Intrigue and simple styles are seen in the folk tales of India. There are unique stories too about victorious kings, mythological tales and other animal fables. Some fables almost have a dream like situation which takes us to an out of world experience. Most of the tales weave around a moral story or teaches some things about discipline. There are tales about village men. The story of Krishna and his leelas or activities is inspiring for people and children of all ages.
There are folk tales that talk about rustic lives of the craftsmen and jungle life. Rudyard Kipling has rightly captured the adventures of Moghli in the Jungle book which also now comes in an animated rendition which is a priced collection in most homes. Interesting folk tales also consist of the evergreen stories of Birbal and Akbar which many believe are true depictions.
The intelligence of Birbal to outwit the nine jewels is interesting and always ends in an anecdote. The tales offer inspiration as to how wisdom and humility go a long way in success. There are happy tales too about R.K. Laxman’s Malguidi days which shows the deep thinking of Swami who often finds himself in tricky situations and also learns to deal with it.
Another interesting animal fable work comes from the collection of story from Panchatantra. It is truly wonderful how the essence of simple humor and wit is used in the animal or bird form of stories. The tales of Panchatantra are a great treasure especially the one of ‘The fox and lion’ and the ‘Two sheeps’. The moral comes out easily and hence a splendid work of writing is seen in the lucid words which even a child can read.
Folk tales also extol about divine concepts like the story of Savitri and Satyavan and the achievements of Lord Rama in his struggle for right with the corrupted Ravana. The story of Angulimala and his change as a saint is truly touching. Tales of Buddha are mostly about reformation of the bad into good and similar stories are seen in the courtesan Vasavadatta who renounces the world to become an ascetic.
The stories of demons, hideous creatures, speaking pythons and moving mountains which makes more interesting to the reader. The Indian folk tales travel from generation to generation and is surely a part of our rich culture.
