Chapter Introduction

“The Unlikely Best Friends” is a touching story from the unit Friendship. It tells us about a beautiful friendship between Gajaraj, a royal elephant, and Buntee, a stray dog. Their friendship is called “unlikely” because an elephant and a dog are very different in size, nature and living conditions. Yet, they become true friends.

Detailed Summary in English

The story begins with Gajaraj, a royal elephant who lived in the best booth of the royal stables. The king was very fond of him and had ordered that he should be looked after well. Gajaraj had royal comforts, good food, a clean stable and regular baths. However, he was still sad because he had no real friend.

The mahout, or elephant trainer, was kind to Gajaraj. He gave him food and bathed him daily in the elephant pond. Still, the mahout was only a caretaker, not a friend. Gajaraj wished for someone with whom he could play and share happiness.

One evening, a tired and hungry stray dog entered the stable. Gajaraj saw that the dog needed food. He gently pushed some of his food towards the dog. The dog wagged his tail to show thanks and ate the food. Soon, he fell asleep in the stable.

The next morning, the mahout noticed the stray dog but did not mind his presence. He saw that Gajaraj liked the dog’s company. The dog also accepted crumbs from the mahout. Slowly, Gajaraj and the dog became close friends. When Gajaraj went for a bath, the dog accompanied him. Gajaraj splashed water playfully on the dog, and the dog yelped because he did not like showers. The mahout laughed at their playful friendship.

On their way back, Gajaraj lifted the dog with his trunk and placed him on his back. The dog was delighted to get a ride. Just then, a farmer passing by saw the dog and called him Buntee. The farmer explained that Buntee was his dog and had disappeared from his house. He was happy to find him again. The mahout had no objection, so the farmer took Buntee home.

When Buntee was pulled away, both Gajaraj and Buntee became very sad. Buntee yelped and Gajaraj winced. However, neither the farmer nor the mahout noticed that the two friends were in tears.

The next day, Gajaraj refused to eat his favourite food. The mahout first thought that Gajaraj might have a slight stomach problem. But when Gajaraj did not eat at night or the next day, the mahout became worried. He checked Gajaraj’s tummy and found nothing wrong. Then he wondered whether Gajaraj was missing his friend, the dog.

Meanwhile, Buntee also refused to eat at the farmer’s house. The farmer remembered Buntee’s happy face when he was sitting on Gajaraj’s back. He understood that Buntee was missing his elephant friend. The farmer was kind-hearted and could not see Buntee go hungry. So, he removed the rope and allowed him to go back to Gajaraj.

Though weak, Buntee immediately sprang to his feet, licked the farmer’s hand and ran back to the stable. When Gajaraj saw Buntee, he joyfully picked him up with his trunk and gave him a happy swing. The mahout was relieved and quickly brought food for both friends.

The farmer followed Buntee and reached the stable. The farmer and the mahout watched happily as Gajaraj and Buntee ate together. At the end, the mahout said that not only had Gajaraj found a friend, but he had also found one in the farmer. The story ends with friendship spreading from the animals to the humans too.

हिंदी में विस्तृत सारांश

“The Unlikely Best Friends” कहानी गजराज नाम के एक शाही हाथी और बंटी नाम के एक कुत्ते की सच्ची दोस्ती के बारे में है। गजराज राजा का प्रिय हाथी था और वह शाही अस्तबल के सबसे अच्छे स्थान में रहता था। उसे अच्छा खाना, आराम और देखभाल मिलती थी, फिर भी वह उदास था क्योंकि उसका कोई दोस्त नहीं था।

महावत गजराज की बहुत अच्छी देखभाल करता था। वह उसे खाना खिलाता था और रोज़ हाथी तालाब में नहलाता था। लेकिन महावत केवल देखभाल करने वाला व्यक्ति था, गजराज का दोस्त नहीं था। गजराज चाहता था कि उसका कोई ऐसा दोस्त हो जिसके साथ वह खेल सके।

एक शाम एक थका हुआ और भूखा कुत्ता गलती से अस्तबल में आ गया। गजराज ने देखा कि कुत्ता भूखा है। उसने अपने खाने में से कुछ भोजन कुत्ते की ओर धकेल दिया। कुत्ते ने पूंछ हिलाकर धन्यवाद जताया और खाना खाकर वहीं सो गया।

अगली सुबह महावत ने कुत्ते को अस्तबल में देखा, लेकिन उसे कोई आपत्ति नहीं हुई। उसने महसूस किया कि गजराज को कुत्ते की संगति अच्छी लगती है। धीरे-धीरे गजराज और कुत्ता मित्र बन गए। जब गजराज नहाने जाता, तो कुत्ता भी उसके साथ जाता। गजराज अपनी सूंड से पानी लेकर कुत्ते पर छिड़कता और कुत्ता चीखता क्योंकि उसे नहाना पसंद नहीं था।

एक दिन वापस आते समय गजराज ने कुत्ते को अपनी सूंड से उठाकर अपनी पीठ पर बैठा लिया। कुत्ता बहुत खुश हुआ। तभी एक किसान ने कुत्ते को देखकर उसे “बंटी” कहकर पुकारा। किसान ने बताया कि बंटी उसका कुत्ता है और घर से गायब हो गया था। महावत को कोई आपत्ति नहीं हुई, इसलिए किसान बंटी को अपने साथ ले गया।

जब बंटी को गजराज से दूर ले जाया गया, तो दोनों बहुत दुखी हुए। बंटी चिल्लाया और गजराज भी दर्द और दुख से पीछे हट गया। लेकिन किसान और महावत ने यह नहीं देखा कि दोनों दोस्त रो रहे थे।

अगले दिन गजराज ने अपना पसंदीदा खाना नहीं खाया। महावत ने सोचा कि शायद उसका पेट खराब है। लेकिन जब गजराज ने रात और अगले दिन भी खाना नहीं खाया, तो महावत चिंतित हो गया। उसने समझा कि गजराज अपने दोस्त बंटी को याद कर रहा है।

उधर किसान के घर पर बंटी ने भी खाना नहीं खाया। किसान ने समझ लिया कि बंटी अपने हाथी मित्र को याद कर रहा है। किसान दयालु था। वह बंटी को भूखा नहीं देख सकता था, इसलिए उसने उसकी रस्सी खोल दी और उसे गजराज के पास जाने दिया।

कमजोर होने के बाद भी बंटी तुरंत उठा, किसान का हाथ चाटा और अस्तबल की ओर दौड़ गया। गजराज ने बंटी को देखकर खुशी से अपनी सूंड से उठाया और झुलाया। महावत ने दोनों के लिए खाना लाया। किसान और महावत दोनों ने संतोष के साथ देखा कि गजराज और बंटी साथ खाना खा रहे हैं।

अंत में महावत ने किसान को गले लगाकर कहा कि केवल गजराज को ही मित्र नहीं मिला, बल्कि उसे भी एक मित्र मिल गया है। इस प्रकार कहानी सच्ची दोस्ती, प्रेम और समझ का सुंदर संदेश देती है।

Central Theme of The Unlikely Best Friends

Important Moral Values

• True friendship needs care: Gajaraj shares his food with the hungry dog.
• Friends feel each other’s pain: Both Gajaraj and Buntee stop eating when separated.
• Friendship is beyond differences: Size, species and background do not matter.
• Kindness creates bonds: Gajaraj’s kindness begins the friendship.
• Understanding matters: The farmer understands Buntee’s sadness and lets him go.
• Friendship spreads happiness: At the end, even the mahout and farmer become friends.

Character Sketch

Important Words and Synonyms Chart

Chapter Notes: Key Points

• Gajaraj was a royal elephant living in the best booth of the royal stables.
• The king was fond of Gajaraj and wanted him to be well looked after.
• Even with royal comforts, Gajaraj was sad because he had no friend.
• The mahout was kind but was only a caretaker, not a friend.
• A tired and hungry stray dog entered Gajaraj’s stable one evening.
• Gajaraj shared his food with the dog, and this started their friendship.
• The dog accompanied Gajaraj to the pond and played with him.
• Gajaraj gave the dog a ride on his back.
• A farmer recognized the dog as Buntee and took him home.
• Both Gajaraj and Buntee became sad after being separated.
• Both friends stopped eating because they missed each other.
• The farmer understood Buntee’s feelings and allowed him to return to Gajaraj.
• Gajaraj and Buntee were reunited and happily ate together.
• At the end, the mahout and the farmer also became friends.

Important Questions and Answers

Grammar Notes from the Chapter

Quick Revision Box