Book Review: Burmese Folktales by Madhu Gurung

Every country has its own folklores and Burma is no exception to this notion. Burmese Folktales is a children’s book in which there are twenty stories from forgotten kingdoms retold by Madhu Gurung. The stories covered in this easy-to-read book are purely for children because every story starts with the same opening statement: Once upon a time….

The Author Madhu Gurung heard these tales from the locals of Myanmar during her three years stay in the country on account of an army posting, since her husband is in the Indian Army. In particular, the stories are from undefined eras when only kings and kingdoms existed, therefore most of the stories involve kings, sword battles, kingdom expansion and invasion, and the test of mettle of rulers who often take the challenges to prove their substance.

The first story is about a crocodile brought up by a childless couple but as the crocodile grows young and arrogant, he one day devours the old man who had saved and brought him. However, in the next birth the old man rebirths as a magician and kills the crocodile to avenge his last birth’s humiliation. The story is about deeds and revenge.

The last story Udena and the Elephants is a long story in which a prince was born in a dark forest under adverse circumstances and he grows up with a powerful hermit who teaches him how to control and entice elephants by playing harp. When he masters the art, he goes back to his father’s kingdom, takes up the challenge and then after proving his worth and the identity he reclaims his princely status by becoming the king of that kingdom. However, soon he is abducted by a neighboring king so that the king can learn his magical powers. Udena makes his daughter fall in love with him and then one day they run away, spoiling all the plans of his enemy.

The book is well suited for children aged under ten. Overall all the stories in the book are like the stories told in the Hindu mythology. Mothers and grandparents can definitely look up to read these stories for their kids and growing children during bed time. Interestingly, all stories convey important messages and moral values to its readers, they aren’t just plain ones. For light and racy read, the book is perfect for any boring afternoon.

Comments

Poem Summary: Where The Mind Is Without Fear by Rabindranath Tagore

Poem by Rabindranath Tagore: Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high Where knowledge is free Where the world has not been broken up into fragments By narrow domestic walls Where words come out from the depth of truth Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit Where the mind is led forward by thee Into ever-widening thought and action Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake. Short Summary: This poem is written by Rabindranath Tagore during pre-independence days, when India was a colony of the British. The underlying theme of the poem is absolute freedom; the poet wants the citizens of his country to be living in a free state. According to the poem, we see that the poet is expressing his views there should be a country, like where people live without any sort of fear and with pure dignity…they should ...

Book Review: The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond

Among all Ruskin Bond books, The Blue Umbrella has, so far, gathered immense applaud from readers and critics alike. This is a short novel, but the kind of moral lessons it teaches to us are simply overwhelming. This is a story of Binya, a poor little girl living with her mother and an elder brother, Bijju, in a small hilly village of Garhwal. One day while herding her two cows back home, she stumbles upon some city people enjoying the picnic in the valley. She is enthralled to see them well-groomed and rich. She craves to be one like them and among many other things of their, a blue frilly umbrella catches her attention. She begins craving for it. On the other hand, the city people get attracted by her innocent beauty and the pendant in her neck. The pendant consists of leopard’s claw – which is considered a mascot widely in the hills. Binya trades her pendant off with the blue umbrella. The blue umbrella is so much beautiful that soon it becomes a topic of conversatio...

Character Sketch of Binya from ‘The Blue Umbrella’ by Ruskin Bond

The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond is a popular children’s story. It features Binya as the main character, though there are other important characters as well, but the story revolves around Binya and her little beautiful umbrella. The story is widely popular among children, thus it has also been included in the schools’ syllabus all across the country. Since it is often taught in the school, thus the character sketch of Binya is often demanded by students from year to year. Character Sketch of Binya from The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond Binya is the main character of the novel ‘The Blue Umbrella’ by Ruskin Bond. Her full name is Binyadevi. As in the hills or anywhere in India it is a kind of trend to call children with their short nicknames. Binya’s elder brother’s name is Bijju, whereas his real name is Vijay. Binya aged eleven is a hilly girl. She lives with her small family in the hills of Garhwal. Her father died when she was two years of age. For sustenance, the...

Kevein Books and Reviews

Search This Blog