Chapter 13: chapter 13

Eashwaran’s GenerosityIn a village in south India lived Eashwaran, a poor but overly generous man. He didn’t make much money but was always happy to share whatever little he had with those around him. Every afternoon, he would hang around the tea stall in the village chowk and strike up a conversation with a random stranger there, eventually ending up giving away something or the other. At times it was a murukku or his own lunch tiffin, sometimes his groceries or household items. What Eashwaran’s wife, Lakshmi, found the worst was when he would befriend some random passerby and then immediately invite them to come home for lunch or dinner.Although Eashwaran was a nice man, Lakshmi feared that his generosity would eventually push them into poverty. As it is, their groceries were barely sufficient for the two of them. Besides, she had to slog in the kitchen for hours cooking for and cleaning up after guests. They could no longer afford this. Lakshmi finally complained about this to her mother. Her mother advised, ‘Every kitchen has a dozen tools. Use them effectively to scare off your guests. Do it in such a way that the guests not only run away but also spread the word in the village so that no one accepts an invitation for a meal at your home again.’Lakshmi carefully thought over her mother’s words, deciding that the long, sharp knife would be her weapon of choice for this idea. The next morning, she was looking out of the window when she spotted Eashwaran walking up to the house, two strangers following behind. Lakshmi knew that Eashwaran had invited them home for a meal. She decided to put her plan into action.She knew she had a little time because Eashwaran would first go to the washroom outside the house to clean up before entering the kitchen. Lakshmi quickly brought many idols from the temple room to the kitchen. She sat in front of the idols and began noisily sharpening a long knife. The two strangers entered the kitchen. One of them stood in the doorway and said, ‘Hello, madam. Eashwaran invited us here for lunch today.’Lakshmi looked up at them. She stood, faced the idols with folded hands and mumbled a prayer. Then she picked up the knife. ‘You’ve arrived! Welcome. I was just sharpening the knife for the kill. Eashwaran required two humans for this holy sacrifice today. Thank you for offering yourselves,’ she said respectfully.The two men were aghast. ‘What! What do you mean human sacrifice? No one told us about this. We were told we would be eating lunch,’ stuttered one of the men.‘Did my husband invite you to eat lunch or be his lunch? This is not his first human sacrifice, you know. You are the lucky twenty-first life he will take,’ she said cheerfully. ‘I have told him a hundred times to stop this practice, but he won’t agree. He tries to befriend people by offering them murukku or tea and then lures them home. If you don’t want to be part of this sacrifice, you better run before he comes from the washroom. And yes, you’d better warn everyone in the village about Eashwaran’s invitations. No one has lived to the tell the truth so far. He always catches unsuspecting strangers.’ Lakshmi helpfully held the door open, the knife still in her hand.The two strangers didn’t stop to think. They held up their mundus and sprinted out the door. Eashwaran finished washing up and came to the doorway, where Lakshmi was standing with a long knife in her hand. He saw his guests scrambling away. He asked, ‘Lakshmi, what happened? Why are they running away so hastily?’‘They wanted my knife,’ Lakshmi said. ‘What will I cut vegetables with if I give away my only knife? I refused to give it to them. So they left.’Eashwaran was angry. He retorted, ‘Aiyo, why did you refuse to give them the knife?’ He snatched it from her hand and ran after his guests.‘Come back! Take the knife. Here, take it,’ screamed Eashwaran, frantically running and waving the knife at them.The guests were even more terrified now. They started running faster?When they reached the village chowk tea stall, they told everyone what had happened. The story spread like wildfire.Eashwaran never understood why people refused to accept murukku or tea or invitations to come home for lunch any more. Lakshmi, on the other hand, understood too well. She would sharpen her long knife every day, a smile playing on her lips.