The Story of a Poor Farmer

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Once upon a time, in a quiet village surrounded by green fields and tall trees, there lived a poor farmer named Ramdas. He lived in a small mud house with his wife and two children. Life had never been easy for him. Every day, Ramdas would wake up before sunrise and work in the fields until sunset, yet he could barely earn enough to feed his family.

Ramdas owned a small piece of land which he had inherited from his father. The land was not very fertile, and because he could not afford fertilizers or proper irrigation, the crops he grew were few and of poor quality. Sometimes, heavy rains would destroy his crops; at other times, there would be no rain at all. But Ramdas never gave up. He believed that one day, things would get better.

Despite the hardships, Ramdas was a kind and honest man. He never lied, stole, or cheated anyone. He helped his neighbors whenever they were in trouble, even if he himself had little to give. His honesty and kindness earned him the respect of everyone in the village, even though he was very poor.

One day, while working in the field, Ramdas found a small injured bird lying under a bush. It had a broken wing and looked very weak. Without a second thought, Ramdas picked it up, took it home, and cared for it. His children named the bird “Chiku.” Ramdas fed Chiku with grains and kept it warm. Over time, Chiku healed and began to fly again. The children were happy and loved playing with the bird.

A few weeks later, something strange happened. Every morning, Chiku would fly away and return in the evening with a shiny grain of gold in its beak. Ramdas and his family were amazed. At first, Ramdas didn’t want to use the gold. He thought it might be wrong. But as days passed and more gold grains came, Ramdas realized that perhaps this was a reward for his kindness.

With the gold, Ramdas bought better seeds, tools, and even hired help for his farm. Slowly, his land became fertile, and the crops grew well. He sold them in the market and earned good money. His children started going to school, and the family no longer slept hungry. But Ramdas remained the same humble man. He never forgot his past and continued to help the poor and needy.

Word about his sudden fortune spread across the village. Some people were curious, and others were jealous. One day, a greedy landlord named Bhola came to visit Ramdas. He tried to trick Ramdas into selling the bird, but Ramdas refused. Bhola grew angry and decided to steal Chiku.

That night, Bhola sneaked into Ramdas’s house and took the bird. He locked it in a cage and waited for it to bring him gold. But Chiku didn’t bring anything. Day after day passed, and the bird grew sad and weak. Bhola became frustrated and tried to force Chiku to fly out, but it refused.

Meanwhile, Ramdas and his children were heartbroken. They searched everywhere for Chiku but couldn’t find it. Finally, a kind villager who had seen Bhola sneaking into Ramdas’s house told him what had happened. Ramdas went to Bhola’s house and begged for the bird’s return. At first, Bhola laughed at him, but when he saw the bird dying, he felt a little guilt. He returned the bird to Ramdas.

Chiku was weak and could no longer fly. Ramdas and his family took care of it once again with love and patience. Slowly, it recovered. One day, Chiku flew up into the sky and disappeared. Ramdas was sad, but he was thankful for everything the bird had done.

Years passed, and Ramdas continued farming. He never became extremely rich, but he always had enough. More importantly, he was happy, respected, and at peace. People in the village would often tell their children the story of Ramdas—the poor farmer whose kindness changed his life.

And so, the story of Ramdas teaches us that even in great poverty, kindness and honesty can lead to unexpected rewards. Not all riches come in the form of gold—sometimes, they come in the form of respect, peace, and love.