BOOKS AMEYA

Venugopal and the Mighty Man is a Tamil folk tale about a lazy man whose odd desire lands him in big trouble

Venugopal and the Mighty Man | A Folk Tale from Tamil Nadu | Ananya

A long time, there lived a wealthy farmer named Venugopal in the state of Tamil Nadu. He had multiple farms in not one, but a whopping ten villages! However, none of this land was truly his. He had inherited all of this wealth from his ancestors. Being the lazy fellow that he was, it was Read more…

The Talkative Turtle is the folk tale about a motormouth tortoise who meets his untimely death due to his non-stop talking

The Talkative Turtle | A Folk Tale from Bihar | Kalai

A long time ago, there lived a king named Badahur, whose relentless talking had become a headache for everyone around him. King Badahur lived in a palace with a beautiful garden. A pond in the garden added to the beauty of the King’s garden. The pond was inhabited by a talkative turtle, who talked even Read more…

Birds in Sen's Mouth is a Bengali folk tale about a rumor that blew out of proportions

Birds in Sen’s Mouth | A Folk Tale from West Bengal | Ananya

Once upon a time, in a small village in West Bengal lived a jolly man named Bhoumik Sen. He was immensely fond of taking long walks in his backyard garden. During one such walk, Sen began coughing vigorously all of a sudden. The coughing continued until a parrot’s feather emerged out of Sen’s mouth. He Read more…

An ingenuous Rangan pays his ailing father-in-law a visit. Does following his wife's instructions keep him away from trouble?

The Ailing Father-in-Law | A Folk Tale from Tamil Nadu | Kalai

One day, a loving daughter asked her partially deaf husband, Rangan, to visit her sick father. To help him, she wrote on a piece of paper all the things that Rangan had to do. She also made a list of the things her husband was supposed to say to her sick father. She asked Rangan Read more…

The Fish Prince is the story of a charming prince who is turned into an ugly fish by his conniving brother and sister-in-life

The Fish Prince | A Folk Tale from Gujarat | Kalai

Once upon a time, there lived a king with his two sons. While the younger son was tall and handsome, the elder son was short and ugly, with his eye on his forehead. The king wanted his younger son to be his heir, for he regarded his elder son as a dwarf who lacked the Read more…

A song for sale is a folk tale from the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh about a girl who is desperate to learn a traditional song

A Song for Sale | A Folk Tale from Madhya Pradesh | Ananya

Once upon a time, when listening to the songs sung by village women and looking at traditional dances used to be the only sources of entertainment, there lived a maiden by the name of Mangala. Many women in her village were well versed in a lot of folk songs. These songs were usually sung at Read more…

The Secret of the Mirror is the story of a mysterious mirror that drives a wedge between a happily married couple

The Secret of the Mirror | A Folk Tale from Chhattisgarh | Ananya

A long, long time ago, there lived a couple in their thirties in a small village around the Bastar region. Their names were Hari and Dejah. The couple collected bamboo shoots and then weaved beautiful baskets out of them. After they were done weaving a set of thirty to thirty-five baskets, Hari would go to Read more…

When Chibi gets no support from the crow, the little sparrow sets out to achieve her goal on her own

Chibi and her Wheat Farm | A Folk Tale from Punjab | Ananya

A long time ago, along the banks of the mighty Sutlej, lived a small sparrow named Chibi. She was golden brown in color, with eyes as black as a moonless night. One day, Chibi thought of growing herself a field of wheat. However, it soon dawned on her that doing all the work on her Read more…

Jyamphi Moong, a Lepcha folk tale from Sikkim on Ameya

Jyamphi Moong | A Folk Tale from Sikkim | Ananya Susarla

Once upon a time, there used to live a ranch owner on the foothills of the Himalayas. He was part of the Lepcha tribe. He had recently employed a fellow Lepcha tribesman named Atek to look after his ranch cattle. The ranch owner then left for his hometown to spend the entire winter with his Read more…