The Lazy Conman: Folktales from Nepal

by Ajit Baral

‘Do you not have eyes? Can’t you see that I am watering my tree?’ The merchant said, ‘But there are clothes on the branches.’ ‘Yes, I would expect a clothes-tree to grow clothes—wouldn’t you?’ Kakaji is a lazy man, much given to sitting around, until, one day, his wife kicks him out in a rage. After a series of adventures—which involve a tree that bears clothes and a dancing bear that shits silver coins—Kakaji comes home rich and resumes his life of indolence. Characters like Kakaji abound in The Lazy Conman and Other Stories, making their roguish way in the world with wit, charm and grace. The Uttis and Laligurans trees fall in and out of love; the mouse asks the sun, the clouds and the mountain, successively, to be her husband; and Death is trapped, for the first and the only time, on earth. The fox teaches the Brahmin an important lesson of life while gods walk the earth and actively take part in human and animal affairs. An engaging retelling of mostly oral folktales, these stories represent the mosaic of cultures that make up the Nepalese nation. With beautiful illustrations by Durga Baral, one of Nepal’s best-known cartoonists, The Lazy Conman and Other Stories affords a fascinating view of the social and cultural life of Nepal and a unique opportunity to sample the treasures of an ancient and rapidly changing culture.

Genres: Short Stories, The World

116 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 2009

Reviews

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Around the World: Nepal

[Namitha Varma · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I love folktales. I love them better if they give you some insight into the folklife as well. Ergo, I loved this collection of stories from Nepal because I learnt some new things while reading it - for example, I learnt about the community of Newars, the pre-Gorkha Nepal natives, and about some local legends, dishes, and lifestyle.

A few stories in this collection have their equivalent in Indian folktale history as well. For instance, my mom has told me the story of the rat woman who was looking for the greatest person in the world, and one of the Birbal stories I have read is about the barber who tries to get the minister killed.

I'm taking away 1.5 stars because some of the tales end abruptly, or haven't been narrated well enough. Otherwise, this is a delightful collection. I especially loved the stories with the most local touch - the story of Laligurans and Uttis trees, The Goddess of Tales Gets Angry, How the Newari New Year Began, The Story of a Jacket, and Why Yetis Don't Like Pine Forests.

[Abhinav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the tales made me quite nostalgic. This was a quick and enjoyable read and I sure will be telling some of these to my daughter when she is old enough. The illustrations really elevated the experience.

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of folktales was incredibly entertaining, and the 5-minute short stories were the perfect way to kill time in waiting rooms and checkout lines. Despite the occasional typo here and there, it’s a pretty excellent translation.

[Martha Chudy · Rating 3 out of 5]

These fables were fun. Generally, fables are not something I'd gravitate towards, but I enjoyed finding recurring themes in this quick little collection. The overall lesson? Laziness begets cleverness, and cleverness is often rewarded.

[Joes KTM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Folktales from Nepal... some are interesting while others make no sense. But it does give an overview of tales from different ethnic groups in Nepal.