FOLKTALES OF INDIA~Meghalaya|Maharashtra|Assam

India is indeed a country brimming with a rich and diverse tradition of folktales. These stories are integral to the country's heritage, serving not just as entertainment but as important conduits of moral values, cultural history and social beliefs.

First up, we have the story of the Khasi Cosmic Egg. The first recorded reference to a world egg occurs in an Egyptian Papyrus of the new kingdom period. Even the Chandogya Upanishad describes the original act of creation as the breaking of an egg into two pieces. The Cosmic Egg is present in may world mythology including the Diving Ducks's Egg in Finnish mythology, the Golden Egg in Hindu mythology. The Egg of Chaos in Japanese mythology and so on.

Let's have look at the Cosmic Egg from the Khasi's point of view. There was a time, when chaos prevailed as a form of a constant pitch-black night. All beings of earth then went to Goddess Synshar to plead for light. To solve this problem, she called upon every living creature on earth to step up and call forth the light by leading it to the earth. But, no living creature was able to do so. The very last among them - the egg - is the most humble and poor of all creatures. In all its humility, the egg approached the Goddess and enquired how was it possible for him to go, that top without clothes, hands and feet? He was too ashamed to go. The goddess then sends word again. The egg finally reveals that inorder to bring light to earth, it has to die. The goddess pities and promises that death will not be in vain. As soon as the blessing was made, the egg broke and out came the rooster in all his coloured feathers. The rooster crowed in a strong voice five time leading the light to shine on the earth. All beings saw their respective species and stuck to their own groups and chaos became order.

An alternate version includes the rooster bringing the sun's light back to earth after it went into hiding for being insulted on a night of festivities. Thus, from the cosmic egg emerged not only a rooster but also the God, the creator, U Blei Nongthaw, creating earth, heavens and all living beings.

Next up, we have the story of the bearded fool from Maharashtra. Once upon a time, there was a man with a long beard. Looking at his well-groomed beard in the mirror every morning made him very happy and excited. One day, while reading a book, he came across a line which struck his heart, "People with beard are fools!" This made his mind filled with uncountable questions. "Me, and a fool? Impossible!" Hours went by and he couldn't get over that one line. Finally, a decision was taken. He took a lit candle and burned his beard. Along with his baerd, a lot ofthings came to an end - his shining hair. His neighbours shocked at the sight questioned his state, and the poor man had no answer to it. Once a well groomed bearded man, now a man with a bald head and a burnt chin. Thus, we get to know that we must not trust everything that reaches us. A logical thought is the end game.

The last folktale is the tale of Tejimola from Assam. Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful, kind-hearted soul named Tejimola. Along with her lived her loving merchant father. After the demise of her mother, Tejimola's father remarried. Her stepmother, was way far from values like kindness and warmth. In front of the father, she succeded on carrying a facade of kindness. But when he left for a long journey to his business, the stepmother's cruelty stepped in. She forces Tejimola to complete every household chore. Moreover, Tejimola subjected to countless scoldings and inadequate food. Tejimola, a girl of gentle nature, would digest her stepmother's cruelty without giving it a second thought. Little did she know, this cruelty was about to cross boundaries. As time passed, the stepmother's envy transformed into a dark plan. She decided to get rid of Tejimola for once and for all. Since Tejimola was growing into a fine, young lady and soon will get married for a significant dowry. The stepmother thought of killing Tejimola keeping the riches instead. One day, Tejimola received an invitation to a friend's wedding. Apart from being thrilled, she was hopeful of the fact that she escape from her difficult life. And much to her surpeise, her stepmother encouraged her to attend and even packed clothes and jewellery. The only condition was that she would open it only after reaching the destination. After opening the parcel, Tejimola was received by tattered clothes and broken jewellery which made her disappointed. Nonetheless, a kind friend lent her some new clothes and calmed her down. Upon returning, the stepmother flew into a violent rage and in her madness took Tejimola to the Dheki. Dheki is generally a traditional Assamese wooden rice pounder. Firstly, the stepmother crushed Tejimola's hands, then feet, then finally smashing her head into the pestle, which killed her instantly. The stepmother burried Tejimola's body in the garden, thinking her dark deed was done. When the neighbours asked about Tejimola, she lied and said that she had gone to visit a friend. Days passed. Tejimola's soul would be trapped in an Assamese gourd, a plum tree, finally reaching her father who was coming back to his house. Tejimola's soul reached him as a pretty lotus, who shared her unfortunate fate.

"Dont's pluck me father, for I am your Tejimola. Your wife killed me and now I am this lotus."

To prove the fact that the lotus is really Tejimola, she turned into a bird. The merchant brought the bird back home and enquired where Tejimola was. The stepmother one agin lied, saying that she had gone to visit a friend. The merchant then asked Tejimola to turn into her original human form. The bird flew out of the cage and transformed back into Tejimola. The stepmother's wickedness was finally exposed, leading to her exile from the house. Tejimola and her father lived happily ever after.

The folktales festure themes such as victory of goodness over cruelty and resilience of the human spirit. Tejimola is not just a folklore but a piece of cultural identity.