Once a beggar was hungry. He saw a big house and went there to see if
he would get something to eat. The house was very big and luxurious. There
was a beautiful garden around the house. As he neared the house, he could
smell tasty food. He knocked the door.A well dressed man opened the door.
The man’s face shrank on seeing the old man. He asked in a harsh tone
“What do you want?” The old man with his feeble voice, replied “It has been
two days since I had food, so please give me something to eat”. The rich
man got angry and shouted at the beggar ”Do you think I am running free
food service? Get out of here”. The old man with the same tone requested,
“Is there any left out?” “Don’t stand here wasting my time, get out of my
sight.” said the man and slammed the door. The old man slowly walked away.
In his way he saw a lady from the house dropping banana leaves with food
in the trash can. He was sad.
He slowly walked
to the next house,
and knocked the door
“Is anybody there?”
After repeated
knocks, a voice
answered, “Nobody
is home. Try the next
house.” “If there is
no one, then, who
is answering me?”
asked the old man.
The man got irritated and opened the door and said, “Why don’t you try
the big house in the same street?” The old man sadly replied, “I tried, but
he did not offer any food.” He asked, “How can you expect me to help you
when the richest man of the village denied?” The old man left the place.
The old man was tired and could not walk anymore. So he sat under a
tree and soon slept. A man in shabby clothes woke him and asked “Who are
you? Why are you lying here?” The old man replied, “I have no food and no
place to stay.” The poor man said, “You look tired and hungry, come to my
home and stay with us.” The old man replied, “I don’t want to be a burden
to you, I just need some food.” The poor man said, “Okay, just come and
have some food with us.” He took the old man to his hut.
The hut was very small and barely enough for the family. The old man saw
that the house wouldn’t withstand the monsoon. The house had no furniture,
but only a few utensils were there for use. The people in the house, a lady
and two children, were
very happy to welcome
the old man in. They made
him sit comfortably. The
children sat near him.
The man introduced
himself and his family, “I
am Kaliyan. I work in the
farm nearby. This is my
wife Viji and my children
Gopi and Rathika.” Soon
the children got close to
the old man. They asked
many questions and played with him. Kaliyan helped the man wash his face
and hands. When the old man entered the hut, Viji was ready to serve the
food. They all sat in a circle. Viji served the gruel from an earthen pot.
First she gave to the old man, and then to the children and Kaliyan. After
the dinner, Kaliyan laid a mat for the old man to sleep.
Next morning, the beggar asked them to pack their things. They all
couldn’t understand why he asked so. Before they could ask anything, the
beggar said, “I am not a beggar, I am a land lord from a nearby town. My
family and I were helping the poor and the needy. My wife and son died
two years back. Without them I continued my service. As I grew older,
I wanted someone to take care of my wealth and service after me. You
have to accept my request and fulfill my desire.” Kaliyan was reluctant but
the old man persuaded him and his family. The old man was happy that his
service would continue many more years even after his death.
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