BOOKS AMEYA

The Bald Wife is a folk tale from West Bengal

The Bald Wife | A Folk Tale from West Bengal | Kalai

A long time ago, there lived a merchant with his two wives. His second wife was much dearer to him than the first one. Actually, the second wife had two tufts of hair on her head, while the first wife had just one. Although the two wives resented each other, they had no choice but Read more…

Gold Coins for a Dead Wife is a Kannada folk tale on Ameya

Gold Coins for a Dead Wife | A Folk Tale from Karnataka | Kalai

Once upon a time, there lived a greedy goldsmith in a remote village. And it wasn’t just the goldsmith. Even the other villagers had become greedy and evil over time. Meanwhile, the goldsmith continued to lead a prosperous life, getting incredibly fat due to his great appetite. The goldsmith had just one friend in the Read more…

Moldhin Chan and Yan Chan is a Manipuri folk tale

Moldhin Chan and Yan Chan | A Folk Tale from Manipur | Ananya

Moldhin Chan was a very beautiful and clever girl who lived with her family on the banks of the Imphal River. One day, on her way back home, Moldhin Chan heard loud cheers coming from a huge crowd gathered at a distance. Driven by curiosity, Moldhin walked over to the crowd, where she met Yan Read more…

Chhara and Nahaia a Mizo folk tale

Chhara and Nahaia | A Folk Tale from Mizoram | Ananya

Chhara and Nahaia were two brothers who lived on the banks of the Tlawng river. Chhara was the younger of the two and easily the more gullible of the duo. He easily fell for his elder brother’s traps. His older brother even tricked him into conceding the bigger house from their father’s inheritance. However, Chhara’s Read more…

The Orphaned Little Princess is a folk tale about a girl whose stepmother tries to starve her to death

The Orphaned Little Princess | A Folk Tale from Uttar Pradesh | Kalai

Once upon a time, a king and a queen lived with their only daughter in a small kingdom. Unfortunately, the queen fell terminally ill. On her death bed, she requested the king to take care of their daughter and keep her away from all troubles. The king remarried and his new queen started to take Read more…

As an overambitious Tapi learns alchemy, his family's financial condition takes a hit

Tapi Learns Alchemy | A Folk Tale from Arunachal Pradesh | Ananya

A long, long time ago, people believed that anything on earth could be turned into gold through a complicated process. This process was known as alchemy. In a small village, visible no more than a dot on the map of Arunachal Pradesh, lived a man called Tapi. Tapi believed that he had what it took Read more…

The Right Ears is a Maharashtrian folk tale about a king who would chop off the right ear of the servants who failed to comply with his unrealistic demands

The Right Ears | A Folk Tale from Maharashtra | Kalai

King Vijay Chandra, who ruled the Kingdom of Dolakpur, always liked to harass his personal attendants by assigning them tough jobs. Overburdened with too many jobs, the servants pleaded to be relieved. The king would then relieve them from their jobs after chopping off their right ears. He then preserved those chopped ears in jars.  Read more…

Three Jewels for Four Sons is a folk tale from Madhya Pradesh

Three Jewels for Four Sons | A Folk Tale from Madhya Pradesh | Kalai

Once upon a time, a merchant lived in a village with his four sons. As he grew old, he divided his property among his sons. The first son inherited his money-lending business and the second one took over his grocery shop. Likewise, the third son got the cloth shop while the fourth son received the Read more…

The Pot of Ghee is a folk tale about a daydreaming guy who decides to make some money

The Pot of Ghee | A Folk Tale from Uttar Pradesh | Ananya

Many centuries ago, there lived a teenage boy called Sheikh Chilli in the small village of Auraiya. Sheikh was a slothful daydreamer who idled his days away sitting at home and doing nothing. Fed up of her son’s indolent attitude, Sheikh’s mother told him to find a job. Unable to put up with his mother’s Read more…

Asked by God to marry Prince Majnun, the Princess of Phalana wanders around the woods for the next twenty-four years

The Wandering Princess of Phalana | A Folk Tale from Uttarakhand | Kalai

One day, Prince Majnun, the son of King Dantal, went hunting with his friend, Husain Mahamat, in the wild. Unfortunately, they could only find birds and jackals. Disappointed, they decided to stop for a while in a country named Phalana. Munsuk Raja, the king of Phalana, lived with his beautiful daughter, Laili. A night before Read more…