In eastern India, the Saura tribes of Odisha believed that there was a time when humans had tails. And these humans went everywhere, swishing their tails and sweeping the ground. But as the number of humans increased, the tails became a huge problem. People were always stepping on each other’s tails. Whether they were at home, the market, or at a marriage. Not a minute went by without someone falling down and crying, and ouch! Life went on in such a painful manner.
One day, God Khatunga visited a market, and as usual it was filled with people. And before the god knew it, someone stepped on his tail. God Khatunga fell down and lost his teeth. He got very angry. God Khatunga pulled off his tail and threw it away. Seeing this, all the other tails got scared, and they fell off, running away. God Khatunga’s tail turned into a palm tree, while the others became blades of tall grass. People used this grass to make brooms, and these brooms sweep the ground, just like the tails before them, when there were few humans around.
And as they say, change and evolution are the only constant in life.
Folktale Source: This is an abridged version of the Saura folktale from the state of Odisha (formerly Orissa) in eastern India, retold from ‘When the World was Young’ by Verrier Elwin.
Illustration: Amrapali
