STORY 7 : HANUMAN REFORMS A THIEF
Give the story sheet of
“Hanuman reforms a thief” to the children and then narrate the
following story.
Children, today’s story is about a thief. And
what did this thief do? This thief would snatch away money from all the people
who passed through the forest that he lived in.
One day Hanuman
appeared before the thief and asked him a
very simple question.
“Why do you steal?” The thief, who was actually a poor man, said he
stole from others and with that money he looked after his family. “But
when you are caught and punished, will your family also take the blame and
share your
punishment too?” asked Hanuman. The thief thought about
it (rub your chin) and went home and asked his wife and children. And you know
what their answer was? They said that though they would take the money from
stealing or eat the food he brought, nobody agreed to share his punishment. The
thief was heartbroken and told this to Hanuman.
“So you see when
you steal you
alone will be punished for your actions. When you are
punished, no one in your family will remember that you have stolen for them. So
why steal
at all?” said Hanuman. The thief at last understood his
fault. He then begged Hanuman to help him and show him the right path.
“How can I make God forgive me?” the thief asked Hanuman.
Hanuman then gave him holy beads called rosary and asked him to chant
“Rama Rama”. But you know, it becomes very difficult for people who
do wrong things like stealing or telling lies or cheating, to say the right
things, like saying God’s name. No matter how
hard he tried, the
thief could not chant the Lord’s
mantra. Okay then chant “Mara
Mara”, said Hanuman and the thief was able to repeat this with ease! Now,
Mara means death, but the theif went on chanting it. The thief chanted
“
Mara, mara,ma-ra, ma-Ra-ma, Rama.......” ( start it slowly
and then increase the speed so that Mara becomes Rama) which you know is .....
yes the
ulta of........”Rama Rama”. So all the while
that the thief was actually saying ”Mara Mara“ he was
really
chanting the
Lord’s name “Rama Rama”. In course of time
he become a good man, gave up stealing and lived like a sadhu in the forest for
the rest of his life. In this way, by teaching him to chant God’s name,
Hanuman helped the thief become a good man.
ACTIVITY: CRAFT
The questions asked in this section will be
followed immediately with sticking the relevant picture on the activity sheet.
The questions should keep to the sequence of the story. Make sure the child is
able to correlate between the question asked and the cut-out handed out. Ensure
that he/she places it in the correct place.
Q: What did Hanuman
ask the thief to do?
A: Hanuman gave the thief holy beads called
rosary and asked him to chant Lord Ram’s name. Paste CI
‘rosary’.
Q: How did the thief learn to say the name of
Rama?
A: The thief began by chanting Mara Mara which was the
ulta of Rama Rama and later when he became a good man, he was able to
say Rama Rama. Stick PCO ‘dialogue box- Mara-Rama’. Stick PCO of
‘sadhu’’ as a flap and paste CI ‘Sparkle’ around thief
turned
sadhu.
VALUES
Service before self: Another lesson we learn from
this story is the spirit of helping others. We saw how the thief became a good
man isn’t it? But who helped him to do so? Who decided to talk to him and
make him see the evil of his ways? Who told him to chant Rama’s name? It
was Hanuman. And did he himself gain anything by it? When the people of the
forest went to him for help, he could have been selfish and said that He was
too busy with His sadhna and that He did not have time to sort out these
trivial matters, right? But He didn’t say any such thing, did He? He took
it upon himself and thought it was His rightful duty to help the people and
also the thief. So children, likewise, it is our duty too, to help others
unselfishly. We should always listen to people and try to help them as best as
we can. So children, let each one of us decide to do at least one good act a
day and write it in our diary, okay?
MATERIAL LIST(per child)
1 Story Sheet
2.
Picture cut-outs (a) Dialogue box - Ma-ra Ma-ra Ra-ma Ra-ma (b) Sadhu as a
flap
3. Craft item (a) Rosary (b) Sparkle
4. Recall
card
Exercise - Impromptu Plays
The last class of the Hanuman session
will conclude with impromptu plays put up by the children. The instructor will
choose the plays according to the number of children there are in the group as
per the suggestions given below:
Groups with· 4
children will enact the Sindoor story with 4 characters which would be Hanuman,
Sita, Sri Ram and a companion of Sita. The props for the play that will be sent
from the HO will be a Hanuman mask, tail, bindi and sindoor. The instructor
will have to provide 2 dupattas for Sita and her friend. A heavier and more
ornamental one can be for Sita and a simpler one for her
friend.
· 5 children will enact the Sindoor story with 5
characters which would be Hanuman, Sita, Sri Ram and 2 companions of Sita. The
props for the play that will be sent from the HO will be a Hanuman mask, tail,
bindi and sindoor. The instructor will have to provide 3 dupattas for Sita and
her 2 friend. A heavier and more ornamental one can be for Sita and 2 simpler
ones for her 2 friend.
· 6 children will be divided into 2 groups
of 3 children each. One group will enact the Sindoor story with 3 characters
which would be Hanuman, Sita and Sri Ram. The other group will enact Hanuman
and Bhim with 3 characters which would be Hanuman, Bhim and the monkey. The
props for Sindoor story that will be sent from the HO will be a Hanuman mask,
tail, bindi and sindoor. The instructor will have to provide 2 dupattas for
Sita and the other to be worn around Sri Ram’s neck like a patka. The same
mask, tail and patka (for Bhim) can be used for the Hanuman and Bhim play.
· 7 children will enact Hanuman leaps to the Sun with 7
characters which would be Anjana, Maruti, Surya, Indra, Airavat, Vayu and
Brahma. The props that will be sent by the HO will be the Hanuman mask, tail
and thunderbolt. The instructor will provide a dupatta for
Anjana.
· 8 children will enact Hanuman reforms the thief with 8
characters which would be Hanuman, the thief, thief’s wife, thief’s 2
children, 3 travelers. The props that will be provided by the HO will be the
hanuman mask, tail and rosary. The instructor will provide a bandana and a
stick for the thief, a dupatta for the wife, and 3 potlis for the
travelers.
· 9 children will enact Bhakt Hanuman with 9
characters which would be Sri Ram, Sita, Hanuman, Vibhishan, 2 attendants
fanning Sri Ram and Sita and 3 darbaris or royal courtiers. The props that will
be provided by the HO will be the hanuman mask, tail, bindi and sindoor for
Sita and a pearl necklace. The instructor will provide a dupatta for Sita, and
6 patkas and tilak for Sri Ram and the darbaris and the attendants. 2 Paper
fans will be organized at the center by the instructor.
· 10
children will enact Bhakt Hanuman with 10 characters which would be Sri Ram,
Sita, Hanuman, Vibhishan, 2 attendants fanning Sri Ram and Sita and 4 darbaris
or royal courtiers. The props that will be provided by the HO will be the
hanuman mask, tail, bindi and sindoor for Sita and a pearl necklace. The
instructor will provide a dupatta for Sita, and 7 patkas and tilak for Sri Ram
and the darbaris and the attendants. 2 Paper fans will be organized at the
center by the instructor.
Exercise - Jai Bolo Hanuman Ki
This class will be the last
session on Hanuman. The giveaway that has been planned for this session are
Manjiras i.e. cymbals that are used in devotional music. Hanuman has a very
special place in the tradition of devotional music. Entrusted with the task of
spreading Sri Ram’s name Hanuman spends his days in the loving
rememberance of His Lord and Master Sri Ram with cymbals in hand and His name
on the lips. The music that ……………..Let us all join in
the spirit Sri Hanuman’s divine music …… Distribute the
Manjiras among the children and teach them a simple Hanuman dhun that is
available on the Times Music entitled Hanuman, which is as
below:
“ Ram Lakshman Janki,
Jai bolo Hanuman
ki”The cassette can be played on a stereo and the children
should be encouraged to sing along and play their
Manjiras in rhythm
with the music. In case the instructor is unable to locate the cassette, they
are free to call Ratna to pick up the tune.
