The Cheating of Grocer and theWisdom of the Panchayat

- Ravi Ila Bhatt

Once upon a time, nestled in the plains of Bihar, there was a small, quiet village named Rampur. In this village lived a cunning grocer named Ramesh Lal, who ran the only provisions store, the "Kirana Dukan."

Every morning, Lakhan Singh, a simple farmer from a nearby farmstead, would bring Ramesh Lal one full kilogram of fresh, homemade butter. Ramesh Lal had been buying this butter from Lakhan for many years.

One market day, Ramesh Lal, driven by greed and suspicion, thought to himself, "I have been buying makhan from this simple farmer, Lakhan Singh, for years without checking the scale. I should check tomorrow to ensure he isn't shortchanging me."

The next day, when Lakhan Singh arrived with the butter, Ramesh Lal placed it on his professional balance scale and found that it was only 900 grams, a full 100 grams short!

Ramesh Lal flew into a rage. He immediately grabbed the block of butter and dragged Lakhan Singh straight to the village's Panchayat (council) office.

The council, led by the respected elder, Sarpanch Vijay Singh, gathered quickly. The Sarpanch addressed the accused farmer.

"Lakhan Singh," said the Sarpanch, "This shopkeeper, Ramesh Lal, has accused you of dishonesty. He claims you have been cheating him by selling only 900 grams of makhan instead of a full kilo. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Lakhan Singh stood calmly, hands folded in respect, and replied humbly, "Respected Sarpanch ji and Panchayat members, I am a poor, honest farmer. I do not own the official, measured 'baat' (weights) that the grocer has for his scale."

He paused, then continued, "Every day, before I measure the makhan, I first buy one kilo of aata (wheat flour) from this very shopkeeper, Ramesh Lal. The very next day, I use that aata—the full packet I bought from him—as a counterweight on my own scale to measure the makhan I sell back to him. That packet of aata is my only weight. So, if the weight is wrong, and the makhan is only 900 grams, I request that you first question the shopkeeper about the weight of his own aata packet."

Every member of the Panchayat, the villagers, and Sarpanch Vijay Singh understood the truth instantly. The simple farmer, Lakhan Singh, had been cheated by the greedy grocer who had been unknowingly cheating himself all along.

The Sarpanch rebuked Ramesh Lal severely for his dishonesty and for exploiting the poor. The dishonest shopkeeper was fined heavily and eventually expelled from the village for his deceitful practices.

Moral

Whatever measure you use to judge or treat others, that very measure will ultimately be used on you.