There lived a king. He had four sons. Three sons were married, and the youngest had not yet been married. At that time the king died. The eldest son sat on the throne. He loved his younger brothers more than life itself. And his wife was angry and envious. She had little to do with the princes, and the youngest was under the care of the eldest - so she began to mock him every day. Whatever he asks, she answers him:
- Go, bring yourself Anarzadi - a girl from a pomegranate. Let her dance to your tune.
The prince could not bear her circumvention. He took it and left slowly wherever his eyes looked. “When I find Anarzadi, then I’ll return home with her,” he thought. “And without that, no one will see me here.”

There lived a peasant with his wife in the same village. They didn't have children. The peasant worked in the field all day, returned home in the evening, had supper and again went to the field. He had no time to grieve that his assistant was not growing up. But his wife lamented about it day and night.
One day at noon she was going to go to the field - to bring lunch to her husband - and she thought: "Ah, if we had a son, I wouldn't have to go to the field! He would take lunch to his father."
Thus, mournfully meditating, she went to the door, but suddenly she heard a watermelon lying in the corner say softly:
- Give me dinner, mother, I'll take it to my father! At first the woman was frightened, but then she gathered her courage and answered:
- You are so small, it will be hard for you. But the watermelon insisted:
- Put a bundle of food on my head, mother, and tell me where to go and how I can recognize my father.

A weaver lived in a village. He had a wife - a simple and hardworking woman. Both of them worked without straightening their backs, and did not crawl out of poverty. This is what a wife says to her husband:
- Get ready to go, look at foreign lands. Maybe you'll get some luck there.
The weaver agreed and began to get ready for the journey. His wife gave him a large, thick cake with her. With this cake, the weaver went to foreign lands. He walked and walked and went far. It was in the evening. The weaver is tired. Thinking - where to relax? Looks - there is a well by the road. He went to the well, washed himself and sat down. He has been hungry for a long time. He took out his cake, broke it into four pieces and began to think aloud:
Eat one or two at once? Or three, or all four?

Do not make friendship with the evil one, only evil comes from him.
By the road leading to the city of Ujaini, a large tree grew, and two old friends lived on it - the Stork and the Crow. The tree was branched, and travelers passing along the road always stopped and rested in its shade.
It happened one day that a hunter was walking along the road. The day was hot, the hunter was tired, and he wanted to rest. He lay down under a tree, put his bow and arrows beside him, and soon fell asleep.

A cat lived in one large house, and there were many mice in the house. The cat caught mice, ate them and lived freely. A lot of time passed, the cat got old, and it became difficult for him to catch mice. He thought, thought how to be, and finally came up with. He called the mice and said:
- Mice, mice, that's why I called you. I confess that I lived badly and offended you. I'm ashamed, I want to change. I won't touch you. Run freely, but don't be afraid of me. I demand one thing from you: every day, pass me by me twice, one after the other, and bow to me, but I will not touch you.
The mice were delighted that the cat would not touch them, and happily agreed. The cat sat down in the corner, and one after another the mice began to pass him: they pass and bow to him. And the cat sits quietly.

Never make friends with someone you don't know who he is and what his habits are.
There is a rock on the banks of the Bhagirathi called the Vulture Rock. At the top of this rock stands a large, sprawling tree. Once upon a time, vultures lived here, which is why the rock got its name. But time passed, the birds died, and only one old vulture, named Jaradgav, remained alive. From old age, the Grif has long been blind, his claws have become dull, and he could no longer get his own food.
And then one day the birds that lived on the same tree, taking pity on Jaradgav, said to him:
- Come on, Jaradgav, let's do this: you will look after our children when we fly somewhere, and we will bring you food and feed you. And you will be full, and our children will be supervised.

There lived an old witch. She walked around the world, looking for small children and ate them. Once she was walking through the forest and at the foot of the mountain in a large clearing she saw a shepherdess with a herd of goats. The shepherd boy was a handsome, healthy boy.
The witch came up to him and said:
- May your life be long, son! Get me some fruit from this tree.
- How can I get it if I can't climb trees? - answered the boy.
- And you stand on a dry branch with your foot, and grab the green one with your hand, - said the witch.

A brahmin lived in a village and had a wife. They lived for a long time and even began to grow old, but they still had no children - neither a son nor a daughter. They were very upset about it. Finally, the brahminsha says to her husband:
- Go to the Ganges, dip into its holy waters. Maybe then God will help our grief.
The Brahmin listened to the words of his wife, thought, and began to get ready for the journey. I took money with me, tied the food in a bundle and left.
And this brahmana had a lover, a young brahmin from the same village. And so, as her husband left for the Ganges River, the brahmansha got into the habit of running every evening to her lover on a date, and they kissed and had mercy in a secluded corner until morning.

M, "Children's Literature", 1988

"Around the gray-bearded storyteller in a snow-white turban, children huddled. It's stuffy in the house, but here, in the yard, fenced with a blank wall, under the night tropical Indian sky with large stars and a bright moon, one breathes easier. Grandpa's speech flows smoothly and smoothly. Grandfather tells a fairy tale. Attention, delight, enthusiasm, an incomparable feeling of joy from meeting with the miraculous were imprinted on the children's faces at the same time" - with such fabulous words begins Volume III of the series "Tales of the Peoples of the World" - "Tales of the Peoples of Asia". The compiler of the volume and the author of the introductory article and notes is Nikulin Nikolai Ivanovich. Indian folk tales included in our audio book are taken from this volume: "Brother Ambe and Brother Rambe", "Stupid Crocodile", "There Once Was a Sparrow", "The Nightingale and the Cotton Bush", "How the Sun, Moon and The wind went to dinner", "This is for that", "Good Dhir Singh", "Goldfish", "Pepper Seed", "Poor weaver", "Three princes", "Who is afraid of whom?", "Sant and Basant" , "Test of the Mind", "Stupid Brahmin", "Tenali Ramakrishna's Cat", "Pull", "Pandit's Son", "What Did the Bear Whisper in Your Ear?", "The Deaf", "Light from the Temple", "The Man Who Went seek your destiny", "Sweets from the sky", "Rooster and cat", "You are not averse to listening to a fairy tale, but I can't stand hunger", "Hunter and Crow", "Ugly name", "Pea and Bobok". Basically, fairy tales are magical, about animals and household.
Animals in fairy tales speak and understand human speech, they help the positive hero. In many Indian tales, you will feel the mocking attitude towards monkeys; they apparently reminded the storytellers of fussy and unlucky people. No wonder in ancient India they said about such people that they were "changeable, like the thoughts of monkeys."
We love fairy tales no less. These are fairy tales in which supernatural power necessarily operates. All interest in a fairy tale is concentrated on the fate of a good hero.
Later, household tales appeared. They do not have supernatural powers, magical items, or animals with magical powers. In everyday fairy tales, the hero is helped by his own dexterity, ingenuity, as well as the stupidity and slow-wittedness of his opponent. The hero of an Indian fairy tale, the clever and resourceful Tenali Ramakrishna, skillfully deceives the tyrant king. In everyday fairy tales there is a hero, whom A. M. Gorky aptly called "an ironic lucky man", a classic example of which may be Ivanushka - the fool from Russian fairy tales. He is stupid, narrow-minded, but he has good luck everywhere. In Indian folklore, such a hero is a stupid brahmin - a clergyman. He pretends to be learned and smart, understands divination books, but in fact he is shaking with fear every time he needs to show his art. But invariably, an accident comes to his rescue every time, and the glory of a wise soothsayer is more and more firmly fixed to him. These are definitely funny stories.
The literature of each nation is rooted in oral folk art. The Indian epic poems "Mahabharata" and "Ramayana" are closely connected with Indian folklore. The authors of the ancient Indian collections of stories "Panchatantra" (five books of fables and stories) and "Jataka" drew motives, plots and images of their works from folk tales. In the literary monument of the 11th century by the Indian poet Somadeva "The Ocean of Legends" there are more than three hundred inserted stories: a fairy tale is intertwined there with a myth, then with an anecdote, then with a short story. Funny motifs of Indian fairy tales were included in the huge collection of "Old Tales", which appeared in the 11th century in Japan.
Centuries pass, generations change, and interest in the fairy tale does not dry out. Let the most modern format sound tempting in your home - audio fairy tales. Listen online, download and enjoy the folk tales of India!

"Brother Ambe and Brother Rambe" is an Indian folk audio tale about animals about resourceful mice who managed to outwit a cat in the processing of S. F. Oldenburg. "A cat lived in one large house, and there were many mice in the house. The cat caught mice, ate them and lived freely. A lot of time passed, the cat got old, and it became difficult for him to catch mice. He thought, he thought how ...

Indian folk audio tale "Stupid Crocodile", translated by N. Tolstoy. A fairy tale about animals: a predatory, stupid crocodile and a cunning jackal, who every time manages to outwit the crocodile and thereby save his own life. “Once upon a time there was a jackal in his hole near the river ... And a crocodile lived in the river. Every day he hid under the bushes near the shore in the hope that ...

"Once upon a time there was a sparrow" - an Indian folk audio tale from the series "Tales of the peoples of the world, volume 3 - Tales of the peoples of Asia, translated by G. Zograf. "Once upon a time there were a sparrow with a sparrow, and there lived - there was a king. They built a sparrow and a sparrow's nest in the royal palace. The king lived in the chambers, and the sparrow with the sparrow - in his nest. Once the king dressed up in a new dress - ...

"The Nightingale and the Cotton Bush" - an Indian folk audio tale about animals, processed by S. F. Oldenburg, - tells about the habits, in our fairy tale, of a nightingale. A fabulous explanation is given - why nightingales never sit on cotton bushes. The tale ends with the following words: "... The nightingale got angry and, when the birds flew away, he said to the cotton one ...

"About how the Sun, Moon and Wind went to dinner" - Indian folk legendary audio tale from the cycle "Tales of the peoples of the world" in the processing of S. F. Oldenburg. The etymological Indian folk tale reflects the natural world of India. In a fabulous way, the reason for the scorching sun in India is explained ("... from now on, your rays will be burning, and ...

Indian folk audio tale about animals "This is for that", arranged by S. F. Oldenburg. "Once upon a time there were two friends - a camel and a jackal, and the jackal said to the camel: - On the other side of the river there is a field of sugar cane. We will cross the river, you will eat sweet cane, and I will catch fish for myself, and we will have a good dinner. - The camel took the jackal on the back,...

Indian folk magic audio fairy tale "Good Dhir Singh", translation by A. and L. Barkhudarovs, volume 3 "Tales of the peoples of Asia". The fairy tale teaches kindness, sets off heroes with small deeds, separates good and evil. There lived a king. He was famous not for military victories, but for the construction of beautiful houses and temples. Good king!? He built the most beautiful palace. Too...

"Golden Fish" - Indian folk audio tale from the cycle "Tales of the peoples of the world", translated by N. Gurov. Tale of a greedy old woman and a weak-willed old man - a fisherman. Thanks to A.S. Pushkin - a plot known to all Russian fairy tale lovers. The audio fairy tale "Golden Fish" ends with these words: "... The old woman sits and cries bitterly: I looked at her ...

Indian folk magic audio fairy tale "Pepper seed", translated by N. Gurov, "Tales of the peoples of Asia" - 3 volume of "Tales of the peoples of the world". The mother had two hunter sons. One day they did not return home in the evening. The old woman was frightened - how can she live alone now: scared and hungry. A passing sorcerer gave her 6 pepper grains, ordered to put them in a jug, ...

"The Poor Weaver" is an Indian folk audio tale from the cycle "Tales of the Peoples of the World", Volume 3 - "Tales of the Peoples of Asia", translated by G. Zograf. A fairy tale about magical helpers, about a trusting weaver and a deceiver and a thief, an old woman who was taught a lesson by a poor weaver at the end of the tale. Himself "... since then he no longer lived in poverty." To listen...

"Three princes" - an Indian folk audio tale from the cycle "Tales of the peoples of the world" - 3 volume, "Tales of the peoples of Asia", translated by V. Balin. "In ancient times, there lived a king. He had three sons, one better than the other: both brave, and smart, and reasonable. When the king grew old, he decided to leave his kingdom and live the rest of his days as a hermit in a holy monastery ....

"Who is afraid of whom" - Indian folk audio tale from the cycle "Tales of the peoples of the world", translated by N. Gurov. A fairy tale about an evil spirit. "Not far from one village grew a tall tree. A rakshas lived on this tree for a long time - an evil spirit - a cannibal ... One day two women, two sisters, came there from the village, and stood under the very tree for themselves ...

Indian folk audio tale "Sant and Basant", translated by A. Barkhudarov, "Tales of the peoples of Asia" - Volume 3 of "Tales of the peoples of the world". Once upon a time there was a king and a queen, they had two sons. The elder was called Sant, and the younger was Basant. They were a happy, loving family. In the queen's bedchamber, a bird made a nest, and two chicks hatched there. Caring birds fed...

"Test of the Mind" - an Indian folk audio tale - a parable from the cycle "Tales of the Peoples of the World", translated by G. Zograf. The young king had an old adviser - experienced and wise. "... The young king highly honored the adviser and did everything as he said. They see the other courtiers in what honor the adviser is, and they lost their peace - envy tortured them. Everyone vied ...

Indian folk household audio tale "Stupid Brahmin" about a lazy and cowardly Brahmin. Brahman - a person from the highest - priestly class in ancient India. The god Brahma is the highest deity among the Hindus. Goddess Bhavani (who was prayed to by the unlucky but fortunate Brahmin) is a Hindu goddess, the mother guardian of the earth. Pandit is a scientist...

Indian folk household audio fairy tale "Tenali Ramakrishna's cat", translated by N. Gurov, "Tales of the peoples of Asia" - 3 volume of "Tales of the peoples of the world". About the resourceful poet and the need for wise decisions of rulers. "Many years ago, the clever and cheerful poet Tenali Ramakrishna lived at the court of the great king Krishnadevaraya. They say that he once called for ...

Indian folk household audio tale "Pull" about a clumsy boy and a savvy rogue servant, translated by G. Zograf. “Once upon a time there was a boy. Such a simple-hearted, slow-witted, he doesn’t know how to stand up or turn around. They invited him once to a wedding. So his father sent a servant with him. And the servant was very intelligent. All the way he instructed the boy to be a guest. ..

Indian folk household audio fairy tale "Son of a Pandit" (Pandit is a learned Brahmin), translated by B. Kuznetsov. "At the court of King Pradeep, poets and pandits were held in high esteem. Among them was one pandit named Vidyadhar - the source of knowledge. Vidyadhar's father, grandfather and great-grandfather were court poets. After the death of his father, Vidyadhar took his place. But from his ...

Indian folk household audio tale "What did the bear whisper in your ear?" has a similar plot to the Russian folk tale "Two Comrades". “Two friends were walking through the forest. Suddenly they see a bear. One, in fear, climbed a tree and hid in the foliage. The other remained in front of the bear without any protection. He fell to the ground and lies as if dead. He once heard that ...

The Indian folk household audio tale "The Deaf" is an Indian interpretation of what a funny situation happens when the speakers do not hear each other. "There lived a shepherd in the village with his wife and parents. And all four of them were hard of hearing. Once the shepherd was plowing the field, and two passers-by were walking by. They ask him: - We need to go to Ramnagar. What kind of ...

Indian folk household audio fairy tale "Light from the Temple", translated by G. Zograf. “There lived a rich man in one village, and there was a pond opposite his house. Once a poor man came to the rich man and asks for help. The rich man says: “You will stand all night in the pond, I will give you twenty rupees.” that he will not refuse the promise ... "...

Indian folk magic audio fairy tale "The Man Who Was Looking for His Destiny", processed by S. F. Oldenburg. There once lived a man. He had a wife and twelve children, and not a single rupee of money. The children were crying from hunger, and the parents did not know what to do. The man got angry with God and went to seek his fate. In the forest he met a camel with...

Indian folk household audio tale "Sweets from the sky", with a well-known international plot, incl. the plot of the Spanish fairy tale "When donuts fell from the sky", translated by G. Zograf. One poor woman lived by spinning thread. She had a son. Once she gave him the thread to take to the market - to sell. He goes, goes, looking - the lizard is sitting on the fence. Lizard...

Indian folk audio tale "The Rooster and the Cat". Once upon a time there was a rooster. And the cat often ran into the house, which always stole something from the kitchen. Every time a rooster saw a cat, he shouted ku-ka-re-ku, people came running and drove the cat away. The cat decided that it was necessary to lure the rooster into her allies. She promised him that she would take the rooster as a share ...

Indian folk household audio fairy tale "You are not averse to listening to a fairy tale", translated by G. Zograf - about a stingy housewife and a hungry passerby. There lived a husband and wife in the same village. They were very mean. God forbid a passer-by knock on their door. They won’t feed him, they won’t give him water, they will hardly find a place for him to spend the night, and they will even force him to work. I knocked on them...

Indian folk fairy tale "The Hunter and the Crow". The hunter had a crow. She fed with him, then flew away early in the morning and returned at night. She spent the whole day in the courtyard of the god Brahma. There she learned all the news and plans of Brahma and told the hunter what to do. No matter how hard Brahma tried to destroy the rice crop and arrange ...

Indian folk household audio fairy tale "Ugly name", translated by G. Zograf, "Tales of the peoples of Asia" - 3 volume of "Tales of the peoples of the world". There lived a peasant with his wife in the same village. His name was Thunthuniya. Every day, his wife said to him: - What an ugly name you have! Take yourself another - beautiful. One morning Thunthuniya went out of the house to look for...

Indian folk magic audio fairy tale "Pea and Bobok" is about kind and evil, hardworking and lazy, modest and arrogant sisters. There once lived two sisters. The eldest Bobok was grumpy and angry, and the youngest, Goroshina, was kind and affectionate. Once Goroshina called her sister to visit her father together. She replied that she did not want to go to the heat for the sake of the old man ...

The book is composed of fairy tales and folk stories from various peoples of India, selected from the books of the series, which was published by the Indian publishing house Sterling Publishers in English. The translation is accompanied by an introductory article and notes. For teachers and students, as well as a wide range of lovers of Indian culture.

01. SANTAL TRIBE
How time was divided into day and night | Wind and Sun | Hares and people | Son of a thief | How the bride was won | Riddles | Good lesson | Two brothers and panchayat | The Failed Bride | Bhuyan ruler
02. MADHYA PRADESH
Earth | Kesar and Kachnar | Sakti | Cunning debtor | Wise village chief | Lightning | Mali Ghodi
03. BIHAR
History of Arrach | Weaver | Veer Kumar | Old man and heavenly elephant | Black wooden doll | Sorathi
04. UTTAR PRADESH
Four true friends | Maternal love | Four blind men | Wise jackal | Pot of ghee | Vigilant Jat | Kana Bhai
05. ASSAM
Rani Kamala Kuori | Tejimola | Tale of four thieves | Legend of Goddess Kamakhya | Thief repentant of his sin | How did peacocks appear on earth | Waterfall Ka Likai | What causes an eclipse of the sun | Siem betrayed by his wife | U Loh Rindi and Ka Lih Dohkha | Legend of Sophet Beng Hill
06. NAGALAND
Knife grinder and cancer | Skin change | Why a tiger and a cat are not friends | Man and Soul | Two brothers
07. TRIPURAH
How the Tuichong River appeared | The giant and the orphan | History of twins | How deer lost their tails
08. MISORAM
Girl and tiger man | The story of a lazy lakher | Pala Tipang | Monkey pleasure | Animal spirits
09. MANIPUR
Rupa-Tilli River | Lost melody | Dog and goat | Girl and her snake father | Laikhut Shangbi
10. HARYANA
Why did the battle described in the Mahabharata take place on the field of Kurukshetra | When Raja Kuru owned a golden plow | Sikandar Lodi and Kurukshetra | Let there be salt! | In unity - strength | Roop and Basant | Mastery of Narada | Kalnyuga and Satyayuga | Why did the oxen stop talking? | Why are there flies in Panipat? | Who should marry? | Sarande | Resourceful guest | Jackal and narrow strip of paper
11. RAJASTHAN
Testament | When luck smiles | Finger of fate | Witness | Country girl from Rajasthan
12. GUJARAT
History of lotus | The king and his brave enemy | Sacrifice | Donkey | Goddess of fate | Gift of god Shiva | Mother of the village | Deer history | Rupali Ba
13. KASHMIR
Himal and Nagrai | What is better wisdom or wealth? | Revenge | Pearls | Magic spell | Maharaja of Kashmir
14. HIMACHAL PRADESH
Labor and gold | Blind and hunchbacked | Smart dog | Honest official | Legend of the Gorilla | Fool | Raja Bana Bhat | Beautiful dream | Impatient Moneylender | Revelation worth one lakh rupees | Sheila | Kala Bhandari | Mom | Three brothers
15. ANDHRA PRADESH
Komachi's move | Ungrateful and grateful creatures | The stick that didn't grow | Miser and needle | Shepherd's logic | parrot piety
16. TAMIL NAD
Somanathan of Kurnool | Brahman and tiger | Sage and oil seller | Lesson for the usurer | Cunning servant | Stealing a bull | When they remember | Two strikes for one rupee | Mirror | Husband is kinder than wife | A wife is kinder than her husband | Deaf, blind and donkey | Resettlement | Hunchback
17. Karnataka
Warrior Queen | Obama | Happiness and Mind | Raja beggar | Good liar | Appadji | The braggart and his wife
18. KERALA
Origin of castes and tribes in Kerala | Thiru-Onam Festival | Great actor | Birth of a great poet | Minister's innovation | Penitent sinner | The man who caught the leopard by the tail | Man in the well | Two servants | Uncle and nephew | How a man outwitted an elephant | Silence is golden | Difficult position of a small child | The servant who always told the truth | Nambudiri who traveled by train | Great Poet Born a Fool
19. ORISSA
Rani's revenge | Noble sacrifice | Four rules of conduct | How Kasia Met Kapila | Sudarsan gains wisdom | Why did the English captain bow to the rebel leader
20. MAHARASHTRA
Sati Godavari | Why don't birds live in houses? | Tree bringing in rupees | Legend of the Bhil tribe about the creation of the world | Fear of death | Pavandeva and his wife | killer of a thousand

The ancestors of the population of India came to this land from different parts of the earth. Therefore, today Indian tales are told by hundreds of nationalities inhabiting the country.

How to distinguish an Indian fairy tale?

Despite all the diversity of cultures, religions and even languages, the best Indian fairy tales for children have some peculiarities. The main focus of most stories are:

desire for knowledge;

religiosity;

preference for a righteous lifestyle;

putting family values ​​at the forefront;

inclusion of poetic forms.

Religious quotations and teachings are directly put into the mouths of some heroes.

Brief history of creation

Old Indian legends date back to before our era. Then they were created as teachings for the sons of the ruler of the country. But they already had a fabulous form, were written on behalf of animals. The oldest collection directly with fairy tales is Kathasaritsagaru, based on ancient beliefs in traditional Indian gods.

Gradually, all folklore plots took shape. There were magical, everyday, love, heroic tales. In the folk art of the country, many stories were composed about ordinary people who defeated all the hardships of fate. Fabulous notions about animals with all human qualities spread. They interacted with each other, denounced vices, praised virtuous behavior. Often the narrative included short advice given by the wisest hero. These are the stories to this day.

What attracts the amazing legends of India?

The fabulous fantasies of India attract with their amazingly colorful oriental color, storytelling style and, of course, the abundance of magical stories. At the same time, the child unobtrusively receives wise advice, forms the correct vision of the surrounding world of people and animals.

In this article, I want to tell you about the most remarkable moment in the literature of any people in the world. About the most beautiful and magical world - the world fairy tales.

In the life of any state, and any people, a significant place in literature is occupied by FAIRY TALES .

Fairy tales are different, instructive, kind, sad, funny, author's, folk, in general, different. But, they are all magical.

People believe in magic, and that goodness, truth and purity of thoughts will surely prevail over evil, lies and pretense. And peace, love and justice will reign in the world.

Indian fairy tales here is no exception.

The plots of Indian fairy tales date back to the times of old beliefs, traditional Indian gods. Who created the universe and all the blessings of the world.

Since the compilers of fairy tales traditionally came from the people, the heroes of Indian epics also became ordinary people, of ignoble origin, but strong in spirit and noble in soul.

Faced with injustice, thanks to their virtues, they come out victorious from different situations. In Indian folk tales, character traits of heroes inherent in the nation as a whole are always traced. This is the desire to lead a righteous life, the desire for knowledge and piety.

Each line is saturated with the love of the people for their own culture, they describe in detail the life of the inhabitants of ancient times.

Over the long history of its existence, India many times found itself under the yoke of Muslim rulers, which left a rather big imprint on folk art. The heroes of fairy tales were animals endowed with human qualities, which, according to the plot, interact with each other, like people. Praise the virtues and denounce the vices.

During the Muslim period, the Persian language spread to the territory of India, and the compilers of fairy tales began to put quotations from the verses of the Holy Scripture into the mouths of their heroes.

Inspired by the amazing originality and color of India, the English writer Rudyard Kipling created his best literary work, The Jungle Book, which brought him world fame and the Nobel Prize in Literature. The Jungle Book is a collection of novels and short stories with human and animal characters.

R. Kipling was born and raised in Bombay, and practically absorbed the spirit of India with his mother's milk, and all his life he selflessly loved this country.

Since childhood, we all know the story of the boy Mowgli, who grew up in a pack of wolves,and the fearless mongoose Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.

A stunning Soviet cartoon based on the Indian fairy tale "The Golden Antelope", which tells about a poor orphan boy who befriends an antelope and a greedy ruthless raja who only dreamed of stuffing his chests with gold. Which is exactly what he paid for.

Only the unusual and peculiar culture of India gave rise to Kipling's such bright ideas and interesting characters in fairy tales.

And in Indian folk tales, and in Kipling's tales, and in the author's tales of India, there is a lot of worldly wisdom that teaches us to always be honest and fair, help the poor and disadvantaged, and follow the path of good in life.

From early childhood, we all remember the fairy tale of the great Russian writer A. S. Pushkin, about an eccentric old woman, seized with exorbitant pride, and did not calm down until she lost all the wealth that had so unexpectedly fallen on her, and until she was left with a broken trough .

The image of an old woman is remembered for a lifetime, next to her is the image of an old man and a small goldfish, the giver of all blessings.

But, here we are transported to a distant beautiful India, to a small village of the Pengo people, who live in Central India and still retain the traditions of the tribal way of life. And what do we see?

Is it not the same old woman who stands before us, miserable, ragged, with hair sticking out to the sides like rods, sobered up after the loss of untold wealth and power that suddenly fell on her?

Of course, this is her voice: “Go, old, ask ... Let there be pantries full of gold in that house, let the barns burst from rice and lentils, let there be new carts and plows in the backyard, and buffaloes in the stalls - ten teams” ...

And she drives the old man to the golden fish, although in this tale it is not a fish, but a fish, but she also speaks in a human voice and is able to generously reward her deliverer.

It turns out a familiar fairy tale exists many thousands of kilometers from our country. People who are nothing like us. No customs, no language, no way of life.

Even in the last century, folklorists (collectors of fairy tales and folk art) tried to explain this similarity. A special Indian collection was created - an index of Indian fairy tales. The number of these stories does not exceed 550 issues. True, this index takes into account only the "living fairy tale"; mythological material, and "atypical" stories, which occur in less than three versions, were not included in this collection. It is quite possible that a more careful collection and registration of tales told in numerous Indian dialects and unwritten languages ​​will reveal many more plots to us. This collection offers the reader only a relatively small fraction of the fabulous wealth of India.

However, plot coincidences with the "literary" fairy tale are few.

The most significant group in the collection consists of tales common in the central regions of Northern India (the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana) as follows. How in these states the main written language is Hindi.

The collection also includes fairy tales from the states of Bengal, Punjab, Kashmir, Maharashtra; from the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, where they speak the languages ​​​​of a separate, Dravidian family - Telugu and Tamil.

In the preface to the collection, it is said in what conditions the Indian fairy tale exists, when and how its collection began. To everything said there, it can be added that as cultural and social transformations take place, the fairy tale in India is increasingly being squeezed out of everyday life, as it once happened in Europe, and then in Russia. Unfortunately, far from fabulous miracles, but deep social changes that are taking place before everyone's eyes, and changing the face of the country from day to day, now own the minds of Indian peasants.

The ranks of wandering "saints" - fakirs and sadhus - bearers of ancient legends are also thinning. Even children who study at school and know how to read, are now less and less pestering old people with a request to tell a fairy tale. Only the small nationalities of India still keep the old traditions, and sometimes you can see how the shepherd boys, gathered under the shade of a tree, listen to an old tale. Their cattle at this time lazily wanders around.

Indian folklorists are well aware that the vanishing richness of the living word can only be preserved by systematic and persistent work, which cannot be postponed until later.

After the liberation of India from colonial oppression, and the formation of a republic in different parts of the country - in Bengal, Bihar, Punjab, Braj - new collections of fairy tales and songs began to appear. In the new collections, folklore is mostly given, not in translations, but in those dialects in which they were recorded by the collectors of fairy tales. Ethnographers and linguists, researchers of small peoples and their languages, do a great job of collecting folklore.

All the efforts of these people are united by the Folklore magazine published in Calcutta, for those who are interested in Indian folk art.

So, read Indian fairy tales. Enjoy them, and once again make sure that India is a unique country and even the folk tales of India are special.

I also suggest watching wonderful Indian fairy tale movies in good quality. So, enjoy watching.

1. Eternal tale of love

The young princess gave birth to two twin brothers, who, by the will of the evil brother, were separated during childbirth. After 20 years, the guys became best friends, not knowing about their relationship. But the uncle dreams of the throne for his son and tries in many ways to destroy his friends. Thanks to the death of Dharam's loved ones, he learns the true truth. And that his real mother is the current Maharani. And that Prince Vir is his own brother. And that the hunter Javal is their real father. And now comes the battle with the evil uncle, who has teamed up with his partners against the brothers.

2. The Adventures of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

In the ancient eastern city of Gupyabad lived a cheerful and cunning woodcutter Ali Baba with his mother and brother Kasy-mom. One day, Ali Baba received a letter from his father, who left with the caravan and disappeared, and went after him to India. There he saved Princess Margina, the daughter of the Rajah, and returned with her to Gulabad, and his father died during the attack of robbers ...

Indian interpretation of the world-famous fairy tale about the adventures of the giant Gulliver on the island of dwarf people. Bollywood does not forget about children, regularly releasing its own versions of world-famous fairy tales. Moreover, they are filmed using modern computer technologies. The latest example is a new version of "Gulliver", the authors of which were nominated for "Screen Weekly Awards" for creating special effects.

4. Aladdin Magic Lamp:

The classic story about Aladdin and his magic lamp performed by Indian actors. Based on the fairy tales "A Thousand and One Nights". An evil sorcerer from the Maghreb knows the secret of the magic lamp. And in order to take possession of it, he uses the gullibility of a pure-hearted young man named Aladdin. After many adventures, the slave of the lamp - the all-powerful Genie - becomes Aladdin's friend and helps him fulfill his cherished dream.

I also bring to your attention cartoons based on the fairy tales of India filmed in the USSR. Favorite childhood cartoons.

Rikki-tikki-tavi.

Soviet cartoon for children based on the story of R. Kipling.

In one Indian house lived a mongoose named Riki-Tiki-Tavi. And although he was very small, he had no courage. Once, in the courtyard of the people with whom the mongoose lived, a cobra family settled, which wanted to get rid of people so that no one bothered them. But, Ricky won't let the snakes do the evil they have in mind.

Cartoon parts:

— Raksha (1967).
- Abduction (1968).
- Akela's last hunt (1969).
- Battle (1970).
- Return to the people (1971).

A film adaptation of R. Kipling's story of the same name about a boy raised by a wolf pack, who became his own in the jungle, defeated his enemy, the tiger Sherkhan, who performed many more feats, and, in the end, went to people.

Why do leopards have spots?

The very first leopard in the country of Tinga Tinga was Leoposha, but she was not at all like the leopards we see now. Leoposha was very modest and shy and always hid from outsiders somewhere in the grass or bushes. She did not like her usual black skin very much. It was extremely rare to see Leoposha. Once the monkeys managed to see Leoposha and they hurried to inform the rest of the inhabitants of Tinga-Tinga about this, but no one believed them. The monkeys decided to prove to everyone that they were telling the truth and set off to look for Leoposha. Together with them was Gadyush, who was not lucky, because the Elephant stepped on him and he could no longer crawl or wriggle. The animals left him alone, afraid that he would bite them. Leoposha saw all this and helped him get home. In exchange for her kindness, Gadyush gave her a beautiful skin.