Gifts are perhaps the oldest currency known to civilisation, older than coins, credit cards and cryptocurrency. The finest gift, sages insisted, was food. A hungry man can be pacified with a meal; a full stomach is the only known antidote to greed. Gold, on the other hand, merely sharpens the appetite. Indian mythology is one long cautionary tale about gifts and desires.

Bhima went in search of a rare flower for his beloved and returned with a bruised ego after Hanuman, disguised as an aged monkey, taught him that muscles are no substitute for humility. Ram chased a golden deer because Sita fancied it, and the subcontinent ended up with a war large enough to sustain television serials for decades.

Sudama’s lesson and........

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