The Night-Blind Son-in-law of Chhattisgarh
An old widow has an only son and he is night-blind. She somehow gets married to a nice girl from a good family. They manage to keep his night-blindness a secret from his in-laws. But how long can you keep such a secret? He is invited to visit his in-laws for the first time to celebrate Dipavali, the festival of lights. His mother is nervous about the visit and warns him, ‘Be careful. You can’t see a thing after dark. So don’t move around too much after nightfall. Travel only during the day and stay there only one night.’ He wants to reach his in-laws’ place before it gets dark, so he walks as fast as his legs will take him. But by the time he reaches the outskirts of the village, it is already evening, and his vision is getting quite dim. He remembers what his mother said and finds a place to sit down. Unfortunately, the place he chooses happens to be a garbage dump for his in-laws’ household. Just then, his mother-in-law …


