Vultures and Their Own Sky

- Ravi Ila Bhatt

O nce upon a time, in the peaceful kingdom of Vaikunthapur, lived a wise and kind king named Vishnuprasad. He deeply loved nature and made sure all the jungles, ponds, and lakes in his kingdom were protected for animals and birds. Birds, especially, were his favorite.

Inside the royal palace, he had a beautiful bird sanctuary where many birds lived happily. The king had one strict rule:

"No harm should come to any bird or animal in my land."

One day, a wealthy merchant from the Himalayan region came to the court. As a gift, he presented the king with two grand vultures.

"These birds are rare," said the merchant, "They come from the high northern mountains. People call them the twin guardians of the heavens."

King Vishnuprasad was pleased. He handed them over to Sundar, the royal bird trainer, to take care of them.

Sundar built them a cozy home, gave them the best food, and made sure they felt like they were in the mountains. Within a month, both vultures had adjusted well to their new home.

Two months later, the king became curious.

"I've heard these birds can fly higher than the clouds. Is that true?" he asked Sundar.

Sundar nodded, but added softly,

"Yes, Your Majesty. But only one of them flies. The other just sits on a branch all day. It never even tries to fly."

The king was surprised and saddened. He decided to visit the sanctuary with his daughter, Princess Megha.

As they arrived, one vulture soared high into the sky, strong and graceful. Everyone was amazed. But the other vulture sat quietly on a branch, looking scared and unwilling to move.

"Magnificent!" the king said, clapping joyfully for the flying bird. He rewarded Sundar with a pouch of gold coins.

But Sundar spoke again, "Your Majesty, I've tried everything for the second vulture… but nothing works. It hasn't moved from that branch since the day it arrived."

The king returned to his palace, worried.

The next morning, he made an announcement across the kingdom:

"Whoever can make the second vulture fly will be rewarded with gold and honor!"

Many people came. They tried various tricks and techniques-but nothing worked. Finally, an old, humble man named Jatashankar came forward.