12.THE MICE THAT ATE IRON
Where mice eat balance-beams of iron
A thousand pals in weight
A hawk might steal an elephant:
A boy is trifling freight.’
`Shajahanpur’ was a bustling small town where trade and commerce was actively pursued. The merchant Narang was once prosperous trader having inherited lot of wealth from his ancestors, but with a couple of wrong decisions in trade and misfortune reining his destiny he was reduced to bankruptcy abruptly. Seeing that the atmosphere not favourable for him he decided to leave the town for a while and try his fortune elsewhere. However he had a prize possession, a sturdy big iron balance the kind of which was not seen presently, and a hand down from his forefathers.
He decided to leave the balance with his trusted friend Shiva. He told `Shiva, my friend, I am leaving this place on a long journey to far off place to try my fortune, I am planning to entrust you my iron balance which I value very much as it has been in our family for many generations.’
`Don’t worry my friend, I will keep it safely in the grain go down of mine. You can be rest assured and carry your travels, let lady luck once again turn her benevolence on you very soon’ told Shiva
Narang went on his long journey. He was not seen for several years. People almost forgot about him. Shiva grew in his trade from strength to strength. His family grew. He was blessed with two sons and a daughter. In course of time Shiva started using Narang’s balance kept in the granary. The balance seemed to have a magical quality. Whenever he weighed his grain bags in the balance he saw those grain bags were quick to move from his godown. They always readily found buyers and he found himself a step ahead of the rest of the traders. As years rolled by Shiva assumed the balance as his and almost forgot about his old friend Narang.
Thus after twelve long years when his friend Narang suddenly arrived at his shop and greeted him, he almost could not recognize him. Narang too had changed; gone were the pinched beaten look. Lady luck indeed seemed to have smiled at him He looked prosperous with his newly starched `pagadi’ and well stitched `kurta’ adorn
Where mice eat balance-beams of iron
A thousand pals in weight
A hawk might steal an elephant:
A boy is trifling freight.’
`Shajahanpur’ was a bustling small town where trade and commerce was actively pursued. The merchant Narang was once prosperous trader having inherited lot of wealth from his ancestors, but with a couple of wrong decisions in trade and misfortune reining his destiny he was reduced to bankruptcy abruptly. Seeing that the atmosphere not favourable for him he decided to leave the town for a while and try his fortune elsewhere. However he had a prize possession, a sturdy big iron balance the kind of which was not seen presently, and a hand down from his forefathers.
He decided to leave the balance with his trusted friend Shiva. He told `Shiva, my friend, I am leaving this place on a long journey to far off place to try my fortune, I am planning to entrust you my iron balance which I value very much as it has been in our family for many generations.’
`Don’t worry my friend, I will keep it safely in the grain go down of mine. You can be rest assured and carry your travels, let lady luck once again turn her benevolence on you very soon’ told Shiva
Narang went on his long journey. He was not seen for several years. People almost forgot about him. Shiva grew in his trade from strength to strength. His family grew. He was blessed with two sons and a daughter. In course of time Shiva started using Narang’s balance kept in the granary. The balance seemed to have a magical quality. Whenever he weighed his grain bags in the balance he saw those grain bags were quick to move from his godown. They always readily found buyers and he found himself a step ahead of the rest of the traders. As years rolled by Shiva assumed the balance as his and almost forgot about his old friend Narang.
Thus after twelve long years when his friend Narang suddenly arrived at his shop and greeted him, he almost could not recognize him. Narang too had changed; gone were the pinched beaten look. Lady luck indeed seemed to have smiled at him He looked prosperous with his newly starched `pagadi’ and well stitched `kurta’ adorn
posted by Rama Venkataraman at 9:41 PM
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