Nasreddin Hodja is the name of the wise fool in so many Turkish tales, and tales beyond Turkey through the Middle East and North Africa and far into the Balkans, into Russia, as far as India and China… Hodja Nasreddin had a lamb that was now fully grown. His neighbours came. ‘Nasreddin Hodja, your sheep is fat. Let us go and slaughter it by the river. The sun is shining. We will have a feast!’ ‘I don’t think so,’ said Nasreddin. ‘But, Nasreddin, haven’t you heard? The world is going to end tomorrow!’ ‘The world is going to end…? Very well.’ And they led the sheep down to the ... read more

The Defeat of an Animal Kingdom It was a beautiful animal kingdom in the forest. Instead of a lion being the king, a brave and kind hearted Leopard ruled the forest. There were no lions in the kingdom. All animals lived happily under the reign of the King Leopard. A wise fox was the minister of the kingdom. King Leopard always seeks suggestion from his minister to make any decision. One day, Leopard saw a new-born lion cub near a bush. He wished to look after the cub and asked his minister to offer his suggestion. The wise fox told the king, "It is not wise to raise a lion cub! We are ... read more

The Clever Boys It was a busy high way that connects all major roads in the city. People rush in their vehicles and it leads to chaos in the busy road. Driving the vehicles beyond the speed limit became the major problem in the city. A police officer decided to watch for the vehicles that are driven beyond the speed limit. He found a perfect place to hide himself to watch for the rash driving vehicles. Very surprisingly, one day, the police officer was very surprised that everyone who drove on the road was under the prescribed speed limit. There was none that crossed the speed limit. Out of ... read more

Once upon a time, there was a farmer called Ah Niu. Ah Niu was not a rich farmer but he was very happy. He worked in the fields with his only cow from dawn until dusk. This provided Ah Niu with vegetables to eat and extra crops which he would sell to the local villagers on market day so that he might buy other foods. Ah Niu and his cow worked very hard, but they were contented with their simple life and they did not complain as they had everything they needed. But one year, everything changed. The rains did not come and the farm land began to dry up and turn to dust. Because there w ... read more

This is a story about Akbar, the Emperor of India, and his loyal and witty advisor Birbal. It was a fine morning in the palace. The royal courtroom was buzzing with conversation as Akbar’s advisors awaited the arrival of their Emperor. Soon enough Akbar arrived, but he was not in his usual pleasant mood. He seemed bothered and frustrated. The advisors quietened on seeing the Emperor’s stern face. ‘What is the problem, Your Majesty? Is something bothering you?’ asked one of the advisors. ‘Today someone dared to pull on my moustache!’ exclaimed Emperor Akbar. ‘What punishment do you thi ... read more