THE LITTLE PINE TREE Once there grew a little pine tree deep in the forest. It had needles that were evergreen. Yet it was glum. It said, "My needles are not as pretty as leaves. I wish I had golden leaves." Next morning, it found its wish had been granted. It had shining golden leaves. A man passing by saw the golden leaves and started plucking them. Soon the little pine tree was stripped bare. It again said, "I was wrong. I wish I had glass leaves. They would look pretty and no one would steal them. " The next morning the tree saw that it was covered with glass leaves. They sp ... read more

Tetan Buri… aha! Boka Buri… hmmm. Tetan Buri… aha! Boka Buri… hmmm. Tetan Buri… aha! Boka Buri… hmmm. There were once two sisters: Tetan Buri, clever sister… aha! And Boka Buri, foolish sister… hmmm. Tetan Buri and Boka Buri shared three things. They shared one blanket. They shared one cow. And they shared one mango tree. ‘Aha, sister. I will have the blanket during the night, and you will have the blanket during the day… aha!’ ‘Hmmm, very well, sister.’ Boka Buri only had the blanket during the day when the sun blazed down. But at night when it was cold she had to give the b ... read more

The Tale Of The Tyrant And The Butler Bernardo Visconti, the despot of Milan was in his day more feared than any other ruler was. Although he was pitiless, there was always a shade of justice in his cruelty. This is the story of a wealthy man and owner of one of the castles given to him by Bernardo. He was well known for his miserliness. One instance he was summoned to the court for having failed to feed his bullmastiffs (dogs), which had become vicious and attacked cattle. Therefore, he was condemned by Bernardo to pay a fine of four florins (gold coins). Upon hearing the amount, the mi ... read more

The Vain Stag A stag was thirsty. He went to a pool to drink water. The pond water was calm and clear. He bent down to drink water. He saw his reflection in it. When he saw his horns, he felt proud of them. He said to himself, "How beautiful and lovely my horns. While he looked to his legs, he felt sad and disappointed and cursed God for this injustice. He was yet to quench his thirst, when he saw a hunter with his hounds. Seeing his life in danger, the stag ran as fast as he could. He was soon out of sight. He reached a thick forest but unluckily his horns got stuck in a thick bu ... 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