PAGLA (MAD) DASHU In our school there was not a student who didn't know Pagla Dashu. A person, who didn't know anyone else, recognised Pagla Dashu. A new gatekeeper joined our school; he was straight from the village; he knew nothing about the city and the school; but when he heard the name 'Pagla Dashu', he could easily guess who must have been honoured by that name; because the way Dashu looked, the way he spoke, and the way he walked about, it was obvious that there was something special in his brain. He had two big round eyes, two excessively large ears and a bagful of curly hair on his head. Not that he was a stupid or silly person. While working out sums, especially long multiplication and division, his brain used to work with a magic spell. Often he devised complex tricks and made fun of us; befooled and bewildered, we wondered how witty he was. A GIRL WHO TALKS WITH HER PETS A man and a woman had two pets - a cat and a deer. The pets wanted to live like their masters; together they were out one night to discover the surroundings on their own. The man and woman felt miserable and informed the police. The pets were captured and brought home to the man and the woman, who tightened their restraints so that pets could never escape. Not long after this, a girl was born to the man and the woman. As the girl grew up, she loved the pets - the cat and the deer. But she realised the pets will never grow in the way a baby grows; they would never go to schools and never learn how to earn their own living. The girl decided to do something for the animals that could live with the families.