Stories live forever. They adapt, change form and survive through centuries. They proliferate in new avatars and travel across the globe. In the process, they impart wisdom, transform lives and leave an indelible imprint on the human imagination.
The Panchatantra, a collection of animal fables, written centuries ago, is one such story. Written in Sanskrit, around 300 CE, it continues to entertain and enlighten people with its charming tales. Through the centuries, it took on many avatars and evolved into various literary forms.
‘No other collection of stories has become so popular through the length and breadth of India. It has been worked over and over again, expanded, abstracted, turned into verse, retold in prose, translated into medieval and modern vernaculars, and retranslated into Sanskrit,’ writes Franklin Edgerton, Professor of Sanskrit and Comparative Philology, in his book, The Panchatantra Reconstructed.
Today, most of the stories contained in the Panchatantra have become part of Indian folklore. It has been translated into numerous languages globally, enacted as plays, narrated as oral history, and adapted as novellas, television series and comics.
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