BIRBAL STORIES

• Back to Square One
• Birbal Catches A Thief
• Half the Reward
• The Jealous Courtiers
• Cooking the Khichdi!
• List of the blind
• The Well dispute
• The Blind Saint
• Birbal identifies the thief
• Birbal's Painting
• Question For Question
• The Musical Genius
• Birbal, The Wise
• The True King
• Limping Horse
• Birbal's Sweet Reply
• Birbal Is Brief
• Birbal, The Child
• Just One Question
• The Emperor's Servant
• The Loyal Gardener
• Birbal Identifies a Guest
• Birbal Betrays Himself
• Noble Beggar
• Birbal's Choice
• Birbal Turns the Tables
• Birbal Returns Home
• Birbal Denies a Rumour
• The Sharpest Shield and Sword
• Birbal Outwits a Cheat
• Birbal Shortens a Road

Birbal's Painting

Once Akbar told Birbal "Birbal, make me a painting. Use imagination in
it. To which the reply was "But hoozoor, I am a minister, how can I
possibly paint?".The king was angry and said "If I don't get a good
painting by one week then you shall be hanged!". The clever Birbal had an
idea. After one week, he went to the court and with him he carried a covered frame. Akbar was happy to see that Birbal had obeyed him, until he opened the cover. The courtiers rushed to see what was wrong. What they saw made them feel very happy. At last, they would not see Birbal in court! The painting was nothing but ground and sky. There were a few specs of green on the ground. The Emperor, angrily, told Birbal "what is this!" To which the reply was "A cow eating grass hoozoor!". Akbar said "where is the cow and grass?" and Birbal told "I used my imagination. The cow ate the grass and returned to its shed!"

Contributed by Aftab Lokhandwala