Andare is undeniably the funniest folktale character in Sinhalese folklore. So if you are looking for funny stories, you are in the right place. The stories of Andare revolved around a court jester who used his keen intelligence, attention to details, and creativity. Since the stories are funny yet appropriate for kids, parents use them as bedtime stories for kids and in storytelling sessions in Sri Lanka. And as a matter of fact, when grandparents meet grandchildren, storytelling happens, among many other things. In such situations, the funny stories of Andare surely have a place. This story of how Andare planted coconut is one of the equally hilarious stories of this funny man. Have a nice storytelling time!
Once upon a time, there was a court jester called Andare in the Kandyan Kingdom, in Sri Lanka. This man was very cunning. He always got what he wanted and if some trouble came to him, he knew how to save himself from any trouble.
One day, the king ordered all the courtiers to be present in front of him. All the courtiers hurried to see the king as soon as possible. “I will give each of you a piece of land and coconut plants enough for the land. You all should clear the land, plant the coconuts, and take care of them until they bring a harvest.” The king gave his order. Everyone received a piece of land and enough coconut trees to plant on the land. They took the plants to the land and planted them.
The planted coconut had to be protected from animals such as porcupines and thieves. That was why the king asked them to take responsibility for the coconut plantation. So, the landowners followed different methods, such as establishing a fence to protect the lands. Time passed by and one month passed. The king wanted to see if the coconut plantation was going well. Therefore, he appointed an official to check on the plants.
The official went checking on each land for coconut plants. When he arrived at Andare’s land, he was puzzled by what he saw. He saw that everyone’s plants had grown bigger, but Andare’s plants are still the same as they were a month ago. Apart from that, nothing suspicious was found. The officer could not understand how that had happened. Since he knew Andare was cheeky, he wanted to check what happened. Therefore, he paid a visit to the coconut plantation at night. That time, he even stunted more. There wasn’t a single coconut plant on Andare’s land. Only the pits where the plants were.
The official reported it back to the king the next morning. The king sent a message and asked for Andare. Andare arrived. “Andare, I appointed this man to check on the coconut plants. And he says that not a single coconut plant is on your land. Do you care to explain?” King asked.
“Impossible, my king. All the coconut plants are on the land as they should be.” Andare replied without hesitation.
“Alright then, let’s see who is lying.” The King sent another man to Andare’s land to check if there were coconut trees. The man came back and confirmed that there are coconut plants on the land, as they should be. Then the official who is in charge of the plantation went to the land and checked. He found that the plants looked as if they were just planted. So he came back and reported that to the king. He also informed the king that he noticed that while all other plantations thrive day by day, Andare’s plants are still the same.
“Andare, what did you do?” King asked. “Your Majesty, you ordered us to take care of the coconut plants, making us responsible for them. So, I thought, what if someone stole them in the night? What can I do? I will be helpless. Therefore, I uprooted them in the evening, took them to my home and kept them there for the night. Then in the morning, I bring them back to the land and plant them.” Andare replied.
The King and the others could not help laughing to tears. However, the king asked Andare to leave the coconut plants planted and to look after them without uprooting them.