In a quiet village, a rich merchant kept a bright and talkative parrot in a cage of gold. The parrot had a sharp mind and often entertained the merchant with stories and songs. However, deep inside, the bird longed for the open skies and green trees.
One day, the merchant decided to travel far away for business. He thought he would do something to please his pet. He walked up to the cage and said, “My beloved parrot, I am about to travel to a far-off land. What can I bring for you from there?”
The parrot replied, “Dear master, you look after my needs so well that I have tasted all the tender fruits and chillies. But, I want to taste the joy of flying in the sky. If you really want me to be happy, please let me fly off into the sky.”
The merchant said, “You are very dear to me and I cannot bear to let you go away. Ask for anything else.”
The bird sighed. “Since you cannot let me fly. when you see my friends in the jungle tell them that I send them greetings from my cage.”
The merchant went off on his travels. One day in a forest, he saw a flight of parrots with the same colour as his pet. He walked up to the tree and said, “O beautiful parrots, I have one of your relatives as a pet and I keep it in a cage of gold.
It has sent greetings for you all.”
As the merchant finished speaking, one parrot dropped like a stone from the tree and fell on the ground.
The merchant was distressed at this. He hurried away from there.
On returning home, he went up to his parrot’s cage and described all the wonders and the beauty he had seen on his journey, and how a flight of parrots had come to the forest he was visiting.
He then told his pet about the message he had conveyed, and, with great sorrow, described how one bird had been so shocked that it fell to the ground.
As soon as he finished talking, his own pet parrot fell from the perch to the floor of the cage.
The merchant couldn’t understand how his beloved pet died so suddenly. He reached into the cage and gently took the still warm body of the bird and placed it on the windowsill.
As soon as he stepped back, the bird stirred, stretched its beautiful green wings and flew off into the open sky saying, “My friend showed me how I could escape and now I can fly in the sky.
Goodbye!”
Also read this: The Rainbow : Lesson -3
Let us Think
A. Answer the following questions.
1. Why did the merchant keep the parrot in a cage of gold?
Ans. The merchant loved the parrot very much and wanted to keep it safe and comfortable, so he kept it in a beautiful cage of gold.
2. What made the parrot a favourite pet of the merchant?
Ans. The parrot was intelligent, talkative, and entertained the merchant with stories and songs, which made it his favourite pet.
3. What message did the parrot ask the merchant to convey to its friends?
Ans. The parrot asked the merchant to send greetings to its friends in the jungle from its cage.
4. What happened after the merchant gave the message to the parrots?
Ans. After hearing the message, one parrot in the jungle fell down from the tree as if it were dead.
5. How did the parrot escape from the cage?
Ans. The parrot pretended to be dead after hearing about its friend’s action. When the merchant took it out of the cage, it flew away into the open sky.
B. Think and discuss
1. If you were the merchant, how would you respond to the parrot’s request or freedom?
Ans. If I were the merchant, I would set the parrot free because everyone deserves freedom and happiness.
2. Can you think of a real-life situation where intelligence is more useful than strength?
Ans. Yes, in studies and problem-solving, intelligence helps more than physical strength. Smart thinking helps us find solutions easily.
3. Which parrot from the chapter was actually ‘wise’ according to you? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans. The caged parrot was the wisest because it used its intelligence to understand the message and cleverly escaped from the cage without using force.
