The story of the jackal who fell into a vat of indigo dye
A Panchatantra Tale for Young Children
Chapter 1: The Hungry Jackal
In a thick forest near a busy village, there lived a skinny jackal named Cunny. He had golden-brown fur and sharp, clever eyes that were always looking for food.
Cunny was very hungry because it had been many days since he had found a good meal. The other animals in the forest were bigger and stronger, so they always got the best food first.
“My tummy is rumbling so loudly!” Cunny said to himself, holding his empty belly. “GRUMBLE, GRUMBLE! I need to find food somewhere!”
He looked toward the village where humans lived. “Maybe I can find some leftover food there,” he thought. “But I must be very careful not to let the humans see me.”
As the sun began to set, Cunny made up his mind. “Tonight, I’ll sneak into the village and look for food. What’s the worst that could happen?”
Little did Cunny know that his adventure would change him in a very surprising way!
Chapter 2: The Dangerous Village
When darkness fell, Cunny crept quietly toward the village. His paws made soft padding sounds on the dirt path.
PAD, PAD, PAD! He tiptoed between the houses, sniffing for any delicious smells.
“Mmm, I can smell something good!” Cunny whispered excitedly. “It’s coming from that house over there!”
He followed his nose to a small house where a washerman lived. Outside the house, there were big pots and containers used for washing and dyeing clothes.
SNIFF, SNIFF! “Oh, that wonderful smell is coming from inside the house!” Cunny said. “There must be leftover dinner in there!”
Cunny squeezed through a small gap in the fence and tiptoed toward the house. His stomach rumbled even louder now.
“Just a quick look inside,” he told himself. “I’ll grab some food and run back to the forest before anyone sees me!”
But as Cunny got closer to the house, he heard something that made his fur stand up.
WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!
“Oh no!” Cunny gasped. “Guard dogs!”
Chapter 3: The Big Chase
Suddenly, three big dogs came running out of the house, barking loudly.
“WOOF! WOOF! There’s a jackal in our yard!” they barked. “Get him!”
“HELP!” Cunny yelped, turning around to run as fast as his legs could carry him. “I need to get out of here!”
The dogs chased after him, their paws thundering on the ground.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP! They were getting closer and closer!
Cunny ran this way and that way, trying to escape. “Where can I hide?” he panted, looking around frantically.
In his panic, Cunny didn’t notice a large wooden vat sitting in the washerman’s yard. The vat was full of beautiful blue indigo dye that was used to color clothes.
“I have to jump over this thing!” Cunny thought, seeing the big container in front of him.
But Cunny was so scared and running so fast that he couldn’t stop in time.
SPLASH! Instead of jumping over the vat, Cunny fell right into it!
“GURGLE, GURGLE!” went the blue dye as it splashed everywhere.
The dogs stopped chasing and looked confused. “Where did the jackal go?” they wondered, looking around the yard.
Chapter 4: The Amazing Transformation
Down in the vat, Cunny was completely covered in bright blue dye from head to toe. He struggled to climb out, splashing and sputtering.
“Glub, glub! I need to get out of here!” he gasped, pulling himself up and out of the vat.
When Cunny finally stood up, something amazing had happened. He was no longer golden-brown. He was now completely BLUE! Every bit of his fur sparkled with beautiful blue color.
“What happened to me?” Cunny wondered, looking at his blue paws. But he didn’t have time to think about it because he could still hear the dogs nearby.
Cunny ran as fast as he could back to the forest, leaving blue paw prints behind him.
When he finally reached the safety of the trees, he stopped to catch his breath. “Pant, pant, pant! That was scary! But at least I’m safe now.”
As the morning sun began to rise, other forest animals started to wake up. And when they saw Cunny, they couldn’t believe their eyes!
“What is that strange blue creature?” whispered a rabbit.
“I’ve never seen anything like it!” said a deer.
Cunny looked down at himself and realized he looked completely different. An idea began to form in his clever mind.
Chapter 5: The Blue King
When the forest animals gathered around, they stared at Cunny in wonder and fear.
“Who… who are you?” asked an old wise owl, fluttering down from a tree.
Cunny stood up tall and proud. He decided to use his new appearance to his advantage.
“I am… King Bluemane!” Cunny announced in a deep, important voice. “I have been sent from the sky by the gods to be the ruler of this forest!”
All the animals gasped in amazement. “A king from the sky!” they whispered to each other.
“Look at his beautiful blue fur!” said a monkey. “He must be very special!”
“We’ve never seen anyone like him before!” added a peacock.
The animals were so impressed by Cunny’s unusual blue color that they believed his story. They all bowed down before him.
“Oh, great King Bluemane!” they said. “We will serve you and bring you the best food in the forest!”
Cunny couldn’t believe his luck. “This is wonderful!” he thought to himself. “Now I’ll never be hungry again!”
Chapter 6: The Life of a Fake King
Every day, the forest animals brought King Bluemane the most delicious food they could find. Juicy fruits, fresh nuts, tasty berries – everything Cunny had always dreamed of eating!
“Here is your breakfast, Your Majesty!” the squirrels would say, bringing him the best acorns.
“And here are sweet mangoes for you, Great King!” the monkeys would add, offering him ripe fruit.
Cunny lived in a comfortable cave that the animals had prepared for him. He had soft grass beds and fresh water brought to him every day.
“This is the best life ever!” Cunny thought happily. “I’m never hungry anymore, and everyone treats me like I’m the most important animal in the forest!”
But there was one problem. Cunny had to be very careful never to let any other jackals see him. If they recognized him, his secret would be discovered!
“I must make sure no jackals come near me,” Cunny told himself. “They might remember what I used to look like.”
So whenever jackals came to visit the forest, Cunny would quickly hide or send them away.
“Go away!” he would tell them. “The great King Bluemane doesn’t want to see any… uh… ordinary jackals!”
Chapter 7: The Big Mistake
For many weeks, Cunny enjoyed his life as the fake king. But one evening, something happened that changed everything.
As the sun was setting, Cunny heard a sound that made his heart jump.
HOOOWWWWL! HOOOWWWWL!
In the distance, a pack of jackals was howling their evening song. This was something all jackals did together every night – it was their way of saying hello to each other.
When Cunny heard the familiar sound of his own kind, something inside him stirred. Without thinking, he opened his mouth and…
HOOOWWWWL! HOOOWWWWL!
He joined in the jackal song, just like he had done every night before he became blue!
All the other animals stopped what they were doing and stared at King Bluemane in shock.
“Wait a minute…” said the wise owl, tilting her head. “That sounds exactly like a jackal!”
“But King Bluemane said he came from the sky!” said a confused rabbit.
“Only jackals make that howling sound!” exclaimed a deer.
Cunny realized his terrible mistake, but it was too late. His cover was blown!
Chapter 8: The Truth Comes Out
“You’re not a king from the sky!” shouted an angry bear. “You’re just a regular jackal!”
“But… but…” Cunny stammered, trying to think of an excuse.
The wise owl flew closer and looked at him carefully. “I can see the truth now. You’re covered in blue dye, but underneath, you’re just an ordinary jackal who tricked us!”
All the animals felt very angry and betrayed.
“He lied to us!” cried a monkey.
“He made us think he was special!” complained a peacock.
“He ate all our best food under false pretenses!” growled a wolf.
Cunny knew he had been caught. His blue disguise couldn’t hide the truth anymore.
“I’m sorry!” he said sadly. “I was just so hungry, and when I accidentally turned blue, I thought… I thought it would solve all my problems.”
But the animals were too upset to forgive him right away.
“Leave our forest!” they shouted. “We don’t want a liar living here!”
“But wait!” Cunny pleaded. “I can explain everything!”
However, the animals had made up their minds. They chased Cunny out of the forest, just like the dogs had chased him out of the village.
Chapter 9: All Alone
Poor Cunny found himself all alone, wandering in a place between the village and the forest. He couldn’t go back to the village because of the dogs, and he couldn’t return to the forest because the animals were angry with him.
“What have I done?” Cunny said sadly, sitting under a lonely tree. “I had everything I wanted, but I lost it all because I couldn’t keep my secret.”
As days passed, the blue dye slowly began to wash off Cunny’s fur. Rain and mud gradually returned him to his original golden-brown color.
“I’m back to being regular old me,” Cunny sighed. “But now I don’t have any friends anywhere.”
He missed the other jackals, even though he had avoided them when he was pretending to be a king. He realized that trying to be someone he wasn’t had cost him everything.
“I was so busy pretending to be special that I forgot who I really was,” Cunny reflected sadly. “And I hurt everyone who trusted me.”
Cunny spent many lonely days thinking about what he had learned.
Chapter 10: Making Things Right
After much thinking, Cunny decided he needed to make things right. Even though he was scared, he knew what he had to do.
First, he went back to his own pack of jackals.
“I’m sorry I avoided you,” Cunny told them honestly. “I made a big mistake and learned that pretending to be someone else only leads to trouble.”
The jackals were surprised but happy to see their old friend. “We missed you, Cunny!” they said. “But why did you stay away from us?”
Cunny told them the whole story about becoming blue and pretending to be a king. The jackals listened with wide eyes.
“Wow!” they said. “That’s quite an adventure! But we’re glad you learned your lesson and came back to us.”
Next, Cunny gathered his courage and went back to the edge of the forest. He called out to the other animals.
“Please listen to me!” he shouted. “I know I lied to you, and I’m truly sorry! I was wrong to trick you!”
Slowly, some of the animals came out to listen.
“I learned that being dishonest only leads to loneliness and trouble,” Cunny continued. “I should have been proud of being a jackal instead of pretending to be something I wasn’t.”
The wise owl flew down and looked at Cunny thoughtfully. “You seem to have learned an important lesson,” she said. “But trust must be earned back slowly.”
“I understand,” Cunny nodded. “I don’t expect you to forgive me right away. But I promise to always be honest from now on.”
Chapter 11: A New Beginning
Over time, Cunny worked hard to prove that he had truly changed. He helped the forest animals when they needed it, and he always told the truth, even when it was difficult.
“Thank you for helping me find my lost baby,” a mother rabbit said to Cunny one day.
“You’re welcome,” Cunny replied. “It’s the least I can do to make up for my past mistakes.”
Slowly but surely, the animals began to trust Cunny again. They could see that he was sincere in his efforts to be better.
Cunny also stayed close with his jackal family. He realized that being with his own kind was more important than having special treatment from others.
“It feels good to be myself again,” Cunny told his jackal friends. “I learned that trying to be someone you’re not is much harder than just being proud of who you are.”
The other jackals nodded in agreement. “We like you just the way you are, Cunny!” they said.
From that day forward, Cunny never again tried to pretend he was someone else. When he was hungry, he asked for help honestly instead of trying to trick others.
And though he never again lived as luxuriously as he had when he was the fake blue king, Cunny found that he was much happier being his true self, surrounded by real friends who liked him for who he really was.
The End
Moral of the Story: Being honest and true to yourself is better than living a lie. Pretending to be someone you’re not may seem to bring short-term benefits, but it will eventually lead to loneliness and loss of trust. It’s better to be proud of who you are and earn respect through honest actions.
Fun Questions for Young Readers:
Think About the Story:
🦊 About the Characters: How would you describe Cunny the jackal? What were his good qualities and what were his mistakes?
🏘️ What Would You Do? If you were very hungry like Cunny, what would you do instead of going to the village?
🧠 Smart Thinking: Do you think the animals were right to believe Cunny when he said he was a king? What clues should have told them he was lying?
⚠️ Notice Something: What warning signs showed that Cunny’s lie wouldn’t last forever?
😮 Big Question: Why do you think Cunny couldn’t help himself from howling with the other jackals?
🤔 Think Like the Animals: How do you think the forest animals felt when they discovered Cunny had lied to them?
🏆 Amazing Moment: What was the most important lesson Cunny learned from his adventure?
💭 Deep Thinking: What could Cunny have done differently when he first turned blue?
🌟 Be Like Cunny: Can you think of a time when you learned that being honest was better than trying to trick someone?
Fun Activities:
🎨 Draw Your Favorite Scene: Which part of the story would you like to draw? Cunny falling into the blue dye, the animals bowing to the fake king, or Cunny making friends again?
🗣️ Act It Out: Try making the different sounds from the story – the dogs barking “WOOF!”, Cunny splashing “SPLASH!”, and the jackals howling “HOOOWWWWL!”
🤝 Share Your Thoughts: What did you learn from this story? Why is it important to be proud of who you are?
Discussion Questions for Parents and Kids:
👨👩👧👦 Family Talk: What does it mean to be true to yourself? Why might someone want to pretend to be someone different?
🌈 Important Lesson: Sometimes we might feel like we’re not special enough, but everyone has their own unique qualities. What makes you special just as you are?
🎯 Real Life Connection: How can we practice being honest and proud of who we are, even when it feels hard?
💫 Character Building: What’s the difference between wanting to improve yourself and pretending to be someone completely different?
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