Re: Folktales
Wali Dada the Simple Hearted
One day long ago there was a poor old man who lived alone in a little mudbrick hut on the edge of a jungle. He was a very old man who was well loved in the village because of his kindness and compassion to his fellow villagers. they called him Walli dada Gunjaa because he was call Wali and he was to all intents and purposes a bald chap.
Wali Dada was a small wizened man who ever since he was old enough made his living by going into the jungle and cutting long grass to sell as fodder for elephants and camels and all the four legged beasts that his neighbours had.
He used to go out to the jungle in the morning and return at Maghrib, pray then go and sell the bundle in the market for two anna’s. He then went of to Afia Maasi’s Chai Dukaan to buy a cup of tea and one roti and some saag for one anna..he would eat half the roti and saag and take the rest home and pack it in a large leaf to take with him to the jungle the next day.
The other anna coin would be put into a pot which was hidden in hole on the ground under Wali Dada’s bed and which was covered with a piece of old sack cloth so nobody would know it was there, but as Wali Dada tried to put the coin in he found that the pot was full. He pulled out the pot and then emptied it out onto the floor and was shocked to see thousands and thousands of coins, he pundled them back into the pot, hid it in its hole and covered it with the cloth and went to bed in a very perturbed state of mind.
What was he going to do with all that money?
“Im a very simple man” he thought to himself …”Allah has given me all I need… I have my hut, my little fire in the corner, a few clothes and pots and a prayer mat and a bed, I do not need anything more”
The next morning he got up but instead of going to the jungle as he had done every day for countless years, Wali Dada went to visit a friend of his called Mahmood the Merchant, Mahmood had owned a huge retinue of beasts and and travelled to far off lands selling anything he could, he would buy pearls from Bangladesh and sell them in Kabul, buy Lapiz lazuli and sell it to the uzbek and cloth, silk and satins and sell it in Bombay.
"Mahmood Bhai” called out Wali Dada, “come I need to talk with you”…Wali Dada told him of his money.
Mahmood, was genuinely happy for his friend and urged him to buy himself luxurys like better clothes, nice food, and not to work anymore..”for you are a very old man and have worked hard all your life"
Wali dada declined “I am an old and simple man and I will die soon… I do not wish to waste the money on me”
Wali dada thought a while and then asked his friend “You have travelled far and wide, tell me who is the most beautiful woman you have seen?..”
“That’s easy” said the merchant, “it’s the Princess Rauzeena, the daughter of the Badshah of the land of the rice flower”
Wali Dada asked him to take a gift to this lady, who’s beauty had been heard of far and wide…”why” asked his friend, Wali dada explained that he wished to give something to the lady that Allah had bestowed so much beauty upon…
The Merchant said I have a beautiful Ruby bracelet that cost me the amount of money you have, I will take her that!
So the next morning a huge caravan of camels laden with expensive clothe, gold, jewels oil and wine left the Merchants house with a retinue of armed men to guard against bandits. They travelled many days to get to the Land of the Rice flower and when they got there the Merchant asked for an audience with the Badshah and presented the gift from “ a humble man who has heard of the beauty of the princess"
The King and the Princess took the gift and where amazed at the delicate beauty and craftmanship of the object and were aware that such a gift was very expensive indeed.
They were a little surprised but felt that the giver must be a rather important man in his own country to be able to give such gifts so the King ordered the Merchant back and gave him a chest of gold jewellery , expensive oil of rice flower, and the finest silks and brocades in his kingdom.
“Take this back to Wali Dada” he said
a few weeks later Wali dada saw a the Merchant waiting patiently at his door with the gifts. Wali Dada…was stunned…”what am I going to do with this?” he wailed
After a few minutes he calmed down and asked his friend “Who is the most intelligent and dashing young man you have heard of” the Merchant replied.. “the son of the Sultan of Datepalmistan…” Wali Dada asked the merchant to carry these gifts to the son of the Sultan with his humblest blessings.
Many weeks later the merchant arrived back from the Datepalmistan with the following story for his friend, “ I gave the gifts to the prince and he and his ather decided to reciprocate the gesture, so they have sent you , the finest from their kingdom… dates, sweetmeets, cows and oxen and various jems…. "
Walidada asked the Merchant to take some for himself and deposit the rest of this burden on the Princess Rauzeena…
This was duely done and within a few weeks Wali Dada returned from the jungle to find a number of people and animals at his door along with his friend the Merchant Mahmood
“do these animals need fodder asked Wali Dada as he picked up his scythe, “no Wali Dada the King sent you clothes, ornaments made from ivory and rare woods, jewelled scabbards swords and armour and six elephants, I heard he wanted to out do you with this gift giving”
Wali Dada said ..”off you go, take some for your self and sent the rest to the Prince"
The Prince despatched the merchant with a dozen of the finest white arab steeds, exotic oils and food and rare and sought after manuscripts… Which Wali dada sent onto the Princess]
The Princesses father was perplexed by the gifts, after a couple of hours he summoned the merchant and asked him about his friend…
Who is Wali Dada…he asked, he is a simple man who gives these gifts for the pleasure of others was the reply,
The king thought some more and summoned the princess,” Wali dada is a good and humble man who is clearly sending these gifts for a purpose… HE WANTS TO MARRY YOU, we cannot match the gifts so I guess we will go and see this man and ask his intentions"
The Merchant was very surprised and a more than a little worried when the King told him of the plans of joining him in order to meet the Wali Dada… The king insisted he go and wouldn’t listen to any excuses put forward by the Mahmood who was frightened that the truth would make the king angry and have him put into jail so within a few days the king and his entourage had joined the merchants caravan and were making their way to the village where Wali Dada lived
In the mean time the Prince, eager to see who this generous man was had saddled up a horse and travelled with a few trusted men to Wali Dada’s home… but as he neared the village he saw a camp and in it the most lovely girl he had ever seen, he was smitten and she didn’t think he was too bad either!
(okay they were head over heels in love …EEeeeerrghh :yukh: )
As the Merchants and his entourage neared the village, the merchant asked the to wait awhile and spend this last night camped in the royal pavilion tent while he went over to tell Wali dada of the impending guests
The merchant ran to Wali Dada and told him about the situation…
What are we to do they thought. The merchant said I will creep away and go off to the lands of the East where the king cannot find me so Wali Dada was left alone contemplating his fate
Wali dada thought, “I’m an old man and I have lived a long and had life but cannot deal with a situation like this anymore so he went up to the cliff by his home and said a prayer as he prepared to jump off…
]He felt someone by his side, and looked… he saw a bright and shining angel who said “Wali Dada, God helps the simple hearted…go home"
Wali Dada was speechless, and went home
To find a beautiful palace in place of his hut filled the most expensive furnishings…. At that, moment as the bright sun was rising he heard the fanfare of the king and his group 
They came and were amazed to see such a palace and the king asked Wali Dada about marrying the princess…
"Oh no..no NO:eek: " replied the old man… but I do feel she should marry and so the princess of the land of the Rice flower married the prince of datepalmistan in a lavish ceremony in the Wali Dada’s palace 
Wali Dada, live the rest of his life in majestic splendour
And as for the palace
If you go to the village and look for the spot where Wali Dada Gunjaa lived, you find the decayed remains of a beautiful palace