Kyoto Village
There was a village named Kyoto, which was extremely beautiful to look at.
The entire village was spread over an area of nearly ten kilometers.
The village head (Pradhan) was a very kind-hearted and noble man.
No one in the village ever took the Pradhan's name directly, because the villagers loved and respected him deeply.
It was the Pradhan who had made the village so peaceful and prosperous.
The elderly people of the village considered him like their own son.
The villagers lived happily in their village.
However, the Pradhan of the neighboring village felt very jealous after seeing the prosperity of Kyoto.
The neighboring village was spread over nearly five kilometers, but the people there were just like their Pradhan—full of jealousy toward others.
The name of our village Pradhan was Abhus.
He always cared for the villagers first and treated their problems as his own.
Perhaps this was the reason everyone loved him so much.
But the Pradhan was unmarried.
One day, the Pradhan was sitting alone in the courtyard of his house, lost in thought.
"I should get married now. I am getting older.
But who will marry me? And whom should I talk to about this?"
Just then, he remembered a very wise old saint who lived in the village.
"I should go and talk to him. Maybe he can guide me."
He was still thinking when suddenly—
Knock… knock… knock…
"Is anyone at home?"
"Pradhan Ji, please open the door."
The Pradhan opened the door and saw a poor laborer from the village, a man known for his honesty and hard work.
The Pradhan wondered what problem had brought him here.
He invited the laborer inside and asked kindly,
"What would you like to have? Tea or cold water?"
The laborer replied,
"No, Malik. I don't need anything.
Please just help me solve my problem. I am in great trouble.
I will be very grateful to you."
The Pradhan said calmly,
"First, sit down peacefully. Then tell me what the matter is."
The laborer said,
"Pradhan Ji, because of financial difficulties, I borrowed some money from the village Munshi.
I told him that once my crops were harvested, I would sell the grain and repay the loan."
"But now," he continued sadly,
"the Munshi is demanding the money immediately.
He says that if I don't repay it right now, he will take over my land and my house."
"Please guide me, Pradhan Ji.
I am a poor laborer. Where will I arrange so much money so quickly?"
The Pradhan asked,
"How much money did you borrow from the Munshi?"
The laborer replied,
"I borrowed 10,000 rupees.
The Munshi himself said I could repay it after selling my crops and that there was no hurry."
"But Pradhan Ji," he added,
"I have only sown wheat recently. It will take three months to be ready.
You know this very well. Still, the Munshi is pressuring me for money."
The Pradhan thought for a moment and said,
"Don't worry. I will give you the money.
Go and repay the Munshi. Your problem will be solved."
The laborer hesitated,
"But Pradhan Ji, what if you need the money later?"
The Pradhan smiled and replied,
"That's not a problem.
Give the money to the Munshi now.
You can return it to me later when you are able to."
"I trust you. You are hardworking, and that is why I am helping you."
"Now go, repay the Munshi, and focus on your farming."
"Yes, Pradhan Ji. I will do exactly as you say."
Knock… knock…
And the laborer left.
A few months passed.
Only one month remained before the wheat harvest.
Suddenly, heavy rains began to fall continuously.
Water flooded all the fields of the village, and the entire crop was destroyed.
The farmers of the village were devastated.
Many farmers who were already in debt lost all hope.
Some of them even ended their own lives.
But the village Munshi revealed his true nature.
He was extremely cruel.
The lands of those farmers who had committed suicide were forcibly transferred into the Munshi's name.
I was the Pradhan of the village, but even after my refusal, the Munshi did not listen to anyone.
Slowly, food grains in the village began to run out.
Soon, thefts of grain started taking place.
Every day, we heard reports that someone's house had been robbed of food.
As the village Pradhan, I called a meeting of all the villagers and humbly requested them to bring all the grain from their homes and store it in the village granary.
I also requested that until a solution to the village's problem was found, everyone should eat only one meal a day.
This would ensure that the food would last longer and would also give us time to think of a proper solution.
The villagers agreed with my suggestion, and everyone brought the grain from their homes and deposited it in the village granary.
From that day onward, food was prepared only once a day in the village.
The villagers did face some difficulty, but there was no other solution available to us.
At night, I kept thinking about how to put an end to the village's suffering.
Then, an idea came to my mind.
Because of the excessive rainfall, all the fields in the village were flooded.
I thought, why not release fish into those flooded fields?
This would serve two purposes:
the villagers would have food to eat, and they could also sell the fish to earn money.
As soon as this idea came to me, I felt very happy.
I decided that I would share this idea with the villagers the next day.
If the villagers liked the idea, we would go ahead with it.
Thinking this, I went to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up, freshened myself, and went into the village.
When I reached the center of the village, I began calling everyone together.
"Listen! Listen!"
At the same time, I noticed some children playing nearby.
I asked them to help me by calling all the villagers to gather there.
The children listened to me and began calling everyone.
Within a short time, all the villagers gathered at the center of the village.