July 31. Story of the Day: Sheikh Chilli

This story comes from the book Simla Village, or, Folk Tales from the Himalayas by Alice Elizabeth Dracott with illustrations by Hallam Murray. You can find out more about Sheikh Chilli at Wikipedia.

This is an example of ATU 1430 Air Castles. I like the coda at the end of the story; often this folktale type ends with the "smash," but this version has a humorous follow-up after the disaster.

Looking for more stories? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.


SHEIKH CHILLI



The hero of this story was one day walking along with a vessel of oil upon his head. As he walked he kept thinking of the future:

I will sell the oil, and with the money I shall buy a goat, and then I shall sell the kids, and then I shall buy a cow, and sell the milk, till I get a large sum of money.

Then I shall buy a pair of buffaloes, and a field, and plough the field, and gain more money, and build myself a house, and marry a wife, and have many sons and daughters.

And when my wife comes to call me to dinner, I'll say: Dhur, away! I'll come when I think fit!

... and with that he held up his head suddenly, and away fell the chattie [clay pot] with the oil, and it was all spilt.

This upset Sheikh Chilli so much that he began to yell: "I have lost my goats, I have lost my cows, I have lost my buffaloes, and my house, and my wife and children."

That such dire calamity should befall a man caused great pity, so the bystanders took Sheikh Chilli to the Rajah, who asked him how it had all happened. When he heard the story he laughed, and said: "This boy has a good heart, let him be given a reward to compensate him for the loss of his oil."


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