Grandparents' Bag of Stories by Sudha Murty

Author:Sudha Murty [Murty, Sudha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9788194525905
Publisher: Penguin Random House India Private Limited
Published: 2020-11-06T00:00:00+00:00

‘If what you say is true, I will,’ said the king.

The king sent his men to find out more about the matter and came to know that the poor man was telling the truth—it was the land next to his new palace. Meanwhile, the poor man also found out that the big house being constructed was none other than the king’s palace.

‘Let it stay,’ said the king to his architect. ‘I have given the man my word. When people look at the palace, they will see outstanding architecture. When they see the hut, they will also come to know that I am a man of my word.’

In the same kingdom, there lived a zamindar who owned a lot of property. In the old days, people believed that only boys should inherit the property of their parents in the hope that it will bring great name to the family. The zamindar belonged to the old school of thought. When his wife was expecting a baby, she went to live in her parents’ house for a few months, as was the custom in those days. As she was leaving, the zamindar told her sternly, ‘We must have a son. If you don’t give birth to a son, don’t come back to stay with me.’

His wife was terrified, but for the sake of the baby, she tried to be positive and happy.

Time passed by quickly and one morning, she delivered a healthy baby girl. She was happy to have a girl, but she was scared of what her husband would do if he found out that she had given birth to a girl!

So she sent word to him, ‘I have given birth to a baby boy.’

Perhaps I can convince him to see things from my point of view, once he gets to know our daughter better, she thought.

The ecstatic father sent a message back to her, ‘I am pleased. I want to name the boy Veeravara, the brave one.’

Thus, the baby girl was named Veeravara. Her mother helped her keep the secret and so, Veeravara grew up as a boy. She knew that she would have to keep it a secret that she was actually a girl, or face her father’s wrath. She wore boyish and loose clothing and got all the necessary education fit for a boy in those days. She was outstanding in archery and horse riding and everyone around her (except her mother) thought that she was actually a boy.*

Two decades passed. When Veeravara was going to another town for work, she had to pass through a forest. There, she saw a man being attacked by a lion. Though the man was fighting back, she knew he needed help. So she leapt to action. She rode her horse towards the man, picked him up quickly and rode away from the lion.

When she stopped the horse, she realized that the man was wounded badly. He told her that he was King Narendra. He had gone to the forest to hunt with his soldiers and had lost his way when he ran into the lion.

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