Santhal Folklore – The Chicken & the Sly Fox
This story, The Chicken & the Sly Fox is taken from a book called ‘Saontali Lok Katha’ written in Bangla by Nandalal Bhattacharya, who authored a number of books on the collection of folk tales from multiple language-regions in India. The free form English translation is done by Amit Mukhopadhyay. The image is borrowed from the collection of paintings by Jamini Roy.
I have this story read out in a YouTube video. While you are there, please Subscribe to my Channel & let me know how you liked it in comments.
A long time ago there was a fox and a chicken. Both of them used to flock together. They considered themselves bosom friends. All the time they were seen to roam around together.
One day the fox suggested “Look, my dear friend, we do so many things together, but we haven’t yet hosted a treat for each other! I was looking for an opportunity to invite you for dinner. Why don’t you grace an evening to have dinner together at my place?”
The chicken acknowledged. “Yes, for sure! But why me alone, you too please come to my place to have dinner together.”
The fox agreed immediately! As if he was just waiting for the moment!
The chicken also seemed to be very delighted to have thought of hosting her friend, imagined a gala feast happening very soon!
The fox had a point to make. “Dear friend” he said, “whatever be the menu, we have to brew the beer to the best of our abilities, whatever be the menu, we don’t care! What do you say? Let’s plan it well, let’s start preparing for the beer, Let’s start from today!”
The chicken agreed, “Well, it’ll take a couple of days to brew the beer to the best of its aroma! So we’ll fix the date as soon as the beer is ready.”
The fox also loved the idea to begin immediately and both of them parts for their respective homes to start the preparations for the occasion!
To brew the beer the chicken gathered crops like paddy, corn, millet, barley & oats. Actually these are all that the chicken gathers for her regular diet, and she tried to brew the beer with those. On the other hand the fox started to gather all the stuff he liked to eat, like frogs, lizards, fishes, crabs and grasshoppers to prepare his beer.
In a few days, the chicken found her beer fermented well enough. The fragrance of freshly brewed beer spread around and the chicken got delighted & rushed to the fox. “Come home my dear friend, come home, my beer is ready to host you there and its aroma is irresistible now!”
The fox was also ready with his fermented broth. “Mine is also ready to serve, let’s begin the party!” Both friends agreed celebrate.
The fox said, “I propose to begin with mine.”
