This is a folktale quite popular in my country. We also had to study this in literature class and I really liked this story when I did that. I don't think here is an English translation available for this story. I have not changed much from the original tale, just a few things here and there.
Sishir Basanta Ko Katha
Translation: The tale of Sishir and Basanta
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a kingdom. It was ruled by a brave King who had a kind Queen and two lovely sons. The eldest one was named Sishir and the younger one was named Basanta. The King ruled over the Kingdom wisely and had loyal courtiers, the Queen was equally kind and loved. Their Kingdom prospered well.
One day, when the Queen was sitting in her chambers, she happened to gaze upon a bird’s nest. She saw a family of birds, saw the parents bringing food to their children. She saw them happy and smiled. The Queen would look at the nest daily after that. One day, the mother bird fell sick. She died due to her illness some days later. The father bird grieved and mourned for a few says and then married another wife. The Queen was shocked to see how the new wife of the bird family treated the kids.
This little pastime had a bigger impact on the Queen. She would often wonder what would happen to her precious sons if she were to die. This worry and the stress that came with it affected the Queen badly. She fell ill and her worst nightmares were slowly coming true.
The Queen knew that she was on her deathbed. She did not want her sons to suffer the same fate as the baby birds so she called her husband and made him promise not to marry anyone after she was already dead. The King tried to persuade her that she wouldn’t die, that the healers he had brought from lands afar would heal her. The Queen wouldn’t listen to a word he said, so he promised her that he wouldn’t marry anyone.
The Queen died shortly afterwards. The whole kingdom was in tears, every citizen was mourning, because all of them loved the Queen dearly. The King was depressed after his beloved wife’s death but he pulled himself back together. He had a kingdom to rule.
Sometime after the Queen’s passing, the ministers started to convince the King to remarry. ‘What’s a kingdom without a Queen?’ They argued but the King would have none of it. He promised his dead wife he wouldn’t. Even more time passed and the King too felt like he needed a wife. He forgot all about his promise.
The new Queen was beautiful, but equally hideous in the inside. She loathed the two Princes even before she had met them. She wanted all the King’s attention and his wealth, the brats were simply her competition. She also wanted her son to be the heir to the throne, not some snotty nosed brats of the dead previous Queen.
Sishir and Basanta tried everything they could to make their new mother like them. They were excited about her arrival and wanted to please her. All of their efforts only served to make her hate them even more.
One day the two brothers were playing ball in the garden. One big kick from Basanta caused the ball to spiral out of the garden and directly into the chambers of the Queen. They looked at each other both of them sporting the expression of doom. Sishir went to get the ball back and returned empty-handed and stunned.
When the king came back to his Queen he found her a mess. She cried and wept and exaggerated everything, blaming everything on the two Princes. She made them out to be bad in the King’s eyes. She demanded that the King throw the boys in the forest as a punishment. She wanted their hearts ripped out from their chest and brought before her for the insult they had given her. The poor King could do nothing but sit there and nod.
The Guard that was told to kill the Princes couldn’t do his job. He loved the two brothers and since he had been there since they were young, he always saw them as kids. He did not want to kill those kids. The kind Guard told them all about their evil stepmother and told them to leave this kingdom. He watched as they ran into the Forest. He watched as he saw Sishir mature in front of his very eyes. He bought two deer’s hearts and presented it to the Queen, who accepted it gleefully. He resigned the next day.
They were alone in the forest and no one was going to help them now. Sishir knew the bitter truth and he did everything he could to protect his little brother. He had to be the mature one now, he had to protect Basanta. He had to become the rock that Basanta would rely upon.
Night slowly closed in on them and they still hadn’t found a way out of the huge forest. It was getting cold. Sishir tried to light fire using two rocks he had found nearby but he couldn’t. Spotting a glimpse of fire a distance away, he went on to retrieve a flame, instructing Basanta to stay on the spot and promising him that he would be back. Sishir never forgot that promise.
Sishir walked and walked, the little flame beckoning him, teasing him and guiding him at the same time. However when he reached the place from where the flame was coming, the flame was already extinguished. It was already morning when he reached the big ornate doors where the fire torch was. He hesitantly pushed the doors open and started to walk towards what he thought was a Palace.
It was celebrations all over when he entered. Men upon decorative elephants welcomed him, women welcomed him with a flower garland. He was instantly crowned the King of this Kingdom and welcomed by everyone with smiles. The smiles did not reach their eyes. Their eyes were sunken from crying and full of sadness.
Sishir wanted to go back to his brother, he did not want to be the king of this weird place but he did not leave. He conducted all the royal proceedings smoothly, ignored the evil looks from his ‘Queen’ just as smoothly. He retired to his chamber in the end of the day, where he swiftly ignored the evil looks again.
The Queen was sitting at the bed, getting ready to go to sleep. Sishir sat down on the rug, his back facing her. “I hate this bloody system. Just what Kingdom crowns the first person they see as the king, huh?” He started to complain.
“Stop grumbling, you idiot. You are only making me mad by saying those thing to me.” The Queen shouted back.
“I was not talking to you.”Sishir said in his normal voice and resumed his complaining again.
“Who are you talking to then?”
Sishir turned towards her and brought two rocks in front of her eyes.” Meet Mr. and Mrs. Rock, my trusty companions.”
She looked like she was about to burst out laughing. “Rocks? Seriously?”
Sishir glared at her. “It’s not like I have anyone I can talk to with you giving me the ‘I am going to kill you the first chance I get’ look all day.”
“Actually it was the ‘It won’t matter because you will be dead tomorrow morning’ look.”
“What?” The two newlywed rocks sat comfortably in Sishir’s lap, both eager to hear the story behind the mysterious kingdom.
“You said you hated this system. We don’t hate it, we are just tired. Tired of crowning a king one day and finding him dead the next. We don’t know what happens but each and every one of them turned out to be dead the next day.” She explained.
“Why do you need a king for? You can rule this kingdom by yourself. I know you can. Your citizens love you and you have the determination and the strength to protect them and to rule well. So, why do you need a king?”
“It doesn’t work like that and you know it. Stop asking these pointless questions.” The Queen snapped at him.
“How long are you going to continue this tradition? 10 years? 20 years? Forever?” She remained silent and he continued. “Do me a favor and stop this. Yes, I know that females are seldom rulers but they can be better than males, I also know that.”
“Kopila.” Sishir looked at her confused. “That’s my name. Try not to die, Sishir, I like you.” She smiled at him and added stifling a yawn. “You can sleep in the futon over there. I am going to sleep.”
“I have a little brother waiting for me and I also have a promise to keep. I am not gonna die.” Sishir told her as he sat down on a chair. She smiled at him again and dozed off.
Sishir however, had a hard time sleeping. He did not even try to sleep, because he knew it was futile. He simply sat down on the chair and thought. He did consider escaping this Palace and trying to go back to his brother, but he eventually thought against it. There would be too many guards to escape from, and he might not even find a way back.
The clock chiming midnight snapped him out of his reverie. He looked in front of him, at the sleeping figure of Kopila and was shocked to see two snakes emerging out from her nostrils. Sishir looked at the snakes and then at the twin swords over the mantelpiece. He jumped towards the swords and managed to get one down and land gracefully at the floor. One of the snakes bared his fangs and shot up charging at him. Sishir brought the sword down with the grace of an efficient swordsman, managed to cut off the head of the snake. He did not hate his sword instructor now, that was for sure.
The other snake did not charge up, it simply slithered towards him and tried to attack that way. In a fit of desperation, Sishir threw one of the rocks at the snake. Needless to say, Mrs. Rock saved the day. The aim was perfect but the rug was too messy.
When Kopila woke up, she cried out in horror. “My Precious sword… my rug…” Her eyes traveled towards the room and landed on the culprit. They widened in shock as she looked at Sishir. “You are not a ghost or something, are you?”
Sishir gave her a blank look and then asked. “What were two snakes doing inside your nose?”
Kopila looked at Sishir and then at the carcass at the floor. One of them looked like a snake, the other was crushed beyond recognition. She looked at Sishir again and said. “So, I suppose you are the king now. Everyone will be thrilled to have a stable king for once.”
“You know, I don’t know anything about this place at all. I am going to need some help.” Sishir told Kopila as he made his way towards her, the rocks momentarily ignored.
“I am sure anyone would be glad to help you.” She said in response.
“I don’t want anyone else to help me, I want you.” He stood some paces in front of her and looked directly at her eye. “We are going to rule.”
“Why? Why do you think I can rule?” Kopila asked him, talking about their conversation from last night.
“Whenever Father was out invading kingdoms or countries or whatever, it was Mother who took control. She managed everything efficiently and everyone loved her. I always admired Mother for that. I can see the same determination in your eyes. I just said what I thought and I meant every word I said. You will make a great ruler, my dearest Queen.” He knelt down before her.
“Kings don’t often compare their Queens to their Mother, you know.” She gave him a dazzling smile. “I am going to enjoy keeping you around.”
The two of them gazed at each other’s eyes, flowers blooming all around them, the sound of soft music in the air. The moment was ruined because of a knock at the door. Sishir stumbled back and hurried back to the chair he was sitting before, just in time.
“Come in.”
The men came in and bowed before their Queen. They were obviously there to collect the dead body of the king and cerement him. So, they were plenty shocked when he turned out to be alive.
Sishir was surrounded by the people, his people in mere seconds. They were all happy, they were chanting his name. Their smile reached their eyes after a long time.
“All Hail King Sishir.”
They left shortly afterwards,to tell the entire kingdom about this great news. Only the Chief Minister remained. Sishir looked around for Kopila and found her already changed into her riding clothes and attempting to escape through the window. A quick glance at the Chief Minister and his fond smile told him all he needed to know.
“Will you please hold this for me?’ Sishir asked the Chief Minister, handing him his heavy cloak.
“Of course, Your Majesty. What…” Sishir was already out of the window before the minister could finish his sentence and was chasing after his Queen telling her to wait for him.
The chief Minister fingered the cloak before bursting out with gleeful laughter. Everything was all right now, they had found their King and their Kingdom would once again flourish.
~~~~ TIME SKIP ~~~~~
King Sishir was worried. It had already been more than a year after that fateful night and still there was no sign of Basanta. He had searched the entire forest himself, after he became King and had ordered many search parties to search for his younger brother but there was no sign of Basanta. When nothing had worked, he made a proclamation. He offered a reward of a big sum of money to anyone who could correctly tell him the Tale of Sishir and Basanta. Everyone that came were mere frauds, greedy for the gold.
"What if we don't find him? I want to find my little brother again. I promised him I would come back." Sishir, on the verge of tears confided to his Queen, Kopila one night.
In response, Kopila smacked him on the head. "This kingdom is not a normal place, I am sure you have realized it by now. You will find him. If you want something from all of your heart, the entire universe will conspire to give it to you." She said sagely before turned sour again. "Now go to bed, I've had enough of your whining to last a lifetime.
Sishir obediently followed his Queen's order.
Two travelers approached the guards early the following morning. Their faces was fully covered with thick shawls but it was obvious that they were a man and a woman. They told the guards that they were there to tell the tale of Sishir and Basanta. The guards warned them of what would happen if they were caught lying and then escorted them inside the palace.
The King and the Queen approached the weary travelers few minutes later. King Sishir ordered the couple to start their story.
"Before we start, you have to promise something, Your Highness." The man said to Sishir.
Both the King and the Queen looked at him questioningly and he continued. "Your Majesty, you will have to promise that you won't cry while I am telling the story."
Sishir looked at him and said, "I promise not to cry."
"Once upon a time, in a faraway land...." He started to tell the story. He paused when he reached the point when Sishir went to get fire. "I am afraid I don't know what happened to Sishir after that. Please forgive me, Your Majesty. However, I do know what happened to Basanta."
"Please continue your story, that won't be an inconvenience. You have been correct so far." Sishir urged him on.
The man cleared his throat and continued. "Basanta waited for his brother to come back for a long time. When he didn't, Basanta followed the path he had seen his brother take. The forest got misty, the road got tricky. Basanta walked on for days and days, surviving on what he could find in the forest. After walking for a long time, he came across a town. Hungry and tired, he fainted at the porch of a shop.
"The shopkeeper saw him there the next morning. Reluctantly he took him in and sent him to work in his shop. Business seemed to bloom when Basanta was there in the shop. All the customers loved him, everything was well.
"The shopkeeper got richer and richer. He got money and good luck seemed to favor him. In his greed, he started to dislike Basanta more and more. He began to blame Basanta for every little mistake and began to punish him even more. One day he devised a plan to get rid of Basanta. He called upon six Shoemakers and told them to make a sack of leather, a big sack. The shopkeeper sealed Basanta to inside the sack and threw him into the river."
Sishir had tried to keep his anger in check and his tears from flowing but he couldn't control himself after hearing this. Many things revolved inside his mind. Could it be that they were here to tell him of his brother's death? He wanted to deny that but really couldn't.
'Your Promise, Your Highness." The woman reminded him, causing him to get a hold of himself.
"I am not crying, Please continue." Kopila on the other hand was bawling her eyes out. She was shouting obscenities at the shopkeeper and looking positively murderous. Nothing the girl said would control her, or at least Sishir thought so.
"Basanta isn't dead." There was silence all over when she said that. Kopila wiped her tears and both of them eagerly listened. "The sack was found floating in the river by an old fisherman. He took the sack and was surprised to find a young boy inside it. He opened the sack. Basanta was nearly dead. The fisherman and his daughter managed to nurse him back to health.
"Basanta lived with the family after that. He learned the art of fishing and would then go with the old fisherman to the sea. He truly felt like home there and was always treated like a part of the family. The old fisherman died some months later, leaving his daughter with the boy he always saw as his son."
"Where is Basanta now? Please tell me." King Sishir begged.
"Wait. I got a question. Is--" Queen Kopila started but she was interrupted.
"Your Majesties, Please let me finish the story. I am sure you will find the answer to your questions by the end." The two nodded and she continued. "Basanta lived happily with the fisherman's daughter. Both of them loved each other very much but Basanta did not want to marry without his big brother's blessing. Not a day passed when he didn't think about Sishir, his elder brother." The man grasped her arm, as if silently begging her no to continue, but she ignored him.
"One day, they heard the announcement that King Sishir was looking for someone who could tell him the tale of Sishir and Basanta. They travelled to the Palace hoping to meet Basanta's older brother."
Sishir approached the man, now knowing how the tale was going to end.
"Basanta made his brother promise not to cry because he did not want to see his elder brother in tears."
Sishir stood in front of the man and took his shawl off, revealing his little brother's face.
"The two brothers reunited in the Palace."
It was a teary reunion. Basanta and Sishir hugged each other, both of them crying.
The girl gave a small bow in the end of the story and took her shawl off. She looked at the crying, hugging brothers and smiled. Kopila joined her shortly afterwards.
"Your Majesty." She greeted the Queen.
"None of that Your Majesty nonsense. We are family now, so call me Diju (older sister)."
"As you wish, Your Maj-- I mean Diju."
"Let's give the emotional brothers some space. Let's go to my room, shall we? It's been ages since there was another girl in the palace." She said walking towards her chambers, the girl followed her.
Everyone was happy and Mr. and Mrs. Rock were the happiest. The Palace had a double wedding of the two brothers. Everyone lived happily ever after.
This story also had a good closing common to our folktales but I couldn't translate it properly so I'll leave you at this.
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