Saru’s little secret narrates the story of a little girl named Saru. She lives in a hostel near a forest and is always ready for one adventure after the other. She is never where she is supposed to be. Mai, the ever-watchful matron of the hostel, has no patience for her antics. She makes efforts to keep Saru out of trouble. However, Saru always finds a way to slip away from the hostel. She either plays in the forest or near the muddy pond.
She likes catching dragonflies because she thinks that they look like the helicopters from her picture book. Saru often spends time with her best friend, Mangu, and three other children, Hari, Manik, and Ketki, who live in the nearby cottages.
Summary
One day when Saru went out to enjoy her fun activities beside the muddy pond near the large pipal tree, she heard a strange noise. She was surprised to see a baby deer all tangled up in the vine and looking hurt. Saru took pity on the poor creature and brought it home with her. Fearing Mai’s reprimand, she keeps the deer hidden in a large pot inside the tractor shed near her hostel. She informed her friends of this delightful news, and they took care of it for the next few days. Ketki named it Pillu. Pillu regained his strength after a few days, and the children found it gradually more difficult to keep him hidden.
Suddenly, one night, everyone heard a loud clang. The source of the sound was the shed where Pillu was being kept. Everyone rushed towards the shed and found Pillu standing in the middle. Everyone was confused as to how the animal got inside. Pillu had overturned other pots and pans while trying to escape out of his pot. But a soothing voice echoed soon after, easing others’ fear.
He assured everyone that the animal was indeed harmless. He guessed that the children might know something about the incident. Motivated by his kindness, the children confessed about how they found the deer. The children were worried about how tiny Pillu looked, and they wondered if their keeping him in the pot had impacted his growth in any way or not.
The kind man laughed at their innocence and informed them that Pillu was a mouse deer, not an ordinary deer, and would always look like a small deer, a weird mixture of a mouse, a pig, and a deer. Later, the elders decided to let the animal stay at the hostel. They also built an animal shelter for sick and needy animals.
Analysis
Bhamray’s storytelling here adopts a classical problem-solution format. She also explores the beautiful rural landscapes of India to depict the story. Saru’s secret mainly revolves around Pillu, the weird-looking deer she hides in the shed. The author has incorporated positive values like empathy and responsibility in her storytelling technique. Saru lacks discipline, yet her compassion and empathy towards the poor animal are praiseworthy. The story reaches its conclusion when everyone finds out about the deer. This results in an animal shelter built inside the building complex for animals in need, a satisfactory resolution to the story.
Answer the following questions from the story “Saru’s Little Secret”
- She knew she shouldn’t be doing that, but Saru was too excited and didn’t stop to think
- a. What shouldn’t Saru be doing?
- b. Why was Saru excited?
- c. Where did Saru go?
Answer
a. Saru shouldn’t be going to the muddy pond downhill without informing Mai, the matron of the hostel.
b. Saru was excited because it was a holiday, and she could have all the fun playing and jumping around in the woods or near the pond, catching dragonflies.
c. She slipped out from an opening between the wooden planks and went downhill to a muddy pond near the big pipal tree.
2. She carefully unwound the vine from its leg and freed it.
a. Who is the ‘its’ mentioned in the line?
b. What had happened to its leg?
c. What happened immediately after this?
It was a mouse deer. The children mistook it for a baby deer.
The mouse deer’s hind leg was trapped in a long vine from the tree above.
Saru carefully loosened the vine from its leg and freed it. But the animal was wounded and couldn’t move.
3. Do you think Saru did the right thing by bringing Pillu home? Why do you think so?
Yes, it was the right decision. Saru’s empathy towards the baby deer exemplifies her favourable upbringing. She helped the poor creature in need because she felt ethically obliged to protect the innocent animals.
3. First, Saru made a quick trip to her friends, giving them the delightful news. Then, she ran to get some milk from the kitchen
a. What was the delightful news?
The delightful news was that she has found a baby deer and that she has also brought it home with her .
b. Why did she run to the kitchen?
She ran to the kitchen to bring milk and feed poor Pillu, the baby deer.
c. What did her friends do next?
They took care of Pillu and nursed him back to health.
