Guwahati, July 14: It is a set of amazing tales that have stirred the imagination of every Assamese child for a hundred years now.

Nothing is impossible in the wonderland of Burhi Aair Xadhu (Grandma’s Tales), where tiposi (a small bird) dupes a raven, a tiger seeks help from an old man to save himself from a crab, a kite (bird) adopts a girl and the most fascinating tales tickle the imagination. Even the most wicked child would shed a tear when he listens to the painful story of Tejimola.

This long journey since its first publication in October-November 1911 has not even slightly diminished the charm of the tales of Burhi Aair Xadhu. Rather, every passing year has added something to make it more popular. Countless other children’s books have hit the market and numerous serials have been telecast on different channels for children, but this one book remains the same: evergreen and loved.

Ask any septuagenarian — or a child — in Assam about Tikhar and Sutibai, and he or she will recite you the lines with hilarity: Suti muti bai, pitha khabor mon jai. Ask them about Sompaboti to know the hardships of a neglected daughter who sits in the fields to protect the paddy from birds singing Hur hur bota sorai mor dhan nakhabi tok dim gotakorai... Or ask them about Tejimola and listen to the painful life story of a stepdaughter through the poignant unforgettable lines: Hato nemelibi lawo nisingibi kore mogonia toi, pat kaporor logote mahi aai khundile Tejimolahe moi... Be it its lyrical beauty or its verse, Burhi Aair Xadhu has stood the test of time.

A master of satire, humour and children’s writing, Lakshminath Bezbaruah collected these tales from different people and published them in book, adding to them a touch of his own unique style. Besides Burhi Aair Xadhu, the Roxoraj (the King of Humour as he is known and honoured) penned three other storybooks: Juat nuka, Kokadeuta Aaru Nati Lora and Baakhor.

Publishers say Burhi Aair Xadhu is “undoubtedly the bestselling Assamese children’s book”.

“It is unbeatable,” Ananta Hazarika, proprietor of Banalata, a leading publication house in the state, said.

As the copyright of the book no longer holds after 60 years of the death of the writer, at least eight publication houses have published it.

Banalata has published 14 editions of the book since 1999, said Hazarika. “For a few initial editions we printed 2,200 copies a year; that slowly grew to 3,000. For the last nine editions, we have been printing 4,000 copies at a time,” Hazarika said.

“Children’s books of Panindra Nath Gogoi, Atul Chandra Hazarika, Navakanta Barua, Bhabendra Nath Saikia and Nirmal Prabha Bordoloi are also popular but they cannot be compared with Burhi Aair Xadhu,” he said.

Nagen Sarma, proprietor of Jyoti Prakashan, said Burhi Aair Xadhu is still the best selling book in Assamese children’s literature. He said the book sells around 5,000 copies every year.

Assam Jatiya Bidyalay here has been using the book as a rapid reader for Class IV for more than seven years. “It’s the best without any question. People across different age groups find it interesting. There are as many interesting elements for the elderly as there are for children,” Basanta Deka, president of the school management committee, said.

Perceptions though, differ when it comes to the thematic content of Burhi Aair Xadhu. “Unlike what many others think, Burhi Aair Xadhu is not a collection of stories for children alone. Rather, from today’s point of view, stories like Tula aru Teja and Tejimola aren’t suitable as textbooks. For example, some of these stories talk about stepmothers torturing their stepdaughters,” Nagen Saikia, former president of Asam Sahitya Sabha, said. That though, hasn’t stopped Burhi Aair Xadhu from ranking as among the best of books in Assam.

Considering the wide popularity of Burhi Aair Xadhu, some of its tales have now been made available on the Internet.