(A Folk Tale from Andhra Pradesh)

Work Is Worship
'
Once upon a time there lived a King named Rana Charya. He w
man of high principles and valued hard work and sincerity. The King's
•a
favourite proverb was - work is worship.
One day, King Rana Charya decided to find out whether his subjects
followed his ideals or not. So, he called some of his courtiers and saidI
"Go through the Kingdom and find out what jobs the people have
undertaken, and whether they are performing their duties sincerely or
not. Find the person who knows the secret to hard work, and bring him
to 111e. But no one should know that you have been sent by me." "As
you wish, Your Majesty!" said the courtiers and took leave of the King.
"We have an important task to perform," said one of the courtiers.
"Let's start right away." "But many people know that we are the King's
courtiers," said another. "They may identify us."
one of the courtiers, whose name was Raghavan, suggested, "Let's
disguise ourselves as tribal men." So, they all dressed up as tribal men,
boarded abullock cart and set out on their way.
First, they saw a woodcutter, who was chopping trees with his big axe.
"Let's talk to him "said Raghavan. They halted their bullock cart
' and
walked up to the woodcutter. "O woodcutter, do you like your J.0b,.
The woodcutter flung his axe aside and said with a grim face, "Not ~t
all! I do it because this work has been passed down to me by
rny
ancestors." Raghavan and his group boarded their bullock cart and
proceeded on their path. Some miles passed, and they came upon a
washerman. Raghavan walked up to the washerman. "Hello, dear
washerman," he said. "It seems you are enjoying your work!" The
washerman became angry and began to beat the clothes harder. "Is
r .
this work enJoyable?" he retorted. "It's a punishment for me. When I
"1
was a child, I did not show much interest in studying. I never listened
to my parents and never worked hard. So, I could not qualify for a
good job. Now my family is dependent on me and I have to do this job
to feed them."
Raghavan got back into the cart and they started again. A few miles
away, they saw a small hut. When they peeped through the window,
they saw a young man studying. "What are you doing, young man?"
asked Raghavan. "I am a teacher," replied the young man. "I am
reading this book so that I can teach my st udents tomorrow. It i
" 9Ves
me great satisfaction to spread my knowledge.
"Do you know the secret of hard work?" asked Raghavan · "Yes1,,
replied the teacher. "Work is worship! No matter what you do, You·
must love it and do it sincerely." Raghavan and his group escorted the
teacher to the King. When the King heard what the teacher had said
he rewarded him and built a big school for his students. Many peopl;
took inspiration from this incident, and ever since then hard work and
sincerity was deeply valued by the people of the Kingdom .
 DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL, DWARKA

I
CLASSES : Ill - V (2023-2024)
I
SUBJECT : ENGLISH
' MONTH : NOVEMBER 2023
'
PARENT CHILD READING PARTNERSHIP
FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITY

Date: --- Name: ------ Class/Sec:

Fill in the blanks by using appropriate letters to complete the given

words:
1. advisor to the king or queen

c r t e r s

2. being open and truthful not deceitful or hypocritical :

s _ n c_ r_ I y

3. one from whom a person has descended :

n c- s t- r s

4. the information, understanding and skills that you gain through education
or experience :

kn_wl_dg_

5. an unexpected and usually unpleasant thing that happens :

I

I nc d n t

I 6. someone or something that gives you ideas for doing something :

I

_nsp_r_t __ n

7. feeling of happiness or pleasure, especially because you have achieved

something good or useful :

S t S f C t n

Date of submission : Friday, 01 December 2023