by Sudha Murty
He thanked his father in his mind for giving him the stone grinder, with the help of which he had now become a very rich man.
Now, the second brother Shyam had followed his path and reached the outskirts of a village. He wanted to reach the village quickly, but it began raining heavily. I will go there tomorrow morning, he thought.
So he stopped near a banyan tree and decided that it was safe enough for him to sleep among its branches, instead of on the ground. He hid the horn in the hole of the tree trunk and slept between the branches.
In the middle of the night, he heard two people speaking quietly to each other under the banyan tree. One said, ‘I have done an excellent job today. The village headman’s daughter had her birthday celebrations and I was given the task of making many delicacies for the party. I have followed your instructions and added the medicine to her food. It will make her stay deep in sleep all night.’
‘Wonderful,’ said the second man. ‘She won’t get up till the evening tomorrow and until then, people will think that she is dead. That will be when we go and offer to give her this medicine to wake her up. The headman will be happy after she is awake and he may ask what we want. I will tell him that I want to marry his daughter. Once we are married, I will give you plenty of money.’
Shyam understood that the two men below the tree were a cook and a crook plotting against an innocent girl. He felt pity for the girl whom he had not even seen.
The crook said, ‘I have had a hard day at work, so let us rest here till the morning. But we need to hide the medicine before we sleep.’
‘Look,’ said the cook. ‘There is a hole in the trunk of the tree. Keep the medicine there. No one will think of checking there and we can sleep without a worry in the world.’
The crook reached out his hand and kept the medicine in the horn hidden in the hole of the tree trunk, and the two men finally settled under the tree. There was a cool breeze in the air and the men began snoring within minutes.
Shyam knew what he had to do. Early the next morning, he got down from the tree, picked up the horn and the medicine that was lying inside it. He quickly walked to the village ahead but kept mum. He wanted to confirm what the men had said.
Soon enough, there was a commotion in the village market.
‘The birthday girl refuses to wake up!’ someone said.
‘She looks dead but she isn’t!’ said another.
The village doctor was called but was unsuccessful in rousing her. As she was the only child of the village headman, the entire family was in tears. The headman begged the crowd surrounding his house, ‘Is there anyone who can wake my daughter up? I will give them whatever they want. We cannot live without her!’
Shyam observed this for some time and then walked up to the headman and said, ‘I will try to cure her.’
He took the medicine and put it in the girl’s mouth until she had swallowed it. Within a few minutes, she woke up.
There was joy all around. People hugged him and shook his hands, thanking him profusely. The headman offered Shyam a lot of money for saving his daughter’s life, but he refused.
He took the headman aside and told him what he had heard the previous night and the sequence of events. The headman welcomed his honesty and said, ‘You are a young and a helpful man. Perhaps you are the best man worthy of my daughter. I would like the two of you to be wed. If you agree, we can perform the engagement ceremony today.’
This is how Shyam agreed to marry the village headman’s daughter, who also liked the handsome young man.
The cook and the crook woke up late afternoon and searched high and low for the medicine. It was not there in the hole of the tree trunk. They were certain that nobody could have stolen it. So they assumed that a bird may have flown off with it, and nobody in the village would know about their plan.
Satisfied that they would be safe if they returned to the village, they walked back. From a distance, they saw that there were festivities in the village. The cook stopped a passer-by and asked, ‘What is going on there?’
‘Aren’t you the cook of the house?’ said the man. ‘Don’t you know? The daughter of the headman is getting engaged this evening. A young man saved her life using a special medicine.’
‘How is that possible?’ wondered both the men.
When they approached the headman’s house, they were surrounded by the police and arrested.
‘What have I done?’ asked the cook.
‘I don’t even know this village,’ said the crook.
The headman stepped forward, exposed their plot and the police escorted them to jail. The puzzled look on their faces spoke volumes—they still didn’t understand how the medicine reached the headman’s house.
Meanwhile, Shashi took the road that led to the forest. It was already dark. So he stopped under a banyan tree and decided that it was safe enough for him to sleep among the branches, instead of on the ground. He couldn’t fall asleep, so he began to play the drum.
To his surprise, a tiger came and stood under the banyan tree. He seemed to have a thorn in his paw, which was very painful. After some time, the tiger wanted to climb the tree and attack Shashi, but he couldn’t. He fell down again and again. During his efforts to climb and find a grip, the thorn fell out of the paw and the tiger’s pain was immediately relieved.
For a few minutes, the tiger listened to the continuous drumming and feeling relaxed, he began dancing. Shashi found it amusing. The more he drummed, the more the tiger danced. Shashi was afraid to stop drumming in case the tiger changed its mind and attacked him. So he drummed the whole night and the tiger danced until it was exhausted and slept in the wee hours of the morning.
Slowly, Shashi came down from the tree and was just about to make his exit when the tiger stirred and opened his eyes. Shashi thought, Oh no! He will kill me now!
The tiger, however, did not harm him.
When he walked away, the tiger followed him.
Shashi played the drum while walking and noticed that whenever he drummed, the tiger danced. Whenever he stopped, the tiger followed him and did not attack. That’s when Shashi realized that the tiger liked him and was happy to be with him.
Soon, Shashi had made his way out of the forest. He entered a village, but the people saw the tiger around him and ran away. Shashi pleaded, ‘Please don’t be afraid. Come close. I will beat my drum and the tiger will dance for you.’
At first, people were sceptical, but then they saw him beat the drum and the tiger dance. They gave him some money for entertaining them.
In the evening, Shashi and the tiger went back to the forest. Shashi ate food and again slept on a branch of the banyan tree.
This became his routine. The tiger joined him when he got down from the tree in the morning, and together, they went to different villages and towns and the tiger would dance to the beat of his drum. They would come back to the forest in the evening.
In time, other animals in the forest also became Shashi’s friends.
Soon, a king heard news of the tiger whisperer and sent word to Shashi to come and perform for him at the capital. Politely, Shashi sent word back through the king’s messengers, ‘The tiger has to return to the forest in the evening, and we cannot make the journey to the capital as it is a long distance away. I will be grateful if the king comes here to see our unique show.’
The king understood the relationship of the tiger with the forest. So he came and enjoyed the dance of the tiger.
He told Shashi, ‘I have a forest close to the capital city. I will give you ten thousand gold coins if the tiger and you live there. Then you can perform the show in my court regularly.’
Shashi replied, ‘Sir, the tiger is a part of my family. His comfort is important. He is not for sale, just like this drum, which is a gift from my father. Whenever you want to see him, please come here. I promise that we will always entertain you.’
The king was pleased that Shashi had considered the animal as a part of his family and was
not money-minded. ‘I salute you, young man,’ he said, ‘for caring so deeply for animals. There are few men in the world like you. Here, take this, I would still like to give you some money. I will come when I can.’
The king gave Shashi some gold coins and returned to his palace.
A year passed and the three brothers met again at the crossroads of their village. They shared their stories and thanked their father in heaven for their three special gifts.
‘What a wonderful story, Damu!’ said Ajja, sounding pleased.
‘Yes, Damu, I really enjoyed your story,’ said Meenu.
‘Thank you, Meenu. I have heard many stories from Ajji while working with her. Sometimes, when I have nothing to do at night, I lie down on the veranda, look at the stars and the sky and create stories. I also have two brothers and that’s how I thought of this story.’
A Ship on the Land
One day, Raghu got a call from his friend George in Bangalore.
There were two festivals for which George always invited his friends home—Christmas and Easter. Usually, George’s parents hosted a big Easter party every year for all their relatives and friends but not this year. Raghu had been to George’s Easter party the year before—there was a wonderful spread of food with lots of cakes, gifts and music. George told him, ‘It was so boring this year, Raghu. It was just my parents, my grandmother who has moved in with us for the duration of the lockdown and me. When there are no people, there is no fun in celebrations and festivals. At least you have your cousins with you, I am all alone here.’
George’s mother worked in a travel agency and their offices were closed. ‘My mother is worried and frustrated,’ said George. ‘When she works, she is active and full of life. Now, she is restless at home and I am missing all of you.’
‘Can you come here for a few days, George?’ asked Raghu. ‘It will be so much fun and I will finally have my own friend. My grandparents will be pleased to have another child in the house.’
‘My grandmother says we must not go anywhere right now,’ said George. ‘On top of that, my father has placed restrictions on my screen time too. I am waiting for you to come back so that I can see you.’
‘Me too. When I come back, I will tell you many stories that I have heard here. Let’s call each other frequently,’ said Raghu and said goodbye.
A few hours later, Krishna got a call from her friend, Salma. Salma said, ‘I am getting really bored here. All the adults above the age of sixty are at my house because my parents are both doctors. Most of our extended family decided to come here. I am the only child, so they focus all their energies on me—why am I not eating, have I done my homework, what I should wear, why I should listen to them—it never ends. It’s too much! I am stuck with all these Ajjis at home. Still, I am happy that my parents are helping people during this time. But I don’t know how Eid will be celebrated this year with all this going on. When are you coming back, Krishna? I need a change in my life. I wish I could come there to see you.’
Krishna laughed. ‘Here, the number of children are more than the number of adults. Don’t worry, Salma. Hang in there. After I come back, I will share many stories to your liking. Once the lockdown ends, I am sure that many of your guests will go back.’
After she had finished the call, Ajji said, ‘I am glad that you children have friends you can share things with. With good friends around, one can achieve a lot. But it is difficult to get good friends. Once you get them, don’t take the relationship for granted. Look at Kamlu Ajji and me. We are friends because we like each other, and not just because we are relatives and have to. We understand each other and love to chat and work with each other while making each other happy—exactly like Vishnu and his friends.’
‘Who is Vishnu, Ajji? Where does he live?’ said Krishna.
‘Let me tell you about him.’
A long time ago, there lived a king who ruled a great and big kingdom. Since he was a powerful king, he always got what he wanted. After some time, he got bored and thought, I want to own something unusual.
One day, while looking out to sea, he saw ships sailing. He wondered, Why not own a ship that sails on land? No one has ever thought of this!
Excited about his idea, he made an announcement all over the kingdom, ‘Whoever can make me a ship that sails on land will be awarded a royal position in the court.’
People laughed. ‘How can that ever happen?’ they said. ‘A ship, by default, sails only on water.’
There was a carpenter in the kingdom who lived near the woods. He had three intelligent sons. He asked them, ‘Why don’t you try and work on something that looks like a ship but works on land?’
Early the next morning, the first son Kiran carried some food in a box and set out towards the forest. He came across a fine teakwood tree. He chopped it down and began working on creating a ship.
Once it was time for breakfast, he opened his box. A bumblebee approached him and said, ‘I used to live on this teakwood tree. You have cut the tree down and I don’t have a home any more. I am starving. Will you share your meal with me?’
Kiran refused, ‘I am sorry, but I don’t have much to share with you right now. I have much work to do and I need the energy.’
‘What are you building?’ asked the bumblebee.
‘I am making wooden ladles for the king,’ said Kiran, since he didn’t want to tell her the truth.
‘Oh, wooden ladles for the king,’ repeated the bumblebee and flew away.
After breakfast, Kiran kept cutting the wood and everything came out in the shape of wooden ladles. He tried until evening but couldn’t make anything other than ladles.
Disappointed, he came back home.
The carpenter asked anxiously, ‘Did you manage to make anything?’
‘No, Father, I couldn’t find a suitable tree. The trees were too small and they were fit only for wooden ladles.’
Early the next morning, the second son Sandeep carried some food in a box and set out towards the forest. He came across a fine teakwood tree. He chopped it down and began working on creating a ship.
Once it was time for breakfast, he opened his box. A bumblebee approached him and said, ‘I used to live on this teakwood tree. You have cut the tree down and I don’t have a home any more. I am starving. Will you share your meal with me?’
Sandeep refused, ‘I am sorry, but I don’t have much to share with you right now. I have much work to do and I need the energy.’
‘What are you building?’ asked the bumblebee.
‘I am making wooden plates for the king,’ said Sandeep, since he didn’t want to tell her the truth.
‘Oh, wooden plates for the king,’ repeated the bumblebee and flew away.
After breakfast, Sandeep kept cutting the wood and everything came out in the shape of wooden plates. He tried until evening but couldn’t make anything other than plates.
Disappointed, he came back home.
The carpenter asked anxiously, ‘Did you manage to make anything?’
‘No, Father, I couldn’t find a suitable tree. The trees were too small and they were fit only for wooden plates.’
Early the next morning, the third son Vishnu carried some food in a box and set out towards the forest. He came across a fine teakwood tree.
Vishnu stood and prayed to the tree. He said, ‘I must cut you down for a special project for the king. I am sorry that this will interfere with the life that you have and the living things that surround you. Please forgive me. I will plant twenty other trees to compensate for your loss.’
Saying this, Vishnu chopped the tree down and began working on creating a ship.
Once it was time for breakfast, he opened his box. A bumblebee approached him and said, ‘I used to live on this teakwood tree. You have cut the tree down and I don’t have a home any more. I am starving. Will you share your meal with me?’
‘Of course,’ said Vishnu. ‘In fact, I must feed you since you have lost your home because of me. Come, let u
s share.’
Though the bumblebee was small, she ate a lot. After she was full, she said, ‘Come, I will also help you. But what are you building?’
‘I want to make a ship for the king that can sail on land.’
‘Oh, a ship for the king that can sail on land,’ repeated the bumblebee and stayed with him.
After breakfast, Vishnu continued to cut the wood. The bumblebee helped him and everything came out in unusual shapes.
At lunch, the bumblebee and Vishnu shared the food. They immediately got back to work and soon, it was evening and the ship was ready. The decorations and interior furniture were also all done. He thanked the bumblebee for her help and began sailing on the road.
On the way, he saw a man drinking water directly from a river. ‘What is the matter? Why are you drinking so much water?’
‘I am extremely thirsty. No matter how much I drink, it is not enough. It is torturous.’
‘Come and join me here on the ship. I am going to hand this over to the king and I will request him to quench your thirst,’ said Vishnu, and the man agreed.
They sailed further and saw a man sitting and eating a big pile of apples. ‘What are you doing?’ Vishnu asked.
‘I am famished. No amount of food can satisfy me. It is excruciating.’
‘Come and join us here on the ship. I am going to hand this over to the king and I will request him to give you food until you have eaten your fill,’ said Vishnu, and the man agreed.
The men sailed further and saw a strong man carrying a huge load of wood on his back. ‘What are you doing?’ Vishnu asked.
‘I have a stepmother who doesn’t treat me well unless I bring this much wood home every day. It is exhausting. I just want to earn some money to take care of myself.’
‘Come and join us here on the ship. I am going to hand this over to the king and I will request him to help you,’ said Vishnu, and the man agreed.
The men sailed further and saw a man sitting and feeding numerous dogs and cats. ‘What are you doing?’ Vishnu asked.