Long ago, there lived a girl named Satto. She and her mother would gather Mahua flowers from the forest to sell in the market for their livelihood. One day, after collecting the flowers, they returned home to rest. Satto’s mother later stepped out to attend to some work, while Satto stayed behind.

When the mother returned and prepared to take the flowers to market, she noticed that the quantity seemed less than what they had gathered. Believing Satto had eaten them, she began beating her. She struck her so harshly that Satto died.

That evening, rain began to fall, and the soaked Mahua flowers returned to their full shape. The mother then realised that the scorching heat had dried the flowers, making them appear fewer than they were. Stricken with guilt, she too died and was later reborn as the Pandak bird.

To this day, the bird is said to sit on tree branches and call out, “Satto Beti Poorey Poorey.”

A Folktale from Buksa community in Uttarakhand sourced by Jyoti Nagarkoti in the field.

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