Many of you must have lovely memories of grandparents, specially of
your nani and dadi narrating wonderful stories
that transported you
into a totally
different world of kings and queens, magic, and Djinns.
Seema Naqvi decided to give these stories from her childhood a
permanent mould and wrote Tales that Dama told.
The basic charm about these stories is their simplicity. Reading them
you can just imagine a Dadi Amma or Dama telling these tales while
children listen impatiently as she pauses at just the right moments to
build suspense.
The book comprises of eight stories which cover many traditional
values. There is nothing straightforward about these stories and many
of them spring a surprise on you. In one story for example, a newly wed
nakhreeli bride eats only sparrows'' tongues -- or at least this is what
the poor groom who spends his days hunting sparrows is led to believe.
In another story, a Parakeet uses clever ways to get rid of a cruel and
horrible king who troubles everyone.
A couple of stories are based on encounters with Djinns, a favourite
phenomena with Dadi Ammas. In these stories we get to meet
naughty Djinns who impersonate as husbands and make the wives carry out various
tasks for them, or evil Djinns who terrorise villagers.
Most of the stories are there to be simply read and enjoyed and do not
seem to carry any particular lesson or moral. However, some do press
home a lesson, but even in these cases it''s done very gently in a way
that’s interwoven with the story and does not carry a particularly
strict moralising tone. An example is that of the naughty monkey who,
through a series of events becomes Mamoo Bander and learns that the
world is like an echo. What you give out is returned to you and
transforms his life into a peaceful and happy one.
Books like these are a wonderful way of focusing on Pakistani
traditions and culture and are a welcome change from reading just about
foreign cultures. They give a taste of old fashioned adventures that
take you on a trip down yester years into a different era and a
different time. Happy reading!
Book courtsey: Oxford University Press