Chapter 3 — Golu Grows a Nose

Chapter 3 of NCERT Class 7 English (An Alien Hand), "Golu Grows a Nose", is a simplified and abridged story by Rudyard Kipling about Golu, a baby elephant who is famous for asking endless curious questions. He travels to the great, grassy Limpopo river to learn what a crocodile eats for dinner. There, a crocodile grabs him by the nose and a tug-of-war stretches it into a long trunk. The python, who had followed Golu, helps him pull free. Golu's new trunk turns out to be more useful than his old bulgy nose — he can swat flies, pluck grass, and cool himself with mud — showing that curiosity leads to unexpected gain.

Long ago elephants had no trunk, only a bulgy nose. Golu, a baby elephant bursting with curiosity, asks everyone around him difficult questions — his aunt the ostrich, his uncle the giraffe, the hippopotamus, and the baboon — but no one can answer him. The mynah bird sends him to the Limpopo river to discover what the crocodile eats. Golu packs provisions, says goodbye to his family, and sets off. On the riverbank he meets a crocodile disguised as a log of wood, which grabs his nose, intending to eat him. Golu pulls hard, the python who has followed him coils around his stomach and helps, and together they wrench Golu free — but his nose has been stretched into a five-foot trunk. Golu cools it in the river for two days. When a fly stings him he swats it with his trunk, plucks grass with it, and scoops mud to shade his head — three advantages the python names. Golu thanks the python and returns home, his curiosity permanently rewarded.

1. 01Long ago all elephants had only a bulgy nose and could not pick up things with it.
2. 02Golu is a baby elephant whose endless curiosity annoys his relatives — the ostrich, giraffe, hippopotamus, and baboon — none of whom can answer his questions.
3. 03The mynah bird advises Golu to visit the great, grassy Limpopo river to find out what the crocodile has for dinner.
4. 04At the river a crocodile, disguised as a log of wood, lures Golu close and grabs his nose, saying it plans to eat a baby elephant for dinner.
5. 05The python, who has been quietly following Golu, urges him to pull hard; together they stretch the nose into a five-foot trunk before it breaks free.
6. 06Golu cools his new trunk in the river for two days; it grows cool but does not shrink back.
7. 07The python points out three advantages of the trunk: swatting flies, plucking and eating grass, and scooping mud to cool the head — none of which the old bulgy nose could do.