Gopal gets the land tilled
Here is a Janapada (folk) Indian tale that speaks about a funny solution to a serious problem. With a pinch of humour, the episode narrates a creative idea that banks upon human greed.
A hardworking farmer lived in Bengal. He had a small piece of land which he cultivated for many years. His hardwork enabled him to reap good crops. But as years rolled, he grew old and weak. He had no children or relatives to help him at work. He still continued doing all the hard labour himself. He somehow managed the sowing, irrigation and harvesting tasks. But the initial tilling of the soil was too hard a job for his aging body. He could neither afford to hire workers. The hapless old man had to therefore leave his land uncultivated for more than 2 years. But then, unable to bear the life of starvation, one morning, he approached Gopal, the court jester for help. Gopal, was not only very witty but also a great supporter to the poor and needy. He assured help.
The next morning the old farmer woke up and was shocked to see the whole land thoroughly tilled! His happiness knew no bounds. He rushed to Gopal and thanked him profusely. He asked- “Gopal, how could you get the whole job done overnight without even the king’s help?” Gopal replied mischievously- “Oh! Don’t you know? Yesterday evening an amazing sadhu, a great astrologer, bearded and dressed in strange clothes appeared in the market place. He secretly revealed to some men about an unusual treasure hidden in your land. The greedy men stealthily came overnight and dug up your land for the treasure”. The old farmer was shocked- “Oh my God! Why then did the sadhu not tell ME about the treasure? I was more in need of it”. Gopal chuckled and said- “There was no treasure there you fool! That was me disguised as a sadhu. I wanted to make those greedy men to till your land free of cost! Now see how thoroughly they have dug up every inch! Stop worrying, go and continue the rest of the work. I will talk to the king and arrange for help for your next crop”.
The farmer and everyone around burst out in laughter. The hilarious incident soon became the talk of the town. The greedy men dared not reveal their identities, fearing that they would become the laughing stocks!
- Arathi
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