Sons Of The Soil

Laxman was plucking the luscious green, raw mangoes from the trees in his orchard. It gave him such a sense of satisfaction to be able to acquire mangoes from his own trees. His brothers too were on the same job. There were some mangoes which were ripening to a golden brown. They left them untouched as the ripe mangoes would give them more profit than the raw ones. When they had finished their quota for the day, the three brothers assembled with their pickings. They were hungry after their hard toil. They washed their muddy hands and sat down for lunch. After lunch and after discarding the mangoes which had some blemish, they filled their baskets and set off to the market to sell their wares. Their unity was something that everyone in their village noticed and commented upon.

At the marketplace, they competed with other villagers who had also brought their own products to sell. It was during one such session, that his friend and neighbor, Harsh, asked Laxman, “Why is it that your mangoes sell faster than mine?” 

 

Laxman shrugged his shoulders and replied, “I don’t know.”

“There must be some reason. The soil is the same in both our orchards, as they are adjacent. I work as hard as you do. The mangoes look similar. But still, people prefer to buy from you first.”

Laxman was nonplussed. He did not know what to answer. 

Karan, another villager, was overhearing their conversation. He said, “Harsh, may I interrupt? I know the answer.”

Laxman looked at Karan in surprise, while Harsh nodded.

“Where is your brother, Harsh?” asked Karan.

“Oh! He is somewhere around. You know, we are not on talking terms. Then why do you ask? And anyway, what connection does that have with mangoes?” asked Harsh angrily.

“I am coming to that,” replied Karan. “Do you know that trees have a life? They can feel your love in your touch. And if after some altercation at home, you go to the field to tend to your trees, they can sense that too. So, when you work with the trees, your mind should be content, peaceful and happy. This will pass on to the trees and their yield will be sweeter. In the case of Laxman and his brothers, their three pairs of soiled hands work with love and contentment. There are no bad vibrations. All of them work together with harmony. This, in turn, makes the mangoes from their trees sweeter.”

“That is as far as the trees and their yield goes,” continued Karan after a pause pregnant with meaning. “When you come to the marketplace, the villagers who buy the products have a preconceived notion of the unity and hard work of Laxman’s family. Naturally, they are attracted to buy the wares of a happy family rather than a quarreling and unhappy one. Think over it!”

Karan walked away leaving Harsh to ponder on his words of wisdom.