The Clever Thief, Raju | Folktale of India

Once upon a time, there lived a shrewd thief named Raju. Raju lived in the kingdom of Krishnarajya. He hated its ruler, King Arjun. Raju blamed Arjun for him being a thief.

When Raju was looking for a job a few years ago, he reached the palace. But Arjun’s guards didn’t allow Raju to enter. He was thrown out mercilessly, which filled him with immense hatred. He decided to teach Arjun a lesson.

He became a thief who robbed valuables from Arjun’s ministers and other wealthy people. Arjun was determined to find the thief. Unaware that the thief was Raju. Each night, Raju wore black attire and robbed. Arjun failed to catch him, and this bothered him a lot. He spent the night tossing in his bed, wondering where the next robbery would occur. Raju was enjoying Arjun’s anxiety more than his victory.

One night, he decided to rob a bungalow at the far end of the town. As usual, he stepped out in his black attire and reached there. He entered the bungalow and saw a lovely girl sleeping in her bed. He fell in love with her. He walked out of the bungalow without finishing his job. The whole night, he stayed awake and thought about that girl.

The next morning, he went to the bungalow with his uncle. A beautiful girl, Nama, opened the door and called her mother. Nama and her mother lived there alone. Raju offered to marry Nama. The mother agreed to get them married, but Raju was asked to live with them after marriage.

Raju was an orphan, so he agreed to live with them. Their marriage was a lavish function. Nama’s mother was wealthy. Raju started living a beautiful life. Nama’s mother wanted Raju to help her in business. Raju worked hard. He decided to live life peacefully. He liked working hard for Nama. He gifted her many things and pampered her. Nama’s mother was pleased to see this. Raju took care of Nama’s mother too. Orphan Raju liked being with his family. But Arjun’s determination to catch the thief bothered him. The fear of losing Nama gripped him.

He decided to take control of it. He went to meet Arjun. Nama’s mother rich influence helped him to meet Arjun. He said Arjun, ‘My lord; I can help you catch the thief.’

Arjun accepted his help. Raju knew how a thief thinks, and he helped Arjun in catching many notorious criminals. After a few years, the robbery rate in the kingdom was almost zero. Arjun was proud of Raju.

No one knew that the biggest thief was indeed Raju. Raju lived happily with Nama.

Moral- If you are determined to walk on the path of righteousness, even God, will help you.

Happy reading!

Check out Nisha B Thakur's highly appreciated novel, The Unexpected Trail.