In the Colony of Fools
A Journey to a Distant Village
Sudhir, in search of work, one day traveled to a distant village. There, he was astonished to see a man carrying a lighted lantern during the day and another man holding a folded umbrella despite the blazing sun overhead.
The Man and the Buffalo
Soon, a peculiar scene caught his attention. A young man was beating a buffalo with a stick while shouting, “I will keep beating you until you give birth to a calf!” The buffalo snapped the rope tethering her to a pole and began to run, chased by the man who exclaimed, “I will return you to your old master and recover my hundred rupees!”
The Confrontation
Chasing after the animal, Sudhir followed them to the master’s house, eager to witness the commotion. “Ramu! Come out, I say. I am Chandu speaking. Take back your buffalo and return my money!” shouted the man.
Ramu emerged, eyeing the buffalo and stating, “This doesn’t belong to me. A fly was sitting on the tail of my buffalo, but there’s none on this one’s tail.”
“This must be yours! Return my money at once. You told me that the buffalo would give birth to a calf last night, but it did not. I have no use for it!” Chandu retorted, and their argument escalated.
The Villagers Step In
As their quarrel grew fierce, a crowd gathered. “Look here, Ramu and Chandu, how long do you plan to keep fighting? Why don’t you take a pair of sticks and settle it properly?” they suggested.
Both men were handed sticks, but barely had they started to fight when the sticks broke. “How dare you break the sticks we gave you?” the villagers shouted, and they proceeded to give Ramu and Chandu a thorough beating.
Seeking Justice
“We must go to the judge and complain about these people,” Ramu and Chandu said, their clothes now soiled. They changed into nicer attire and appeared before the judge.
Upon hearing their complaint, the judge replied, “You claim to have been beaten by the villagers. However, when someone is beaten, their clothes become dirty. Let me demonstrate.” He signaled to one of his guards, who took a stick and delivered a few smart blows to Ramu and Chandu’s backs.
<p“Now, tell me what really happened,” ordered the judge. But Ramu and Chandu were in no mood to continue their stay in court; they ran away in fear.
A Lesson Learned
Sudhir, who had patiently witnessed the entire unfolding drama, called out to them, saying, “You are quarreling over nothing. If the buffalo has not yet given birth to a calf, it is no reason to lose your patience.”
“Who are you to interrupt our rightful quarrel?” Ramu and Chandu shouted, raising their fists at Sudhir.
Sudhir decided not to wait for their blows. As he ran away, he realized he had stumbled upon a colony of fools.