I am replicating here an ancient tale. I have no copyright over it nor am I violating any copyright as it is a folk tale, it is possible that someone somewhere might have utilized this......... nevertheless it is a very apt one, for our times and our country. And the words are entirely mine to the letter.
A beautiful city existed on the mountains, it was surrounded by very hostile terrain, but the founder of the city, with his passion had created a very good mixture of safety, beauty, comforts and all other desirable things for the city and its people.
He created a group of elders to advice him and he himself with the consent of this group became the King/ruler of this city.
As time passed the city was ruled by different rulers, all had their own style of ruling this city nation as we may call it, but there was one thing common among the latter rulers/kings, they all lacked the passion and commitment of the founder.
As time passed every subsequent King became more interested in his own & his family's welfare rather than the welfare of the city he ruled, leading rise to rampant corruption in all spheres of life.
There came a time when the group of elders then in the role of advisors, became alarmed at the state of affairs in the city, although the people were till then not at all ruffled by this condition.
As luck would have it the ruling King died heirless, and selection of a new King became imminent.
The group of elders called a meeting and discussed the situation at length and decided that democracy was the best for their city, and they very much wanted to bring upon a democratic set up, but the people of the city had thus far had only knowledge of monarchy and were very reluctant to try out new things.
The elders developed a plan by which they could rid the city of monarchy:
They formed a new set of rules for becoming the monarch/ King
1. The king would be able to rule only for four years.
2. Monarch would not be hereditary.
3. At the end of 4 years the King along with his immediate family would leave the city and would be allowed to leave only with the clothes on his body and that of his family and nothing else at all.
4. During hi 4 year term the King could do as he wanted and his will would be carried out at all costs, even if against the wishes of the group of elders.
They now called upon the people to apply to the group of elders to become King of the City.
A young man was duly selected to become King, he indulged in lot of merriment and subsequently died after two years of becoming King.
The elders chose another man who was married, this man shifted to the palace with his wife and one son, he was able to rule the city for 4 years without attempting or succeeding to change the condition of the city. At the end of his tenure, he and his family were sent out from the city as decreed with only their clothes on them, the terrain outside the city was so hostile that they could not survive three days, as there was no food no water nor shelter anywhere around.
The elders who knew the fate of the ex King in advance, sent out a party to find their bodies and give them a burial in the City graveyard with full state honour.
The whole city emerged, to witness the burial of their former King.
This had a great impact on the people, now no one was inclined to become King.
Finall with great difficulty an old widower was found who was convinced by the elders to become King, he ruled for about an year and half and died of some ailment.
Years passed by with all disillusioned men, men who had no future as such, accessing the throne of the City, and thereby bringing the city to further ruins.
Then One day a very young man was appointed King by the elders in the normal course. This young man was married and had two children a 4 year old daughter and a 6 year old son and a very caring, beautiful and obedient wife.
He started his rule of the City in a very efficient and just manner. But the elders noticed something strange from the very night this young man became King, they saw a very big caravan leave the city. They noticed the same thing night after night, none of them ever returned to the City. All of them were unanimous that the King was shifting the treasures of the City to a new place. A meeting was called to discuss this.
All the elders were of the opinion that they should allow the King to do whatever he was doing, as he would only manage to take it to a distance of 3 -4 days, and after he was made to leave the City the elders would arrange to get all that back from wherever it was kept.
Time passed by, caravans left the city every night, never to return.
The day finally came when the King completed his 4 year term, he was made to leave the City along with his wife and two children and as agreed upon they could carry only the clothes they were wearing, with them.
The King and his family left the City, and started walking towards the vast series of mountains. after a few hours the children started crying for food and water, but somehow he managed to keep them walking till sundown.
At sundown they came to rest at the peak of a mountain.
All of them were hungry and they had to go to sleep thus, but sleep was hard to come by to the King and his wife. As for the children, in-spite of their thirst and hunger they immediately went to sleep as is the case with all children.
The wife was the first one to "feel the light" and woke up before dawn, as there was nothing else to do, she climbed the little distance to the peak. As she reached the peak she was completely bewildered to see what lay before her. She immediately rushed to wake up her husband to show her what she saw- A very beautiful City.
The King took her in his arms and told her the secret of the caravans- they carried not treasures of his former city but Sand, Bricks, Seeds, Plants, and other things necessary to build this city.
The King said to her- " The day I took over as King of the City I knew that I would not be able to rid this city of the corruption, inefficiency and the other vices that had gripped the city over the years, so I thought of building a new City. It is never too late to start, you see"
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