Bhola Ram and the Fan

Bhola Ram and the Fan
A children's story
Story idea by G.V.Keerthana
By: G.S.Vasukumar

Once upon a time, in a tiny village which didn't see electricity for many years, there lived Bhola Ram. One of his relative from the far away town had visited him once and told him about the electric table fan when electricity finally came to this tiny village.

Bhola Ram wanted to buy one such table fan, so he traveled in the bus to the town. He went to an electric shop and bought a table fan. When he returned to his village, people in the street started following seeing him with a colourful box over his shoulders.

'O Bhola Ram, what do you have in that box?' Asked Danya, a fellow villager, scratching his head.

'A table electric fan!' Bhola Ram replied, with a big smile on his face.

'A fan? why do you need a fan, my friend?' Danya asked puzzled.

'A fan will give you cool air...' Bhola Ram replied.

'Cool air? you'll get it under some tree, isn't it?'

'Yes, but where do you have tree inside the house?' Bhola asked back, slightly irritated by too many questions.

Finally, Bhola Ram reached his house.

'Stop there! Let me take aarthi first!' Seedhi cried, rushing out with a lighted camphor in a steel plate. He entered home, after his wife took the aarthi of him holding the table fan.

Later, he opened the box, took out the fan and gently placed it on a small table. When he was about to remove the cover almost half of the village crowd were peering into his house from outside.

Bhola was about to press one of the speed buttons when his wife stopped him holding his hand.

'Now, what?' Bhola asked, irritated.

'I forgot to put thilak on the fan's head...' She said.

'Alright, do it fast!' He said, holding back his temper.

So, Bhola pressed the number 1 button, after his wife Seedhi applied a thilak on the table fan's forehead. But the fan didn't run...he got worried and pressed the other two buttons as well...even then it produced no result.

'O Bhola! What happen to your table fan?' cried one of the villagers from outside.

'Don't know?' Bhola said, scratching his head frustrated.

'Are you pressing the correct button, Bhola Ram?' cried the wise old lady of the village.

'Yes!' Bhola cried, 'the shopkeeper too pressed these buttons only and the fan worked fine in his shop.'

'Did he give you the same working fan?' Seedhi asked him.

'Yes...I saw it with my own two eyes!' Bhola Ram said.

'Why don't you go back and return it?' Seedhi suggested.

So, Bhola Ram took the next bus to the town and reached the electric shop. The shop was too much crowded at that time.

'What's the matter, young man?' The shopkeeper asked him puzzled to see him back with the fan.

'The table fan is not working!' Bhola Ram complained.

'How is that possible? Didn't I check it before handing it over to you?' The shopkeeper asked surprised.

'Yes, you did...but..'

'Alright, let me check it!' The shop keeper took the fan from him. Bhola wanted to see whether the shop keeper pressed the same buttons..so he pushed through the crowd. By the time, he reached the counter...the fan was running fine.

'Do you see, now? It is working fine!' The shopkeeper said, looking at him.

'Yes, did you press the same 1,2,3 buttons?' Bhola asked, scratching his head, puzzled.

'Yes, see for yourself!' The shopkeeper said, pressing those buttons one by one, and the speed of the fan increased.

'Then what could be wrong?' Bhola asked him.

'I don't know!' The shopkeeper said, packing the fan inside the box and handing back to him.

Bhola Ram reached his village and the same thing happened once again. He went back to the electric shop in the far away town. This time the shop was empty this time.

'Again it didn't work, is it?' The shopkeeper asked him.

'Yes..' Bhola said, handing him the fan.

The shop keeper took out a wire from the back of the fan. It was neatly folded inside the cover and was about to insert it in the switch board.

'Stop! what are you doing to my fan?' Bhola cried.

'I have to insert this wire in that switch board..only then the fan would work..' The shopkeeper said, realizing why the fan wasn't working at the ignorant villager's place.

'Is it? you never told me that!' Bhola said, annoyed.

'You never asked that!' The shopkeeper said, smiling at him.

Bhola returned back to his home in the village, inserted the power cord into the switch board, switched on the power switch. Then he pressed the number buttons one after the other...the fan didn't work again.

Frustrated, he packed the fan and started going towards the town bus stop, when he met the wise old lady on the way...he told her everything.

'O Bhola, how will the fan work when there is power cut?' She said, finally.

'Oh, is it?' Bhola said, scratching his head, 'Thank you, I was about to catch the town bus and go back again..'

He returned home, inserted the power chord, pressed the fan button and went to sleep on his rocking chair. When he woke up cool air was blowing towards him...

'Did you see?' He asked Seedhi, smiling happily.

'Yes...yes...' Seedhi said, smiling back at him.