#527 - Feathers, Fools and Farts : Manipuri Folktales Retold
by L.Somi Roy & Dr.Thangjam Hindustani Devi and illustrated by Sapha Yumnam
“Feathers, Fools and Farts : Manipuri Folktales Retold” by L.Somi Roy & Dr Thangjam Hindustani Devi and illustrated by Sapha Yumnam. Published by Penguin. A delightful collection of ten wonderful folktales from Manipur retold for young readers around the world.
The stories in the book have been told and retold for centuries by the people of the ancient kingdom of Manipur. Today it is a state of India on its north eastern border with Myanmar. These stories were narrated for the amusement of children and ended up being orally passed down generations of people. From grandmother to grandchild, mother to son or father to daughter. The stories are full of fun, adventure, amazement, wackiness, folly, magic, sorcery and a dash of scare as well. They give a glimpse into the culture and lives of the people of Manipur.
The stories feature a variety of animals, birds and insects in addition to humans. From a fraudster tomcat, to a silly rabbit who gets scared of its own fart, to a warrior toad, to a cowardly tiger who gets ridden upon like a cow, to a demoness with long arms, to flocks of graceful hornbills, to a smart white eye (a kind of bird), to an old couple who cannot control farting when in danger. The authors who are also the narrators claim that the book is not for those who do not enjoy a hearty laugh or a good cry. Definitely not for the scaredy-cats. They also warn that if one tries to commit the same folly as the characters, something strange might happen to them. They might get stung by bees or transformed into a tiger or blasted to space or even pooped upon. Read the incredible book if the above conditions are ok by you and you believe in strange stories.
The book proved to be an irresistible read filled with charm and wonder. It was like stepping into another world. Each of the stories had me and my almost 10 year old enthralled. The humour quotient ensured that we couldn’t resist giggling at quite a few places. The absurdity of some of the occurrences had us in splits as well. We were curious to know what would happen in each of these amazing stories. We were drawn into them thanks to the narration style and the endearing way in which the authors address the readers every now and then in a witty and charming manner. For instance Dear Calm One, Dear Geological One, Dear Attentive One, Dear Ornithological One, Dear Gassy One and so on based on the context. We were already familiar with this as we had read another book of myths by one of the authors last year called “And That is Why - Manipuri Myths Retold”. The illustrations done in the traditional Manipuri Subika art form are a visual treat and brought the scenes alive in front of our eyes. We loved the earthy hues of the colours used and the traditional style of course! The contemporary touches have been neatly woven in several places while retelling the stories which is something that we found relatable and appreciable.
The people of Manipur are familiar with each of these stories. Thanks to this book the stories can now travel far and wide to reach a much larger audience like us across the country as well as the world. It is heartening to see these timeless stories continue to amuse children and adults alike like they have always been doing for centuries. Despite it being exam season, we managed to read the book within 2 days. While on one hand we wanted to go on reading, we didn’t want the book to get over :) We couldn’t resist laughing about the cowardly tiger, the fraudster cat with his funny chants which we keep humming now (sa-mu ka-ka li-li ka-ka, Hurry Home Hurry Home, Om Money Money Come) and the old farting couple whose farts caused quite a ruckus :) Overall a MUST READ!
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 8 and above.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Penguin India, for review. Thank you to Mansi, from Penguin, for sending across the book!