Long ago, there lived in Srinagar a wealthy young man called Nityanand. His father had left him enough money and land. He leased out the fertile field to other farmers and earned a handsome amount of money every month. So there was no need for him to work for a living. He thus led a contented life with his family.
Nityanand's neighbour was none other than Somnath. He was a man of no special talents or qualities. But he and his family commanded much respect and had an air of authority. Was it because Somnath had a prestigious position, as an accounts officer, in the State? Nityanand could not help noticing the high status his neighbour enjoyed. However, he did not pay much attention to it until one day something happened that changed his attitude.
It so happened that one day the sons of the two neighbours began to quarrel while playing. Gradually it grew into a major fight. The mothers of the two boys, too, came out and joined the fray. Alas, the elderly women, Nityanand's wife Radha, and Somnath's wife Kanta, instead of pacifying their sons, began screaming at each other on top of their voices.
"You will soon realise the consequences of being rude to me, Radha! Your man is nothing but a useless idler, whereas my husband is a respectable and trusted officer. Just wait and see what happens to you!" shouted Kanta and stormed back into her house, dragging her son with her.
As days passed, Radha and her husband realised that their neighbours were in fact bent on troubling them. Egged on by his wife, Somnath, who enjoyed enough clout, began to harass Nityanand. He charged him with failing to pay the taxes. He had to make several rounds of the offices before he could prove his innocence.
Both Nityanand and Radha felt humiliated. "Only because you are not doing any a prestigious job like that of Somnath, his wife dared to call you a ‘useless idler'! Why don't you try to get yourself a good and respectable job so that we can teach that arrogant couple a good lesson?" lamented Nityanand's wife Radha with tearful eyes. Nityanand began to ponder. Indeed, if he too could find a job that would put him in a position of power, none would dare harass him! Fired with a new zeal, he began his efforts straightaway.
In those days, local appointments were made by the governors of provinces, his who reported directly to the king. He met his governor and requested him for a job in the administration – any job! However, the governor told him that there was no vacancy.
