Nuggets of Sholay — Aam ke Aam Guthliyon ke Daam
A proverb, a mango orchard, and a lesson from Sholay
This happens to be one of my favourite proverbs used in the film Sholay. Why, you might ask? Well — a) I love mangoes, and b) I actually own a mango orchard. 🥭
And there’s an interesting story connected to this muhavra. Read on.
Muhavra
Aam ke Aam Guthliyon ke Daam (आम के आम गुठलियों के दाम)
In the scene, Imam Saab is climbing down the steps of the mosque when Basanti catches up with him. Imam Saab requests her to convince Ahmed to take up a bidi-making job in Jabalpur. At that moment, Basanti says (at 0h57m):
"Yun to humein bephijool baat karne ki aadat to hai nahin, lekin sochlo yeh, karkhana bidi ka hai, jab tak dil chaha kaam kiya, nahin to aaram se bidi pee li. yaani ke yeh to wahi misaal hui, ke aam ke aam guthliyon ke daam."
Loosely translated, she says you can work when you like — or just relax and smoke a bidi. It’s like saying: not only do you enjoy the mangoes, you even earn from the seeds!
The English equivalent would be “Two birds with one stone” or “Have your cake and eat it too.”
The Story Behind the Proverb
Last year, I was in the great city of Benares. While strolling through the ghats one cold morning, I saw a small group sipping ginger chai from a steaming aluminium teapot. I joined them. A sadhu in the group was explaining this very proverb.
According to him, years ago, children in villages near Benares would sneak into mango orchards. One clever boy would eat all the mangoes he could, then save the seeds. After collecting a hundred, he’d sell them at the bus stop — enjoying both the fruit and the money. Thus was born the saying, “Aam ke aam, guthliyon ke daam.”
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