A Matter of Calculation

Bipin’s son married Mohan’s daughter, and in this union, Bipin extracted ten thousand rupees as dowry from Mohan. Ten years later, Mohan arranged the marriage of his second daughter, this time with a dowry of fifteen thousand rupees.

“In what way was my son inferior that you paid me only ten thousand? I am not naive regarding calculations. You owe me five thousand more,” claimed Bipin, feeling aggrieved.

Mohan was at a loss for words, and the matter escalated to the village chief. The chief summoned Bipin and stated, “You received ten thousand rupees ten years ago. With interest, the total amount now stands at twenty thousand. Granting you the five thousand you demand, you now owe Mohan five thousand rupees. Do you understand my calculations?”

Bipin stood there, his head hung in defeat, as the reality of the situation settled in.