Akbar and Birbal: The Clever Answer

Long ago, Emperor Akbar's court was known for lively questions and thoughtful discussions. Among his advisers was Birbal, whose calm wit often helped him see a problem from an unexpected direction.

One day, Akbar decided to give the court a puzzle. He drew a straight line on a smooth board and placed it where everyone could see.

“Can anyone make this line appear shorter,” Akbar asked, “without touching it, rubbing it out, or changing it?”

The courtiers studied the line. One tilted his head. Another walked around the board. They whispered possible answers, but every idea involved changing the original line.

Birbal smiled and asked for another piece of chalk. Without touching Akbar's line, he drew a second, much longer line beside it.

At once, the first line appeared shorter.

Akbar looked at the two lines and laughed with delight. Birbal had followed every rule and still found a simple solution.

“Excellent, Birbal,” Akbar said. “You did not fight the problem. You changed the way everyone looked at it.”

The court applauded, and Birbal bowed modestly.

From then on, the courtiers remembered that a difficult question may become easier when we look at it from a fresh point of view.

Moral: Every problem may reveal a solution when you think creatively.