Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow

friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my

story is “A Glass Of Milk”.

There once was a poor boy who spent his days going door-to-
door selling newspapers to pay for school. One day, as he was
walking his route, he started feeling low and weak. The poor
boy was starving, so he decided to ask for food when he came
to the next door.

The poor boy asked for food but was denied every time, until
he reached the door of a girl. He asked for a glass of water,
but seeing his poor state, the girl came back with a glass of
milk. The boy asked how much he owed her for the milk, but
she refused payment.

Years later, the girl, who was now a grown woman, fell sick.
She went from doctor to doctor, but no one was able to cure
her. Finally, she went to the best doctor in town.

The doctor spent months treating her until she was finally
cured. Despite her happiness, she was afraid she couldn’t
afford to pay the bill. But, when the hospital handed her the
bill, it read, ‘Paid in full, with a glass of milk.’

The Moral

No good deed goes unrewarded.

Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow
friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my
story is “The Fox and The Grapes”.

One day, a fox became very hungry as he went to search for

some food. He searched high and low, but couldn’t find
something that he could eat.

Finally, as his stomach rumbled, he stumbled upon a farmer’s

wall. At the top of the wall, he saw the biggest, juiciest
grapes he’d ever seen. They had a rich, purple color, telling
the fox they were ready to be eaten.

To reach the grapes, the fox had to jump high in the air. As
he jumped, he opened his mouth to catch the grapes, but he
missed. The fox tried again but missed yet again.

He tried a few more times but kept failing.

Finally, the fox decided it was time to give up and go home.

While he walked away, he muttered, “I’m sure the grapes were
sour anyway.”

The Moral

Never despise what we can’t have; nothing comes easy.

Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow
friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my
story is “The Proud Rose”.

Once upon a time, in a desert far away, there was a rose who
was so proud of her beautiful looks. Her only complaint was
growing next to an ugly cactus.

Every day, the beautiful rose would insult and mock the cactus
on his looks, all while the cactus remained quiet. All the other
plants nearby tried to make the rose see sense, but she was
too swayed by her own looks.

One scorching summer, the desert became dry, and there was
no water left for the plants. The rose quickly began to wilt.
Her beautiful petals dried up, losing their lush color.

Looking to the cactus, she saw a sparrow dip his beak into the
cactus to drink some water. Though ashamed, the rose asked
the cactus if she could have some water. The kind cactus
readily agreed, helping them both through the tough summer,
as friends.

The Moral

Never judge anyone by the way they look.

Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow
friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my
story is “A Wise Old Owl”.

There was an old owl who lived in an oak tree. Every day, he
observed incidents that occurred around him.

Yesterday, he watched as a young boy helped an old man carry

a heavy basket. Today, he saw a young girl shouting at her
mother. The more he saw, the less he spoke.

As the days went on, he spoke less but heard more. The old
owl heard people talking and telling stories.

He heard a woman saying an elephant jumped over a fence. He

heard a man saying that he had never made a mistake.

The old owl had seen and heard what happened to people.
There were some who became better, some who became worse.
But the old owl in the tree had become wiser, each and every
day.

The Moral

Be more observant. Talk less and listen more. This will make us
wise.
Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow
friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my
story is “The Golden Egg”.

Once upon a time, a farmer had a goose that laid one golden
egg every day. The egg provided enough money for the farmer
and his wife to support their daily needs. The farmer and his
wife continued to be happy for a long time.

But, one day, the farmer thought to himself, “Why should we

take just one egg a day? Why can’t we take them all at once
and make a lot of money?” The farmer told his wife his idea,
and she foolishly agreed.

Then, the next day, as the goose laid its golden egg, the
farmer was quick with a sharp knife. He killed the goose and
cut its stomach open, in the hopes of finding all its golden
eggs. But, as he opened the stomach, the only thing he found
was guts and blood.

The farmer quickly realized his foolish mistake and proceeded

to cry over his lost resource. As the days went on, the farmer
and his wife became poorer and poorer. How jinxed and how
foolish they were.

The Moral

Never act before you think.

Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow
friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my
story is “The Farmer and The Well”.

One day, a farmer was looking for a water source for his farm, when he
bought a well from his neighbor. The neighbor, however, was cunning.
The next day, as the farmer came to draw water from his well, the
neighbor refused to let him take any water.

When the farmer asked why, the neighbor replied, “I sold you the well,
not the water,” and walked away. Distraught, the farmer went to the
emperor to ask for justice. He explained what had happened.

The emperor called on Birbal, one of his nine, and wisest, courtiers.
Birbal proceeded to question the neighbor, “Why don’t you let the
farmer take water from the well? You did sell the well to the farmer?”

The neighbor replied, “Birbal, I did sell the well to the farmer but not
the water within it. He has no right to draw water from the well.”

Birbal said, “Look, since you sold the well, you have no right to keep the
water in the farmer’s well. Either you pay rent to the farmer, or take it
out immediately.” Realizing that his scheme had failed, the neighbor
apologized and went home.

The Moral

Cheating will not get you anything. If you cheat, you’ll pay soon
enough.
Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow
friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my
story is “The Ants and The Grasshopper”.

One bright autumn day, a family of ants was busy working in

the warm sunshine. They were drying out the grain they had
stored up during the summer when a starving grasshopper
came up. With his fiddle under his arm, the grasshopper
humbly begged for a bite to eat.

“What!” cried the ants, “Haven’t you stored any food away for
the winter? What in the world were you doing all summer?”

“I didn’t have time to store any food before winter,” the

grasshopper whined. “I was too busy making music that the
summer flew by.”

The ants simply shrugged their shoulders and said, “Making

music, were you? Very well, now dance!” The ants then turned
their backs on the grasshopper and returned to work.

The Moral

There’s a time for work and a time for play.

Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow
friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my
story is “The Bears and Two Friends”.

One day, two friends were walking through the forest. They
knew the forest was a dangerous place and that anything could
happen. So, they promised to remain close to each other in
case of any danger.

All of a sudden, a big bear was approaching them. One of the

friends quickly climbed a nearby tree, leaving the other friend
behind.

The other friend did not know how to climb, and instead,
followed common sense. He laid down on the ground and
remained there, breathless, pretending to be dead.

The bear approached the friend lying on the ground. The

animal started to smell his ear before slowly wandering off
again because bears never touch those who are dead.

Soon, the friend who hid in the tree came down. He asked his
friend, “My dear friend, what secret did the bear whisper to
you?” The friend replied, “The bear simply advised me never
to believe a false friend.”

The Moral

A true friend will always support and stand by you in any

situation.
Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow
friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my
story is “The Dog At The Well”.

A mother dog and her pups lived on a farm. On the farm,

there was a well. The mother dog always told her pups never
to go near or play around it.

One day, one of the pups was overcome by curiosity and

wondered why they weren’t allowed to go near the well. So, he
decided he wanted to explore it.

He went down to the well and climbed up the wall to peek

inside. In the well, he saw his reflection in the water but
thought it was another dog. The little pup got angry when his
reflection was imitating him, so he decided to fight it.

The little pup jumped into the well, only to find there was no
dog. He began to bark and bark until the farmer came to
rescue him. The pup had learned his lesson and never went
back to the well again.

The Moral

Always listen to what elders say and don’t defy them.

Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow
friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my
story is “Controlling Anger”.

Once, there was a young boy. This boy had problems

controlling his anger. When he got angry, he would say the
first thing that came to mind, even if it affected people.

One day, his father gifted him a hammer and a bundle of nails,
then said, “Whenever you get mad, hammer a nail into the
backyard fence.”

In the first days, the boy used up half of the nails. Over the
next weeks, he used up fewer nails, until his temper was under
control. Then, his father asked the young boy to remove a nail
for each day he didn’t lose his temper.

On the day when the boy removed his last nail, his father told
him, “You have done good, boy. But, can you see the holes in
the wall? The fence is never going to be the same. Likewise,
when you say mean things in anger, you’ll leave a scar.”

The Moral

Anger is like a knife — one of the most dangerous weapons.

When you use it, the wounds will heal, but the scars remain.
Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow
friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my
story is “The Lion and The Mouse”.

A lion was once sleeping in the jungle when a mouse started

running up and down his body just for fun. This disturbed the
lion’s sleep, and he woke up quite angry. He was about to eat
the mouse when the mouse desperately requested the lion to
set him free. “I promise you, I will be of great help to you
someday if you save me.” The lion laughed at the mouse’s
confidence and let him go.

One day, a few hunters came into the forest and took the lion
with them. They tied him up against a tree. The lion was
struggling to get out and started to whimper. Soon, the mouse
walked past and noticed the lion in trouble. Quickly, he ran and
gnawed on the ropes to set the lion free. Both of them sped
off into the jungle.

Moral of the Story

A small act of kindness can go a long way.
Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow
friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my
story is “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”.

In a village, lived a carefree boy with his father. The boy’s father told
him that he was old enough to watch over the sheep while they graze in
the fields. Every day, he had to take the sheep to the grassy fields and
watch them as they graze. However, the boy was unhappy and didn’t
want to take the sheep to the fields. He wanted to run and play, not
watch the boring sheep graze in the field. So, he decided to have some
fun. He cried, “Wolf! Wolf!” until the entire village came running with
stones to chase away the wolf before it could eat any of the sheep.
When the villagers saw that there was no wolf, they left muttering
under their breath about how the boy had wasted their time. The next
day, the boy cried once more, “Wolf! Wolf!” and, again, the villagers
rushed there to chase the wolf away.

The boy laughed at the fright he had caused. This time, the villagers
left angrily. The third day, as the boy went up the small hill, he
suddenly saw a wolf attacking his sheep. He cried as hard as he could,
“Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!”, but not a single villager came to help him. The
villagers thought that he was trying to fool them again and did not
come to rescue him or his sheep. The little boy lost many sheep that
day, all because of his foolishness.

Moral of the Story

It is difficult to trust people who lie, so it’s important to
always be truthful.
Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow
friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my
story is “The Fox And The Stork”.

One day, a selfish fox invited a stork for dinner. Stork was
very happy with the invitation – she reached the fox’s home on
time and knocked at the door with her long beak. The fox took
her to the dinner table and served some soup in shallow bowls
for both of them. As the bowl was too shallow for the stork,
she couldn’t have soup at all. But, the fox licked up his soup
quickly.

The stork was angry and upset, but she didn’t show her anger
and behaved politely. To teach a lesson to the fox, she then
invited him for dinner the next day. She too served soup, but
this time the soup was served in two tall narrow vases. The
stork devoured the soup from her vase, but the fox couldn’t
drink any of it because of his narrow neck. The fox realised
his mistake and went home famished.

Moral of the Story

A selfish act backfires sooner or later!
Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow
friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my
story is “The Golden Touch”.

Once there lived a greedy man in a small town. He was very

rich, and he loved gold and all things fancy. But he loved his
daughter more than anything. One day, he chanced upon a
fairy. The fairy’s hair was caught in a few tree branches. He
helped her out, but as his greediness took over, he realised
that he had an opportunity to become richer by asking for a
wish in return (by helping her out). The fairy granted him a
wish. He said, “All that I touch should turn to gold.” And his
wish was granted by the grateful fairy.

The greedy man rushed home to tell his wife and daughter
about his wish, all the while touching stones and pebbles and
watching them convert into gold. Once he got home, his
daughter rushed to greet him. As soon as he bent down to
scoop her up in his arms, she turned into a gold statue. He was
devastated and started crying and trying to bring his
daughter back to life. He realised his folly and spent the rest
of his days searching for the fairy to take away his wish.

Moral of the Story

Greed will always lead to downfall.
Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow
friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my
story is “The Milkmaid and Her Pail”.

Patty, a milkmaid milked her cow and had two full pails of
fresh, creamy milk. She put both pails of milk on a stick and
set off to the market to sell the milk. As she took steps
towards the market, her thoughts took steps towards wealth.
On her way, she kept thinking about the money she would
make from selling the milk. Then she thought about what she
would do with that money.

She was talking to herself and said, “Once I get the money,
I’ll buy a chicken. The chicken will lay eggs and I will get more
chickens. They’ll all lay eggs, and I will sell them for more
money. Then, I’ll buy the house on the hill and everyone will
envy me.” She was very happy that soon she would be very rich.
With these happy thoughts, she marched ahead. But suddenly,
she tripped and fell. Both the pails of the milk fell and all her
dreams were shattered. The milk spilt onto the ground, and all
Patty could do was cry. “No more dream,” she cried foolishly!

Moral of the Story

Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.
Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow
friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my
story is “The Tale Of The Pencil”.

A boy named Raj was upset because he had done poorly in his
English test. He was sitting in his room when his grandmother
came and comforted him. His grandmother sat beside him and
gave him a pencil. Raj looked at his grandma puzzled, and said
he didn’t deserve a pencil after his performance in the test.

His grandma explained, “You can learn many things from this
pencil because it is just like you. It experiences a painful
sharpening, just the way you have experienced the pain of not
doing well on your test. However, it will help you be a better
student. Just as all the good that comes from the pencil is
from within itself, you will also find the strength to overcome
this hurdle. And finally, just as this pencil will make its mark
on any surface, you too shall leave your mark on anything you
choose to.” Raj was immediately consoled and promised
himself that he would do better.

Moral of the Story

We all have the strength to be who we wish to be.
Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow
friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my
story is “A Bundle Of Sticks”.

Once upon a time, three neighbours living in a village were

having trouble with their crops. Each of the neighbours had
one field, but the crops on their fields were infested with
pests and were wilting. Every day, they would come up with
different ideas to help their crops. The first one tried using a
scarecrow in his field, the second used pesticides, and the
third built a fence on his field, all to no avail.

One day, the village head came by and called the three
farmers. He gave them each a stick and asked them to break
it. The farmers could break them easily. He then gave them a
bundle of three sticks, and again, asked them to break it. This
time, the farmers struggled to break the sticks. The village
head said, “Together, you are stronger and work better than
you do it alone.” The farmers understood what the village
head was saying. They pooled in their resources and got rid of
the pests from their fields.

Moral of the Story

There is strength in unity.
Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow
friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my
story is “The Ant and The Dove”.

On a hot scorching day of summer, an ant was walking around

in search of water. After walking around for some time, she
saw a river and was delighted to see it. She climbed up on a
small rock to drink the water, but she slipped and fell into the
river. She was drowning but a dove who was sitting on a nearby
tree helped her. Seeing the ant in trouble, the dove quickly
dropped a leaf into the water. The ant moved towards the leaf
and climbed up on it. The dove then carefully pulled the leaf
out and placed it on the land. This way, the ant’s life was saved
and she was forever indebted to the dove.

The ant and the dove became the best of friends and days
passed happily. However, one day, a hunter arrived at the
forest. He saw the beautiful dove sitting on the tree and
aimed his gun at the dove. The ant, who was saved the dove
saw this and bit on the heel of the hunter. He shouted from
the pain and dropped the gun. The dove was alarmed by the
voice of the hunter and realised what could have happened
with him. He flew away!

Moral of the Story

A good deed never goes unrewarded.
Good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow
friends. Today, I’m going to tell you a story. The title of my
story is “The Woodcutter and the Golden Axe”.

There was once a woodcutter, working hard in the forest,

getting wood to sell for some food. As he was cutting a tree,
his axe accidentally fell into the river. The river was deep and
was flowing really fast – he lost his axe and could not find it
again. He sat at the bank of the river and wept.

While he wept, the God of the river arose and asked him what
happened. The woodcutter told him the story. The God of the
river offered to help him by looking for his axe. He
disappeared into the river and retrieved a golden axe, but the
woodcutter said it was not his. He disappeared again and came
back with a silver axe, but the woodcutter said that was not
his either. The God disappeared into the water again and came
back with an iron axe – the woodcutter smiled and said it was
his. The God was impressed with the woodcutter’s honesty and
gifted him both the golden and silver axes.

Moral of the Story

Honesty is the best policy.