Story 1: The Question No One Expected
Every dispute in the village ended under the old banyan tree.
Its roots hung like ropes, its shade covered everyone equally, and its silence made even loud voices calm down.
One afternoon, the villagers gathered again—arguing loudly.
Two farmers stood before the elders.
“He let his goats eat my crops!” the first farmer shouted.
“They wandered on their own!” the second replied. “I didn’t push them!”
The elders rubbed their foreheads. This was the third goat fight that month.
Just then, a small boy who usually sat nearby listening quietly stepped forward.
“May I ask one question?” he said.
The adults laughed.
“A child wants to judge goats now?” someone joked.
The head elder sighed. “Ask.”
The boy pointed at the first farmer.
“When your crops were eaten, were you watching your field?”
The farmer hesitated.
“No… I was resting.”
Then the boy turned to the second farmer.
“When your goats wandered, were you watching them?”
The second farmer looked down.
“No… I was sleeping.”
The boy nodded slowly.
Then he said,
“Then why are we arguing about goats and crops,
when both of you were guarding nothing?”
The banyan tree stood still.
The villagers fell silent.
The elder cleared his throat.
“What do you suggest?” he asked.
The boy smiled.
“For seven days,” he said,
“one farmer guards the field,
the other guards the goats.
After that, they switch.”
The crowd burst into laughter.
“But why?” the farmers asked together.
“So both learn,” the boy replied,
“that responsibility tastes different when it is yours.”
The elders agreed.
A week later, there were no goat fights.
Only better fences—and better watching.
🌟 Moral
Blame is easy. Responsibility needs attention.
Review 🌳 Banyan Tree Tales Story 1.