Akbar once put a question to his court that left everyone puzzled. As they all tried to figure out the answer, Birbal walked and asked what the matter was. And so they told him the question. ‘How many crows are there in the city?’ Birbal immediately smiled, went up to Akbar and announced that the answer to his questions was twenty-one thousand five hundred and twenty-three. When asked how he knew the answer, Birbal replied, ‘Ask your men to count the number of crows. If there are more, then the crows’ relatives from outside the city are visiting them. If there are fewer, then the crows a ... read more

The Fox and the Grapes One afternoon, a fox was walking through the forest and spotted a bunch of grapes hanging from a lofty branch. "Just the thing to quench my thirst," said the fox. Taking a few steps back, the fox jumped and just missed the hanging grapes. Again, the fox took a few paces back and tried to reach them, but still failed. Short StoriesFinally, giving up, the fox turned up his nose and said, "They're probably sour anyway." Then he walked away. MORAL: IT'S EASY TO DESPISE WHAT YOU CANNOT HAVE. A note about the story The 'Fox and the Grapes' is often cited as an ... read more

The Stranger in the Garden Once upon a time, there was a man who had a big garden. He had planted many fruit trees and cared for them till they bore fruits. Now he wanted to harvest the fruits and sell them to make money for his family. One fine day, while picking the fruits with his son, the man saw a stranger sitting on the branch of a tree and picking fruits. The man became angry and shouted, "Hey you! What are you doing on my tree? Aren't you ashamed of stealing?" The stranger sitting on the branch looked at the gardener, but didn't reply, and continued picking the fruits. The gar ... read more

Money Can't Buy Everything Nick was a 10 year old boy. He was the only son to his parents. Nick's father was a very busy businessman who could not spend time with his son. He came home after Nick slept, and was off to office before Nick woke up in the morning. Nick yearned for his father's attention. He wanted to go outdoors and play with his father just like his friends did. One day, Nick was surprised to see his father at home in the evening. "Dad, it is a big surprise to see you at home," Nick said. "Yes son, my meeting was cancelled. So I'm at home. But after two hours I have t ... read more

Devan was a clever thief. He robbed the rich and gave all to the sick and the needy. The other thieves were jealous of him. They planned to get rid of him. They challenged to steal the King’s Pyjamas. Deven accepted the challenge. After that he prepared to execute the new challenge. He charted out a plan to steal the King. He prepared himself mentally to carry out a plan. He went to the King’s Palace. He found the King sleeping. He opened a bottle of red ants on the bed. The King was badly bitten. He cried for help. The servants rushed in. They pretended to look for ants. Deven removed ... read more