The youngest of Tanayavanta’s eight offspring, Tapoi was the only daughter and only child of the affluent businessman. Not only her parents, but even her brother adored the little girl. She enjoyed opulence. She was acquainted with several of the neighbourhood girls as well as the minister’s daughter.They played on the swing and pretend-made food out of sand and dust, much like kids her age did.
An elderly woman showed up one day while she was having fun using her winnow to clean grains. She gave her a dirty look and said that it wasn’t proper for her to play with the same things that underprivileged kids do. She advised her to speak with her parents about for a golden winnow to play with and for a golden moon as well. When she told her parents about it, they called the most skilled jewellers around and asked them to make a big golden moon studded with diamonds. Soon misfortune struck. The moon was half-made when Tapoi’s father died and when it was fully made, her mother died. The funerals were observed in a manner that behoved the status of the family.
After the rituals were over, Tapoi’s brothers decided to set sail for the distant islands for trade. They made all arrangements for the family and told their wives to look after Tapoi well, indulge her in every way and ensure that she did not suffer even the slightest discomfort.The women did what their husbands had asked them to do.
An elderly woman who was begging visited their home one day. She warned the family’s matriarch that they should not indulge their younger sister-in-law and that nothing they were doing to her would benefit them.She would spread a variety of rumours about her brothers in an effort to set them against one another. To feed their goats in the wild, they must send her there. She would be killed there in the wild, either by a tiger or a snake, one day or another. When her brothers returned, they could inform them that she had passed away due to sickness.Tapoi’s dark days began after it. The youngster was made to graze the family’s goats while wearing damaged clothing. A little rice was all she was given to eat. Except for the youngest, her sisters-in-law made her life miserable. The eldest was the cruellest. Once a week, when the turn of the youngest sister-in-law came to give her food, did the girl eat her fill.
Books Info
| Books name | Tapoi / ତଅପୋଇ |
| Author | Ghanashyama Kabibhusana |
| No Of pages | 19 |
| Publisher | Dayananda Deba Lal Saheb |
| Publication | 1904 |
| Printed At | NA |
| Distributor | NA |
