Salabega Waits for Jagannath
Reading Time: 3 minutesIn the Mughal camp at Cuttack, a soldier named Lalbeg lay wounded on the battlefield, his son...
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Stories
Original English Short Stories set in India.
Every story is 2-3 minutes of reading. Some are folk tales retold, some are quiet moments from everyday Indian life, some are reflections on family, work, and city living. Written for readers of all ages — from teens to adults — who enjoy short, thoughtful stories in English.
Each story comes with a free printable worksheet if you’d like reading practice, discussion questions, or creative writing prompts. Every story is 2-3 minutes of reading. Some are folk tales retold, some are quiet moments from everyday Indian life, some are reflections on family, work, and city living. Written for readers of all ages — from teens to adults — who enjoy short, thoughtful stories in English.
What Yashoda Saw
Reading Time: 2 minutesIt started with a handful of mud. Sita from next door came running before the afternoon had...
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The Racket in the Garage
Reading Time: 3 minutesAnanya Rao stood at the service line, shuttle balanced on her racket, and did the math again....
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The Five Stops
Reading Time: 2 minutesRitvik walked half a step ahead of Dada. Every morning, before breakfast, they went for a walk...
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The Story of Krishna Stealing the Clothes of the Gopis
Reading Time: 2 minutesIt was a bright morning in Vrindavan, and the gentle breeze carried the sound of Krishna’s flute...
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The Society Meeting Champion
Reading Time: 3 minutesRamesh Iyer adjusted his spectacles and cleared his throat—a sound that, in the Sharma household on the...
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Milo’s Very Long Tuesday
Reading Time: < 1 minuteMilo the mouse sat by his little door and watched the sky. He was waiting for...
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Her Father’s Old Jersey
Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe jersey was too big for Meher. It hung past her shorts, the number on the...
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The Intern Who Wasn’t Supposed to Be in the Room
Reading Time: 3 minutesAnanya had been at the Ministry for six weeks, and her actual job that morning was to...
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The Fox and the Grapes
Reading Time: 2 minutesOne hot afternoon, a clever fox wandered into an Indian mango orchard near a village.The sun was...
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The Teddy Bear Who Watched the Stars
Reading Time: < 1 minuteOn a soft little bed, by an open window, sat a teddy bear named Bunno. He...
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The Umbrella That Came Back
Reading Time: 3 minutesManoj Kadam had driven the same black-and-yellow auto-rickshaw through the streets of Nashik for eleven years. The...
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Little Gopal and The Hill That Kept Them Safe
Reading Time: 3 minutesIn the village of Vrindavan, everyone loved Gopal. He was named Krishna when he was small. When...
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The Exam Paper Mistake
Reading Time: 3 minutesRohan was not the kind of student who usually stood first in class. He worked hard, completed...
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The Day the Seed Cracked Open
Reading Time: 2 minutesRohan was twenty-two years old and had just failed his third job interview. He sat on the...
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The Unseen Thread: Healing Hidden Family Bonds
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe morning sun filtered through the thin curtains, painting gold lines across the living room floor. Asha...
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What Is the Story Behind Lord Jagannath’s Appearance?
Reading Time: 2 minutesBhoomi had been standing with her arms stuck out stiffly for almost two minutes, trying not to...
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The Little Lantern and the Wind
Reading Time: < 1 minuteOne quiet evening, a little lantern glowed beside a garden path. Its warm light helped rabbits...
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The Poison of Words
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe war that lasted 18 days had aged Draupadi beyond her years. Physically and mentally, she felt...
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The Boy Who Painted One Small Thing Every Day
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAarav was a young boy who dreamed of becoming a great painter. Every evening, he would...
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The Chai Wallah’s Dream: How Small Steps Lead to Big Success
Reading Time: 3 minutesCan a boy who sells tea at a railway station become a successful restaurant owner? Everyone said...
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The Last Diwali Lamp
Reading Time: 3 minutesBy late afternoon, the old Kashyap house had stopped feeling old. Its courtyard had chappals scattered everywhere....
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The Flute At Midnight
Reading Time: 2 minutesStop fidgeting and come sit close, it’s getting cold. You know how some nights the moon is...
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Bhagwan Roti Dete Hain – Ek Kahani
Reading Time: < 1 minute“Faith is powerful — but without effort, even blessings remain out of reach.” Ek baar ek...
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The Stonecutter Who Wanted Everything — Indian Moral Story
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn a quiet Indian village at the edge of a mountain, there lived a stonecutter named Raghav....
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The Bicycle Repair Shop
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe signboard outside Gopal Kaka’s shop had lost most of its paint years ago. Only three letters...
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The Pencil Who Forgot to Write
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn a small wooden pencil box, there lived a shiny new pencil named Piku.He had a...
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What the Desert Took
Reading Time: 3 minutesDharamraj’s hands had made seven thousand saris. He could count them by the year, by the colour,...
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The Little Cloud Who Was Afraid to Rain
Reading Time: < 1 minuteOne day, high up in the great blue sky, a small cloud named Chhoti lived. Chhoti...
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The Sleepy Moon and the Little Star
Reading Time: < 1 minuteHigh above the clouds, the Moon yawned.He looked at his sky full of stars and said...
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Three Mothers and the Little Girl Named Diya
Reading Time: 2 minutesDiya was not like every other kid in her class. While most children had one mummy and...
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The Miser and His Gold — A Short Moral Story on Greed
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDhaniram had never spent a single gold coin in his life. Then one night, someone spent...
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The Goalkeeper’s Promise
Reading Time: 2 minutesMeera was the only girl who played goalkeeper in the whole Ashok Nagar league. She didn’t mind....
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The Rangoli That Went Wrong
Reading Time: 2 minutesMeera had been drawing rangoli since she was four, tracing chalk circles on the cool marble of...
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The Honest Shopkeeper: A Short Moral Story About Truthfulness
Reading Time: < 1 minuteRamesh owned a small shop in a quiet village. Every morning, he opened his shop early...
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The Teacher’s Old Shoes
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe whole class knew about the shoes long before they understood the man wearing them. Every morning...
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The Steel Tiffin
Reading Time: 2 minutesRamesh worked in a small accounts office near Dadar station. Every morning at eight, his wife Sunita...
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The River That Remembers
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe village of Neelpur was slowly dying of thirst. Not a sudden death, but a long, unrelenting...
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The Language He Didn’t Know
Reading Time: 2 minutesArjun slammed his bedroom door. Again. His mother had said no to the gaming tournament. Just like...
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The Shore He Stopped Watching
Reading Time: 2 minutesThere was once a young crow who lived along the banks of a wide river, the kind...
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A Cup of Butter and a Conversation
Reading Time: < 1 minuteOne rainy afternoon, 14-year-old Aarav sat cross-legged on the verandah, staring at the grey clouds. His...
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What the Gods Forgot Before They Won
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe evening prayers had ended, and the gurukul courtyard smelled of the last of the incense sticks....
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Bye, Bappa. Come Back Next Year.
Reading Time: 3 minutesMihika was six years old when she decided Ganpati Bappa couldn’t swim, and that this was a...
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Mushak and Bappa Visit the Mumbai Local
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn a small Mumbai apartment, where the evening diya flickered, Mushak the mouse sat by the...
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The Goalkeeper Who Never Smiled
Reading Time: 2 minutesDhruv hadn’t smiled in three weeks. Not once. Not even when his team won. “He’s not rude,”...
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The Wisdom of Lord Ganesha
Reading Time: 2 minutesOne morning in Kailash, the home of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, two brothers — Kartikeya and...
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The Boy Who Counted Stars Instead of Sheep
Reading Time: 2 minutesKabir hated Sunday nights the most, though he could never explain why to anyone. Monday meant a...
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The Butter Pot Yashoda Never Moved
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn Yashoda’s kitchen, there was one pot kept on the highest shelf. It had been there...
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The Baby Elephant Who Was Afraid of the Dark
Reading Time: < 1 minuteChotu was a baby elephant who was afraid of the dark. Every evening, when the sun...
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The Firefly in Dadi’s Garden
Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe night Meera caught her first firefly, she was seven years old and wearing her grandfather’s...
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The Sleepy Owl’s Goodnight Song
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn a tall tree by the quiet pond, lived a little owl named Hoo-Hoo. Every evening,...
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The Squirrel and The Jasmine
Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe mango tree was enormous. It filled the whole backyard in Kerala. Its branches touched the...
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The King’s Boulder Parable: The Reward Behind the Rock
Reading Time: 2 minutesLong ago, in a peaceful Indian kingdom surrounded by green hills and mango orchards, there lived a...
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The Battle Before the War: Arjuna’s Awakening
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe sun had just begun to rise over the battlefield of Kurukshetra, painting the sky with streaks...
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The Bedtime Train
Reading Time: < 1 minuteArjun could not sleep. His eyes were tired. His body was tired. But his mind kept...
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The Last Bus Stop
Reading Time: 4 minutesIn Devgarh, the highway had stopped sending its buses down the old lane years ago, but the...
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The Sparrow Who Refused to Fly South
Reading Time: < 1 minuteHigh above the mango tree, every bird was getting ready to fly south for the winter....
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The Trophy on the Desktop
Reading Time: 3 minutesAarav hadn’t slept properly in eleven days, and it showed — in the shadows under his eyes,...
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The Last Message
Reading Time: 2 minutesIt was a quiet Sunday afternoon when Maya found herself sitting by the window, the soft drizzle...
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The Four Friends
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn Nashik, a two-tier town where everyone knows everyone’s business, four friends had a ritual. Every Sunday...
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