The foolish brother (Apangba mayamba)

A long time ago, there was an old man. He had two sons. The elder son was very foolish and the younger one very wise. The old man was dying. At his death bed the old man called in his two sons to share the properties equally.  Saying these words, the old man passed away. The two brothers had shared the father’s properties in equal shares. After having shared other major properties, both the brothers started looking their eyes towards petty matters. The two brothers have to share a milking cow, a mango tree and a mosquito net. This time the younger brother had given his arguments over these three properties. The properties would have to share in its half. The younger said, “Being an elder brother, you have to take upper portion of these three properties.” The elder brother had given his consent over the matter. According to the sharing, the younger had taken the back portion of the milking cow. They had also agreed that the portion of the mango tree would be divided into two. The part from the ground up to the middle of the tree would be for the elder brother and remaining parts including branches and leaves in the sky would be for the younger brother. But for the mosquito net, it would be used by the elder during the day time and during the night; it would be used by the younger. One day, the neighbours came into the house of the two brothers. They made complaints to the two brothers about the trespassing of the milking cow towards their gardens stating that the cow had eaten away several standing crops apart from destroying ground corns. This time, the younger brother told the elder that the upper part of the cow belonged to the elder brother. The mouth of the cow was the responsibility of the elder brother. The elder  brother had given compensation of the destroying garden. After working hard in the field and collecting grasses from the grazing ground, the elder had also fed the cow every day. Not a little drop of milk was getting from the younger brother. When the cow gives a birth, the younger had taken the calf on the ground that the cow had given her birth on its back portion which belonged to him.

When the mango tree was in its fruit bearing season, the younger brother had taken all the fruits. When the elder complaint to his brother, he was told that upper part of the mango tree was his share. But the elder had been watering the mango tree on its ground every day.  The mango leaves scattered on the ground were also collected by the elder who got the share of the tree on its lower part. During the night time – which was the time of menacing the mosquito, the younger had used the mosquito net. During the day time, the elder had used it. But the mosquito net was not useful during the day time.  Thus, days, weeks and months passed. The elder brother, being foolish one said nothing. The younger was becoming the richer and the richer day by day. On the other hand, the foolish was on the wane. On seeing the foolishness of the elder, the local neighbours had taught lessons him how to take the proper shares from the properties of his wise younger brother.

After getting many persuasions from thee locals, one day, the foolish brother had come at the residence of his younger brother and said, “Oh! My lovely brother, I am very poor now, I could not feed up properly on the portion of my cow. I want to cut off my portion of the cow and I want to sell my share soon.” The wily younger brother knew that the foolish brother was getting instigation from the local elders. The younger said, “My elder, if you sell out your portion, the cow will be no more, so from today’s onwards, let us do equal share of the milk available from the cow. Moreover I will also extend my help in collecting the straws and other eatable items for the milking cow.” On hearing the replies the elder was very happy. The next morning, the elder brother was coming out with an axe in his hands. After meeting with his younger brother, the elder said, “I want to cut off my share.” The younger brother worried but he requested the elder don’t  be cut off the tree. If it had been cut off in its lower part, my share will also be dried out automatically.  The younger brother again requested to share the fruits of the trees, its dried branches and its dried leaves.  The elder had also agrees the requests. One day, the foolish brother had put the mosquito net under the water in the day. During the day time it was his share to use the mosquito net. When the younger brother had tried to use it in the night, the mosquito net was wet. So it could be used on that night. The next morning, the younger brother again requested the older to share the net on the alternative day. Later, the foolish and wise brothers happy lives.