and
wind had to take it upon themselves to care of him and the others. They say, that day, the Sun
laughed!
The sun laughed!
2. Amma gets a Thambura

Thatha sat under his tree. Singing beautifully, as he usually did. People sat around the tree.
Listening happily, as they usually did. It was a nice sunny day. Ravi was asking his mother to
hurry up. “Amma, Thatha will be hungry, please pack his lunch soon!”. He hopped from one foot
to another. His mother smiled at the four foot bundle of happy impatience! “What a nice fellow
you are! Are you going eat with Thatha?” she asked as she packed the lunch at her own pace.
Indian mothers are not to be hurried. They are artists who take a lot of pride in their home
making. Ravi nodded.
A little while later Ravi set off with the bundle. He liked songs but he loved stories. And after
Thatha and he shared their lunch, Thatha would tell a story., maybe two stories! By the time he
got there, there were some other kids too, with lunches to share. They all ate together in excited
anticipation. Finally it was time!
“Nap time!” said Thatha, his eyes twinkling. “No!” yelled the children, “Story Time!” “Thatha,
tell these children a nice moral story that builds character” suggested an uncle in passing. “No
way!” yelled the children. “Thatha, tell these children a nice logical story that builds their
intelligence” said the Maths teacher, who came to listen to the stories. “No!” yelled the children,
“Tell us a magical, nonsensical story,” said the children.
“Ah!” said Thatha, “This calls for the magic grain!”. From the folds of his clothes, he pulled out
a tiny tin snuff box. He opened it and looked at a wonderful, million coloured magic grain, that
he had put inside it. Then all the children wanted a look too, and they took turns, coming up to
Thatha and peeking into the little snuff box. Ravi gazed at it enchantedly. Then he sat down and
waited for the story.
As Thatha told the story, Ravi sat completely still, his face glowing and serious. He would never
forget even the tiniest little detail of any story that he ever heard. It was as if the story was for
him alone, and no one existed around him. The twinkle in Thatha’s eyes reflected as a sparkle in
Ravi’s eyes, and Thatha noticed it. And the sparkle in Ravi’s eyes reflected in Thatha’s story
making it more wonderful and fantastic. This cycle went on until Ravi’s eyes shone brilliantly.
The maths teacher loved the stories so much, that he wanted to hear them again and again. This
is why the children loved their maths teacher.
The maths teacher was about 5 feet tall and very skinny and boyish. All his young life, he wished
that he could have gone off and had adventures like Thatha. But he did not know how. You see,
he did not have a quest, the way Thatha had. He simply had no idea, what he wanted to find, he
just wanted something wonderful and adventurous. For now, all he had was Thatha’s stories.
In the evenings, he would take Thatha home and give him dinner and try to make him sleep on a
cot. But Thatha liked sleeping outdoors looking at the moon and the stars. So except when it
rained, the maths teacher would leave Thatha’s cot outside. And he started sleeping outdoors too.
It was more fun!
One day, the maths teacher decided that it was Thatha’s birthday. He went to a music store and
bought a small carry along Tambura and gifted it to Thata at story time. Thatha was delighted.
The children took turns strumming the Tambura while Thatha sang along.
Ravi fell in love with the tambura. It made him want to sing too. He borrowed it from Thatha and
took it home to show his mom. She was so thrilled. She finished her work quickly and what she
did not finish she set aside, and declared it finished. Then she sang as she strummed the
Tambura. Everyone was spell bound. No one even knew that Ravi’s mom could sing. Everyone
quickly declared their work finished and came to listen to her. Thatha heard her voice from afar
and came to listen to her. The maths teacher closed his books and went after him. That day the
whole village collected in Ravi’s home to listen to his mom sing. She sang songs of Krishna, the
divine cowherd, that she learnt when she was a young girl. She sang of His mother and of his
friends and his adventures. When she sang about Krishna, she closed her eyes and in her mind’s
eye, Krishna looked just like Ravi!
Thatha called Ravi. “Tell your mom that she can borrow that Tambura whenever she likes! It will
either be with me under the tree or in the corner in the math’s teacher’s house. You can get it for
her when she wants it and put it back when she finishes.” Ravi was so happy for his mom. He
gave Thatha one big hug and then extra one.
Life in Ravi’s home changed after the ‘Arrival of the Tambura’. Ravi’s mother would cook and
clean quickly. There was a spring in her step and a shimmer in her eyes. She would arrange the
house neatly every evening and send Ravi to get the Tambura. He would carry it carefully down
the street with great pride. All the neighbouring moms, would finish their work, dress up neatly
and come to Ravi’s house to listen to the Krishna songs. As they heard and listened, they learned
and they would join in.
Ravi always put a cot outside, for Thatha to lie down on, as he listened to the songs. The maths
teacher gave the children less homework to do so that he would be free in the evenings. He came
and sat at Thatha’s feet, pressing them as they listened to the songs. He looked at the rapture on
the faces of Ravi’s mom and her friends.
They did not have a quest. They did not have adventures. And they found the same wonderful joy
that Thatha had, right in their homes. But he still yearned for a wonderful adventure for himself,
something magical, something… Maybe he would just go and explore the world. Maybe his
quest was to find a quest! He decided to talk to Thatha about it at story time tomorrow.
3. The Maths Teacher finds a Quest!

The Maths teacher waited for story time. Eagerly. Anxiously. Excitedly. Happily. Ravi reached
Thatha’s tree at the same time as the Maths Teacher and gave him a happy smile.
“Thatha, I have a questions for you”, said the Maths Teacher. “Can I ask you now?” Thatha
smiled,”I think we should eat first! Ravi’s mother has sent us nippatus today and I love them”.
Ravi chimed in,”And after nipattu time, it is story time and then you can ask your question”.
The Maths Teacher ruffled Ravi’s head kindly. “As your highness decrees”!
After lunch time, Thatha took his chutta out and lit it. Ravi was delighted. Now Thatha would
relax, and through the puffs of smoke, a great story would emerge. The Maths Teacher was close
to bursting with his question, and though normally he was enraptured by Thatha’s story, today, it
only served to increase his agitation.
Finally, the grand tale wound to a close and was packed of to Kanchi, where all stories go! And
the Maths Teacher had the entire attention of the twinkling eyes of the wrinkled brown face. The
Maths Teacher blurted out his request. “Dear Thatha, you have had all those wonderful
adventures because you had a quest. You knew what to look for. I, on the other hand, have no
quest. I have no idea what I want or where to look for it. I too want a wonderful life and a great
many adventures but all I do is teach little children mathematics. Nice children, loving children,
smart children! But my life lacks that little something and I miss it so badly, you can never
guess”. He looked so woeful!
Thatha called up the Maths Teacher and took out his magic grain. He put it on the teacher’s head
and his eyes and his nose and his hands and his feet and shoulders and even on his ears. “I think
you have many talents and succeed at whatever you try!” he said. “Yes Thatha”, came the
response. “And he is the bestest teacher we have” the children added. “You are kind hearted and
generous. And you are full of magic. All you need is a purpose, a meaning. So that you won’t
drift through life, and so that life won’t pass you by… You need a quest! Hmmm”, said Thatha.
“Would you like to find a princess?” he asked. “No, Thatha, not a princess. She would never
marry a skinny bloke like me, I am sure of it. And one as poor as myself! No! Not a princess”,
said the Maths teacher. “Would you like to find ‘the water of life’, it will make you immortal?”,
came the suggestion. “No Thatha, I would definitely like to live for a very long time, but not
forever, not after all my friends have moved to heaven. Immortality is lonely business and
probably boring too…!” That was the answer.
“Ha, a fellow with no illusions”, thought Thatha. “What would be a quest for him? He is kind
and selfless. He would like to do something that would help others. He is intelligent and loves to
think… Ah, I have it!”
“Maths Teacher! There is a mountain, I have heard of and read about. There is a field of very shy
plants, who will hide and run, when they see new people. They glow by day and by night and
there is a kind of music about them. If a sick man sniffs them, he will get well. A blind man who
hears them, will be able to see and a deaf man who sees them will be able to hear. And the mutest
of people will burst into song when they are near. If you found the way to that field, and sent
someone back to tell the others, well people would only have to go there to have their troubles
taken care of. What do you think? Will you find the field and tell others how to find it?” Thatha
paused and puffed on his chutta.
The Maths Teacher’s eyes shone. “I will let the school know about my new mission and start as
soon as possible” he said and walked over and hugged Thatha. “Me too! I want to go too”,
shouted Ravi, jumping up and down with excitement, “Thatha, please come and tell amma.”
4. Ravi’s New Drum.

This story is about Ravi and his new drum.
The Maths Teacher was making preparations for his Quest. The headmaster had agreed to let him
take as much leave as he needed, but he asked him to stay on till the term ended.
Ravi begged his mom to go too, everyday. To give him something else to think about she bought
him a nice new drum set for his birthday. Ravi was very excited. He kept on playing with it. He
kept it very close to his bed when he went to sleep and slept with a happy smile on his face.
Ravi wanted to take his drum set to school to show his friends. His mom was not for it. She said
it might get spoilt or lost and it was not a good idea to take drums to school in the first place.
Ravi was adamant. He said that he wanted to be selected for the school band and he would be
sure to be picked if he took his new drum along.
Ravi found the Arts teacher at school. The arts teacher was in charge of the school band too. ‘Sir,
can I bring my drum to school and practice it with my friends? I want to be selected for the
school band’, he asked. “Sure kid,” the teacher said, “nothing to it.”
Ravi brought his drum to school the very next day. Siri was charmed by the drum. She wanted to
play it. She said, “please give me the drum sticks, please”. Ravi was pleased that his drum was
much admired. He looked at her pleading face and relented. He was just about to give her the
sticks when the P.T. teacher swung by on them.
“What is this? Why are you hitting Siri with the drum sticks? Who allowed you to bring the
drum to school in the first place? You bad and naughty boy! If I let you get away with this,
tomorrow you will hit even your mother!” he snatched the drum and the sticks straight out of
Ravi’s hands and dashed off to the staff room with Ravi and Siri in tow.
Ravi was shocked, upset and puzzled. But above all he was very concerned about his precious
new drum. “Sir, please give me back my new drum. I was not trying to hit Siri. She wanted to
play and I was letting her take the sticks., you can ask her if you want to”.
The P.T. teacher turned on Siri. “Oh! so you are also a bad girl, playing drums in the playground
are you? I will tell the headmaster!” Siri was scared. She was terrified of a beating or even of a
scolding. “Sir, it is all Ravi’s fault. I never asked him for the drum sticks. Please don’t beat me.
Please don’t tell my mother”.
Ravi's Evil P.T. teacher : Courtesy : http://jaggedsmile.wordpress.com/
Ravi was shocked beyond words. He had thought that Siri was his friend. Veer came running
there. “Sir, Ravi did nothing wrong…” The P.T. teacher yelled at them. “So you also want to see
the headmaster, do you? Get out of here!” Veer left and waited outside the staff room for his
friend Ravi to come out. Poor Ravi, he never teased children and little animals like the others
did. Why was he so unlucky that he got caught for something he did not do? And how cowardly
Siri was! To save herself she was letting her friend take the worst of it. It was important for
Thatha and Ravi’s Amma to know what was going on. Thatha knew how good Ravi was and the
headmaster respected Thatha. Veer sent Siddhu to tell them while he waited outside.
Amma talked to Thatha about it. “Thatha, will you talk to the headmaster?” she asked. Thatha
said, “Don’t worry Amma. Everything is for the best. Ravi will learn to obey you better in future
and will not be so obstinate in having is own way. The head master is a good and wise man. You
can talk to him. He knows Ravi too and he knows that Ravi brings me food everyday. I trust him
to do the right thing. Ravi will also learn that the world includes all kinds of people and he will
be more careful as he grows up.”
In the meantime, the P.T. teacher sent for the Arts teacher. He said, “Ravi says that you gave him
permission to bring his drum to school. Did you?”. The Arts teacher sensed that something was
blowing out of proportion and he decided to duck for cover. “Of course I did not give him
permission,” he said. “What a liar you are!”, the P.T. teacher turned on poor dazzled Ravi. Then
for about one hour, the P.T. teacher and Ravi’s class teacher scolded him without break, for
breaking rules, bullying small girls and telling lies. All Ravi could say was “Can you please give
me my new drum back?”
Ravi's Art Teacher : Courtesy : http://jaggedsmile.wordpress.com/
In the meantime, Amma went to meet the headmaster. “Sir, Ravi took his drum to school today to
try out in the band. His friend Siddhu came and told me that Ravi is being blamed for all kinds of
things including hitting Siri. Sir, I will never let Ravi tryout for anything again. He will just come
to school and come home. Siri is his friend. She comes home sometimes to play. I know her.
They must have been playing together as usual.”
The headmaster reassured her, “I will talk to Siri and then I will talk to Ravi and I will find out
what happened. Ravi should have taken my permission to practice drums in the school. But he
always asks the friendly art teacher. If the art teacher denies giving him permission, then that
means Ravi broke the rules, because everyone will trust the friendly art teacher. What Siri says is
important. Why don’t you talk to her?”
Amma spoke to Siri. Siri said, “Aunty, Ravi and I were just playing, I will tell the headmaster
that. Don’t worry.” Amma went back to Thatha. Thatha said, “Have Faith. Everything is for the
best.”
Ravi came home in the evening, sad and shocked. Veer walked with him part of the way.
“Amma, I am sorry, I took the drum to school and that I did not listen to you.” Amma gave him
some milk to drink and then she spoke sternly to him. “You are lucky to have this bad experience
so early in life. Now you know that many people cannot be trusted. I want you to stay away from
bands, sports and all fun things in school. You can only go to classes and come straight after
school”. Ravi said sadly, “Yes, mother. Do you think that they will expel me from school?
Amma, Siri lied. The arts teacher lied, and I got scolded by a group of big teachers and they took
away my new birthday drum. Oh mother! The liars are free and I am good and pure and I have
been blamed. My new drom has been taken away. The teachers look upon me like I am a bad
boy. What did I do wrong?”
Amma said, “The mistake was the P.T. teacher’s in that he acted on an assumption and impulse,
without a thought for how he was affecting a young child’s heart and mind. He was so sure he
knew., and what he knew was an error. The mistake was the Art Teacher’s in that he gave you
permission to do something that was not in his power to do, and that he denied it what he did.
The mistake is in our culture and society, where what people think is more important than the
truth. But you made a mistake too. The mistake of innocence that is almost naivety. Every day,
dear, you see that it is the innocent bystanders who get caught in riots, the poor people who die.
Innocence and poverty are crimes. Toughen yourself, whatever happens we’ll face it bravely. It is
only life after all.”
Then she smiled,”I will let you go on the Quest with the Maths teacher. And Appa will go and
meet your class teacher”. Ravi smiled. Appa was the best. He went and told Appa all that
happened. Appa smiled at him kindly, “Well, let this be a lesson to you in the ways of the world.
Let me guess both Siri and the Arts teacher have let you down right? They will go down in
history as the world’s cowards.” Ravi actually laughed.
Appa went to school to meet the class teacher. The class teacher re-assured him. “Oh, I am sure
that the Arts teacher gave him permission and went back on it, because he is afraid the
headmaster will take him to task. I found out from others that Ravi never hit or intended to hit
Siri, but it is no longer in my hands sir, it is in the head-master’s hands.”
In the meantime, the Maths Teacher went to meet the head-master. “Sir, Ravi is a good boy. He
deserves to have his drums back. He did no wrong. Didn’t Siri tell you the truth?” The
headmaster spoke, “The girl Siri backs the P.T. teacher and not Ravi. She does not want to get
into trouble with teachers, perhaps. I will meet Ravi next week.”
The Maths Teacher asked. “What about his drums sir? What about justice for Ravi? Why is Siri’s
word more weighty than Veer’s? Why is the P.T. teacher’s word worth more than mine and
Thatha’s?”
Amma went to the temple next day and prayed for Ravi. And she thought of all the ancient
stories. When bad things happen to normal people, they learn a lesson. But when bad things
happen to very pure people, the world learns a lesson and the world order changes. Because
Gandhiji was thrown out of the train, a country became free. “My son is pure,” she thought. “The
world must change, to atone for the pain caused to Ravi. Oh Janardhana, we have no refuge but
you, please protect Ravi”.
Thatha came to the temple to reassure Amma. “Amma, have faith, Ravi will get his drums back.
Everything will be allright. There is a time for everything. Remember, I have the magic grain.
Come, I want you to sing today as everyday. It is only life after all!”
The arts teacher went to see Amma. “Please tell Ravi, not to say that I gave him permission, they
will never let me take care of the school band any more..”, he said. Amma was disappointed. He
does not care about Ravi, she thought.
The headmaster called Ravi. “Hi Ravi, how are you feeling today?”, he asked. Ravi said, “I miss
my drum sir, very much. Everyone is calling me and giving me advice. I am not in the school
band anymore. My teachers think I am a bad boy. I am a good boy sir. I asked the arts teacher
whether I could bring my drum, it was Siri who fussed for the drum sticks, now both of them are
fine and I am the one who got the punishment”.
The headmaster spoke kindly to him. “Ravi, does Veer have the right to lend your drums to
Siddhu?” Ravi said, “No sir, how can that be? The drums are mine!”. “In the same way, the arts
teacher cannot give you permission to bring your drums to school. Only the headmaster can. It is
harder to get permission from the headmaster, but he is the one to ask, is that clear?” he asked
Ravi. “Yes, sir, Mr. headmaster., I know that now.” said Ravi. “I will give you your drums back,
but you must not bring them to school again, the noise may disturb others. I have approved the
purchase of a drumset for the college. So the school band will use that. If Amma lets you, you
can try out for the school band still, but she is the one who can decide that” he said. Ravi nodded.
“Now about Siri. I know you and Amma and Thatha. I don’t think you were trying to hit her. I
think the P.T. teacher scared her into complaining. That is the problem with small girls. She is too
small to understand. I don’t want you you to play with her anymore. Please play with good boys
of your age.” he said. Ravi understood.
Ravi's Headmaster. Courtesy: http://jaggedsmile.files.wordpress.com
“Finally about the P.T. teacher. It was wrong of him to scold you without finding out the
truth. That is why in our country, we have the police to catch suspects and the judges to
decide whether the suspects are actually criminals or really good people. In that way,
even if the teachers complain that someone is a naughty boy, I am the one to judge the
truth and decide”, he said. Ravi said excitedly,”The story teacher was telling us about
Maryada Ramanna and King Solomon. So you are like Maryada Ramanna and I am like
the man who was wrongly caught”. The headmaster could not help smiling ..”Yes, young
man. Now while the judges will find out the truth and free the good people, don’t you
think that it is better for good boys not to be caught at all?” Ravi agreed,”I have had a
really awful time, sir!”
“OK, now for you not to be caught, you have to do something too. Look at what others
are doing. And if you want to do something that your friends are not doing, then, you
need permission and advice. In a school that would be from me. In the society that would
be from the government. That is why you need permits. You need to find out what the
rules are. Not knowing the rules, is not an excuse!”.. explained the headmaster.
“But, sir, sometimes the govt. can be wrong too. They put Gandhiji in jail because he
wanted freedom for India, then what must I do?” Ravi asked.
The headmaster thought and spoke carefully. “We make rules to make sure that
everybody has a fair free and good life. But even grown up human beings are just boys
like you and Veer. They keep improving the rules with time. As the rules get better, the
society gets better. Sometimes individuals, make the society better. Do you know about
Raja Ram Mohan Roy?”. “Yes, yes!” said Ravi, “He was a social reformer, he helped
Indian women. He changed the rules!”
“Yes, my dear child! Freeing a country and reforming a society are things that very, very
great, good and wise and strong people do. They are the ones who change rules, and show
us that life can be different and better. The society and govt. learn from them…I would be
very happy if you become a great and good man like Gandhiji or Raja Ram Mohan
Roy… but first, you must learn the rules and follow them”. The headmaster gave Ravi his
drum set. Ravi gave him a smile.
When Ravi came out of the headmaster’s room, Veer, Siddhu, Amma, Appa and the
Maths teacher were waiting for him. Oh yes, and Thatha was there too, with the magic
grain in his hand. It was story time and music time and time for love and joy. “O
Janardhana! O Satya Sankalpa!”, Amma said, “Thank you, thank you!” Ravi gave her a
hug and Appa ruffled his hair. There were sweets all around!
5. The Quest begins.

You know what it is is like in India! You only have to announce a solitary quest, for the
whole village to go along.
The Maths Teacher found his quest after a long conversation with Thatha. Thatha always
had a quest, he never had to ask anyone about it. The villagers did not really care about
the quest itself one way or the other. They liked to go along, whenever something was
going on!
First Ravi wanted to go. Then Veer and Siddhu wore their parents out till they agreed.
Then Ravi’s mother wore Appa out till he agreed to let her go., to look after the children.
The children begged Thatha to go along with them. Then Veer’s Ajji insisted on going
along. She was a tough, wiry old lady, with strong views on the rights and capabilities of
grandmothers. They were in no way less than grandfathers. If a Thatha could go., an Ajji
could go too.
Maths Teacher was terrified. All these elderly ladies and gentlemen and young children!.
And he a skinny young man! How was this going to work out? He went to meet Appa in
the evening. He simply begged him to come. “I need some adult male help and I dare not
say this in front of the ladies. They will tell me how strong and capable they are. I have
no doubt about that but I would appreciate your help!”. Appa laughed! He knew amma
and ajji. Especially Ajji. Full of enthusiasm and energy and always keen to try new things
and go to new places. She took part in all village functions giving a helping hand and
directions. She claimed that she was already a hundred years old. She was delighted when
people bowed to her and took her blessings. She knew what a valuable person she was
and how much everyone liked her. And she was a great story teller in her own right! The
children of the village were very lucky. However, she was made of pure steel and nobody
would ever dream of crossing her.
Well Doddappa and Chikkappa could always look after the farm and village work, so
Appa agreed to go and help the Maths teacher. Also it was quite inconceivable to say no,
when someone needed your help. Particularly to look after your own family and
kinsmen… So it was arranged that Thatha, Maths Teacher, Ravi, Veer, Siddhu, Ajji,
Amma and Appa, not to speak of few interested others who were bound to turn up on the
starting day should all leave on the Maths Teacher’s solitary quest!
The little band set off on an auspicious day chosen by Ajji. There was no dearth of
bundles of things to eat and drink. Appa had a conversation with Thatha a few days
before that. Thatha threw open a bunch of books all over his mat. He had a general idea
of where the field of magical shy plants might be. He knew tons of stories and lots of
couplets and quotes. The Maths teacher listened respectfully as Thatha and Appa argued
about the best way to get there with a band of small children and women.
“Thatha! It is one thing to go on a quest all by yourself as you did when you found your
magic grain. It is quite another thing, with kids and grandmothers about. Boys are always
hungry. Women get tired a liitle sooner than men and they won’t admit it. They insist on
clean places to eat and sleep. They will want to wash your clothes and theirs at the first
opportunity. They will insist on wearing at least a little bit of jewellry. We have to take
safe routes, through villages, near rivers and lakes. We may have to get at least one
bullock cart along. Sometimes women and children need to rest. Then the bullocks will
need rest too sometimes.”
Thatha started laughing. “And are you going to bring cows, goats, firewood, cooking
pots, groceries and tents too? Do you plan to get there anytime in this life time?” Appa
looked at him seriously. “That is a brilliant idea Thatha! We shall travel like the gypsies
do, with all that and more! We can’t expect strangers to feed such a large group. It would
not be fair.” Thatha gave up. “Well you are in charge! What do unmarried folks like me
and the Maths Teacher know about women and children. Arrange at will!”
And so it was. With Thatha’s wisdom and Appa’s organization, the little caravan band set
off. The Maths Teacher was relieved to have the trip so well organized. The children were
happy. They brought along their tops and balls and wheels and marbles too.
The sky looked wonderful that day! Some of the caravan band only meant to travel till
the next village and back. Most of them had no idea what the Quest was for, or even what
a quest was! But they knew what fun was and they were not planning to miss any at any
cost.
Lovely Sky : Photograph by Satya Sarada Kandula : All Rights Reserved
Well, the happy caravan set off on its way. People dropped off and joined in as the
caravan passed through the villages. The villagers were happy to give the caravanners a
bit of food and water to drink and helped them wash the animals. They had messages and
parcels to be delivered to the folks of the villages ahead in the routes and were glad to
hear the story of Thatha and his Magic Grain. They had questions to ask Ajji about
marriage proposals and children’s ailments, cures for stomach aches and recipies. They
discussed crops and weather with appa.
The Maths Teacher stuck close to Thatha and learned as much as he could about the field
full of shy magical plants and the proper way to behave in their presence. You must never
so much as pluck a leaf from any plant without asking it permission first, preferably in
Sanskrit, because said Thatha, everyone knows that Sanskrit is the language that links
nature to humans. Even the sun and moon can understand sanskrit – to say nothing of the
rain, wind and waves of the sea. If you say the right Sanskrit words – pebbles or
mountains will do whatever you ask of them! So the maths teacher learned some magical
sanskrit words and sounds from Thatha every day. Ravi, Veer and Siddhu, would stop
playing and hang around attentively whenever Thatha taught the maths teacher anything.
Later they practiced all the words and sounds and made sure they got them right! At night
Amma or Thatha would sing and all the caravanners would listen happily looking at the
stars as they fell asleep. Sometimes, the children from the villages would also come and
sleep in the caravan and listen to the lovely songs as they slept.
As they came closer to the mountains, the caravan started becoming smaller. Finally, only
the people who were serious about the Quest wanted to go forward. Thatha and the Maths
Teacher, Ravi, Veer and Siddhu, Appa and Amma, Ajji and one bullock cart full of stuff.
Ajji took to riding in the bullock cart a lot more, because she was getting tired. And by
the time they came to a mountain people village, amma and appa knew, that it would be
better of Ajji did not travel anymore. “I think I’ll stay back here and look after Ajji” said
Amma. “You folks can go forward.” Appa and Maths teacher had a talk and decided that
Appa should stay back with Amma and Ajji to care for them. It would also be hard to take
the bullock cart forward.
Amma spoke to Ajji. “Ajji, I really would like to learn the music and recipies of the
people of this village. I would be very happy if you and Appa stayed here with me. I need
some company too. Would you mind staying back with me?” Ajji never, ever said no to
anyone who needed her help. So she said, “Sure, I will!” and that was decided.
So now there was Thatha, Maths Teacher, Ravi, Veer and Siddhu, with little bundles on
their backs, taking only exactly what they needed, setting of on the final and most
important part of the quest.
Authorship, Photography and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada
Kandula

Thatha and The Magic Grain

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Thatha and the Magic Grain - Stories for children by

Satya Sarada Kandula.

About KathaKanchiki ..............................................................................................3

1. Thatha and the Magic Grain................................................................................3

3. The Maths Teacher finds a Quest!.....................................................................11

1. Thatha and the Magic Grain

A Thatha with a stick!

Getting ready to go!

2. Amma gets a Thambura

3. The Maths Teacher finds a Quest!

4. Ravi’s New Drum.

Ravi's Evil P.T. teacher : Courtesy : http://jaggedsmile.wordpress.com/

Ravi's Art Teacher : Courtesy : http://jaggedsmile.wordpress.com/

5. The Quest begins.

Lovely Sky : Photograph by Satya Sarada Kandula : All Rights Reserved

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