THE MAGIC DRUM AND OTHER STORIES | SUDHA MURTY | BOOK REVIEW

 

THE MAGIC DRUM AND OTHER STORIES

Author: Sudha Murty

Publisher: Penguin Books

Age Range: 11+

Short Summary:

This book is also a compliation of stories by Indian author, Sudha Murthy. It has a total of 37 fictional stories which are all really good. From moral stories to funny stories, you'll find everything here. But since I cant tell all of them right now I will just give a brief summary about one of my favorite stories.

This is the 12th story from the book and is about how Chandrakant, a miser got into trouble all thanks to a coconut. One day Chandrakant had gone to a wedding where he was served coconut burfi which is an Indian sweet dish. He liked it so much that when he went home he asked his wife to make him some for him. So the wife asked him to get a coconut. So off Chandrakant went and pretty soon he found a coconut vendor. He asked him the cost of one coconut the vendor replied 'Five rupees' which is like less than an US dollar. An US dollar is 70 rupees so you can imagine the cost of that one coconut. But Chandrakant was a miser so he nearly fainted when he heard the cost. Guessing the expression on his face the vendor told him that there was a store in 100 kilometers(6 miles) where he would get a coconut for 3 rupees. So Chandrakant walked 10 kilometers but upon reaching the store he found 3 rupees a high price too. The vendor told him that in another 10 kilometers there was a store when he would get it for 1 rupee, so again Chandrakant walked 10 kilometers but then too he found 1 rupee a high price so the vendor told him that another 10 kilometers and he would reach the seashore where he could just pluck a coconut and get it for free. So Chandrakant walked and reached the seashore. He climbed up the tree and grabbed a coconut when all of a sudden a strong wind blew and he lost his hold to the tree. Now he was hanging on the coconut. He called for help but nobody was around. Just then a man on an elephant came and Chandrakant asked him to stand on his elephant and get him down. The man said he'd help him only if Chandrakant gave him 100 rupees. Chandrakant was shocked but he knew that he would break his bones if he stayed there so he agreed. But when the man grabbed his legs the elephant ran away. Now both, Chandrakant and the man were hanging on the tree. 

        To know how they got down you should read Sudha Murthy's The Magic Drum and other favorite stories which you will find online.

~Avani Endait