There lived a rich businessman named Danthila in a kingdom called Vardhamaan. Because of his expertise in commerce and also in politics, he was the principal adviser to the ruler of the day. Once he celebrated the marriage of his daughter with all pomp and the VIPs local and abroad, all attended it in plenty. The sweeper in the Royal Palace named Gorambh also attended the marriage. He had the indiscretion of seating himself among the VIPs so the host was irritated and the menial was ordered to sit elsewhere. The servant was also irritated. It is indeed very difficult for a top bureaucrat to please the boss as well as the subordinates. The insulted Gorambh was biding his time to draw blood.

One early morning, while cleaning the bedroom of the King, quietly, while the Royal incumbent was still asleep, the servant started a soliloquy - "Dantila, the rogue Chetty, was embracing the queen yesterday, I saw it, I saw it." The King woke up and heard this and started questioning the menial repeatedly that was it true? Gorambh was incoherent. "Your Royal Highness, I was playing dice throughout the night and had some hooch also. I might have blabbered something but I do not remember what I said."

The seed of suspicion had already been sown. The king thought of the possibilities, "The minister has free entry to the palace and Gorambh can also go anywhere. It is possible that Gorambh might have watched such a scene. The things that people watch in broad daylight come to their mental screen as if in hallucination when they are in an inebriated condition, and specially when they are deprived of sleep also. And how can one be sure of anything when the matter of heart between a man and a woman is concerned?" Thinking thus the king got depressed. From that day onwards his implicit faith in the minister started to wane. A royal edict went round that Dantila need not visit the Royal Palace.

The minister was sad, because he did not know the cause of the Royal displeasure. He consoled himself, "Some things are basically incompatible. Play of dice and honesty, patience and snake, philosophy and drunkard and sustained friendship and the King or the boss. Still I am curious.... I have done nothing against the interests of the boss or his kin, the why is this so?

But as he was standing near the gate of the palace, he overheard Gorambha making sarcastic remarks against him, the erstwhile royal confidant. Dantila was sharp enough to guess as what must have happened and who had carried tales to the King. He thought, "The Royal Servant, even if he is venomous and mean, should be placated." So he invited Gorambha to his place that evening, praised him and sought apology for what had happened during the marriage function." and he filled Gorambha's hands and bags with costly presents. Gorambha was a very happy when he left the Chetty that night.

The next day, while cleaning the Royal bedroom in the presence of the sleeping king, the servant talked to himself - "I saw His Majesty eating cucumber while sitting in the toilet, I saw it, I saw it." The King heard it and was very angry at this angry." He immediately roared at him - "What are you raving? I have never done such a thing. Shut up your dirty mouth." Then he thought, "The servant was blabbering under the influence of hooch, and sleep deprivation. Then he remembered what the fellow was talking about the queen and the minister also the other day." He was filled with remorse. He called the minister and praised him and restored to him the royal favor.

The large droppings of an elephant can cause serious harm as nasty as the elephant itself.

The moral is that one has to be always very careful about even the minor things near the center of the power.

THE END