The Last Bargain
by Samita Aiyer and illustrated by Garima Gupta
“The Last Bargain” by Samita Aiyer and illustrated by Garima Gupta. Published by Karadi Tales. A witty and charming folk tale from the plains of Punjab.
A tiny rat named Chooheram who lived in the flat and barren plains of Punjab was very smart and clever. He stumbled upon a dry root while digging a hole in the ground to protect himself from a storm. He set the root aside and decided to take it home to make an excellent fire once the storm passed.
Once the storm abated and he was on his way home, he saw a poor man struggling to light a fire with damp sticks to cook food for his wailing children. Chooheram made use of the opportunity and struck a bargain with the man. He gave away his dry root and got a roti baked by the man in return. And then another bargain in exchange for the roti and so on. As he goes towards home, he manages to strike bargain after bargain. So much that Chooheram feels very smart as he manages to get better and better bargains.
What are the bargains that he strikes?What happens when he makes the greatest bargain of all according to him? Does it prove to be useful? Did greed take over his smartness? How does he feel at the end of it? Were the bargains really worthy? This is what the story is all about.
My (then) six year old loved the story and the quirky illustrations. And it’s now a private joke between us... I keep telling him he is trying to be Chooheram when he tries to strike a bargain with me ;)
Where to buy from?
The publishers Karadi Tales here.
An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.