Filled with serpent kings, long lost lovers, magical birds and seductive witches, The Legend of Himal and Nagrai is an enchanting collection of folk tales from a land as beautiful as it is misunderstood--Kashmir. In the title story, the serpent king Nagrai takes on human form to be with his one true love--the princess Himal. But despite Nagrai's warnings, when Himal doubts her lover's origins, all hell breaks loose. Will the star-crossed lovers ever be together? In 'Akanandun', having pined for a son for years, a couple is finally blessed with a beautiful boy--but on one diabolical condition. Will the couple be able to keep their word? In 'Shikaslad', a pauper goes on a quest to awaken his luck, which has been 'asleep' for years. Will he recognize good luck staring him in the face? These and twenty-six other delightful folk tales--painstakingly collected and retold by the author--bring to light the immensely rich, multicultural and largely undocumented tradition of storytelling in Kashmir. At a time when Kashmiri voices are being brutally silenced by an authoritarian state, this book is a vibrant tapestry celebrating Kashmiri life--in the words of its people.

First Published in 2000. This is Volume XIV of fourteen of a series on India- its language and literature. Collated in 1888, this is a collection of folk-tales by the author who was a missionary who had the primary object in collecting these tales was to obtain some knowledge of Kashmiri, which .is a purely colloquial language; and a secondary object was to ascertain something of the thoughts and ways of the people.

Timeless tales from all over India from Bengal to Bastar and Kashmir to Coorg, there are stories that have been handed down generations: bedtime stories for children, fireside stories for travelers, who have heard these tales, wondered at them and repeated them to others. In A Twist in the Tale: More Indian Folktales, Aditi De collects forty such stories from various parts of India and retells them with dollops of humor. A friendless crocodile, a timid mouse and a vain fox are among some of the eccentric characters that appear in this book. There is also a clever princess, a hapless priest with heron feathers flying out of his mouth, and galleries of rogues. Strange happenings are not uncommon, so a nail tree grows out of nail clippings and a beetle saves a man from the dungeons. Full of the details of everyday life, festivities and food, these ageless stories have seldom been so exciting and such fun. Accompanied by Uma Krishnaswamy's brilliant illustrations, this book will introduce the magic of Indian folktales to a new generation of readers.

Dedicating this book to my grandmother Lakshmi Wattal, without whom this book wouldn't have been complete.Stories in this book have been passed down to generations and some are with a message, there is one thing for sure a reader would connect to, it is the small rituals, everyday house hold traditions in a typical Kashmir Hindu household and more! I hope I have done justice to it. This book also intends to bring back childhood memories for those who like me lost their homeland and are still waiting to return some day, and for some it may present a glimpse of what a Kashmiri pandit life looked like back then and still is, even though majority of KP's don't live there anymore but are still living their values, culture and heritage! Hope you all will enjoy reading it! Namaskar and Om Shanti

As darkness falls outside; and the chill sets in; Javed Khan pulls at his hookah and begins his stories... When Kamal and his friends gather at Javed Khan’s Kashmiri shop at Landour bazaar; he enthralls them with his stories—of princes and kings; fairies and magical animals; supermen and cunning traders. Come; sit around the fire with Kamal; Shashi; Anil; Madhu and Vijay while they listen to Javed Khan’s stories of the monkey bride; the man who got swallowed by a mosquito; the bent-up double beggar who angered a ghost; and many other tales from Kashmir and beyond. In this brilliantly illustrated collection; Ruskin Bond brings alive unforgettable folktales from the misty hills of Kashmir that will delight and enchant his followers both young and old