Tag: Naramsetti Umamaheswararao

By Naramsetti Umamaheswararao

Once upon a time, a wealthy merchant named Viswanatham lived in the town of Sreepuram. He owned several businesses, residential properties, and vast tracts of land.

Viswanatham had two sons. The elder, Suryam, was an upright and dutiful man. Wise beyond his years and like-minded with his father, he actively assisted in expanding and managing the family business. The younger son, Chandram, was quite the opposite—contentious, easily swayed by his wife’s manipulative counsel, and perpetually creating discord at home.

One day, Viswanatham passed away. Relatives, friends, and well-wishers poured in to pay their respects and share in the family’s grief. Suryam dutifully and meticulously performed all the solemn funeral rites and obsequies for his departed father.

No sooner had the fortnight of mourning ended and the final rituals concluded than Chandram insisted on dividing the family estate.

“Father hasn’t been gone even fifteen days,” Suryam reasoned gently with his younger brother. “Must we talk of partition so soon? Let us remain united. If you require money for your personal needs, I will gladly give you whatever you want.”

Chandram refused to yield. “This is our joint ancestral property,” he snapped back. “Why should I come begging to you for every expense and live at your mercy? I want my share separate—that is precisely why I am asking for partition.”

Seeing that all his persuasion fell on deaf ears, Suryam sighed softly. “Very well. Sit down with your wife, and we shall divide the assets between us.”

Yet Chandram remained dissatisfied. “No, let us convene the village elders and have them arbitrate the division.”

Suryam agreed and summoned the village elders. He laid out the complete inventory of properties and placed all the title deeds respectfully before them. After reviewing the estate, the elders recommended a fair, equal split: the farmland and core businesses were to be divided down the middle; one brother would take the rice mill while the other received the jaggery processing mill; and the rental houses and commercial shops would be distributed equally between them.

Chandram immediately interjected, “Since I am the younger brother, I should get the first right of choice.” Suryam readily agreed.

“I shall take the rice mill,” Chandram declared. Suryam concurred without protest.

When it came to the family cash and gold jewelry, the elders suggested an equal division. But Chandram demurred, “I do not want cash; I want all the gold.” He had been prompted by his wife, who foresaw that gold would appreciate significantly in value in the future.

The elders were taken aback. “How is that acceptable? We can divide things equally, but how can we deliver a verdict that inflicts a clear financial loss on your elder brother?”

When Chandram stubbornly refused to compromise, the elders adjourned the meeting, asking everyone to reflect overnight.

The following morning, the assembly resumed. But Chandram had abruptly changed his stance. “I have reconsidered. I want the jaggery mill instead of the rice mill. And I no longer want gold—give me the liquid cash instead!”

The elders reprimanded him, “You are backtracking on what you agreed to yesterday. That is unfair.”

“I am simple-minded and do not know how to choose properly!” Chandram blustered back argumentatively. As the debate turned increasingly chaotic and fruitless, the elders once again deferred the matter to the next day.

When they reassembled, Chandram presented yet another set of demands: “I know nothing of farming. Give me the fertile lands with guaranteed irrigation facilities and leave the dry rain-fed lands for my elder brother. Furthermore, assign all the local commercial enterprises in town to me, while Elder Brother can take the businesses situated in the neighbouring villages.”

No matter how patiently the elders explained the injustice of his demands, Chandram refused to listen. For a whole week, he concocted fresh excuses every single day to stall and dispute the division.

Fearing that endorsing a lopsided partition would burden their own consciences with sin, the exasperated village elders finally raised their hands in surrender. “We bow to your estate division and we bow to both of you! Please go to the court of law and let the judge settle your partition. This is beyond our capacity.”

Left with no alternative, the brothers approached the town judge—a magistrate renowned far and wide for his astute, brilliant, and incisive verdicts. The judge listened attentively to both brothers, took down their statements, and instructed them to return in a week’s time.

In the interim, the magistrate discreetly summoned the village elders who had attempted arbitration. He gathered a comprehensive account of the entire dispute and confirmed beyond doubt that Chandram was the sole troublemaker acting in bad faith.

When Suryam and Chandram appeared before him the following week, the judge asked, “Do either of you have anything further to state?”

Suryam replied humbly, “Your Honor, I will abide by whatever judgment you pronounce.”

Chandram, on the other hand, slyly remarked, “If the verdict does not suit me, I reserve the right to seek modifications.”

The judge, having fully gauged Chandram’s litigious nature, knew precisely how to give him a taste of his own medicine.

Pronouncing his verdict, the magistrate declared in an authoritative voice:

“It is evident from our inquiry that Suryam has acted with absolute honesty and good faith throughout this matter. Since every difficulty has been engineered by Chandram, and since no division made by others will ever satisfy him, Chandram himself shall divide the entire estate into two equal shares. Once he completes the division, Suryam shall have the first right to choose whichever share he prefers. This is my final judgment, and the division must take place right here, right now!”

Upon hearing this verdict, Chandram stood frozen—it was as if an unripe wood-apple had lodged firmly in his throat. He found himself trapped between a rock and a hard place. All along, he had criticized and disrupted divisions made by others. But now, the duty of division rested solely on his shoulders. If he unfairly stacked all the prime properties into one share for himself, Suryam would simply pick that share, leaving Chandram with the lesser portion. Thus, to protect his own self-interest, Chandram was forced to meticulously measure and balance both shares to the finest detail so that he would suffer no loss regardless of what Suryam chose.

Thus, through the judge’s masterstroke of wisdom, the long-pending property dispute was settled smoothly and flawlessly.

Everyone present lauded the brilliant magistrate for dealing Chandram the exact remedy he deserved.

Naramsetti Umamaheswararao has written more than a thousand stories, songs, and novels for children over 42 years. he has published 32 books. His novel, Anandalokam, received the Central Sahitya Akademi Award for children’s literature. He has received numerous awards and honours, including the Andhra Pradesh Government’s Distinguished Telugu Language Award and the Pratibha Award from Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University. He established the Naramshetty Children’s Literature Foundation and has been actively promoting children’s literature as its president.

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