Folk tales are expressions of the vibrant life of people – their feelings, aspirations and sense of humour. Their source is not a writer’s pen but the people themselves. They are the offsprings of those wise villagers who live life in a very natural way just like the nature around them.
Similar is the case with these folk tales from Himachal Pradesh. These embody the simple villagers where romance, humour, cleverness hero-worship etc. reside and find expression in stories that bring smiles as well as tears to the readers. In fact, their utmost contribution is towards humour in life and their rustic touch is wonderful. A must read book for people of all age.

Santosh Shailja was born on 14th April, 1937 in Amritsar (Punjab). She had her education upto Matriculation there. After that her parents shifted to Delhi where she did her B.A. and M.A. (Hindi). After doing her B.Ed. she taught in Govt. Higher Secondary School in Delhi. After marriage with Shri Shanta Kumar in 1964, both came to live in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh. She is blessed with three daughters and a son. All are married and blessed with children.
As she had an aptitude for reading and writing, her first story appeared in Panchjanya, a Hindi weekly from Delhi. Afterwards, she regularly wrote stories for Saptahik Hindustan, Dharmayuga, Sarika, Kadambini.