given below is a short story which is purely fictional.







"I am the last survivor of the suryavanshi family of rajputs" said Mr.surya to his servant lying in a broken armchair with a smoking pipe in his old trembling hand which looked vintage by its appearance. The smoke which looked like an ascending snake curled up and disappeared into thin air while his servant-bholu looked upon him sitting in the mattress which lay in the ground.The house of master surya(that what bholu called him) looked shabby,there were faded paints ,fallen plasters and a porous roof.The room which resembled more a cell rather than a"living place" had in its decor a flower pot with plastic roses on it,a torn mattress which looked like a rag,a trunk and a single bed.The only odd thing among all was a neat white bed cover.Bholu had been serving his master since he was a boy of eleven and when he used to beg near the roadside temple.Master surya a somewhat pious man by nature visited this temple frequently and on seeing this innocent soul his paternal instincts came into being,it was then and now bholu had became a member of this small family.
"Remember when i die you will be sitting on a pot of gold"said master surya to bholu.Bholu had been listening to all this right from the day since he was brought here,bholu tried several times to enquire about this, but the master never said aword.Only thing that the master talked to bholu was about his family and his ancestors

"I am the last survivor of the suryavanshi family of rajput,it is our ancestor whose name you will find in history books...I can recall something...I was only a child when I left my palace..."-said master surya, a eighty year old man with long gray hair and a black moustache.By nature a soft spoken man who resembled the remnant and the falling dynasty of rajputs.Master surya's ancestors ruled places of rajasthan till the independence of India,it was only after then master surya left his palace with his father.Since then decades passed and few years back with his all money exhausted, master surya moved to this shabby house and was living by a income which came by selling the antiquity inherited by his ancestors which master surya's father managed to take out of the palace secretly.Master surya never revealed this "secret" to bholu,as he never considered it worthy,nor this was an act of virtue to him. Disclosing this shameful secret would only bring scorn and hatred from the community.











The night fell when bholu's deep sleep was broken ,bholu heard a broken voice calling for him,it was his master's.Bholu rushed towards his master.Master surya lying in his bed and exasperating held bholu's hand and said:

"my son bholu I have kept a secret away from you..you can recall I always used to say that when I die to you will be in pot of gold......"

yes replied bholu

"my son it was a plate of which I talked about and it is in the trunk ...it was with our family since very old times and not one which I have now but a set of them"

"plate" replied bholu

"yes a plate but no ordinary one, it was the plate on which the king dined ,the plate was used to protect the king from consuming poison in the form of toxicated food,when toxicated food be placed on this plate it turns green,there by indicating the presence of poison.....you sell this plate and you will get enough money to spend all your lifetime...." telling this to bholu master surya took his last breathe.

Bholu took the plate to the antiquity shop,the owner examined the plate,by pouring scorpion poison over it,to bholus surprise nothing happened.Bholu was paid a few bucks by the owner who on bholus request bought the plate "this plate is nearly 200 years old and rusty,and no such colour changing properties.......only a three thousand rupees and not a single penny more....all foolish claims" laughed away the shop owner bholu felt as he was tricked by his master.On returning home bholu saw the flower pot with plastic roses on it , there by giving an impulsive angry blow he shattered the china clay into pieces.




somewhere in western India :

"A team of bright archaeologists unearths a set of utensils unknown to the scholars by now.The material was rusted and was sent for chemical analysis.The utensil was perhaps used by the kings for his dinner purposes.It is a sort of a poison detector,and it changes its colour to green on reacting with a variety of poisons,however a thick rusting nullifies its property.............................."-The local daily reported on its headline.