The King's Hut

The King’s Hut

Once upon a time, there lived a farmer under the shade of a banyan tree. Lonely and poor, the old man led a simple life. He raised hens and grew vegetables on the open land near the tree. Selling eggs and vegetables in the market was his livelihood. Though happy and content, he had a secret desire. Like his brother in the village, he wanted a hut of his own. It was his desire to have his hut built on the edge of the riverbank. If the hut stands facing the banyan tree it would be better, he told himself. He was always dreaming of the day he would cook, eat, and sleep in his own hut. Two of his pets, a white cow, and a black dog were his only companions.

One-day the farmer saw two soldiers running after a man. They were shouting “catch him, catch him.” The former stood watching the fun from a distance. However, the stranger suddenly came near him, stopped for a while, and threw a small but heavy bag into a thick bush at the trunk of the banyan tree. Then the man took to his heels and disappeared.

A little later, the soldiers came running and enquired the farmer. The former explained them how a man came running and threw a bag into the bushes.

“Go and take that bag; do you know what it contains,” one of the soldier shouted at him. Without a word, the farmer walked towards the bush, took the bag, and handed it over to the soldier. The soldier opened the bag, checked the contents, and confirmed that nothing was lost.

“He has left the bag. Thank God, he has not taken the gold. Now we have to catch the fellow,” said the other soldier. He turned towards the farmer and said, “That man is a thief.”

“Can you show the way that fellow ran,” asked the first soldier.

The farmer pointed the direction in which the thief ran and said, “By this time he would have crossed the river. Shall I help you,” he volunteered. The soldiers looked at each other and wondered how a farmer can help to catch a thief.

The farmer understood the urgency. He did not wait for the soldiers’ approval. Immediately he signaled a command to his cow and the dog, Robin. Both the animals bounced up and dashed in the direction in which the man ran. Robin sniffed and fixed the way. The cow rounded up the man while Robin got him by his cloths and dragged him back. The soldiers wasted no time. They arrested the man and took him to prison.

Next day the king sent word for the farmer and invited him to the court. He presented the farmer a diamond ring.

The farmer was happy but hesitated to accept the present. He bowed the king and said politely, “your majesty, it does not belong to me; it is the king’s ring. It won’t look nice on a farmer’s finger. Please give me something that a poor man needs.” The king was amazed at the farmer’s humility.

“Tell us what you want from the king,” the minister asked the farmer.

“During the monsoon days I cannot live under the banyan tree. It is flooded with water. I cannot cook with water under my feet. My hens get drenched. My pet dog gets scared of mud and water on rainy days. Sometimes the river overflows right into our dwelling place. Please help me to put a small hut close to the river and overlooking the banyan tree,” said the farmer.

The king was happy to hear the farmer’s humble request. However, he ordered his men to build a beautiful house on a place chosen by the farmer. “I just wanted a roof over my head, but the king gifted me a mansion,” the farmer was always heard muttering to himself. To this day, that new house of the farmer is called ‘The King’s Hut ’.