The Rich Man and his Vessels: A Folk Tale from Kerala

A long time ago, there lived a rich man in a village in God’s Own State. His house was full of utensils of different shapes and sizes. He had every utensil one could expect to come across in an house as splendid as his.

Whenever there was a ceremony in the village, the villagers would borrow his utensils and return them once the function was over. This had been going on for many years. However, one day, a young man turned up at this rich man’s doorstep with more utensils than he had actually borrowed. When the rich man inquired about this, the young fellow gleefully replied that the utensils had been blessed with children and that he was simply returning them. Although astonished, the wealthy man rejoiced at that stroke of luck.

A few days later, the young man came back to rent utensils for his sister’s marriage. The rich man, still mindful of his recent gains, began to anticipate his returns. A fortnight went by and there was no news of the young man. One evening, the rich man saw the young guy frantically running toward him. As he reached closer, the lad burst into tears. When asked why, the young man remorsefully replied that three of the vessels had passed away and two had committed suicide. The rich man was incensed. He grabbed the young man by his shoulders and asked him how could inanimate pieces of silverware kill themselves. He demanded that all his utensils be returned at once.

At this, the young man smirked and asked if utensils giving birth made any sense, and if it did not, then why had he accepted the additional utensils in the first place. The affluent man realized his folly and asked the young man to keep the utensils as a reward for having opened his eyes.