Folktales From The Serendib

Serendib is the ancient name of the indian ocean island of sri lanka. the modern english word 'serendipity' meaning an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident is based on the name serendib. the small stories in the book are about simple people and talking animals in pastoral settings confronting simple problems, with the solution lying within the story itself. most sri lankan folk stories are hilarious rather than being morality tales, complementing the islanders' penchant for a searing sense of humour. many folk stories feature talking animals. this aspect fits perfectly into sri lankan folklore because there was a belief that animals could talk at one time. the stories have been illustrated with a touch of whimsy by award-winning artist vijay mohan from india's prestigious j.j. school of arts and who now lives in oshawa, ontario. sunil (somasiri) munasinghe was born in balangoda, sri lanka, and began his career as a journalist with 'ceylon daily news', after graduating from the university of kelaniya. from 1988 to 1997 he worked for 'gulf news' in dubai (uae). munasinghe, who has a master's degree in international relations from the university of colombo, now lives and works in toronto, canada.vijay mohan graduated from the prestigious j.j school of art and architecture in mumbai.. he has held several solo exhibitions in india and his paintings were also on show at the living arts centre in mississauga and the brampton art gallery. he lives and works in oshawa, ontario,