99 items in this section. Displaying page 7 of 10
Tiger Move
Santhals are a tribe found in rural Orissa and West Bengal. They believe that every individual born on earth comes destined to die by some specific stroke of fate. How the individual dies is determined at birth and this is called Dana or move (like the moves of a chess game). This move determines the kind of death the person would get – at the hands of a tiger, snake, a fall from a tree or just from old age....
The Fox and the Grapes
Fitru fox was in a relaxed mood. He had no work that day. Since it was a holiday, the farmer was at home guarding his chickens. There was no way Fitru could reach them. Luckily, there was some food left over from the previous night. Life was beautiful. He closed his eyes for a moment. The Fox and the Grapes [Illustrations by Shridevi] When he opened his eyes he found himself looking at one, two and three bunches of luscious grapes, and got excited....
How the First House was Built
A long time ago, humans were only as tall as hens and rabbits. These tiny “humans”, if you can call them that, lived under trees. Living in trees was not very nice. During rains they got wet. In summers they sweated madly, and in winter they almost froze into ice. Life was tough. How the First House was Built [Illustrations by Sudheer Nath] So they started living in burrows, just the way rabbits do....
The Thirsty Crow
The Thirsty Crow [Illustrations by Shridevi] Kancharam had been flying for 10 hours without a halt. He had come to the western state of Gujarat to attend his childhood friend Bholuram’s wedding. He had stayed just for the wedding. As soon as it was over, he said good bye to his friend and left. Now he was flying back home. That was in Jaipur, Rajasthan. He was very, very tired. And thirsty, too....
The Golden Fish
There are many islands in the Bay of Bengal and not all of them are inhabited. But on one island, at one time, there was a small hut which belonged to an old man and his wife. They were very poor. The husband used to make nets and fish in the sea, for that was the only food they could get. One day he went fishing as usual. He cast his net and waited. Suddenly there was a pull....
Kallu Raven's Breakfast Treat
This happened years and years ago in a bright and busy forest.Two trees, the Neem and the Peepal, faced each other. A big, black raven called Kallu had his nest on the Peepal tree, while the Neem tree was the home of Nanni sparrow. Kallu was a wily bird and he felt no fondness for Nanni sparrow. After some weeks, Nanni laid three tiny, beautiful eggs. Soon they hatched. Her nest came alive with the sweet twitter of the baby sparrows....
The Girl who Taught the World to Weave
This is a story of the time when humans first walked the earth. And in those days they did not wear clothes, for they did not know how to weave cloth. One day, the god Matai decided to teach the art of weaving to one person. The god taught a girl called Hambrumai. And what were the designs the girl wove? She sat by the river side and saw the ripples and circles made by water....
The Dog and the Pig
Retold from ‘When the World was Young’, by Verrier Elwin. The book is a fascinating collection of folktales from the tribal peoples of India. Elwin was a pioneering anthropologist; he spent his entire life getting to know the ways of life of the tribal peoples. A man kept two animals — a dog and a pig. He kept them in the hope that they would help him in his work. But he was sorely disappointed. All they did was eat and eat and eat....
The Rich Man's Vessels
Once upon a time there lived a rich man in a village in Kerala. His house was full of vessels of all sizes – some as small as a bird, others big enough to seat a child. Whenever there was a ceremony in any household, the villagers would borrow his utensils. After the function, they would return the whole lot of vessels to the rich man. Then one day, a strange thing happened. A villager who had borrowed some utensils, returned a couple more than he had borrowed....
How Man and Dog Became Friends
There they were – two little pups crying for their mother. She had just been killed by Deer. They sobbed so much and for so long that they got tired and lay down for a while. It was then that they decided to take revenge on Deer for killing their mother. Once they had decided what they were going to do, they felt better. Soon, they realised they were too small to be able to catch Deer....