The Kashmiri Storyteller

Book excerpt: As darkness falls outside; and the chill sets in; Javed Khan pulls at his hookah and begins his stories... When Kamal and his friends gather at Javed Khan’s Kashmiri shop at Landour bazaar; he enthralls them with his stories—of princes and kings; fairies and magical animals; supermen and cunning traders. Come; sit around the fire with Kamal; Shashi; Anil; Madhu and Vijay while they listen to Javed Khan’s stories of the monkey bride; the man who got swallowed by a mosquito; the bent-up double beggar who angered a ghost; and many other tales from Kashmir and beyond. In this brilliantly illustrated collection; Ruskin Bond brings alive unforgettable folktales from the misty hills of Kashmir that will delight and enchant his followers both young and old