A Grandmother’s Magic:

Tales from Sri Lanka

Denzil Jayasinghe

5 min read

Inmy childhood, my grandmother Kadayamma — also known as Barbara Saram — wielded a special kind of magic. While other children had their bedtime stories, we experienced enchantment woven through mealtimes and twilight hours. Her stories passed down through Sri Lanka’s rich oral tradition, carried a unique flavour that was distinctly hers. Though many families across the island shared similar tales, Kadayamma had mastered anchoring her stories in a child’s world, making them both memorable and meaningful.

The Tale of the Nariya and the Bird

One of her most memorable stories was about a clever fox — or nariya, as we call it in Sinhala — and an unsuspecting bird. In Sri Lankan folklore, the fox often plays the role of the cunning trickster, and this tale was no exception.

High up in a tall, leafy tree sat a pretty white bird. It held something special in its beak — a delicious cake with pink frosting! The bird was so excited to eat this yummy treat that it had found.

Down below, a clever fox was walking when something caught his eye. He stopped and looked up, his nose twitching at the sweet smell of cake. “Oh my,” thought the fox, “that looks simply scrumptious!”

But the cake was way too high for the fox to reach. He scratched his furry chin, thinking and thinking, until — aha! — he had an idea.

The fox sat down under the tree, wrapped his fluffy tail around his paws, and called up in his friendliest voice:

“Oh, wonderful bird! What a magnificent beak you have! It’s the most beautiful beak I’ve ever seen in all my life. Someone with such a lovely beak must have the most amazing singing voice. Would you please sing a song for me? I would be ever so grateful!”

The white bird felt its chest puff up with pride. No one had ever said such nice things about its beak before! “This fox has good taste,” thought the bird. “I should reward him with my lovely singing!”

Forgetting all about the cake it was holding, the bird opened its beak wide to sing a beautiful melody…

PLOP!

Down fell the cake, straight into the waiting fox’s mouth!“

Thank you for the lovely treat!” called the fox with a wink as he trotted away, licking the frosting from his whiskers.

The bird learned an important lesson that day: it’s wise to think twice when someone gives you too much praise — especially if they might want your cake!

The Fox and the Rabbit’s Pumpkin Adventure

Long ago, in the emerald forests of Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka), there lived a beautiful white rabbit with the softest fur and gentlest heart. The rabbit loved making friends with all the forest creatures and always saw the good in everyone.

One day, a clever fox with rusty red fur approached the rabbit. “Dear friend,” said the fox with a charming smile, “let me show you all the forest’s secrets!” The rabbit, delighted to make a new friend, happily agreed.

Walking together through the forest one sunny morning, they discovered a perfectly ripe pumpkin.

“Oh, what wonderful luck!” exclaimed the fox, his eyes twinkling. “We could make the most delicious pumpkin milk rice. It’s a special treat that all animals in Ceylon love!”

The rabbit clapped his paws with excitement. “That sounds wonderful! Let’s cook together!”

The fox pretended to think hard. “We’ll need banana leaves to serve our feast. Would you mind collecting some while I start cooking? You’re so much better at choosing the finest leaves.”

“Of course!” said the rabbit proudly. “I’ll be back soon!” And off he hopped into the forest.

As soon as the rabbit disappeared, the fox began cooking the pumpkin milk rice himself. The sweet, creamy smell filled the air as he stirred the pot. Unable to resist, he started eating… and eating… until every last bit was gone!

The fox’s tummy grew so round that he felt quite uncomfortable. Thinking quickly, he found a curved coconut shell and balanced it on his back to hide his overfull belly.

When the rabbit returned with fresh banana leaves, he found only an empty pot and a peculiar-looking fox. The rabbit noticed right away that something wasn’t quite right.

“Oh dear,” said the rabbit kindly. “It seems you’ve eaten all our pumpkin milk rice yourself.”

Feeling embarrassed, the fox asked the rabbit to help remove the coconut shell from his back. As they struggled together, they both got dirty! “Oh no!” cried the rabbit as he ran away to wash himself in a nearby stream. When he returned looking clean and fresh, he found the fox was still dirty.

“How did you clean up so quickly?” asked the fox in surprise.

“I visited the wise old washerwoman by the stream,” boasted the rabbit. “She’s very good at cleaning things.”

Not wanting to seem less clever than his friend, the fox rushed to find her, too. However, when she saw him, she recognized him as a troublemaker from her village. Instead of helping him, she grabbed him by his feet and gave him a proper washing by beating him against her washing stone while scolding him about stealing her chickens and being greedy.

From that day forward, the fox learned three critical lessons: sharing is much better than being greedy; true friends don’t trick each other; and our actions always have consequences.

________

Looking back now, I realise how these seemingly simple stories carried more profound wisdom about pride, cleverness, and the consequences of vanity. Through Kadayamma’s storytelling, ancient Sri Lankan folklore came alive, teaching life lessons that would stay with me long after the tales were told.