Book excerpt: Punyakoti is an adaptation of a folksong prevalent in South India. No one knows who first sang the song of Punyakoti - about a cow that spoke the truth at all times. In the plains of India, it has remained with the generations of men and women who tilled the land and cared for their herd. It reminded them of the eternal harmony that has always co-existed between the truth, and harmony in nature. The folks of yore in India knew the close relation between the Earth and their cattle - it was no wonder that they called them Gomata and Bhoomata (Mother Cow and Mother Earth). This adaptation of Punyakoti is an imaginary tale about a drought in Karunadu, where the story of Punyakoti happens. It carries the message of love, peace, harmony, truth and magic in all its innocence. Written for a young audience, the language is simple, its prose lyrical and its appeal universal.