Farmer Venkanna owned two strong bullocks named Raju and Ramu. They were the finest bullocks in the village, with shining white coats and long curved horns painted bright colours for Sankranti.
But Raju and Ramu had one problem. They could not agree on anything.
Always Arguing
If Raju wanted to eat the green grass by the canal, Ramu wanted the dry hay in the shed. If Ramu wanted to rest under the tamarind tree, Raju wanted to stand in the sun.
“I’m stronger,” Raju would snort.
“No, I’m faster,” Ramu would reply.
The farmer shook his head. “One day this will cause trouble,” he said.
Market Day
That day came sooner than he expected. It was the week of the big harvest market in town, and Venkanna loaded his cart with sacks of rice, baskets of vegetables, and pots of fresh jaggery. It was the heaviest load of the year.
He yoked Raju and Ramu to the cart and flicked the reins. “Chal! Let’s go!”
Raju saw a shortcut through the fields and pulled to the left. Ramu wanted to stay on the main road and pulled to the right.
The cart creaked. The wheels twisted. Then, with a loud crunch, one wheel slipped into a muddy ditch beside the road.
Stuck
“Pull harder!” Raju shouted at Ramu.
“You pull harder!” Ramu shouted back.
They both heaved with all their strength, but because each pulled in a different direction, the cart only sank deeper into the mud.
A crowd gathered. Children giggled. Other farmers shook their heads. Venkanna sat down at the side of the road with his head in his hands. “If we are late, all this food will spoil in the heat.”
A Little Voice
A small girl named Lakshmi, carrying a basket of flowers to the market, stopped beside the bullocks.
“Why are you pulling different ways?” she asked.
“Because he never listens to me,” said Raju.
“Because he always wants his own way,” said Ramu.
Lakshmi giggled. “My brother and I carry water from the well together in one big pot. If he walks fast and I walk slow, the water spills everywhere. But if we count okati, rendu and step together, we never spill a drop.”
The bullocks looked at each other.
Counting Together
“Let’s try it,” said Raju, a little embarrassed.
“Okay,” said Ramu. “On three. Okati… rendu… moodu!“
They lowered their heads and pulled in the same direction, step by step, side by side. Slowly, the wheel began to rise. With one more mighty pull, the cart rolled out of the ditch and back onto the road.
The crowd cheered. Venkanna jumped up and hugged both bullocks around their necks. Lakshmi clapped and tossed a few marigolds onto their horns.
Arriving Together
Raju and Ramu pulled the cart all the way to town, walking in perfect rhythm. They reached the market just in time, and Venkanna sold every sack and basket.
On the way home, the cart was light, and the evening breeze was cool.
“You know,” said Raju, “you’re quite strong.”
“And you’re quite fast,” said Ramu. “Maybe that’s why we make a good team.”
From that day, whenever the two bullocks disagreed, they remembered the ditch and little Lakshmi, and they found a way to pull together.
Moral of the Story
When we work together, we can do far more than when we pull against each other. Teamwork means listening, cooperating, and moving toward the same goal.
Questions to Discuss
- Why did the cart get stuck in the ditch?
- What idea did Lakshmi share with the bullocks?
- How did counting together help?
- When have you worked as a team with someone? What made it work?
This short story about teamwork is great for classrooms, siblings, and sports teams learning to cooperate.
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- What the Old Banyan Tree Remembered
- The Village That Argued About the River
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