The greedy sage

Trina Sachdeva, AIS Saket, V A

In a faraway kingdom, there once lived a sage named Panditji. He was a wise and cultured man who knew all the shlokas verbatim. Although he was knowledgeable, he was extremely greedy and overcharged people for performing even the basic rituals. He also worked in the king’s palace, reciting all the shlokas for the king.
One day, the king urged Panditji to describe a shloka he was struggling to understand. “I’ve been wracking my brain around it all night long, Panditji, but the conclusion I arrive at seems unsatisfactory to me,” he said. Panditji obliged and explained the meaning, but the king did not like it. He said, “Now, that’s underwhelming. This is exactly what I deciphered. You advertise yourself as the most intellectual person. Is this the best you can do? It’s not worth any dime I pay you. You shall go penniless today.” Panditji was surprised to hear this. He pleaded, “Your Majesty! The meaning of the shloka is accurate. If you have any objection to it, I will gladly fix it right now. Please do not do this to a mere sage like me.” Unfortunately, the king didn’t pay him and ordered him to go back home.
When Panditji returned home, his wife greeted him with a smile, but he barely even nodded. She was confused as she had no clue about what had transpired. Out of concern, she asked him, “Why are you so gloomy today?” He narrated the entire incident to his wife. She assured him, “I know why the king behaved in this manner.” He was surprised by her answer. She said, “Panditji, you are a pious man who should guide people on the path leading to God. However, you are more attached to the money. This is your karma. Had you not been greedy, this day wouldn’t have come.”
Upon realising his mistake, Panditji went to the king’s palace and appealed him for another chance. He recited the shloka again with complete devotion and dedication. The king was deeply touched as he felt the devotion and calmness in Panditji’s voice and truly understood the meaning behind it this time. As a result, he rewarded him with money and loads of gifts.
From that day onwards, Panditji never took advantage of anyone, devoting himself to God, not caring about material gains, and selflessly guiding people on the path to enlightenment.

Fridge magnet

Dhruvika Ganguli, AIS Vasundhara 6, VII D

Material Required
Air-dried clay (any colour)
Rolling pin
Plastic knife
Varnish/clear nail paint
Magnet
Paintbrush
Paper
Hot glue gun
Acrylic paints (red, blue, yellow and brown)

Procedure
Take some air-dried clay of any colour of your choice and roll it into a thick sphere.
Now, pat it down on a hard surface with the help of a rolling pin. Make sure that the clay has a thick base.
Using a plastic knife, cut clay into the shape of a triangle to make it look like a pizza slice.
Now, stick a paper on the base of your pizza slice using a hot glue gun and keep it aside for it to dry.
For the toppings, take some more clay and make tiny circles and rectangles out of it.
Once the base has completely dried, roll the smallest side of the slice to resemble a crust.
Next, paste the clay toppings on top of the slice and then keep it aside till it dries completely.
Once done, paint the shapes using acrylic paints. Colour the base yellow, the crust brown, the circles in red, and the rectangles in green. Wait till everything  dries completely.
Now, paint the top of your clay pizza using clear nail paint or varnish and let it dry.
Using a hot glue gun apply some glue at the back of the slice and carefully paste a small piece of magnet on it. Let it rest aside for ten minutes.
Your pizza-shaped fridge magnet is ready to give your fridge a quirky look!