The Three Dancing Goats: Summary: Bed First English
This is a traditional Indian folktale.
A young and hardworking farmer named Sindhu lived in a small bamboo hut with his widowed mother. They had a small piece of land and a few cows. There was no rain for a long time, so there was no food or grass. His mother told him to sell the cows so they could buy food, but Sindhu loved the cows very much and didn’t want to sell them.
One day, Sindhu went to the market with his cows. On the way, he met an old woman who saw how much he loved his cows. She said she would take good care of the cows and offered him three dancing goats in exchange. At first, Sindhu didn’t believe her. But when the woman played a bamboo flute, the goats started to dance! The goats were special — they had long hair, long ears, and cute noses. Sindhu was surprised and agreed to trade the cows for the dancing goats. He thought he could earn money by showing the goats’ dance in the village.
When he brought the goats home, his mother was angry. She thought the woman had tricked him. But Sindhu told her to be patient, and that the goats would bring luck.
Soon, the landlord’s daughter heard about the dancing goats and wanted to see them. Sindhu played his flute, and the goats danced. The girl was amazed and wanted to buy a goat. Sindhu gave her one goat in exchange for a barrel of food for his mother. But the goat didn’t dance alone.
So, she came back and gave him a gold ring and more food for the second goat. But still, the goats didn’t dance. She realized she needed all three goats and the flute to make them dance. Sindhu agreed to give her everything, but he asked her to tell him the meaning of the three colored stones on her gold ring. She explained:
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One stone was white like a diamond,
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One was red like a ruby, and
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One was green like an emerald.
She told him not to tell anyone.
Later, the landlord announced that anyone who could guess the three special hairs hidden in his daughter’s black hair would marry her. Many young men tried but failed. Sindhu also wanted to try, but he thought the landlord would not accept a poor man like him. So, he wore a fancy disguise and went looking like a rich man.
No one knew it was Sindhu. He stepped forward and guessed correctly:
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One hair was white (like a diamond),
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One was red (like a ruby), and
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One was green (like an emerald).
The landlord asked how he knew the secret. Sindhu told him the whole story. The landlord then said his daughter had already given Sindhu her ring, so she must marry him.
Some people were jealous and said it was bad luck. But Sindhu said it was because of faith, love, and patience.
In the end, Sindhu and the landlord’s daughter got married and lived happily ever after.
Watch the Summary of Three Dancing Goats: