Seen Comprehension - 12

  Under the banyan tree

And it had gone on for years. One moon, he lit the lamp in the tree. The audience came. The old man took his seat and began the story. "----------when king Vikramaditya lived, his minister was ------. " He paused. He could not go beyond it, he made a fresh beginning and then again his words trailed off in vague mumbling. "What has come over me......? " He asked pathetically. "Am I tired...? Wait a moment, I will tell you the story presently. " Following this, there was utter silence. Eager faces waited patiently, but the story wouldn't come, Nambi sat staring at the ground bowing his head. When he looked up again all the people had gone except his friend Mari. "Tomorrow I will make it up. Age, age it has come on him suddenly." He lit the lamp again in the niche the next day. The crowd assembled under the banyan tree. Again the story wouldn't come. He struggled hard. He stammered. The audience rose without a word and went home. 

The next moon he lit up the lamp in the niche again. The villagers as they returned home saw the light but only a handful turned up. Nambi insisted everyone must come the next day. He had a great story to tell. All night the people gathered. They were happy. The storyteller had regained his powers. And Nambi started: "It is the goddess who gives the gifts, and it is she who takes them away. What is the lamp for when all the oil is gone.? Goddess is thanked ------ These are my last words on this earth and this is my greatest story." 

After that Nambi never spoke again. When he felt hungry he walked into any cottage as he had done before, silently sat down for food and walked away the moment he had eaten. Beyond this, he had hardly anything to demand of his fellow beings. The rest of his life was one great consummate silence.