Lesson 4: A Summer Story

A) Look at the image and discuss in groups the possible answers to the questions.

Illustrated by K.G. Subramanyan

1. What comes first in your mind when you look at the image?
2. How do crows actually drink water?

B. Now read this story written by K.G. Subramanyan and answer to the questions that follow:

July, but there was still no sign of rain. Clouds crossed the sky but they only made the heat hotter. I was thirsty. But what could a crow like me do on a day like this? There was no water anywhere. The wells were dry and there were no waterholes. I would have to fly miles and miles to reach anywhere in this heat unless I get to a town.

Crows know that, in times like this, to go where men live is best. They put things by when things are plenty for days when they are scarce. So I flew towards the nearest town over a dry and barren land. When I reached there, it was noon. The streets were empty. The doors were barred. The cisterns and horse-troughs were dry. There was no water anywhere. Except in a small bottle on a pushcart at the street corner. I thanked heaven for that.

But I had thanked too early. How was I going to get the water in the bottle unless I could get my beak in? My beak was too fat and neck of the bottle, too narrow. So, as usual, I went to Grandpa for advice. A doddering old crow he was, but he had seen the world. And, often, had useful things to say. Sure enough, he had a way. Go and get pebbles from the riverbed, he said, and drop them in. When they fill the bottle, the water will come up to the brim for pebbles and water can't be in the same place. This he'd learnt from his old man. And his old man had learnt it from an old Greek crow called Ar-crow-medes

That was great! I didn't even wait to thank him. Off I went to the riverbed where pebbles there were in all shapes and sizes. Pebbles are tricky things for crows to carry. They slip out or slide in. So I had to carry them carefully, piece by piece. On a day like this, it was not easy to do. I panted and sweated and the colour of my wings started to run. And I grew thirstier each time. So, on my last flight, I thought I would carry two together. But that wasn't easy to do either for one would always slip away. Still, I made an effort and carried two some distance. But, as luck would have it, plop went one on the glass roof of the greenhouse. And clitter-clatter went the glass. Not a great loss to me. But, with a shudder came the thought that I could break my bottle, too, with such a pebble. And Grandpa's trick may not work.

That made me mad. I flew helter-skelter. Until, suddenly, I noticed the poster over the bus stop. To think that it had been there all the time and I, like a fool, had never lifted my head to see it. If men can drink through straws, then so can crows. If they are clever. Straws were plenty in the haystacks. I drew a few out, clipped and cleaned them. And used them the way men do. I don't blame Grandpa, though. He was nice in his own way. But each age has its own bag of tricks.

Note Barren — Land that is dry and unable to produce crops or plants; empty. Cisterns — Large containers used to hold water. Barred — Closed off or blocked, preventing entry. Pushcart — A small cart with wheels used to carry things, often pushed by hand. Doddering — Moving in an unsteady way, often because of old age; shaky. Helter-skelter — In a hurried or confused way; chaotic. Clipped — Cut or trimmed down to a smaller size.

C. Match the correct element with its appropriate description.

| Elements | Descriptions | |----------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | The Crow | The main character of the story who is searching for water. | | Grandpa | The old crow who offers traditional advice to solve problems. | | Pebbles | The initial method suggested to raise water in the bottle. | | Ar-crow-medes | A reference to the famous Greek scientist Archimedes. | | The Bottle | The container with water but too narrow for the crow's beak. | | Straws | The modern solution the crow finds by looking at a poster. | | The Greenhouse Incident | The source of the crow's realization about using straws. | | The Poster | Where a pebble breaks glass, making the crow rethink its plan. | | The Riverbed | The place where the crow finds pebbles to fill the bottle. | | The Town | The destination where the crow searches for water. |

D. Answer to the following questions.

1. What problem is the crow facing at the beginning of the story?
2. What advice does Grandpa give the crow to get the water from the bottle?
3. Why does the crow decide not to use pebbles to raise the water in the bottle?
4. How does the crow eventually solve the problem of drinking water from the bottle?
5. What does the crow learn about solving problems by the end of the story?

E. Have you read the original fable about the thirsty crow? Discuss with in groups what changes that the writer has made here.

F. Choose a fable that you like and retell the story using the current context. Then, share it with the class.