Once in a village, there lived a wealthy landowner who owned vast fields, gardens, and forests. The villagers worked for him, tending to his land and maintaining his property. One day, as the workers gathered to head out for the day’s labor, the landowner noticed one worker, Manickam, was missing.
Curious, the landowner asked, “Why hasn’t Manickam come to work today?”
The other workers shrugged, replying, “We don’t know, sir.”
The landowner immediately sent one of his men to Manickam’s house to find out what was wrong. Upon reaching Manickam’s home, the man asked, “Why haven’t you come to work today?”
Manickam hurriedly replied, “I’m coming now!” and rushed to the farm. When he arrived, the landowner asked him, “Why are you so late today?”
Manickam replied, “My son has been crying all morning, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t calm him down. That’s why I’m late.”
The landowner chuckled and said, “Is that a reason to be late? If it were me, I would’ve easily stopped him from crying. You’re acting like a child yourself!”
Manickam smiled and replied, “No, sir. It’s not as easy as you think. If you want, I’ll act like a child, and you try to calm me down.”
The landowner, amused, said, “Alright, let’s see.”
Manickam then began to cry like a child, throwing a tantrum. The landowner, still smiling, asked, “Do you want candy? Or a toy?”
But Manickam continued to wail without answering. The landowner’s smile faded as he grew frustrated. “What do you want? Just tell me!” he shouted.
Manickam sniffled and replied, “I want a sugarcane.”
The landowner immediately instructed his workers to bring a whole sugarcane for Manickam. When it was handed to him, Manickam threw it aside, continuing to cry loudly.
Now the landowner was truly angry. “Didn’t you ask for sugarcane? Why are you still crying?” he yelled.
“I want the sugarcane cut into small pieces,” Manickam replied, still sobbing.
The workers hurriedly cut the sugarcane into small pieces and gave it to him, but Manickam started crying even louder. The landowner, now furious, asked, “What more do you want?”
Manickam cried, “I want the small pieces glued back together!”
At this point, the landowner couldn’t help but laugh. The workers joined in, laughing heartily at the absurdity of the situation. Finally, the landowner, with a smile on his face, said, “It’s true, isn’t it? You really can’t stop a child from crying. Forgive me for doubting you!”