Story: The king's illness



Eternal delight

The king's illness

Today is the death anniversary of renowned Bengali children's writer Sukumar Roy. Sukumar Roy, the son of another well-known children's writer Upendrakishore Roy Chowdhury, was born in 18, in Kishoreganj, Bangladesh. Sukumar has introduced 'nonsense rhyme' in Bengali literature. Edited by Sandesh, a wonderful children's magazine. Books written by him like Abol-Tabol, Ha-Ya-Ba-Ra-L or Pagla Dashu are still a source of joy for children and old people. Sukumar Roy died in 1923. I remember him through the story 'King's Illness' ...



Writing

Sukumar Roy

Published: 10 September 2020, 8:09

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Drawing: Junaid Azim Chowdhury

One was the king. The king is very ill. Doctor, Badi, Hakim, Kabiraj আসে all come in groups and go back in groups. No one can say what the disease is, nor can it cure the disease.

How to cure? Illness is no longer real. Rajamshai only says ‘heavy illness’, but where that illness is, no one else finds it. Rajamshai tried so many different medicines, but nothing happened. The head was given ice, the abdomen was baked, the legs were leeched, amulets were tied, but there was no end to the disease.

Then Rajamshai went in a rage. He said, "Get rid of these nonsense, and take away all their books and burn them."

Thus the doctors left. No one goes to the king's house for fear. That's why everyone thought, will Rajamshai die without treatment in the end?

At that time a monk came from nowhere and said, ‘I know the way to cure the disease, but he is very strong. Can you do everything? ' I can do it. I have to give my life! '

Then the monk said, "First find a man who has no thoughts in his mind, who has a smile on his face, who is happy all the time, in all situations."

Everyone said, ‘Then?’

The monk said, "Then if Rajamshai stays in that man's clothes a day later, and if he sleeps on that man's mattress for one night, then all the ailments will be cured."

Everyone heard it and said, 'That's great!'

The news soon reached Rajamshai. He heard, ‘Hey, what has everyone been doing for so long to have this easy way out? Didn't it come to anyone's mind? Go and find that smiling man's shirt and mattress now. '

People ran around, searching for the kingdom, but the man could not be found. He who goes goes back and says, "Who has no sorrow, no thoughts, always smiling, always in a happy mood, where, such a person has not been seen!"

This is the same thing in everyone's face. Then the minister said angrily, ‘Does anything work with them? These idiots do not know how to look. 'Saying this, he himself went out to look for unknown people.

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Fakir said, ‘What is the disease again? I don't believe in illness. Fakir leaned back in the tree and smiled.

In front of a large building near the market, he saw the fair crowd frozen and an old Shethji smiling and donating their rice, pulses, money and clothes. The minister thought, "Wow, this man looks very happy, I see he has a lot of money." Then what is his sorrow or thought, or what? Let's ask him for a shirt and a mattress.

The minister is thinking like this, what did a beggar do at that time, he is leaving without saluting Sethji with begging. And who sees Shethji's anger! He slapped the beggar, kicked his shoes, snatched his beggar and drove him away. Seeing the matter, the minister shook his head and left.

Then, at a place by the river, he saw a man singing in a very funny way, and the people around him were laughing. The minister did not know that people could laugh so much. He laughed and became restless when he heard the man's song and saw the joke and thought, my people are all disappointed to go back to having such a merry man! He asked a man next to him, "Who is this man?"

He said, ‘He’s a cowboy drunk. Now you see how he is in a good mood, but in the evening his drunkenness, shouting and harassment start. The people in the neighborhood cannot stand for fear of him. 'Hearing this, the minister became serious and went in search of the man again.

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After searching all day, the minister returned home in the evening, but the man was nowhere to be found. In this way he searched day after day and returned home frustrated day after day. His enthusiasm had almost waned when he suddenly saw a mad old man under a tree.

The man's head was full of hair, his beard was full, his whole body seemed to be dry. He is sitting alone, just smiling in his mind, just smiling. The minister said, "Why are you smiling so much?"

He said, ‘Don’t laugh? The earth is spinning, the leaves of the trees are moving, the grass is growing in the fields, the sun is rising, it is raining, the birds are coming and sitting on the trees, they are flying again. I am looking in front of these eyes and getting a smile. '

The minister said, ‘I don’t understand that, but just sitting and smiling doesn’t make people’s day go by anymore. Do you have any other work to do? '

Fakir said, ‘Why not? I go to the river in the morning, take a bath there, see the people coming and going, talking and sitting under the trees again. Then the day we eat in alliance, the day we don't eat in alliance. When I want to travel, I travel, when I fall asleep, I sleep. No worries, no fuss, great fun! '

The minister shook his head a little and said, "What do you do on a day when you can't eat?"

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Fakir said, ‘There is no stick that day! I fall silent and watch all these jokes. On the contrary, the more food is eaten, the more commotion there is. Rice Makho Ray, swallow it, put it in your mouth, chew it, it's gone ... then drink water, wipe your hands! What a mess! '

The minister saw that the right people had been found in so many days. He said, ‘Can you give me a half-shirt? We are ready to pay whatever you want for it. '

The man laughed out loud and said, ‘My shirt again! A man gave me a shawl that day, and I gave it to the beggar. Jamatamara dharai dhari not any day.

The minister said, ‘Then it is very difficult! If a man is found, he has no clothes again. Well, can you give me your bed mattress? Tell me how much you want, we are pouring money. '

This time Fakir fell to the ground laughing. His smile never stopped. He laughed for a long time and then said, "I haven't seen the bed for 40 years, his mattress and mattress again!"

The minister said with big eyes, "Don't wear clothes, don't keep blankets and beds with you, don't you feel sick?"

Fakir said, ‘What is the disease again? I don't believe in illness. Fakir leaned back in the tree and smiled.

The minister returned home disappointed. The news reached the king. The king summoned the minister, listened to him, and said goodbye to the minister.

Again everyone sat down to think, what will be the way now? There was no treatment, which was found in a way with a lot of difficulty, it also went to Foss! Everyone sits down and looks at his face, sighs and says, "No, I don't see any way to save him."

Meanwhile, Rajamshai sat thinking, ‘I live in the king's house, I eat good things, there is no lack of anything, people are always toying — I am sick! And that unfortunate fakir, who has nothing to do, no clothes, no blankets, lies under the trees, eats whatever he finds কিনা whether he is unhappy or not! He became a fakir and was able to get rid of the disease, and I can't become king? '

The next day the king woke up and called all the potters and friends and said, ‘All the unfortunate chiefs will sit in the meeting! None of you could do anything, now look, I have cured my illness myself. I will go to the meeting again from today. And whoever makes that noise, I will blow his head off. '