Simple & Self-Sufficient Life

Dear Children,

Abo Bolishen, a relative of Layan, was in charge of abolishing child labour.

When he arrived at Layan's house, he found Swa grinding wheat in the stone hand grinder.

Lesson 1:

He said, "Layan, I am ashamed to see this. Even in your house, you have not abolished child labour!" Layan whispered something in Swa's ear.

Swa stopped grinding the wheat, but without adding any more wheat, he continued to rotate the hand grinder.

Abolishen was happy to see this and said, "Please continue to do exercises like this regularly. You can easily build six-pack abs."

Sruthi spoke disdainfully from the kitchen, "Then how can we make our chapatis?"

It was lunchtime. Sruthi served raw wheat on all their plates.

Abolishen was shocked and asked, "Raw wheat? Who can eat this? Where are the chapatis?"

Sruthi smiled and said, "When you asked us to abolish child labour, you should have been ready to replace the child and do the labour yourself."

Abolishen felt bad and sat down to grind the wheat on the stone.

But Sruthi stopped him and said, "No, I was just joking. Lunch is ready with chapatis and payasam (sweet kheer)."

Abolishen understood that the mother had wished to train her son in self-reliance and self-sufficiency by getting him to do a few household chores. It also inculcated the ideal of 'thrift' in the child. There was no monetary gain in such labour, so it could not be considered 'child labour.'

Abolishen sat with Swa that night, narrating stories to him and helping him with the grinding stone.