Sheikh Chilli once fell ill. He had fever and a stomachache. His mother told him to visit the Hakim and get some medicine. The Hakim checked him and gave him three doses of medicine to take home. He then advised Sheikh, “You should have only ‘khichri’ (a gruel made with rice and pulse) to eat.” Sheikh did not know what khichri was. The Hakim said his mother would know about it. Sheikh started chanting the word, lest he should forget. Soon, the word became ‘kha-chiri’ (asking the birds to eat, in the local language) in his head. He passed by a farmer sowing some seeds in his field. Sheikh was chanting, “Khachiri, khachiri…” Now, the farmer thought that Sheikh was calling the birds to eat all the seeds and he gave Sheikh a good beating. Sheikh cried, “Why are you hitting me?” When Sheikh told him that the Hakim had told him to chant the word, the farmer told him not to listen to these silly Hakims. Sheikh went home, totally confused.
Sheikh Chilli’s Sickness
