This is a story about a line.

Once there was a prosperous farmer, who had two sons Ram and Shyam. Ram and Shyam hated each other since childhood. For years the farmer tried to reconcile them, but to no avail. At last, on his deathbed, the farmer decided to split his land equally among the brothers. With a stick, he drew a line on the ground, and gave the left half to Ram and the right half to Shyam.

The line became a mud-road. Each brother married, and from day one told their wives to hate the other. When Ram added a second story to his house, Shyam added two floors. When Shyam's dog accidentally crossed into Ram's courtyard, Ram shot it dead.

The line became a busy street. Ram had a daughter Gautami. Shyam had a son Bhargava. Shyam encouraged Bhargava to throw stones at Ram's cows. Gautami poured ink on Bhargava's notebook in school. The children inherited their parents' hate.

The line became a state highway. Bhargava and his friends sneaked up at night and lit Ram's barn on fire. It was a major financial loss for Ram. In revenge, Gautami planted drugs on Bhargava and had him arrested.

The line became a national highway. Ram hired rowdies to ransack Shyam's place. Shyam responded by hiring his own gang. Three people died, twelve injured.

Then tragedy struck Ram: both his kidneys failed. Try as they might, they couldn't find a compatible donor. Just when all hopes were fading, there came news: someone had donated a kidney.

The operation was a success. Ram was eager to thank the donor, but the doctor wouldn't tell who the donor was. Burning with desire to know, Ram hired a detective.

Ram was back in his home when he got the detective's mail. When he read it, he was astonished: It was Shyam. Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked across the line into his brother's eyes. 

Getting up, he ran across to embrace his brother .... BAM! An oil tanker smashed into Ram. The driver lost control of the vehicle and the tanker exploded killing everyone in Ram's and Shyam's household.

Moral of the story: Before crossing National Highways, look both sides for traffic.