Coup On Arts – 07 [Full thief]

Mean time, Karthikeya called on his first son, Full thief and said “My dear son. Your three brothers had exhibited their art of theft. I’m very glad about it. Today, you go to the Kunthala Nagaram, where your brothers had shown their talents. You robber there and show it to me.”

Full thief said “Well father. I do my level best.”

He reached Kunthala Nagaram and wandered on the roads to enquire into the matter of city news. He came to notice about the king’s effort to capture the thief on that night. He purchased some mats, a lantern i.e. lamp, betel nuts and pan leaves etc. materials which were required to make pans. He waited until night.

After became dark, Full thief approached the entrance to the city. At certain distance to entrance gate of the city, he spread his mats kept some big bags in folders, kept betel nuts, pan leaves etc. in plates and sat there as if a business man of pans.

The king Gopala Varma, along with his soldiers was wandering on the roads of the city in search of thief. They went around the city and came to the entrance gate. At far they observed light of a little lamp. They approached there. They saw a pan merchant i.e. Full thief. With authoritative voice, the king said “Hai! Man. Who are you? What are you doing here by these late hours?”

Full thief said with trembled voice “Maha Raja! I am a small pan business man, doing my business here.” The king suspected him and said “Tell me the truth. Otherwise, I will punish you. At this late night, who will come to you to purchase your pans?”

Full thief pretended as crying out with fear and said “Maharaja! Excuse me! Since three days, a thief is coming by this time in this way along with his group. He is purchasing my pans and taking rest on these mats for some time and giving me good amount of money. That’s why I’m waiting here by this late hour.”

The king said, “Do you know that, to help a thief, itself is a crime? I’ll punish you.”

Full thief fell on the feet of king and said “Maharaja! Leave me. I never do this again. Please leave me. I have wife and children, for their sake excuse me.”

The king said “Okay. If you help me to capture the thief, I’ll leave you. More over I reward you.”

Full thief said “Sure Maharaja! I’ll help you to capture the thief and his group. Time is approaching. He may come by this time. Ask you soldiers to go far and hide somewhere. If the thief watches others here, he may not come here. You hide here in this bag. When the thief come here, when he take rest, by appropriate time I will make whistle. Immediately you can come out the bag and you can catch hold of the thief.”

The king accepted the plan. He ordered all his soldiers to go far and hide.”

When the king got ready to enter in to the bag, Full thief said “Maha Raj! You remove your gold ornaments, and silk dress. Otherwise, they may emit light through the holes of this jute bag. The thief may suspect it.”

The king was in anxiety to capture the thief. He obeyed Full thief’s suggestion. He removed all his valuables and entered in to the bag. Immediately Full thief had bound the mouth of the jute bag with a strong thread, and beaten the king. He had blown off the lamp, and left that place, to his house.

Full thief approached his father Karthikeya and explained everything & shown the ornaments and costly dress of the king. Karthikeya felt happy and satisfaction about the talents of his sons.

In the morning, soldiers had searched for the king and pan merchant. They found the big jute bag there. They thought that the thief was caught and kept in it. When they opened it, they found king in it. The king felt ashamed and returned to his palace.

By completing the story, Bhetala in Payyeda asked king Vikramaditya “Sir! Now tell me, among four thieves, King, Minister, Kothwal etc who are more talented than others.”

Wantedly Vikramaditya said, “The king, the Minister and Kothwal are more talented than the thieves!”

The talk less beauty irritated with such answer and said “No. No. The thieves are talented. Among the four, Full thief was more talented. He cheated the king that to on the consecutive incidents of theft. That means when the situation is alert he performed the theft. Hence he is more talented thief.”

Because she broke her silence, Raja Vikramaditya won her and he got married her.

That’s the entire story.

In the story, the theft is the hero of the story but not the thieves. But in movies like Super in Telugu, Dhoom 1&2 in Hindi etc give image to hero charectores and hero actors, such that they give wrong signals to innocent youth, and children that the thefting is also a type of heroism like eve-teasing in now-a-days.

In this context of art of theft, I narrate another interesting story to you.

అనగా అనగా..........