Uttar Pradesh Folk Tale – The Lion’s Wedding – {Ep.242}

An Uttar Pradesh folk tale about Singham – a misunderstood lion. Hear how his fellow animals react to his upcoming wedding, and what he really should have done to make friends

Welcome to “Stories From India”. This is a podcast that will take you on a journey through the rich mythology, folklore and history of the Indian subcontinent. I am Narada Muni, the celestial storyteller and the original “time lord”. With my ability to travel through space and time, I can bring you fascinating stories from the past, the present, and the future. From the epic tales of the Mahabharata and Ramayana to the folktales of the Panchatantra to stories of Akbar-Birbal and Tenali Raman, I have a story for every occasion.

The purpose of the stories is neither to pass judgment nor to indoctrinate. My goal is only to share these stories with people who may not have heard them before and to make them more entertaining for those who have.

Today’s Story

In this episode, we’re doing a folktale from the Northern state of Uttar Pradesh. If you’re not very familiar with states in India, Uttar Pradesh is the most populous. If it were a country, it would be the 5th most populated country in the world. Naturally, that means the culture is very rich, and a lot of different folktales that have spread over the land, and over the centuries. 

One such story is about a Lion. Let’s call him Singham – because that word means – Lion in Tamil. And I get it, this is not a Tamil Folk tale, but one from UP. But hey, give me a little liberty to reuse a pop culture precedent.

The scene is set during the weekly tea party. The elephant was hosting, which was always great, because he never ran out of food. And it was vegetarian, healthy and all that.

“Say, you know what I heard on the grapevine?” the rhino asked.

“You were on the grapevine? Didn’t think they could take your weight” Monkey replied. She prided himself on being the authority on every kind of tree and vine there was. Perhaps you’ve come across her guidebook? Vine Vaulting: A guide to tree-top triumph.

Mrs. Genda, the rhino, laughed heartily which shook all the teacups. She had to explain that it was just an expression. A little bird had told her that a young lion was going to take over as the new King to their jungle.

Was it a lion? The rhino’s curious companions wondered.

“Of course it’s a lion. Were you expecting a porcupine?”

“Oh well, if he’s the tyrannical but lazy kind we may have to offer up one of our own as food to him everyday. Sabki Ulti Ginti Chalu,” remarked a particularly pessimistic rabbit, meaning there was a countdown to each of their lives.

“Of course – what else did you expect? It’s a jungle out here. For all we know, one day you may start eating me.” the fox reminded the rabbit.

Fast forward a couple of weeks later, the same crew had assembled again. And this time they were a lot more nervous than they had been.

“Did you see how sharp his teeth are?” the deer asked.

“And his roar frightens my whole family,” the boar said. “Not just in my home. Yahan se pachas kos door gaao me jab bacha raat ko rota hai, to maa kehti hain – beta soja. Soja nahim to Singham aa jayega.” Meaning even a hundred miles away, villagers put their kids to sleep with the threat that the lion might arrive. The lion, who was named Singham. But I guess you figured that out.

“But he’s just one, there are so many of us,” the monkey observed.

“Animals ka zhund kitna bhi bada ho, uske liye ek sher kafi hota hain” the pessimistic rabbit remarked. Correctly so – regardless of how large a group of animals they were talking about, one lion would be quite sufficient for them. Maybe it was the sharp teeth, or the roar, as some of the animals noted. 

“It’s mainly his fierce mane,” the camel said. “I can’t face him.”

“You certainly can’t,” snapped the jackal. “You’ve got three stomachs, and you still don’t have the guts”

“You don’t have the guts either,” the camel retorted. “Neither your own nor the ones you scavenge”

All through this, the turtle remained silent. 

“I could tell them a thing or two,” he thought. “But I won’t. After all, what Singham told me was a privileged conversation.”

You see, the turtle was a therapist. And Singham was his client. There was a confidentiality agreement between a therapist and their client, even back then. Though neither animal could have signed any such agreement, and if it came to it, there wasn’t a court of law to uphold it.

He cast his mind back to what had happened, just the day before. Singham had walked into his office. And the Turtle had cursed his own luck, believing this is what they called putting your head in the lion’s mouth.

But not immediately. For now, Singham was lying on his couch. It still terrified the turtle. But he couldn’t say no to anyone who came to him for help, could he? He had to remember his hippopotamus oath.

“What seems to be the problem, King?” the Turtle asked, cautiously.

“It’s my pride” the King of the Jungle replied, adding a roar that knocked over a vase or two.

“Are you talking about your family? Or your in-laws?”

“Neither. I don’t mean pride as in a social unit of lions. I mean a deep sense of satisfaction in my own achievements”

Singham roared his displeasure. “All I wanted was to take my place in the circle of life. I’ve been singing songs my whole life about how I just can’t wait to be King. And now when I am King, everyone hates me!”

The turtle made a notch in his notebook about needing to look up some of the symptoms here in his trusty handbook, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The turtle thought Singham’s symptoms exactly matched a condition called “Shellfeast Syndrome” a.k.a. “Terrapin Temptation Disorder”. And that immediately worried the Turtle. He hid the fact from the Sighman, because one other consequence of Shellfeast Syndrome was that the patient developed an irrational craving for Turtles, upon hearing their diagnosis. The therapist quickly changed the subject.  

“Do you think everyone really hates you, or do they just fear you?”

Singham considered that. “Well, according to Master Yoda a long long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to Anger, and Anger leads to Hate. So yes, it’s very likely that the fear is at the root of their hate. But let’s assume you’re right – what if everyone does indeed fear me? What then?”

“Have you considered packing your bags and leaving? I hear there’s plenty of demand for lions in Gir national park, and some of the animals there might be terrified of you. But the other lions and lionesses might have a more sunny disposition”

I know what you’re thinking. Should the turtle really be giving advice like that? But believe me, Shellfeast Syndrome is no joke. Too many of his family had fallen prey. And anyway, it had no effect on Singham.

“Out of the question. Yeh Jungle mera hai, or main is jungle ka,” Singham roared again, affirming that this Jungle belonged to him, just as he belonged to this Jungle. He expressed his frustration again “I don’t understand this beastly animosity. Mere saath kuch bhi karne ka, mera ego hurt nahi karne ka. I am just a regular good guy here. I don’t even eat other animals. I’m strictly on an insect diet”

This shocked the Turtle. “Insects?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes, what’s so surprising about it?” Singham retorted. “I eat insects. They’re slimy, yet satisfying. I learned it from this legendary Lion King of the past, it’s this mantra that I call Hakuna Matata. No worries, if you don’t understand it.”

“Oh, but I do,” the turtle replied, immensely relieved at this discovery that his patient was not in fact going to eat him before their session was over. “Here, have some gummy worms. I especially keep a well stocked supply”

“Ooh the little green filled kind,” Singham said, as he helped himself to a barrelful.

The gummy worms seemed to calm down Singham. 

“So my dear Turtle, old chap, what do you think I should do? I want to be friends with everyone. How do I get them to warm up? And by that I don’t mean physically – just socially.”

The therapist suggested a housewarming party. But that wouldn’t have worked. Singham’s den wasn’t large enough to fit the elephant, let alone anyone else. They brainstormed a bit, but ultimately Singham got it. “What if I invite them to my wedding?”

The turtle thought that was an excellent idea. That was the way to win friends and influence people out of their all-lions-are-evil-mindset.

But like I mentioned before, the Turtle couldn’t say a word about it. Privileged conversation and all that.

The animals dispersed without any bright ideas for dealing with their ferocious new King.

And just a few days later, Singham was doing the rounds trying to rally a crowd to his wedding.

His first target was the Monkey. It was tricky to have a conversation with the Monkey though. She was constantly on the move. And Singham could have sworn she was just running away. But finally, after several hours of chasing, Singham trapped the Monkey near a rocky cliff. With no vines in sight, the Monkey thought this was the end.

“Mischievous Mrs. Monkey, you’re making my mouth water!”

As Mrs. Monkey screeched, Singham quickly clarified “It’s an involuntary reaction to the chase. I don’t mean I’m about to eat you”

It took several deep breaths before Mrs. Monkey could slowly recover from the scare.

What exactly did Singham want?

Turns out he just wanted to invite her to her wedding. Singham also said it would be fantastic if she could come dance at his wedding. He had heard tell of her hook step and he was sure it would delight all the wedding guests.

Leaving Mrs. Monkey with an invitation and a shocked expression, Singham strolled off. Who was next on his list to invite? Ooh, it was Mr. Hathi, the Elephant. “Aali re aali, Mr. Hathi, atta, tujhi baari aali.” That just means it was the Elephant’s turn next.

Mr. Haathi found it hard to believe.

“I’m not lyin’” Singham said, sincerely, since he was after all speaking the truth.

“Of course you are,” Mr. Hathi replied, since he had no misapprehension about Singham’s species. He was very definitely a lion. “Let’s take the bull by its horns, and address the elephant in the room.” Mr. Hathi began.

“The elephant in the room right now is me, and my marriage,” Singham pointed out, adding to the confusion.

This line of inquiry was going nowhere, Mr. Hathi realized. How do you talk to a Lion who thinks he’s an elephant? So Mr. Hathi changed tactics.

“Have you considered seeing Mr. Turtle? He’s an excellent psychotherapist.”

Singham clarified that he had in fact been seeing him.

Mr. Hathi was encouraged by this positive sign that Singham seemed to be taking steps to get better at least. Certainly a lion who thought he was an elephant and not a lion, needed all the emotional support and encouragement Mr. Hathi could provide. “Don’t give up seeing Mr. Turtle. Carry on visiting him at his every waking moment. Camp outside his doorstep. If you see him relaxing in a hammock, tap him on the shoulder and remind him that he needs to be  doing more sessions with you.”

Singham did not pursue the subject further. He handed the invite out and moved on. Worst case, if Haathi didn’t come, that was fine. He’d get someone else to play the trumpet. Or maybe just use his spotify playlist, find a way to play it out loud or something.

That way all the animals got an invite to the mane event.

The Cheetah too. Despite the fact that he was, well, a cheater.

Between him and his bride, Singham got the Lion’s share of the invites. Perhaps unsurprisingly.

The wedding day was fast approaching. The animals had an emergency conference to discuss how to handle this. Going into the meeting, everyone was half-convinced that Singham meant well and this wasn’t just an elaborate ruse to eat them all up. But by the end of the meeting, everyone left convinced that Singham meant well only for himself and that all this was just an elaborate ruse to eat them all up. It just started with a simple remark from the very pessimistic rabbit, who said all the animals were on the menu. Purely by chance, the rabbit had heard something straight from the horse’s mouth. This being the horse in the village who did all the catering for big events like marriages and such. The horse was positive that the Lion had only ordered an assortment of bugs. He had not ordered a single item of meat.

Not knowing about Singham’s diet, the animals became convinced that the bugs were just for spices and garnish and all the animals were the entrees.

Only the Turtle knew the truth. But he still kept silent, choosing to remain loyal to a core principle of his profession. He decided to still go to Singham’s wedding. But he was the only one. The Turtle made it to the Kalyan Mantapa alright. But he got there a few days late by which time the Lion had already realized his folly in trying to be friends with everyone. If the Turtle really should have gotten a ride to the place, instead of deciding to walk over there. The damage was already done.

Singham was displeased. The fact that even the Turtle didn’t show up was an insult to injury. The Lion expressed his anger just one way he knew he could. He said “Atta majhi satakli”

Good news though, he didn’t actually fly into a rage and eat everyone up. Mrs. Genda heard on the grapevine that Singham and his wife moved to Gir National Park after all. They went there for their honeymoon, decided they liked it and just made it permanent. The other lions were initially apprehensive but realized they didn’t have any problems with it when they found this new couple would not be competing with them for the supply of deer.

That’s all for now

Some notes on the show

The intent of the original story was to caution against judging someone too hastily. But, in my opinion, that’s not the point. Of course it is in the nature of an animal to judge a lion by the ferocity of its roar. If you ask me, the animals were really playing it safe. It was in their nature to distrust a lion. Trusting him and paying for it with their lives would only have landed them a darwin award by offering themselves up for extinction.

That’s all for now. 

Next Time

In the next episode, we’ll get to hear the story of how the Asuras and the Devs were created

Feedback

I am extremely grateful for all the love and support all of you listeners are showing already. It would be amazing if you could also please share the links to the show or to the site sfipodcast.com with your family, friends and your network. 

Thank you also all for the comments on Social Media and on Spotify’s Q&A! I can’t directly reply to the questions there, but I’ll address them here on this show.

Glad you enjoyed your first episode Sakshi.

Bala – the dev and asura story is indeed coming up next week!

Ayra – thank you for the wonderful feedback. And yes, I will certainly do the next Chandrakanta episode at some point.

Thank you Aniv for the support as usual. I do have a Vikram and Betaal story lined up.

Samay – Ramayana too will come up. Thanks for your support.

Thank you Darsh for the generous praise. And yes Chandrakanta too will be up soon.

Moshroom – the Udupi Krishna temple has an interesting history. It sort of overlaps with the story of Kanakadas which I intended to cover very soon anyway. So I’ll work in an explanation of the temple as well.

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