ਕੱਛੂਕੁੰਮਾ ਅਤੇ ਖਰਗੋਸ਼
The Tortoise and the Hare
Bilingual Punjabi + English Aesop's Fables Ages 4-8
, ਤੇਜ਼-ਤਰਾਰ - ਤੁਰਦੇ ਉਡਾ ।
One sunny morning, a quick little Hare was laughing at a slow Tortoise.
" ਤੁਰਦਾ !" , "ਤੈਥੋਂ ਤੁਰਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ।"
"You are so slow!" said the Hare. "You can barely move at all."
ਮੁਸਕਰਾਇਆ, "ਆਜਾ, ਲਗਾਉਂਦੇ , ਲੱਗ ਜਾਊ ਤੇਜ਼ ।"
The Tortoise lifted his head and smiled. "Let us have a race," he said. "We will see who is faster."
ਖਿੜਖਿੜਾ , "? ਨਾਲ? !"
The Hare laughed and laughed. "A race? With you? This will be easy!"
ਗਈ। , - ਕਦਮੀਂ ਤੁਰਦਾ ।
So they began. The Hare zoomed far ahead in a flash. The Tortoise walked slowly, step by step by step.
, " ਮੇਰੇ ਅੱਪੜ ।" ਪੈ ਗਈ।
Soon the Hare was so far in front that he stopped to rest. "The slow Tortoise will never catch me," he said. He lay down under a tree and fell fast asleep.
ਤੁਰਦਾ । ਕੋਲੋਂ ।
The Tortoise did not stop. Step by step, he kept on going. He passed the sleeping Hare and walked all the way to the finish line.
, ਨਾਲ , — !
When the Hare woke up, he ran as fast as he could. But it was too late. The Tortoise had already won the race.
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A classic Aesop's Fables tale, retold and translated into Punjabi (Gurmukhi) for diaspora families by Maastarji. Read together to build Punjabi reading confidence.
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Frequently asked questions
- Is "The Tortoise and the Hare" written in Gurmukhi?
- Yes. The full story is written in Punjabi (Gurmukhi script) as “ਕੱਛੂਕੁੰਮਾ ਅਤੇ ਖਰਗੋਸ਼”, with the English shown alongside so you can read both together. You can hide the English to read in Gurmukhi only.
- Can my child read this if they are still learning Punjabi?
- Yes. Keep the English on so a new reader can follow the meaning while they sound out the Gurmukhi. As they grow more confident, switch to “Gurmukhi only” for reading practice.
- Is this story free to read?
- Yes — every story on Maastarji is free to read online, with no sign-up. “The Tortoise and the Hare” is a classic Aesop's Fables tale, published free to read for diaspora families.
