Birbal: How many crows in the city?

Told in English, Telugu.

Long, long ago, in the great city of Agra, there lived an Emperor named Akbar. He had a grand palace, a big court full of wise men, and one very special friend. That friend's name was Birbal. Birbal was not the strongest man in the court, and he was not the richest. But he was the cleverest, and he could make even the Emperor laugh.

One warm afternoon, Akbar was walking in the palace garden with Birbal beside him. The sun was golden, the flowers were swaying, and up in the mango trees, the crows were making a great noise.

Caw! Caw! Caw!

One crow flew down and pecked at a fallen mango. Another crow hopped along the garden wall. Three more sat on the fountain, looking very important.

Akbar stopped and stared at them. A naughty little idea came into his head. He smiled to himself and said nothing. But the next morning, when all his courtiers had gathered in the big hall, the Emperor stood up from his throne.

He said, "I have a question for all of you today. It is a very simple question. Whoever answers it correctly will get a fine reward."

The courtiers leaned forward. Some of them rubbed their hands. Some of them puffed out their chests. A reward! Each one hoped it would be him.

The Emperor said, "Tell me, how many crows are there in this city?"

The hall became very, very quiet.

One courtier scratched his head. Another courtier looked up at the ceiling, as if the answer might be written there. A third courtier opened his mouth, then closed it again, like a fish.

"Crows, Your Majesty?" said one of them at last. "All the crows in the whole city?"

"Yes," said Akbar. "Every single one."

"But, Your Majesty," said another courtier, "crows fly here and there all day long. They sit on roofs, they sit on trees, they sit on walls. How can anybody count them?"

Akbar only folded his arms and waited. Nobody had an answer. The courtiers looked at each other, very puzzled. Then, slowly, all their eyes turned to one man standing quietly near the window. It was Birbal.

What do you think Birbal will say? Can a person really count all the crows in a city? Let us see.

Birbal stepped forward. He bowed to the Emperor, and his eyes were twinkling.

"Your Majesty," he said, "I know the answer."

The courtiers gasped. Akbar raised his eyebrows. "You do, Birbal? Then tell me. How many crows are there in this city?"

Birbal did not hurry. He stroked his beard. He looked out of the window at the sky. Then he said, in a clear voice, "There are exactly ninety-five thousand, four hundred and sixty-three crows in this city, Your Majesty."

Now the whole court began to whisper. Ninety-five thousand! Four hundred and sixty-three! How could Birbal possibly know such a thing?

Akbar leaned forward on his throne. He wanted to catch his clever friend this time. "Are you sure, Birbal?" he asked. "What if I send my soldiers out to count every crow, and they find more than that?"

Birbal smiled a calm little smile. "Then, Your Majesty, it simply means that some crows from other towns have come here to visit their relatives. Uncles, aunts, cousins, you see. Crows love to visit family, just like we do."

A few courtiers began to giggle. Akbar's moustache twitched. But he was not finished yet.

"And what if my soldiers count," said Akbar, "and they find fewer crows than your number? What then, Birbal?"

Birbal bowed again, as polite as ever. "Then, Your Majesty, it means that some of our city's crows have flown away to other towns to visit their relatives. Perhaps there is a wedding in a nearby village. Crows never like to miss a good feast."

For a moment, there was silence. Then the Emperor threw back his head and laughed. He laughed so loudly that the crows outside the window flapped up into the air in surprise.

Caw! Caw! Caw!

Now the whole court was laughing too. Even the courtiers who had wanted the reward for themselves could not help smiling.

"Birbal, Birbal," said Akbar, wiping a tear from his eye. "Nobody can prove you wrong! If there are more crows, they are guests. If there are fewer, they are travellers. Your answer is right no matter what."

"That is the beauty of it, Your Majesty," said Birbal. "Some questions have no true answer. So the best thing to do is to keep calm, think a little, and give an answer that makes everybody smile."

Akbar clapped his hands. He called for the reward, and a servant brought a fine silk shawl and a bag of gold coins. The Emperor placed the shawl on Birbal's shoulders himself.

"You have counted every crow in Agra," said Akbar with a grin, "without leaving this room!"

That evening, as Birbal walked home, a crow sat on the wall beside the road. It tilted its head and looked at him.

Birbal tipped his head back at it. "Hello, friend," he said. "Are you from this city, or just visiting your cousins?"

The crow said, "Caw!" and flew away. And Birbal laughed all the way home.

So, my dear, the next time someone asks you a tricky question, what will you do? You will take a deep breath, think a little, and maybe, just like Birbal, you will find a clever answer with a smile.