|
|
|
| Sunday, 24 July 2005 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
The pregnancy craving and the ripe jak fruit Sunday parable by Sunanda Mahendra 'If you can bring me some ripe jak fruit (varaka) from somewhere? Because I have a pregnancy craving doladuka'. said the boatman's wife Ran Etana. Heen Banda, the boatman knew that his wife is going to have her first baby and he felt it is a must because that craving has to be fulfilled.
"Is there a jak tree bearing a ripe jak fruit?", he asked several friends, whom he met on the way, crossing the river. "We know of several jak trees but we are not too sure of the jak fruits. This is perhaps out of the season for jak fruits," some responded to Heenbanda. Then he met one young man who informed him of a jak tree, which bears a ripe fruit. "There is a ripe jak fruit in the royal park but it is prohibited for common folk like us. You can feel the sweet smell of the varaka as you enter the royal park but mind you there is a guard, who will not let you in. It is tempting but not a soul dares to enter the park." "I think I will make a plan to enter the park," said Heenbanda. "The guard will surely get hold of you and bring you to the king." "And what will the king do?" "He will punish you, perhaps he will..." "But what is the punishment? Tell me." "I think it is the punishment by death. He will order the executioner to behead you." "But surely a man's life is far superior than a jak fruit. Isn't it so?" "You need not argue about these matters with me, but try to convince the king." Thanking the young man, Heenbanda walked towards the royal park. As he approached the park he felt his nostrils filled with the sweet aroma of varaka and tempted him to eat some as soon as possible. Then he searched for the jak tree and found that it is situated right in the middle of the park. It was impossible for him to enter the park easily. But he went in search of a place from which he could creep through. He found an animal trail through which he crept slowly and looked around to see that the guard was fast asleep. "Let him sleep and I am not going to disturb him at any cost", he thought. Then he slowly climbed the jak tree. "This jak fruit is too big for me to carry so. I will take only half of it and keep the other half covered to show that nothing had happened." Thinking thus, he cut half of the jak fruit (varaka gediya) and kept the other half covered. The tempting aroma was so intense that he ate some before coming down the tree. He kept the half piece he cut on his shoulder and tried to leave the royal park. As soon as he reached the boundary of the royal park, a man came running behind him. "Stop you bastard", said an angry royal park keeper, who was guarding the jak tree. But Heenbanda took to his heels as fast as he could and handed over the half jak fruit he brought from the royal park to his wife. Then to his surprise, the guard was waiting with a frown at the doorstep looking at Heenbanda. "Do you think you can escape like that after stealing the royal jak fruit?", asked the guard or the royal park keeper. "I did not steal", said Heenbanda. "Then what did you do in the royal park? Anyway, I have to take you to the king, who will do the needful, otherwise he will find fault with me and punish me." Without much reluctance, Heenbanda appeared before the king, who asked several questions. "Did you not know that it is a punishable offence to steal the jak fruit prohibited for the ordinary folk like you?" "No I did not know my lord." "Then it is your fault for being ignorant of the royal orders." Heenbanda just listened to the king. "Why didn't you obtain prior permission from the guard?" "He was fast asleep." "Surely you should have obtained permission." "I guessed that permission will not be granted." "Don't you think that this is a punishable offence?" "I don't know but someone told me that it is punishable." "If that is so, you should be punished." Heenbanda kept silent like a sage. "Do you know the type of punishment given to you for your act?" "No my honour to be true." "Death sentence." "Oh my god, I am not a criminal. I have not killed anyone." "But you have violated the royal orders." At this Heenbanda had a hearty laugh. "You are insulting the royal court of law." "I did not mean to do that my honour." "Then why did you laugh like that before your king?" "To be true, I felt sorry for a king for the first time in my life." "Why, a king who kills a man for eating the varaka in his royal park. It could only be a fool of a king, who punishes such a man and I will go down in history as the first man who was killed by a king for eating the varaka in the royal park. So that made me laugh, leading a whole life with kings and their lackeys." The king felt sorry and ashamed of his own act and felt that Heenbanda was wiser than himself. As such, the king asked one more question: "What are you doing by way of a profession?" "I help people cross the river for I am a boatman who takes the people from one bank of the river to the other." "From tomorrow onwards with immediate effect you will be honoured as the royal boatman." "Thank you so much my great honour, I think I need not have any honorary titles for my kind of profession." |
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
He thought for a while and said, "Don't worry, I will bring the right
kind of ripe jak fruit to you from somewhere." Then he roamed around the
village looking for a jak tree.