Hare And The Tortoise - Gen Sigma's Take

Lazy Hare & brisk Tortoise

@gamma50g,

I think the title should have been Lazy Hare & brisk Tortoise. When adjactives are not used, the effective moral fades away. This story should convey multiple lessons to the children:

1) Never rest until you reach the goal and put your tireless effort to achieve your goal.
2) Never underestimate the capabilities of the competitor and overestimate your capabilities.
3) Slow but steady progress in life will produce the right results.

 

All the panchatantra stories have now been included in MBA syllabus.

The crow and vada story has been modified that the crow hides the vada in the feathers and cries CAW_CAW.
The fox and the grapes story-teaches the moral that 'DONt stick on to a non reachable goal.
Here's a revised version of "The Hare and the Tortoise" that emphasizes teamwork and resourcefulness over individual speed:
Once upon a time, in a bustling forest, lived a proud hare and a steady tortoise. The hare, known for his speed, often teased the tortoise for being slow, while the tortoise, though slow, was known for his resourcefulness. One day, the hare challenged the tortoise to a race across a challenging terrain, including a river and a dense forest.
The hare, confident in his speed, zoomed ahead, leaving the tortoise far behind. However, he soon encountered the river and, unable to swim, found himself stranded. The tortoise, meanwhile, had been steadily moving, and upon reaching the river, remembered his friend, the river otter. He asked the otter for help, and the otter, recognizing the tortoise's resourcefulness, agreed to ferry them across the river.

After crossing the river, the tortoise and hare continued their race through the dense forest. The hare, still trying to win on his own, struggled to navigate the thick undergrowth. The tortoise, however, remembered his friend the squirrel, who knew the forest paths well. He asked the squirrel for help, and the squirrel, in turn, guided them through the forest.

Finally, they reached the finish line, not as individuals, but as a team. They had both learned that while speed and strength are valuable, they are even more valuable when combined with resourcefulness, teamwork, and the willingness to ask for help.

Moral of the story: True success comes not only from individual abilities but also from collaboration, resourcefulness, and the ability to leverage the strengths of others.



Well ! No one has ever bothered to ask the Hare his side of the story, so let me tell you the story from a different point of view…

I met the Hare and sat down with him for a heart to heart talk.

This is what he had to say after we spent the better part of a balmy summer afternoon getting to know one other.

It was a wonderful experience, believe me..

“Yes, I am the hare who lost.

No, I did not get lazy or complacent.

Let me explain.

I was hopping over the meadows near the hills and looked back to realize that the tortoise was nowhere to be seen.

Assured of my healthy lead, I decided to take a short nap under the large banyan tree near the pond.

The anticipation of the race had kept me up all night.

For days, that old silly tortoise had boasted about his ability to plod for hundreds of miles without stopping.

Life is a marathon, he said, not a sprint.I wanted to show him that I could run both far and fast.

The shade of the tree was like an umbrella.

I found an almost oval rock, covered it with grass, and turned it into a makeshift pillow.

I could hear the leaves rustling and the bees buzzing – it felt they were collaborating and even conspiring to put me to sleep.

And it didn’t take them long to succeed.

I saw myself drifting on a log in a beautiful stream of water.

As I came near the shore, I found an old man, with a flowing beard, sitting on a rock in a meditative pose. He opened his eyes, gave me an all-knowing smile, and asked:

“Who are you?”

“I am a hare. I am running a race.”

“Why?”

“To prove to all the creatures in the jungle that I am the fastest.”

“Why do you want to prove that you are the fastest?”

“So that I get a medal which will give me status which will give me money which will get me food…”

“There is already so much food around.” He pointed to the forest in the distance. “Look at all those trees laden with fruits and nuts, all those leafy branches”

“I also want respect. I want to be remembered as the fastest hare who ever lived.”

“Do you know the name of the fastest deer or the largest elephant or the strongest lion who lived a thousand years before you?”

“No.”

“Today you have been challenged by a tortoise.

Tomorrow, it will be a snake.

Then it will be a zebra.

Will you keep racing all your life to prove that you are the fastest?”

“Hmm. I didn’t think about it.

I don’t want to race all my life.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I want to sleep under a banyan tree on a makeshift pillow while the leaves rustle and the bees buzz.

I want to hop over the meadows near the hills and swim in the pond.”

“You can do all these things this very moment.

Forget the race.

You are here today but you will be gone tomorrow.”

I woke up from my sleep.

The ducks in the pond looked happy.

I jumped into the pond, startling them for a moment.

They looked at me quizzically.

“Weren’t you supposed to be racing with the tortoise today?”

“It’s pointless.

An exercise in futility.

All I want is to be here.

Hopefully, someday, someone will tell the world my story ,

That I lost the race but got back my life!!

IS it not a pride that crows,fox, hare totoise and other birds and animals
have

occupied the curriculam of the most covetable MBA?

JAYASALA42