A Matter of Need

In the village of Rajpur lived a wealthy peasant named Shivdas. Four kilometers away in the small village of Ramcherry, a poor farmer named Jagu grew bananas on his land and would often travel to Rajpur to sell them. Each bunch was sold for a rupee.

One day, Shivdas urgently needed a bunch of bananas. He went to Ramcherry and met Jagu, who readily offered him a bunch.

“How much should I pay you?” asked Shivdas.

“One rupee,” replied Jagu.

Shivdas then said, “Jagu, you used to walk two miles to sell a bunch for one rupee. I saved you the trouble by coming all the way myself. Shouldn’t you take less?”

Jagu thoughtfully responded, “In fact, I should ask for a little more than a rupee. I take the trouble to visit your village because I need the money. You came here because you needed the fruit. Since the need is yours, I could rightfully ask for a higher price. But I am not doing that because we are known to each other!”