In a peaceful village nestled near the mountains, lived a kind flower seller named Somu. Somu sold fragrant jasmine flowers and was known for his honesty. In the same village lived Ravi, a grocer who was quite greedy. Every time Somu finished his daily sales and prepared to head home, Ravi would secretly slip a few coins from Somu's pouch into his own pocket.
After a few weeks, Somu noticed that his savings were much less than what he had earned. He initially thought he had miscounted, but the pattern continued. Realizing something was wrong, Somu approached the village elder, Mr. Manickam, seeking justice.
Mr. Manickam was a wise man who could see through lies. He called both Somu and Ravi to the village square. Ravi, acting very innocent, claimed, "Sir, I have never even touched Somu's pouch! He must be losing count of his money due to old age."
Mr. Manickam smiled calmly. He had a plan. He asked the villagers to bring a large basin filled with clear water. "Now, I want both of you to drop all the coins from your pouches into this water," he instructed.
Both men complied. Ravi dropped his clean coins, and Somu dropped his. Suddenly, small blue oily droplets began to float on the surface of the water. These droplets were the essence of the jasmine flowers Somu worked with all day. Because Somu handled the fragrant oils, a thin, invisible layer of scent had attached to his coins. Ravi's coins, however, remained perfectly clean.
"The blue drops have spoken," Mr. Manickam said firmly. "Ravi, your greed has left a trail that even water cannot hide." Ravi felt deeply ashamed and confessed his crime. Somu received his stolen money back, and Ravi learned a very hard lesson about honesty.
Moral
Truth cannot be hidden forever; it always finds a way to surface.
