6.THE MUSICAL DONKEY
No sleepy head should pilfer fur,
No invalid, rich provender,
No sneezer should become a thief-
Unless they wish to come grief.

Jaggu the donkey was a handsome one as handsome as they come. Its gray shining coat and jutting out prominent ears and its scrawny tail sensuously moving to the rhythm of its body as it scurried the heavy washing load of Nathu Ram the washer man every day to and fro from his home to the washing ghat made quite a picture.

Jaggu was an obedient donkey too, he rarely protested to the heavy loads he had to carry for Nathu Ram. He was a good spirited donkey, young and energetic. Nathu Ram too gave him liberty and never tied him down in the nights thus Jaggu could exercise his free spirit by roaming around at his will. The days were going smoothly indeed till he met Panja the Jackal one day in the fields at night.

Panja the jackal always started his activity after the nightfall. Coming down from the hills above he went in search of juicy tit bits while the gentry of village were in sound sleep. He looked for hens and fowls. On days when he could not get any he strayed in to the cultivated fields and try to make a meal of the standing crops. On one such day he had located a particularly fertile field of cucumbers. The fruit was ripe ready to be plucked. It was a large field of a rich farmer and there was enough to feed an army. Panja felt his good days have come. He can have his meal for many nights from this rich field and the farmer may not even notice few of his cucumbers missing everyday. So thinking he started enjoying the fresh meal of the juicy cucumbers.

At the same time Jaggu was on his rounds. A bit tipsy as he always was on his night rounds, perhaps the musk air and bright moonlight was a heady combination for the spirited donkey Jaggu was. He then spotted the equally spirited Panja prowling in the cucumber fields. Soon Jaggu and Panja became good friends. Both the high-spirited night prowlers had many things in common. Soon their night rendezvous became a daily affair. Each started looking for each other’s company to explore and break into to new fields and eat stealthily the tasty crops nurtured by Mother Nature. Before the Suns rays broke to reveal the day both the night prowlers used to scramble home leaving no clue as to the identity of the crop thieves.
The farmers were vexed and angry. Many times they had planned to catch the thieves by keeping awake in the nights and catching the culprits red handed, but invariably the balmy nights lulled their senses and after a hard days work they wounded up in deep slumber and could not execute their plan of catching the thieves. Thus our Jaggu and Panja were going Scot-free and having their fun and sumptuous meals in the nights.

One such nights when the moon was in its full power shining brightly from a cloudless sky, the wind was blowing caressingly carrying with it the musky smell of night flowers in its bloom, the crops laden with juicy fruits were shining brightly in the moon

In that moonlit night, both Jaggu and Panja had particularly heavy meals. Their stomach filled with the Pungent juice of the ripe fruits and head heavy with intoxication of the night Jaggu told Panja `My friend is it not a beautiful night, a one suited for a song. You have never heard me singing of course. You my poor friend of the jungles what you know of the fine taste of music, let me entertain you with a song’

So saying he cleared his throat. Panja got alarmed. He well knew the heavy unaggreable notes a donkey is capable of producing. It will surely wake up the neighborhood and far thought Panja.

`Jaggu my friend this is not the time to have singing concerts, let us retire for the night, since we have already our eaten to our hearts content’ told Panja and tried to dissuade Jaggu.

However the intoxicated Jaggu could hear none of It. Panja your ear for music is nil. Staying in the harsh jungles and hearing roars and croaks, you have not developed any of your fine sensibilities. This moon lit night is designed to deliver good music. Now you listen to me and see how to bring out fine notes from ones vocal chords.

Seeing his friend adamant on displaying his non extinct musical talents Panja told, `my friend, if you insist on entertaining yourself and others with your fine music, please allow me to leave the farm before you start your concert. I warn you your music will awaken the angry farmers who are itching to get their hand on us. So saying Panja hurriedly left the fields while Jaggu was clearing his throat for his recital.

Jaggu of course was beyond any sense of reason. He forgot he was a mere donkey pilfering in to the field and eating the standing crops of the farmers. He threw caution to winds in his present mood and lifting his head started loudly braying.

Hearing his croaky harsh brays the sleeping farmers soon got up and carrying heavy sticks angrily ran towards the farm and beat the donkey to pulp and threw him out of the fields.

Poor donkey bruised and hurt soon realised his folly and went limping back to its house.

Before acting one should be aware of ones position. If one gets swayed by the senses one can end up like the handsome donkey beaten and down, uncalled for.