Stories

Stories from Bengal

Before there were screens there was the courtyard after dark, a hurricane lamp, and a grandmother who knew exactly which tamarind tree the petni lived in. These are the stories Bengal told itself: the clever, the funny and the frightening.

Every story here is retold in our own words from the old oral versions, never copied from a book. Where a tale touches real history, we say what actually happened too.

Folklore · Bhoot Chaturdashi

Bengal's Ghosts: A Field Guide

Petni, shakchunni, brahmadaitya, the fish ghost and the voice that calls your name at night: who they are, where they live, and how Bengal kept them away.

Folk tales · Nadia

Gopal Bhar: Five Classic Stories

The jester of Krishnanagar who beat greedy merchants, jealous courtiers and a superstitious king with nothing but his wits. And was he real?