Once upon a time, Birbal was delayed in coming to the court. Emperor Akbar was eagerly waiting for Birbal. When Birbal finally arrived, Akbar asked him about the reason for his delay. Birbal explained that when he was leaving home that day, his little children stopped him and insisted on not letting him go anywhere. Trying to understand and convince the children took some extra time, leading to the delay.
The emperor did not completely believe Birbal’s explanation. He thought that Birbal was making up a false excuse for being late. Akbar suggested that pacifying children is not such a difficult task and that, if necessary, a little scolding could have made them understand.
Birbal, however, knew well that dealing with innocent questions and stubbornness of children could be quite challenging. When Akbar wasn’t satisfied, Birbal proposed a solution. He suggested that he could prove how difficult it is to make small children understand by behaving like a child himself, and the emperor would have to play along and try to convince him.
Without wasting time, Birbal started screaming and crying like a child. The emperor picked him up in his arms to comfort him. Birbal, sitting in the emperor’s lap, started playing with his long mustache, acting exactly like a child. Akbar was not yet perturbed.
When Birbal got tired of playing with the mustache, he began demanding sugarcane to eat. The emperor ordered a servant to bring sugarcane. However, Birbal insisted that he wanted the sugarcane to be cut into small pieces. A servant cut the sugarcane into small pieces, and Birbal threw them on the ground.
Seeing this, the emperor became angry. He asked Birbal, “Why did you throw the sugarcane on the ground? Just quietly eat it.” Ignoring the scolding, Birbal continued to cry loudly.
Akbar, trying to understand Birbal’s behavior, asked, “Why are you crying, Birbal?” Birbal replied, “I don’t want a big sugarcane; I want to eat the sugarcane by joining these small pieces on the ground.”
Now, Emperor Akbar’s frustration was growing. He asked Birbal, “According to your stubbornness, you have been given a big sugarcane, why aren’t you eating it?” Birbal responded, “I want to join these small pieces together and then eat a big sugarcane.” Seeing Birbal’s persistence, Akbar scratched his head in confusion and went back to his seat.
Witnessing the emperor’s distress, Birbal ended the childlike drama and approached Akbar. He asked the emperor, “Do you now agree that it is indeed difficult to make children understand?” Akbar nodded in agreement and smiled at Birbal.
The moral of the story is that children are innocent and dealing with their curious questions and stubbornness can be challenging. By empathizing with them and providing examples, their curiosity can be satisfied without unnecessary scolding.
