A little green eye opened, and a furry paw stretched. Rohan was staring delightedly at the kitten that had just woken up and was blinking at him. Just then, Devleena and Arnav came running in, each holding a kitten in their arms. Rohan and his friends had rescued the kittens from some street urchins who were pulling their tails and teasing them. The kittens had been very frightened at first but with loving care, had gradually become content and playful.
Arnav brought some milk in a big bowl and the three watched the kittens lap it up. Devleena burst out, I wish I could keep all stray animals with me! I hate to see strays on the streets go hungry and be beaten up by cruel people
Rohan said, I wish we could do that too, but we cant even keep these kittens! We have to find nice homes for them, because I dont think any of our parents will let us keep them with us. I asked Mom, and she refused
Their friend, Vishal, who was listening, stepped in.
Hey, guys, I know you all want to help strays but why are you ready to give up on your goal so easily?” he asked.
Devleena put her hands on her hips. Okay, tell us what to do, Mr. Smarty Pants. Will you take care of all of them?”
Hey, cool it,” Vishal said. Im just trying to help. It was great that you rescued these kittens. You made a difference to their lives. So why not make a greater impact by helping other strays too?”
Wed love to, Vishal, but our parents wont cooperate,” Arnav sighed.
Vishal nodded. I know you cant keep the kittens. But why dont you find people who want to? Im sure we all have aunts and friends who love animals. Why dont we talk to them?” He looked around at the others.
You are right, Vishal,” Devleena said. We could look for stray animals to help, and find homes for them. Between us, we know so many people
And we could put a notice on our class bulletin board,” Rohan added. Hey, look!”
The others turned. One kit-ten had climbed into Rohans shoe. They were playing, and they looked very cute.
They all laughed. Now they were sure they could give the kittens a good future.
-Shreya Sanghani
Teacher’s corner
Divide the class into four groups. Assign one of the following topics to each group.
Education for all
Dont cut trees
Stop animal cruelty
Fight terrorism
Ask the children to plan an awareness programme on their topic. Help them prepare placards, research the topic and make a presentation on the issue.
