A story from Tripura.

The hornbill is looked upon in a different light in different countries. In Malaysia, it is considered a sacred messenger between humans and the divine. In the Zulu tradition, it is said to symbolize optimism because of its steady, upward gaze. In Tripura, it is associated with a terrible story which resulted in which the hornbill was created.

There was a man in Tripura, who loved playing the flute. One day he was so absorbed in playing the flute that he forgot to watch over his child. A bear came and snatched the child away. His wife and the mother of the child was heart broken and she cursed her husband. He would be reborn as a bird with a beak like a flute and it would have a raucous voice. Not only that but the male bird would be the one to care for the family flying great distances, foraging for food.

To this day the female hornbill takes care of the chicks in the nest and watches over them until they are ready to fly away. The male hornbill roams the forests in search of food for his family.

Dear ones, my heart bleeds for the infant being snatched away by the bear. I would have expected the bear to nurse the infant or dance to the sound of the flute.

Aim Hrim Klim

Tale 1 – About trees
Tale 2 – Two rivers in love
Tale 3 – The Peacock from Meghalaya
Tale 4 – The tears from Arunachal Pradesh
Tale 5 – A bird and a hot chilli
Tale 6 – The mermaid’s song from Puducherry
Tale 7 – Tigers are family
Tale 9 – Coconut palm
Tale 10 – Cuckoo cries all summer

Picture by CC BY-SA 3.0, Link