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Always For Good Shah Pravinchandra Kasturchand Shah Pravinchandra is a B.Com. graduate from Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai, of 1957 batch. He has worked in diverse capacities like Teacher, Accountant, Sole Proprietor, Building Contractor etc...all for sustaining life. He says, "All the time heart remained attached to WORDS. I have a feel and confident one that writing, mainly poems, is my religion. The other side is my ignorance of academic side of English Literature as such, literary dignitories of present time and their contribution to literature. I am sorry for this but this does not come in my way. I have little to cling to from them and therefore I am more dependent on self alone. My companions are my friends who read me and feed back me. I express my sincere thanks to them.

One day, troubled by a painful boil on his finger, the king took the matter to his minister for advice as to what he should do. The minister just dismissed the problem by saying "Good". Quite stunned by the minister's answer, the King chose to remain quite. But soon the boil on the finger became malignant and the King's royal physicians advised him to have the whole finger amputated to prevent the infection from spreading to other parts of the body. The operation seemed to be inevitable so the king had no other choice but to do as his physicians advised.

The surgeons performed the operation as decided and cut the whole finger. Again the king summoned the minister and showed his hand with the four fingers and expressed his displeasure as to what had happened. To this the minister replied, "Very good" and went away to his other works. The king was fumbling with fury at this. He couldn't understand what brought about the Minister's strange behavior. Someone he trusted so blindly was now showing total disrespect to him and he couldn't stand the thought of that. He sulked and fretted trying to come up with a way to rid him from his court, but removing him from the post was not easy as he was very popular among the king's people, who adored him for his wit. With no where else to turn, the king discreetly decided that the only way would be to finish him off from the life without anybody knowing it. He started dwelling upon the idea, deviously scheming the murder and finally came up with a plan. He called upon the minister and asked him to make preparation for going hunting in the woods. But he forced him to keep the plan secret and told him that they alone would go for hunting. The minister nodded affirmatively and said, "Good".

Both of them started off on the appointed day and went deep into the woods looking for a good hunt. Time flew by rapidly and soon they were weary and fatigued. Looking for a source of water they went further deep into the woods and before they knew it, they had lost their track back home and were stranded in the middle of nowhere. They soon reached an unused well and the king decided that this was a golden opportunity to work his strategy and throw the minister into the well. He asked him to draw water from the well to quench the thirst. No sooner did the minister climb the bank of the well than the king pushed him into the well and the minister fell head down.

The king felt satisfied now that he had finally rid the bane from his life. Thinking so he fell into deep sleep.

A few hours later he awoke to the sound of drums and shouting of a tribal chant. They had reached this place in search of a human being for offering to the Jungle Goddess. They captured the king and took him before their 'Purohit' who was performing the religious rites. The king begged for his release but in vain. He screamed for help but he was in a desolate area with the nearest civilization miles away.

The Purohit made all preparation and instructed the tribal chiefs to hold him neck down so that his head could be severed off. All of a sudden the Purohit stopped chanting the mantras and asked the headman to immediately release the king. The Purohit said, "Bring a man who is complete and full with all the parts of body intact. This man's finger is missing and therefore he is not fit for offering to the Goddess."

The king was released forthwith and was left near the same well where he was found. The king now rued his actions and condemned himself for the unwholesome situation he had caused. He repented for having done away with the minister who had in fact been so wise in approving when the king's finger had to be amputated. He further loudly said to himself that if the finger had not been so cut off, by now his head would have been an offering for the tribal Goddess. He begged the Gods for a way to bring back his invaluable minister. Suddenly he heard the voice of the minister from inside the well, calling out for help. He was alive since the well was not very deep and the water was shallow. Hearing this the king screamed with joy and helped the minister out. His head bent down in repentance and he said to him that he had done a horrible thing by pushing him into the well. At this the wise minister told him that that was actually a good thing that he had thrown him into the well. Seeing the confused look on the king's face, he further explained to him that if he had not thrown him in the well, the tribe would have taken him instead of the king and offered him to the Goddess. By this, once again the minister had proved his sagacity. The king and the minister returned to their kingdom and happily ruled thereafter.

The moral of the lesson is that whatever happens, always happens for the better. At every act, good or bad, one should think that a greater cause is destined.

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