Find some stories
about Birbal and read
them to the class.
Answers
Answer:
1. The Crows in The Kingdom
On one fine sunny day, Akbar and Birbal were taking a leisurely walk in the palace gardens. Suddenly, Akbar thought of testing Birbal’s wits by asking him a tricky question. Emperor asked Birbal, “How many crows are there in our kingdom?” Birbal could sense the amusement in the king’s voice, and within a few minutes Birbal replied, “My king, there are eighty thousand nine hundred and seventy-one crows in our kingdom”. Surprised and amazed, Akbar further tested Birbal, “What if we have more crows?” Birbal replied, “Oh, then the crows from the other kingdoms must be visiting us’’. “ What if there are lesser crows?” asked Akbar. “Well, then some of our crows must be visiting other kingdoms”, replied Birbal with a grin on his face. Akbar smiled at Birbal’s great sense of humour and wit.
Moral
There is always a solution if one thinks with ease.
2. Birbal’s Khichadi
Once on a cold winter day, Akbar and Birbal were walking by a lake. Akbar stopped and put his finger into the freezing water and immediately took it out saying, “I don’t think anyone can sustain a night in this cold water”. Birbal took that as a challenge and said that he would find someone who can do it. Akbar promised a sum of 1000 gold coins to whoever could spend a night standing in the cold water of the lake. Soon, Birbal found a poor man who agreed to undertake the challenge for the 1000 gold coins. Guarded by two royal guards, the poor man spent the entire night standing in the freezing water. In the morning, the poor man was taken to court for the reward. On being asked by the king how he could stand in freezing water, the man replied, “My lord, I kept looking at a lamp that was burning at a distance, and spent my entire night looking at it”. On learning this, the emperor said, “This man is not worthy of the reward as he could manage to stand in the lake because he was getting warmth from the lamp”. The poor man felt doomed and heart-broken. He reached out to Birbal for help. Birbal didn’t go to the court the next day. Akbar visited Birbal to find the reason. To his amusement, the King found Birbal sitting beside the fire with a pot hanging almost 6 feet above it. On being enquired, Birbal said, “I am cooking khichadi, my lord”. Akbar started laughing and said that was impossible. Birbal said, “It is possible my King. If a poor man can stay warm by simply looking at the lamp burning at a distance, I can cook this khichadi the same way.” Akbar understood Birbal’s point and rewarded the poor man for completing the challenge.
Moral
Hope can inspire people to work hard
3. The Foolish Thief
Once upon a time, a rich merchant was robbed in King Akbar’s kingdom. The grief-stricken merchant went to the court and asked for help. Akbar asked Birbal to help the merchant find the robber. The merchant told Birbal that he was suspicious of one of his servants. On getting the hint from the merchant, Birbal summoned all the servants and told them to stand in a straight line. When asked about the robbery, everyone denied doing it, as expected. Birbal then handed over one stick of the same length, to each one of them. While dispersing, Birbal said, “By tomorrow, the robber’s stick will increase by two inches”. The next day when Birbal summoned everyone and inspected their sticks, one servant’s stick was shorter by two inches. On being asked by the merchant about the mystery of finding the real thief, Birbal said, “It was simple: the thief had cut his stick by two inches, fearing that it would increase in size”.
Moral
Truth always prevails.
Explanation: