The King’s Problem: The cure:

Continued from The King's Problem:

The Minister was perplexed. How could such a wise and just King be bothered by such a menial problem. But he also knew that the strongest of minds almost always lost to the meekest of problems. And he knew he had to find a solution.

“Sir, how about making an announcement for a prize? That would bring the best of the medical practitioners to the Kingdom. A cure would definitely be found. And meanwhile, the council of ministers has some very pressing issues that deserve attention, sire.” The Chief Minister had deftly tried to divert the King’s attention from the hair loss to the affairs of the state.

“Fantastic idea Chief Minister! Make the announcement instantly. Announce for 50000 gold coins to the one who is able to cure me. However add a clause that, if any doctor fails, he will be beheaded immediately.”

The Chief Minister stared at his mistake in front of him. His attempt to get the King back on line had backfired and snowballed into a horrible catastrophe. Now this was something, he was determined to avoid. No lives would be lost because of him. But how could he prevent the loss of lives. The King had spoken, and going against his wishes would amount to treachery. The Chief Minister took the King’s leave wondering.

The next day, the news was all over the Kingdom. The King was looking for the best medicine men from far and near. Success would be as rewarding as failure, only in the opposite way. Everyone had a new and interesting news item to talk and debate about. Everyone, except the Chief Minister.

And so started the King’s treatment. Many a talented doctor visited the King, a treatment was prescribed, failure was tasted and heads were rolled.  There was excitement in the Kingdom, as a new group of entrepreneurs started a business of betting on the number of days a doctor would survive. The Chief Minister shook his head in dismay.

Two months and ten heads later, there arrived in the court, a wise and learned old man. Bowing before the King, he said, “Sire, I have the perfect cure for you.”

“Hmm.” The King had by now started to lose hope. “Let's see what you have got.”

Digging into the saffron sack, the old medicine man pulled out a vial of bright green oil. Handing over the oil to the King’s guard, he said, “Apply this oil on the scalp before you go to bed. But once you have applied it, you should not think of the colour green. Otherwise the effect will wear off immediately. If you manage to sleep through the night without thinking of green, you will be able to see a head full of hair in a week.”

The King was elated. Finally there seemed to be a wise man who was confident of a cure. The others had been very discouraging.

“It will be done, wise sir. I will not think of the colour green. In fact, I have plans to take out everything green in my sleeping chamber so, I don’t even glance at the colour. And I hope the cure works....for your sake.”

The old man smiled and left.

That night, the King slept in the colour blue. His room had been stripped of even a tinge of green. The King had applied the oil and it already felt good. As he closed his eyes, his attention was drawn to the strange sound of a bird in the royal garden. Now what was this sound, the King wondered. It was a familiar sound. And then he had it. It was the parrot!!! What was the parrot doing, awake at this time of the night, he wondered. And suddenly, the picture of the parrot, with its deep green feathers and red beak appeared in front of his eyes. Green! Green!! Green!!! The effect of the medicine had been lost. The King was devastated.

He clapped his hands and shouted at the guards, “Kill the damn bird”. Sleep for the night had been lost.

The next day, the King eagerly waited for the day to get over. During the night, he closed his eyes with the magic oil applied to the scalp. It had been a good day. He had especially liked the dinner. The cook had cooked his favourite dish, a curry made of spinach and cheese. It was wonderful. Spinach he thought, how he liked it. Spinach! The vegetable appeared before his eyes, with lush green leaves. Green! Green!! Green!! 

Another day lost. And this time he had no one to blame for the failure. The King was devastated.

And so the whole week passed. Not a night passed by without the King thinking about green. In fact, it seemed, all he could think about was green. It was the day for the wise old medicine man to appear in court.

As the King narrated his problem, the old man smiled and said,” It’s alright, your majesty. I will give you another medicine. But tell me, what is your favourite colour?”

“Blue” Answered the King.

“Please take this medicine mixed with three fourths of water before going to sleep. But this time make sure you think only about blue and no other colour. Otherwise, the effect will wear off.

“That’s easy.” Said the King. Everything in the palace was already blue. Why would he need to think about any other colour? He would even order the cook to make special dishes with shades of blue in them.

That night, the King took his medicine as prescribed, and closed his eye. He pictured the deep blue sky, the ever expanding blue ocean and everything blue. He felt at peace, that the medicine was finally taking effect. He remembered how he had even ordered his queen to dress up in blue. How beautiful she looked. But he had loved her look when he had first seen her. Resplendent in Red. That was how he had complemented her. Red! The image of the queen in the bright red Sari appeared before him. Red! Red!! Red!!! Everything red started appearing before his eyes. Apples, Saffron, blood. The effect of the medicine was gone. The King was devastated.

And so it happened for the next six days. The week progressed with the King thinking about all the colours of the world.

When the old man appeared in court, the King was a picture of misery.

“I tried, I tried. But I have failed again and again. I feel the medicine working but then I think about exactly what I shouldn’t be thinking about. I am so fed up; I think I should just give up this idea of growing hair. To hell with it.”

The old medicine man smiled. And slowly removed the thick turban, and stripped the false beard, to reveal the smiling face of the Chief Minister. An expression of awe drew from the entire court.

“Sire, now do you realise, the futility of it all? The human mind, when dropped in a pit of uncertainty and negativity is never able to escape. It’s up to the heart to understand what is right and pull the mind out of this morass. The mind is a very fiery animal that is difficult to harness.  You have been having the experience from the past few days. It has to be tamed. And directed in the right direction. But we humans, keep ourselves busy over trivial issues and forget what is important. We miss the bigger picture and only focus on the nearby things. It’s easy to fall and very difficult to rise.”

The King was taken in by the difficulty of the situation.

“I have taken so many lives for a stupid notion of mine. I have no right to be King.” The King was overcome by remorse.

“On the contrary sire, the true sign of a leader is to accept his mistakes but have the courage to rectify them. You have been on the wrong path, but now you are in the right direction. Please take care to follow it wisely. Make your best efforts to win over the people sire, and not your own selfish wishes.  And as for the ten lives you mentioned, they are safe. I have kept them in my own safe custody. Even the parrot. Forgive me sire, but all this had to be done, to point your mind in the right direction.” The Chief Minister bowed deep.

It was a day of great rejoicement in the Kingdom. And from that day on, the entire landscape under the King never saw a tinge of problems or issues. The King ruled wisely, carefully, impartially. The Chief Minister had done his job. He had “cured” the King.