Foreword

"The Great Indian Story Book for Children"

Stories play an important role in the growth and development of Kids. The books they read and the characters they get to know can become like friends. It's also good for children to understand that books are a valuable source of information and that good reading skills are important for success.

Children's literature is important because it provides kids with opportunities to act in response to literature; it gives students positive reception about their own cultural heritage as well as those of others; it helps students develop emotional intelligence and creativity; it nurtures their growth and development...

Dr Anshumali Pandey

(This book is also available on Kindle)

Part I: Author’s Favourite Stories...

Author’s Favourite Stories...

The Curious Case of an Indian Enclave

On 2nd August 1954, the small Portuguese enclave of Dadra and Nagar Haveli in India, sandwiched between Maharashtra and Gujarat (Indian States) was liberated by Indian freedom fighters.

The sunken ship Santana in exchange of Dadra & Nagar Haveli (Illustrative)

The interesting story is, how Dadra & Nagar Haveli went into Portuguese hands, in the first place?

In the 16th century, the Portuguese were on a roll establishing their stronghold over India. In 1510, they conquered Goa from the Adilshahs of Bijapur. This was followed by quick conquests of the northern part of the west coast of India. The Portuguese acquired Daman (1531); Salsette, Bombay, and Vasai (1534); and Diu in 1535. Within 25 years the Portuguese province stretched from Chaul on the Konkan coast to the island of Diu, which they lorded over for 200 years, until the Maratha’s came.

In 1739 the Portuguese faced a near wipe-out. In the Maratha-Portuguese war in 1739, the Marathas under Bajirao’s brother Chimaji Appa captured Vasai and with it most of the Portuguese territories apart from the little towns of Daman and Diu.

However, Dadra & Nagar Haveli was never a part of the Portuguese colonies in India to begin with. They actually went to Portuguese as a part of a ‘compensation package’ and remained with them through an strangeness of fate.

Till the 1780s, the pargana or administrative unit of Dadra & Nagar Haveli were under Maratha rule. Sometime in 1772, Janoji Dhulap, the commander of the Maratha navy had confiscated a Portuguese Warship named ‘Santana’ and sunk it. The outraged Portuguese had sent an ambassador to the Peshwa’s court in Pune demanding compensation.

At this time, the Maratha court was in chaos with several claimants to the throne. Also the first Anglo-Maratha war had ended in 1782 and the Salsette Island had been ceded to the British. The Maratha courtiers didn’t want added trouble, with the Portuguese mounting an offensive against them, or worse joining forces with the British.

To counter this in 1783, as a ‘friendly gesture’ the Maratha court offered the revenue from the 71 villages of Nagar Haveli as ‘compensation’ for the loss of the ship Santana. This was followed up by adding the revenue of Dadra, to the Portuguese kitty two years later. The deal was that the Portuguese would recover the cost of the sunken ship from the revenue and then return Dadra and Nagar Haveli back to the Marathas.

Fortune however had something else in store. The turmoil and infighting at the Maratha court meant that no one actually asked the Portuguese to return these areas. So busy were they fighting within, that they forgot to claim what belonged to them. The collapse of the Maratha Empire in 1818 after the third Anglo-Maratha war closed this episode and these areas remained with the Portuguese all the way till 1954.

On the night of 22 July 1954, Indian freedom fighters under the leadership of Waman Desai and Francis Mascarenhas sneaked into the territory of Dadra and took over the local police station, which had only three personnel. Soon other volunteers overpowered the Portuguese authorities and started taking over the villages. On 2nd August 1954, Silvassa, the capital was liberated and finally the Portuguese rule in these areas ended.

In the colonial history of India, the story of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, which were literally handed over and forgotten..., is truly only one of its kind.

The Emperor’s Daughters

A long time ago, a wealthy Emperor had three beautiful daughters. They had everything they wanted offered to them on a platter of gold. However, only one thing was lacking in their life, none of them had a husband, nor did they have a suitor. This made the Emperor very unhappy. He had food, but he could not eat. What shall we do now?

He asked his wife. I want my children to be happily married, but they think that no one is good enough for them. The Emperor’s daughters’ were however not bothered. "I want to marry the richest man alive," said the oldest sister. "I want to marry the most handsome man," the younger sister said arrogantly. As for the youngest sister, "I want to marry a Emperor like my father. Only he will be richer and more powerful. Oh! What a life I shall live being the queen of a great empire." Their mother the queen added, "Whoever marries my daughters will be a lucky man, seeing how beautiful they all are. Oh no! My daughters will only marry the best men in the whole land."

The Emperor’s heart was very troubled. He told his wife, "I’m finding my daughters men who will love and care for them. I will not watch them grow old without husbands and children." Do whatever you want, said the queen, but my daughters will only marry anyone who can tell their names. That way, I will be sure they are marrying the wisest man in the entire land.

It was announced throughout the land, that the Emperor wanted the wisest man to marry his children. Whoever could tell their names would be given their hands in marriage. The rich and famous went with gifts to the palace to try but they couldn’t guess the princesses’ names. No one ever called them by their real names. Everyone called them "the princesses".

Soon, every available man in the land had gone to ask for the princesses’ hands in marriage, but no one could tell their names. So, the tortoise, a very crafty animal decided he would give it a try. But before he went to the palace, he sneaked around the princesses, following them everywhere without their knowledge. Just when the tortoise started to think there was no hope for him, luck smiled on him one day. The princesses went apple picking on the outskirts of the town. The youngest princess was so excited that she started singing. As she sang, she called her older sister by her real name. The younger sister rushed over, and she did the same, calling their oldest sister. They ended up singing together, dancing and calling each other’s name. That was how the tortoise knew all their names.

He went to the palace and told the Emperor. The whole town gathered, and the tortoise said the name of each princess. Everyone was shocked. The Emperor had no choice but to give all his daughters to the tortoise as his wives. The princesses and the queen were extremely sad. But there was nothing anyone could do. And so, the tortoise started to take the princesses home as his wives. On their way to tortoise’ home, the princesses were so ashamed, that they each chose a very different lifestyle rather than become the tortoise’ wife.

And so it happened that since that day, no one ever saw any of the princesses again. The Emperor and queen were very sad, but there was nothing anyone could do. If only the princesses and their mother had known, they would not have been so proud and arrogant in choosing their husbands.