Tenali Raman and the Thieves

The witty poet of Vijayanagara

Long ago, the great kingdom of Vijayanagara was ruled by King Krishnadevaraya (கிருஷ்ணதேவராயர்). His court was full of poets and scholars, but the one everyone remembers best is Tenali Raman (தெனாலி ராமன்), a poet famous for his quick wit and his clever tricks.

Stories about Tenali Raman are loved all over South India, and Tamil grandparents have been telling them to children for generations. This is one of the funniest.

A dry, dry summer

The story goes that one year, the summer was terribly hot. There had been no rain for weeks. In Tenali Raman's garden, the banana plants drooped, the vegetable creepers curled up, and the flowers hung their heads.

The only water was deep down in the well (கிணறு) behind the house, and drawing it up bucket by bucket was slow, back-breaking work.

"Our poor plants are so thirsty," sighed Tenali Raman's wife. "It would take all day to water the whole garden."

"Hmm," said Tenali Raman, rubbing his chin. "Let me think about it."

Rustling in the bushes

That night, as the family got ready for bed, Tenali Raman heard a rustle near the garden wall. He peeped out of the window. There, in the moonlight, he saw a few men crouching behind the bushes, whispering to each other.

Thieves! They were waiting for the family to fall asleep so they could creep in and steal.

Tenali Raman did not shout. He did not run for help. Instead, a slow smile spread across his face. He tiptoed over to his wife and whispered in her ear. She nodded and smiled too.

Then Tenali Raman spoke in a very loud voice, loud enough for the bushes to hear.

"Wife! I have heard that there are thieves about in the city. We cannot keep our gold and jewels in the house tonight!"

"Oh dear," said his wife, just as loudly. "Then where shall we hide them?"

"In the well, of course! Put everything into the big box (பெட்டி) and we will drop it in. No thief would ever think of looking there!"

Inside the house, the two of them quickly filled a heavy wooden box, not with gold and jewels, but with stones and broken bricks. They carried it out to the well, huffing and puffing as if it were full of treasure, and then...

SPLASH!

Down it went. Tenali Raman yawned loudly, went back inside and blew out the lamp.

A long night's work

Behind the bushes, the thieves could hardly believe their luck.

"A whole box of gold!" whispered one. "All we have to do is get the water out of the well."

So they found the bucket and rope and began to draw water. Up came one bucket, and they poured it out on the ground. Up came another, and another, and another. The water they poured away ran off along the little channels in the garden, straight to the thirsty plants.

All night long the thieves worked. Their arms ached. Their backs hurt. Their hands grew sore from the rope. But every time they thought of the gold, they kept going.

At last, just before dawn, the water was low enough. They hooked the box, heaved it up, and pulled open the lid.

Stones. Nothing but stones and broken bricks.

Good morning, friends!

Just then, Tenali Raman's cheerful voice rang out from the window.

"Good morning, my friends! Thank you so much for watering my garden. My plants have never looked so happy! Do come back next week. They will be thirsty again!"

The thieves looked at each other, then at the garden, now green and dripping. They had been tricked! They dropped the rope and ran off as fast as their tired legs could carry them.

When the story reached the royal court, King Krishnadevaraya laughed until his crown nearly slipped. "Only Tenali Raman," he said, "could turn a gang of thieves into gardeners!"

The lesson

When trouble comes, stay calm and think. A clever idea can be stronger than a strong arm, and greedy people are often the easiest to fool.

Talk about it

• How did Tenali Raman stay calm when he saw the thieves? What might have happened if he had shouted?
• Why do you think the thieves believed him so easily?
• Can you think of a time when you solved a problem by thinking instead of rushing?