KALYANI JHA | NT BUZZ
For generations, the Vikram Betaal folktales have been passed down in the form of storytelling through books in different languages, television serials, etc.
At the heart of the stories is the brave invincible King Vikram, who repeatedly carries the notorious spirit Betaal on his back, only to be challenged with a riddle or moral dilemma at the end of each tale. The stories centre around themes of justice, morality, human behaviour, and the choices people make.
Writer Mario Coelho has now attempted to tell these stories in verse in his book, ‘Betaal Pachisi’, a title, he says, he didn’t choose.
“The title was given by HarperCollins. I did not know what ‘Betaal Pachisi’ meant. I looked it up and discovered that Pachisi means two things – the number 25, and a kind of board game between two,” shares the writer.
The idea of putting Vikram and Betaal into verse had actually been suggested to Coelho several years earlier when he wanted his other children’s stories ( which were also in verse), to be published by Harper Collins. At first, he turned down this request and instead focused on his other writing projects. He came out with ‘Moonlight and Shadow,’ a collection of dark tales, two years ago, followed by ‘The Twisted Child.’
“After these books, I thought, let’s get back to them. So I enquired if the offer was still on the table, and when they said ‘yes’, I began working on this,” says Coelho, who ordered three books online to understood the stories better before beginning to write them in verse.
He also, gave them “a bit of a twist”. This, he says, was necessary because he felt that the source material was not always an easy fit for contemporary young readers.
“In the source material, you have these kings and queens and beautiful princesses. But for today’s generation, it can be not just outdated but tremendously patriarchal. You always have the strong kings everywhere, and they are the ones who rule. The women are often relegated to a secondary role,” he explains.
So without changing the storyline and remaining faithful to the source material he portrayed the character of the king with vulnerabilities and frailties. “I was determined to show him as a human being. He has moments of doubt and fear,” he says.
And for Coelho, writing in verse comes naturally. “What makes a good verse writer? He has to be a bad poet. If you’re a good poet, then you don’t need verse. I don’t consider myself a good poet at all. Verse comes easy to me for some reason,” says Coelho who first began writing limericks
in college. The actual writing took about six months, but bringing the book to life took considerably longer.
‘Betaal Pachisi’ is part of a box set, called ‘Roots of India’, with folk tales by four different authors. It can be bought individually or as part of a set.
“I think folk tales and mythology play a very important role in shaping young minds. The challenge is to make them readable to today’s young generation. People say that because of smartphones, youngsters now read less. I don’t know how far that’s true. But the fact remains that you have to make something attractive to the young person,” says Coelho, who is is currently working on Panchtantra tales in verse and a story of his own.
