Once upon a time, there lived a poor man named Mani. Today, he was sorrowful and cried beside the river, which was situated on the outskirts of the village. He wanted to commit suicide by drowning himself in the water. Hira, a parrot, came to drink water from the river. Parrot saw Mani crying and asked him why. Mani answered, ‘My family removed me from the house as there were already seven people.’
Hira tried to console Mani. Mani said he wanted to die. But Hira explained that he should earn a good life instead of breaking. Inspired by Hira’s words, Mani decided to give life a try. Mani ate apples offered by Hira. Mani drank water and decided to search for work. Hira told Mani about fortune-telling via parrots. Mani said, but he didn’t know anything about it. Hira taught Mani about fortune-telling via parrots, which he had learned from his master. Mani soon started earning with the help of Hira.
Mani bought a small hut in the village, and his family members were jealous of him. Soon, Mani earned enough to buy a big house. He then married Hema. Mani and Hema lived a happy life.
Soon, Mani was blessed with a boy. When Hira said that now he should leave, Mani was disappointed. He asked Hira to stay for two years to save enough money to raise his boy nicely. Hira agreed to stay back.
After a few years, Hira again said he wanted to leave. Disappointed, Mani asked Hira to stay more than five years to save enough money to fund his boy’s education. Hira agreed to stay back.
Mani’s son got a proper education from the village school. Again, Hira said he wanted to leave. Disappointed, Mani asked Hira to stay for another six years until he saved enough money to fund his boy’s marriage. Hira agreed to stay back.
Mani’s son got married lavishly, and Mani was pleased. Again, Hira said, "Now your life is settled, so let me go." Mani said, "Please wait until I have enough money to ensure a decent lifestyle for my grandchild."
Hira started laughing and said, "This will go on and on." Hira said, "Because you wanted to earn money, I was not able to see several scenic places in the world. Now I am old, and I can’t fly."
Mani left bad for Hira. He decided to help Hira, just like he helped him. He thought for days and finally found a way to express his gratitude to Hira. Mani made a cage for Hira. Mani asked Hira to live in a cage. He would hold the cage and walk, exploring different places. Hira was pleased to hear that his friend would accompany him. Mani and Hira both left for Bharat Darshan. They decided to see as many places as they could until they were alive.
Their friendship inspired the villagers. We have spent all our lives running behind in money. Earning to give your family a good life is necessary, but we must also give time to ourselves.
Moral of the story: The greatest gift of life is friendship.
Happy reading!
Check out Nisha B Thakur's highly appreciated novel, The Unexpected Trail.
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