What Happened to The Reptiles

Introduction

Images Coming soon

Zai Whitaker is the author of the story "What Happened to the Reptiles." In this world, people often fight and cause trouble in the name of their religion. In the story, Prem ran away from his village due to a terrible incident and reached Pambupatti. He learns from them the reason why Pambupatti is unique and different from any other village. How do the people of Pambupatti live in perfect peace despite their differences? Prem then decides to return to his homeland to spread the message of harmony. This tutorial explains the value of each species in preserving the ecosystem's balance.

Explanation

Prem resided in a village 100 miles away from Pambupatti. An awful incident happened there last year. The villagers lost their minds. They began to argue with one another. A lot of homes were burned. A lot of people died and Prem left his village and fled. He traveled almost 100 miles and reached Pambupatti. He saw several peasants gathered around the well. He ran up to them but collapsed before he could speak. He woke up next to an elderly person. Other villagers soon joined him as well. They were all really kind. Prem told the old man that he had never seen a village like this in his whole life and that his village was totally different. In every other village he had visited, he had seen people fighting with one another over matters of religion or language. People in Pambupatti coexisted peacefully and looked out for one another's interests. As a result, Pambupatti was unique from other villages. The old man then began to tell Prem a story. He advised that when Prem got back to his home village, he should share that tale with the people there. Prem objected to this. He was resolved never to go back to his hometown. The way his people treated each other made him feel humiliated. However, the old man began to tell his story.

It happened long ago when children and their parents lived in caves. The only animals present were reptiles. The reptiles of Pambupatti have a big meeting once every month. The largest crocodile in the jungle, Makara, served as the president. Each reptile agreed with him since he was the most powerful. One day, Makara wrote a letter to all the tortoises asking them not to attend the next meeting. Ahistay the tortoise was furious at it.

However, none of the turtles had the courage to show up to the meeting. Prior to the meeting, Makara cleaned his red teeth till they shone. He said at the conference that tortoises weren't necessary for the forest. Makara yelled at the other reptile in order to quiet him as he attempted to express his opinion. Makara said the tortoises were slow and foolish. They are so dumb that they carry their homes on their back. As they were slow, he made an announcement and gave a week's time for tortoises to leave the forest. Thus, the tortoises left the forest.

All the animals were first depressed. But soon they were content since there was more space, food, and water available to them. A few days later, the forest started to smell like rot and it’s been a month. The snakes were now the ones to be told to leave. Again, the animals were joyful for a while because they were no longer afraid of being bitten by a snake. In a few days, the animals realised that there were too many rats around. After all, they weren't being eaten by snakes. The crocodile and lizard eggs were eaten by the rats. Even Makara's own egg nest got chewed up by them. Makara then had another thought. Except for crocodiles, he urged all of the animals to leave the jungle. Now, a variety of terrible events started to happen. There were now too many frogs and the rats were becoming more aggressive. Millions of insects, bigger and more poisonous than ever, had replaced the lizards. Crocodiles were having a bad time. Their happy forest was turned upside down.

The crocodiles finally realised what the issue was. They stopped being so terrified of Makara. The turtles, snakes, and lizards were urgently called to return to Pambupatti.

When they all returned, it was a wonderful day. The forest returned to its previous state in two months. Understanding the importance of harmony Prem made the decision to go back to his hometown. Prem wanted to inform his village's residents about the history of reptiles in order to promote the well-being of his community. He knew some of them might laugh but one day they could reflect and realise that everyone has a place in the world.

Summary

The lesson is a story about how people of different religions can live together peacefully. It was told by an old man to a boy named Prem who was running away from religious riots in his village and ended up in Pambupatti. The story is explained through reptiles who lived in the village of Pambupatti. The reptiles like humans were self-centered initially but soon realised the value and importance of unity and harmony with others. Prem was unwilling to return to the village because he was so afraid of what had happened and felt humiliated. The tale of Pambupatti changed his viewpoints and helped him reconsider his thoughts and beliefs on humanity. He learns that a diverse population with a wide range of lifestyles and beliefs is essential for a healthy society. Prem wanted to take this tale back to his community in the hopes that one day everyone would pay attention, understand, and get along peacefully.

Conclusion

The tutorial concludes with the note that everyone has their own importance and functions without which the Earth cannot function properly. Each and every species that inhabits the earth plays a vital role in ensuring the balance of our ecosystem. Everything functions harmoniously only when there is balance.

FAQs

Q1. In what way is Pambupatti different from any other village?

Ans: People in Pambupatti coexisted peacefully and looked out for one another's interests. They never fought on the basis of religion or language.

Q2. Why is Prem determined not to return to his village?

Ans: Prem decided never to go back to his hometown because the way his people treated each other made him feel scared and humiliated.

Q3. Why did Makara dislike tortoises, snakes, and lizards? Write a line about each.

Ans: Tortoises were slow and dumb who carried their homes on their back, so Makara didn't like them. Snakes were slimy and made odd noises, which he hated. Makara disliked lizards because they changed colour and were undependable.

Q4. What went wrong when the tortoises, snakes, and lizards left the forest?

Ans: Life became hard in the absence of tortoises; the forest began to smell like rot and fish. Without snakes, rats grew in number, and millions of insects, in the absence of lizards grew bigger and poisonous.

Q5. Why do you think Prem wants to tell the story of the reptiles to the people of his village?

Ans: The tale of Pambupatti conveyed a message of harmony and unity. It emphasised how important it is to live together. Prem learns that a diverse population with a wide range of lifestyles and beliefs is essential for a healthy society. Thus, Prem wanted to take this tale back to his community in the hopes that one day everyone would get along peacefully.