New Delhi, May 20 -- For readers looking to begin exploring Indian folklore beyond the more familiar epics and pantheons, an absorbing place to start is Nitin Kushalappa's book Folktales, Myths and Legends from the Deccan. Rooted in oral storytelling traditions, it feels less like a conventional anthology and more like an inheritance passed quietly across generations. The collection brings together legends, myths, and folktales from across the vast region of Deccan while spanning across landscapes, dialects, communities, and belief systems that are as layered as the stories.

Though the 11 narratives, this collection travels Bayaluseeme, Kodagu, Tulunad, Kongu Nadu, and beyond. Thus, it introduces readers to warrior-sorcerers, folk deitie...