Indian Tales consists of a collection of short stories which captures the varied scents and colors of India. The characters, situations, portrayals, dialogues are fresh, rich and funny. The language used here is very Victorian. The stories probably would not have been so funny if not written in such an honorary language, justifying the colonial times the stories are based on. The most light and humorous situations are explained in such a rich language that they seem to be indeed exceptional rather than ordinary. The book beautifully highlights the eccentricities to believe rich, cultured, and polished British class in India and their funny interactions with the native population. The hope, beliefs, simplicity, faith and superstitions of the natives coupled with brutality, cl u e l e s s n e s s, straightjacket, heavy handedness of the British create tongue in cheek humor - guarantee to generate a lot of wonder, sighs, laughs, and giggles on narration back home in England.

By Rudyard Kipling and L. J. Bridgman