First Meeting

Emperor Akbar had a mobile court which one day found itself in a village in what is now Madhya Pradesh, where a young Brahmin farmer, Mahesh Das, lived. Mahesh heard a herald announce that Emperor Akbar would award a thousand gold coins to the artist who pleased him with the most realistic portrait of the Emperor.

On the appointed day and time, there was a beeline of artists before the Court; each had a covered picture of the Emperor. Everyone in the Court was anxious to find who would get the coveted prize of one thousand gold coins.

Akbar, sitting on a high throne, received the folded portraits and rejected them one by one with his cryptic comments.

“No. This is not exactly what I am now.”

The poor Brahmin, Mahesh Das, who later became famous as Birbal, was waiting for his chance. He was the last to show the portrait he carried with him.

Birbal’s Solution

When Mahesh’s turn came, Emperor Akbar was already piqued: “Are you like the rest of the incapables who have unsatisfactorily produced my portraits, which don’t exactly show me what I am now?”?

Whereupon Mahesh, without fear yet in a tone of humility, said:

“Look, my Emperor, into it and satisfy yourself.”

Strangely, it was not a drawing or painting, but a mirror that emerged from the folds of Mahesh’s garments to show the Emperor precisely what he was then.

“The best replica of Emperor Akbar,’ everyone chorused

Akbar received Mahesh Das with open arms to the applause of everyone in the open Court and rewarded him with a thousand gold coins. He also gave Mahesh a ring with the Royal Seal and invited him to meet the Emperor in his capital, Fatehpur Sikri

Management Moral 1:?Learn what your client wants and give it to him so that his need is fulfilled. What Akbar wanted was not an artist’s impression of himself, but reality – which only a mirror could provide.

Management Moral 2:?With all humility, Mahesh made the Emperor realise that it was not possible to get what he wanted. And for this, he won the prize, despite not having done what the Emperor wanted – a perfect portrait. An argument with one’s superiors would be termed arrogant behaviour and could get one the sack.

But the practical proof of the impossibility of the Emperor’s request made him the wiser for it and earned the contestant his reward! So by all means, communicate what you have in mind, but diplomatically.