Two Miser Brothers
By- Enamul Hoque
This is the story of two brothers i.e. Salim Chowdary and Kalim Chowdhary. They are very much ill-named in the village as miser brothers. They are already in possession of huge wealth but still they are hungry for money. They live in a village where only two acres (6 bigha) of land is sufficient for decent living of a middle class family. Notwithstanding the possession of 33 acres (100 bigha) of land in that village, the two brothers feel that they have not enough money to maintain a comfortable life. So they were very much eager to increase money. Hence they were accustomed to save money whenever they had any chance. They don’t spend a single farthing with that from the pocket they had to buy something necessary for their family. If some one gets money from them they would rather ask them to go to the village
market to collect it. They use to carry a few maunds of rice from home by a bearer especially a day-laborer. They sell it in the market and pay various persons their dues. They don’t engage permanent day-labourer because it increases more money. Moreover, it involves
food and lodging. So they always try to avoid appointing a permanent labourer for their family. There are two different systems for the employment of a day labourer in the village: (a) offering food and money and (b) offering money without food. The two brothers prefer the latter system since it does not incur any food.
The two brothers don’t buy meat from market as it involves huge money. Instead they would better buy fish-fry from market as it costs lesser money. When asked why they not buy meat, they said, that “Having meat create collastoral problem in the body. But the fish-fry or small fish is always beneficial to health. If you like to be an octogenarian, you should prefer walking to riding. They don’t ride rickshaw or baby-taxi as it is costlier. When asked why they don’t ride any transport, they rather replied, “Walking is much preferred”. Thus they were able to save a substantial amount of money from conveyance.
They had a small grocery
shop in the village market. They did not employ any one for fear of more expenditure. The two brothers use to conduct the daily business by turn. One night the
younger Brother Kalim rushed to the house heaving a sigh of relief. His elder brother asked him why he was so much exhausted. Kalim Chowdhary said, as there was loadsheding in the market, he was counting money in the shop. While shutting down the door of the shop, he was forgotten to put off the candle-light and was proceeding towards home. On reaching home, he remembered perhaps he did not put off the candle-light in the shop. He again rushed to the shop to put off it. Hearing the tragic story (i) the elder brother told the younger one that you had put off the candle, but you had increased the expenditure. How? Asked his younger brother. Salim Chowdhary said that you must have rushed to the shop wearing a pare of shows, thus making economic loss as the footwear must have sustained decay due to this mad-running. The younger brother quickly replied, “Dear brother, why do you think me so much foolish? I have put off my foot-wear, carried them by my hands and rush to the shop and return home in the same manner. So question of increase of expenditure does not arise.
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