From Panchatantra.......

We wanted to re write one of the stories from Panchatantra and have it enacted by kids for the 2008 Ugadi function in Austin.

The following is a writeup for the "United we Stand" Pigeon Story from Mitra laabam from the Panchatantra : this was accompanied by a slide show and was a precurser to the actual ballet that was enacted by kids at the Telugu Cultural Association of Austin in Apr 2008

Writeup :
The original Sanskrit text of "Panchatantra" was written by Pandit Vishnu Sharma around 200 BC, and contained a collection of popular tales. Each of these stories has a moral that continues to be relevant to this
day.

The following story is taken from the second “Tantra” called “Mitrasamprapti of the Panchatantra and sheds light on the importance of friendship and Unity.

‘United we stand”
Here is a story extolling the virtues of a wise Pigeon King named Chitragreeva , who saves his subjects from a hunter by proposing that they tackle the problem unitedly.

‘Chitragreeva” ( name of the pigeon king) and his group of pigeons/doves were flying together in search of grain.
They had traveled long and hard looking for some grain, and finally one of pigeons spots a lot of grain scattered underneath a banyan tree.
“Chitragreeva” tries to caution his team of pigeons from flying down to the grain because it just didn’t seem right and could be trap.
But is team was tired and hungry, so they just flew down to eat the grain.

As “Chitragreeva’ suspected, it was no ordinary reason that there was so much grain scattered in plain sight, a hunter had set a trap for the birds.
As soon as the hunter sees all the doves he throws a net on them and is about to pick them all up,
The birds struggle only to get more entangled in the net. “Chitragreeva” asks his team to remain calm and do exactly as he says.

,He thinks fast and decides that the best way is for them to play dead. He whispers to his team to play dead, as the hunter comes to pick each bird from the net.

The hunter is surprised and puzzled when each time he tries to pick a bird from the net it looks dead.
He starts to wonder if the grain was poisoned. As he is thinking about it, “Chitragreeva’ asks his team to all flap their wings at once and fly away with the net. They do as they are told and their combined flying force making it easy for all of them to fly away with the net

The hunter chases after them shocked, and surprised at their cleverness and deception. but he is unable to catch them.

They fly away to a far of place where a Chitragreeva’s friend “Hiranyaka” the mouse lives.
When the Hiranyaka hears the loud noise of their approach, he goes into hiding. The dove king Chitragreeva gently calls out to him and then the mouse Hiranyaka realizes that it is friend Chitrsgreeva , he comes out.
Chitragreeva explains that he and his subjects had been caught in a trap and they need Hiranyaka’s help to gnaw at the net with his teeth and set them free.
Hiranyaka agrees and proceeds to free Chitragreeva the dove king first.
The Nobel king Chitragreeva insists that he Hiranyaka , the mouse, free his subjects first and himself last. The Hiranyaka understands and applauds the king's feelings and complies with his wishes. He begins to cut the net and one by one all the doves are freed, including his friend Chitragreeva, the dove/pigeon king.
All the doves are very happy to be free and thank Hiranyaka the Mouse and their king “Chitragreeva”, who tells them that it is always important to listen to words of wisdom and act with caution.
He also asks them to always remain united.
Because being United, they will always be able to fight their way out of adverse situations.