How to Eat Sesame-seeds

Previously: The story of a shopkeeper asking his employees to chant Tables so they will not steal Subba the oilman who owned a bullock powered grinder hired a man without arms to guard the sesame seeds as they were being dried in the sun. Subba had deliberately chosen the man so that the worker would not be able to steal the seeds and eat them as he guarded. Chandamama Even then after an hour or so later, Subba came to checkup on the employee. "The volume of the seeds looks depleted, have you eaten any?" -- he demanded an answer. "No Sir! I haven't eaten. How can I eat sesame-seeds without another person's assistance?" the worker defended. "Well, you might have dipped your fore-arms in water and then used it to pick-up the seeds and eaten them" The poor worker said he was telling the truth, by swearing on the honor of his mother, his wife, and his kids. Subbu was satisfied. But the worker now learnt a way to eat sesame-seeds! Instead of water, he used his own saliva. He kept the job for many years. Subba never came to know of it. _______________ As appeared in Chandamama Monthly, June 1979