Summary for chapter The Banyan Tree

Here is a brief summary of the chapter The Banyan Tree:

Part 1

This story talks about a boy who lived with his grandparents. He was the owner of a large old banyan tree that had squirrels, snails and butterflies. Once he befriended a squirrel which resided in the tree. They became so intimate that the squirrel trusted him enough to be taking morsels from his hand. In spring, the tree was the noisiest place in the garden with parrots, mynas, crows, etc. who all kept chirping all day long. The boy used to read adventurous books sitting on the platform he had constructed for himself. When he did not read, he sat and saw the perfect view of the world under the tree. One day from here he witnessed a fight between a mongoose and a cobra.

Part 2

It was a warm summer which had sent everyone indoors. The boy was wondering whether he should go to the pond and swim with the buffaloes and Ramu when suddenly he saw a huge black cobra and a mongoose coming out. The cobra knew that the mongoose was a very angry and a good fighter. However, the cobra was no less as he was fast and had sharp fangs of deadly poison. Thus, it seemed like a war between the best. Both the animals were unaware of the boy but were soon accompanied by two spectators, a myna and a crow. The mongoose opened the attack. In order to take part in the fight, the crow and the myna threw themselves at each other and returned safely to the cactus. This happened twice. The third time they did this, the myna returned safely yet the crow got hit very sharply by the cobra. The crow lay weak and injured on the ground while the fight continued. Slowly the mongoose’s power overpowered and the snake ceased to struggle. The mongoose dragged it inside the bushes while the myna gave a shrill cry of congratulation and flew away.