That morning, I sat in the kitchen sipping steaming Indian masala tea while scrolling through my phone. Suddenly, I saw a heated online debate: Which tales are more captivating—those of Ganesha or Krishna? I couldn’t help but laugh—I’d grown up hearing stories about both gods, and I couldn’t bear to choose between them.
So I thought: Why not compile the most entertaining, memorable stories myself and share them? Not for any other reason than these tales are genuinely delightful—I’d always be spellbound when Grandma told them to me as a child.
Digging Up Memories from Old Books
My first stop was Grandma’s old bookcase. The cabinet was ancient and heavy, dust drifting down as I opened it.I pulled out three comic books I loved as a child, called Amar Chitra Katha. The pages were stuck together, as if glued with syrup. I carefully separated them one by one and laid them on the dining table, next to a plate of leftover pancakes.
Looking at these illustrations, childhood memories flooded back. As I flipped through the pages, I jotted down the stories that made me laugh or touched my heart.Some told of divine transformations and magic, others recounted their mischievous childhood antics. Each felt as familiar as an old friend.
Too Many Stories, Only Five to Choose
Here’s the problem: I found seventeen stories! But I promised to share only five. What to do? I came up with a solution—I called over a few kids from my cousin’s family to be the “judges.” They ranged from eight to fourteen years old, the perfect age for loving mythical tales.
I told them each story one by one, watching their reactions as I went. If they started yawning or looking down at their phones, that story was “out.” But if their eyes widened and their mouths fell slightly open, I quickly circled it in red pen—this one had to stay!
That’s how I selected eight stories that were especially popular.
Meeting with Elders to Finalize the List
Later, I attended a temple event and casually showed my list to several uncles and aunts. They argued for two hours! One said, “Without the story of Ganesha riding a mouse, how can this be a complete collection?” Another pounded his thigh, exclaiming, “Krishna stealing butter is the cutest part—it absolutely must be included!”
In the end, I decided to be fair and include a mix of types: funny ones, touching ones, and epic battle scenes. The final five were:
- How Ganesha Got His Trunk
- Ganesha and His Brother Race
- Little Krishna Battles a Poisonous Snake
- Krishna Lifts a Mountain to Protect a Village
- Ganesha helping compose the epic Mahabharata
I also loved the story of Krishna playing his flute, but there simply wasn’t room. I flipped a coin to decide—and the buttered side came up (our family tradition for good luck), so I kept it!
Recording videos is way harder than telling stories
On Saturday morning, I started filming. I propped my phone on a few thick books—my makeshift tripod. At first, I tried speaking directly to the camera, but within two minutes I’d said “Um… so… then…” over a dozen times. Even I couldn’t help but laugh.
Later, I switched tactics: holding my notebook, I talked like I was chatting with friends. I reminded myself:
- Don’t recite like a textbook; speak slowly like Grandma
- When mentioning the elephant-headed god, wave your hand in front of your nose
- When describing Krishna stealing butter, make a “stealing” expression and smack your lips
- When talking about him playing the flute, hum along myself—even if I’m off-key
Editing the video was even more exhausting. When I paused to drink bubble tea and replayed it, I noticed several spots where I froze completely—stopping for a full five seconds! I used free software to cut those parts out. To make matters worse, a neighbor rode by on a motorcycle, the noise so loud it recorded the entire “Krishna lifting the mountain” segment. I had to re-record that part six times.
Finally finished, and some still want more?
Late last night, I finally uploaded the video. Woke up this morning to 22 notifications—mostly likes and “thanks for sharing.” But one uncle commented: “You left out the most important part…”
I laughed. Truth is, I know every family and every region tells different stories. I shared only the warmest, funniest ones from my memory. If I tried to tell them all, it’d take a month.
But that’s okay. These tales were meant to be passed down through generations. Next time, maybe I’ll share how little Krishna tricked his mother, or how Ganesha used his ears to fan himself while eating sweets.
As long as someone is willing to listen, these old stories will keep being told.
