Tenali Raman was a clever poet at the court of King Krishnadevaraya. One summer there was very little rain, and the plants in Tenali’s garden were drying up. Tenali was worried, because drawing water from the deep well every day was hard work.
One night Tenali noticed some thieves hiding behind the bushes near his house. He had an idea. He said loudly to his wife, “There are many thieves in the town these days. Let us put our gold and silver in a box and throw it into the well. It will be safe there.”
The thieves heard every word. Tenali and his wife put some heavy stones into a box and dropped it into the well with a big splash. Then they went to sleep.
The thieves crept to the well and began to draw out the water, bucket after bucket, to find the box. The water ran into the garden. They worked all night, until the well was nearly empty and every plant was soaked.
As the sun rose, Tenali came out and said, “Thank you, my friends! You have watered my whole garden.” The thieves realised they had been tricked, and they ran away.
Moral of the story
A clever mind can turn trouble into help.
New words
- poet
- a person who writes poems
- drawing water
- pulling water up from a well
- crept
- moved slowly and quietly
- soaked
- very wet
- realised
- understood suddenly
- tricked
- fooled
Questions and answers
- Who was Tenali Raman?
Show answer
He was a clever poet at the court of King Krishnadevaraya.
- Why was Tenali worried?
Show answer
His plants were drying up, and drawing water from the deep well every day was hard work.
- What did Tenali say loudly to his wife, and why?
Show answer
He said they would hide their gold and silver in the well, because he wanted the thieves to hear it.
- What did they really put in the box?
Show answer
They put heavy stones in the box.
- How did the thieves water Tenali’s garden?
Show answer
They drew water out of the well all night to find the box, and the water ran into the garden.
- What does this story teach us?
Show answer
It teaches us that a clever mind can turn trouble into help.
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