Summary
"The Nose-Jewel" is a short story written by C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji), one of India's most prominent statesmen and writers. The story is set in a small Indian town and revolves around a simple man named Ramayya, his wife, and a pair of sparrows that have built a nest on the tiled roof of their house.
The male sparrow, who is curious and meddlesome, observes that Ramayya's wife always quarrels with her husband. He wants to help the poor family, but the practical female sparrow advises him to mind their own business and focus on protecting their nest from the cat and feeding their young ones.
One day, the male sparrow finds a diamond nose-jewel lying in a muck-heap and brings it to the nest. The female sparrow dismisses it, asking him to find food (grub) for the hungry chicks instead. The sparrow drops the diamond stud on the floor of Ramayya's house.
Ramayya's wife finds the jewel while sweeping and wears it with delight. When Ramayya sees it, he is alarmed and insists they should hand it over to the village magistrate, warning that if the police come searching, it would be a disgrace. However, his wife keeps the jewel.