Humans use choices and rules to create a world where there is more kindness and less cruelty, more right and less wrong.’
Our ability to make decisions that serve others more than ourselves is what differentiates humans from animals. Considering the needs of others first is one of the biggest tenets of dharma, the rules of society. Having grown up with this foundation, Sita and Ram present the very definition of a dharmik life. While dharma makes for a civilized and peaceful society, it also leads to Sita making a choice that marks the end of all happiness in her life.
Elegantly narrated and illustrated by Devdutt Pattanik, read on to discover Sita’s fateful choice and the consequences that make Ramayana the epic it is.
The rulers of the sun-city were called sun-kings because they dazzled by the virtue of always following the rules of the land.’
Sita and Ram lived in an age where living according to dharma, or the rules of society, was of utmost importance, even if it meant living in exile for fourteen years. When Kaikeyi demands her two boons from King Dashratha, everyone except the one who has to suffer is heartbroken. Ram stoically accepts the consequences of his father’s word as his destiny. However, Sita displays astounding grace when she makes a choice that isn’t expected from her.
In the din of Ravana’s cruelty and Ram’s valour, something is often overlooked—the story of Sita, the woman who chose. From the master of mythology, Devdutt Pattanaik, this is the story of the first, and possibly the most difficult, choice that Sita makes.
The True Adventures of Prince Teentang outlines the exploits of our dashing young hero – a prince with three legs, in hilarious detail. What do you do when you are born to royalty, with one leg too many? Why, whatever you like! Prince Teentang wreaks merry havoc on his palace as he races along from one adventure to the next while his guardians quake in fear about their heads being hacked off their necks! Kalpana Swaminathan paints a bright, witty picture of a court filled with eccentric folks ruled by a silly tyrant king. Ridiculously hilarious, this excerpt is the perfect short read to lift your spirits.
In this deliciously sweet tale, renowned author Subhadra Sen Gupta takes us through the lanes of Lukhnow to a humble cook and a proud Nawab. The Nawab has heard praise and come to visit, but the cook is unlike any he has met before. He doesn’t bow down to his royal highness; he simply says that anyone eating his food must eat it exactly as he demands. The Nawab in good humour agrees, but will he remember to come on time? Will the cook furiously throw away this magnificent food in fury, along with dreams of a better future? Find out in this teekha tale, which brings to life all the fulsome flavours of desi khaana.
Bhisham Sahni is at his finest in this elegant story of ruthlessness and kindness. Bodh Raj is a boy with murder on his mind and a catapult in his hands. Birds, beasts, insects – none are spared his callous cruelty. Bhisham Sahni takes us on a swift journey of the heart of a boy, and how it can change in an instant from cruelty to fierce protectiveness – all it needs is a reason. Sahni beautifully encapsulates how the worst of us can be redeemed in this simple, timeless tale.
Haroun’s father Rashid is the greatest storyteller in the sad sad city of Alfibay. He juggles a million stories without a single mistake, and Haroun grows up in a home with a song on his mother’s lips, and a story on his father’s. But whenever he asks where his stories come from, his father would stick his thumb between his lips and say glug glug glug – it comes from a secret invisible tap.
One day, Haroun’s fathers stories all dry up – he opens his mouth, and no stories come out. Can Haroun bring back his fathers tales? Written with Salman Rushdie’s trademark wit and rich prose, this short slice of his classic children’s tale Haroun and the Sea of Stories is a delight for all.
Parimal is an author who lives a quiet life away from the hunting and adventures of his past. But when an old friend comes to him and asks for a favour with the promise of danger, he cannot resist. Why does the old botanist want him to bring his gun and come to his home? He only has plants, helpless happy plants, who cannot possibly be a danger. Or can they? Satyajit Ray brings to life his rich storytelling with this decadently illustrated thriller.
When Hamid the poor orphan is going to the Eid fair, he has only three paise. All the other boys have an enormous amount of money with which to buy toys and sweets, and cruelly tease him with their riches. But Hamid has a single goal in mind – to buy a pair of tongs so his grandmother won’t burn her fingers making roti. Will his resolve last against lollipops and gulab jamuns? Will the brilliant toy policemen and lawyers of his compatriots break his will? A heartwarming tale of generosity and kindness with a sprinkling of mischief and love by the father of modern Hindi literature – Premchand.
This sweet, short story is from RK Narayan’s iconic ‘Swami and Friends’, a slice of life from a simpler time. Swami has been forced to move to a different school because of his antics, and is struggling to play cricket as much as he likes. His grandmother, his coach, his headmaster all seem to be conspiring against him to ensure that he never gets to play cricket again. Swami’s friends are outraged on his behalf and decide to help him out by going and talking to his headmaster themselves. Will it work? Or will poor impetuous Swami now be confronted with even more furious grownups? Find out in this lovely little snippet from RK Narayan’s original Swami and Friends.
Grandfather is an odd but lovely man, and one day in the market, he buys a young python that he sees from the Snake Charmer. Alas, when they bring the python home, Grandmother lets out an ungodly scream, and says it must be sent packing. Try though they might, the python keeps coming home and becomes a reluctant part of the family. But what scrapes will young Ruskin get into with a python as a pet? And how does one take care of the python when you also have a parrot and a monkey? This has Ruskin Bond at his finest, with elegant prose and effortless humour in this delightfully sweet story.
