Around The Campfire : A Raman Story



Once while traveling, Raman found himself in the company of a group of soldiers.

They were all veterans of war and soon they got to talking about their experiences on the battlefield. One old soldier told of the time he had single-handedly slain seven enemy soldiers. Another gave a detailed description of the manner in which he had held an entire enemy battalion at bay.

When they had finished they looked condescendingly at Raman.

"I don't suppose you have any adventure worth telling," said one of the grizzled warriors.

"Oh, but I have," said Rama

"You have?!" said the soldiers.

"Yes," said Rama. "Once while traveling I chanced upon a large tent. I entered and there, lying on a mat was the largest man I had ever seen. I recognized him at once as a dreaded dacoit who had been terrorizing that part of the country for years!"

"What did you do?" asked the soldiers, their interest now fully aroused.

"I cut off his toe and ran for dear life," said Rama.

"His toe?" said a soldier. "Why toe? You should have cut off his head while you had the chance!"

"Somebody had already done that," said Rama, grinning.

Mooli and Recipe : A Raman Story



"I’ve never eaten anything tastier in my life!” declared Raman, who had just returned from his friend’s house.

“What did you eat?” asked his wife.

“Mooli (radish) halwa,” Raman said, smacking his lips.

“Mooli! Whoever has heard of halwa being made from mooli! It must have been something else,” said his wife disbelievingly.

She just could not understand how anyone could make halwa out of mooli. Nevertheless, her curiosity was aroused and next day she asked him to get her the recipe from his friend and some moolis from the market.

“Where are the moolis?” she asked, when he returned.

“You see,” he explained, “while I was returning from the market, a goat snatched the moolis away.”

Annoyed at his carelessness, she said “Have you brought the recipe?”

“Well, I thought,” said Raman with a shrug, “The recipe is of no use without moolis, so I let the starving animal eat that too .”