Review: The Panchatantra Retold: Part 3 - Kakolukiyam by Sonal Panse
King Amar Shakti, a king living in Mahilarapya of ancient India, is not happy. His sons Bahu, Ugra and Anant show every sign of ignorance, counterintelligence and incapability that cannot be expected of royal blood and heirs to a powerful throne. Their father seeks advice on how to change them and Pandit Vishnu Sharma, a teacher of practical wisdom, is engaged to teach them.We learn along with Amar’s sons through the ancient folk tales of India that start off from a main story and grow into strings of stories emanating from one another, each giving a different perception to the matter at hand. From the tales we learn wisdom, strategy, forgiveness, trust, perseverance, betrayal, choices, decision making and so many more practical aspects of life.I had my favorites from the selection of stories. The one of the old man with a young wife who didn’t want to be physically close to him made me laugh. The three crooks who stole Mitrasharma’s goat was another funny one. The tale of the crows and the owls is of course a hard lesson to learn – enemies remain enemies. And the demon and thief who fought over who to go for his share first and lost it all also made amusing reading.All in all, this book is an excellent short read, entertaining for the way it’s written, and necessary for the practical wisdom it teaches.
