Bhabani Books Xadhukatha (English, Hardcover, Troilokyeshwari Dev...

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Xadhukatha? is the Assamese term for ?folktales.? The tales in this book belong to the oral tradition like all folktales. These stories are simple and have elements like fantasy, magic and the supernatural. The characters include gods and goddesses and animals as well as human beings. Most of the stories have a moral although some, like the story Teton, are just simply pure fun. Set in antiquity, the stories have characters from different social classes and types. Kings, beggars, nobles and peasants, the saintly and the sinful, tricksters and bumpkins, the lazy and the industrious, the intelligent and the stupid are all to be found in these tales. An interesting aspect of Xadhukatha is the large number of stories having women as the chief protagonists. Some stories remind us of other folktales from around the world. The Monkey Bride reminds one of Beauty and the Beast. Troilokyeswari Devi Baruani has also taken from the Panchatantra (Bandor)and Vikramaditya tales (The Riddle) but presented them in her own style.