What Happened to the Reptiles: Class 6 English Supplementary Chapter 9

Summary: A Journey to Pambupatti

The story begins with Prem, a boy who has run away from his village because of terrible riots and violence. He travels for days and finally reaches a peaceful village called Pambupatti. The people there are kind, and an old man offers him shelter. Curious about the village's peace, Prem asks the old man about it. The old man then tells Prem a story from Pambupatti's long past, when only reptiles lived there. The most powerful reptile, a huge crocodile named Makara, decided that the forest was not big enough for everyone. He first ordered the slow-moving tortoises and turtles to leave. Then, he banished the snakes. Without snakes, rats and mice multiplied. Next, he drove out the lizards, which led to an invasion of insects. The forest became a smelly, disgusting, and dangerous place, filled with rats and insects, even for the mighty crocodiles. Realizing their terrible mistake, the reptiles worked together to bring everyone back. Pambupatti became a happy place again, teaching everyone the lesson that a community needs all its members to thrive.

Meet the Main Characters

Prem

A young boy who runs away from the violence in his village. He is the listener of the story and learns a valuable lesson about community and harmony.

The Old Man

A wise and kind resident of Pambupatti who gives shelter to Prem. He is the storyteller who narrates the history of the reptiles to teach Prem an important life lesson.

Makara

A very large, powerful, and arrogant crocodile who becomes the leader of the reptiles. His prejudice and pride lead him to drive away other reptiles, causing chaos in Pambupatti.

The Downfall and Rise of Pambupatti

1. Step 1: Makara's Tyranny Begins — Makara, the powerful crocodile, declared that slow and 'stupid' tortoises were not welcome. He threatened them, and they were forced to leave Pambupatti.
2. Step 2: The Snakes are Banished — A week later, Makara decided the 'slimy' snakes must also go. He held another meeting and successfully drove them out of the forest.
3. Step 3: The Lizards are Forced Out — Next, Makara turned on the lizards. Despite some crocodiles protesting, Makara's authority ensured the lizards were also forced to leave their homes.
4. Step 4: The Forest Descends into Chaos — Without snakes to eat them, the rat population exploded. Without lizards to eat them, the insect population grew uncontrollably. The forest became smelly from rotting fruit and was overrun with pests.
5. Step 5: Realisation and Reconciliation — The crocodiles, even Makara, suffered. They realised their mistake and sent messages to the tortoises, snakes, and lizards, begging them to return. When they all came back, Pambupatti was restored to its peaceful and balanced state.

Understanding the Deeper Meaning

Remember that "What Happened to the Reptiles" is an allegory. An allegory is a story where characters and events represent abstract ideas or real-world issues. Here, the different reptiles represent different types of people in a society. Makara represents a prejudiced leader who promotes division. The story isn't just about animals; it's a message against discrimination and hatred in human society. When answering questions about the story's theme, always connect the events in Pambupatti to this larger message about human communities.

Check Your Understanding

• {"Q":"Why did Prem leave his village?","A":"Step 1: Recall the beginning of the story. Prem's village was experiencing conflict.\nStep 2: Identify the nature of the conflict. The story mentions that people were burning down houses and that Prem's own house was burned down. This was because people of one religion were fighting with people of another religion.\nStep 3: Conclude why he left. Prem left his village to escape the terrible violence, hatred, and danger.\nFinal answer: Prem left his village because it was engulfed in religious violence where people were harming each other and burning houses. He ran for his life to find a safe place."}
• {"Q":"What problems did the reptiles of Pambupatti face after they drove the other creatures away?","A":"Step 1: Think about the role each banished creature played. The snakes ate rats.\nStep 2: Without snakes, the number of rats increased enormously. These rats ate the crocodiles' eggs.\nStep 3: The lizards ate insects. Without lizards, the insect population grew, making life difficult for the crocodiles.\nStep 4: The forest became smelly with rotting fruit and food that the rats and insects didn't finish.\nFinal answer: After the other creatures were driven away, Pambupatti was overrun with rats that ate crocodile eggs, and swarms of insects. The forest also became smelly and unpleasant."}
• {"Q":"What did Makara do to make the other reptiles leave the forest?","A":"Step 1: Identify Makara's position. He was the biggest and most powerful crocodile and made himself the leader.\nStep 2: Describe his method. He would call meetings for all the reptiles.\nStep 3: Detail his actions. He first gave a speech against the tortoises, then the snakes, and finally the lizards. He used his authority and threats of violence to scare them into leaving the forest.\nFinal answer: Makara used his power and authority to call meetings. In these meetings, he made speeches filled with prejudice, convincing or scaring the other reptiles into banishing the tortoises, snakes, and lizards one by one."}
• {"Q":"What is the main message that the old man wanted to give Prem?","A":"Step 1: Connect the story of Pambupatti to Prem's situation. Prem ran away from a village filled with hate and division.\nStep 2: Analyze the outcome of division in Pambupatti. When the reptiles were divided and drove each other out, their home was ruined.\nStep 3: Analyze the outcome of unity. When all the reptiles returned and lived together, their home became peaceful and prosperous again.\nStep 4: Formulate the message. The message is that every individual is important for a society to function well. Harmony, peace, and cooperation are essential, while prejudice and division lead to destruction.\nFinal answer: The main message the old man wanted to give Prem is that a community, like a forest, needs all its different members to thrive. Driving people away because they are different only leads to problems for everyone. True strength and peace are found in unity and living together in harmony."}

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