Lakshmi’s Lamps

On a beautiful dark night, a baby was born in a poor farmer’s home.

“One more girl...one more mouth to feed” lamented the poor man and his wife. They had three girls already.

“It is the Diwali night. Goddess Lakshmi has come to your house. Let the girl live happily” said the elders in the village.

The baby was named Lakshmi after the goddess of wealth and prosperity. The poor farmer and his wife had to work harder to make ends meet.

Lakshmi was a cheerful and sensible little girl. She loved to play with her sisters and to help on the farm. She liked to make mud pies and to watch the village potter at his wheel. The potter taught her to make little pots to play with.

One monsoon, Lakshmi’s father became very sick. He could not go to the farm and had to rest at home.

“O God, what shall I do?” prayed her mother.

Lakshmi nursed her father at home while her elder sisters worked on the farm along with their mother. Sometimes there was hardly any food to eat at home.

As the season changed, the people in the village started cleaning up their houses for the festival of Diwali. Soon the village would light up with thousands of clay lamps at night.

Lakshmi had an idea. In her spare time, she made some clay lamps and decorated them with beads and seashells. As she laid them out to dry, people admired them and wanted to buy them. Lakshmi made a little money and her family was very proud of her.

One day, a visitor came to the village from the city. He was a friend of the Headman. When he saw Lakshmi’s lamps, he bought them all.  He came to know about her father's illness and offered to take him to the city hospital for treatment. He told Lakshmi to make ten thousand lamps before the festival of Diwali. He wanted to sell them in the city.

That was a tall order.

Lakshmi’s sisters offered to help her after coming home from the farm.

There was only one week to go before the festival of Diwali. Lakshmi and her sisters worked very hard.

Just before the festival, the girls dried the last batch of the clay lamps. The Headman’s friend paid them handsomely.

Lakshmi’s father came home during the festival of Diwali looking very well. Their family had a bright and joyful Diwali lighted up by Lakshmi’s lamps.

 

(This story is for the ever-smiling Sweta Pradhan who requested me to write a special story for Diwali.
There are many girls like Lakshmi whose lives are snuffed out because of some barbaric practices. However, the spirit of the goddess lives on and will empower us to snuff out these practices.)