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Desi Tales

The stories Desi families tell — Panchatantra and Jataka, the reasons behind the festivals, and small pieces about objects every household recognises. Each one is written to be read aloud, with a short note for the grown-up doing the reading.

A monkey in a rose-apple tree tossing fruit to a crocodile in the river below, in Indian folk-art style — The monkey and the crocodile — one of the oldest stories still being told. (AI-generated illustration)

Bedtime tales

The ones grandparents tell. Panchatantra, Jataka, and the trickster courts of Birbal and Tenali Rama.

The monkey and the crocodileOn telling a friend from a favour The blue jackalWhat happens when you forget who you are The brahmin and the goatThree liars and one honest man The lion and the hareThe small creature who thought first The monkey king's bridgeA Jataka tale about who carries whom The thirsty crowThe first story most Desi children hear Birbal and the khichdiA bet, a river, and a very small fire Tenali Rama and the catHow to obey an order exactly Vikram and BetaalThe riddle that cannot be left unanswered The mongoose and the snakeThe hardest story in the collection The four friendsDeer, crow, mouse and tortoise The talkative tortoiseThe plan was perfect, with one condition The brahmin's dreamThe original castle in the air Birbal draws a lineMake it shorter without touching it The mango treeHow to find out who is lying

From the epics

The episodes people actually ask about, told as standalone stories.

Shravan KumarWhy Rama had to be exiled Hanuman and the sunWhy he forgets his own strength Abhimanyu and the chakravyuhaHe learned how to get in Ekalavya's thumbThe story people still argue about

Grandmother's warnings

The rules every Desi child grew up under — and where each one actually came from.

All the warningsThe full list, explained Don't cut your nails at nightThe most universal rule of all Don't sweep after sunsetYou'll sweep out Lakshmi Don't whistle at nightSomething answers Don't sit on the doorstepThe threshold belongs to the house Don't praise the babySay mashallah first

Why we celebrate

The story behind each festival — the part children ask about and adults often can't quite answer.

Why we light lamps at DiwaliAnd why four different answers are all correct Why we throw colour at HoliPrahlad, Holika and the fire How Ganesha got his headThe story people are shy to explain The king who comes homeWhy Kerala welcomes a banished ruler The thread that protectsWhere rakhi comes from The nine nightsWhy a goddess had to be made The butter thiefWhy a god is loved for stealing The pot that boils overThe harvest that says "let it spill"

One object, one story

Small pieces about things every Desi household owns, and what they carry.

The steel tumblerDrinking without touching your lips The whistleHow a kitchen learned to count The biscuit and the dunkFour seconds, and not one more The steel almirahThe only lock in the house The white plastic chairThe furniture of every occasion The bag of bagsNobody started it; nobody empties it The tin that isn'tNothing contains what the label says The blue jarChest, forehead, and the soles of your feet The ceiling fanThe sound of a Desi summer

Last updated: 2026-08-11

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