KindnessOriginal story
The Umbrella at Platform Four
One rainy morning, an old man left a spare umbrella at a station with a handwritten note. He had no idea what it would start.
Small acts of kindness
Proof that one kind act can travel much further than we imagine.
15 stories
True StoriesTrue story
The Town That Opened Its Doors
On 11 September 2001, dozens of airliners were ordered out of the sky and sent to a small town in Newfoundland. For several days its people looked after thousands of stranded strangers as if they were family.
KindnessClassic retold
The Bishop's Candlesticks
A hungry ex-convict, turned away by every inn, is welcomed by a kind old bishop, and repays him by stealing his silver. The famous scene from Victor Hugo's Les Misérables.
KindnessClassic retold
The Happy Prince
A golden statue who can see all the sorrow of his city asks a little swallow to give away his jewels and gold, one piece at a time. Oscar Wilde's tender fairy tale.
Life LessonsClassic retold
Kabuliwala
A five-year-old girl in Calcutta becomes best friends with a tall Afghan fruit-seller. Years later he returns, and her father understands what they shared. Tagore's beloved story.
Life LessonsClassic retold
The Gift of the Magi
A young couple with almost no money each secretly give up their greatest treasure to buy the other a Christmas present. O. Henry's most loved story.
For KidsFable & folk tale
Stone Soup
A hungry traveller arrives in a village where nobody will share. All he asks for is a pot of water and a fire, because he knows how to make soup from a stone.
KindnessClassic retold
Two Old Men
Two old friends set off on foot on the long pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Only one of them gets there. Tolstoy's story of what it really means to keep a promise to God.
Life LessonsClassic retold
Where Love Is, God Is
A lonely old cobbler hears a voice in the night promising a visitor tomorrow. All day he watches the street from his basement window, waiting. Tolstoy's gentle story.
KindnessFable & folk tale
Androcles and the Lion
A runaway slave hiding in a desert cave meets a lion with a wounded paw. Years later, in a roaring arena in Rome, they meet again.
KindnessBiography
The Mother of Orphans
Thrown out of her home at twenty with a newborn baby, Sindhutai Sapkal survived by singing for food at railway stations. Then she began to take in other people's abandoned children.
True StoriesTrue story
The Dog Who Waited
Every evening, a big white dog waited at Shibuya Station in Tokyo for his master's train. One day his master did not come home. The dog kept waiting, for almost ten years.
For KidsFable & folk tale
Birbal's Khichdi
A poor man stands all night in an icy lake to win a reward from Emperor Akbar. But the court says a far-away lamp kept him warm, and he gets nothing. Then Birbal starts cooking his khichdi.
EpicsClassic retold
Shabari's Berries
For years an old woman in the forest waits for Rama, sweeping the path and gathering fruit each morning in case today is the day. When he finally comes, she has only berries to give him. What she does with them surprises everyone.
EpicsClassic retold
Karna's Golden Armour
Karna was born wearing golden armour and earrings that kept him safe from any weapon. He also made a promise never to refuse anyone who asked him for a gift at midday. One day, a visitor comes to test that promise.