conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What could be a title for a book about Bhutanese, English, Bumthang with the genre: Literature & Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: A title for this book could be 'Folktales of Bhutan'
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me the first five paragraphs for this book.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Folktales of Bhutan
  The art of listening to folktales and retelling them has, in my opinion been an important tool for the development of native eloquence and articulateness which we find in abundance among ordinary Bhutanese. It also enables people to find moral, philosophical, religious, mythical and romantic meaning in the stories.
  Since the progress of modernization began some three decades ago there has been rapid change in many aspects of Bhutanese society. Inevitably the crucial role that the oral tradition has played in transmitting knowledge is also likely to decline. There is an apparent danger that the folktales and fables whose deep significance and origins we do not yet fully understand could disappear. It is already apparent that children are reared on folktales from distant places at the expense of local ones, which could begin a process of alienation from the local culture.
  The nine years of childhood spent in Tang Ugen Choling was very short, especially in terms of how much time I could spend with my parents. The duties of feudal lords were by no means simple and a certain amount of dedication and sacrifice was necessary to live through the many intricacies and sensibilities of dealing with human beings, the most important of which was trying to keep everybody contented and the village in harmony. This took up much of my parents' time. I may have been better off than many of my friends from the village in many ways. But I was certainly deprived of much valuable time with my parents. This was made worse by their untimely deaths. I could be with my parents only at specified times of the day. I had to fill in the rest of the time on my own. So I did what the other children of the village did, and played games rich in fantasy and filled with imagination. Above all I shared one common bond with every child in the village and that was the intense love of stories, legends and fables.
  As I realize the importance of the stories as a link to who I am and where I come from, I also realize how important they will be to my children. It is for them and others of their generation that I write these stories with the hope that they will be of some value in their lives to link up with their cultural base so that in knowing their base they may better understand and appreciate their own lives.
  It is more than likely that many of the stories bear similarities to stories from around the world. In fact in some cases the likeness is striking as in the story of the "Lame Monkey" and the world-famous fairy tale "Puss in Boots". Considering the similarities that exist between two such vastly different countries/cultures as Bhutan and Germany, it is not surprising to hear similar stories told around the region, especially in Tibet, India, and Nepal. In fact it is difficult to tell where each story may have actually originated, because so many local characteristics have been attributed to the stories in every place where they are told that they become drastically or subtly different but definitely unique to the particular region. But my intention here is not to trace the origin of each story or seek out similarities and differences. I wish to simply release and unravel the stories I heard in my childhood and now remember.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Delete the last sentence.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Folktales of Bhutan
  The art of listening to folktales and retelling them has, in my opinion been an important tool for the development of native eloquence and articulateness which we find in abundance among ordinary Bhutanese. It also enables people to find moral, philosophical, religious, mythical and romantic meaning in the stories.
  Since the progress of modernization began some three decades ago there has been rapid change in many aspects of Bhutanese society. Inevitably the crucial role that the oral tradition has played in transmitting knowledge is also likely to decline. There is an apparent danger that the folktales and fables whose deep significance and origins we do not yet fully understand could disappear. It is already apparent that children are reared on folktales from distant places at the expense of local ones, which could begin a process of alienation from the local culture.
  The nine years of childhood spent in Tang Ugen Choling was very short, especially in terms of how much time I could spend with my parents. The duties of feudal lords were by no means simple and a certain amount of dedication and sacrifice was necessary to live through the many intricacies and sensibilities of dealing with human beings, the most important of which was trying to keep everybody contented and the village in harmony. This took up much of my parents' time. I may have been better off than many of my friends from the village in many ways. But I was certainly deprived of much valuable time with my parents. This was made worse by their untimely deaths. I could be with my parents only at specified times of the day. I had to fill in the rest of the time on my own. So I did what the other children of the village did, and played games rich in fantasy and filled with imagination. Above all I shared one common bond with every child in the village and that was the intense love of stories, legends and fables.
  As I realize the importance of the stories as a link to who I am and where I come from, I also realize how important they will be to my children. It is for them and others of their generation that I write these stories with the hope that they will be of some value in their lives to link up with their cultural base so that in knowing their base they may better understand and appreciate their own lives.
  It is more than likely that many of the stories bear similarities to stories from around the world. In fact in some cases the likeness is striking as in the story of the "Lame Monkey" and the world-famous fairy tale "Puss in Boots". Considering the similarities that exist between two such vastly different countries/cultures as Bhutan and Germany, it is not surprising to hear similar stories told around the region, especially in Tibet, India, and Nepal. In fact it is difficult to tell where each story may have actually originated, because so many local characteristics have been attributed to the stories in every place where they are told that they become drastically or subtly different but definitely unique to the particular region. But my intention here is not to trace the origin of each story or seek out similarities and differences.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me four more paragraphs.. Start with the sentence 'The couple lived and meditated in the cave for many days'.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: The couple lived and meditated in the cave for many days. But now the girl grew suspicious and wondered how her husband could produce food without lighting a fire and travel without having to walk. She cajoled and coaxed him to tell her about his magical powers. He trusted her fully now and told her about the drum and the bowl but he did not tell her about the cap. Years passed by and the girl became intensely lonely and she missed her parents very much and longed to see them. So she decided to run away. She stole the drum and the bowl and flew across the lake. The poor boy was bitterly angry but also totally helpless when he found out that she had not only run away but also stolen his possessions! There was no food for him and he was very hungry and could no longer meditate for his stomach growled and his head felt dizzy for want of food. He went in search of food but he could find nothing for the rocks were bare and devoid of any vegetation.
  Then one day as he sat in his cave some food crumbs fell from above him. He picked up the food and ate it. On investigation, he found out that there was a nest of garudas at the top of his cave and the food he got was what had dropped while the mother fed the chicks. The garuda mother would fly across the lake and bring food to her chicks. Now he was completely dependent upon the garudas. One day he saw a vicious snake that had crawled up the rocks and begun to attack the chicks. Although garudas are actually supposed to kill snakes the helpless young chicks were no match for their adversary. The poor boy quickly put on his cap, became invisible, and killed the snake. On finding out how the meditator had saved the chicks the father and mother garuda were grateful to him and asked him what they could do for him. This was his only chance so he said, "I wish to be taken across the lake to the other side." The garuda couple joined their powerful wings together and carried him across the lake.
  Feigning concern and sympathy, he solemnly held his prayer beads to his forehead and proceeded to do some divinations and said, "All this has happened because you have things that do not belong to you. You have some stolen goods in the house. Is this true?"
  Once again the girl replied, "No, no, not yet. Look at me. My skin is stuck to my bones. I am thin and full of sinews. You can eat me when I come back from my parents. At that time I'll be fat and tasty."
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me the last five paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: When the villagers came together and she was finally able to explain what had happened, they rushed towards the house. They did not have to go very near the house as the creature which had been fortified with fresh blood was now boldly extending its long tentacles through the windows towards the approaching people.
  We human beings are not the sole occupiers of this world. We share this world with numerous other beings, seen and unseen. Spirits and ghosts make up a large number of the unseen beings. Some of these spirits are malicious while others are benevolent. The Bhutanese are taught to be ever mindful of the other beings so as not to bring harm to these spirits and to try and live in harmony with them. But in every Bhutanese society there are those spirits that are always resentful of human beings and readily cause havoc that disrupts the harmony of the human lives.
  In the Tang valley of Bumthang there are many such spirits and even to this day not only are they acknowledged but rites and rituals appropriate to them are conducted to placate and appease them in case the people have knowingly or unknowingly incurred their wrath. One of the best known spirits of this category is Necorpa or the Pilgrim, sometimes also known as Dasho. Every known spirit has a history which explains why and how it became a malicious wandering spirit. It appears that throughout man's constant migrations the spirits moved from place to place with the human beings. Their powers rose and fell at different times in history.
  Now it is said that at one time the spirit of Necorpa was rising so rapidly that the people of Tang fell into the grip of paranoia as more and more people fell ill and cattle wasted away and died. Crops failed and bridges collapsed. With every catastrophe the power and fame of Necorpa grew. Finally the people got together and after a long and somber meeting decided that something had to be done. The village elders went and beseeched the most revered lama in the region to subjugate the spirit of Necorpa.
  To this day the spirit of Necorpa holds a formidable place among the known spirits of Tang. Every body in Tang at some time or another has had to conduct placatory rites for Necorpa. True to his word the spirit of Necorpa has never harmed the people of Kizom.