Why the donkeys bray

 There once in an animal land lived all kinds of animals. The animals had a summit once a month where they had to share their ideas and problems. Each animal was given opportunities to share once in three months and most of the time, the donkey would only have the say of his problems which made other animals irritated. It would go on about what it does and how it is not being acknowledged and the list would go on and on. 

Pig’s flat nose

Once upon a time, the pigs looked similar to the dogs and ate grass like the goats. They were very arrogant and their grunt could be heard miles around. The animals found it difficult to sleep at night due to the grunts.  A piglet named Onk was very fond of laying a bet with the other animals and often won the wager but he was very silly. The other animals wanted to teach the pigs a lesson for disturbing their peaceful night came up with a plan.

Elephant’s tales - A real story

I met this lady who had come to see me one Sunday. We talked about her life since she had left her native village in Tashigang and got settled with a Lhotsampa husband too far away from her home. She shared her experience about her encounter with wild elephants that wanders into the southern villages in search of food during the summer and autumn season especially when the paddy is ripe. Hearing her encounter with elephants gave me shivers and made my hair stand on its end. Here is an incident shared to me.

The boy and the fox

A poor boy lived with his parents. They were so poor that they never had enough to eat the next meal. One day the father thought of a plan to work on their field and earn some money. He called his son and said, “son it is not wise to live as we are doing and I have decided that you will go and dig our small plot of land at the edge of the forest”. 

The stingy man

(The story was narrated to us by a marvelous Canadian story teller and a writer, Joanne LeBlanc-Haley. ) 

Once there was a farmer who had all regular kinds of animals on his farm. Among his animals was a very special rooster.

One day the animals were all looking for their food and the rooster too was looking for something to eat and was pecking around when he found a silver dollar.

Lunar eclipse – the myth

When I was a child I was always scared by the sudden darkening of the full moon and dread feeling it brought along with the pitch black darkness. I would drag along my mother’s kira-end along with my other siblings as she chanted “Om oh hung baza guru padme sedhi hung” and we would repeat in chorus till the moon came up again. Our neighbours and some elder children in the neighbourhood would beat the drums and whistle making a hell lot of noise. 

Waiting buffalo; the other side of the story.

I know that my ancestor had borrowed our thick fur from the buffalo when he went on a mission to get salt from Lhasa. Everyone thinks that he deceived his friend but not everyone knows the real story about what happened to him. I heard the story from my grandfather while grazing in the cold mountains of the Bhutan-Tibet border. He said that our great, great, great grandfather came to Lhasa on a quest to find salt for his friend.

Dendu and Leko

Every day, I deal with Tom and Jerry in my house. The house becomes a chaos during the weekends and holidays with everything thrown around and with lots of noise. Yes, I am talking about my children. When they were in their midst of their usual battle, I once called out “Zala dabu kentong soptu na” (literally means your bums may get burnt like the monkey) to my son when he tried to imitate his sister. He looked at me quizzically until I told them the story of the monkey and the hen which goes like this…

The waiting buffalo- in-depth story

Once upon a time, far away in the jungle, there lived two animals. They belonged to the same species yet they looked very different. Despite them being contrast in physical appearance they were very close friends and lived together in harmony.

The cat and the tiger

Once I narrated a story to my son. It was about a cat who taught the tiger how to hunt. The story remains his favourite even now. Here is the story…

The Waiting buffalo

Every time we wait for someone to arrive and are kept waiting, we always say “Nga chey mahey jodo marey” literally means “we are becoming the buffalo”. The saying is related to a story about a buffalo and a Yak. The story goes like this...

Hare’s split lip

Once, a hare was hopping along the path when it came face to face with a huge tiger. The tiger seized the hare and said that he was going to eat the hare.

“Please, please! Spare me” said the hare holding up his thumbs in supplication. “Please don’t eat me. I am only a very small animal and will make a very insufficient meal for a mighty creature like you. If you spare my life, I will take you to where you can find much bigger, fatter meal for your supper”

Kumbu and Kuchu

 In a small village lived two men called Kumbu and Kuchu. They were best of friends and were always seen together. They used to go to the nearby villages to earn their living.

The fool

Once there was a man who had a special sword which was passed down on him by his father. It was a family heirloom. The man was invincible in sword fight owing to the special sword.

The Imitating Neighbour

A weary traveler was returning from his business trip. He was very tired because he had run a whole day for some bandits had attacked his caravan and looted all his goods. The running had worn him out and the lack of food had exhausted him so he fell asleep as soon as he came near a cave. The traveler did not know that the cave was inhibited by an evil spirit.

The ruthless dove

Once there was a dove couple who lived on high trees by the edge of the valley. They lived very happily. They sang to each other in their marvelous voices and enjoyed each other's company. All the people in that valley enjoyed the song of these doves.
The days passed by and they had two offsprings. Everyday they flew over the hills and valleys to find food for their babies. The two offspring grew up very soon. They were very happy to have nice brood. They enjoyed singing and feeding on the farmers’ fields.

Greedy Friends

Long ago there lived two friends. They were best of friends. They were always seen together. One day they planned to go and rob a lonely lady whose mother had died a few days earlier. As per their plan, they agreed that one of them would hide at the cremation ground where the dead mother had been cremated while the other would go to the lady’s house. The other friend went to her house and told the lady that he was sent by her late mother to bring her gold coins so that she could present it to the god of death in order to go to heaven.

The lucky son

Once upon a time there lived a mother and her son. The mother was growing old and her son in his teens was utterly a useless boy, an absolute burden to his aging mother. He simply ate like a giant and slept like a pig. The mother was very worried to see her son, who was least bothered.

One day the lazy son wanted to go on a business trip. The mother was thrilled about her son’s idea.

The lucky wise man

Long ago, there lived a man who was known for being wise and genius and people from far and wide came to seek his advice.

One day a caravan of people led by a minister arrived at his humble dwelling. They were the representatives of a king from a neighbouring kingdom. The king had sent them to seek his valuable advice to safeguard his reign. As the request was from the king of the neighbouring kingdom, the wise man honoured his invitation and they immediately proceeded to the king’s palace.

The Half Burnt Log

Once there lived a couple. The husband was a merchant who had to travel to distant places to sell his goods. One day he was on a business trip, leaving behind his pregnant wife. He travelled for many days and nights exchanging goods in different places.