Meaning: A mistake made in something you are trying to achieve or in other words, when you’re looking for something in the wrong place or going about something in the wrong way.
One upon a time there lived a young boy Raju. He was a very cleaver boy and a big crook. He was an orphan and spent his entire life in a small orphanage where at times he was deprived of many basic facilities that one cannot imagine there life without.
As soon as he turned 15, he was asked to leave the orphanage and start working to earn his livelihood. He started looking for a job and the orphanage head gave him a reference of an old man who was living alone in a big house and in dire need of a servant.
Raju went to meet the old man named Shah at his house. Raju was taken by surprise by seeing the big house of the man fully equipped with the luxuries of the world. It seemed to him that he had come in heaven after entering the house.
Things worked out between the two and Raju was given the job. Time passed and both of them started getting along with each other in a right way. Other than Shah and Raju, only a gardener and a maid was there who came and left on their fixed time.
Time passed and Raju was enjoying his heaven on earth when out of the blue Shah fell seriously sick. Raju nursed him with all his heart and restored his health back to normal. There was hardly any relative that came to enquire about his well being and being impressed by his care Shah started to treat him with great affection.
One day Raju was talking to the gardener about the other family remember of Shah who never showed up while the man was seriously ill. It was learned that his children lived in the city and came once in a blue moon and being stubborn Shah refused to leave the house and go with them for living.
Raju at once thought of a wicked plan and decided to fool the man by robbing him of all his property and money. By now Shah had already started trusting him blindly and never checked the papers he brought to sign.
Raju got all the papers for transferring the property in his name and got them signed by Shah. Another year passed and Shah again fell seriously ill. Doctors said he didn’t have much time so all his near and dear ones should be called at once.
A telegram was sent to his family and before they could reach he passed away. Raju now decided to bring the papers to light and claim everything. Shah before dying often use to say to people that he will leave his things for him and hence his family could not object to it as fraud.
As Raju started this drama he was taken up by surprise that the property was never in name of Shah but his wife and son, hence he had no right to give it to him. Raju was full of anger and disgust feeling that he was BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE. He always thought if Shah would be impressed by his care and false affection, he would leave his fortune to him but it was never his fortune to leave in reality. Raju was kicked out of the house once his true intentions were revealed.
© Ritanjali Hastir
