Monday Musings Season 2 - Episode 106 - Wit and Wisdom

MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 – EPISODE 106

Wit & Wisdom

24th May 2021

Faith + Hope + Courage = Success

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than anything else." Abraham Lincoln

Our last discussion thread was a lengthy one on an intricate but motivating theme. Let us now enjoy some short and light stories, but with a message. Some fun to ‘soothe the nerves’ from the current troubled times.

Akbar and Birbal

Birbal stories are known for ‘Wit and Wisdom’, Contextual Intelligence and the courage to express what is right unmindful of the ire of the employer. Stories of Akbar and Birbal are extremely popular in India especially among children.

Akbar was the third Mughal Emperor to rule over India in the 16th century. He patronized great artists and wise men in his court. They were known as ‘navarathna’ meaning nine jewels. Birbal aka Mahesh Das was one among the navarathnas. Birbal was an advisor to King Akbar.

Who can tell how many crows?

One day Emperor Akbar was taking a stroll in the palace gardens with Birbal. It was a nice summer morning and there were plenty of crows happily playing around a pond. Akbar was in good mood seeing the crows and suddenly a thought came to him. He wondered how many crows would be there in his kingdom. He posed that question to Birbal.

After a moment’s thought, Birbal replied, “There are ninety-five thousand four hundred and sixty-three crows in the Kingdom”.

Akbar was amazed at the speed and the confidence with which Birbal answered but was not convinced. Akbar asked. “How can you be sure? What if there are more crows than you estimated?” Without hesitating, Birbal replied, “If there are more crows than my estimation, then some crows are visiting us from neighboring kingdoms”. “And what if there are less crows”, Akbar insisted. “That means some crows from our kingdom have gone on holidays to other places”. Birbal replied instantly.

Akbar was very pleased with Birbal’s natural intelligence.

#HumorInFormalCommunication

‘Wit and Wisdom’ enlivens otherwise a boring communication and is a great skill for a Leader.

How humor helps in a formal communication? The person who has the sense of humor gets the attention and helps in building trust. Humor is an efficient tool to wean away pressure. Stress is another factor that can be seen in formal communications and can have a negative impact on the productivity. Humor reduces stress. Likewise, it creates a positive atmosphere, which then encourages interactions among the people.

An international survey found out that 91% of the executives surveyed believed that sense of humor is important for career growth and 84% feel that people with ‘sense of humor’ can do a job better than the other lot.

Another advantage of humor is that leaders who use ‘self-deprecating’ humor are considered more approachable and more humane.

Can humor be a part of formal communication? It can sometimes be harsh and unacceptable depending on how and where this behavior is being used. For example, it is not a good idea to use humor in a funeral. Bad humor can be dangerous. Clumsy humor is a risk.

There are many instances where Birbal had to face the ire of Akbar for his humor.

Let us see one more Birbal story where Birbal used his wit to solve a complex problem.

#HaveTheWellButNotTheWater.

Once a man sold his well to a farmer for a sum. When the farmer went to draw water from that well, he was in a shock. The seller said, "I have sold you the well, not the water, so you cannot draw my water from the well."

The farmer got dejected and brought the dispute to the Emperor's court. Akbar asked Birbal to solve the dispute. Birbal called the man who sold the well to the farmer. Birbal asked him, "Why don't you let him use the water of his own well. You have sold the well to the farmer." The man replied, "Birbal, True that I  sold the well to the farmer, not the water. He has no right to draw my water from the well."

Birbal smiled and said to him, "It is interesting, you agree that you sold the well to the farmer but claim rights for the water in the well, You have no right to keep your water in the farmer's well. Either you pay him the rent or keep your water somewhere else."

The seller understood that he has been outsmarted and apologized to everyone and left the court.

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Authored and Posted by Jaganathan T (www.authorjaganathan.com) exclusive for LinkedIn users every Monday. Please follow [email protected] to read every monday.

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