The Ideal Stable
Long long ago there was a king named Chitrasen who ruled over a vast kingdom. His administration was ideal and under him, the kingdom prospered well. His capital, Jaynagar, became a great centre of trade and commerce. But the king was ever eager to improve upon his administration. Once it occurred to him that the common people should participate in the government. But how could that be made possible? All the tens of thousands of people could not be consulted on an issue. After much thinking, he decided that there should be committees of wise and capable people. These committees should do all that was necessary for the people's welfare. The king decided to make his new experiment in a big town named Sumanpur situated on the other end of the kingdom. He announced that the proposed committee would have twelve members. The committee would realise certain taxes from the people and spend the income for the benefit of the town. But how to select the committee members? The king further announced that those who enjoyed maximum public support should have their right to the membership. How to know who enjoyed such support? The king found a simple way for that.
On an appointed day the candidates should meet him at the capital, bringing with them their supporters. Those who brought maximum supporters would be declared the members of the committee. The king's old minister was not happy with the scheme. But there were many in his court who found the scheme quite exciting. Also, excitement ran high at Sumanpur. The people of the town were all praise for the king. The minister kept quiet. There was a young man at Sumanpur named Vikash. He was much loved by the youth of the town. He had nothing in his mind but the welfare of the people. Under his leadership, the youth of the town had founded many institutions such as schools, dispensaries and shelters for the travellers. The king had heard much about him and was sure that Vikash would be the first one to find a place in the committee. Vikash and his friends did their best to educate the people on the significance of the king's decision. They told the people that they should support only such candidates who are really capable and who are not selfish. The appointed day came.
About two dozen candidates arrived in the capital. Each one had brought a large number of people to support him. The twelve who had brought the maximum supporters were declared selected as members of the committee. The king was surprised that Vikash was not among the two dozen candidates. However, he advised the members to elect a leader and serve the people sincerely. The members promised to elect the leader within a week. But even after a month, they had not been able to elect a leader. The king was unhappy. He asked the minister what the problem with the members could be. "My lord, each of the twelve wants to become the leader. Each one is trying to influence the other eleven in his favour. That is why they have not been able to come to a decision and I doubt if they will ever come!" The king summoned the members to his court and asked them to choose a leader in his presence. They looked at each other and almost all of them said simultaneously, "My lord, you choose the leader on our behalf." The king obliged them by choosing an elderly member of the committee as the leader. The members thanked the king and left for Sumanpur. Now, each member of the committee was eager to get as much work done as possible for his own area. If a well was sunk where there was none, a jealous member would demand that a well be sunk in his area for it! Whenever a dispute arose, the leader did not find enough courage in him to settle it. He found it convenient to carry the matter to the king and get his decision. On average, he visited the town once a week.
Soon other members who disagreed with the leader began visiting the capital too, to tell the king their points of view. At the beginning, the king was quite happy to participate in the work of the committee. But after a while, he began to feel bored. His intervention was demanded on every small issue. The king had decided the tenure of the committee as four years. As the period came to an end, he was eager to see for himself how Sumanpur had developed under the committee's administration. "Let us visit Sumanpur in disguise." proposed the king. The minister agreed. Both donned the clothes of travellers and arrived at Sumanpur. "Well, the town looks pretty clean and elegant. The people seem to be leading an orderly life," observed the king. "Right my lord" agreed the minister. Next, he greeted a passer-by and told him, "We are from another kingdom. Your town seems to be a nice place, thanks to your committee!" "Committee? If thank you must, then thank Vikash and his friends. It is they who work for the town. If you want any benefit from the committee, then you must die and take rebirth as a horse!" said the passer-by and he left. The king and his minister felt bewildered. However, they proceeded farther and asked another man, "You are lucky to have a committee in your town. We don't have such a thing in our town!" "Lucky? Do I seem to you like a horse? If the committee has brought luck to any creatures, it is to horses, not to us!" replied the man in a huff. The king and his minister, bewildered more than ever, soon met Vikash.
"How is it, young man, that you are not a member of the committee although you are doing so much for the people of this town?" they enquired him. Vikash was frank with them. He said, "The king, in his innocence, wanted to see how much public support the candidates had. Each candidate had to lead a batch of supporters to the capital. Now, the capital is situated at a distance of three day's walk. Only those wealthy fellows who could afford to spend on their supporter's food and could arrange to take with them cooks, utensils and tents, became candidates. My joy lies in serving the people. I can serve them, if I wish to, even without becoming a member. The people also know that I am at their disposal whether I will be a member or not. Thus, I am not a member of the committee. "What do your people mean when they say that one must become a horse if one were to benefit from the committee?" asked the minister.
Vikash laughed and explained. "That is a joke. As I told you, it takes three days to reach the capital. Riding a horse one can be there in one day. As the leader of the committee felt it is necessary to meet the king once a week, he bought a pair of fine horses. Soon other members demanded horses for them too. Two dozen horses were bought. A large stable was constructed to keep them. A veterinary physician, a stable superintendent and ten servants were employed to look after them. The stable became famous. When outsiders visited our town, our members prided in guiding them to the stable and showing them the prize horses. To keep the horses fit and attractive, a large amount of money is spent on them. Needless to say, all that is public money!" The king was stupefied. He returned to the capital and passed orders dissolving the committee. Now, his chief concern was to educate the people about their rights and duties. He taught them that in showing their support to a candidate they must judge him by his ability and willingness to serve them, not by his ability to feed them!
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