Art Central
A World of Words
A jungle the author never saw, a book full of happy nonsense, and a king who must answer riddle after riddle. Discover more treasures from India's world of stories!
Did you know?
Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book stories are set in the forests of the Seoni region in Madhya Pradesh, where Pench Tiger Reserve is today. But Kipling never visited the area! He based his descriptions on other places in India.
Sukumar Ray's Abol Tabol, first published in Bengali in 1923, is a book of nonsense rhymes. It is full of silly made-up words and odd characters with names like Kumro Potash.
Vikram and Betal stories come from an old Sanskrit collection called Vetala Panchavimshati, 'Twenty-five tales of the Vetala'. A spirit tells King Vikrama a story ending in a riddle, again and again, 24 times!
Try this: Invent a Nonsense Creature
Sukumar Ray loved mixing things up. Join two animals to make a brand-new creature, such as a tiger and a butterfly to make a 'tigerfly'. Draw it. Then write a funny four-line rhyme about what it eats, where it lives and what makes it grumpy. Read it aloud in your silliest voice!
Go further: Prizes for Children's Books
In 2010, the Sahitya Akademi, India's national academy of letters, started the Bal Sahitya Puraskar, an award for children's literature. It honours writers in 24 languages: the 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, plus English and Rajasthani. That means there are prize-winning children's books in many Indian languages. Ask your librarian for one in a language you speak at home!