A moral story on Honesty

Chintu and Banti were good friends. They had great confidence in each other. Banti was very honest boy. Once they decided to enjoy their holidays together. They went out to a hill station for week.

Both enjoyed their stay at the hill station. After seven days, they planned to return. When they reached the station to board the train, they found a bag lying at the station platform.

Chintu noticed it first and picked it up. He opened it and saw that it contained a lot of cash and jewellery in it.

Chintu tried to hide it in his suitcase. But Banti suggested, “Chintu, we are honest people. We should not keep it with us. Somebody has missed it. We should ask people at the station. If someone claims and is able to tell the exact details, we shall handover this bag to him”.

“No, No, you are a fool. Everybody will come to claim it as his own bag. I have fond it, so this is mine”, Chintu, said.

Banti said, “What are you talking? In case you do not want to give it to its owner, we should divide it into two equal parts. Both of us have found it. We have shared every moment, every food, and every joy here together. Therefore, we should divide the cash and jewellery also into two parts to enjoy together”.

“I don’t agree with you. I saw it first, and so it is mine”. Saying so Chintu kept the bag in his possession.

Meanwhile the train arrived at the station. Chintu and Banti boarded it. Once they occupied their seats, they were at ease and began talking to each other. Time was rolling on. When the night fell, they began feeling sleepy.

After sometime the train halted at the next station. Suddenly they saw some policemen entering their compartment. Chintu was frightened to see them. He tried to put his suitcase behind his back.

Chintu whispered in Banti’s ear, “We are in great trouble. The police have come. They would arrest us and put us behind bars. You know, we have not stolen the bat”.

Banti said in a low voice, “Why do you say – ‘us’ – and not – ‘me’? Please don’t try to involve me. I have got nothing to do with the bag. You did not listen to me when I asked you to find out the owner and hand over the bag to him far from handing it over to the real owner, you even refused to share it with me., and now when you feel that you are going to land in an unpleasant situation, you want to share the unpleasantness with me. Very clever”!

The police saw lines of terror in Chintu’s face and became suspicious about him. They searched his belongings and found the bag. This was the bag they had come searching for. They arrested him and sent him to jail.

Now Chintu was repenting that he should have listened to his friend’s advice.

The Moral of the Story is “Honesty is the Best Policy”.