The Wise Queen

The Wise Queen

Once upon a time, there lived a wise and virtuous queen named Manekadevi. She was kind to her subjects and ensured there was law and order in her queendom. She never let anyone go hungry and made sure that children went to school.

One day, when Queen Manekadevi was busy discussing important matters with her Ministers in her magnificent palace, three men arrived requesting to meet her. They were poor and seemed desperate; one of them cried out, "We must see her Majesty or an entire village will die of hunger!", said one of the men. 

On hearing the commotion, the Queen immediately asked her guards to let the men inside the palace. "What is the matter?" she asked the men in a gentle voice. The second man said, "your Majesty, we live in the village behind the hills and there is no food to eat, please help us!". The three men fell to the Queen's feet and begged her to help.

Seeing their pitiful situation, the Queen immediately ordered her guards to give the men 20 bags of food containing lentils, vegetables, wheat, rice, and sweets for children. Indeed, Queen Maneka was very kind and generous. The men thanked her endlessly and were on their way soon after the guards loaded the bags onto five horse-carts and bid the men farewell. 

Three days later, the three men came to the palace again and said that some thieves had stolen the 20 bags of food. The Queen and the Ministers were surprised and angered on knowing this. They had ensured the food would last for three weeks at least. How could someone steal somebody's food and force them to go hungry, they wondered. But, the Queen didn't question the men any further. She asked her guards to load 30 bags of food onto the carts and bade the villagers farewell. 

Exactly three days later, the three men appeared at the palace once more with the same complaint. "Your Majesty, it is indeed embarrassing for us to come to you like beggars asking for food. Our food was stolen again!" The three men broke down and began crying.

The Queen asked them to steady themselves and assured them that she would help. This time the Queen gave the men 40 bags of food and asked them to keep a night vigil to catch the thieves. The men promised her they would be watchful.

On reaching the hillside, the men stopped the horse-carts and found a place to light a bonfire as the sky had turned very dark and it was cold. Sitting around the bonfire, the men began chatting and eating some food they retrieved from the carts. One said," Ha! We fooled the Queen again!" The other said, "Yes! yes! She did not suspect a thing! Now we can have all this food for ourselves!" "Yes! And make money selling some". The third man said sarcastically, "Oh we mustn't, or the imaginary villagers will go to bed hungry!" "Ha! Ha! Ha!", they all laughed in unison.

Just then, something moved amongst the horse-carts and startled the three men. They stood up and went to the carts to check what was wrong. As soon as they approached, out popped the Queen's guards from the bags and arrested the three lying men who were the real thieves. 

The three men took the Queen for granted, thinking she was foolish and naive, but they were wrong. Queen Manekadevi had suspected something was amiss and ordered her guards to hide in some of the bags and follow the men that evening. The guards put the thieves in prison, and Queen Maneka distributed the stolen food amongst the poor and needy in her queendom.

Dinner time

The Great Mansion's parlour was resplendent in its time. Its original owner loved to entertain his guests over lavish dinners and conversations that went into midnight and beyond. 

The parlour always fascinated me; it's beautifully carved furniture, the alfresco on the wall, the almirah now filled with modern books. I was admiring the scene when I heard my mobile ring by the poolside. I got back quickly to continue my admiration. To my surprise, the lights were switched on, the dinner table was set, candlesticks were lit in the centre and two chairs were pulled out...Seemed as if someone wanted to thank me for appreciating their home.

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Photo Stories: Frangipani Blossoms

You have to see it to believe it. The frangipani tree in the courtyard which lies in the heart of @siolimhouse is a sight for sore eyes. I loved watching its lightly fragrant blossoms sway in the summer breeze while sipping afternoon tea. The beautifully restored glass window is like a book that opens up to a story waiting to be read and told.

At the Crack of Glass

I called out to Mr. Benny from the window of the large reading room- it had become my favorite place in the Mansion. He was the handyman everybody relied on for odd jobs. Water had been dripping from my ceiling making the nights rather unpleasant, and I was excited to see a glimmer of hope in Mr. Benny. "Mr Benny Sir! Here, here!" He looked up at me, and said, "Coming right away Mam!" and while he uttered these words, he began moving in the opposite direction vanishing in seconds. 

I lost all hope of getting the roof fixed when Mr. Benny entered the Great Mansion's kitchen. He wouldn't leave until Debu had made him a cup of tea and informed him of the day's travails which explored the lives of practically every resident of Babolim village. Letting out a sigh of great disappointment, I turned around to leave the reading room when I heard the shattering of glass. Strange things had happened in the reading room ever since I first came to Babolim Mansion. I turned around and fixed my gaze on the glass shards on the wooden floor, some gleaming in the sunlight. 

I squatted to examine the damage and wondered what may have caused it. There were no troublemakers in the quiet yet busy mansion, Mr. Albert saw to that. I went downstairs to report the incident to him but noticed he wasn't at his desk. Some new guests must've kept him busy I thought. I decided to approach his second in command, Serafim Lobo. 

Serafim had served the former owner of the mansion and could be found lurking around in its corners, checking on Debu and ensuring he didn't pocket the food meant for the guests. I called out to him while walking from the reception area into the courtyard. "Mr Serafim! Mr Serafim! Some glass pieces are on the floor in the reading room!". He popped out of a room he had been cleaning and closed the wooden door behind him. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he asked, "Glass broke? How?" he asked me cringing his nose and eyeing me suspiciously. 

"No clue! Now could you please go and get it cleaned up? It just...broke." Mumbling under his breath, Serafim went up the stairs and I followed. As we entered the reading room, I pointed to the window. Serafim, broom in hand, went up to the spot and looked back at me angrily. "Where is the glass? Fooling me are you, Madam, today?" 

Irritable, I hurried to him and found that not a single glass piece was on the floor and the window was intact. "The ghost is real Madam, leave while you can", said Serafim with a pallid look on his face. With that, he walked to the door, turned around, and beckoned to me to exit with him. As I took a final step to leave the room, the glass cracked once more.

Rain & Thunder

The radio crackled like someone rolling up letters they were not happy with. Disappointed, I decided to go upstairs to the great mansion's library. A heavy wooden door with an iron knob greeted me. It took me some effort to move it to get inside. It was quiet. I made my way to the bookshelf. The thick wooden floor creaked slightly. As I touched the corner of a book on British gardens, the sound of thunder startled me. I almost dropped the book. Rain crashed in like an uninvited guest. 

It was all very sudden. I closed the glass windows quickly and rushed downstairs to find Mr. Albert, the mansion's caretaker. He wasn't at this desk. I stepped out and saw him walking his dog...in the bright, hot sun. "Nice sunshine eh Madam?", said Mr. Albert. Obviously, someone in the library didn't like being disturbed and made that very clear to me.

The Village Church

St. Anthony Church, also known as Siolim Church, is located in the village square. Standing tall with beautiful white facades, the church carries an understated magnificence. A baptism of a tiny infant was in progress when I took this picture. Its family didn't care about the annoying humidity as they came dressed in their church best. Although I tried to attend service in the mornings, I never made it! Blame it on holiday mood. Forgive me Lord!

Photo Stories: One day I'll bloom red!

 

One day I'll bloom red: A tiny tomato finds its way into the world.

I found this tiny unripe tomato gallivanting around my parents' weekend home garden.