Almost every Indian child grows up listening to the folktales and stories from his/her grandparents. India, being a land of various religions, languages, communities, is creditable for its vast range of short stories. The classic collection of folk tales has become a kind of treasure, which is passed from generation to generation in India. Moreover, these folktales present every possible situations of life while offering the best solution to each situation.
The outstanding compilations such as ‘Panchatantra’, ‘Hitopadesha’, ‘Jataka’ and ‘Akbar-Birbal’ have become the ideal paradigm for parents to infuse moral values in their child. Apart from these, Indian epics of ‘Ramayana’, ‘Mahabharata’ and ‘Bhagvad Gita’ are no less in imparting right ethics and principles through their moralistic stories. Indian folktales make a string between the long-established values and the new generation.
Panchatantra Tales
Dating back to the 2nd century B.C, the Panchatantra is a much celebrated compilation of short stories authored by Vishnu Sharma. These stories are virtually animated picturization where the animals & the humans speak and understand each other’s language. Over the years, the stories have been edited so that they can be understood by a layman. The best part of these tales is that each of them has a moral lesson. Some popular tales from the Panchatantra are ‘Gold giving Serpent’, ‘Monkey and Crocodile’, ‘Heron and the Crab’, ‘Mongoose and the Brahmin’s Wife’ and ‘Talkative Tortoise’.
Hitopadesha Tales
Another outstanding assortment of tales and short stories is the Hitopadesha. Written in Sanskrit by Narayana Pandit, Hitopadesha is the second best seller in India. It has tales that directly impart moral and knowledge to the children, just like the Panchatantra. It is the first choice of every parent because of its wide coverage of different aspects of life. Since its origin, these tales have been translated into different languages for the benefit of the readers throughout the world. ‘Beware of Mean Friends ’, ‘Blind Vulture’, ‘Monkey and Bell’, ‘Elephant and Jackal’ and ‘Sage’s Daughter’ are amongst the all-time favorite tales of Hitopadesha.
Jataka Tales
The pride of the Buddhist literature, Jataka is dosage of knowledge and morality for children. Jataka Tales were initially written in Pali language. However, its demand and popularity made the publishers to translate the tales in numerous languages. These legendary fables intend to pass on values of humanity, morality, honesty and integrity to people. Jataka Tales, at least 547 in number, actually depict earlier incarnations of Buddha from time to time, as animal, bird or human being. With the holy town of Benaras (or Varanasi) as their location, some of the noteworthy stories are ‘Merchant of Seri ’, ‘Sandy Road’, ‘Wind and Moon’ and ‘Power of a Rumour’.
