Once, a king got upset with his Sardar and ordered him to stay at home under house arrest. The Sardar wasn’t allowed to leave his house. Weeks passed, and the Sardar and his family struggled because he couldn’t earn any money.
One day, a big celebration was coming up, and the Sardar got an idea. He asked his wife to borrow an expensive outfit from their neighbours. She brought it, and the Sardar dressed up and went to the royal palace.
The palace guards saw his fancy clothes and thought he was an important guest, so they let him in. He joined the other guests, watched the celebration, and enjoyed the delicious food. Quietly, he hid a golden plate and left the palace.
At home, the Sardar told his wife what happened. She would go to the market, sell small pieces of the plate, and buy food for the family.
A year later, another celebration was held, and the Sardar did the same thing. He wore the fancy outfit, went to the palace, ate the food, and tried to take another golden plate. But this time, as he was leaving, the king stopped him.
The Sardar was very scared. The king said, “Has the gold from the last plate finished? Is that why you’re taking another one?”
The Sardar fell to his knees and begged for forgiveness. He explained, “Your Majesty, we had no money and nothing to eat. I had no choice but to steal.”
The king thought for a moment and said, “This is my fault. If I hadn’t punished you so harshly, you wouldn’t have had to steal. I took away your way to earn, and that was wrong.”
The king forgave the Sardar and let him work at the palace again. It is said that the Sardar never stole again after that, and the king never gave anyone such a punishment ever again.
Source: Recorded in Lahore, as a part of Clicks and Culture, our collaboration with Beaconhouse School System.
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