Once upon a time, in a dense forest filled with a variety of animals, there lived a crow named Kalia. Kalia was a smart and resourceful bird, but he was also very envious. He had plain black feathers and often felt inferior to the other birds who were more colorful and vibrant.
In the same forest, there lived a group of peacocks. Their beautiful, iridescent feathers captivated everyone who saw them. Whenever the peacocks spread their tails, they created a dazzling display of colors that left all the other animals in awe. Kalia, the crow, couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy every time he saw the peacocks showing off their magnificent feathers.
One day, as Kalia was flying around the forest, he came across a few peacock feathers lying on the ground. An idea struck him. “If I stick these peacock feathers to my body, I will look just as beautiful as the peacocks,” he thought. Excited by the idea, Kalia picked up the feathers and flew back to his nest.
Using some twigs and bits of string, Kalia carefully attached the peacock feathers to his tail and wings. When he was done, he looked at himself in a nearby pond. The reflection showed a crow with a mix of black and colorful feathers. Kalia felt a surge of pride. “Now, I look just like a peacock!” he thought.
Eager to show off his new look, Kalia flew to the area where the peacocks usually gathered. He strutted around, trying to blend in with the group. At first, the peacocks didn’t notice him. But soon, they realized that there was something odd about this new “peacock.”
One of the peacocks approached Kalia and inspected him closely. “Wait a minute,” the peacock said. “You’re not a peacock. You’re a crow pretending to be one!”
The other peacocks started laughing. “Look at this crow trying to pass off as one of us!” they jeered. “What a joke!”
Kalia felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment. He had hoped to be admired like the peacocks, but instead, he had become the subject of ridicule. Feeling humiliated, he flew away from the peacocks and landed on a nearby tree branch, where he tried to remove the feathers he had attached.
As he was doing this, a group of crows flew by. They saw Kalia with the peacock feathers and started mocking him as well. “What are you trying to do, Kalia?” they cawed. “Do you think you can become a peacock just by sticking some feathers on yourself? You should be proud of who you are!”
Kalia realized his mistake. He had been so focused on trying to look like someone else that he had forgotten to appreciate his own unique qualities. Feeling ashamed, he removed the last of the peacock feathers and let them fall to the ground.
From that day on, Kalia decided to embrace his identity as a crow. He stopped comparing himself to the peacocks and started to appreciate the things that made him special. He realized that every animal in the forest had its own unique beauty and purpose, and it was important to be true to oneself.
The other crows welcomed Kalia back, and he soon found happiness in being who he was. He learned to use his intelligence and resourcefulness to help his fellow crows, and they all respected him for his wisdom.
The peacocks, too, learned a lesson from the incident. They realized that beauty wasn’t just about having colorful feathers. True beauty came from within, and it was important to treat everyone with kindness and respect, regardless of how they looked.
The forest thrived with harmony as the animals learned to appreciate each other’s differences. Kalia’s story became a reminder to everyone that it was important to be proud of who you are and not to envy others for their appearance.
Moral of the story: Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
