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Young World
Wit at its best
ROHINI RAMAKRISHNAN
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Eighteen stories that portray the wit and wisdom of Tenali.
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Many Indian children, are familiar with the stories of the hilarious yet thought-provoking antics of Tenali Raman. The wit of Tenali Raman captures the mood of the stories, exactly the way one experienced listening to them comfortably seated on one’s grandmother’s lap.
Whether, it is how he outwitted goddess Kali and received two boons or how he demonstrated to king Krishna Devaraya that everyone cannot be excellent in every field, or how he got rid of his unpleasant brother in law, or how he cleverly and repeatedly got out of sticky situations, especially execution sentences, the stories are simply told with out much elaboration.
This retains the main flavour of the stories, which are amusing and we are left stunned by the ingenuity of this court jester who lived in the early 16th century.
The note on Tenali Raman at the beginning of the book gives us the historical and social background of the man who holds his own in Indian folklore.
This brief note whets our appetite to know more about this court jester who was also one of the famous eight poets in the court of Krishna Devaraya.
This popular folk figure who hails from Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh, spares no one. Anyone who needs to be brought down a peg or two, especially if they are arrogant and discourteous, and even if it be the king (actually, especially if it is the king), comes to feel the whiplash of his wit and suffer his outrageous pranks.
Eighteen stories that portray the wit and wisdom of this Vikadakavi also highlight the concern he had for social wellbeing. By his exploits, he focuses on man’s folly and how in his own way brings in change. This book holds sway over both the young and the old as it contains gems that have stood the test of time.
THE WIT OF TENALI RAMAN, Devika Rangachari, Scholastic, Rs. 100
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