A Story and a Song is an enchanting folktale translated from Kannada and is included in the collection A Flowering Tree by A.K. Ramanujan.
SYNOPSIS
A Story and a Song is a translated Kannada folktale included in A.K. Ramanujan’s collection A Flowering Tree. The story revolves around a housewife who knows a story and a song but never shares them. Over time, the story and the song feel trapped within her. One night, as she sleeps with her mouth open, they escape and transform into a pair of shoes and a man’s coat, which mysteriously appear outside her house.
When her husband returns home and sees the unfamiliar shoes and coat, he assumes that another man has visited in his absence. This suspicion leads to an argument, prompting him to leave and sleep at the nearby Monkey-God’s temple. Meanwhile, the town’s lamps, which gather at the temple to gossip after being extinguished, discuss the happenings of the day. One flame, which arrives late, reveals the story of the quarrel in their house: the argument stemmed from the woman’s failure to share her story and song, which manifested physically and led to a misunderstanding.
Hearing this, the husband realises his mistake and returns home to reconcile. However, when he asks his wife about the story and the song, she has already forgotten them. The tale conveys the moral that stories must be shared; otherwise, they will take their own course and even seek revenge on their keeper.
ANALYSIS
A Story and a Song, translated by A.K. Ramanujan, shows the deep value of storytelling as part of Indian culture. In simple folktale style, it demonstrates how stories are not merely for entertainment but possess a life of their own and must be shared. The woman in the story keeps a story and a song locked within her, and they become restless. When they finally escape, they create confusion and misunderstanding between her and her husband. This leads to a quarrel, illustrating how silence and withheld expression can harm relationships. The lamps in the temple, particularly the one that tells the truth, symbolise the wisdom that storytelling brings. Ultimately, the woman forgets the story and song forever, reminding us that we may lose them if we don’t share our stories. The story supports oral tradition, which helps keep history, identity, and wisdom alive. Through this tale, we learn that storytelling is an art and an essential act of communication, healing, and connection.
A Story and a Song – A.K. Ramanujan – MCQ’S
WORKS CITED
Ramanujan, A. K., translator. A Flowering Tree and Other Oral Tales from India. University of California Press, 1997.
Natarajan, Nalini. Handbook of Twentieth-Century Literatures of India. Greenwood Press, 1996.
Ramanujan, A. K. “A Story and a Song.” South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA), https://www.saada.org/item/20130520-2876.
Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan is a teacher, bilingual writer and artist with over two decades of experience in teaching English language and literature. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of English at NSS College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Her blog, ashlit.in brings together academic resources, creative writing in Malayalam and English, and visual art. The platform features lecture notes, study materials, poems, reflections, short prose, and a curated collection of her paintings. Through this space, she seeks to foster learning, creativity, and meaningful engagement with literature and the arts.
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