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    Once while flying through the snowy mountains, a skein of swans from the Cold West flying towards the East landed in an ancient kingdom close to a river. They were sunning there enjoying a nice meal of fish and worms. This was their second landing in the kingdom. It was an ancient and picturesque country known as the Cow’s Kingdom. Its map resembled a cow’s face and the major population was of cows. The three sides of the kingdom had rivers and one side was landlocked. On the north, there were tall snowy mountains with rivers on the east, south and west. During the monsoon, the rainwater from the mountains used to flow down to the plains through the many rivers it had and this made the kingdom’s land very fertile for multi-cropping and therefore an envy of the neighbours.

    The swans were surprised that there were no cows around in the Kingdom this time. But when they came last time the country was full of them. While they were pondering about the absence of cows their leader Udaan saw an old owl sitting on the tree. He asked, ‘Where are all the cows and what is your name?’

       ‘My name is Samay.’ said the owl. And he spontaneously asked,

    ‘What is your name?’

     ‘Well, my name is Udaan.’ Said the Swan.

    ‘Udaan, be careful.’

    ‘But why what happened?’ He asked.

     Samay cautioned,  

    ‘Beware it is no more a Cow’s Kingdom. It has now turned into a Wolf’s Den.’

    ‘Oh no! But how did that happen?’ Asked Udaan, somewhat surprised, and added, ‘The last time when we landed here, an old vulture told us that the cows were doing quite well in the kingdom.’

    ‘But that was long ago.’ Replied Samay.

    ‘But where are all the cows now?’ Asked Udaan.

    Samay started gingerly, ‘Some cows have been detained as livestock. The majority have left or have been devoured by the wolves. The erstwhile ruler King Bharat was doing quite well during his reign. He looked after the citizens (mostly cows) of the kingdom quite passionately. Based on their abilities, he used to assign them jobs. The assignments were based purely on merit and not on any lineage or ancestry.’

    ‘But then what went wrong?’ Asked another swan in the skein. Samay decided to open up,

    ‘The cows couldn’t remain united but the wolves united because of the delicious beef and that brought about the disaster. The kingdom had become a symbol of happiness, because of its prosperity. The tough male calves were trained to protect the borders of the kingdom. The lactating cows were tasked with the training of young calves to lead healthy lives and provide medical care to the community. Cows who had an eye for cleanliness were assigned the job of scavenging the kingdom and keeping it clean. King Bharat had also appointed village heads whose job was to sort out disputes if any in the villages. Even my dispute with a vulture was sorted by a village head (a cow). Some young bullocks and cows who were good in commerce were assigned the jobs of trading. The kingdom exported milk and agri-produce. The tough donkeys and bullocks used to till the soil and when the crop was ready they used to pull the cart and deliver the produce to the neighbouring kingdoms. The tortoises, vultures and eagles in the kingdom carried the agri-produce across the rivers. This brought wealth to the kingdom. Overall the Cows Kingdom was thriving. No one was labeled and everyone received remuneration and opportunities based on their capabilities, without any caste system or gender bias. There was job rotation too. A scavenger was trained to teach students if he had the capability. The bullock who tilled the land was trained to deal in commerce. Thus everyone was happy and they all respected the King for this. But the king had an adversary in a cow of a foreign breed. He had become very jealous of his success. His name was Irsha. He wanted to bring down the King by hook or by crook so that he could take over the Kingdom to fulfil his aspirations. He also imported cows of his breed to subjugate the locals after consulting his mother.

    ‘So what did they do?’ Asked Udaan.

    ‘To bring down, King Bharat, they collaborated with the vultures and wolves across the river who got the eagles and the foxes to work for them. Irsha thought the wolves were his friends and that they would dethrone King Bharat and make him the king. But when the wolves entered the kingdom for the final assault, they stealthily attacked and killed Irsha and his associates first. They then killed King Bharat and declared the kingdom as the ‘Wolves Den.’

    ‘But why Irsha first?’ asked Udaan.

    ‘Because one kills the traitor first because he is considered unreliable.

    ‘But how did the wolves take over the kingdom? Asked another bird in the skein. Samay was now feeling a little shaky. He looked around to see if anyone was watching him …

    ‘Irsha and the wolves drew a plan to take over the kingdom by training some vultures and sent them to the kingdom to spread hatred. These vultures started convincing the bullocks and cows in charge of scavenging that they were put to menial jobs whereas the king’s favourites were given better positions in the kingdom. 

    They even trained foxes and eagles across the river to spread a smear campaign against the Cow Kingdom. One night these devious animals crossed the river and entered the Cow’s Kingdom in the night. They killed a few calves and went back without being noticed. This created a huge furore in the morning and Irsha started blaming King Bharat for it.

    The D-Day was not far now. On one dark Amavasiya night, the wolves entered the Cow’s Kingdom from the landlocked side and killed Irsha first along with his associates and then they killed King Bharat and his bodyguards and took over the kingdom.

    Samay could now spot a few eagles approaching. Perhaps they were coming to attack the swans. Samay cautioned Udaan. He understood the danger and the skein left forthwith for their next destination. Samay was killed by the eagles. The Cow’s Kingdom had finally turned into a Wolf’s Den.

    The moral of the story: It is important to nourish your aspirations but with the right means. If you use the wrong means to fulfil your aspirations it might boomerang on you just as it boomeranged on Irsha. Stay united or you’ll be killed like the Cows in the Cow’s Kingdom.

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Written by Kamlesh Tripathi

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause of cancer? The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

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Publications of Kamlesh Tripathi

BOOK TITLE: GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

(The book is about a young cancer patient. Now archived in eight prestigious libraries of the US which include Harvard College Library; Harvard University Library; Library of Congress; University of Washington, Seattle; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Yale University, New Haven; University of Chicago; University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill University Libraries. It can also be accessed at MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in the libraries and archives of Canada; the Open Library; Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai; Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida, India; Shoolini University, Yogananda Knowledge Center, Himachal Pradesh and Azim Premzi University, Bangalore and the Library of Cancer Aid and Research Foundation, Mumbai. The title also finds a mention in a book titled ‘Enduring Cancer: Life, Death and Diagnosis in Delhi’ by Dwaipayan Banerjee published by the Duke University Press).

BOOK TITLE: ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(It is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi; It is also available for reading in the Indian National Bibliography, March 2016, in the literature section, in Central Reference Library, Ministry of Culture, India, Belvedere, Kolkata-700022)

BOOK TITLE: AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

(This is a fiction written around the great city of Nawabs—Lucknow. It describes Lucknow in great detail and also talks about its Hindu-Muslim amity, which is the undying characteristic of Lucknow. The book was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2014. It is catalogued and included for reading in Askews and Holts Library Services, Lancashire, U.K; Herrick District Library, Holland; Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, USA; Black Gold Cooperative Library Administration, Arroyo Grande, California; Berkeley Library, University of California; The Peshastin Public Library and The George Public Library near Washington, a Northern Central Washington Libraries branch; the Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library in Arizona in the US and the Salina Public Library, Kansas, USA.

BOOK TITLE: REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

(Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. It was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2016).

BOOK TITLE: TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

(Is a story of an Indian salesman who is, humbly qualified. Yet he fights his way through unceasing uncertainties to reach the top. A good read not only for salesmen but for any reader. The book was launched on 10^th February 2018 at Gorakhpur Lit-Fest. Now available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

BOOK TITLE: RHYTHM … IN POEMS

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems are about our day-to-day life. Poems from this book have been published in Shillong Times, Bandra Times, Bhavan’s Journal and Arunachal Times. The book is available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

BOOK TITLE: MIRAGE

(Published in February 2020. The book is a collection of eight short stories available on Amazon, Flipkart and Notion Press)

BOOK TITLE: AWADH ASSAM AND DALAI LAMA … The Kalachakra

(It is the story of the man who received His Holiness The Dalai Lama and his retinue in 1959 as a GOI representative when he fled Tibet in 1959. The book was launched on 21^st November 2022 by His Holiness The Dalai Lama at Dharmshala. The title is archived in the library of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) Government of Tibet, Tibet Policy Institute (TPI) and the personal library of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. The title is also archived in The Ohio Digital Library, USA. It was recently included in the digital library of the world-renowned company APPLE). Included in the library of Friends of Tibet.

(POEMS AND ARTICLES OF KAMLESH TRIPATHI PUBLISHED IN JOURNALS AND MAGAZINES)

BHAVANS JOURNAL

Short stories, Book reviews and Articles published in Bhavan’s Journal: 1. Reality and Perception, 15.10.19; 2. Sending the Wrong Message, 31.5.20; 3. Eagle versus Scholars, June, 15 & 20, 2020; 4. Indica, 15.8.20; 5. The Story of King Chitraketu, August 31 2020; 6. Breaking Through the Chakravyuh, September 30 2020. 7. The Questioning Spouse, October 31, 2020; 8. Happy Days, November 15, 2020; 9. The Karma Cycle of Paddy and Wheat, December 15, 2020; 10. Power Vs Influence, January 31, 2021; 11. Three Refugees, March 15, 2021; 12. Rise and Fall of Ajatashatru, March 31, 2021; 13. Reformed Ruler, May 15, 2021; 14. A Lasting Name, May 31, 2021; 15. Are Animals Better Teachers? June 16, 2021; 16. Book Review: The Gram Swaraj, 1.7.21; 17. Right Age for Achievements, 15.7.21; 18. Big Things Have Small Beginnings, 15.8.21; 19. Where is Gangaridai?, 15.9.21; 20. Confront the Donkey Within You 30.9.21; 21. Know Your Strengths 15.10.21; 22. Poverty 15.11.21; 23. Top View 30.11.21; 24. The Bansuriwala 15.1.22; 25. Sale of Alaska 15.2.22; 26. The Dimasa Kingdom 28.2.22;27. Buried Treasure 15.4.22; 28. The Kingdom of Pragjyotisha 30.4.22; 29. Who is more useful? 15.5.22; 30. The White Swan from Lake Mansarovar 30.6.22; 31. Bhool Bhulayya 15.9.22; 32. Good Karma 30.9.22; 33. Good Name vs Bad Name 15.10.22; 34. Uttarapath—The Grand Trunk Road 1.12.22; 35. When Gods Get Angry 1.1.23; 36. Holinshed’s Chronicles 15.1.23; 37. Theogony 15.2.23; 38. Poem: Mother 14.5.23; 39. The Nag Mandir 30.6.23; 40. The Story of Garuda 30.7.23; 41. Janmabhoomi vs Karmabhoomi 31.8.23; 42. The Ghost Town of Kuldhara 15.9.23; 43. The Tale of Genji 15.10.23; 44. The Soul Connection 1.12.23; 45.Book review: Jungle Nama … a story of the Sundarban 16.3.24; 46. Book review: A Forgotten Chapter 16.5.24; 47. Exploring Ancient Egypt, 1.8.24; 48. The Story of Dhruva, 16.8.24; 49. Two Hundred Years of Tea in Assam 16.9.24;

THE SHILLONG TIMES

Articles & Poems: 1. Poem: Happy New Year 8.1.23; 2.Poem: Spring 12.3.23; 3.Poem: Right and Wrong 20.3.23; 4. The Gush of Emotion—Writing, 26.3.23; 5. The Nag Mandir, 7.5.23; 6. Poem: Mother 7.5.23; 7. Poem: Rain Rain 9.7.23; 8. Poem: You Come Alone You Go Alone 6.8.23; 9. Poem: Rain Rain (Second Time) 10.8.23; 10. Poem: Guru Teacher 1.10.23; 11. Poem: Autumn … The Interim Heaven 15.10.23; 12. Poem: Happy Diwali 12.11.23; 13. Overcoming Blindness: Learn it the John Milton Way 10.12.23; 14. The Happy Prince and The Happy Man’s Shirt 31.12.23; 15. Annus Mirabilis -2024 7.1.24; 16. Gandhi to Mahatma Gandhi- Incidents that Shaped Gandhi in South Africa 28.1.24; 17. Poem: Together But Not Made For Each Other, 11.2.24; 18. The Birds Bees and The Spiders of Nicholas Guildford and Jonathan Swift 25.2.24; 19. The Overcoats of Nikolai Gogol and Ruskin Bond 10.3.24; 20. The Ethnic Colours of Holi 24.3.24; 21. A Lesson from Dalai Lama, 21.4.24; 22. Poem: Morning Walk 28.4.24; 23. Trip to Rhine Falls, Switzerland, 19.5.24; 24. Poem: Hurt 2.6.24; 25. Poem: Your Conscience Was My Sign On 16.6.24; 26.Poem: The Eerie Ways of Time 7.7.24; 27.Poem: Celebrating the T20 World Champions 14.7.24;28. Read to Rise above mediocrity, 4.8.24; 29. Poem: Desire vs Reality 11.8.24;

THE ASSAM TRIBUNE

Article: 1. The Magic of Reading 11.12.23; 2. Gandhi to Mahatma 29.1.24; 3. Geography of Solitude 8.4.24; 4. A Lesson From Dalai Lama, 22.4.24; 5. A Source of Inspiration, 29.4.24; 6. The Four-Legged Library, 12.5.24; 7. Age and Achievement, 10.6.24; 8. Read … To Rise Above Mediocrity, 1.7.24; 9. Crusade for a College, 25.8.24;

THE ARUNACHAL TIMES

Poem: 1. Hope—In The Arc of Twilight, 13.8.23; 2.Poem: Spring 3.3.24; 3.Poem: The Morning Walk 10.3.24;

BANDRA TIMES, MUMBAI

Articles & Poems: 1. Poem: SPRING, 1.4.23; 2. Poem: Mother, 1.6.23; 3. Poem: Rain Rain, 1.8.23; 4. A Lesson From Dalai Lama, 1.6.24; 5. Read to rise above Mediocrity 1.8.24

ARTICLES IN THE DIGITAL MAGAZINE ESAMSKRITI

29.12.2020: Indica by Megasthenes; 14.3.22: About The Dimasa Kingdom Assam; 10.12.22: Grand Trunk Road–Uttarapath; 5.10.23: The Ghost Town of Kuldhara Near Jaisalmer;

(ALL THE ABOVE BOOK TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE ON AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

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