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jalebiThe Imposter
 

 

 

Once upon a time, there was a gild man whose name was Dhani Ram [Dhani means Rich]. He was a man of crores but he did not want to spend that money. Once he was going somewhere in the village, he saw a sweet shop where the shopkeeper was selling Jalebies. . He looked at the jalebies and wanted to eat them. But for eating them, he had to spend money. More over he also thought that after purchasing them, he had to distribute them to other known persons.

He made a plan for eating jalebies. He came his house and called his servant. He gave him money and told him to bring jalebies from sweet shop. He also told him not to bring them here in home. You bring them near the bushes of the lake. I will wait there for you and for sweet jalebies.

At this stage, Dhani Ram was making his plan of eating jalebies, and on the other side, a man who was completely identical with Dhani Ram was present in the palace before the king. He asked for what purpose he had come to palace, then, he replied, "Maharaj, I have come here to seek your permission to distribute some of my wealth which is with me."

"You can distribute your wealth as you desire." The king permitted him.

But the other men of the king’s palace were astonished as to why Dhani Ram wanted his wealth to be distributed, because he was better known in the palace as a great miser.

And then, the man who was posing as Dhani Ram infront of the king went to Dhani Ram’s house. Reaching there, he found the servant. He told him, " A stranger is in the town and he is impersonating me. Be careful with him. If he comes here, beat him very badly and send him away."

"Yes sir, you don’t worry. Let him come. I will see him."

After entering in the house, the stranger saw Dhani Ram’s wife wearing very dirty and bad clothes. He said to her, "Go to the market and purchase good clothes to wear. Also purchase something for children also."

After hearing this, the wife got puzzled and said, "Are you alright? What happened to you that you are becoming so generous. Is something wrong with you?"

"Nothing is wrong with me, my dear. It is only this, that I am in a very generous mood today. You also tell everyone you meet today that I am giving my half of the wealth to the poor and needy persons."

After sometime, the people started coming to Dhani Ram’s house and imposter to Dhani ordered them to pick up whatever they wanted.

The people started collecting utensils, cereals, pulses, etc. whatever they required for their lives.

But one man was very clever. He thought of good plan. He did not enter the house but he chooses a bullock cart, which was lying outside the house. He loaded it with valuable things from the store of Dhani Ram and drove it to his house. On the way, he was singing the praises of Dhani Ram.

At that time Dhani Ram was sitting on a stone on the roadside and was eating jalebies. When he heard his own praise, he was surprised. He left the jalebies and started searching whose voice was it?

Suddenly he saw a man coming in bullock cart, praising Dhani in a song. He stopped the bullock cart and as soon as he saw his own bullocks and cart, he shouted that a thief was taking all his wealth.

But at the same time, the present cart owner replied him that all these things were given to him by Dhani.

Dhani Ram

"But you cannot have all these things because perhaps you don’t know I am Dhani."

"Dhani… You are Dhani, then who was he, who had given us so much of his wealth?" said the man and went away fast with bullock cart.

Dhani came to his town and saw that the people were taking so many things from his house and going. He tried to stop them but the people considered him as a imposter of Dhani. The people also beat him. The town people drove him away.

At this stage of time, Dhani said to them, "I will come back but at that time, the king’s men will be with me.

And then Dhani rushed to the palace and presented himself infront of the king and said, "Maharaj, I am being looted very badly. People are taking away my property…"

"But my dear Dhani Ram, you yourself came here and asked for my permission to distribute your half wealth." Said the king.

"Maharaj, have you ever heard that I have given anything of mine to anybody. It appears now that some imposter has taken my place. If it is so, then please save me from his bad doings."

After sometimes, the imposter was caught by the men of the king and was brought to the palace. When Dhani and imposter were standing in the court of the king, everyone was surprised to see them. Both looked too much identical in all respects. Now, it was very difficult to decide who is who?

Dhani suggested, "Your Majesty, my wife can identify me very well."

When Dhani’s wife was called to identify Dhani, she also committed mistake in recognising him. Then on Dhani’s request, the barber was called. He had also done mistake in recognising Dhani as both had warts on their heads.

Now Dhani got fully confused. He got fainted. The king ordered for water to thrown on his face. When Dhani’s sense restored, the imposter told him the he will not frighten him anymore.

Then the imposter man came very near to Dhani and said: "Dhani, I am your father who has come from the heaven for very particular purpose. The wealth, which you have, is mine. My son, I was very generous and always used to help poor and needy persons but you have locked all the wealth. You have not given it to any needy person. I will take away all my wealth, if you persist in such behaviour of miserness. Leave the miserness and behave like a generous man. Moreover, remember my son, generosity is always immortal. Generous man is always remembered by all kinds of men."

"Father, forgive me, give me a chance to prove myself as your son."

And the Dhani’s father went back to his heavenly abode.

Dhani returned home and became too much generous to needy and poor people.

 

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