Classic Malayalam stories in translation: A couple resorts to a philosophical remedy to make money

Seated on the corner of a tattered reed mat – spread out on the southern end of the eastern verandah of my house, I was daydreaming of meaningless things, flicking off now and then the stubborn flies trying to settle on my nose. My wife came holding a net and sat next to me.

“There’s no rice left,” she said.

“There’s no money either.”

“How can we cook?”

“Not unless we get a loan.”

“It’s always, loan, loan, loan … When are you going to repay all this?”

“Repay? I take loans with no intention of repaying them, as far as possible.”

“Wonderful! When you borrow in times of hardship, shouldn’t you pay back when you have the means?”

“My policy is to take loans whenever I can.”

“What on earth for? Is it a good thing to have creditors all over the town?”

“Why not? When I die, won’t the whole town mourn? Isn’t that a matter of prestige? To earn respect even in death – is that a small thing?”

“Enough. Shame in life and prestige at death! Do you want to have a meal only after you are dead?”

“The rice-rites after death must be for that.”

“Talking silly when we discuss something important has now become a habit with you.”

“Speaking one’s mind is the sign of an honest man.”

“Honesty won’t sustain life. After I...

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