BBC Compacta Class 8 Solutions - Classroom Assignment- 40

Write a short story based on the following hints. Remember to give your story a suitable title.

Emperor Akbar very fond of Birbal - other nobles at court extremely jealous - decide to get him banished - tell Akbar to ask difficult question - certain Birbal would not be able to answer - punishment - to be banished - Akbar asks Birbal how many stars in sky - Birbal asks for some days to answer - finally comes to court with sheep - tells Akbar he has counted stars - the number is same as number of hair on sheep - tells nobles to count if they want to verify- Akbar has hearty laugh - rewards Birbal handsomely 

Ans: 

"The Count of Stars and Sheep"

Once in the grand court of Emperor Akbar, where wisdom and wit found a generous patron, there existed a simmering cauldron of jealousy. Akbar's fondness for his wisest minister, Birbal, was well-known, as was the envy it bred among the other nobles. One day, they hatched a plan to dethrone Birbal from his revered position by presenting him with an impossible question.

Under the guise of an intellectual challenge, they persuaded Emperor Akbar to ask Birbal how many stars graced the night sky, certain that not even Birbal's famed wisdom could yield an answer to this celestial query. Failure to answer, they suggested, should warrant banishment.

Birbal, understanding the malice behind the question, requested a few days to come up with the answer. The court waited with bated breath. On the appointed day, Birbal led a sheep into the court and declared he had the answer.

He proclaimed, "The number of stars in the sky is exactly equal to the number of hairs on this sheep."

The court erupted in disbelief, and Akbar, with a knowing smile, challenged the other nobles to verify the count if they doubted Birbal's word. Realizing the impossibility of counting the hairs on the sheep, let alone the stars in the sky, the nobles were left speechless. Akbar's laughter resonated through the halls as he commended Birbal's ingenuity.

For his unmatched wit in outsmarting the envious nobles and upholding the dignity of the court, Emperor Akbar rewarded Birbal handsomely, cementing his position as the jewel of the court. And so, Birbal's wisdom shone bright as the stars he had counted, unreachable and resplendent.