Khushkharedi By Shankar Patil

बाबू चांगलाच कर्जबाजारी झाला. तवनाप्पाचे घेतलेले दहा हजार रुपये कशानं फेडायचे हे कळेना झालं. अखेर यावर पंचाईत बसली आणि सगळ्यांंनी मिळून असं ठरवलं, बाबूनं हे हॉटेल कर्जापोटी तवनाप्पाला लिहून द्यावं आणि तवनाप्पानं त्यात आपलं कर्ज वळतं करावं, इतरांचीही देणी भागवावीत आणि एकदोन हजार रुपये बाबूला रोख द्यावेत. पंचाईतीत ठरल्याप्रमाणं सगळ्या गोष्टी नमूद करून पक्का कागद केला. रोख रुपये दोन हजार घेऊन खुशखरेदी लिहून दिली. हॉटेलची मालकी तवनाप्पाकडे आली. सगळ्या फर्निचरसह, सगळ्या वस्तूंसह हॉटेल ताब्यात देऊन बाबू मोकळा झाला. कुणाच्यातरी व्यवस्थेखाली `स्वल्पविराम` हॉटेल तवनाप्पा चालवू लागला आणि बाबूनं रोख मिळालेल्या पैशात जवळच दुसरं हॉटेल खोललं. असे आठ पंधरा दिवस गेले आणि गावात जे अतिशहाणे चार लोक होते, त्यांनी एक नवीच शक्कल काढली. त्यांनी तवनाप्पाला शिकवलं – ``तू हॉटेल घेतलंस, पन बाई का सोडलीस?`` The title itself suggests the meaning; something that was sold and bought simultaneously without any compulsion or obligation. Babu was going deeper down the hell. He was under obligation to pay the amount of ten thousand that he had taken as loan from Tavanappa and now was unable to repay it. It was a custom in their village to solve their disputes mutually. Hence a few wise heads sat together and found out a solution. It was decided that Tavanappa would be the new owner of the Babu’s hotel and would in fact give Babu two thousand rupees in return. Babu agreed to this and detached himself completely from all the things that were the part of his hotel ‘Swalpaviram’. While Babu opened another hotel close by, Tavanappa started regulating the business at Swalpaviram. When a few days past after this transaction, someone put an idea into Tavanappa’s mind saying that he was entitled to receive everything that was under the roof of the hotel, including the beautiful woman!