ONE FINE STORY about WAY TO WEALTH and MUCH MOooRE

ONE FINE STORY about WAY TO WEALTH and MUCH MOooRE

Once upon a time, an old village man just before he died, called all young men of the village and told them about a secret coffers hidden in a distant island. He gave them the map of’ way to wealth’ and also told that one has to travel through very risky and challenging way to reach there.
Years passed after that event happened and nobody bothered to explore those coffers. But lot many legends and stories were weaved about the complexities and troubles of the ‘way to wealth’. Many even claimed that what all the old man said was a fairy tail, not a truth. When things were like this the village and entire region was hit by drought and there was scarce of food. There was no work for farmers as there was any rain, there was a very less work to traders as there was very less to sell and make profits.

So they had to buy all most every thing from neighbor state. But they had money which would not have lasted long. At hat point of time, a youngster called L, called the meeting of the villagers and therein he announced that recently he had been on an adventure sail recently and went very near to the coffers’ island, about which old man told. He said the way was really challenging but not too risky as all of them presumed and it could be conquered with a planned, team effort. He said once they succeed in the mission they can get out of the most of the scarcities they were facing due to drought. (Of course what all L said was not the truth. He was never been on adventure sail. But to convince the people to take up the adventure he thought it was necessary to lie). He explained them plan regarding how to go about. He told first they have to build four or five small ships which can carry about 20 young men each. They have to store enough of required food, equipments, weapons etc. and then have to sail on the way indicated in the map given by late old man. The mission may stretch from a week to a month.
And he requested rich men and bankers of village to take care of expenses of the adventure and asked young men of the village to take part in the adventure. But none of the villagers seemed convinced. None of rich men obliged to contribute to the mission, the hope of good result of which was rare and they personally had not faced any serious problem due to drought, so far, as they had money to buy every thing. So in such a situation they don’t wanted to lose their money on ‘hopeless’ mission. And youth also didn’t want to risk their life. Seeing to the waves, L put another alternative. He asked rich men to lend him enough money holding all his lands and properties as collateral. And for the remaining amount of loan he would serve them as a slave if he defaults. And further if mission becomes success the coffers will be divided in to five parts, of which one part will belong to himself or his family, one part will of rich men, one part will shared among youth or their family who go on mission and rest of two parts will be utilized for the welfare of village. With this offer and some more motivational talking he was able to convince all and mission rolled on its way.

As it was decided earlier, they built six ships, made six groups of 20 members each, selected one captain and four chief sailors for each team, decided when to start their journey to the island of coffers and took off. It was decided before taking off that, the best effort will be made that all the six ships travel in group. If something uneven happens and if they move away from each other, each ship will proceed according to the map in guidance of captain and chief sailors. (L was member of one of the team. But which team, whether he was a captain / chief sailor is not known)
All the ships covered almost half the way, together without any major odds. There after came a cyclone which waved the sea violently and scattered all the ships. But no harm caused to any of the ships. Though all the ships lost sight of each other, they haven’t lost the way. But three ships’ crew was afraid of proceeding any further. They were horrified by the cyclone they have just escaped. So they decided to return empty handed but at least live and returned to village. Other three ships unaware of other ships proceeded further on the way to wealth.
All the three ships reached the island of coffers individually and were immensely happy to see such an exuberant amount of gold all around. They loaded as much they can in to ship and started towards their village. They left some communication hint on the shores of island for their peer ship which may come after wards.
On the return way each ship had to pass through lot more troubles. Each ship at some point had to face a severe cyclone.
The crew members of one ship, as soon they witnessed a gigantic cyclone trying to engulf them, lost any hope of survival and cried for the help of God. Due to journey they covered so far they felt exhausted and it seemed to them they will not able to escape this time. Their confidence was shattered so much that they hardly tried to escape. And finally giant waves of sea sunk the ship.
Second ship, when faced such a cyclone, did not give up the hope and kept on trying to escape. They tried for hours to go out of cyclone zone. Finally they were out of cyclone zone and luckily they had not lost the way also. There after they reached the village comfortably.
The last ship was also too courageous and fought daringly against nature. However after hours of tough job they were able to escape form the cyclone but unfortunately completely lost the way. They didn’t give up! They anchored away from the cyclone zone and tried finding the ways and directions by watching stars, with the help of little astrology they knew. They waited till next day and started proceeding in the way which they decided to be correct. For few weeks they kept on traveling without seeing any land. By that time they were too exhausted and all the food and fuel they had was over. Unfortunately they never found the land and lost for ever.

Ultimately, there was only one ship to return successfully. All the crew members became rich men of the region. All the family members of lost crew members also became rich but had the agony of missing their family member. The crew members, who returned empty handed half way from the mission, did not earn or achieved any thing, but are safe with their life and family. All the rich men who funded mission became richer. Village and all members of society were not only able to get enough food but also better and improved facilities. A fine edifice was built in the village in memory of those who died and lost in the mission.

*****
Girish Kodashettar
(17th June 2005)

Kalpadeepa - a short story

Kalpa-Deepa - a short story
(Translated from Original Kannada)

It was his routine- to get up early in the morning, begging to every door of the street for food and then after searching for some junks in the garbage. Of quiet a young age, in the unclean rags he looked like any beggar boy.

He responded in the same‘no reaction’ way to all the people at various doors who behaved differently. Pitiful. He never knew that he has to be angry on some one who misbehaves. Since he started seeing the world, this all is like that only. And that made him ‘careless’ about all such things. At maximum, as if a natural response of every animal, thankful eyes were his response to the ‘generous’ people who poured unhealthy food in to his bowl, which other wise they would have delivered to dust bin.

His next duty was search of junk. He used to sell the junk to the junk shop to earn some pittances. He spent his times in the garbage blissfully, as children would enjoy playing in parks. In the heaps of wastes, he searched for others’ unwanted and his wanted things.
One day, as usual, after filling his bag with enough junk, he sat at a corner of bus stand and started checking what he collected that day. In that day’s collection, among usual items - such as squeezed toothpaste tubes, waste boxes, tins, half full shoe polish container, old & damaged shoe polish brushes- there was one thing that made boy’s eyes glow with fascination- an artistic ‘chirag’ like tiny lamp.

Instantly some thing flashed to boy -the story, grandma telling to her grandson, which he listened hiding behind a tree. He recalled that story of a poor boy called ‘Aladdin’.

“Once upon a time there was a poor boy called Aladdin…
One day he found a ‘Chirag’ which confined within it a gin…!
Thereon it gave him all he wished…!”

Boy felt thrilled. Started thinking “if the one I am having now is just same as that magical chirag… and if it gives me all I wish… then…then…I will ask for lot of money, new colorful clothes and all that I think. I will eat all I wish in that big hotel on the main road to city. I eat all those beautiful dishes I saw in the glass showcase of that hotel. The hotel owner, who ran me whenever I went near the hotel, will not be able to recognize me in my rich dresses. After eating in the hotel, I will sit in my long car. Driver will salute me and start driving the car towards city… I go to city…there I will…”

As the boy kept on dreaming, his entire colorful dream became dense smoke; the smoke started swirling with a great speed! And then the smoke whirl entered the junk bag!! The boy frustrated as his dream shattered and desperately started searching for that spinning smoke which took away his dream. Bag was full of junks and boy had no patience. Desperately he emptied his bag at once. The whirlpool hidden in the bag then swiftly moved and entered a small black box- the shoe polish wax box. The small box, due to the impact of whirlpool stated rolling on the ground and started running away from the boy. Btu passionate boy picked something to hit the rolling box and stop it. Chased it for a few steps and was just about to hit it. But then the wax stopped as it hit and stuck between a pair of shoed legs. Then the man shouted-“stop playing now. Come here and shine my shoes quickly. I’ll give you five rupees if you make them shine like new. Hurry up!”

Boy was nonplussed and was unable to utter anything. “Five rupees! Wow!!”- he said him self and then only he noticed what he is holding in his hand, which he picked to hit the rolling box- a shoe polish brush! Before this, boy saw many others doing this job. But he never thought that he could also do that. But today…

Boy sat down and started shining the shoes of proud man. Once boy thought enough he looked at the face of that man. He was not happy and shouted “not enough”. Boy brushed again. But man seemed not happy with that. He gave the boy three rupees and said “this is more for what you did” and walked away. For the boy, three rupees were too much. Mean while another shout came- “hey, how much you take for shining my shoes?”
Boy is not aware that, what his chirag spouted was an illusion. He is not able to analyze or interpret the meaning of his dream and what all happened thereafter. He not even knows that he already stepped the first step towards realizing his dream.

Girish Kodashettar
(written on: September 2002)