सवा सेर गेहूं

Summary

The story centers on Shankar, a simple and illiterate Kurmi farmer living in a village. He is honest, hardworking, and detached from worldly cunning, but his life takes a tragic turn due to his illiteracy and blind faith. One evening, a seemingly holy man arrives at his door. Shankar, who has only barley flour, feels compelled to feed the guest properly. He borrows a little over a seer of wheat from the village Brahmin, Panditji, to prepare a meal for the saint. Shankar later repays this debt by giving the Brahmin more than the borrowed amount during the harvest, believing the matter is settled. Seven years pass, and Shankar’s circumstances worsen. He and his brother separate, reducing him from a farmer to a laborer. One day, the Brahmin confronts Shankar, claiming he owes five and a half maunds of wheat for the original loan, which has grown with interest in his account book. Shankar is shocked and protests, reminding the Brahmin of the repayments he made. However, the Brahmin insists on the written record. Terrified of the spiritual consequences of not paying a Brahmin, Shankar agrees to a debt of sixty rupees, signing a bond with high interest. Shankar works tirelessly for a year, saving sixty rupees through extreme austerity. He offers this to the Brahmin, but is told he must pay the full amount plus interest, which has now grown to one hundred and twenty rupees. Unable to find help anywhere in the village, Shankar’s hope and will are crushed. He becomes indifferent, taking to drink and neglecting work. Eventually, the Brahmin forces him into bonded labor to work off the debt, providing only a meager subsistence. Shankar spends the next twenty years as a slave until his death, with the debt still unpaid. The story concludes by stating this is a true event, and Shankar’s son now works for the same Brahmin, trapped in the same cycle of debt.