Indian folk tales capturing global attention
Jul 15th, 2008 by Joe
A number of critically acclaimed animated projects based on Indian folk tales have recently appeared.
In June this year “Sita Sings the Blues”, an animated interpretation of the Ramayana, won an award from the prestigious International Animated Filmfilm awards held in Anncey (France). The Indian feature film, Return of Hanuman was also appreciated by the crowd.
“There is so much talent, culture and ideas in India,” says the festival’s artistic director Serge Bromberg. “You have everything. It’s unfair.” Bromberg’s observation is not off the mark. Indian folk tales, mythology and even tribal art are becoming content for animators from both within the country and outside.
Indian folk tales influencing animators worldwide – India Times
This reminds me of the Birbal tales Peta’s dad told her about a while ago – Peta has written (and written about) one of them on her personal blog:
When the wise man Birbal had made a name for himself, people came from far and wide to consult him.
This day, Birbal arrived home to find a pretty woman resting on his doorstep. “Come, come, sister,” he said, helping her to her feet. “I have some good mangoes here. Let us go inside, and we’ll share sorrows, eh?”
Seated on the floor of Birbal’s hut, the woman toyed restlessly with her fruit. “Ah, I don’t know what you can do, bhaia,” she sighed, “but the Emperor has arrested my husband! He has always been a faithful subject and devoted servant, and he works hard as a gardener for the Emperor but…Please help us. Please come,“ she wept, “I know my husband will want to see you.”
Birbal and the Faithful Gardener
and also discussion of the Birbal story
There are also the stories of the Pancatantra/Panchatantra. These are like Aesop’s fables in some ways. In India the company Amar Chitra Katha (I think, it’s been a long time!) used to, I don’t know if they still do, publish comic books of the old Indian stories.
My parents used to buy them for us as kids when we went around India visiting family in the early 1970s (yes, THAT long ago!) There was one I remember on the Panchatantra and another on Shiva, but my favourite was the story of Savithri.
Savithri was my mother’s name.