HEATWAVES

HEATWAVES

Almighty God is always generous. Whatever we pray for, he gives in abundance. During the winter we pray the lord for the sunlight. And lo! You have the summer, in abundance. Then, we pray for the showers due to the unbearable heatwaves. And there the rains! Pretty enough to flood the city. Then, pray for the rain to stop. Yes, it did stop. And you have the winter again.  Oh man! Ask for things wisely. Or else just offer your prayers and just be thankful. He will take care of the rest.

Shambu was a miser. A great miser beyond your imagination. One day he desired to eat coconut burfi(a sweet dish). A ballpark figure for the cost and a million and one measurements were made, before the departure to buy the ingredients for the coconut burfi. As a matter of fact, coconut burfi needs only two ingredients that is coconut and sugar.

It was a very hot summer. Shambu walked a long way from home in search of coconuts for the best price. He went around the market, bargained to the maximum and finally lost the bet and returned home. “Oh no I don’t want to pay so much.” He said to himself.

  It was sandy day and Shambu wanted to venture for the coconuts again. He loved the coconut burfi because it needs only two ingredients and zero wastage. He walked out in the hot sun calculating and strewing the miserly beads in his calculative strings. He reached the marketplace all set to make a good bargain. From the first stall to the end of the market, he went on asking the cost of the coconut, bargained for the least and moved further with the ambition to get them for the best bet. He was off his trolley running around for the coconuts. He couldn’t settle for the market price. Total confusion! Total failure! With a sad face he rubbed out the sweat flowing down his face.

One of the merchants, advised him to move on to the coconut farm where he will get them for free. FREE! He went out of his gourd. “Tell me, tell me where is the coconut farm? How do I reach there?” he asked.

“Keep going down the south lane till you reach the farm.” Said the merchant.

Shambu’s joys had knew no bounds! In the hot sun, he started his journey towards south. He walked tirelessly, Not the choice to walk. People usually hire a cart. But how can Shambu do that he rolled his dice on. All his plans were to make a low-cost coconut burfi.

My shoes, oh they get worn out if I need to walk too long. He removed the shoes and tucked them under his arm and walked barefooted.

 He walked several miles but didn’t find the coconut farm. Perspiring from head to toe, he searched for a place to relax for a while. No buildings, no trees, nothing to give him a little shade. He murmured, “Year after year the heat waves are becoming unbearable. There were huge shade giving trees all for free along the roads. These timber merchants became rich by cutting down all the trees and putting us in the heatwaves.” Yes, the road was too deserted.

A little far away, he saw some palm grown along the road. They looked like coconut trees. He geared up a little and walked. A smile of satisfaction dressed his face. Every iota of his energy was used up to reach the place but all wet. The trees were the toddy palms. He was dog tired and badly wanted some rest. He threw himself under one of the trees and heaved a sigh of relief.

He wanted to take a catnap and proceed towards the coconut farm, but he was so tired that he slept nicely under the toddy palm in the hot sun. what a misery for the miser! A big snore expelled out and right at that moment thud! fell a huge toddy fruit on the bald head. Oops! It was like the sky and earth were fused. The bald head was badly wounded. No food, not even a drop of water, upon these the painful wound unable to attend to it. He started sobbing, “Oh God! Why me!”

 Like a quick sliver, there arrived a lady on a tonga(horse cart) as if god himself sent her. She tore the edge of her saree and tied the bleeding wound, gave him some water to drink. “What are you doing in this hot sun man? Where are you heading to?” She asked.

Shambu explained his heatwave adventure to save money. There were blisters in his feet because he had packed up his shoes! There were blisters in his armhole because he had tightly held the shoes without even changing the position! And the bleeding wound on his head due to the toddy fruit. The lady went ballistic “Even a fool knows what to do when there is pain. You are such a lamb.” She fired him.

“Now, get into my cart at once.”  She ordered. Shambu limped into the cart. She rode the cart in no time to the coconut farm. She bought plenty of coconuts as much as she could fill in the cart.

 “Hey why do you pay? They give it for FREE! You don’t know the value of money. I have walked all the way to get them for free. And I am not going to pay any money remember.” He said desperately. The lady smiled gently and took him back to his home. Shambu was wonder stuck! And stood speechless. He was looking at the ebb and flow of the situation. The lady spoke, “you work against the grain. You wasted the whole day, drained your entire horsepower to achieve nothing. Just spend a few coins and save the golden moments. You can earn more than what you have spent with the time you have saved. Save things but don’t be a miser. It will kill you.”  

Shambu knew only to save money. He never noticed at what cost he was saving. Tears rolled down his eyes recalling his stupidity. He decided never to be a miser again. Shambu learnt a lesson for life. 

 The lady came like a quick sliver and opened his eyes. He slowly asked about her whereabouts. When he perceived that she was an orphan, he pleaded her to stay with him. He made plenty of coconut burfi and served the lady lovingly. She loved his innocence and proposed to marry. What else would Shambu need.

The heatwaves of the sun and the lady transformed Shambu into a new person. A lot of painful heatwaves are passed through, to transform the clay into a beautiful cup. Shambu experienced the heatwaves just for one marked day! And the wise man is here with a total transformation.

                   *************************************