Now Munni was a clever little sparrow and she quickly chirped back, “Who can refuse you, Kaka? But I have one request. Before eating my eggs, could you please wash your beak, since it is looking very dirty?”
Kaka did not like the idea of not looking his very best. He quickly flew over to the stream and was about to wash his beak in the water, when the stream cried out, “Kaka! Wait! If you dip your beak into me, all my water will become dirty. Go get a cup, fill it with water, and wash your beak in that.”
Hearing this, Kaka went to the potter in the village, and cawed to him, “Oh potter dear, This is Kaka here. A cup you make For me to fill With water to wash My dirty bill So I can eat the eggs And loudly caw To let everyone Hear me and know That I am the most handsome crow.” “I will gladly give you a cup, but I need mud to make one for you,” said the potter.
So Kaka flew over to the nearby field and said to it, “Oh field dear, This is Kaka here. Some mud I’ll take For the potter to make A cup to fill With water to wash My dirty bill So I can eat the eggs And loudly caw To let everyone Hear me and know That I am the most handsome crow.” “I am all dry and baked hard, for the monsoon rains are yet to start. Get something sharp to dig me up,” replied the field.
Off Kaka went to the nearby jungle where he saw a deer with sharp horns. He called out to it, “My friend, oh deer, This is Kaka here. Your horn may I take To dig some mud For the potter to make A cup for me to fill With water to wash My dirty bill So I can eat the eggs And loudly caw To let everyone Hear me and know That I am the most handsome crow?” “Oh, you very clever crow, how can you take my horn while I am still alive?” Kaka, terribly hungry, flew around in a flurry till he came across…
…a pair of dogs. “Oh dogs dear, This is Kaka here. I need your help, I fear, To kill the deer Whose horn I shall take To dig some mud For the potter to make A cup for me to fill With water to wash My dirty bill So I can eat the eggs And loudly caw To let everyone Hear me and know That I am the most handsome crow.” “That is a lot of work in this heat,” grumbled one of the dogs. “We need to be strong to kill the deer. Go get some milk for us to drink.”
Back to the village flew Kaka and went to the buffalo munching on some straw. “Oh buffalo dear, This is Kaka here. Could I take your milk To the dogs to feed Whose help I need To kill the deer Whose horn I shall take To dig some mud For the potter to make A cup for me to fill With water to wash My dirty bill So I can eat the eggs And loudly caw To let everyone Hear me and know That I am the most handsome crow?” “If I could get some lovely juicy grass to eat instead of this dry hay, I would certainly give you milk,” mooed back the buffalo.
On hearing this, Kaka swooped over to the only grassy field around and said to it, “Oh grass dear, This is Kaka here. Please come with me For the buffalo is hungry And I need her milk For the dogs to feed Whose help I need To kill the deer Whose horn I shall take To dig some mud For the potter to make A cup for me to fill With water to wash My dirty bill So I can eat the eggs And loudly caw To let everyone Hear me and know That I am the most handsome crow.”
“And how do you plan to cut me?” whispered the grass. “Go get a sickle from the blacksmith and then I can come with you.”
Kaka, really hungry now, went to the blacksmith and said to him, “Oh blacksmith dear, This is Kaka here. Give me a sickle To give the grass a tickle. I will take her with me For the buffalo is hungry And I need her milk For the dogs to feed Whose help I need To kill the deer Whose horn I shall take To dig some mud For the potter to make A cup for me to fill With water to wash My dirty bill So I can eat the eggs And loudly caw To let everyone Hear me and know That I am the most handsome crow.”
The blacksmith, like all the others, wanted to save Munni’s eggs. Looking up, he said, “Kaka, please go around the back, open the furnace door and put this piece of iron in it.”
Kaka was very excited and in his hurry, he quickly flung open the furnace door. As he did this, a sudden gust of wind made him fall backwards on the coal, burning his tail. “Oh ho! Mera poonja sadhiya!”“Oh ho! Mera poonja sadhiya!” Which, in Punjabi, meant, “Oh! My tail has got burnt!”
Since Kaka always wanted to look his best, he could not bear to be seen with a burnt tail. So he flew off never to be seen again.
Folktale Source: Kaka and Munni: A Folktale from Punjab by Pratham Books
Illustration: Amrapali Das
