Sacked! Folk Tales You Can Carry Around

by Deepa Agarwal

  ‘You’re right,’ said the nawab. ‘Tell the guards to release him at once.’ Then the king went out onto the balcony to greet the people and receive their good wishes.

  Babban Hajjam was set free and received a reward of a thousand gold coins.

  ‘Thank you,’ said the nawab. ‘You’ve taken a load off my mind. Now I don’t have to worry about people knowing my secret. I appoint you and your family royal barbers for all time.’

  The nawab continued to rule wisely, and Babban Hajjam always served him well.

  The Talking Doll

  There was a king who had only one child – a daughter. This princess was not only beautiful but also kind-hearted. A cheerful little girl, she was happiest when she could help others in whatever way possible.

  One day, when she was giving alms to a passing beggar, instead of blessing her, the man proclaimed: ‘You will marry a dead man.’ The princess was surprised at this strange statement but did not respond to it. The man would come every now and then and ask for alms, and every time he would repeat the same thing.

  This went on for years, till the day came when the king happened to be around and overheard his words. He was extremely upset. When the princess informed him that this had been going on for 12 years, he was even more perturbed. He decided to take his family on a long journey, hoping to get away from this strange prophecy.

  It so happened that around the same time, the prince of a neighbouring kingdom fell ill and died. His parents were overcome with grief till an astrologer predicted that he could return to life after 12 years if a woman took care of him devotedly. He instructed the king to build a house for his son, away from the city, and sealed the doors with magic mantras.

  The other king and his family happened to pass that way and stopped for a meal close by. When the princess was wandering around exploring the place, her eye fell on this beautiful house. Finding the doors and windows tightly shut, she became eager to see what lay inside. To her astonishment, the moment she touched the lock on the main door, it sprang open on its own. Mystified, she entered the house and found another door, which also opened on its own. Then another, and another. In this manner, she passed through 12 doors and finally came to a room where she was shocked to discover a handsome young man lying as if in a deep sleep. As she gazed at him admiringly, the 12 doors slammed shut without any warning. The princess ran to the first one to open it, but could not, no matter how hard she struggled with the latch. She was trapped in the house.

  The beggar’s prophecy suddenly flashed across her mind. Could it have any connection with this mysterious happening? She ran through the house to see if she could find anyone else there. There was not a single soul other than the young man and herself. However, all kinds of provisions―grain and oil and spices―had been stored in the house.

  When the princess did not return, her family got extremely worried. They came searching for her and banged on the doors of the house. But neither could they get in nor could she get out. So they had no choice but to abandon her to her fate.

  Imprisoned in the house with no way out, she resigned herself to her fate and began to take care of the dead man. She bathed and massaged him, cooked her food and prayed for his welfare. And in this manner, 10 years went by.

  One day, a girl who was a wandering acrobat by profession happened to pass that way and noticed the beautiful house standing all by itself in that lonely place. She, too, was overcome by curiosity but found it impossible to open the door. So she climbed on to the roof and tried to peep in through the windows.

  The princess was overjoyed to see a human face after 10 lonely years. She was quite fed up of her isolated existence, so she invited the acrobat girl in. But being kind-hearted, she asked her, ‘Do you have a father or mother or anyone who will miss you? Because once you enter, you will not be able to get out.’

  ‘I have no one to call my own,’ replied the acrobat girl. ‘So I don’t mind.’ Being agile and used to contorting her body, she was able to squeeze in through a small gap in the window.

  The princess was very pleased because she had company, and the acrobat girl found life comfortable there because she did not have to struggle to earn a living.

  Two more years passed by happily. Then one day, a bird sitting on a tree that spread its branches close to the window spoke to the princess. ‘If someone presses the leaves from this tree,’ it said, ‘and squeezes the juice into a silver cup and pours it into the dead man’s mouth, he will come alive.’

  Excited to hear this, the princess immediately reached out through the gap from which the acrobat girl had entered, and plucked the leaves. Finding a silver cup, she began to press the juice into it.

  ‘What are you doing?’ asked the acrobat girl, who had been elsewhere.

  ‘Bringing the dead man to life,’ replied the princess. She told her what the bird had said.

  Suddenly, it occurred to the princess that she should take a bath and pray before performing such an auspicious act. So she set the leaves aside and went to have her bath. While she was away, the acrobat girl quickly took the juice and trickled it into the dead man’s mouth.

  Within minutes, he opened his eyes and sat up. ‘Who are you?’ he asked.

  ‘Your devoted wife,’ the cunning girl replied. She had guessed that he was the owner of the house. Looking at the rich furnishings, she was sure that he must at least be a prince.

  The prince accepted the acrobat girl at her word, and while she was at her prayers, the poor princess was supplanted. When she finally appeared, the acrobat girl quickly said, ‘This is my maid.’

  The princess was dumbstruck at this development. And when the acrobat girl began to order her about and treat her like her maid, tears sprang to her eyes. She cursed herself for inviting this fraud into the house. But there was no way to prove her real identity to the prince. So she kept quiet. ‘Perhaps this was meant to be,’ she consoled herself.

  The princess lived on in the house as their maid and had to toil like a slave while the acrobat girl enjoyed herself with the prince.

  The prince could not, however, help but wonder at the refined ways of this maid as opposed to the rough and crude manners of the woman who claimed to be his wife. One day, he announced: ‘I’m going hunting in the forest and will visit the city after that. What can I bring for you?’

  The acrobat girl had been longing for her kind of food for a while. She asked the prince to bring her some cheap green vegetables and coarse flour. The prince was very surprised. He had expected her to ask for all kinds of finery to deck herself. When he asked the princess, she said, ‘I want only a talking doll.’

  The prince found this request equally strange, but he set off without a word. When he brought them both the things they had asked for, the acrobat girl was overjoyed and went off to feast on the food that she enjoyed. The princess thanked him quietly and went to her room with the talking doll.

  When everyone had gone to bed, the talking doll began to speak. It said to the princess, ‘Tell me a story.’

  The princess replied, ‘What story shall I tell you? My life is itself a strange story.’

  ‘Then tell me your own story,’ said the doll.

  The princess began to narrate all that had happened to her. She confided in the doll that she was a princess and shared the story of the prophecy. She told her how she had arrived at the mysterious house and how she had taken care of the prince for 12 long years only to lose him to the acrobat girl. It was a big relief to be able to unburden her sorrows to someone else.

  The prince happened to be lying awake in the next room. His curiosity was aroused when he heard the princess talking to the doll. He listened intently and overheard the whole story. When he learned how the acrobat girl had cheated the princess, he was overcome with rage. Immediately, he woke up the acrobat girl and drove her from the house.

  Then he told the princess that he accepted her as his rightful wife and that all her troubles were over.

  In the meantim
e, since 12 years had passed, the prince's parents decided to come and see if he had been restored to life. They arrived at the house, and when they heard the story of how the princess had brought their son back to life, they poured their blessings on her.

  Without losing any time, they headed back to the city. The moment they reached, the king and queen sent word to the good princess’s parents. The grieving king and queen, who had given her up for lost, were overjoyed to be reunited with their daughter. The dead prince who had been brought back to life by the devoted princess then married her with much pomp and show. The couple had many children and spent many happy years together.

  How Manjari Fooled the Jackal

  A pair of wild goats lived together in a cave in a forest. The female goat’s name was Manjari. As for her husband, we can call him Jeevan.

  Now in the very same forest, there lived a jackal. This jackal was a source of great sorrow and anxiety to Manjari. Whenever she had babies, he would pounce on her kids, carry them off and eat them up. So Manjari could never experience the joy of bringing up her kids.

  The time came when, once again, Manjari gave birth to a pair of kids. But instead of feeling happy, she was filled with gloom. ‘What is the use of having kids again and again?’ she told her husband, as she licked the little creatures. ‘That wretched jackal will come and carry them off when we go to graze in the forest. Perhaps this time, I should stay at home and guard them.’

  ‘That won’t work,’ Jeevan replied. ‘If you don’t go out to graze, you will starve to death. We have to think of some other way to stop the jackal from stealing our children.’

  The two put their heads together and thought and thought. The jackal was stronger than the goats and very sly and cunning, so it would be difficult to get the better of him. Finally, they came up with what seemed like a good plan.

  The next morning, Jeevan set off to graze as usual, while Manjari stayed at home with the kids. But instead of going to the forest, he climbed to the top of a nearby hill from where he could keep an eye on who was approaching their cave.

  The jackal had been watching the pair and knew that Manjari had had babies again. He saw Jeevan leave, and he was sure that Manjari would not be able to save the kids from him on her own.

  I’m going to have a good meal today, he thought, licking his chops as he made his way to the goats’ cave.

  Jeevan had a good view of the whole area from the hilltop. He noticed the jackal slinking towards their home. So he shouted out, ‘Manjari, oh Manjari, why are the babies crying? Why don’t you make them stop?’

  As they had planned, Manjari pinched the kids to make them bleat more loudly. Then she yelled back in reply, ‘What am I to do? They are crying for some fresh jackal liver. I have some in the house but it’s stale and they refuse to eat it. Now from where am I going to get fresh jackal liver for them?’

  Jeevan shouted back, ‘Is that all? Tell them to stop crying at once. I know where I can get fresh jackal liver. There’s a nice plump jackal heading your way. I’ll run and take out his liver and bring it for our hungry babies.’

  When the jackal heard this, he was stunned. A goat wanted to take out his liver and feed it to his kids? Were such things possible? But Jeevan had a dangerous-looking pair of horns, so he decided it might be better not to take any chances. He turned on his heel and ran off as fast as he could.

  As the jackal was fleeing, a black-faced monkey sitting on a tree saw him. ‘What’s the matter, friend?’ he asked. ‘Why are you in such a hurry?’

  The jackal replied, ‘You don’t know what the world is coming to, friend! I’m in terrible danger. See that big goat perched on top of the hill? He’s coming to take out my liver. I must get away before he catches me. You know how fast goats can run!’

  The monkey had a hearty laugh. ‘A goat is coming to take out your liver? Have you lost your mind?’

  ‘No, no!’ said the jackal, through chattering teeth. ‘I heard him call out to his wife with my own ears. He said, "tell the kids to stop crying. I’ve just seen a plump jackal and will bring some fresh jackal liver for them to eat right away."’

  ‘That’s something I have never heard of,’ said the monkey. ‘Jackals may feed on goats, but never goats on jackals. I’ll only believe it when I see it with my own eyes. Let’s find out if this goat actually means to attack you or if he’s just bluffing.’

  ‘No,’ said the jackal. ‘I can’t take such a chance. It’s my life that’s in danger. When that ferocious goat attacks, you’ll just jump onto a tree and escape. And that terrible creature will slaughter me!’

  ‘All right,’ said the monkey. ‘If you don’t trust me, I’ll sit on your back and we can tie our tails together. That way you’ll be sure that I won’t leave you and run away. But I’m telling you again, you have no reason to be afraid. A goat cannot kill a jackal.’

  After some persuasion, the jackal agreed. The monkey tied his long tail to the jackal’s bushy one and jumped on his back. Then the two set off towards the goats’ cave.

  Jeevan was watching everything. When he saw the two getting close to the cave, he called out to his wife, ‘Oh, Manjari, tell the kids to stop crying immediately and get ready for a treat. Our good friend, the monkey, has tied up the jackal and is bringing him along. Now the children can enjoy the meal they are longing for.’

  When the jackal heard that, he became suspicious. Jeevan quickly called out before the monkey could say anything, ‘My dear monkey, what a useless fellow you are! You promised to bring seven jackals so my children could have a good meal, but you’ve brought only one.’

  The moment these words were out of Jeevan’s mouth, the jackal ran for his life. Not bothering to see where he was going, he fled helter-skelter, dashing through thorny bushes and stumbling over rocks.

  ‘Stop!’ cried the monkey. ‘Stop! Don’t listen to that liar! Stop at once!’

  But the jackal was in such a hurry that he ran into a tree and knocked the monkey off his back. As a result, the monkey was dragged along for a long distance. Only when the knot that tied their tails became undone could he get away. Covered with scratches and bruises, cursing the jackal, he climbed a tree to catch his breath. The jackal ran and ran till he reached a distant hill and stopped only when he felt he was far enough to be safe from Jeevan.

  He never dared to prey on goats’ kids again, and Manjari and Jeevan brought up their babies happily.

  The Golden Rat

  Long ago, a young man named Jaidutt lived in the ancient city of Ujjain in India. His mother and grandmother had brought him up because his father had been a good-for-nothing spendthrift. He had wasted his inheritance and abandoned his pregnant wife and old mother.

  The two women managed as well as they could on the little they had left. Fortunately, Jaidutt turned out to be the opposite of his father, and was obedient and hard working.

  But by the time he turned 18, all their money was gone. ‘Son, we are penniless now,’ his grandmother said sorrowfully. ‘We have even sold our last piece of jewellery.’

  But his mother said, ‘Don’t despair, Ma. Thankfully, our Jaidutt is old enough to earn a living. There is a generous merchant named Somadev, who lives in the next town. I hear he lends money to hard-working youngsters to get started in business. Why don’t you ask him to help you, son?’

  ‘I’ll do that right away!’ Jaidutt said.

  He set off, and after trudging a long distance, arrived at the neighbouring town. Somadev was well known here, and Jaidutt found him easily. He was strolling on the riverside with his pretty young daughter, Chandra. Jaidutt greeted them politely and said, ‘Kind Sir, I am an unfortunate boy whose father abandoned him before his birth. My mother and grandmother raised me, but now they need my support. Hearing of your generosity towards hard-working youngsters, my mother suggested I ask you for help. If you lend me some money to start a business, I promise to repay you within two years.’

  The merchant gazed at Jaidutt for a while. Then he said, ‘
See that dead rat lying by the side of the road? If you are truly hard-working and intelligent, you can turn that rat into gold.’

  Jaidutt’s heart sank. A dead rat instead of money? Noticing his disappointment, Chandra cried out, ‘Father, how can anyone turn a dead rat into gold?’

  Somadev smiled. ‘Child, in the right hands, even the most useless object can become valuable.’

  These words felt like a challenge, so Jaidutt quickly said, ‘I respect your wisdom, Sir.’ He folded his hands and bowed to both of them. Then he wrapped the rat up in some leaves and left for the market. Feeling a little foolish, he began to call out, ‘A rat for sale! A rat for sale!’

  People laughed, thinking him crazy. But Jaidutt persisted, remembering Somadev’s words. As luck would have it, a man who was trying to train a cat to catch mice, heard him. He said, ‘I won’t spend good money on a dead rat but can offer you some chickpeas in exchange.’

  Jaidutt agreed at once. Chickpeas will certainly be more useful than a dead rat, he thought. But he realised they would not fetch him much in their raw state. So he took the dried chickpeas home and soaked them. The next morning, he boiled them and seasoned them with salt, pepper and spices. Then he filled a mud pot with water and left for the city gates. Finding a shady tree by the side of the road that led to the city, he set up shop.

  Now, many woodcutters carrying wood from the forest to sell in the city passed this spot. While they rested under the tree, Jaidutt offered them a snack of chickpeas along with a drink of cold water. Delighted to find refreshment at this faraway place, each woodcutter rewarded him with a piece of wood. By evening, Jaidutt had collected a large pile of wood in exchange for the chickpeas. He was able to sell it at the timber market for two rupees.

  Overjoyed, he returned home and showed his earnings to his mother and grandmother. They praised him for his good sense. Greatly encouraged, Jaidutt decided to save one rupee and buy more chickpeas with the other.