THE FRIENDLY MONGOOSE
~Summary~
-by Khushwant Singh
The story "The Friendly Mongoose" is taken from the collection of fables called "Panchatantra". There was a farmer and his wife.
They lived in a village along with their baby. The farmer wished to have a pet in his home because he thought that it would be a
good companion for his son. So he brought home a small mongoose. Within five to six months, the mongoose had grown to its
full size.
One day, the farmer's wife had to go out to buy groceries. But she didn't want to leave the baby alone with the mongoose. So she
asked the farmer to look after the baby till she arrives. But the farmer felt bored and went out to take a look at the fields. On his
way, he met some of his friends.
When the wife got back home, she saw the mongoose's face smudged with blood. She screamed, believing that it had harmed her
baby. She threw the basket full of groceries at the mongoose and killed it. Then she ran towards her baby's cradle. When she saw
the dead snake near the baby's cradle, she realised the truth; the mongoose was innocent, and it had saved her baby's life by
killing the snake. She also realised her mistake. She acted rashly without knowing the truth.
The moral of the story is: "Look before you leap." It means that any person must always think twice or thrice before they do
something to avoid problems.
Think twice or thrice to avoid problems.
~Conclusion~
The story concludes that trust is very important in any bond. The Mongoose was loyal to the farmer’s family but the wife’s
mistrust of him led to its unfortunate death. Loyalty should be repaid with trust and understanding. It also teaches us that
our actions should not be guided by quick and reckless judgements. We should think responsibly before we act.