• The Old man and the Bird

Kindness is rewarded, but greed leads to loss.

Once upon a time, there lived an elderly couple. The old man was gentle and kind-hearted, but his wife was the opposite—constantly complaining and often unkind.

One day, the old man came across a small injured sparrow that couldn’t fly. Moved by compassion, he decided to take care of the bird. He fed it, kept it warm, and soon, the little sparrow regained its strength. However, the old man’s wife disliked the sparrow, considering it a bother.

One day, while the old man was away, his wife grew furious when she caught the sparrow eating some of her starch paste. In her rage, she cruelly cut the sparrow's tongue and chased it away.

When the old man returned and learned what his wife had done, he was heartbroken. Determined to find the little sparrow, he set out on a long search. After much effort, he discovered the sparrow's home nestled deep in the mountains.

The little sparrow and its friends welcomed the old man with open wings. They sang and danced for him, offering him a grand feast. Before he left, the sparrows presented him with two baskets—one heavy and one light—and told him he could choose one to take home.

The old man, not wanting to be a burden, chose the lighter basket. When he got home and opened it, he was delighted to find it filled with precious treasures.

Seeing the riches, his wife’s heart filled with greed. She decided to visit the sparrows herself, determined to claim the heavier basket. Despite her rudeness and demands, the sparrows gave her the heavy basket.

Eager to see what she had gained, she opened the basket on her way home. To her horror, it was filled with terrifying snakes and monsters! She fled in fear, abandoning the basket.

In the end, the kind old man lived a peaceful and joyful life with his sparrow friend, while his wife learned a valuable lesson about the dangers of greed and unkindness.