Grandparents' Bag of Stories

by Sudha Murty

  One day, Alka went to the market to buy vegetables. At a vendor’s cart, she saw a lady approaching the vendor, her assistant in tow. Alka stared at the woman’s jewellery and her fine silk sari. The vegetable vendor didn’t even care to speak to Alka, he attended to the rich lady first. After she left, Alka asked the vendor, ‘Who is she?’

  ‘Don’t you know? She is the wife of the royal astrologer who predicts the future and finds missing things in the king’s court,’ said the vendor.

  Alka came home, fuming. She turned to her husband, frustrated. ‘Look at my life. Even the vegetable vendor doesn’t respect me, even though I am a regular customer. I think you should become an astrologer.’

  ‘How can I? I don’t know anything about astrology,’ said Ravi.

  ‘There’s nothing to it. Roll the dice and say whatever comes to your mind,’ said Alka and kept insisting that he try it.

  After a few days, a helpless Ravi agreed. Dressed as an astrologer, he carried a dice and sat near the crossroads in the market. Nobody looked in his direction or approached him. After a few hours, a lady came and said, ‘Sir, my husband gave me a precious ring, but I have forgotten where I kept it. If I don’t find it, I will be in trouble. Please help me locate the ring.’

  Ravi started to sweat. He didn’t know what to do or what to say. He cast the dice and a number came up. Suddenly, he thought that the dice also looked like a small matchbox. He said to himself, ‘It looks like a matchbox!’

  As soon as the lady heard him mutter those words, she turned around and ran home.

  After an hour, she came back and gave him a gold coin. ‘What a prediction you made!’ she said. ‘I placed the ring in a matchbox and completely forgot about it! I went home and found it. Thank you very much!’

  Ravi took the coin and went home. Alka was ecstatic. ‘I told you so, didn’t I? You wouldn’t have earned a gold coin even if you had farmed our land for a full year!’

  ‘It was simply a matter of chance,’ said Ravi. ‘I said something absent-mindedly while looking at the dice, but she mistook the words for a prediction and found what she was looking for. Alka, I’d rather work in the fields where I know what I am doing. I do not want to go sit in the market tomorrow.’

  Alka, however, was stubborn. She didn’t listen to her husband and forced him to agree to go to the market again the next day.

  Meanwhile, that very night, forty boxes of jewels were stolen from the palace. The king was furious. He called the royal astrologer and ordered him, ‘Find out who has taken the treasure and where it is! I want an immediate answer!’

  The royal astrologer couldn’t come up with any details and informed a minister about his inability to find out who the robber was.

  When the king was informed about this, a courtier stood up and said, ‘Sire, my wife met an astrologer near the market crossroads. She praised him greatly, it seems he is very good.’ The king summoned Ravi to his court immediately.

  ‘Yesterday, forty boxes of jewels got stolen from the treasury. Tell me who has them and when I will get them back. If you don’t provide the right information, I will throw you in jail indefinitely,’ the king commanded Ravi.

  Ravi began to sweat with nervousness and cursed Alka quietly. He had never imagined he’d be caught in such a dangerous scenario. He cast the dice and pretended to calculate something in his mind.

  The king demanded, ‘Tell me now, where are the forty boxes?’

  Ravi heard forty and mumbled, ‘Forty people.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Your boxes were taken by forty people,’ said Ravi, committing to what he had said earlier.

  ‘The royal astrologer couldn’t even figure out that much. Which direction are these thieves headed?’

  ‘I need forty days,’ said Ravi, knowing that saying anything more could land him in jail.

  ‘I don’t have so much time.’

  ‘I require forty days, sire,’ said Ravi. ‘That’s what is being said to me. I can’t help it.’

  ‘Fine, come back to me with the forty boxes or you will find yourself in jail for life.’

  Ravi went back home. Scared to death, he told Alka what had happened. Alka felt terribly sorry. ‘Oh my God, my greed and ego are the cause of all your troubles. If you go to jail, it will be my fault,’ she cried.

  She wept and sobbed and tried to think of a solution, but she couldn’t see a way out.

  Ravi was in a sombre mood. He took his favourite treat from the storeroom—dates. He counted forty and put them in a box. ‘Alka,’ he said with sadness in his heart. ‘If I have to go to jail in forty days, I want to enjoy a date each day before that happens. After forty days, I will go back to the king’s court to face the consequences.’

  The truth was, in fact, that there were forty thieves, who each took one box of jewels from the king’s treasury. The news of the new astrologer reached them through their spy in the king’s court.

  The leader of the thieves said, ‘Don’t worry, my men. I don’t think this Ravi can trace us. But to be safe, let’s hold on to the treasure for forty days. Moving it around at this time increases the risk of us getting caught.’

  The men, however, were worried.

  ‘Sir, I will go and investigate Ravi’s plans today,’ one of the thieves announced. The leader gave him permission to do so.

  The man climbed to the terrace of Ravi’s house. Before he could peep inside, he heard a voice, ‘You have forty days, dear husband. Wait until then.’

  Ravi replied.

  ‘What did you say?’ asked Alka.

  Ravi ate a date and sighed. He said, ‘One is finished. Thirty-nine are left.’

  Without waiting to hear more, the thief ran away.

  He came and reported back to the leader, ‘Sir, I climbed the terrace on the astrologer’s house and he said—one is finished, thirty-nine are left. He knew I was there, so I ran away!’

  The leader was curious. He said, ‘Okay, two of you must go to his house tomorrow.’

  Meanwhile, Alka was miserable at the situation her husband was in. He had neither the knowledge of astrology nor any power. She felt sorry that she had pushed her husband to pretend to be an astrologer and apologized to him several times. ‘Perhaps I should go and tell the king the truth,’ she suggested.

  ‘Even if you do, no one will believe you. People really think that I am an established astrologer. Alka, life would have been so much better and happier if we had just kept a low profile and led a free life as farmers.’

  Alka sobbed bitterly.

  The two men climbed to the terrace of Ravi’s house. Before they could peep inside, they heard a man’s voice say, ‘Two are finished. Thirty-eight are left.’ Ravi had eaten the second date.

  Without waiting to hear more, the thieves ran away.

  They came and reported to the leader, ‘Sir, we climbed to the terrace of the astrologer’s house and he said, “Two are finished, thirty-eight are left.” He knew we were there, so we ran away.’

  The leader was curious. He said, ‘Okay, three of you must go to his house tomorrow.’

  This continued until the fortieth day, when the leader also went to Ravi’s house.

  All the men went to Ravi’s house. Before they could peep inside, they heard a man’s voice say, ‘All forty are finished, Alka, and now there is no escape.’

  ‘What did you say?’ asked Alka.

  ‘Done. They are finished. I will go to the king’s court right now and report back,’ he said.

  Seconds later, there was a knock on the door.

  ‘I know why you have come,’ said Ravi, thinking that the king’s guards had arrived to escort him to the king or the jail.

  When he opened the door, the leader of the thieves fell down at his feet and said, ‘Please save us. We are thieves, not murderers. If the king learns that we are responsible for the robbery, he will hang us.’

  ‘Do you have all the treasure?’ asked Ravi, trying to hide his astonishment.

  ‘
Yes, sir, we have the forty boxes. Once we heard about you and the waiting period of forty days, we decided to wait and see.’

  ‘In that case, keep all the boxes under the big banyan tree on the outskirts of my village and go back into hiding. I will take care of the rest,’ said Ravi.

  The leader agreed, relieved.

  The next day, Ravi sent word to the king. The note read: ‘Sire, I have found information about the treasure, but due to the limitations of my powers, I can only give you one bit of information—either the location of the treasure or the location of the thieves. What would you like to choose?’

  Even though he had sent a note, Ravi was terrified. Though logic dictated that the king would be inclined to choose the location of the treasure, Ravi wondered what he would do if the king decided to choose the location of the thieves instead.

  He spent the day in suspense.

  A day later, the king sent his reply. ‘I want the treasure,’ said the note.

  Ravi thanked his stars and sent back another note, ‘I have located the treasure and used my powers to transport the boxes under the ground of the big banyan tree on the outskirts of my village.’

  The king sent his soldiers and after a little digging, they found the forty boxes of treasure. Nothing was missing.

  The king was pleased and invited Ravi to his court. There, the king said, ‘I want to offer you the position of the royal astrologer. You can start today.’

  Ravi knew that he must not fall into this trap again. He said, ‘No, sire, I have spent all my energy and days tracing these forty boxes of treasure. My power has diminished to a great extent and I will not be able to predict anything in the future. I am not fit to be a royal astrologer now.’

  The king nodded. He felt sorry for Ravi and said, ‘I will never meet someone like you ever again, so I would like to present you with one box of the treasure as a gift.’

  Ravi thanked him and left the court as quickly as possible. Alka and Ravi lived a content and peaceful life for the rest of their days.

  ‘Aaah, what a story!’ exclaimed Kamlu Ajji, who had joined them quietly and was sitting nearby, sorting oranges. ‘You tell a nice tale, brother!’

  Ajja grinned. ‘Well, you must also tell a story.’

  ‘Oh no, not now. I am busy trying to count the number of oranges needed for a glass of orange juice. How many children are there? Five, right?’ she mumbled to herself.

  ‘Please, Kamlu,’ said Ajja. ‘Let the children hear another story.’

  ‘Okay, but then lunch will be delayed by fifteen minutes.’

  ‘We don’t mind, Ajji,’ said Anoushka, who was the youngest and always ready for a story.

  ‘Fine, but I must remind you to follow the rules during this time. What are the rules, children?’

  ‘Wash hands frequently,’ said Raghu.

  ‘In case of a runny nose, a cough or if we are feeling feverish, we must report to one of the grandparents,’ said Meenu.

  ‘Keep a minimum distance of five feet at all times as much as possible,’ said Krishna.

  ‘We are all not allowed to go beyond the wall of the compound,’ said Aditi.

  ‘We should not touch our eyes, mouth and nose unnecessarily,’ said Anoushka.

  ‘Excellent,’ said Kamlu Ajji, and then started telling them the story.

  Raghava was a simple young boy who lived alone. He didn’t have a family or anyone to advise him. He was often fooled by people smarter than him. People called him for work but didn’t pay him properly at the end of it, or paid him less than the agreed amount. Poor Raghava kept quiet because he didn’t know how to negotiate with them or even confront them.

  Because of his innocent nature, he came to be known as Bhola Raghava.

  He became tired of his endless poverty. No matter what he did, he always ended up tricked or cheated.

  One day, a sage consoled him by saying, ‘When luck is on one’s side, a simple action can change one’s destiny. Wait, my young friend. Your time will come!’

  A few days later, Raghava was sitting under a tree when he heard two people talking loudly to each other, a short distance away. One of them said, ‘You never know. An act of God can change anyone’s life, but it’s important that God be happy with you.’

  Tired of his poverty, Raghava interrupted their conversation, ‘But how will I know if God is happy with me unless I meet him?’

  The duo looked at Raghava and one of them said, ‘If you pray with love and sincerity, God is sure to see you and bless you.’

  Raghava had only one companion—his loyal horse. The two were inseparable. So Raghava rode his horse to the forest and sat down on a rock. He prayed sincerely, ‘I am honest, and I try to work hard. I need your help. Please come and bless me.’ Within hours, he heard a voice in his ears, ‘Get up, child. Go and sleep. When morning comes, with your eyes closed, extend your hands and touch something around you when you wake up. It will change your life.’

  Raghava knew that the voice was special and went back home on his horse. He had a few coins with him and he kept them next to him when he slept that night. He thought that if he touched them in the morning, they may multiply and change his life.

  In the early hours of the morning, a cat entered Raghava’s house and the horse suddenly became restless. Raghava heard the horse’s neighing, woke up and with his eyes closed, reached the horse and touched his bell as he opened his eyes fully.

  Raghava shook his head when he realized what he had done. The coins were right next to his bed, untouched. He laughed at himself and thought, My love for the horse has probably cost me a better life. How can this bell change my life?

  Pushing the thoughts aside, Raghava took the horse and decided to go to the city, which was some distance away.

  It was noon and before long, he felt hot and decided to take a break under a shady banyan tree. There, he saw a young mother and her baby. The baby was crying uncontrollably and nobody around could help soothe the baby. A few minutes later, the mother gave up and began to cry too.

  Raghava decided to leave and as soon as the horse took a few steps, the bell began to ring and the baby stopped crying. So Raghava rang the bell for a while, till the baby was completely calm. The mother was relieved and said, ‘At last! My child is happy now because of the sound of the bell. Oh young man, will you give this old bell to me? In return, I will give you five juicy oranges. Unfortunately, that is all that I can give you.’

  Compassionate Raghava exchanged the bell for the oranges.

  When he reached the next village, he passed by a big house. A big crowd was standing outside.

  ‘What is the matter?’ he asked a girl standing in front of the house.

  ‘Our mother is very sick. The doctor says that she must have very juicy fruits immediately so that she can survive. We don’t have any such fruits nearby and we need some right now,’ said the beautiful young girl, who looked like she was about to cry any moment now.

  Raghava felt sorry for her and gave her the five oranges. ‘Here, I have some. Take these. Maybe it can be of some use to your mother,’ he said gently.

  The girl ran inside and he decided to wait for a few minutes to see how her mother was doing. After some time, the girl came out of the house looking for him. She said, ‘Mother is feeling better. You have saved her life! She has sent this gift for you.’

  The girl gave him a fine silk scarf, thanked him and ran back into the house.

  Raghava went further towards the city. After some time, he took a break and had lunch with a group of travellers who offered to share food with him. One of them said, ‘We really like your scarf. The quality is wonderful. I have a fine dagger and I can give that to you in exchange for the scarf. Tell me, will you make this exchange?’

  Raghava agreed to take the dagger in exchange for the scarf.

  By the time he reached the main market of the city, it was evening. There was a big commotion. Someone told him that the king was coming and everyone was waiting for him.
>
  When the king arrived, everyone stood still—almost like dolls.

  Raghava was fascinated by the king’s grandeur.

  The king’s eye fell on Raghava and the dagger that he had kept tied around his midriff. The king asked, ‘Young lad, your dagger has caught my fancy. You are not a warrior, but I am. This dagger is exactly what I need. Will you give it to me?’

  ‘Please take it, sire!’ said Raghava immediately.

  In return, the king gave him a lot of money.

  Raghava used the coins to find a room to rest in an inn and a stable for his horse. At dinner, he heard a merchant say to a friend, ‘I desperately need some funds. The material I had ordered is coming early tomorrow morning and I need to pay for the delivery. If someone loans me money just for a day, I can pay them back double tomorrow once I sell all the wares. But it is night already. Who can help me at such short notice?’

  Raghava turned around and said to the merchant, ‘I can help. I can give the money you need. You can pay me back the same amount tomorrow.’

  The merchant was surprised that a young lad was going to help him without any conditions. So the merchant said, ‘Thank you for the generous offer. Whatever I get, I will give you half of it. Please wait at the inn until I am back tomorrow.’

  The next evening, Raghava waited for the merchant, who came back and said to him, ‘Oh lad, you have brought me luck. The money you gave me has doubled, like I thought it would, but to my surprise, it has doubled in gold coins because the princess herself has bought all my material.’

  The merchant handed over a big bag of gold coins to Raghava and invited him to be his partner. The merchant considered Raghava to be his lucky charm.

  Raghava agreed and soon enough, he became a very rich man. He made a nice stable for his horse and took good care of him.

  Many marriage proposals started pouring in.

  One day, Raghava saw a young girl at the market; she was the same girl whose mother had given him a silk scarf. He approached her and asked, ‘How is your mother?’