Friday 27 February 2015

Suitable Girls

After much effort, the righteous King finally managed to capture the ghost in the forest and was on his way to his Kingdom, with the ghost on his back.

The ghost initially struggled and whimpered and then settled comfortably by resting on the King's back. The ghost narrated the following story to the King to pass the time:

There were two brothers named Kumar and Swaraj, who were the suitors of two sisters- Priya & Chanchal.

When the marriage-proposal arrived, the elder brother, Kumar, had no demands while the younger brother, Swaraj, wanted to set some tests for the sisters to get to know the girls better and find out who's the suitable and right match for him and his brother.

Swaraj found that the younger sister, Chanchal, was efficient and she could make perfect round-shaped Rotis*. Chanchal was also very stylish, presentable, smart and a perfectionist. She was proud and had the gift of the gab that could inflict pain or make the listener experience pleasure, just as she wished. 

On the other hand, the elder sister, Priya, took extra time and she could not make round-shaped Rotis. She was simple, gentle, humble and shy. Priya neither had any special achievements nor beauty that she could boast of. But, Priya had an artistic bent of mind and her sweet-natured and docile ways were charming.

Swaraj chose the smart girl- Chanchal to be his wife, while he felt the simple girl- Priya was suitable for his brother. 
After narrating the story, the ghost asked the King, "Tell me, O King! Did Swaraj make the right choice? Did he select the perfect match for his elder brother and himself? Wasn't Swaraj being selfish & unjust by choosing the girl who made 'Round Rotis' to be his wife & not his brother's?

The King had his answer ready with detailed analysis:
"I feel Swaraj has well-judged the suitable girls and made the right choice for himself and his brother. Marriage must be between two people who have similar personalities and tastes. 
Swaraj was not unjust in choosing the elder sister- Priya for his elder brother- Kumar. Like Priya, Kumar was also shy and reserved and that's why he had no issues about entrusting his family the job of choosing the girl for him. Both Priya and Kumar being elder siblings make a good compatible pair. 
Getting the younger sister-Chanchal married to his elder brother would not have augured well for their marital life, as their mindsets would have clashed and they might not have been happy. 
Swaraj could judge that Chanchal was the right match for him as they both had outgoing personalities and looked for perfection. They were younger siblings too.
Other important qualities need to be matched as criteria to choose a bride, rather than just Roti-making!
As far as making Round Rotis is concerned, it's an art that comes with practice! Anyone who makes a sincere attempt to learn, can improve her or his Roti-making skills! 
Besides, Round Rotis don't taste better than non-round ones!"

As usual, the ghost was impressed and agreed with the just King's wise answer!
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Note- 
*Roti- Round-shaped 'Indian Bread' made out of the dough of flour and water/milk and cooked and eaten with curry or cooked vegetables or pulses.
This story has been inspired by the legend of Vikram-Betaal of India. This is my original creation based on the theme of the wise King and the ghost, who narrated stories and asked questions. If you liked this story, you will love to read the hundreds of tales of Vikram-Betaal!

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47 comments:

  1. Of course the wife is not just a roti-manufacturimg machine. Very creative approach.

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    1. High time our society realizes this :) Thanks!

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  2. and i loved the story, more so because of the way you have written it its like light and happy...love you soul-sis!

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    1. Glad you liked it, Soul-sis :) Happy endings are fun :)

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  3. hehe.... Nicely crafted. No loop holes in reasoning. I'd love to read the hundreds of tales of Vikram-Betaal if and only if they are written by you :)

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    1. Your posts have excellent reasoning, Ravish! Thanks for such encouraging words!
      Wanna write hundreds of tales :)

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  4. That's a story with a message and nicely presented in the Vikram Vetaal format. A nice read.

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  5. WOW ... i am floored , dont know about Priya and chanchal but for my home you would have been the best bahu/bhabhi/ sis-in-law..... a person so jolly and a living encyclopedia of our very own and very dear bollywood and TV industry... complete with the nuances! Anita you wrote it exactly the way Vikram-Vetal was made.. I love dyour post and how you merged the indispire is ingenious ! Love you for this alone ... sadke jaawan soniyo :)

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    1. Thanks for such kind and heart-touching words, Kokila! Means a lot :)
      Thank you for so much love & support! I have more reasons to write now :)
      As a great fan of Vikram-Betaal TV-series and stories, I made a humble attempt :)

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  6. Loved the tale, Anita. What better way to write a story with morals than Vikram- Betaal!

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    1. Thanks for reading & sharing, Kiran!
      Yes, when wise King Vikram advises that 'Round Rotis don't taste any better' then everyone ought to listen & follow!

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  7. Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by & reading, Purba :) Glad you loved it!

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  8. Sounded quite like an original Vikram-Betaal story!

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    1. Looks like you too have read/heard/watched the stories, Sreesha!
      As I am a great fan, I tried to think & analyze like the duo :) Delighted that I was successful!

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  9. The style, the format, the language of your pieceis just enthralling. I loved every word. And by the way, I make great rotis!

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    1. Thanks for your appreciation!
      That's great to know! You are good marriage-material then :P

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  10. That is true! Skills can be learnt. It's the person exhibiting a personality that is the initial criterion of choice! Wonderful prose Anita!

    Hank

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    1. Indeed Hank :) Thanks for expressing your views.
      Glad you liked my story!

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  11. Wow! A unique way to write on an otherwise perplexing topic.

    What a way to show your take on the subject- a well ROUNDED story!

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    1. Thanks for your appreciation, Saket :)
      That's a lesson for life- May we all be well ROUNDED & also GROUNDED :)

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  12. Hehe..I liked the story very much. It definitely has a message... :-)

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    1. Thanks Mani!
      Hope the message reaches all! They make match-making based on Roti-making :)

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  13. quite a story and blending it with Vikram Betaal tales is quite impressive... Keep writing stories..... :D

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    1. That's great encouragement, Lata! Thank you so much!

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  14. Would love to read more Vikram - Betal stories from you, why don't you start a series :)

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    1. Really motivating! Means a lot, MeenalSonal!
      Hope you don't get bored if I implement your suggestion :)

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  15. Nice take on the given idea, very different from the others I read.

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    1. Thanks for reading & for commenting, Indrani :)

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  16. Wow you could weave it so well! I mean I could not even think of roti and Vikram and Betal in the same breath!

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    1. Ha Ha! That's what an idea can do to us! The story just came to mind & I had to share it!
      Thanks for your appreciation, Mridula :)

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  17. it's all about is to make sure that if there's a bit of fire anywhere, you have to make sure it becomes a bush fire in terms of the intensity ! nicely done :)

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    1. I remember the song- "We didn't start the fire", Ankur :)
      What to do? Round Rotis are everyone's desire! Thanks :)

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  18. Replies
    1. Thank you so much. Delighted that you liked it!

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  19. Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by & for your maiden comment :)

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  20. Such a nice post Anita, I have gone through twenties of posts on this Roti one, but truly found your one as the most different and unique one.

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    1. Thanks for your nice words, Alok!
      See, the topic is the same, but the presentations & ideas in the posts are so different! That's the beauty of Blogging & our network :)

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  21. Loved you story Anita. It's so lovely that you have weaved the roti topic into a classic tale of Vikram Vetal. Reminded me of childhood Chandamama books…well done! : )

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    1. Thanks for your maiden comment & words of appreciation, Shali :)
      Great that you suggested this topic & it was voted and we got a chance to express our views.
      Really unfair & a prejudice. People, who create non-round Rotis are judged and made the butt of jokes...

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  22. Glad you liked it, Ash :)
    Yes, makes sense if they do the screenings in this fashion by mind & personality matching rather than just plain horoscope-matching :)

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  23. Wonderful story! I liked Vikram's answer to the ghost! You are such a wonderful story teller!

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    1. Thanks for your appreciation as usual, Sindhu :)

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Your words mean a lot to me.

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