BARBER HÍM AND THE TIGERS.

#Indian Fairy Tales

Once upon a time, there was a barber named Hím who was very, very poor. He lived with his wife and a whole bunch of kids – twelve of them! Five were boys and seven were girls. Sometimes he would earn a little bit of money. One day, he felt super grumpy and left his home, leaving his wife and kids to take care of themselves.

A watercolor illustration of Hím, a thin barber with a worried expression, holding a worn leather razor strap and a tarnished straight razor. Dawn light filters through the cracks in the wooden walls of his dilapidated house, casting long shadows. Twelve children of varying ages, their clothes patched and faded, stand before him, their faces gaunt and their eyes reflecting hunger and sadness. His wife stands framed in the doorway, her hands on her hips, her worn apron suggesting a life of endless toil, her concerned expression etched deep into her face. Patches of faded blue paint peel from the house, revealing the rough-hewn wood beneath. Chickens peck at the dusty ground. The overall color palette leans towards muted browns, grays, and blues, evoking a sense of poverty and desperation, but with hints of early morning gold adding a touch of hope. Soft blending is used to suggest worn textures.

“What can I do?” he wondered. “I don’t have enough money to buy food for my family, and they’re all crying because they’re hungry!” So he walked and walked until he came to a jungle. It was nighttime when he got there. This jungle was called the “Tigers’ Jungle” because only tigers lived there. There were no birds, no bugs, no other animals – just tigers! And there were four hundred of them! As soon as Barber Hím arrived, he saw a big, scary tiger walking around.

A watercolor illustration depicting Hím, small and seemingly insignificant, standing at the edge of a dark, dense jungle, labeled ‘Tigers’ Jungle’ in faded, hand-painted letters on a decaying wooden signpost in the background. Moonlight filters weakly through the canopy, creating dappled patterns on the jungle floor. Hím, trembling slightly, looks terrified, his eyes wide with fear. In the foreground, a large, menacing Bengal tiger with glowing amber eyes snarls, its teeth bared, saliva dripping from its jaws. The texture of its fur is rough and matted. Deep greens and blacks dominate the scene, contrasting with the tiger’s vibrant orange and black stripes. The overall tone is ominous and threatening, achieved through contrasting light and shadow.

“Oh no!” he shouted. “This tiger is going to eat me!” He grabbed his razor and his razor-strap and started sharpening the razor, making a loud shink shink sound. Then he walked right up to the tiger, still sharpening. The tiger got really scared. “What am I going to do?” thought the tiger. “This man is going to cut me up!” “I’m here,” said the barber, “to catch twenty tigers for King Káns. You’re one of them, and I need nineteen more!” The tiger was super scared and said, “If you promise not to catch us, I’ll give you as much gold and as many shiny jewels as you can carry!” You see, these tigers used to sneak into villages and grab people. Some of those people had money, and some had jewels, and the tigers would keep it all.

A watercolor illustration of Hím, looking surprisingly confident, brandishing his razor and strap in the flickering light of a makeshift torch. He’s sharpening the razor with practiced motions, creating visible sparks that illuminate his determined face. The sparks also reflect in the tiger’s wide, terrified eyes. The tiger is cowering against a large, gnarled tree root, its ears flattened against its head, eyes wide with fear, its powerful body trembling. Piles of gold coins and jewels, gleaming under the torchlight, are scattered around it, along with broken clay pots. Greens and browns of the jungle contrast with the warm golds and reds of the firelight and the tiger’s coat. The textures of the gold and jewels are suggested by subtle variations in color and shading.

“Okay,” said Hím, “I won’t catch you then.” The tiger led him to the place where all the tigers ate their dinners, and the barber scooped up as much gold and as many jewels as he could carry. Then he went home.

A watercolor illustration of Hím, straining under the weight, struggling to carry overflowing burlap sacks of gold coins and jewels. He is walking away from the jungle, the rising sun casting long shadows behind him, with a determined expression on his sweat-streaked face. The jungle looms in the background, a mix of greens and browns. The tiger watches him from a distance, its eyes narrowed, still appearing wary but also defeated. Birds sing in the distance, represented by small brushstrokes in the sky. The texture of the burlap sacks is rough and coarse. The color palette shifts towards warmer tones, suggesting the approaching dawn and a brighter future.

He built a nice house, bought his kids pretty clothes and yummy food, and sparkly necklaces. They all lived happily for a while.

A watercolor illustration of Hím, now dressed in fine, tailored clothes of deep blue and gold, standing proudly in front of a large, newly built house. The house boasts multiple windows with brightly painted shutters, flower boxes overflowing with vibrant blooms, and a red tiled roof. His wife and twelve children are also well-dressed, beaming with joy, and enjoying a feast of delicious food laid out on a long, polished wooden table. Roasted meats, colorful fruits, and steaming vegetables are depicted with mouth-watering detail. Sunlight bathes the scene, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. The color palette is rich and vibrant, reflecting the family’s newfound prosperity. The textures of the clothes, food, and house are rendered with delicate brushstrokes.

But then, he wanted more money. So, he went back to the Tigers’ Jungle. He found the same tiger and told him that King Káns had sent him to catch twenty tigers again! The tiger was terrified and said, “Please don’t catch us! I’ll give you even more gold and jewels!” The barber agreed, and the tiger took him to the same spot. The barber grabbed as many jewels and rupees as he could carry, and then went back home. One day, a very poor man, a fakír, asked him, “How did you get so rich? You used to be so poor you could barely feed your family!” “I’ll tell you,” said Hím. He told him all about his trips to the Tigers’ Jungle. “But don’t go there for gold tonight,” the barber warned. “Let’s go listen to the tigers talking. If you want, you can come with me. Just don’t get scared if the tigers roar!” “I won’t be scared,” said the fakír. So that evening, at eight o’clock, they went to the Tigers’ Jungle.

A watercolor illustration of Hím and a thin, bearded fakír hiding in the thick foliage of a large banyan tree at night. The moon is a sliver in the sky, casting an eerie glow. Below them, a large gathering of tigers is having a meeting, their eyes gleaming in the darkness. The one-eyed tiger leader, scarred and battle-worn, sits at the center, surrounded by his followers. A pile of food is underneath the tree, including a bound and gagged person, depicted discreetly. The fakir’s eyes are open wide with terror. Dark blues, greens, and blacks dominate the palette, with small bursts of orange from the tigers’ eyes. Texture of leaves and tree bark is realistically portrayed with many layers of paint

The barber and the fakír climbed into a tall, leafy tree. The leaves were so thick they hid them like they were in a house. The tigers always had their meetings under this tree. Pretty soon, all the tigers in the jungle showed up, and their leader – a big, huge tiger with only one eye – came too. “Friends,” said the tiger who had given the barber the rupees and jewels, “a man has come here twice to catch twenty of us for King Káns! There are only four hundred of us, and if twenty are taken, that’s not very many left! So, I gave him as many rupees and jewels as he could carry each time, and he went away. What should we do if he comes back?” The tigers said they would meet again tomorrow to decide. Then the tigers left, and the barber and the fakír climbed down from the tree. They grabbed a bunch of rupees and jewels and went home. “Tomorrow,” they said, “we’ll come back and hear what the tigers say!” The next day, the barber went alone to the Tigers’ Jungle. He met his tiger again. “This time,” he said, “I’m here to cut off the ears of all four hundred tigers who live in this jungle! King Káns wants them to make medicine!” The tiger was even more scared than before. “Don’t cut off our ears! Please don’t!” he begged. “We won’t be able to hear, and it will hurt so much! Go cut off all the dogs’ ears instead, and I’ll give you enough rupees and jewels for two men to carry!” “Okay,” said the barber, and he made two trips carrying the rupees and jewels from the jungle to his village. Then he got someone to help him carry them all the way to his house. That night, he and the fakír went back to the big tree where the tigers had their meetings. The tiger who had given the barber so many rupees and jewels had gotten a big pile of yummy food ready – meat, chickens, geese, and even people the tigers had caught! He put it all under the tree, because he said they would all eat after they finished talking. Soon, the tigers arrived with their leader, and the barber’s tiger said, “Friends, what should we do? This man came again today to cut off all our ears for King Káns’s medicine! I told him it would be bad for us, and that he should cut off all the dogs’ ears instead. I gave him enough money and jewels for two men to carry, so he went home. Now what should we do? We have to leave this jungle! But where will we go?” The other tigers said, “We won’t leave! If that man comes back, we’ll eat him!” So they ate dinner and left, saying they would meet again tomorrow. After the tigers were gone, the barber and the fakír climbed down from the tree and went home without taking any rupees or jewels. They agreed to come back the next evening. The next evening, they climbed into the big tree again. The tigers came too, and the barber’s tiger told his story all over again. The tiger leader sat up and said, angrily, “We will not leave this jungle! If that man comes back, I will eat him myself!” When the fakír heard that, he got so scared that he fell out of the tree right into the middle of the tigers!

A watercolor illustration of the fakír, mouth agape, flailing wildly as he falls from the tree and lands in the middle of the tigers. Dust and leaves are kicked up in the chaos. The tigers are leaping back in terror, scattering the pile of food. Hím is screaming in the background, his face a mask of horror. The one-eyed tiger leader looks enraged, his teeth bared. The illustration captures the dynamism of the scene, with blurred lines and exaggerated expressions. The palette is a mix of dark blues, browns, and oranges, with flashes of white to emphasize the movement.

The barber quickly shouted, “Cut off their ears! Cut off their ears!” and the tigers, terrified, ran away as fast as they could! The barber took the fakír home, but the poor man was hurt so badly by the fall that he died.

A watercolor illustration of Hím standing solemnly over the deceased Fakir. The Fakir is draped in rough, brown cloth, his face peaceful despite his grim fate. Hím is holding the Fakir’s hand, his head bowed in sorrow, a single tear tracing a path down his cheek. His luxurious house, bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun, is visible in the background, a silent reminder of his success purchased at a terrible cost. The color palette is muted and somber, with shades of gray, brown, and violet. The texture of the Fakir’s robe and the surrounding earth is rough and detailed. The overall tone is melancholic and reflective.

The barber lived happily ever after, but he made sure never to go back to the Tigers’ Jungle again!

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BARBER HÍM AND THE TIGERS.

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