The Truth About the Tooth
by Maria L.Denjongpa and illustrated by Chetan Sharma
“The Truth About the Tooth” by Maria L.Denjongpa and illustrated by Chetan Sharma. Published by Karadi Tales. A beautiful retelling of a Tibetan folk tale about the power of love and faith.
Tashi was a young man who had a cloth shop in the mountains near Kalimpong. His shop had clothes of various colours and designs. But he didn’t have the Benares Silk cloth which was the most beautiful cloth in the whole world. Benares was too far and it would take a long time to go there. Besides Tashi did not want to leave his old mother all alone at home and go.
However Tashi’s mother wanted him to go and fulfil his dream. She told him to visit Sarnath which was close to Benares as it was the city of the Buddha’s first teachings. She wanted him to bring back a memento such as a pebble or even some dirt as Buddha had walked upon the ground there once upon a time. Tashi promised to get her something better than dirt and set off to Benares.
Tashi was awestruck by the sights of Benares and bought as much cloth as he could. He forgot all about Sarnath and what his Ama had said. He remembered about it only after he reached home and Ama was disappointed. He started going to Benares every year after that but forgot to go to Sarnath every time. Ama fell ill one year and told him to remember this time as she did not know how much longer she would live.
Tashi forgot once more about Sarnath and was on his way back when he remembered to his dismay. Just then he saw a sharp tooth poking out from the ground. It looked like that of an old dog which had died. He decided to pass it off as the tooth of the Buddha to Ama.
Ama was overjoyed to receive the tooth from Tashi. She kept it in her shrine and started offering prayers to it everyday. What happened next? Did Tashi ever get a chance to tell Ama the truth about the tooth? Did Ama come to realise the truth? Does Ama’s faith really make the tooth special? The lovely story and the gorgeous illustrations which make the place and characters come to life make the book a must read.
I have been reading this story with my seven year old for the last 3 years and we have enjoyed it. I was intrigued by the storyline when I spotted this book on amazon and we had just done a trip to Benares and Sarnath. I bought it therefore as my son knew the context and Kalimpong got added to his list of places thanks to the book. Apt for children aged 5/6 and upwards.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Karadi Tales here.
An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.