Wise Men of The East (Set of 6 Books)

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Book Specification

Item Code:	NAK121
Publisher:	Scholastic India Pvt. Ltd.
Language:	English
Edition:	2014
Pages:	621
Cover:	Paperback
Other Details	8.0 inch x 5.5 inch
Weight	580 gm

Book Description

This Set consists of the following 6 Books:
1. The Comic Capers of Sheikh Chilli (9788176558471)
2. The Wisdom of Mulla Nasruddin (9788176555708)
3. The Merry Mischief of Gopal Bhand (9788176559591)
4. Birbal The Clever Courtier (9788176558150)
5. Kunhaayan The Clever and The Kings of Malabar (9788184772562)
6. The Wit of Tenali Raman (9788176556033)

The Comic Capers of Sheikh Chilli

Author: Anupa Lal
Edition: 2014
ISBN: 9788176558471

Introduction

Who was Sheikh Chilli? No one really knows, but stories about him have amused generations of readers both in India and Pakistan. He has been portrayed as a fool, a simpleton, who couldn't do anything right! And as an inveterate daydreamer, building castles in the air.

Born a sheikh, one of the four major Muslim sub-castes, Sheikh Chilli was the son of a poor widow. Little else is known about him, making it impossible to separate fact from fiction in the stories that feature him.

According to one account, he was born in Baluchistan, in Pakistan; moved to what is now Haryana worked for many years for the Nawab of Jhajjar, and died in kurukshetra, where the tomb of Sheikh Chilli can still be seen. It is said that in his later years, he became a fakir. The Chilli part of his name could refer to his having performed a cbilla, i.e. forty days of continuous prayer. Whether this account is historically accurate or not, is of course, debatable.

Sheikh Chilli may not have had the wit of Birbal of Tenali Rraman, two other comic characters well known in the subcontinent; but to see him in his childhood and youth, merely as an object of ridicule, would be doing and injustice to the complexity of his character.

Sheikh Chilli was an innocent, whose attempts to conform to the dictates of society might have been laughable, but they were, for the most part, well – meant. Devoid of envy or bitterness, guileless and helpful by nature, he was seldom cunning enough to be called a shirker. He was a daydreamer – yes, at odds with reality. But who does not often dream of better times ahead?

The fact that there is a bit of Sheikh Chilli in each of us, accounts, perhaps for his long standing popularity.

Contents

Introduction	vii
A Tumbler of Oil	1
The Solidier	6
The Feverish Sickle	10
The Watermelon and the Thieves	15
Midnight Adventures 1	20
Midnight Adventures 2	26
The Nightmare	33
The Horse's Egg	37
The Kazi 1	42
The Kazi 2	49
Half of That	56
In the City	60
Visit to the in-laws	66
The Guest Who Would Not Leave	71
The Black Thread	76
The Courier	80
The Bottle of Oil	84
The Leopard	88
Chhotey Nawab and the Liar	91
The Capture	95

The Wisdom of Mulla Nasruddin

Author: Shahrukh Husain
Edition: 2014
ISBN: 9788176555708

Introduction

The mention of Mulla Nasruddin is often met with a smile. There are thousands of stories about the Mulla, retold by hundreds of people the world over. What makes them unique is that hidden inside the wit and the tomfoolery is true wisdom, if we take the trouble to look for it.

Who is this much – loved figure? Where does he come from? Is he a historical figure or is he fictional?

There are very few facts. The Arabs, Afghans, Greeks, Iranians and Turks all claim he is theirs. They all call him by local titles but mostly he is Mulla Nasruddin or Nasruddin Hoja-both titles mean 'teacher' or 'preacher'. He is believed to be a Sufi, who lived between1208-1284 and wandered the world. He had a great passion for truth and his simplicity was so extreme that he often appeared foolish.

Most people think he comes from Turkey, from Sivrihisar where the inhabitants are known to be a little strange or from Eshkishehir. The first written mention of him is said to appear in a manuscript dated 1480, called the Saltukname.

The facts don't really matter. Like all true folk heroes, he belongs to all of us. Stories about him have been passed around orally for seven hundred years. Like all stories that spread by word of mouth, they continually change to suit the moment, or the teller's purpose. The character changes, too acquiring the qualities of specific societies. For example, a wife or a parent may be added, another one removed. So we see the Mulla young and old; he is patient brave helpful or grumpy, mocking and greedy. His stories of society-poverty, snobbery, narrow mindedness and ignorance.

Whichever way you approach the Mulla's tales, they are sure to be enriching. And be sure to pass on your favourite ones to someone else.

Contents

Introduction	v
The Heat of a Candle	1
Don't Do as I Say	9
Earthly Glory	12
Mind Who Sees You	15
What is Equal?	17
Who's the Fool?	20
The Uses of Wisdom	26
The Honourable Coat	31
Up and Down	35
Upholding the Law	39
The Greater Need	42
Where There is Light	46
Tricking the Mulla	48
The Fruit of the Tree	51
The End of the World	55
Let the Turban Speak	59
Strange Town, Strange Ways	61
Fair Exchange	64
The Eternal Duck	70
The Runaway Basket	77
New Clothes	81
Dying to keep	84
The Life of a Pot	88
The Rules of the Game	91
The Donkey's Load	94

Birbal The Clever Courtier

Author: Anupa Lal
Edition: 2014
ISBN: 9788176558150

Foreword

These stories are among the many featuring Birbal, who was one of the cleverest and perhaps the favourite courtier of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Although the various incidents related here may not actually have taken place in the India of the sixteenth century, these amusing and thought – provoking stories have entertained generation of listeners and readers.

They are a well – known and much loved part of Indian folklore, along with stories of other court jesters like Gopal Bhar and Tenali Raman.

Contents

Foreword	vii
The Clever Courtier	1
The Six Fools	5
The Three Statues	11
Man versus Destiny	15
The Ride to Shivpuri	19
Hairless Palms	25
The Precious Relics	29
The Worth of a Beard	33
Hang my son-in-law	39
The III Omen	43
The Mango Tree	47
Shorten it	52
The Piece of Rope	56
The Tank of Milk	60
The Genuine Sanyasi	65
The Man Who Never Belched	71
The Test	75
Journey to Heaven	79
The Questions	89
The Two Merchants	89
The Green Horse	95

The Merry Mischief of Gopal Bhand

Author: Devika Rangachari
Edition: 2014
ISBN: 9788176559591

Contents

A Raised Royal Meal	1
A Sweet Dilemma	7
Measure the Earth, Count the Stars!	13
Fish and Frenzy	22
Cold Justice	28
A Dose of Advice	35
The Stick that Grew Small	40
The Mystery Scholar	45
An Unlucky face	50
Thief After Thief!	55
Prawns and a Tight Fist	61
Dreams and Flying Pots	69
Hair and a Bundle	74
What Lies Beneath the Earth?	79
Of Money and Other Bonds	85

Kunhaayan The Clever and The Kings of Malabar

Author: V.P. Muhammed
Edition: 2014
ISBN: 9788184772562

Contents

Introduction	1
Millet Porridge	8
Cock-a-doodle-doo	14
Off to Ponnaani!	24
Danger Averted – Cheap	31
The Barber	38
Finders Keepers!	45
A Dip in the Pond	53
The Gift Box	59
The Art of Water – Divination	67
Itch and Scratch!	74
Aele Maale Aele Maale	80

The Wit of Tenali Raman

Author: Devika Rangachari
Edition: 2014
ISBN: 9788176556033

Contents

Note on Tenali Raman	vii
Two Boons	1
Going to Court	8
The Biter Bit	13
The Care of Horses	21
The Famous Fruit	27
The Art of the Painter	33
The One Who Never Yawned	38
A Bee in the Royal Bonnet	42
The Bindle of Wisdom	46
To wager a Head	51
Danger in the Garden	54
The Snake in the Grass	60
Of Mangoes and Rods	65
The Bridal Shoe	70
Well Water and Hot Water	75
Less or More	82
Food for Thought	88
The Old Man and the Seed	94

Sample Pages
The Comic Capers of Sheikh Chilli

The Wisdom of Mulla Nasruddin

Birbal The Clever Courtier

The Merry Mischief of Gopal Bhand

Kunhaayan The Clever and The Kings of Malabar

The Wit of Tenali Raman