When a weaver dies, one of his wives drives the other one and her daughter out of the house. But the gentle and generous nature of the daughter brings good fortune. Six queens plot against the seventh, jealous that she is bearing the King's heir, and accuse her of witchcraft. A thoughtless queen decrees that anyone who cries in her kingdom will be thrown out, not foreseeing that one day she too might feel sorrow. India has a rich heritage of folktales, most of which are never written down, present only in a rapidly vanishing oral culture. Each region and language has its own particular set of stories – though many tales recur across different traditions. The stories here are taken from Bengal.
Timeless tales from all over India from Bengal to Bastar and Kashmir to Coorg, there are stories that have been handed down generations: bedtime stories for children, fireside stories for travelers, who have heard these tales, wondered at them and repeated them to others. In A Twist in the Tale: More Indian Folktales, Aditi De collects forty such stories from various parts of India and retells them with dollops of humor. A friendless crocodile, a timid mouse and a vain fox are among some of the eccentric characters that appear in this book. There is also a clever princess, a hapless priest with heron feathers flying out of his mouth, and galleries of rogues. Strange happenings are not uncommon, so a nail tree grows out of nail clippings and a beetle saves a man from the dungeons. Full of the details of everyday life, festivities and food, these ageless stories have seldom been so exciting and such fun. Accompanied by Uma Krishnaswamy's brilliant illustrations, this book will introduce the magic of Indian folktales to a new generation of readers.
Folktales in India have been told, heard, read and celebrated for many centuries. In breaking new ground, Indian folktales have been reread and examined in the light of the Mother Earth discourse as it manifests in the lifeworlds of women, nature and language. The book introduces ecofeminist criticism and situates it within an innovative folktale typology to connect women and environment through folklore. The book proposes an innovative paradigm inspired by the beehive to analyze motifs, relationships, concerns, worldviews and consciousness of indigenous women and men who live close to nature as well as other socially marginalized groups. In the current global context fraught with challenges for ecology and hopes for sustainable development, this book with its interdisciplinary approach will interest scholars and researchers of literature, environmental studies, gender studies and cultural anthropology.
This fiction is a collection of fifteen Indian tales retold, designed to introduce the young readers to some of the witty, humorous and enchanted worlds – from Gandharva, with his innocence and luck, to Princess Vishakha, with her cleverness and skills. From Laxmi, who braves her poverty to stand for herself, to the foolish Bhola, who kindles our funny bones. This collection opens up childhood fantasies for children, young readers and adults alike. All stories have Indian traditional social setups and are quite relatable. Moreover, even for a few vital moments, they take children away from ever enveloping blue aura of gadgets. With the bouquet of human values, this book reflects on the beauty of simple living. The other purpose behind writing these short stories is to bring forth the inherent power of our funny, clever and change of fortune tales of the past which help children enjoy the imbibing values.
Folklore pervades childhoods, families and communities and is the language of the illiterate. Even in large, modern cities, folklore-proverbs, lullabies, folk medicine, folktales-is only a suburb away, a cousin or a grandmother away. Wherever people live, folklore grows. India is a country of many languages, religions, sects and cultures. It is a land of many myths and countless stories. Translated from twenty-two Indian languages, these one hundred and ten tales cover most of the regions of India and represent favorite's narratives from the subcontinent. A.K. Ramanujan's outstanding selection is an indispensable guide to the richness and vitality of India's ageless oral folklore tradition.
This colorfully illustrated multicultural children's book presents Indian fairy tales and other folk stories that the whole family will enjoy! Indian Children's Favorite Stories is a charming selection of eight Indian tales that provide an insight into traditional Indian culture. They make perfect new additions for story time or bedtime reading. Retold for an international audience, the beautifully illustrated stories will give children of all ages a glimpse into the fables and folklore of India, including tales of how Lord Krishna escapes the evil Kamsa's repeated attempts to kill him, and how the elephant keeper's daughter, Rani, humbles an unwise and unjust king by emptying his storehouses of rice. Featured Indian stories include: The Story of Rama, the ancient Indian tale of a prince's exile and return to his homeland Sukhu and Dukhu, two sisters--one kind, one selfish--and their different fates Munna and the Grain of Rice, how a good and clever girl saves her people from hunger And five more wonderful tales to delight story lovers everywhere. A glossary is also included, so that everyone can understand and appreciate the Indian words scattered throughout the stories. The Children's Favorite Stories series was created to share the folktales and legends most beloved by children in the East with young readers of all backgrounds in the West. Other multicultural children's books in this series include: Asian Children's Favorite Stories, Indonesian Children's Favorite Stories, Japanese Children's Favorite Stories, Singapore Children's Favorite Stories, Filipino Children's Favorite Stories, Favorite Children's Stories from China & Tibet, Chinese Children's Favorite Stories, Korean Children's Favorite Stories, Balinese Children's Favorite Stories, and Vietnamese Children's Favorite Stories.
Bhola is a kind-hearted but lazy old man, the despair of his hard working wife. When he catches a flock of sparrows, the king sparrow promises to reward him richly if he sets the birds free. Bhola agrees and is rewarded with a cow whose dung is pure gold! A wandering sanyasi comes to a village. The richest man refuses him alms but his brother who is poor gives him food and shelter. The sanyasi gives the poor man a magic flute. But his jealous brother cannot bear to see his good fortune.In these witty folk tales from Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, kindness and wisdom are always rewarded.
Contemporary children’s literature in Bangla celebrates irreverent, defiant and deviant boys whose subversive doings critique the parenting and schooling they go through, while the girl child is neglected and marginalised. The rare fictional girls who show resilience and demand a normal childhood are consciously silenced, or contained and assimilated within unwritten masculinist norms. This book –a compilation of translated works of the author, critic and academic, Sibaji Bandyopadhyay –focuses on gender and childhood in Bengal. The book includes a translation of his Bangla Shishusahityer Chhoto Meyera (Little Girls in Bangla Children’s Literature), as well as a translated essay on Thakurma’ Jhuli (Grandma’s Sack), a collection of Bangla folk tales and fairytales from early twentieth century that underscores the subaltern role of adolescent female characters with hardly any agency or voice in the oral legends and folklore of Bengal. The translation of the piece ‘An Incredible Transition’ from Bandyopadhyay’s Abar Shishushiksha (On Children’s Education Again) applauds the role of Indian social reformers and British educationists in initiating women’s education in Bengal, while questioning the erasure of protagonists who are girls in the nineteenth-century primers. Interrogating gendered constructions in diverse genres of literature while revisiting the subject of female education, this book will be of interest to students of children’s literature, comparative literature, popular literature, gender studies, translation studies, culture studies and South Asian writings.
Heirs of the Land book represents the History of the Sikhs in a true spirit before the Mankind; and emboldens and encourage especially the Heirs of the Great Punjab, the Sikhs, to study their history, its people, and places those that had been ignored not only by the Indian and Pakistan States sponsored so-called Historians, but also, who are trying hard to dilute the Sikh Revolution of the SatGuru Nnak Sahib. Therefore, the author shall die in peace if this work inspires the historians to look at Harappa Civilisation and the Sikh-Revolution in its true inceptions. SatGuru Granth Sahib, the Living Guru of the Sikhs in the Globe proclaimed that the soul dwells in the body and imbue with SatGuru’s Shabad (the Ambrosial Nectar). We should purify our body in the contemplation of the SatGuru’s Shabad and eradicate Doubt Dubida duibDw; the Almighty Lord Giver of Peace Himself bestows His Mercy, Kirpa ikRpw, unites us with Himself: kwieAw ibrKu pMKI ivic vwsw] AMimRqu cugih gur sbid invwsw] (1068-17) KAA-I-AA BIRKHU PAnKHEE VICHI WAASAA. AnMRITU CHUGAHI GUR SABADI NIWAASAA. The body is the tree; the bird of the soul dwells within it. It drinks in the Ambrosial Nectar, resting in the Word of the SatGuru’s Shabad. aufih n mUly n Awvih n jwhI inj Gir vwsw pwieAw]13] kwieAw soDih sbdu vIcwrih] UDDAHI NA MOOLAY NA AAVAHI NA JAAHEE NIJ GHARI WAASAA PAA-I-AA.13. KAA-I-AA SODHAHI SABADU VEECHAARAHI. It never flies away, and it does not come or go; it dwells within the home of its own self. ||13|| Purify the body and contemplate the Shabad. moh TgaurI Brmu invwrih] Awpy ik®pw kry suKdwqw Awpy myil imlwieAw]14] (1068-19) MOH THAG-UREE BHARAMU NIVAARAHI. AAPAY KrIPAA KARAY SUKHDAATAA AAPAY MAYLI MILAA-I-AA. Remove the poisonous drug of emotional attachment and eradicate doubt. The Giver of peace Himself bestows His Mercy and unites us in Union with Himself. ||14|| SatGuru Amardas Sahib 3rd Nanak, Rag Maru, SGGS. p. 1068.
