Akbar and Birbal (Tales of Humour)

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`Birbal, oh Birbal!' the emperor exclaimed. 'You are wiser than any philosopher.'

Stories about Mughal Emperor Akbar and his witty and intelligent prime minister, Birbal, have delighted readers since time immemorial. In this lively collection, learn how an ordinary young man, Mahesh Das, became the beloved Raja Birbal we all know today, and how he uses his famous wit, time and again, to build a 'celestial palace' for Emperor Akbar, order a census of crows, trap a thief using a magic bamboo, and much more.

Replete with wisdom and wit, and brought to life by Tapas Guha's beautiful illustrations, this clever collection of stories also offers valuable life lessons hidden beneath its humour.

Monisha Mukundan spent her childhood travelling. Though she has lived in Delhi ever since, she still loves to travel and to read of faraway places and faraway times. She has hundreds of travel plans and an equal number of stories, all of which, she hopes, will happen one day soon.

This is her fifth book for children.

Akbar, the third Mughal emperor, had many talented and clever people at his court. Among them was a man called Raja Birbal, who was a special favourite of the emperor because of his quick wit. Raja Birbal wrote poetry, and Akbar gave him the title of Poet Laureate. He liked to have Birbal near him, because he enjoyed his conversation and his clever way with words.

In the four hundred years since Emperor Akbar ruled India and since Birbal's poems and sayings and ready answers made the great emperor laugh and think, many stories have been told about them. Some may be true, many are not. They are folk tales, or stories that people have passed on from one generation to the next, by telling them again and again. Storytellers have added to the stories and changed them. Nevertheless, they remain popular because they are fun to hear and to read and they make us laugh. And, sometimes, they make us think about what is true and good in our lives.