Deepa Agarwal’s book Sacked comprises 15 stories about kings, princes, clever old ladies, merchants, peasants, birds and animals. Although the author does not mention the provenance of these stories, one presumes that they are largely Indian regional tales. Her style is simple and lively so that you are constantly engaged as if it were being told orally.
One of the charming stories ‘Roll my Pumpkin’, is about an old lady and three hungry beasts—a tiger, bear and lion, all three desperate to eat. They meet when she is en route to visit her daughter. She promises being a tasty meal on her return, after the scrumptious food her daughter feeds her on. A month later they are waiting. In the meantime, she is packed in a large pumpkin holding a packet each of salt and chilli powder, and rolled down. The lion, which had been waiting appears in its path and stops the pumpkin: