Honesty

Shankar was sitting on the verandah when his wife, Shankari, approached him with a list of items for the kitchen. “I need a few things; please get them from the grocer’s,” she said.

He left for the market with his servant, who carried a basket and some bags. Although there was no particular need, Shankar decided to take his walking stick—just in case it came in handy during an emergency.

Shankar visited several shops to gather the items on the list. His servant placed the goods in different bags and added them to the large basket he was carrying. After purchasing everything, they began their journey home. However, after only a short distance, Shankar realized that he had left his walking stick behind. Unable to recall where he had misplaced it, he decided to retrace his steps back to the shops.

He visited each one in turn, asking the shopkeepers about his missing stick, but each one replied, “No, you didn’t leave it here.” Finally, he arrived at the last shop he had visited. The shopkeeper approached him with a smile and said, “This is your stick, isn’t it? I knew you would come back for it.”

“You’re the only honest shopkeeper in this market,” remarked Shankar, feeling relieved but also disappointed. “At every other shop, no one claimed to have seen my stick, and they didn’t help me at all!”

The shopkeeper looked at him with a stupefied expression. The question lingered in the air: Who was truly honest?