THE SWEET REPLY

One day the Emperor Akbar startled his courtiers with a strange question "If somebody pulled my whiskers what sort of punishment should be given to him?" he asked. "He should be flogged!" said one courtier. "He should be hanged!" said another. "He should be beheaded!" said a third. "And what about you, Birbal?" asked the emperor. "What do you think would be the right thing to do if somebody pulled my whiskers?" "He should be given sweets," said Birbal. "Sweets?" gasped the other couriers "Yes", said Birbal. “Sweets, because the only one who would dare pull His Majesty's whiskers is his grandson." So pleased was the emperor with the answer that he pulled off his ring and gave it to Birbal as a reward.

COUNT OF ALL THE CROWS IN THE KINGDOM

Count Of All The Crows In The Kingdom

By nature, emperor Akbar was a kind-hearted man. But there were certain blemishes in him that were wholly human, and they would rather enhance his personality than diminish his stature. One such was his whimsicality. Birbal was always there by his side to set the wrong in him right.

On one evening, when Akbar and Birbal were on their daily walks in the palace gardens, they noticed the lurching of a host of crows on the garden trees. Suddenly Akbar got a thought:

"How many crows are there in my kingdom?"

This thought burrowed into his mind so deeply that he needed an answer from Birbal. As we all know, administrators evince greater interest in the compilation of data for their future plans and execution.

Birbal had wit enough to realize what to do in such emergency.

He readily answered:

"There are ninety five thousand four hundred and sixty-three crows in the kingdom".

Amazed at his quick response, Akbar tried his best to outwit him:

"What if there be more crows than you answered?"

Without hesitation, Birbal replied:

"Then some crows must have visited from neighbouring kingdoms"

"And what if there be less crows?" Demanded Akbar.

And then came Birbal's instant answer! "Then some crows from our kingdom must have gone on vacation to other parts"

Emperor Akbar, thereby, realized that Birbal's wit was a hard nut to crack. Nevertheless, he realized his administrative folly on statistical data.

DHIRAJLAL HIRACHAND AMBANI

Dhirajlal Hirachand  Ambani Founder of Reliance Industries Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani, one of the leading Indian businessmen, was born on December 28, 1932 in Chorwad, Gujarat. Popularly known as Dhirubhai Ambani, he heads The Reliance Industries, India's largest private enterprise. Dhirubhai started off as a small time worker with Arab merchants in the 1950s and moved to Mumbai in 1958 to start his own business in spices. After making modest profits, he moved into textiles and opened his mill near Ahmedabad. Dhirubhai founded Reliance Industries in 1958. After that it was a saga of expansions and successes. Reliance, acknowledged as one of the best-run companies in the world has various sectors like petrochemicals, textiles and is involved in the production of crude oil and gas, to polyester and polymer products. The companies refinery at Jamnagar accounts for over 25% of India's total refining capacity and their plant at Hazira is the biggest chemical complex in India. The company has further diversified into Telecom, Insurance and Internet Businesses, the Power Sector and so on. Now the Reliance group with over 85,000 employees provides almost 5% of the Central Government's total revenue.

Dhirubhai has been one among the select Forbes billionaires and has also figured in the Sunday Times list of top 50 businessmen in Asia. His industrious nature and willingness to take on any risk has made him what he is. In 1986 after a heart attack he has handed over his empire to his two sons Anil and Mukesh. His sons are carrying on the successful

tradition of their illustrious father.

A STORY OF A SERVANT

 One day Akbar and Birbal were riding through the countryside and they happened to pass by a cabbage patch. "Cabbages are such delightful vegetables!" said Akbar. "I just love cabbage." "The cabbage is king of vegetables!" said Birbal. A few weeks later they were riding past the cabbage patch again. This time however, the emperor made a face when he saw the vegetables. "I used to love cabbage but now I have no taste for it." said Akbar. "The cabbage is a tasteless vegetable" agreed Birbal. The emperor was astonished. "But the last time you said it was the king of vegetables!" he said. "I did," admitted Birbal. "But I am your servant Your Majesty, not the cabbage's."