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…

The Brahmarakshas and the Landlord is a folk tale from Andhra Pradesh

The Brahmarakshas and the Landlord | A Folk Tale from Andhra Pradesh | Kalai

A long time ago, there lived a prosperous landlord. He owned several hectares of land stretching across various villages. However, given his stingy personality, no one came forward to cultivate his farms. Besides, he was anything but kind to his tenants. His miserliness left his lands barren and uncultivated. All irrigation channels and water tanks 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…

Princess Marries a Corpse is a Himachali folk tale

Princess Marries a Corpse | A Folk Tale from Himachal Pradesh | Kalai

Long, long ago, there lived a king with his only daughter. The little princess and the minister’s daughter played together and went to the same guru for their lessons. The guru always blessed the princess that she would marry a corpse. On the other hand, he blessed the minister’s daughter that she would marry a 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…

A Deal for the Delicious Khichdi is the story of a hungry bear that brokers a deal with an elderly couple for some khichdi

A Deal for the Delicious Khichdi | A Folk Tale from Punjab | Kalai

Once upon a time, an old man and his wife lived in a simple cottage, near the fruit orchard of a rich man. The branch of a pear tree hung right above the cottage yard. At times, some pears would fall into their yard. Every day, they waited eagerly to collect the fallen pears. On 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…

Frustrated at his poor social standing in Afghanistan, Abdul visits India in the hope of a warm reception

Abdul Visits India | A Folk Tale from Haryana | Ananya

Abdul Khafir was a poor fellow who roamed around in the back alleys of Afghanistan. With no noteworthy social standing, Abdul had always been subjected to mistreatment and mockery. Fed up with the disrespect faced in his home country, Abdul decided to travel to India, for he believed that the people there would warmly welcome 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…