The Farmer and the Well

We all have heard many stories. But have you heard about the story of the farmer and the well? It is a good farmer story for kids. It is a story that took place somewhere near Delhi when King Akbar ruled India. Akbar had ratans in his court. Birbal was one of them. Whenever there was a case that no one else was able to solve, they were sent to Birbal for a solution. Here is one such tricky story which landed in front of Birbal and showed how he could use his cleverness to solve this complicated story of a Greedy farmer. This story will teach us how to think differently and get solutions to any problems that might present themselves.

The Farmer and the Well Story

Once upon a time, there was a farmer named Rakesh. He had recently purchased a farm in one village. One year it so happened that it rained very less in the village. There was no provision of any canal nearby either. So, the farmer was worried about how he would get water for his cops.

Greedy Farmer Story Image

Incidentally, there was a well near his farm which had water. However, the well belonged to another farmer named Raghu. So, Rakesh approached Raghu to sell him the well so that he could use the water for his crops. Raghu was a very greedy farmer. Raghu said to Rakesh, “Sure, I will sell you the well. But once sold, I will not take it back. Anyways, it is of no use to me. So you can have it.” So the well was sold to Rakesh.

The next day, Rakesh went to the farm and decided to take out the water from the well. However, to his surprise, Raghu was present there and stopped him from taking any water from the well. He said, “I have sold you only the well and not the water in it. If you want the water, then you will have to pay more for them!`` On hearing this, Rakesh tried to reason with Raghu, but to no end.

Feeling cheated, finally, Rakesh decided to approach the king for a solution to this predicament. Akbar directly sent the case to Birbal on hearing the case because it was tricky. So, it happened that the case landed on his desk. He heard Rakesh's story and said he would help him solve his problem and get him justice from Raghu.

The Farmer and the Well Story

Birbal Reaches the Well

The next day, Birbal came to the well along with Rakesh. He told Rakesh to draw water from the well. Then Raghu appeared and stopped them from taking the water from the well. Raghu said, “I had sold only the well to Rakesh, not the water in it. If he wants to use the water, then he has to pay extra for them.” Birbal was smart.

He said to Ragu, “Ok, if you say that the water in the well is yours, then you must immediately vacate the well of your water. Since the well belongs to Rajesh, he wants it without any water in it. You have three days to remove all your water and give the well to Rakesh. If you are unable to do so, you will have to pay a heavy penalty and a jail term as well.”

Now, you all must know that it is not easy to remove all water from a well because water keeps coming into the well from underground water bodies. Raghu knew that he had been trapped! He conceded defeat and agreed not to stop Rakesh from taking water from the well.

Birbal pronounced a small fine for Raghu so that it sets an example for others not to think of cheating with others. Since that day, Raghu has never cheated anyone else.

Moral of the Story

Don’t be greedy for anything.

Summary

In this story, we see people(like the greedy farmer Raghu) try to take advantage of people’s innocence and situations. However, we can find solutions to tricky situations if we think rationally. It also tells us that one must be careful while making any kind of agreement with others. One must consider all the eventualities before proceeding with legal agreements. Thus, we learned to not be greedy for anything and always do good for others.