S L Sadhu | Kashmir Stories and Other Folklore
Kashmir Stories and other Folklore | Selected Works of Prof S L Sadhu
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Introduction Note
The original author of the content of this compendium, Prof S L Sadhu, spent a life-time teaching English language to students in colleges and in the University.
"Folk Tales from Kashmir " (circa early 1960s; Asia Publishing House), his first major publication in English, was widely acclaimed. His second major English publication "Tales from the Rajatarangini" was based on the history of Kashmir as depicted in the ‘Rajatarangini – The River of Kings’.
Prof Sadhu published a flurry of books in Kashmiri using the Persian script and among these were ‘Wutchaprang’(the flying chariot), Birbal, Qasaas and Wethe-hend-Malar. His last book, written in his twilight years, was ‘No Axe to Grind’.
A couple of years ago, it was discovered that his books were no longer available, partly due to the large time gap. We realized that it might just be an opportune time to revive Prof Sadhu’s books and writings.
The ‘Kashmir Stories and other Folklore – Selected Works of Prof S L Sadhu’ is an attempt to offer some of the more visible works of the author, a representation of his writings. This compilation depicts his style, his selection of the subject matter and his inimitable writing acumen.
The first section offers twelve Kashmiri folk tales from ‘Folk Tales from Kashmir’. The selection of tales depicts the entire gamut of Kashmiri folk saga. The second section comprises stories from eight episodes of Kashmiri history, as chronicled in the Rajatarangini. The latter presents a written record of the history of Kashmir over 5000 years.
The third section of this volume offers selections from four Kashmiri language publications of Prof Sadhu, written in the Persian script. These include excerpts from his books ‘Birbal’- a play, ‘Qasaas’, ‘Wutchaprang’ and Wyeth-hend Malar (Waves of the Vitasta River).
The fourth section offers several write ups from the last book penned by Prof Sadhu, ‘No Axe to Grind’, on matters pertaining to the Kashmiri society and its development.
We trust that this e-book volume would attract easy and wide distribution among interested readers. This volume will also be printed in book form for easy reference.
Sharad Sadhu
Editor
April 2024