Ramdeen was a Pandit. He planned a trip to Kashi for some religious work. Sheikh’s mother, on hearing this, requested Ramdeen to take along Sheikh Chilli as his help. Ramdeen knew about Sheikh’s foolishness, but took him along as there was nobody else to be taken. So, Ramdeen and Sheikh reached Kashi and stayed in […]

Once, Sheikh Chilli was flying a kite on the terrace. His mother had cautioned him to take care of the mangoes which were kept for drying in the sun on the terrace. But soon, Sheikh started dreaming about a horse. He dreamt that he was riding a horse and chasing a kidnapper. He started shouting

Sheikh Chilli’s new master used to load him with lots of work. He was supposed to take care of the cattle in the day, prepare food and play with the master’s son. By night, Sheikh used to become so exhausted that he would fall into bed and sleep immediately. One day, the master asked Sheikh

Once, Sheikh Chilli fell unconscious in the street during his visit to his in-laws’ house. He had come to pick up Fawzia. He was brought home and looked after. The family was very happy when he regained consciousness. As advised by his mother, Sheikh bent and touched all elders’ feet. When he remembered the box

Once, Lallan told Sheikh that the nearby mango garden had a lot of mangoes. Sheikh went to steal the mangoes upon Lallan’s suggestion. The gardener saw Sheikh on a mango tree and as a punishment, he burnt fire under the tree. To save himself, Sheikh jumped down and ran, with the gardener chasing him with

Sheikh was very fond of children. One day, he played with a rich man’s son, Ahmad, in the garden. Ahmad liked playing with Sheikh and asked his father to take Sheikh with them. Ahmad’s father hired Sheikh to play with his son every day. He offered a good salary to Sheikh, too. But soon, Ahmad

One day, Sheikh Chilli’s mother took Sheikh to a maulvi (religious scholar), to benefit from his advice. The maulvi talked to Sheikh about Allah’s greatness and how all creations, big and small, belonged to Allah. Sheikh pondered over the maulvi’s sayings and understood that all things belong to Allah. Next morning, he roamed around in

Sheikh found a job as a cook’s assistant in a wealthy household. He worked hard the whole day. But the head cook gave him a small quantity of food to eat at night. So one night, it was past midnight, when Sheikh woke up, as he was feeling very hungry. He got up and went

Sheikh Chilli’s village was once visited by a Patwari (village accountant). Sheikh was fascinated by the Patwari, as well as his spectacles! He was impressed by the way he would read his papers through his spectacles and talk to people looking over the rim. Next day, his mother sent some sweets with Sheikh for the

One day, Sheikh was going to a nearby town. On the way to the town, Sheikh saw that an old man was carrying a large bundle of clothes. As Sheikh passed him, the old man asked, “Son, if you help me carry my luggage to the town I will pay you thirty rupees.” Sheikh happily

Sheikh Chilli’s father-in-law once complained about Sheikh’s strange behaviour when he had run away from their place just as his wife entered his room. Sheikh’s mother and her brother decided to set things right. She instructed Sheikh to stay quiet when he met his in-laws. “Say no word”, she said. Her brother repeated, “Say no

Sheikh Chilli used to work with a tailor-master, once. The master was very strict and stingy as well. He would get good food from home, but never share it with Sheikh. But, when Sheikh would get something from home, the master would immediately ask him to share. Sheikh wanted to teach his master a lesson.

Sheikh Chilli’s in-laws invited him to come and meet Fawzia’s grandmother. So, Sheikh’s mother sent him to their house with a number of instructions for behaving well and not doing anything silly. Sheikh carried a pot of ghee as a gift for his in-laws. He reached the area without any difficulty, but as he entered

It was Eid. Sheikh’s in-laws invited him and Fawzia to the festival. Everyone was very happy. Sheikh and Fawzia loved each other a lot. Fawzia’s mother had prepared several delicacies. Sheikh ate a hearty meal. He praised each and every food dish, a lot. Fawzia’s uncle, who belonged to Varanasi, had brought special ‘Banarasi Paan’

An elephant strayed into Sheikh Chilli’s village, one night. Next morning, some children saw huge footprints of the elephant while playing. They had never seen anything like that before. All they had seen were hoof-marks of some cattle. It was beyond their imagination that any living being could leave such huge footprints. Some were even