Under the Banyan Tree and Other Stories is a collection of short stories by R. K. Narayan, set in and around the fictitious town of Malgudi in South India. The stories range from the humorous to the serious and all are filled with Narayan's acute observations of human nature. The concluding story, Under the Banyan Tree, is about a village story-teller who concludes his career by taking a vow of silence for the rest of his life, realizing that a story-teller must have the sense to know when to stop and not wait for others to tell him.
This is the title story of this collection of tales by R.K. Narayan. It concludes the collection with the story of a simple village in South India called Somal, where an aged storyteller named Nambi lived. Nambi seems to resemble R.K. Narayan, especially in relation to R.K. Narayan during his later career. Nambi, like R.K. Narayan, was getting older as the years went by, as mentioned in the short story titled ‘Under the Banyan Tree’. However, every new moon or at least twice a month, he used to entertain the simple village people of Somal with grandiose tales which he narrated to them under a banyan tree in front of the temple of the Mother goddess Ma Durga or Shakti where he resided at that time, but no one really knew how old he was or how he landed up being the storyteller of Somal. Yet, every time a lighted lamp was placed in the niche of the banyan tree, the villagers all knew that Nambi had a story to tell and would gather to listen to his tales of kings, palaces, fantastic adventures, villains, and moralistic endings. One day after many years of entertaining the villagers, Nambi begins a story but cannot continue with it for more than a few minutes. He stutters, hesitates, and recedes into a sort of uncomfortable silence. One by one, the villagers leave the banyan tree to the dismay of Nambi. He is afraid that the goddess has taken away his power. So, he meditates upon her the whole of the next day and once again begins the story in public. However, he stumbles again, cannot form the words in his mouth, and recedes into another silence. As the days pass, this hesitancy and silence in telling a tale due to Nambi’s old age worsens. Finally, one day, he calls all the villagers to the banyan tree to tell them a wonderful story. The villagers assume that their old storyteller has, at last, got his powers of eloquent speech back and returned to their places under the banyan tree that night. To their shock, the storyteller tells them once they settle down that, that was the last day he was going to speak as he had lost his power of storytelling. He takes it in his stride, saying that nothing was truly his, everything was the goddess; when she had something to say through him, he spoke; when she had nothing more to say, he was silent. He then spends the rest of his remaining life till he dies in one great long silence.
Stone Soup is a European folk story in which hungry strangers convince the people of a town to each share a small amount of their food in order to make a meal that everyone enjoys, and exists as a moral regarding the value of sharing. In varying traditions, the stone has been replaced with other common inedible objects, and therefore the fable is also known as axe soup, button soup, nail soup, and wood soup.
Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami was an Indian writer and novelist known for his work set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early Indian literature in English along with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao.
Dreams is a 1990 magical realist anthology film of eight vignettes written and directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Akira Terao, Martin Scorsese, Chishū Ryū, Mieko Harada and Mitsuko Baisho. It was inspired by actual recurring dreams that Kurosawa said he had repeatedly. It was his first film in 45 years in which he was the sole author of the screenplay. An international co-production of Japan and the United States, Dreams was made five years after Ran, with assistance from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, and funded by Warner Bros. The film was screened out of competition at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival, and has consistently received positive reviews.
The StoryTeller is a live-action/puppet television series that originally aired in 1987 and which was created and produced by Jim Henson.
Konohanasakuya-hime is the goddess of Mount Fuji and all volcanoes in Japanese mythology; she is also the blossom-princess and symbol of delicate earthly life. She is often considered an avatar of Japanese life, especially since her symbol is the sakura.
Hugh Lupton is a British storyteller, one of the most prominent figures in the tradition of oral storytelling.
Edmund Lenihan, also known as Eddie Lenihan, is an Irish author, storyteller, lecturer and broadcaster. He is one of the few practising seanchaithe remaining in Ireland. He has been called "one of the greatest of Irish story-tellers" and "a national treasure".
The Financial Expert is a 1952 novel by R. K. Narayan. It takes place, as do many other novels and short stories by this author, in the town of Malgudi. The central character in this book is the financial expert Margayya, who offers advice to his fellow townspeople from under his position at the banyan tree. He is a man of many aspirations and this novel delves into some level of psychological analysis. The Financial Expert tells the story of the rise and fall of Margayya.
Spearfinger, or U'tlun'ta', is a monster and witch in Cherokee legend, said to live along the eastern side of Tennessee and western part of North Carolina. U'tlun'ta is Cherokee for "the one with the pointed spear”. Her right forefinger resembles a spear or obsidian knife, which she uses to cut her victims. Her mouth is stained with blood from the livers she has eaten. She is also known as Nûñ'yunu'ï, which means "Stone-dress", for her stone-like skin. Often she clutches her right hand tightly, because she is hiding her heart and her only weak spot, which is her right palm.
Vikram Aur Betaal is an Indian television series that aired on DD National in 1985 & re-telecast in 1988 after the hit Series Ramayan. The series contained stories from Indian mythology. The concept of the program was based on Baital Pachisi, a collection of tales and legends within a frame story, from India. It is also known as Vikram-Betaal. It is about the legendary king Vikram and the ghost Betal. The show aired at 4:30 PM Indian Standard Time on Sundays from 1985 to 1986.
Malgudi Days is a collection of short stories by R. K. Narayan published in 1943 by Indian Thought Publications.
Shashthi or Shashti is a Hindu goddess, venerated in Nepal and India as the benefactor and protector of children. She is also the deity of vegetation and reproduction and is believed to bestow children and assist during childbirth. She is often pictured as a motherly figure, riding a cat and nursing one or more infants. She is symbolically represented in a variety of forms, including an earthenware pitcher, a banyan tree or part of it or a red stone beneath such a tree; outdoor spaces termed shashthitala are also consecrated for her worship. The worship of Shashthi is prescribed to occur on the sixth day of each lunar month of the Hindu calendar as well as on the sixth day after a child's birth. Barren women desiring to conceive and mothers seeking to ensure the protection of their children will worship Shashthi and request her blessings and aid. She is especially venerated in eastern India.
Alaska Native storytelling has been passed down through generations by means of oral presentation. The stories tell life lessons or serve as lessons in heritage. Many different aspects of Arctic life are incorporated into each story, mainly the various animals found in Alaska. Due to the decline in the number of speakers of native languages in Alaska and a change in lifestyle amongst many of the native peoples, oral storytelling has become less common. In recent years many of these stories have been written down, though many people argue that the telling of the story is just as important as the words within.
Malamukalile Daivam is a 1983 Malayalam film directed by P. N. Menon. The film is set in a tribal village in Kerala where religious superstition and ignorance maintain stasis. A relatively intelligent boy escapes its oppressive confines and later returns, determined to bring enlightenment to the village. Gabril, Suresh, Sudharani, Kunjandi, Bala Singh, Lakshmi Subramanian, Unni Mary, Sathindran and Ranjith Kumar form the cast. Several critics consider the film as the most outstanding piece in Menon's filmography. The film won the National Film Awards for Best Regional Film and Best Child Artist (Suresh).
Copper Sun is a 2006 young adult novel by Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Sharon Draper. It was a National Book Award winner.
Banker Margayya is 1983 Indian Kannada-language film directed by T. S. Nagabharana, based on the novel The Financial Expert by R. K. Narayan, and starring Lokesh in the lead role.
Karaiyellam Shenbagapoo is a 1981 Indian Tamil-language thriller film directed by G. N. Rangarajan, starring Pratap Pothen and Sripriya. It is based on Sujatha's novel of the same name. The film was released on 14 August 1981.
Brihonnola is a 2014 Bangladeshi feature film directed and produced by Murad Parvez based on a short story named "Gaach-ta Bolechilo" by Indian Bengali author Syed Mustafa Siraj. The film stars Ferdous Ahmed, Sohana Saba, Azad Abul Kalam, Jhuna Choudhury, Intekhab Dinar. Brihonnola is a tale of the goodness inherent in human nature prevailing over religious prejudice and racial dogmatism.
Rocketry: The Nambi Effect is a 2022 Indian biographical drama film written, produced and directed by R. Madhavan in his directorial debut. The film is based on the life of Nambi Narayanan, played by Madhavan, a scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation, who was accused in the ISRO espionage case and later exonerated. The story spans across Narayanan's days as a graduate student at Princeton University, before exploring his work as a scientist and the false espionage charges placed upon him.
Nambi is the daughter of Mugulu, also known as Ggulu in some versions of Baganda mythology. In the Ugandan creation myth, it is Nambi and her younger sister who discover Kintu, the first man. Nambi helps Kintu throughout his journey and trials, and eventually becomes his wife and mother of his children.
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