Tag: Literature

Literature Meaning and Definition; literature, is a physique of written works. The identity has historically stood utilized in these ingenious works of poetry and prose uncommon through the intentions of their authors and the perceived aesthetic excellence of their execution. It may also label by a range of systems, which includes language, country-wide origin, historic period, genre, and issue matter.

Generally described as the series of words, It stands for a deviated structure of language to categorical ideas, feelings, experiences, and emotions. It is described by one-of-a-kind dimensions including, origin, style, and system. The location of literature differs from the subculture and traditions of people. It stands regularly described as the resourceful and innovative shape of writing. infinitextbook.com

It is the skill of expression human expressing human feelings with the use of ornamental wordplay. In short, It is the result of innovative resourceful power. It stands described from 4 distinctive perspectives:

  1. Language
  2. Content
  3. Form, and
  4. Function
  • Social Media Event Planning Literature in Leisure Management

    Social Media Event Planning Literature in Leisure Management

    Literature for Social Media Event Planning in Leisure Management Essay; This study will focus on what social event planning is and how to plan a successful social event. Also, this study will discuss the entire process of social event planning. Additionally, there will be many issues revolving around social event planning and how to solve these issues. The literature surrounding social event planning for support will also discuss; and will use to examine the entirety of social event planning.

    Here is the article to explain, Social Media Event Planning Literature Review, Advantages, and Disadvantages in Leisure Management Essay!

    The study will involve the methodology of an interview with an events coordinator detailing; how to plan and deliver a successful social event and the issues behind the scenes. By discussing the overall findings of social event planning, one should take away from; this study a better understanding of what social event planning entails.

    Introduction;

    Planning a social event can be stressful and could be overwhelming to figure out where to start; and what is the best process to make the event the most successful. Different events should handle with their approach. Regarding social event planning in comparison to other types of events, the event planner should have more compassion; because the clients of these events tend to have more emotionally attached; for example, the social events are typically weddings, birthday festivities, typically family gatherings. Thus, social event planning should hold to a different standard than other event types.

    Social Event Planning Process;

    First of all, every event planner should start with the basics. What type of event is it? How long should the event last? Where should the event hold? How many attendees? The event planner can also start a feasibility study by asking similar questions. One should consider what all involve and what could go wrong by analyzing the internal and external environment. SWOT analysis or PEST analysis should undertake to best prepare.

    A SWOT analysis is a technique to make sure what are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the event. Alternatively, PEST analysis is a similar technique to establish what the internal and external environments are surrounding the event. Once these questions/answers, the event concept will develop, and more details of the event can then progress. The bidding process in the aspect of social event planning is slightly different.

    Process;

    For an event planner to obtain business from a client, the bidding process may include proposing an offer with a presentation that demonstrates that the planner is capable of handling the event. The pitch may include ideas, design, theme, budgets, risk assessment, and schedules. In every event, there should be a vision start to establish what the event will be in the end; so the event planning team stays focused on the goal.

    Once all the details understand and agree to, the social event planning process could officially continue to the next stage. By sitting down with the events team for a briefing to establish; what needs to be done within a certain timeframe; and by allocating certain tasks to different individuals, the event will be well on its way to success. Great communication is the key to the social event planning process; with not only the events team but with the clients as well.

    Literature Review;

    Social event planning has gotten easier with the help of technology. Not only, with the help of software to organize and keep track of arrangements of an event; but with the help of social media as well. Social media is the type of technology that has surprised a lot of industries in the past few years with being a huge reason why they have stayed afloat and even thrived. There are many examples of how social media has helped social event planning be so successful. For one, social media is a great way to market a company by giving the resources to share photos and stories of an event that plan; and prospective clients could intrigue to use that event planner’s services in the future.

    Also, social media has helped with getting involved with the social event planning industry by interacting with others in the same community and could help with having multiple types of vendors for a future event. Also, as shown in the article, “Wedding Professionals’ Use of Social Media” by Naehyun “Paul” Jin, Seungwon “Shawn” Lee, and Margaret J. Daniels, forty-four wedding professionals were surveyed and asked what marketing form of social media is most successful and almost 50% stated; “Wedding Wire is the most popular site for vendor reviews and a go-to source for engaged couples when they are looking for vendors”.

    Review 01;

    For social event planning, some basic issues are familiar to every social event planner. Firstly, time management. Time management should be the basis for every event planner. To prevent time from slipping away before it is too late, the event planner should outline short-term and long-term goals. Because social event planning can be very fast-paced; it is possible and critical to stay on top of all tasks at hand. Additionally, because social events have attendees; who are just that, social, the guest list may become larger than expected on the event day. During the social event planning process; one should plan some wiggle room to prepare for extra guests to arrive, just in case.

    Even though there is a basis for social event planning; there are some issues and concerns that have surfaced and revolve around the community’s feedback heavily. Socio-cultural impacts of events are a big issue; because the plans of the event could affect easily by the persuasion of the host community, as stated in the article; “Local Authority Planning Provision for Event Management in Ireland: A Socio-cultural Perspective” by James Hanrahan and Kelly Maguire. Another issue revolving around the planning of socio-cultural events is that “…events hosted over a prolonged period can implicitly impact community support for events.

    Review 02;

    This was seen in the case of the Croke Park Stadium concerts; where residents around Croke Park objected to five proposed and sold-out concerts on successive evenings. This objection was based on the perceived socio-cultural consequences generated by the proposed events…This resulted in the local authority granting event licenses for only three concerns…which subsequently resulted in the cancelation of all five concerts”. The article also states that if “there been planning provisions and guidelines implemented by local authorities before this case; event promoters would have avoided the implications of all five events being canceled; and a loss of earnings of over €50m for the local economy.

    Therefore, it is essential for planning to take into consideration socio-cultural needs to prevent implications to community support in planning for event management”. Another critical current issue found within social event planning is the increased attention on audience engagement. The social event planning process should include more creative solutions to engage the attendees. According to the article, “Event Experiences Through the Lens of Attendees” by Wei Liu, Beverley Sparks, and Alexandra Coghlan, “to encourage desired customer experiences, service providers must create the right setting and environment with elements that enable customers to connect with the service in a personal, memorable way…, leading to customer satisfaction and ultimately customer loyalty”.

    Review 03;

    Even though there are issues within social event planning, there are benefits as well. In the article, “Stakeholder Engagement In Event Planning; A Case Study of One Rural Community’s Process”; by Tricia Jordan, Fred Gibson, Brad Stinnett, and Deborah Howard, they stated that; “The more great events that we have in this community; the more people will want to come and live here, work here, and bank here. We are trying to look at it as a long-term vision rather than short-term payoff”. In this case, by planning more social events; the community will look more attractive and inviting to potential and current employees in a rural area.

    Discussion of Findings/Methodology;

    There have been many different methods to planning a successful social event; some may work better for others. By interviewing a professional, the discoveries that have surfaced from the answers given; show that social events can handle the same way as other events as long as one has a great team to rely on. Laura Becker, the Sales and Events Executive at Cliff Townhouse in Dublin Ireland, stated that; “Excellent planning with the events team and great communication with the team and clients from the beginning” is what makes an event successful. Becker also said that to best measure the success of an event is by the feedback of the guests and especially if the clients return.

    Becker spoke from experience and reflected on a specific client; who has been so satisfied with the events team and expertise that after the first event; which was the client’s wedding, the client has since been back to have her planned birthday celebrations, and is currently having planned a corporate event. To successfully stay up-to-date with the events industry; Becker specified that she attends event planning workshops and by going to these seminars; she can meet with others who share the same passion for the events business; while also learning new techniques. She also suggests that the right sort of software can help immensely with the planning process, such as Hotsoft, Outlook, and Tablepath.

    Strategy 01;

    Becker’s strategy for managing event budgets is by setting goals for events and mapping out expenses for each event to make better-informed decisions. Because the event planning process can be overwhelming at times; Becker explains that by having a very supportive team she feels confident enough to surpass the stressful times. As stated earlier, there are many steps required to have a successful event; Becker suggests that one of the first steps to the planning process is to prepare a briefing with the events team.

    She expresses that the most important topics to discuss in the meeting are budget requirements of the client, amount of guests attending, what type of event it is, food and beverage requirements, and to take note of the arrangements discussed to relay and confirm with the client. By having the role of an event planner, there often becomes times where multiple events are to plan at once. Becker suggests that to prioritize the time and resources to meet deadlines she must delegate tasks to the events team; and highlight the most imminent events and revert to the least urgent later in the day.

    Strategy 02;

    When handling last minute or unexpected setbacks before and during events; Becker discloses that by working efficiently and ensuring that last-minute changes can accommodate by the operational events team; while also making sure the guests still feel that the events team is there to make their event as successful as possible; and that the changes are not an inconvenience. Becker explains that she has found by working with different types of events, such as weddings and corporate events; that social events tend to be more time consuming and stressful; because the clients tend to be relying more emotionally on the success of the event; so more time and attention are put into the social event planning process.

    Benefits and Drawbacks of Event Planners;

    Event planners prepare an extensive form of activities, such as parties, ceremonies, and conferences. They control budgets, cozy lets in, pick out appropriate venues, broaden topics and set up for sound systems. These professionals can paintings in event control firms or open personal consultancy corporations. Although pursuing a profession in event planning is rewarding; you furthermore might take care of the challenges that come alongside it. The following Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media Event Planning below are;

    Increasing Growth;

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the employment of event planners will grow 33 percent between 2012 and 2022, 3 times faster than the common for all occupations. This manner that, in case you are a clean occasion-making plans graduate; you may not need to fill out numerous job packages due to the fact employment opportunities are many. For practicing event planners, you may change employers without problems on the lookout for greener pastures. With many companies additionally seeking comfortable contracts with event companies; starting your very own event planning agency may be similarly profitable.

    Gaining Recognition;

    Event planners often cope with many human beings in their everyday duties. Organizing successful events can cause an appreciation in your paintings and inquiries about you or your services. Although your process is to paintings behind the scenes, gaining recognition now is not the best way to improve the call for your offerings; however, also lets you meet and network with industry leaders and organizational heads; which is a critical aspect of a professional career improvement.

    Beating the Average;

    As of May 2012, occasion planners earned an annual common revenue of $46,000, in line with the BLS. The lowest earners made approximately $27,000, even as the very best earners netted $80,000. Given that the national common index for 2012 is $45,000 in line with the Social Security Administration, most occasion planners earned barely more, although marginally.

    Updating Skills;

    Although event technology has had a fine impact on this enterprise; it has added a brand new task to event planners. Because these professionals must paintings additional time and control tight budgets; they have to find more time to replace their expertise and technical knowledge on applicable digital technologies; which include teleconferencing equipment, to remain equipped and appropriate to employers. To try this, occasion planners should join in continuing training courses; which means they should locate extra time in their already packed schedules.

    Pleasing Clients;

    Event planners regularly face an assignment in organizing events that meet all their clients’ demands. For example, a corporation can settlement an event planner on brief notice to arrange a convention and anticipate a wonderfully prepared occasion. The planner has to mobilize his personnel, at times hiring extra employees to conquer the deadline and work extra time to address other logistical operations. Some clients additionally demand high-priced ultimate-minute changes, which can be annoying to enforce.

    Meeting the Requirements;

    Event planners ought to meet high minimal employment necessities for entry-stage positions. They typically need to earn as a minimum a bachelor’s degree in event-making plans or a carefully associated subject and secure an enterprise certification. With paintings obligations turning into extra complicated, employers are growing a desire for individuals with extra backgrounds in advertising or public relations and industry to revel in. Unlike different occupations that rent individuals with diplomas or associate ranges for entry-degree jobs; event planners regularly have to spend at least four years studying earlier than they can qualify for employment.

    Social Media Event Planning Literature Review Advantages and Disadvantages in Leisure Management Essay Image
    Social Media Event Planning Literature Review, Advantages, and Disadvantages in Leisure Management Essay; Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay.

    References; Literature for Social Event Planning. Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/leisure-management/literature-for-social-event-planning-8798.php?vref=1

    Conclusion;

    Even though every type of event shares the same basic planning process, social event planning should handle slightly differently. Social event planning is more difficult than other types of events; because there is typically more sentiment behind each detail of the event. In comparison to other types of event planning, the clients of social events have a slightly different experience. They are inclined to be more thankful to their guests for attending; because they typically do not pay to be there; unlike other types of events, so since the attendees do not have a financial obligation to commit to attending to the event; the planning of the social event should always consider that the numbers of attendees are not guaranteed.

    As stated earlier, social event planning should hold to a different standard; because when changes or setbacks occur during the event; there is instant action taken place and personal reassurance to all attendees and the client that even though there are obstacles to overcome; it will take care of immediately.

    Final;

    Additionally, the study underlines that social media has helped the social event planning process specifically; because both clients and social event planners can receive feedback; and engage with one another which will entail a better experience in the future. Social media has even helped with contacting new vendors and staying up to date with the social events industry.

    Also, there are issues involved with social event planning like, socio-cultural impacts of events that could hinder the planning of the social event by not interacting with the community; and the issue of anticipating the experience of the attendees and how to interpret those issues. Even though there are current issues such as these, they can resolve and prevent them from happening in the future. With the help of the primary research of the interview from a sales; and events executive, evidence was shown firsthand that; if a social event plan properly and successfully, clients will motivate to return; and incline to spread their great experience on to others, which will create more demand.

  • How to Write Literature Review for me with an example?

    How to Write Literature Review for me with an example?

    Write Literature Review for me – How to write a review of literature online with an example? A review of literature is a comprehensive summary of previous research on a topic, a survey of the academic view. Literature search examines scientific articles, books, and other sources related to a particular field of study. The review should include, describe, summarize, objectively evaluate and clarify this previous research. It should provide a theoretical basis for the research and help you (the author) determine the nature of your research. Also, A literature search takes into account the work of previous researchers and assures the reader that your work is well thought out. It is assumed that by mentioning a previous work in the field of research, the author has read, assessed, and included it in the work.

    Here is the article to explain, How to Write a Literature Review for me with an example?

    Literature research creates a “landscape” for the reader which provides him with a comprehensive understanding of developments in this field. This landscape informs the reader that the author has in fact included all (or most) of the previous important work in the field in his research.

    “In writing the literature evaluate, the motive is to deliver to the reader what professor, specialist, expertise, and thoughts had been set up on a topic of the subject, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Also, The literature evaluation must be defined by way of a guiding idea (eg. Your study’s goal, the problem or difficulty you’re discussing, or your argumentative thesis). It isn’t always just a descriptive listing of the material to be had or a hard and fast of summaries.”

    A literature search is conducted to clarify previous areas of research on the topic you are currently undertaking. If you have papers to write, research, term papers, or any other type of writing, you don’t have time to search – literature research is your salvation. Also, It gives you all the information you need for any discipline, which is very useful in any research. Now let’s clarify the definition of literature search.

    How to Write a Review of Literature in Few Steps? What is a review of the literature;

    A review of literature is a survey of academic sources on a given topic. The purpose of a review is to analyze current knowledge. This allows you to find any gap in the existing knowledge. You can achieve this by summarizing, classifying, and comparing current studies.

     A review of literature can be a study in itself. First, you find relevant literature. Second, you analyze your sources. Third, you explain your findings. A review of literature can also be a basis for doing primary research. Also, This involves finding relevant literature first. Then, you analyze the sources to find a gap you can fill.

    When applying for grants, you may have to write a review of the literature. In a research proposal, a review is needed. You will also write a review of literature in a thesis or a dissertation. The format of literature reviews varies from one paper to another. If you are not sure about the format, consult your teacher. With the right format, you can impress your reader. Continue reading this article to learn how to write a review of the literature.

    Learn how to write a review of literature, Writing the introduction;

    Before you start writing a review of literature, you must do two things. First, find relevant sources. Databases such as Google Scholar and Medline can be helpful. Second, you must evaluate your sources. Also, Your sources must be credible. Your sources must also be relevant to your topic. Then, outline your paper. Now, you are ready to write the introduction.

    In the introduction, explain the purpose of your literature review. Provide your topic or the problem you are addressing. Highlight the trends in the current studies. Then, explain why you are reviewing the literature. Here, you may also explain the organization of your review. Where possible explain why some sources were included and not others. This will show the scope of the review.

    Writing the body;

    Before you start writing the body, know the length of your paper. Do you need a 500 words paper? 1000 words? 2,500 words? Knowing this will help structure your paper. For a longer review of the literature, you may need sub-sections. Also, You can have a sub-section for each theme.

    Under each theme, provide a summary and an analysis of an individual study. Include only relevant details. At the beginning of each paragraph, provide a topic sentence. Then, provide a summary and interpretation of the main point. Remember to highlight your sources’ weaknesses and strengths. This approach will help your reader understand your review.

    Writing the conclusion;

    In the conclusion, start by summarizing the key findings from the literature. Then, emphasize the significance of these findings. Explain the contribution of these findings to the current knowledge. Point out the research gap. This is the area that needs further research. End your conclusion by connecting your topic to your discipline.

    Don’t forget to revise your review of the literature. Grammar errors can ruin your paper. Take time to edit the paper. Trying to read it aloud. Ensure your sentences are correct. Then, proofread your paper. Reding several times will help remove all errors. You may also rely on a professional essay writing service online.

    Sample literature reviews;

    Sample literature reviews are very useful. Also, They can help you learn how to write a good review. Take time to read different sample reviews. They will give you a starting point. In the end, you will write a great literature review. 

    How to Write Literature Review for me with an example Image
    How to Write Literature Review for me with an example? Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay.
  • The Motivated Personality born in India They inspire Always

    The Motivated Personality born in India They inspire Always

    These Indian’s have gone places and brought great glory to the country they were born in. The Motivated Personality born in India They inspire Always – From science to arts, business to literature here is a list of best 20+ exceptionally talented Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) who have given us several more reasons to be proud of them. Are Entrepreneurs Made or Born! Explanation Why?

    The Motivated Personality born in India They inspire Always. Best 20+ Non-Resident Indians (NRI) across The World, Who have Made to proud India.

    #Satya Nadella

    Personality born in India; This current CEO of Microsoft was born in Hyderabad and earlier worked with Sun Microsystems as a member of its technology staff before joining Microsoft in 1992. He was Executive Vice President of Cloud & Enterprise Group and President of Server & Tools at Microsoft Corporation before becoming the CEO in February this year. They played an important role in the transformation to the cloud infrastructure and services business which occupied the market. He has also been a key person in taking various internal decisions at Microsoft.

    #Narinder Singh Kapany

    Personality born in India; This Punjab-born genius is known for his contribution to the field of fiber optics. He was included in the list of seven ‘Unsung Heroes’ by Fortune magazine in their ‘Businessmen of the Century’ issue. He is considered as one of the founders of fiber optics and revolutionized the way information is transmitted today. Kapany has played many roles in his life including that of an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and scholar, which won him major international acclaim.

    #Salman Rushdie

    Personality born in India; Born in Mumbai, this 67-year-old Kashmiri Indian author is best known for his contribution to English Literature. His second novel, Midnight’s Children, won the Booker Prize in 1981. He also won the ‘Booker of Bookers’ prize in 1993 for the same novel. In 2008, The Times ranked him 13th on its list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945. He started his career as a copywriter with the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather.

    He is also known for the controversy due to his book Satanic Verses. They have authored eleven novels so far and written several short stories. His books have been translating in over 40 languages. He was appointed Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France in January 1999 and was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature. More than one reason to be proud of this amazing scholar, right?

    #S. Chandrasekhar

    Personality born in India; Born in Lahore, British India, he is famous for his mathematical theory of black holes for which he won a Nobel Prize in 1983. The Chandrasekhar limit is named after him. His most celebrated work concerns the radiation of energy from stars, particularly white dwarf stars, which are the dying fragments of stars. R. J. Tayler in the Biographical Memoirs of the Fellows of the Royal Society of London wrote, “Chandrasekhar was a classical applied mathematician whose research was primarily applied in astronomy and whose like will probably never see again.”

    #Amartya Sen

    Personality born in India; Born in Santiniketan, West Bengal, this Indian economist, and philosopher is best known for his amazing contributions to welfare economics, social choice theory, economic and social justice, economic theories of famines, and indices of the measure of well-being of citizens of developing countries. His extraordinary work in welfare economics won him the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1998. He is the chancellor at Nalanda University and also a Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows. He is also internationally acclaimed for his writing. The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity is one of his best works.

    #Har Gobind Khorana

    Personality born in India; This Indian American biochemist won a Nobel prize in 1968 for Physiology or Medicine for cracking the genetic code along with Robert Holley and Marshall Nirenberg. Born in Raipur, Punjab, Khorana was the first scientist to chemically synthesize oligonucleotides. His contribution to science is tremendous and has won him immense international acclaim.

    #Rohinton Mistry

    Personality born in India; This internationally acclaimed writer was born in Mumbai and did his BA from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. He, later on, shifted to Canada in 1975 with his wife. He published his first book, 11 connected short stories titled Swimming Lessons and Other Stories from the Firozsha Bag in 1987. His second book Such a Long Journey, was published in 1991 and achieved huge national and international acclaim. And, other works received similar popularity. His third book A Fine Balance is considered to be one of his finest works and was a finalist for the Booker Prize.

    #Pan Nalin

    Personality born in India; This award-winning film director, screenwriter, and documentary maker was born in Gujarat and is best known for his amazing and award-winning films like Samsara, Valley of Flowers and Ayurveda: Art of Being. He received international acclaim just after the release of his first film Samsara which made him win over 30 international awards.

    His other feature film Valley of Flowers was pre-sold in 35 countries and is considered a major underground hit. He was invited to be on the panel for the France-India Co-production forum at Salon du Cinema in Paris along with the delegation headed by Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. Nalin says that Indians are “hungry for good documentaries”. And we think his amazing work is satiating that hunger.

    #Vinod Khosla

    Personality born in India; Listed as a billionaire by Forbes Magazine, Khosla is one of the co-founders of Sun Microsystems, a company which created the Java programming language and Network File System. He later formed his own company, Khosla Ventures. He was born in Delhi and attended Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

    They were a key player in the founding of Daisy Systems and TiE. They have also played an important role as an investor in environmental startups. Khosla has committed around $450 million of his personal wealth to various “green” initiatives like ethanol factories, solar-power parks, etc. His green investing has made him immensely popular in the media globally.

    #Kalpana Chawla

    Personality born in India; Who forget this lady needs no introduction. Born in Karnal, India, she was the first Indian-American astronaut and also the first Indian woman in space. She began working at NASA’s Ames Research Center in 1988. In her career span and two space missions, she spent 30 days, 14 hours, and 54 minutes in space. She was killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster along with six other crew members in 2003. India’s first weather satellite was renamed ‘Kalpana-1’ in her honor. She was a role model for many young women internationally and inspired many people to pursue a career in Aerospace Engineering.

    #Mira Nair

    Personality born in India; This amazing filmmaker was born in Rourkela, Orissa and started her career as an independent short-film maker, going on to win the Best Documentary prize at the American Film Festival for India Cabaret, an investigative documentary of Bombay’s strippers. She runs a production company called Mirabai. Her debut feature film Salaam Bombay! (1988), won the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival and was also a nominee for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

    Her most popular works include The Namesake and Monsoon Wedding. She was also awarded India’s third highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan, in 2012. Her work is globally acclaimed and she even got an offer to direct Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix, which she rejected.

    #Anita Desai and Kiran Desai

    Personality born in India; This mother-daughter duo is famous for exceptional writing skills. Kiran Desai’s novel The Inheritance of Loss won the Man Booker Prize in 2006 and the National Book Critics Circle Fiction Award. The exceptional writing comes as an inheritance, as Kiran’s mother Anita Desai has also been short-listed for the Booker Prize thrice. Kiran has been winning accolades from various notable figures ever since she published her first book.

    Anita won the Sahitya Academy Award in 1978 for her novel Fire on the Mountain and has also won the British Guardian Prize for The Village by the Sea. Anita is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, the American Academy of Arts and Letters and also writes for the New York Review of Books. Her novel In Custody is one of her finest works.

    #Venkatraman Ramakrishnan

    Personality born in India; Born in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, this structural biologist won the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Thomas A. Steitz and Ada E. Yonath, “for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome”. He is an elite member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. He was awarded the Louis-Jeantet Prize for his contribution to Medicine in 2007. His great contribution to science also won him India’s second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2010.

    #C.K.Prahlad

    Personality born in India; Renowned as one of the most influential business thinkers in the world, he was the distinguished professor of Corporate Strategy at the University of Michigan. Born in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, he became established as a business guru when he helped Philips in reconstruction as it was on the verge of collapse.

    He was also a prominent writer until his death in 2010 and had authored many books like The Future of Competition (with Venkat Ramaswamy, 2004), and The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty through Profits. They were a member of the Blue Ribbon Commission of the United Nations on Private Sector and Development. He was also the first recipient of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Award for contributions to Management and Public Administration in India in 1999.

    #Manu Prakash

    Manu was born in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh and completed his BTech in computer science and engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur before moving to the United States for his masters and Ph.D. Currently, An assistant professor of bioengineering at Stanford University, Manu is famous for his super cool inventions. The inventors include the foldable microscope, The Foldscope, that is easy to use and fold from a single sheet of A4 size paper! The cost of this microscope is 50 cents (or Rs. 30) only. He also recently invented the computer that runs on water. They used the unique Physics of moving water droplets to design a clock that is required in a computer.

    #Lakshmi Mittal

    Personality born in India; This business tycoon is the chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel-making company. Born in Sadulpur, Rajasthan, he completed his B.com from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata. He was the richest man of Asian descent in the United Kingdom in 2007 and was ranked as the sixth richest person in the world by Forbes in 2011. He is also 47th “most powerful person” in the Forbes list of 2012 and one of the “100 most influential persons in the world” by TIME in 2007. They hold a 34 percent share in Queens Park Rangers F.C. He has set up the Mittal Champions Trust with $9 million to support 10 promising Indian athletes.

    #Lakshmi Pratury

    Personality born in India; This strong lady was the co-host of TEDIndia 2009, host and curator of The INK Conference and founder of Ixoraa Media. She aims at strengthening the relations between India and America through sponsored corporate, cultural, and media events. She was part of the “100 Most Powerful Women” list by Forbes Asia in 2010. They also played a key role in the American India Foundation, an organization that raised over 30 million dollars in five years towards development activities in India.

    #Pranav Mistry

    Personality born in India; Hailing from Palanpur, Gujarat, this 33-year-old computer scientist, and inventor is currently Vice President of Research at Samsung and is the head of Think Tank Team. He has contributed to Wearable Computing, Augmented reality, Ubiquitous computing, Gestural interaction, AI, Machine vision, Collective intelligence, and Robotics. He was also honored as the Young Global Leader 2013 by World Economic Forum. His groundbreaking technology ‘SixthSense’ won him international acclaim. SixthSense is a device that interprets human gestures and has both a data projector and a camera.

    #Indra Nooyi

    Personality born in India; She is the Chairperson and CEO of PepsiCo, the second largest food and beverage business in the world by net revenue. This Chennai born girl has been included in the list of “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” on a regular basis. In spite of this, Nooyi is still fighting to “have it all” and maintain work and personal life balance. As per Bussiness Week, the company’s annual revenues have risen 72 percent and net profit has doubled since she became CFO in 2000. She was also included in the Wall Street Journal’s list of 50 women to watch in 2007 and 2008.

    #Sabeer Bhatia

    Personality born in India; This Indian-American entrepreneur born in Chandigarh founded the Hotmail email services and Jaxtr. He grew up in Bangalore and went to BITS Pilani for his bachelor’s degree. Later on, he was transferred to California Institute of Technology from BITS where he completed his graduation. Hotmail was the world’s second-largest e-mail provider with over 369 million registered users in 2011.

    He sold Hotmail to Microsoft in 1997 for $400 million and it was then called MSN Hotmail. He also started a free messaging service called JaxtrSMS. The venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson named him ‘Entrepreneur of the Year 1997’, MIT chose him as one of 100 young innovators who is expected to have the greatest impact on technology and awarded him the ‘TR100’.

    #Zubin Mehta

    Personality born in India; Born in Mumbai, he is one of the world’s leading conductors. This amazing orchestral conductor and musical director are best known for his expressiveness on the stage. He is Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Main Conductor for Valencia’s opera house. His conducting is considered as flamboyant, vigorous and forceful.

    His name has been mentioned in the song “Billy the Mountain” on the 1972 album Just Another Band from L.A. by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention. Also, received a special prize in Israel for his extraordinary contribution to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. He also received the 2,434th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, putting India on the international map.

    #Raghava KK

    Personality born in India; This Bangalore born contemporary artist was named by CNN as one of the 10 most fascinating people the world is yet to know of. The genres he dabbles in vary from painting, film, installation, multimedia, performance, and even his own wedding. He began as a cartoonist in Indian publications. And, he has lectured at New York University and several other art institutions across the globe. Also, he was invited as a guest of the French city of Nîmes to exhibit his work at the Carre d’Art Musee d’Art Contemporain.

    #Ajit Jain

    Personality born in India; Having started his career as an employee with IBM who knew nothing about insurance, Orissa-born Ajit Jain is now the President of Berkshire Hathaway Insurance group. Warren Buffet had once said that Jain’s mind is an “idea factory”. Having worked with Buffet for around three decades, Jain is being speculated as to the successor to this renowned American business magnate. The IIT Kharagpur graduate is currently leading Berkshire’s Indian insurance market venture.

    #Dipak C. Jain

    Personality born in India; Born in a small town Tezpur in Assam, he is the current Dean of Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration of Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. Earlier he was Dean of INSEAD and currently holds a position of Chaired Professor of Marketing there. Also, held the position of Dean at the Kellogg School of Management.

    He holds another important position of Independent Director on the Board of Indian Conglomerate Reliance Industries Limited. He has received several awards and honors for his contribution as a teacher, including The Sidney Levy Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1995 and The John D.C. Little Best Paper Award in 1991.

    #Amar Bose

    Personality born in India; Born in a Bengali Hindu family, this amazing electrical engineer and sound engineer served as a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for over 45 years. Also, the founder and chairman of Bose Corporation which he later donated to MIT. He was also listed as the 271st richest man in the world by Forbes in 2007. And, He has received various teaching awards during his lifetime. The Bose Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Junior Bose Award were established in his honor for his services at MIT. He was also an honorary member at Audio Engineering Society.

    The Motivated Personality born in India They inspire Always
    Image Credit from Pixabay.

  • Rapunzel

    Rapunzel

    Rapunzel

    “The Fairy Tales” short story was written by the Brothers Grimm: There were once a man and a woman who had long in vain wished for a child. At length the woman hoped that God was about to grant her desire. These people had a little window at the back of their house from which a splendid garden could be seen, which was full of the most beautiful flowers and herbs. It was, however, surrounded by a high wall, and no one dared to go into it because it belonged to an enchantress, who had great power and was dreaded by all the world. One day the woman was standing by this window and looking down into the garden, when she saw a bed which was planted with the most beautiful rampion (Rapunzel), and it looked so fresh and green that she longed for it, she quite pined away, and began to look pale and miserable. Then her husband was alarmed, and asked: ‘What ails you, dear wife?’ ‘Ah,’ she replied,’ if I can’t eat some of the rampion, which is in the garden behind our house, I shall die.’ The man, who loved her, thought: ‘Sooner than let your wife die, bring her some of the rampion yourself, let it cost what it will.’ At twilight, he clambered down over the wall into the garden of the enchantress, hastily clutched a handful of rampion, and took it to his wife. She at once made herself a salad of it, and ate it greedily. It tasted so good to her—so very good, that the next day she longed for it three times as much as before. If he was to have any rest, her husband must once more descend into the garden. In the gloom of evening therefore, he let himself down again; but when he had clambered down the wall he was terribly afraid, for he saw the enchantress standing before him. ‘How can you dare,’ said she with angry look, ‘descend into my garden and steal my rampion like a thief? You shall suffer for it!’ ‘Ah,’ answered he, ‘let mercy take the place of justice, I only made up my mind to do it out of necessity. My wife saw your rampion from the window, and felt such a longing for it that she would have died if she had not got some to eat.’ Then the enchantress allowed her anger to be softened, and said to him: ‘If the case be as you say, I will allow you to take away with you as much rampion as you will, only I make one condition, you must give me the child which your wife will bring into the world; it shall be well treated, and I will care for it like a mother.’ The man in his terror consented to everything, and when the woman was brought to bed, the enchantress appeared at once, gave the child the name of Rapunzel, and took it away with her.

    Rapunzel grew into the most beautiful child under the sun. When she was twelve years old, the enchantress shut her into a tower, which lay in a forest, and had neither stairs nor door, but quite at the top was a little window. When the enchantress wanted to go in, she placed herself beneath it and cried:

    ‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
    Let down your hair to me.’

    Rapunzel had magnificent long hair, fine as spun gold, and when she heard the voice of the enchantress she unfastened her braided tresses, wound them round one of the hooks of the window above, and then the hair fell twenty ells down, and the enchantress climbed up by it.

    After a year or two, it came to pass that the king’s son rode through the forest and passed by the tower. Then he heard a song, which was so charming that he stood still and listened. This was Rapunzel, who in her solitude passed her time in letting her sweet voice resound. The king’s son wanted to climb up to her, and looked for the door of the tower, but none was to be found. He rode home, but the singing had so deeply touched his heart, that every day he went out into the forest and listened to it. Once when he was thus standing behind a tree, he saw that an enchantress came there, and he heard how she cried:

    ‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
    Let down your hair to me.’

    Then Rapunzel let down the braids of her hair, and the enchantress climbed up to her. ‘If that is the ladder by which one mounts, I too will try my fortune,’ said he, and the next day when it began to grow dark, he went to the tower and cried:

    ‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
    Let down your hair to me.’

    Immediately the hair fell down and the king’s son climbed up.

    At first Rapunzel was terribly frightened when a man, such as her eyes had never yet beheld, came to her; but the king’s son began to talk to her quite like a friend, and told her that his heart had been so stirred that it had let him have no rest, and he had been forced to see her. Then Rapunzel lost her fear, and when he asked her if she would take him for her husband, and she saw that he was young and handsome, she thought: ‘He will love me more than old Dame Gothel does’; and she said yes, and laid her hand in his. She said: ‘I will willingly go away with you, but I do not know how to get down. Bring with you a skein of silk every time that you come, and I will weave a ladder with it, and when that is ready I will descend, and you will take me on your horse.’ They agreed that until that time he should come to her every evening, for the old woman came by day. The enchantress remarked nothing of this, until once Rapunzel said to her: ‘Tell me, Dame Gothel, how it happens that you are so much heavier for me to draw up than the young king’s son—he is with me in a moment.’ ‘Ah! you wicked child,’ cried the enchantress. ‘What do I hear you say! I thought I had separated you from all the world, and yet you have deceived me!’ In her anger she clutched Rapunzel’s beautiful tresses, wrapped them twice round her left hand, seized a pair of scissors with the right, and snip, snap, they were cut off, and the lovely braids lay on the ground. And she was so pitiless that she took poor Rapunzel into a desert where she had to live in great grief and misery.

    On the same day that she cast out Rapunzel, however, the enchantress fastened the braids of hair, which she had cut off, to the hook of the window, and when the king’s son came and cried:

    ‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
    Let down your hair to me.’

    she let the hair down. The king’s son ascended, but instead of finding his dearest Rapunzel, he found the enchantress, who gazed at him with wicked and venomous looks. ‘Aha!’ she cried mockingly, ‘you would fetch your dearest, but the beautiful bird sits no longer singing in the nest; the cat has got it, and will scratch out your eyes as well. Rapunzel is lost to you; you will never see her again.’ The king’s son was beside himself with pain, and in his despair he leapt down from the tower. He escaped with his life, but the thorns into which he fell pierced his eyes. Then he wandered quite blind about the forest, ate nothing but roots and berries, and did naught but lament and weep over the loss of his dearest wife. Thus he roamed about in misery for some years, and at length came to the desert where Rapunzel, with the twins to which she had given birth, a boy and a girl, lived in wretchedness. He heard a voice, and it seemed so familiar to him that he went towards it, and when he approached, Rapunzel knew him and fell on his neck and wept. Two of her tears wetted his eyes and they grew clear again, and he could see with them as before. He led her to his kingdom where he was joyfully received, and they lived for a long time afterwards, happy and contented.

  • Old Sultan

    Old Sultan

    Old Sultan

    “The Fairy Tales” short story was written by the Brothers Grimm: A shepherd had a faithful dog, called Sultan, who was grown very old, and had lost all his teeth. And one day when the shepherd and his wife were standing together before the house the shepherd said, ‘I will shoot old Sultan tomorrow morning, for he is of no use now.’ But his wife said, ‘Pray let the poor faithful creature live; he has served us well a great many years, and we ought to give him a livelihood for the rest of his days.’ ‘But what can we do with him?’ said the shepherd, ‘he has not a tooth in his head, and the thieves don’t care for him at all; to be sure he has served us, but then he did it to earn his livelihood; tomorrow shall be his last day, depend upon it.’

    Poor Sultan, who was lying close by them, heard all that the shepherd and his wife said to one another, and was very much frightened to think tomorrow would be his last day; so in the evening he went to his good friend the wolf, who lived in the wood, and told him all his sorrows, and how his master meant to kill him in the morning. ‘Make yourself easy,’ said the wolf, ‘I will give you some good advice. Your master, you know, goes out every morning very early with his wife into the field; and they take their little child with them, and lay it down behind the hedge in the shade while they are at work. Now do you lie down close by the child, and pretend to be watching it, and I will come out of the wood and run away with it; you must run after me as fast as you can, and I will let it drop; then you may carry it back, and they will think you have saved their child, and will be so thankful to you that they will take care of you as long as you live.’ The dog liked this plan very well; and accordingly so it was managed. The wolf ran with the child a little way; the shepherd and his wife screamed out; but Sultan soon overtook him, and carried the poor little thing back to his master and mistress. Then the shepherd patted him on the head, and said, ‘Old Sultan has saved our child from the wolf, and therefore he shall live and be well taken care of, and have plenty to eat. Wife, go home, and give him a good dinner, and let him have my old cushion to sleep on as long as he lives.’ So from this time forward Sultan had all that he could wish for.

    Soon afterwards the wolf came and wished him joy, and said, ‘Now, my good fellow, you must tell no tales, but turn your head the other way when I want to taste one of the old shepherd’s fine fat sheep.’ ‘No,’ said the Sultan; ‘I will be true to my master.’ However, the wolf thought he was in joke, and came one night to get a dainty morsel. But Sultan had told his master what the wolf meant to do; so he laid wait for him behind the barn door, and when the wolf was busy looking out for a good fat sheep, he had a stout cudgel laid about his back, that combed his locks for him finely.

    Then the wolf was very angry, and called Sultan ‘an old rogue,’ and swore he would have his revenge. So the next morning the wolf sent the boar to challenge Sultan to come into the wood to fight the matter. Now Sultan had nobody he could ask to be his second but the shepherd’s old three-legged cat; so he took her with him, and as the poor thing limped along with some trouble, she stuck up her tail straight in the air.

    The wolf and the wild boar were first on the ground; and when they espied their enemies coming, and saw the cat’s long tail standing straight in the air, they thought she was carrying a sword for Sultan to fight with; and every time she limped, they thought she was picking up a stone to throw at them; so they said they should not like this way of fighting, and the boar lay down behind a bush, and the wolf jumped up into a tree. Sultan and the cat soon came up, and looked about and wondered that no one was there. The boar, however, had not quite hidden himself, for his ears stuck out of the bush; and when he shook one of them a little, the cat, seeing something move, and thinking it was a mouse, sprang upon it, and bit and scratched it, so that the boar jumped up and grunted, and ran away, roaring out, ‘Look up in the tree, there sits the one who is to blame.’ So they looked up, and espied the wolf sitting amongst the branches; and they called him a cowardly rascal, and would not suffer him to come down till he was heartily ashamed of himself, and had promised to be good friends again with old Sultan.

  • Mother Holle / Frau Holle

    Mother Holle / Frau Holle

    “The Fairy Tales” short story was written by the Brothers Grimm: Once upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters; one of them was beautiful and industrious, the other ugly and lazy. The mother, however, loved the ugly and lazy one best, because she was her own daughter, and so the other, who was only her stepdaughter, was made to do all the work of the house, and was quite the Cinderella of the family. Her stepmother sent her out every day to sit by the well in the high road, there to spin until she made her fingers bleed. Now it chanced one day that some blood fell on to the spindle, and as the girl stopped over the well to wash it off, the spindle suddenly sprang out of her hand and fell into the well. She ran home crying to tell of her misfortune, but her stepmother spoke harshly to her, and after giving her a violent scolding, said unkindly, ‘As you have let the spindle fall into the well you may go yourself and fetch it out.’

    The girl went back to the well not knowing what to do, and at last in her distress she jumped into the water after the spindle.

    She remembered nothing more until she awoke and found herself in a beautiful meadow, full of sunshine, and with countless flowers blooming in every direction.

    She walked over the meadow, and presently she came upon a baker’s oven full of bread, and the loaves cried out to her, ‘Take us out, take us out, or alas! we shall be burnt to a cinder; we were baked through long ago.’ So she took the bread-shovel and drew them all out.

    She went on a little farther, till she came to a free full of apples. ‘Shake me, shake me, I pray,’ cried the tree; ‘my apples, one and all, are ripe.’ So she shook the tree, and the apples came falling down upon her like rain; but she continued shaking until there was not a single apple left upon it. Then she carefully gathered the apples together in a heap and walked on again.

    The next thing she came to was a little house, and there she saw an old woman looking out, with such large teeth, that she was terrified, and turned to run away. But the old woman called after her, ‘What are you afraid of, dear child? Stay with me; if you will do the work of my house properly for me, I will make you very happy. You must be very careful, however, to make my bed in the right way, for I wish you always to shake it thoroughly, so that the feathers fly about; then they say, down there in the world, that it is snowing; for I am Mother Holle.’ The old woman spoke so kindly, that the girl summoned up courage and agreed to enter into her service.

    She took care to do everything according to the old woman’s bidding and every time she made the bed she shook it with all her might, so that the feathers flew about like so many snowflakes. The old woman was as good as her word: she never spoke angrily to her, and gave her roast and boiled meats every day.

    So she stayed on with Mother Holle for some time, and then she began to grow unhappy. She could not at first tell why she felt sad, but she became conscious at last of great longing to go home; then she knew she was homesick, although she was a thousand times better off with Mother Holle than with her mother and sister. After waiting awhile, she went to Mother Holle and said, ‘I am so homesick, that I cannot stay with you any longer, for although I am so happy here, I must return to my own people.’

    Then Mother Holle said, ‘I am pleased that you should want to go back to your own people, and as you have served me so well and faithfully, I will take you home myself.’

    Thereupon she led the girl by the hand up to a broad gateway. The gate was opened, and as the girl passed through, a shower of gold fell upon her, and the gold clung to her, so that she was covered with it from head to foot.

    ‘That is a reward for your industry,’ said Mother Holle, and as she spoke she handed her the spindle which she had dropped into the well.

    The gate was then closed, and the girl found herself back in the old world close to her mother’s house. As she entered the courtyard, the cock who was perched on the well, called out:

    ‘Cock-a-doodle-doo!
    Your golden daughter’s come back to you.’

    Then she went in to her mother and sister, and as she was so richly covered with gold, they gave her a warm welcome. She related to them all that had happened, and when the mother heard how she had come by her great riches, she thought she should like her ugly, lazy daughter to go and try her fortune. So she made the sister go and sit by the well and spin, and the girl pricked her finger and thrust her hand into a thorn-bush, so that she might drop some blood on to the spindle; then she threw it into the well, and jumped in herself.

    Like her sister she awoke in the beautiful meadow, and walked over it till she came to the oven. ‘Take us out, take us out, or alas! we shall be burnt to a cinder; we were baked through long ago,’ cried the loaves as before. But the lazy girl answered, ‘Do you think I am going to dirty my hands for you?’ and walked on.

    Presently she came to the apple-tree. ‘Shake me, shake me, I pray; my apples, one and all, are ripe,’ it cried. But she only answered, ‘A nice thing to ask me to do, one of the apples might fall on my head,’ and passed on.

    At last she came to Mother Holle’s house, and as she had heard all about the large teeth from her sister, she was not afraid of them, and engaged herself without delay to the old woman.

    The first day she was very obedient and industrious, and exerted herself to please Mother Holle, for she thought of the gold she should get in return. The next day, however, she began to dawdle over her work, and the third day she was more idle still; then she began to lie in bed in the mornings and refused to get up. Worse still, she neglected to make the old woman’s bed properly, and forgot to shake it so that the feathers might fly about. So Mother Holle very soon got tired of her, and told her she might go. The lazy girl was delighted at this, and thought to herself, ‘The gold will soon be mine.’ Mother Holle led her, as she had led her sister, to the broad gateway; but as she was passing through, instead of the shower of gold, a great bucketful of pitch came pouring over her.

    ‘That is in return for your services,’ said the old woman, and she shut the gate.

    So the lazy girl had to go home covered with pitch, and the cock on the well called out as she saw her:

    ‘Cock-a-doodle-doo!
    Your dirty daughter’s come back to you.’

    But, try what she would, she could not get the pitch off and it stuck to her as long as she lived.

  • Hansel and Gretel

    Hansel and Gretel

    “The Fairy Tales” short story was written by the Brothers Grimm: Hard by a great forest dwelt a poor wood-cutter with his wife and his two children. The boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel. He had little to bite and to break, and once when great dearth fell on the land, he could no longer procure even daily bread. Now when he thought over this by night in his bed, and tossed about in his anxiety, he groaned and said to his wife: ‘What is to become of us? How are we to feed our poor children, when we no longer have anything even for ourselves?’ ‘I’ll tell you what, husband,’ answered the woman, ‘early tomorrow morning we will take the children out into the forest to where it is the thickest; there we will light a fire for them, and give each of them one more piece of bread, and then we will go to our work and leave them alone. They will not find the way home again, and we shall be rid of them.’ ‘No, wife,’ said the man, ‘I will not do that; how can I bear to leave my children alone in the forest? —the wild animals would soon come and tear them to pieces.’ ‘O, you fool!’ said she, ‘then we must all four die of hunger, you may as well plane the planks for our coffins,’ and she left him no peace until he consented. ‘But I feel very sorry for the poor children, all the same,’ said the man.

    Hansel and Gretel

    The two children had also not been able to sleep for hunger, and had heard what their stepmother had said to their father. Gretel wept bitter tears, and said to Hansel: ‘Now all is over with us.’ ‘Be quiet, Gretel,’ said Hansel, ‘do not distress yourself, I will soon find a way to help us.’ And when the old folks had fallen asleep, he got up, put on his little coat, opened the door below, and crept outside. The moon shone brightly, and the white pebbles which lay in front of the house glittered like real silver pennies. Hansel stooped and stuffed the little pocket of his coat with as many as he could get in. Then he went back and said to Gretel: ‘Be comforted, dear little sister, and sleep in peace, God will not forsake us,’ and he lay down again in his bed. When day dawned, but before the sun had risen, the woman came and awoke the two children, saying: ‘Get up, you sluggards! we are going into the forest to fetch wood.’ She gave each a little piece of bread, and said: ‘There is something for your dinner, but do not eat it up before then, for you will get nothing else.’ Gretel took the bread under her apron, as Hansel had the pebbles in his pocket. Then they all set out together on the way to the forest. When they had walked a short time, Hansel stood still and peeped back at the house, and did so again and again. His father said: ‘Hansel, what are you looking at there and staying behind for? Pay attention, and do not forget how to use your legs.’ ‘Ah, father,’ said Hansel, ‘I am looking at my little white cat, which is sitting up on the roof, and wants to say goodbye to me.’ The wife said: ‘Fool, that is not your little cat, that is the morning sun which is shining on the chimneys.’ Hansel, however, had not been looking back at the cat, but had been constantly throwing one of the white pebble-stones out of his pocket on the road.

    When they had reached the middle of the forest, the father said: ‘Now, children, pile up some wood, and I will light a fire that you may not be cold.’ Hansel and Gretel gathered brushwood together, as high as a little hill. The brushwood was lighted, and when the flames were burning very high, the woman said: ‘Now, children, lay yourselves down by the fire and rest, we will go into the forest and cut some wood. When we have done, we will come back and fetch you away.’

    Hansel and Gretel sat by the fire, and when noon came, each ate a little piece of bread, and as they heard the strokes of the wood-axe they believed that their father was near. It was not the axe, however, but a branch which he had fastened to a withered tree which the wind was blowing backwards and forwards. And as they had been sitting such a long time, their eyes closed with fatigue, and they fell fast asleep. When at last they awoke, it was already dark night. Gretel began to cry and said: ‘How are we to get out of the forest now?’ But Hansel comforted her and said: ‘Just wait a little, until the moon has risen, and then we will soon find the way.’ And when the full moon had risen, Hansel took his little sister by the hand, and followed the pebbles which shone like newly-coined silver pieces, and showed them the way.

    They walked the whole night long, and by break of day came once more to their father’s house. They knocked at the door, and when the woman opened it and saw that it was Hansel and Gretel, she said: ‘You naughty children, why have you slept so long in the forest?—we thought you were never coming back at all!’ The father, however, rejoiced, for it had cut him to the heart to leave them behind alone.

    Not long afterwards, there was once more great dearth throughout the land, and the children heard their mother saying at night to their father: ‘Everything is eaten again, we have one half loaf left, and that is the end. The children must go, we will take them farther into the wood, so that they will not find their way out again; there is no other means of saving ourselves!’ The man’s heart was heavy, and he thought: ‘It would be better for you to share the last mouthful with your children.’ The woman, however, would listen to nothing that he had to say, but scolded and reproached him. He who says A must say B, likewise, and as he had yielded the first time, he had to do so a second time also.

    The children, however, were still awake and had heard the conversation. When the old folks were asleep, Hansel again got up, and wanted to go out and pick up pebbles as he had done before, but the woman had locked the door, and Hansel could not get out. Nevertheless he comforted his little sister, and said: ‘Do not cry, Gretel, go to sleep quietly, the good God will help us.’

    Early in the morning came the woman, and took the children out of their beds. Their piece of bread was given to them, but it was still smaller than the time before. On the way into the forest Hansel crumbled his in his pocket, and often stood still and threw a morsel on the ground. ‘Hansel, why do you stop and look round?’ said the father, ‘go on.’ ‘I am looking back at my little pigeon which is sitting on the roof, and wants to say goodbye to me,’ answered Hansel. ‘Fool!’ said the woman, ‘that is not your little pigeon, that is the morning sun that is shining on the chimney.’ Hansel, however little by little, threw all the crumbs on the path.

    The woman led the children still deeper into the forest, where they had never in their lives been before. Then a great fire was again made, and the mother said: ‘Just sit there, you children, and when you are tired you may sleep a little; we are going into the forest to cut wood, and in the evening when we are done, we will come and fetch you away.’ When it was noon, Gretel shared her piece of bread with Hansel, who had scattered his by the way. Then they fell asleep and evening passed, but no one came to the poor children. They did not awake until it was dark night, and Hansel comforted his little sister and said: ‘Just wait, Gretel, until the moon rises, and then we shall see the crumbs of bread which I have strewn about, they will show us our way home again.’ When the moon came they set out, but they found no crumbs, for the many thousands of birds which fly about in the woods and fields had picked them all up. Hansel said to Gretel: ‘We shall soon find the way,’ but they did not find it. They walked the whole night and all the next day too from morning till evening, but they did not get out of the forest, and were very hungry, for they had nothing to eat but two or three berries, which grew on the ground. And as they were so weary that their legs would carry them no longer, they lay down beneath a tree and fell asleep.

    It was now three mornings since they had left their father’s house. They began to walk again, but they always came deeper into the forest, and if help did not come soon, they must die of hunger and weariness. When it was mid-day, they saw a beautiful snow-white bird sitting on a bough, which sang so delightfully that they stood still and listened to it. And when its song was over, it spread its wings and flew away before them, and they followed it until they reached a little house, on the roof of which it alighted; and when they approached the little house they saw that it was built of bread and covered with cakes, but that the windows were of clear sugar. ‘We will set to work on that,’ said Hansel, ‘and have a good meal. I will eat a bit of the roof, and you Gretel, can eat some of the window, it will taste sweet.’ Hansel reached up above, and broke off a little of the roof to try how it tasted, and Gretel leant against the window and nibbled at the panes. Then a soft voice cried from the parlour:

    ‘Nibble, nibble, gnaw,
    Who is nibbling at my little house?’

    The children answered:

    ‘The wind, the wind,
    The heaven-born wind,’

    and went on eating without disturbing themselves. Hansel, who liked the taste of the roof, tore down a great piece of it, and Gretel pushed out the whole of one round window-pane, sat down, and enjoyed herself with it. Suddenly the door opened, and a woman as old as the hills, who supported herself on crutches, came creeping out. Hansel and Gretel were so terribly frightened that they let fall what they had in their hands. The old woman, however, nodded her head, and said: ‘Oh, you dear children, who has brought you here? do come in, and stay with me. No harm shall happen to you.’ She took them both by the hand, and led them into her little house. Then good food was set before them, milk and pancakes, with sugar, apples, and nuts. Afterwards two pretty little beds were covered with clean white linen, and Hansel and Gretel lay down in them, and thought they were in heaven.

    Hansel and Gretel

    The old woman had only pretended to be so kind; she was in reality a wicked witch, who lay in wait for children, and had only built the little house of bread in order to entice them there. When a child fell into her power, she killed it, cooked and ate it, and that was a feast day with her. Witches have red eyes, and cannot see far, but they have a keen scent like the beasts, and are aware when human beings draw near. When Hansel and Gretel came into her neighbourhood, she laughed with malice, and said mockingly: ‘I have them, they shall not escape me again!’ Early in the morning before the children were awake, she was already up, and when she saw both of them sleeping and looking so pretty, with their plump and rosy cheeks she muttered to herself: ‘That will be a dainty mouthful!’ Then she seized Hansel with her shrivelled hand, carried him into a little stable, and locked him in behind a grated door. Scream as he might, it would not help him. Then she went to Gretel, shook her till she awoke, and cried: ‘Get up, lazy thing, fetch some water, and cook something good for your brother, he is in the stable outside, and is to be made fat. When he is fat, I will eat him.’ Gretel began to weep bitterly, but it was all in vain, for she was forced to do what the wicked witch commanded.

    And now the best food was cooked for poor Hansel, but Gretel got nothing but crab-shells. Every morning the woman crept to the little stable, and cried: ‘Hansel, stretch out your finger that I may feel if you will soon be fat.’ Hansel, however, stretched out a little bone to her, and the old woman, who had dim eyes, could not see it, and thought it was Hansel’s finger, and was astonished that there was no way of fattening him. When four weeks had gone by, and Hansel still remained thin, she was seized with impatience and would not wait any longer. ‘Now, then, Gretel,’ she cried to the girl, ‘stir yourself, and bring some water. Let Hansel be fat or lean, tomorrow I will kill him, and cook him.’ Ah, how the poor little sister did lament when she had to fetch the water, and how her tears did flow down her cheeks! ‘Dear God, do help us,’ she cried. ‘If the wild beasts in the forest had but devoured us, we should at any rate have died together.’ ‘Just keep your noise to yourself,’ said the old woman, ‘it won’t help you at all.’

    Early in the morning, Gretel had to go out and hang up the cauldron with the water, and light the fire. ‘We will bake first,’ said the old woman, ‘I have already heated the oven, and kneaded the dough.’ She pushed poor Gretel out to the oven, from which flames of fire were already darting. ‘Creep in,’ said the witch, ‘and see if it is properly heated, so that we can put the bread in.’ And once Gretel was inside, she intended to shut the oven and let her bake in it, and then she would eat her, too. But Gretel saw what she had in mind, and said: ‘I do not know how I am to do it; how do I get in?’ ‘Silly goose,’ said the old woman. ‘The door is big enough; just look, I can get in myself!’ and she crept up and thrust her head into the oven. Then Gretel gave her a push that drove her far into it, and shut the iron door, and fastened the bolt. Oh! then she began to howl quite horribly, but Gretel ran away and the godless witch was miserably burnt to death.

    Gretel, however, ran like lightning to Hansel, opened his little stable, and cried: ‘Hansel, we are saved! The old witch is dead!’ Then Hansel sprang like a bird from its cage when the door is opened. How they did rejoice and embrace each other, and dance about and kiss each other! And as they had no longer any need to fear her, they went into the witch’s house, and in every corner there stood chests full of pearls and jewels. ‘These are far better than pebbles!’ said Hansel, and thrust into his pockets whatever could be got in, and Gretel said: ‘I, too, will take something home with me,’ and filled her pinafore full. ‘But now we must be off,’ said Hansel, ‘that we may get out of the witch’s forest.’

    When they had walked for two hours, they came to a great stretch of water. ‘We cannot cross,’ said Hansel, ‘I see no foot-plank, and no bridge.’ ‘And there is also no ferry,’ answered Gretel, ‘but a white duck is swimming there: if I ask her, she will help us over.’ Then she cried:

    ‘Little duck, little duck, dost thou see,
    Hansel and Gretel are waiting for thee?
    There’s never a plank, or bridge in sight,
    Take us across on thy back so white.’

    The duck came to them, and Hansel seated himself on its back, and told his sister to sit by him. ‘No,’ replied Gretel, ‘that will be too heavy for the little duck; she shall take us across, one after the other.’ The good little duck did so, and when they were once safely across and had walked for a short time, the forest seemed to be more and more familiar to them, and at length they saw from afar their father’s house. Then they began to run, rushed into the parlour, and threw themselves round their father’s neck. The man had not known one happy hour since he had left the children in the forest; the woman, however, was dead. Gretel emptied her pinafore until pearls and precious stones ran about the room, and Hansel threw one handful after another out of his pocket to add to them. Then all anxiety was at an end, and they lived together in perfect happiness. My tale is done, there runs a mouse; whosoever catches it, may make himself a big fur cap out of it.

  • Jorinda and Jorindel

    Jorinda and Jorindel

    “The Fairy Tales” short story was written by the Brothers Grimm: There was once an old castle, that stood in the middle of a deep gloomy wood, and in the castle lived an old fairy. Now this fairy could take any shape she pleased. All the day long she flew about in the form of an owl, or crept about the country like a cat; but at night she always became an old woman again. When any young man came within a hundred paces of her castle, he became quite fixed, and could not move a step till she came and set him free; which she would not do till he had given her his word never to come there again: but when any pretty maiden came within that space she was changed into a bird, and the fairy put her into a cage, and hung her up in a chamber in the castle. There were seven hundreds of these cages hanging in the castle, and all with beautiful birds in them.

    Jorinda and Jorindel

    Now there was once a maiden whose name was Jorinda. She was prettier than all the pretty girls that ever were seen before, and a shepherd lad, whose name was Jorindel, was very fond of her, and they were soon to be married. One day they went to walk in the wood, that they might be alone; and Jorindel said, ‘We must take care that we don’t go too near to the fairy’s castle.’ It was a beautiful evening; the last rays of the setting sun shone bright through the long stems of the trees upon the green underwood beneath, and the turtle-doves sang from the tall birches.

    Jorinda sat down to gaze upon the sun; Jorindel sat by her side; and both felt sad, they knew not why; but it seemed as if they were to be parted from one another for ever. They had wandered a long way; and when they looked to see which way they should go home, they found themselves at a loss to know what path to take.

    The sun was setting fast, and already half of its circle had sunk behind the hill: Jorindel on a sudden looked behind him, and saw through the bushes that they had, without knowing it, sat down close under the old walls of the castle. Then he shrank for fear, turned pale, and trembled. Jorinda was just singing,

    ‘The ring-dove sang from the willow spray,
    Well-a-day! Well-a-day!
    He mourn’d for the fate of his darling mate,
    Well-a-day!’

    when her song stopped suddenly. Jorindel turned to see the reason, and beheld his Jorinda changed into a nightingale, so that her song ended with a mournful jug, jug. An owl with fiery eyes flew three times round them, and three times screamed:

    ‘Tu whu! Tu whu! Tu whu!’

    Jorindel could not move; he stood fixed as a stone, and could neither weep, nor speak, nor stir hand or foot. And now the sun went quite down; the gloomy night came; the owl flew into a bush; and a moment after the old fairy came forth pale and meagre, with staring eyes, and a nose and chin that almost met one another.

    She mumbled something to herself, seized the nightingale, and went away with it in her hand. Poor Jorindel saw the nightingale was gone—but what could he do? He could not speak; he could not move from the spot where he stood. At last the fairy came back and sang with a hoarse voice:

    ‘Till the prisoner is fast,
    And her doom is cast,
    There stay! Oh, stay!
    When the charm is around her,
    And the spell has bound her,
    Hie away! away!’

    On a sudden Jorindel found himself free. Then he fell on his knees before the fairy, and prayed her to give him back his dear Jorinda: but she laughed at him, and said he should never see her again; then she went her way.

    He prayed, he wept, he sorrowed, but all in vain. ‘Alas!’ he said, ‘what will become of me?’ He could not go back to his own home, so he went to a strange village, and employed himself in keeping sheep. Many a time did he walk round and round as near to the hated castle as he dared go, but all in vain; he heard or saw nothing of Jorinda.

    At last he dreamt one night that he found a beautiful purple flower, and that in the middle of it lay a costly pearl; and he dreamt that he plucked the flower, and went with it in his hand into the castle, and that everything he touched with it was disenchanted, and that there he found his Jorinda again.

    In the morning when he awoke, he began to search over hill and dale for this pretty flower; and eight long days he sought for it in vain: but on the ninth day, early in the morning, he found the beautiful purple flower; and in the middle of it was a large dewdrop, as big as a costly pearl. Then he plucked the flower, and set out and travelled day and night, till he came again to the castle.

    He walked nearer than a hundred paces to it, and yet he did not become fixed as before, but found that he could go quite close up to the door. Jorindel was very glad indeed to see this. Then he touched the door with the flower, and it sprang open; so that he went in through the court, and listened when he heard so many birds singing. At last he came to the chamber where the fairy sat, with the seven hundred birds singing in the seven hundred cages. When she saw Jorindel she was very angry, and screamed with rage; but she could not come within two yards of him, for the flower he held in his hand was his safeguard. He looked around at the birds, but alas! there were many, many nightingales, and how then should he find out which was his Jorinda? While he was thinking what to do, he saw the fairy had taken down one of the cages, and was making the best of her way off through the door. He ran or flew after her, touched the cage with the flower, and Jorinda stood before him, and threw her arms round his neck looking as beautiful as ever, as beautiful as when they walked together in the wood.

    Jorinda and Jorindel

    Then he touched all the other birds with the flower, so that they all took their old forms again; and he took Jorinda home, where they were married, and lived happily together many years: and so did a good many other lads, whose maidens had been forced to sing in the old fairy’s cages by themselves, much longer than they liked.

  • Hans in Luck

    Hans in Luck

    “The Fairy Tales” short story was written by the Brothers Grimm: Some men are born to good luck: all they do or try to do comes right—all that falls to them is so much gain—all their geese are swans—all their cards are trumps—toss them which way you will, they will always, like poor puss, alight upon their legs, and only move on so much the faster. The world may very likely not always think of them as they think of themselves, but what care they for the world? what can it know about the matter?

    One of these lucky beings was neighbour Hans. Seven long years he had worked hard for his master. At last he said, ‘Master, my time is up; I must go home and see my poor mother once more: so pray pay me my wages and let me go.’ And the master said, ‘You have been a faithful and good servant, Hans, so your pay shall be handsome.’ Then he gave him a lump of silver as big as his head.

    Hans took out his pocket-handkerchief, put the piece of silver into it, threw it over his shoulder, and jogged off on his road homewards. As he went lazily on, dragging one foot after another, a man came in sight, trotting gaily along on a capital horse. ‘Ah!’ said Hans aloud, ‘what a fine thing it is to ride on horseback! There he sits as easy and happy as if he was at home, in the chair by his fireside; he trips against no stones, saves shoe-leather, and gets on he hardly knows how.’ Hans did not speak so softly but the horseman heard it all, and said, ‘Well, friend, why do you go on foot then?’ ‘Ah!’ said he, ‘I have this load to carry: to be sure it is silver, but it is so heavy that I can’t hold up my head, and you must know it hurts my shoulder sadly.’ ‘What do you say of making an exchange?’ said the horseman. ‘I will give you my horse, and you shall give me the silver; which will save you a great deal of trouble in carrying such a heavy load about with you.’ ‘With all my heart,’ said Hans: ‘but as you are so kind to me, I must tell you one thing—you will have a weary task to draw that silver about with you.’ However, the horseman got off, took the silver, helped Hans up, gave him the bridle into one hand and the whip into the other, and said, ‘When you want to go very fast, smack your lips loudly together, and cry “Jip!”‘

    Hans in Luck

    Hans was delighted as he sat on the horse, drew himself up, squared his elbows, turned out his toes, cracked his whip, and rode merrily off, one minute whistling a merry tune, and another singing,

    ‘No care and no sorrow,
    A fig for the morrow!
    We’ll laugh and be merry,
    Sing neigh down derry!’

    After a time he thought he should like to go a little faster, so he smacked his lips and cried ‘Jip!’ Away went the horse full gallop; and before Hans knew what he was about, he was thrown off, and lay on his back by the road-side. His horse would have ran off, if a shepherd who was coming by, driving a cow, had not stopped it. Hans soon came to himself, and got upon his legs again, sadly vexed, and said to the shepherd, ‘This riding is no joke, when a man has the luck to get upon a beast like this that stumbles and flings him off as if it would break his neck. However, I’m off now once for all: I like your cow now a great deal better than this smart beast that played me this trick, and has spoiled my best coat, you see, in this puddle; which, by the by, smells not very like a nosegay. One can walk along at one’s leisure behind that cow—keep good company, and have milk, butter, and cheese, every day, into the bargain. What would I give to have such a prize!’ ‘Well,’ said the shepherd, ‘if you are so fond of her, I will change my cow for your horse; I like to do good to my neighbours, even though I lose by it myself.’ ‘Done!’ said Hans, merrily. ‘What a noble heart that good man has!’ thought he. Then the shepherd jumped upon the horse, wished Hans and the cow good morning, and away he rode.

    Hans brushed his coat, wiped his face and hands, rested a while, and then drove off his cow quietly, and thought his bargain a very lucky one. ‘If I have only a piece of bread (and I certainly shall always be able to get that), I can, whenever I like, eat my butter and cheese with it; and when I am thirsty I can milk my cow and drink the milk: and what can I wish for more?’ When he came to an inn, he halted, ate up all his bread, and gave away his last penny for a glass of beer. When he had rested himself he set off again, driving his cow towards his mother’s village. But the heat grew greater as soon as noon came on, till at last, as he found himself on a wide heath that would take him more than an hour to cross, he began to be so hot and parched that his tongue clave to the roof of his mouth. ‘I can find a cure for this,’ thought he; ‘now I will milk my cow and quench my thirst’: so he tied her to the stump of a tree, and held his leathern cap to milk into; but not a drop was to be had. Who would have thought that this cow, which was to bring him milk and butter and cheese, was all that time utterly dry? Hans had not thought of looking to that.

    While he was trying his luck in milking, and managing the matter very clumsily, the uneasy beast began to think him very troublesome; and at last gave him such a kick on the head as knocked him down; and there he lay a long while senseless. Luckily a butcher soon came by, driving a pig in a wheelbarrow. ‘What is the matter with you, my man?’ said the butcher, as he helped him up. Hans told him what had happened, how he was dry, and wanted to milk his cow, but found the cow was dry too. Then the butcher gave him a flask of ale, saying, ‘There, drink and refresh yourself; your cow will give you no milk: don’t you see she is an old beast, good for nothing but the slaughter-house?’ ‘Alas, alas!’ said Hans, ‘who would have thought it? What a shame to take my horse, and give me only a dry cow! If I kill her, what will she be good for? I hate cow-beef; it is not tender enough for me. If it were a pig now—like that fat gentleman you are driving along at his ease—one could do something with it; it would at any rate make sausages.’ ‘Well,’ said the butcher, ‘I don’t like to say no, when one is asked to do a kind, neighbourly thing. To please you I will change, and give you my fine fat pig for the cow.’ ‘Heaven reward you for your kindness and self-denial!’ said Hans, as he gave the butcher the cow; and taking the pig off the wheel-barrow, drove it away, holding it by the string that was tied to its leg.

    So on he jogged, and all seemed now to go right with him: he had met with some misfortunes, to be sure; but he was now well repaid for all. How could it be otherwise with such a travelling companion as he had at last got?

    The next man he met was a countryman carrying a fine white goose. The countryman stopped to ask what was o’clock; this led to further chat; and Hans told him all his luck, how he had so many good bargains, and how all the world went gay and smiling with him. The countryman than began to tell his tale, and said he was going to take the goose to a christening. ‘Feel,’ said he, ‘how heavy it is, and yet it is only eight weeks old. Whoever roasts and eats it will find plenty of fat upon it, it has lived so well!’ ‘You’re right,’ said Hans, as he weighed it in his hand; ‘but if you talk of fat, my pig is no trifle.’ Meantime the countryman began to look grave, and shook his head. ‘Hark ye!’ said he, ‘my worthy friend, you seem a good sort of fellow, so I can’t help doing you a kind turn. Your pig may get you into a scrape. In the village I just came from, the squire has had a pig stolen out of his sty. I was dreadfully afraid when I saw you that you had got the squire’s pig. If you have, and they catch you, it will be a bad job for you. The least they will do will be to throw you into the horse-pond. Can you swim?’

    Poor Hans was sadly frightened. ‘Good man,’ cried he, ‘pray get me out of this scrape. I know nothing of where the pig was either bred or born; but he may have been the squire’s for aught I can tell: you know this country better than I do, take my pig and give me the goose.’ ‘I ought to have something into the bargain,’ said the countryman; ‘give a fat goose for a pig, indeed! ‘Tis not everyone would do so much for you as that. However, I will not be hard upon you, as you are in trouble.’ Then he took the string in his hand, and drove off the pig by a side path; while Hans went on the way homewards free from care. ‘After all,’ thought he, ‘that chap is pretty well taken in. I don’t care whose pig it is, but wherever it came from it has been a very good friend to me. I have much the best of the bargain. First there will be a capital roast; then the fat will find me in goose-grease for six months; and then there are all the beautiful white feathers. I will put them into my pillow, and then I am sure I shall sleep soundly without rocking. How happy my mother will be! Talk of a pig, indeed! Give me a fine fat goose.’

    As he came to the next village, he saw a scissor-grinder with his wheel, working and singing,

    Hans in Luck

    ‘O’er hill and o’er dale
    So happy I roam,
    Work light and live well,
    All the world is my home;
    Then who so blythe, so merry as I?’

    Hans stood looking on for a while, and at last said, ‘You must be well off, master grinder! you seem so happy at your work.’ ‘Yes,’ said the other, ‘mine is a golden trade; a good grinder never puts his hand into his pocket without finding money in it—but where did you get that beautiful goose?’ ‘I did not buy it, I gave a pig for it.’ ‘And where did you get the pig?’ ‘I gave a cow for it.’ ‘And the cow?’ ‘I gave a horse for it.’ ‘And the horse?’ ‘I gave a lump of silver as big as my head for it.’ ‘And the silver?’ ‘Oh! I worked hard for that seven long years.’ ‘You have thriven well in the world hitherto,’ said the grinder, ‘now if you could find money in your pocket whenever you put your hand in it, your fortune would be made.’ ‘Very true: but how is that to be managed?’ ‘How? Why, you must turn grinder like myself,’ said the other; ‘you only want a grindstone; the rest will come of itself. Here is one that is but little the worse for wear: I would not ask more than the value of your goose for it—will you buy?’ ‘How can you ask?’ said Hans; ‘I should be the happiest man in the world, if I could have money whenever I put my hand in my pocket: what could I want more? there’s the goose.’ ‘Now,’ said the grinder, as he gave him a common rough stone that lay by his side, ‘this is a most capital stone; do but work it well enough, and you can make an old nail cut with it.’

    Hans took the stone, and went his way with a light heart: his eyes sparkled for joy, and he said to himself, ‘Surely I must have been born in a lucky hour; everything I could want or wish for comes of itself. People are so kind; they seem really to think I do them a favour in letting them make me rich, and giving me good bargains.’

    Meantime he began to be tired, and hungry too, for he had given away his last penny in his joy at getting the cow.

    At last he could go no farther, for the stone tired him sadly: and he dragged himself to the side of a river, that he might take a drink of water, and rest a while. So he laid the stone carefully by his side on the bank: but, as he stooped down to drink, he forgot it, pushed it a little, and down it rolled, plump into the stream.

    For a while he watched it sinking in the deep clear water; then sprang up and danced for joy, and again fell upon his knees and thanked Heaven, with tears in his eyes, for its kindness in taking away his only plague, the ugly heavy stone.

    ‘How happy am I!’ cried he; ‘nobody was ever so lucky as I.’ Then up he got with a light heart, free from all his troubles, and walked on till he reached his mother’s house, and told her how very easy the road to good luck was.

  • Fundevogel

    Fundevogel

    “The Fairy Tales” short story was written by the Brothers Grimm: There was once a forester who went into the forest to hunt, and as he entered it he heard a sound of screaming as if a little child were there. He followed the sound, and at last came to a high tree, and at the top of this a little child was sitting, for the mother had fallen asleep under the tree with the child, and a bird of prey had seen it in her arms, had flown down, snatched it away, and set it on the high tree.

    The forester climbed up, brought the child down, and thought to himself: ‘You will take him home with you, and bring him up with your Lina.’ He took it home, therefore, and the two children grew up together. And the one, which he had found on a tree was called Fundevogel, because a bird had carried it away. Fundevogel and Lina loved each other so dearly that when they did not see each other they were sad.

    Now the forester had an old cook, who one evening took two pails and began to fetch water, and did not go once only, but many times, out to the spring. Lina saw this and said, ‘Listen, old Sanna, why are you fetching so much water?’ ‘If you will never repeat it to anyone, I will tell you why.’ So Lina said, no, she would never repeat it to anyone, and then the cook said: ‘Early tomorrow morning, when the forester is out hunting, I will heat the water, and when it is boiling in the kettle, I will throw in Fundevogel, and will boil him in it.’

    Fundevogel
    Fundevogel – The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm (1916)

    Early next morning the forester got up and went out hunting, and when he was gone the children were still in bed. Then Lina said to Fundevogel: ‘If you will never leave me, I too will never leave you.’ Fundevogel said: ‘Neither now, nor ever will I leave you.’ Then said Lina: ‘Then will I tell you. Last night, old Sanna carried so many buckets of water into the house that I asked her why she was doing that, and she said that if I would promise not to tell anyone, and she said that early tomorrow morning when father was out hunting, she would set the kettle full of water, throw you into it and boil you; but we will get up quickly, dress ourselves, and go away together.’

    The two children therefore got up, dressed themselves quickly, and went away. When the water in the kettle was boiling, the cook went into the bedroom to fetch Fundevogel and throw him into it. But when she came in, and went to the beds, both the children were gone. Then she was terribly alarmed, and she said to herself: ‘What shall I say now when the forester comes home and sees that the children are gone? They must be followed instantly to get them back again.’

    Then the cook sent three servants after them, who were to run and overtake the children. The children, however, were sitting outside the forest, and when they saw from afar the three servants running, Lina said to Fundevogel: ‘Never leave me, and I will never leave you.’ Fundevogel said: ‘Neither now, nor ever.’ Then said Lina: ‘Do you become a rose-tree, and I the rose upon it.’ When the three servants came to the forest, nothing was there but a rose-tree and one rose on it, but the children were nowhere. Then said they: ‘There is nothing to be done here,’ and they went home and told the cook that they had seen nothing in the forest but a little rose-bush with one rose on it. Then the old cook scolded and said: ‘You simpletons, you should have cut the rose-bush in two, and have broken off the rose and brought it home with you; go, and do it at once.’ They had therefore to go out and look for the second time. The children, however, saw them coming from a distance. Then Lina said: ‘Fundevogel, never leave me, and I will never leave you.’ Fundevogel said: ‘Neither now; nor ever.’ Said Lina: ‘Then do you become a church, and I’ll be the chandelier in it.’ So when the three servants came, nothing was there but a church, with a chandelier in it. They said therefore to each other: ‘What can we do here, let us go home.’ When they got home, the cook asked if they had not found them; so they said no, they had found nothing but a church, and there was a chandelier in it. And the cook scolded them and said: ‘You fools! why did you not pull the church to pieces, and bring the chandelier home with you?’ And now the old cook herself got on her legs, and went with the three servants in pursuit of the children. The children, however, saw from afar that the three servants were coming, and the cook waddling after them. Then said Lina: ‘Fundevogel, never leave me, and I will never leave you.’ Then said Fundevogel: ‘Neither now, nor ever.’ Said Lina: ‘Be a fishpond, and I will be the duck upon it.’ The cook, however, came up to them, and when she saw the pond she lay down by it, and was about to drink it up. But the duck swam quickly to her, seized her head in its beak and drew her into the water, and there the old witch had to drown. Then the children went home together, and were heartily delighted, and if they have not died, they are living still.