The List of Blind People

One bright morning, Emperor Akbar and his favorite minister, Birbal, were taking a walk in the royal gardens. The Emperor seemed deep in thought. Suddenly, he stopped and turned to Birbal. “Birbal,” he asked, “there are so many people in our kingdom. Do you know how many of them are blind?” Birbal thought for a moment. “Your Majesty, I believe there are many blind people. In fact, I would say there are more blind people than those who can see.”

Akbar laughed. “That is impossible, Birbal! Most people I see have perfectly good eyes. Prove it to me.” “Give me one day, Jahanpanah,” said Birbal. “I will present you with the list of blind people tomorrow.”

The next morning, the sun was blazing hot. In the middle of the busy market square, Birbal sat down on a small mat. He took an old shoe and a needle and thread. He began to mend the shoe, stitching it carefully. A group of courtiers passed by. They were surprised to see the Royal Minister acting like a cobbler. “Birbal!” called out one nobleman. “What are you doing here in this heat?” Birbal didn’t look up. He just signaled his scribe, who was hiding nearby, to write down the nobleman’s name on a scroll. “NEXT!” muttered Birbal.

Then, a fruit seller walked by. “Birbal? Is that you? What are you doing?” Birbal signaled the scribe again. The fruit seller’s name went on the list. One by one, people gathered. Shopkeepers, soldiers, and travelers all stopped. “Birbal, have you lost your job? What are you doing?” “Birbal, are you mending shoes?” To every question, Birbal remained silent, just mending the shoe. And for every question, the scribe added a name to the list.

Finally, news reached the Emperor that his minister had gone mad. Akbar rushed to the market. He pushed through the crowd and stood in front of Birbal. “Birbal!” shouted the Emperor. “What on earth are you doing sitting here mending a shoe?” Birbal stopped stitching. He looked up at the Emperor. Then he looked at the scribe. “Write his name at the top of the list,” said Birbal.

Akbar was furious. “My name? What list is this?” Birbal stood up and dusted his clothes. “This, Your Majesty, is the list of blind people in our kingdom.” He unrolled the long scroll. “Here is the General, the Treasurer, the Fruit Seller… and look, here is your name, Emperor Akbar.”

“How dare you!” roared Akbar. “I can see perfectly well!” “Can you, my Lord?” asked Birbal calmly. “You saw me sitting here with a shoe, a needle, and thread. You saw me moving my hand up and down, stitching the leather. Yet, you still asked, ‘What are you doing?’. You saw, but you did not observe. Isn’t that a form of blindness?”

The crowd went silent. Then, slowly, Akbar began to smile. He realized his mistake. Everyone had seen the obvious action, yet they asked the obvious question because they didn’t use their minds. “You are right, Birbal,” laughed the Emperor. “We all have eyes, but we don’t always use them. You have opened my eyes today.” He tore up the list and gave Birbal a bag of gold coins for his wisdom.

Moral of the Story: Seeing is not just looking with your eyes; it is understanding with your mind. Don’t ask questions when the answer is right in front of you.

Moral of the Story: Seeing is not just looking; it is observing and understanding.