Week 9 Storytelling: Drona Misunderstands

Bhima and Ashwatthaman were in the 5^th grade, and had been in the same class since they were in kindergarten. Bhima thought that Ashwatthaman had the coolest name when they were little, so he named his favorite toy elephant after him. Bhima took that stuffed animal with him EVERYWHERE. As Bhima got older, it became slightly more unusual for him to carry it around. His parents were starting to get worried that his classmates would tease him, so they took the stuffed animal away. They explained to Bhima, “We are taking your toy. We know you don’t understand why now, but you will thank us when you’re older. We can’t tell you where we’re taking him- it is going to stay a secret for now.” Bhima was upset to say the least; he felt like he had lost a friend.

Ashwatthaman’s dad, Mr. Drona, was walking into the school to pick up his son when he saw Bhima pouting outside of the classroom. “What’s wrong?” he asked. Bhima replied, “My parents said I’m not allowed to play with Ashwatthaman anymore.” Mr. Drona was shocked and appalled, “Why on earth would they make up a rule like that?” Bhima began to cry, “I don’t know… they just… they just… took him away. They locked him up somewhere, and they won’t tell me where to find him!” Mr. Drona’s annoyance now turned into intense fear. He thought Bhima’s parents had kidnapped his son.

He ran to the principal’s office and explained what Bhima had told him. Mr. Drona was frantic and sweaty. He was just about ready to call the police! The principal, however, seemed calm and collected, “Kids can have the wildest imaginations. Before we go accusing parents of kidnapping, let’s check with Ashwatthaman’s teacher to see if he’s okay.”

Sure enough, Ashwatthaman was safe and sound waiting patiently in his classroom to be picked up. Mr. Drona was just relieved that his son was safe. The pair began to exit the building when Bhima rushed up to them. Mr. Drona was about to scold Bhima for giving him such a fright. Before he could shake his finger, Bhima proudly lifted up a raggedy stuffed animal. “Look Mr. Drona! My mom said I could play with Ashwatthaman after school,” he explained. Suddenly things became a lot clearer to Mr. Drona. He patted Bhima on the head, and chuckled as he walked out of the building. 

Elephant toy,

Author: Pixabay user jarmoluk, Date: 2014, Source: Pixabay

Author's Note:

In the original version of the story, Drona is tricked into thinking his son died after Bhima kills an elephant who shares the same name as Ashwatthaman. I wanted to make the story a little more light-hearted, so instead of a real elephant being killed a stuffed animal has gone missing. Also, in my version of the story, although Drona thinks his son is missing, it is only for a brief moment. Here, Drona ends up realizing what Bhima really meant by the end. Also, in the original version of the story Bhima was intentionally being deceptive, while in this version the misunderstanding was an honest mistake. I've been babysitting and tutoring a lot lately, and have come to realize that kids can say the funniest things. I wanted to incorporate some of that childlike humor in my story. 

Bibliography:

"Death of Drona" by Sister Nivedita, from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists (1914). Web source: here

Peter Brook's Mahabharata (1989). Web source: here