Why Does a Crow Caw
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In one of his playful, testing moods, Emperor Akbar posed a strange riddle to his entire court, asking simply why a crow caws the way it does, and demanding a satisfying answer from anyone clever enough to provide one. The courtiers offered various uncertain guesses about birds and nature, none of which satisfied the emperor, who waved each attempt away as insufficient. When it was finally Birbal's turn, he answered without hesitation, explaining that a crow caws because it does not wish to sing softly like a cuckoo, and because it does not have a sweet voice to begin with, and because, quite simply, that loud and harsh sound was the only kind of voice it had been given by nature. Akbar, slightly annoyed that the answer seemed almost too simple, pressed further and asked why a crow specifically does not sing like a cuckoo instead. Birbal replied calmly that if a crow could sing like a cuckoo, it would no longer be called a crow, it would be called a cuckoo, and the emperor's question itself would no longer make any sense to ask. The court erupted into laughter at how effortlessly Birbal had turned the impossible riddle back upon itself, leaving Akbar with no further question to ask and a wide, reluctant smile on his face.
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In one of his playful, testing moods, Emperor Akbar posed a strange riddle to his entire court, asking simply why a crow caws the way it does, and demanding a satisfying answer from anyone clever enough to provide one. The courtiers offered various uncertain guesses about birds and nature, none of which satisfied the emperor, who waved each attempt away as insufficient. When it was finally Birbal's turn, he answered without hesitation, explaining that a crow caws because it does not wish to sing softly like a cuckoo, and because it does not have a sweet voice to begin with, and because, quite simply, that loud and harsh sound was the only kind of voice it had been given by nature. Akbar, slightly annoyed that the answer seemed almost too simple, pressed further and asked why a crow specifically does not sing like a cuckoo instead. Birbal replied calmly that if a crow could sing like a cuckoo, it would no longer be called a crow, it would be called a cuckoo, and the emperor's question itself would no longer make any sense to ask. The court erupted into laughter at how effortlessly Birbal had turned the impossible riddle back upon itself, leaving Akbar with no further question to ask and a wide, reluctant smile on his face.
