Long ago, in Rajpur, a town in Maharashtra, lived a man named Hazar-Marya. People rarely called him by any other name. The nickname had stuck years ago because of one strange habit he had developed. Every day, he would leave home and kill one thousand flies. That was all he did. He had no job, Read more…

Some folk tales are remembered for magical creatures. Others survive because of a clever twist that listeners enjoy retelling long after the story is over. This old tale from Andhra Pradesh belongs to the second category. At the heart of it is a trader’s daughter whose quick thinking repeatedly helps her succeed against people far Read more…

Long ago, there lived a man named Kora and his brothers. They shared a home, worked the same land, and depended on the same harvest. Yet there was one important difference between Kora and the others. His brothers worked. Kora did not. While the others spent long hours in the fields, Kora preferred to sleep Read more…

Long ago, in the town of Barah, lived a young man named Sawant. People respected him for his honesty and devotion. He prayed regularly, kept his promises, and rarely cheated anyone. However, everyone in the town also knew one troubling thing about him. Sawant had a terrible temper. A careless remark could easily provoke him. Read more…

Long ago, there lived a prince in a kingdom shaped by forests, flowing water, and wide hunting grounds. From early youth, he loved riding more than ceremony or courtly life. Because of this, every morning, before the palace fully stirred, he mounted his black mare and rode out with bow and arrows. The mare responded Read more…

Long ago, near a pool so clear it looked almost unreal, there lived a young tortoise named Ka Panshandi. The water lay quiet most days, hardly disturbed except by fallen leaves or the slow ripple of wind. People noticed the pool long before they noticed her. Some said the water reflected the sky better than Read more…

Long, long ago, there lived three brothers in a small town. Everyone called the youngest brother “Hucchayya”, or “fool”. However, he didn’t care about it and went about his routine. Now, Hucchayya wasn’t particularly skilled when it came to keeping things secret. If anyone in town wanted to spread news like wildfire, they would share Read more…

Once upon a time, deep inside a forest lived a hunter with his family. Every day, he would go hunting to feed his family. Even though he cultivated crops, he depended on hunting for food nonetheless. The hunter had a pet crow. The crow flew away every morning and came back home in the evening. Read more…

Once upon a time, a brother and a sister lived in a remote village of Tamil Nadu. Every day, the siblings went out to graze their goats. For a while, the sister would play with the other kids. She would then climb up a big tree and pick its fruits. One day, a goblin showed Read more…

In a small village, there lived a man named Kachak Roy with his wife, Sampari. The couple had no children. Sampari would work all day, tending their jhum fields and doing all the household chores. Meanwhile, Kachak spent his time drinking the local brew. Short-tempered and irritable, he never let go of an opportunity to Read more…