The Wild Riser: Story of Narangi and the First Leopard
Life in the Jungle L ong ago , in a jungle surrounded by high hills and flowing rivers, lived a man named Kaina and his little daughter, Narangi. Narangi grew up playing in the jungle. She knew every animal like family—riding elephants, playing hide and seek with jackals, singing songs on the backs of tigers, and dancing with peacocks. The jungle was her world. The Marked Old Woman One day, an old woman came to their house. Narangi’s mother asked her to sit next to the elderly guest. The woman had strange claw marks on her face. “A leopard bit me,” she said, smiling strangely. “It was painful… but it felt magical too. Everyone in our village has such marks.” Narangi, you already have marks. Now it’s your turn,” whispered Narangi’s friend Anguri. Then there was talk of marriage. The orangutan replied, “If I get married, I will leave this jungle—my friends, my freedom. How can I leave them?” Something changed in the jungle A few days later, the orangutan wandered into the jungle aga...