

Geethika Kundurthi, Class 5, The Crossword School, Guntur
Tina and Meena were studying in class 8. Their social class teacher announced a picnic to a nearby forest. The teacher also explained about the tribes who live in that forest. There was one tribe named Iruvai who communicated only in sign language.
The next day, Tina and Meena and their friends went to the forest for a picnic. They were playing hide and seek. Tina went too far and got lost. All their classmates left, but Meena stayed behind to search for Tina.
Tina was tensed. She saw a hut and ran inside it. But she was freaked out seeing a tribeswoman inside. The woman did not let Tina go because animals might eat her.
While Meena was searching for Tina, she found the hut. She went inside and saw Tina with the woman. There was a communication problem. The tribeswoman couldn’t understand the girl’s language.
Tina shouted to Meena, “Let’s hit them with stones.”
But Meena immediately replied, “No! Don’t!”
“Why?”
“You misunderstand the tribe. They are not letting you go because animals outside might eat you.”
Tina understood her mistake and said okay. Meena realised that this tribeswoman belonged to the Iruvai, who knew the sign language. Tina then started to communicate with her in sign language.
The next day, the Iruvai people guided Tina and Meena safely to the edge of the forest, where their school bus was waiting for them.
Moral: Don’t judge a book by its cover.
December, 2024