Folk Tales From the Northern Region of India

Folk literature constitutes psychological, cultural and philosophical areas of growth and development of a country and in the background wholesome ingredients of folklores and folktales stay to reflect on a country's culture, ethos and heritage. India, with a scintillating variety enthralls everyone going into the depths of folklores and folktales making Indians exceptional in respect of behaviour, conduct and thought-pattern. If one analyzes and evaluates folk literature at the regional level, it turns out an enriching experience. An amazing unity, subtle eloquence, apparently intrinsic inconsistencies reveal certain distinctive features of synthesis linking Indians to indissoluble whole. A look at the folk literature of different regions despite variations in lingua franca, traditions, rituals and customs and cultural differences, conveys perennial truths in a spirit of harmony. A motivating intermingling of religion, myths and legends makes folk literature, a collection of tales and songs related to imagination and experiential life ever fresh and vibrant with the objective to warn, correct, educate and make man ethically strong. One discovers a unique blend of facts and truths about life through characters not of this world and yet having deep roots in earthly affairs if one turns to folk literature of northern states namely: Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh etc. One discerns some purpose and meaning behind each tale irrespective of its characters, size, locales and times, which speak eloquently of thought-patterns, ideas, feelings, customs, traditions, habits and cultural proclivities of people.