Ganga and her Miser Father | Folktale of India

Once upon a time, there lived a girl called Ganga. She lived with her father. Her mother died a year after she was born. She missed her mother a lot. Her father, Gopi, was very miser. He never pampered his daughter. Years passed, and Ganga grew to be a young girl. 

She was gorgeous. She wished her mother was alive. She hated her father’s attitude toward money. He never allowed her to enjoy his wealth. Gopi was a merchant. He only gave Ganga the basic things she needed.

One day, Ganga decided to leave the house forever. She wrote a letter to her father and kept it near her mother’s portrait. She left before dawn. Like every morning, Gopi woke up and did his morning ritual. He then went to his wife’s portrait to light a lamp. There he saw a letter. He read the letter carefully. He never taught Ganga could be in pain. He started crying.

Wondering how to find his daughter, Gopi walked to his friend’s place. Gopi’s friend consoled him. He suggested sending his son, Soma, to search for Ganga. Gopi went back to his home. Ganga was waiting for him. Delighted, Gopi apologized to Ganga. Suddenly, Ganga turned into a demon. Scared, Gopi asked the demon about her daughter. The demon gave her a golden doll that looked like a miniature Ganga. The demon said, "This is your daughter, Ganga."

Soma had arrived at Gopi's house and was hearing the whole conversation. Finding the right opportunity, he killed the demon with a knife. They hoped the golden doll would become Ganga once the demon was dead. They hoped killing Demon would undo his spell off Ganga. But the golden doll was still like that. Before dying, the demon said, ‘This doll will become Ganga only when you love your daughter; otherwise, take the golden doll and become a demon.’

Gopi truly loved his daughter, and he started crying. The demon was now dead, and Ganga came alive from the golden doll. He realized his mistake that the demon was his penny-pinching attitude. That made him look at everything like it was made of gold. He never saw the human emotion behind them.

Moral – Never be a miser and enjoy life.

Happy reading!

Check out Nisha B Thakur's highly appreciated novel, The Unexpected Trail.