The past and the present interweave in contemporary India. To understand India, one must know of the traditional stories. Two short pocket books make them accessible and acceptable to students: 1) The Dance of Shiva and Other Tales from India by Oroon Ghosh, published by the New American Library in New York; and, 2) Gods, Demons, and Others by R. K. Narayan, published by the Viking Press in New York. In the first book, the stories are compiled in short, summary fashion. The second book is for secondary school students, and introduces them to the two great Hindu epic poems, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. It is suggested that these epics be studied with special attention to the Bhagavad Gita, a book in the Mahabharata. Both poems provide the subject matter for understanding the culture, basic values, and attitudes of Hinduism; the Mahabharata is the repository of India's national tradition, a great encyclopedia of ethics and religion, and or political and moral duties. Students should also learn the story of Krishna and his early life with the Gopis. If possible, they should also dip into the Panchatantra: five books written for the instruction of three princes in niti, the right conduct of life, using animal stories as the vehicle. SO 001 619 through SO 001 623 and SO 001 810 are related documents. (Author)