New book brings to life time-tested folktales from Bihar

At a time when children are mostly found hooked to smartphones and gaming consoles, a new book with a riveting compilation of timeless folk stories from rural Bihar has sought to keep the tradition of storytelling alive among the Gen Z and Gen Alpha members.

A set of 37 stories - 'The Greatest Folk Tales of Bihar' - is grounded in village life, with interesting anecdotes and insights into folk language, culture and history of Bihar, fast fading in times of over-the-top and streaming TV-content platforms.

Brought out by Rupa Publications, the book by journalist-author Nalin Verma puts together tales that have traversed centuries and created a catalogue of oral wisdom.

Verma had earlier co-authored the autobiography of RJD chief and former chief minister Lalu Prasad -- 'Gopalganj to Raisina: My political journey'.

"Through my new book, I tried to pass on the knowledge of our rich traditions and folklore, which unfortunately the tech-savvy generation does not know much about," he said.

Among other tales, 'The Greatest Folk Tales of Bihar' presents a fascinating story of how natives of Daraili Mathia village celebrated the defeat of Pakistan and creation of Bangladesh in 1971. Many villagers had migrated to Dhaka before the Partition of the country.

The celebratory mood has been captured in the story, where villagers had then cheered Indian Army chief General Sam Manekshaw and jeered then Pakistan president Yahya Khan, belting out in unison -- "Ae Ahiya tu Mahiya chaata".

While 'Ahiya' referred to Yahya Khan (Pakistan ex- president), 'Mahiya' is a drink made out of the sugarcane -- grown in abundance in the region.

The book also highlights exploits of local heroes, with every story having an underlined message.

The author strove to remind the children of a time when villagers travelled in bullock carts for days and chaupals and community gatherings were their only recreation.

"I tried telling them (today's technology-driven generation) that smartphones can co-exist alongside folk tales, songs and popular lore," Verma added.