Parables of Wisdom
Learning to Be Kind
दयालु बनना सीखना · દયાળુ બનતાં શીખવું
The new girl from Rajkot ate her lunch alone, until Dhruv learned one Gujarati word
- 3 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
A new girl joins Dhruv's class in Melbourne, straight from Rajkot, and hardly anyone can understand her. Dhruv thinks kindness is something big that grown-ups do, until he finds out how small it can be.
What it teaches Kindness Maitri Friendship
The opening of the children's telling
Dhruv thought kindness was something big, only for grown-ups. One day a new girl came to his class. Her name was Pari. She had come from far away, from Rajkot in India. She did not know many English words yet. At lunch, she sat all alone. Dhruv saw her, but he did not know what to say.
Every day Dhruv walked past her to go and play football. He felt a little funny inside, but he kept walking.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Kindness is usually small: one seat, one smile, one word.
To talk about together
Is there someone near you who might be feeling alone? What small kind thing could you do?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.