Once upon a time, in a small village in the state of Odisha, there lived a poor man named Kaudi. He was a hardworking farmer who owned a small piece of land where he grew crops to sustain himself and his family. Despite his efforts, Kaudi often struggled to make ends meet and had to borrow money from the local moneylender to meet his basic needs.
One day, Kaudi came across a sage who was passing through the village. The sage was impressed by Kaudi’s kindness and hard work, and as a reward, he gave Kaudi a handful of seeds and instructed him to plant them in his field. Kaudi followed the sage’s advice and planted the seeds, and to his surprise, the plants grew into a bountiful crop.
Overjoyed with his newfound wealth, Kaudi decided to celebrate by cooking a special dish called “Kaudi Bhaja,” which was made by frying the seeds he had received from the sage. The dish was so delicious that Kaudi decided to share it with his neighbors, and soon the word spread about the tasty snack.
People from neighboring villages came to taste Kaudi Bhaja, and Kaudi became famous for his recipe. He started selling the dish in the local market and soon became a wealthy man. Kaudi used his newfound wealth to improve his living conditions and help his fellow villagers.
However, Kaudi’s success did not go unnoticed by the moneylender, who was jealous of his newfound prosperity. The moneylender hatched a plan to steal Kaudi’s recipe and make a fortune out of it himself.
One day, when Kaudi was away from his field, the moneylender sneaked in and stole some of the seeds. He took them to his home and tried to cook Kaudi Bhaja, but he could not replicate the taste. The moneylender realized that he needed the secret ingredient, which only Kaudi knew.
The moneylender went to Kaudi’s house and tried to bribe him into revealing the secret ingredient. But Kaudi refused to divulge the recipe, and the moneylender left in anger.
The moneylender then decided to trick Kaudi into revealing the recipe. He sent his wife to Kaudi’s house, pretending to be a long-lost friend. She asked Kaudi to teach her how to make Kaudi Bhaja, and Kaudi, thinking she was a friend, shared his recipe with her.
The moneylender’s wife went back to her husband and shared the recipe, and the moneylender started selling Kaudi Bhaja in the market. However, the dish did not taste the same as Kaudi’s, and people soon realized that it was a fake.
When Kaudi found out about the moneylender’s trick, he decided to teach him a lesson. He went to the market and sold his Kaudi Bhaja for a lower price than the moneylender. People flocked to Kaudi’s stall, and soon the moneylender’s business went bankrupt.
From that day on, Kaudi’s recipe became famous, and people came from far and wide to taste the delicious Kaudi Bhaja. Kaudi became a respected member of the village, and his dish became a part of the local culture. And the moneylender learned that honesty is always the best policy.
