Rama to the Rescue

This is 'Rama to the Rescue' from your book, Poorvi (Unit 1). It is a folk tale from Tamil Nadu, told as a comic. It comes from Amar Chitra Katha, the comic books that began in Mumbai in 1967 and tell old tales and stories from history.

To rescue means to save someone from danger. When a flood or an earthquake strikes, a rescue team is sent to save people who are trapped or hurt. Police, doctors and firefighters all rescue people in their own way.

In a comic, the words sit in speech bubbles. The bubble's tail points to the person speaking, and a cloud-shaped bubble shows what someone is only thinking. Look at the pictures too: faces tell you what each person feels.

Here is the story, told in short. One night in a village, a man and his wife are getting ready to sleep after a long, tiring day. Suddenly the wife hears a noise. Somebody is trying to get into the house! The noise stops, and they think the thief is already inside. He has dug a hole through the back wall. They say the thief must have slipped past Rama, the village kotwal. A kotwal is a policeman; some people say thanedar.

The couple do not panic. The man says he has a plan. They stay in bed and start talking about something quite different: what should they name their child? If it is a boy, they say, they will call him Rama.

Meanwhile the thief hides behind the door and listens closely. He is waiting for them to fall asleep, and he hopes they will talk about where they keep their money. Instead, the couple go on with their 'game'. If the boy is in the house, they will call him softly: 'Rama! Rama!' If he is in the yard, a little louder. And if he is out in the street, very loudly. And then the name 'RAMA!' is shouted at the top of their voices.

The couple speak loudly on purpose. The thief hears only a silly game and grows more and more annoyed. Out in the village, Rama the kotwal hears his name. He runs to the house, sees the hole in the wall and crawls in. He catches the thief and arrests him. The plan worked! By their cleverness, the man and his wife saved themselves from being robbed.

The lesson: in trouble, do not panic, and do not get angry or blame each other. Stay calm, think of a way out, and if you cannot solve the problem alone, find a way to call for help.