Author Ambalika

It's birthday time for the world's only tree that tells stories of culture and history!
The traditional week long celebration will take place this year from 3rd-7th February. I hope you will be able to join 🙂

Till then, please join me in singing ' Happy Birthday, Galp Taru 🥳'

For three years, 'Galp Taru- The Tree of Stories', has been mixing technology with human emotions, while retaining and old world charm to bring alive little known folk tales of India, which are always a delight to keep listening to over and again! 😊

It has introduced to the world, the never ending possibilities of making it a better place by living the universal values 💜💚💛

My mission through this initiative and channel is to bring the fast disappearing folk tales and lesser known history of India to children and adults all over the world through the online space.

Each story is preceded by a Curtain Raiser episode that introduces
- the language,
- colonial history of the region,
- culture and
- freedom fighters from the place.

Where applicable, I also highlight the geographical challenges in shaping the language and culture.

That way, viewers get an intellectually immersive experience of the story and gain valuable knowledge not easily found or taught. 😊

I put out only one story+ curtain raiser combo last year. Yet, in an algorithmic world which is skewed against folktales, it managed to be searched for and watched by hundreds! And revenue -wise it's at an all time high!

No, that doesn't mean it's making millions or lakhs or thousands of even hundreds. But it's on the path 🙂
We are not in a hurry.

Oh, and did I tell you - it boasts of several high profile persons as it's viewers- who are from academic institutions, educators, researchers, celebrities, professionals 😎

Thank you all so much for your wishes and support 🙏🏻💐

11 months ago | [YT] | 1

Author Ambalika

#justwondering : Since Diwali is a celebration of good 's triumph over evil, we can also use the occasion to celebrate the triumph of the Kurichiyans' attack on Panamaram Kota - Palmyra Fort- the garrison of the East India Company in Kerala, on 11th October, 1802. 😀
This attack is significant for many reasons, most notably that it set the template for the sepoy mutiny fifty years later.
Yes, the India 's indigenous people indeed led the way when it came to the country 's freedom struggle!

1 year ago | [YT] | 0

Author Ambalika

Thanks to the Radcliffe lines inspired by Jinnah 's hypnotic spells, Sindh went to Pakistan along with a lot of our historical sites ( which are languishing now) while it remained in our national anthem along with the Sindhi language that remained in India. 


Strange were the men who charted India' s destiny in the name of independence!


The U.P CM Yogi Adityanath says , Sindh can be and should be taken back just like the Ram Janma Bhoomi has been, even though it took 500 yrs. 


Well, Mr. M K Gandhi's soul should not hear this, else he will tell Yogi A something along the lines of what he had told Netaji Subhas Bose, that "Adityanath is behaving like a spoilt child" 😁 

Or he might pass on the same advice he had given himself- to " not be spoiling for war" 😁


Well, while we do not know where things will head in the future, what we can surely do for now is salute the Sindhi community in India for showing us that it's possible to become a real life hero from zero.🙏🏽🙏🏽👍🏽👏🏽


Here's a look at the history of the language, it's richness and an awesome folktale! #GalpTaru 

1 year ago | [YT] | 0

Author Ambalika

#WorldElephantDay Going by the story, when God created elephants, He didn't give them trunks. They earned it thanks to a nosey elephant calf who is a bundle of curiosity.

🐘 calves are full of adorable mischief. The one in this story is quite adamant about asking questions, and quite rightly lands in trouble. Rudyard Kipling originally set 'The Elephant's Child' in Africa but I have Kathiawad-ised it with some Gujju-ization 😁 😄

🐘 , especially calves, world over suffer many terrible injuries due to poaching activities or unwitting separation from their herd. Mostly, it is their trunk that bears the brunt of it. Luckily, many are rescued on time and recover to lead a normal life.

This story is dedicated to all those heartwarming efforts of the rescue rangers and the highly entertaining mischievous calves. 💙🙂

1 year ago | [YT] | 1

Author Ambalika

Belated birthday wishes to one of my favourite authors - Upendra Kishore Roy Chaudhury - grandfather of Satyajit Ray.
Though best known for 'Goopy Gayen Bagha Bayen' , his series , 'Tuntuni-r Boi' ( Tuntuni's Notebook) is equally entertaining.
It's about a little tailor bird who outwits just about anyone, from a cat to kings & queens 😀

Here's one for you! #birthday #authors

1 year ago | [YT] | 1

Author Ambalika

A belated birthday gift to Ruskin Bond 💐✨
But for his heart warming short stories featuring Lucknow, one would never know what those days were like for a young child like him.
#ruskinbond #birthday #storytelling #lucknow

1 year ago | [YT] | 1

Author Ambalika

Remembering the great nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore on his birth anniversary with one of his finest stories - Kabuliwala, a timeless tale of innocence amidst the complexities of life.

https://youtu.be/xITQyURVxjA #rabindrajayanti

1 year ago | [YT] | 2

Author Ambalika

Is there a Daughter In Law Day around? 😀'coz this story from my channel is suddenly trending since a week ☺️ #GalpTaru #malwa #folktales #Indian #MONDAYMAGIC

1 year ago | [YT] | 0

Author Ambalika

#FolktaleOfTheWeek TBH, there's none better qualified than Garulapati Ramakrishnan to be idolized/ deified as The Model Employee 😀

Not only is he NOT a 'Yes-man', he is also not looking to scapegoat nor looking for one. Totally comfortable in his own skin and fate, he instead embraces all the weirdness and curveballs that his 'boss and team mates' a.k.a the King and fellow courtiers, keep throwing at him. 😎

This is from the very early days of Galp Taru😁
And I had great fun 'going bald' 😁😁
Safe to believe that I am probably the only woman in modern times to play Good 'Ol Tenali Raman 😊☺️🙂

#happynewmonth

1 year ago | [YT] | 0

Author Ambalika

As #february comes to an end, here's a look at some of India's earliest revolts against the East India company:
👳🏻‍♀️💂🏻‍♀️ Budhu Bhagat & the Kol revolt of 1832
💂🏻‍♀️👳🏻‍♀️ Rani Gaidinliu 's last days
👳🏻‍♀️💂🏻‍♀️ Guru Gobind Giri's sentencing
💂🏻‍♀️👳🏻‍♀️ Birthday of Tilka Manjhi
👩🏻‍🦳👩🏻‍🦱 Kastur ba Gandhi's influence on a young Dashri Ben Choudhury #freedomfighter #india #tribalcommunity

1 year ago | [YT] | 0