Grim Life Lessons

Grandma could fill my imagination with mythical tales from ancient India. The characters came alive every evening. She'd sit on a wooden settee, and all of us would obediently sit cross-legged on the floor. She was a natural storyteller who invariably ended the session on a cliff-hanger. When we begged her to tell us more, she'd give us a sweet date. It was, as she put it, the magic medicine that made good children sleep on time. For the longest time we all ate it as a goodnight snack and slept soundly. Tales of kings and queens, palaces and nether worlds, heroes and villians, empowered women and men sparked imagination. Winged chariots, sinewy steeds faster than the wind, majestic elephants would fill in where she left off in vivid dreams.

My first exposure to European fairy tales was the thick, hard bound A Treasury of Fairy Tales. This book was gifted to me by an aunt who lived in faraway England.

We lived in a joint family with my family, my aunts, uncles, cousins, and wonderful grandmother. In the beginning, my mother read one story at a time. However, I was impatient to wait. It was hard to hold the heavy book by myself. So, I'd rest it on a heavy circular table in my grandmother's house, climbing over the table to read. When someone walked by, I'd ask for the meaning of an unfamiliar word.

I vividly remember encountering the word "idly." I thought it was a steamed South Indian dish. Thank goodness for context clues. The meaning just did not fit there. The large family was my go-to search engine! They even corrected the pronunciation. You see, the dish Idli begins with the short vowel unlike idly.

The book was a treasure chest. It had sweeping illustrations of lands faraway, magic and mischief, good and evil. It was a world away from my own corner. The Gothic architecture, the sweeping gowns, the different flora and fauna got me curious. It was fun to explore another world myself. Grandma's tales had upped my expectations, and I was not to be easily swayed.

Cinderella, her social life and curfew, or the fairy Godmother held little thrill for me. I had my grandma who was a magician. Thumbelina was too insignificant. Sleeping Beauty slept through most of the story anyway, and Rapunzel's shampoo routine kind of scared me. I sort of liked Puss in Boots and the Frog Prince stories, and that Princess who felt uncomfortable on a pea despite umpteem mattresses, came across mega entitled. The Ugly Duckling did have some life lessons. But hey, I was a cute kid, and I had no crystal ball of the adolescent awkwardness soon to follow. The rats in the Pied Piper of Hamlin got me itchy, and I truly sympathized with Baby Bear instead of Goldilocks. However, Hansel and Gretel, reeled me hook, line, and sinker

Unbeknownst to me, the darkness of the tale truly went over my head. I must admit at that young age, it seemed to end fabulously. A witchy housemate in a fantasy-rich gingerbread house can't be all that bad in comparison to a stepmother who never fed you. Quite a 'Grimm" story I must say. "Sugar is poison," has a multi-layered meaning. Children with concrete thinking do not see beyond the superficial sweetness. Lured by all that candy and confection, I too never saw the darkest layers.

They say tales teach you lessons.

Life's not fair, and not all families are perfect. The spineless father and evil stepmother made separation from family easier. The young reader does not agonize at this turn of events. The reader does not even question why the two siblings want to return to this dysfunction.Such is the power of the tale.

Economic hardships are universal even in the land of princes and princesses. Poverty can be crushing. Hopefully, the siblings will end up with better money management and parenting techniques.

The evil stepmother should be relegated to fairy tales beside the nonexistent fairy godmother. This truly sets a bad tone for second or third, or even fourth wives or spouses for that matter. It's always a good thing to divvy up chores from the start in a family. We can't all sit around forever in wait for that elusive godmother.

Resourcefulness is a real asset. Hansel dropping pebbles surreptiously, and the children learning that pebbles and breadcrumbs aren't alike are valuable lessons. While the birds got fed, and future computer programs benefitted, the kids certainly lost their way. Yes, breadcrumb navigation is a modern-day graphical control element. It helps users keep track and maintain awareness of their locations within websites, programs or documents. Guess where it got inspiration from?

Anyway, pebbles are also good alternatives if you do not possess GPS to return where you started.

The sugar rush is not great for health. No matter how alluring a cottage looks, if it's too good to be true, it most probably is.

Never believe a sweet-talking witch. This is how Hansel and Gretel learnt street-smartness in CandyLand.

The resourcefulness of Gretel often goes unnoticed. She rescues her sibling without waiting for a Prince Charming or the proverbial fairy godmother! Goodbye evil witch, hello Smart Gretel! For this reason alone, the story should be retitled Gretel and Hansel.

They did obtain the wealth of the wicked witch along with some deliciously sweet real estate. It elevated the family status, and Hansel and Gretel were welcomed back with open arms. Forgiveness is a benevolent attitude.

Personally, I'd tell those kids to save the money for therapy. After the gingerbread, candy, and sugar coating are all gone, they might have to wrest with some deep-rooted abandonment issues.