All For A Pot Of Flour

Today my blog has completed one year. To celebrate this, my daughter has written this story which I am posting below:

Once upon a time, there lived a young man called Changilal who had neither money nor family. Changilal used to help anybody in need. One day, after his daily stroll to the temple, he heard a few hens clucking nearby. Curiosity gripping him, he started going towards the direction of the sound. He found that the chickens were clucking since they were really, extremely hungry. He found this out because they were picking on the bare ground. As he was very kind, he wanted to help them in some way. He found a bag of grains lying somewhere nearby. Without hesitating, he pulled the heavy bag and threw a handful of grains to them. All of them started eating the grains joyfully. He was so happy in committing a good deed that he did not notice the owner of the chickens come behind him. He took a long time to realize that someone had tapped him on the back. He turned back slowly only to discover that whoever was standing behind him was smiling widely. “I am the owner of this farm.” said the man. “I am really happy that you have fed my chickens. I want to give you something in return.” Saying this, the man went to a house just next to the small chicken farm. He came out with a big pot in his hand. Aloud he said “This is a gift that I wish to give you for feeding my chickens. This is a pot of flour. I hope this will help in feeding you.”

Overjoyed by this offer, Changilal took the pot of flour and left for home. Changilal who had starved for the last few days, was really tired even to make chappatis with the flour. He tied the pot to a hook hanging from the ceiling of his house. “Now it will be safe here” he thought. He laid down on his cosy cot and thought of what he could do with so much flour…..

The next day he went to the market to sell the flour. Since this was very high quality flour, he had got two gold coins for it. Delighted by his profit, he set out further into the market, his head bobbing with joy of what he could buy with these two gold coins. “ I could buy rice” he thought “or milk……” “Aha!! Milk! “ He had just seen a man selling calves. “ only for 1 gold coin, and one calf is yours!” said the man. Changilal was thrilled. He could buy two calves with the money he had!! And the calves would grow into cows and they would give milk!! Instantaneously Changilal turned to the man who was selling the calves and stretched out the hand which had the 2 gold coins. The man gave Changilal both the calves he was selling in exchange of the gold coins. Changilal, now on cloud nine, went home joyfully. What a profit he had made!! He would now be a rich man only because he had done a good deed.

Days passed and the calves had now grown into beautiful white cows with the patient care of Changilal’s hands and in course of time they gave birth to two calves. Changilal was now ecstasic that he could finally sell the milk of his cows after so many days of patient waiting! He sat down on a stool and started milking his cows. Churrk! Churrk!, Churrk! Churrk! Milk was streaming from the cows into the big bucket he had kept for milking his cows. “Yippee!! thought Changilal. Now I can sell this milk in the market and get 5 gold coins!!
So Changilal set off to the market. Pop! Blob! Pop! Blob! The milk was swaying in the vessel! “Yes!! Now I can sell this milk for 5 gold coins and buy something else!” thought Changilal. He had reached the milk stall. “Best quality milk, sir” said Changilal. “for 5 gold coins!”

The shopkeeper had lots of customers on that day and was in shortage of milk. Glad that Changilal came, he had to make a good offer since this was his only chance to keep his reputation up and said “O Changilal! Thank the gods you came! I am in shortage of milk! And I can pay you whatever you desire!”
Pleased by his good fortune, Changilal gave his milk for 5 gold coins.

Elated Changilal now set off further inside the market. He now enjoyed his life thoroughly! “Now I have 5 gold coins!!” thought he. “I can buy 2 more calves or many pots” he thought. “I could even buy silk sarees to start my own business!!” Thrilled by this idea, Changilal now went to the ‘Valli silks’ which was a very famous silk store. He bought 10 silk sarees with his 5 gold coins. He was now pleased with himself. He now walked to his house thinking in which part of the house he could start the silk shop. He could name the shop Changilal silks………

And so he did! He had now converted his whole house into a saree shop. The house was now filled with all kinds of beautiful, colourful sarees. It was only after two months of plentiful profit that he noticed a beautiful woman in the shop. She was called Sita. He fell in love with her instantly and asked her to marry him. She happily agreed.
Therefore, their marriage was celebrated with pomp and ceremony.

So Changilal and Sita had 2 children. Ramesha and Suresha. Ramesha was the elder son and Suresha, the younger. Suresha was very naughty and he used to tease the cows who were the root of Changilal’s happiness. Changilal got really angry with Suresha and started beating him with a long stick. Tup! Tup! Tup!………….

But this did not sound like beating a child! This sounded like beating a pot of flour! What was this???? All of this had been a dream!! Changilal was still lying down on his cot and his house was still a house. Not a silk shop! He peeped out of the window only to see his old wilted grass! Not his white cows and lush green grass! Sita was nowhere to be seen! His children had disappeared to thin air! All of this had been a dream!!! He had now beaten the pot of flour which was the only hope of Changilal getting rich! The pot had broken into pieces and the flour had spilt all over him!! All was over!! Changilal was nowhere close to being rich!! All his hopes were shattered!!

Moral: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.