Rama and The Foreigner

Rama was a shopkeeper who sold groceries in his village. He was a very polite and well-behaved man. He always tried to serve people at his best. Everybody in the village knows him very well.

Besides a grocery shop, Rama also had a craft shop where he made different masks and crafts depicting the culture of his village. All those craft items were being made by himself.

One day, a rich foreigner came to his shop to click various pictures of the crafts and other items in his shop. The foreigner wanted to print the images of his shop in his journal. He was quite delighted to see different kinds of craft items. 

Being a foreigner, it was the first time he witnessed various types of handicrafts depicting the cultures and traditions of a village. 

Rama also got involved and happy thinking about his shop to confer in a foreign journal. He started describing all the craft items. In return, the foreigner started asking various types of questions to him. They started discussing and listening to stories and myths about the village. The foreigner was delighted to listen to him and was astonished by their tradition.

When it was almost dawn, the foreigner asked Rama for leave and promised him to come back again the next day. He left, and within a few minutes, when Rama was just about to close his shop, he found a small wallet that fell inside his shop. He picked it up and checked inside. 

While checking, he got a passport-sized picture of the foreigner, and from that, he got sure that the wallet belonged to him. Meanwhile, reviewing the wallet, Rama’s wife entered and enquired him about the wallet. Rama replied that it was the foreigner’s wallet who came to visit his shop. 

Rama said everything in detail to his wife. Listening to him, suddenly, his wife snatched the wallet from his hands and started peeping at how much money it carried. It had almost 10 thousand rupees, and she requested her husband to keep it with them. She started planning what they could do with the money. 

But Rama did not support his wife. He remained silent for a few moments. Later, Rama spoke, “We will return the wallet to its owner the next day.” His wife started to groan and shout at him. But Rama didn’t bother to listen to his wife.

The next morning, Rama waited for the foreigner to return to his shop, but he didn’t. Rama’s wife again pleaded to Rama to keep the wallet and money with them. Rama refused once again and answered with a strong No. 

The next morning, the foreigner returned to his shop. Rama was happy, and he returned his wallet to him when he said to Rama that he had lost his wallet that day. On getting back his wallet, the foreigner praised Rama for his honesty. Because there are very few people who honestly return lost things or money to the owner. Being happy about getting back his wallet, he rewarded Rama with 5 thousand rupees in return.

Moral of Rama and The Foreigner Story

Honesty is the best policy.