Tenali Raman Stories in English for Kids

In a small village in India, there lived a clever man named Tenali Raman.

He was known far and wide for his intelligence and wit. Everyone in the village respected and admired him.

One day, a dispute arose between two farmers over a piece of land.

The farmers, Ramu and Shyam, both claimed that the land belonged to them and argued fiercely about it.

The villagers were worried about the escalating conflict and decided to seek Tenali Raman’s help.

They believed that his wisdom could resolve the dispute peacefully.

Tenali Raman listened to both Ramu and Shyam’s sides of the story carefully. After understanding the situation, he came up with a brilliant idea.

He said to Ramu and Shyam, “Instead of fighting over the land, let’s have a contest to see who truly deserves it.”

Ramu and Shyam agreed to the contest, curious about what Tenali Raman had in mind.

The next day, a large pit was dug in the disputed land. Tenali Raman placed a bag of gold coins at the bottom of the pit and covered it with a thin layer of soil.

He then called Ramu and Shyam and said, “The one who can fill this pit with water first will win the land and the bag of gold coins.”

Ramu and Shyam were puzzled but accepted the challenge. They started fetching water from the nearby river using buckets and pouring it into the pit.

As hours passed, Ramu grew tired and frustrated. He realized that filling the pit with water would take a long time and a lot of effort.

On the other hand, Shyam thought carefully about the situation.

He observed that the water he poured into the pit was getting absorbed by the soil and not filling the pit effectively.

Shyam then approached Tenali Raman and said, “I understand now that filling the pit with water won’t work. It will only waste our time and energy.”

Tenali Raman nodded and praised Shyam for his wisdom.

He declared Shyam as the rightful owner of the land and rewarded him with the bag of gold coins.

Ramu, realizing his mistake, apologized for his stubbornness and thanked Tenali Raman for helping them find a fair solution.

The villagers applauded Tenali Raman for his cleverness and for resolving the dispute peacefully.

From that day on, Ramu and Shyam worked together as friends, sharing the land and using it to grow crops for the benefit of the entire village.

And so, Tenali Raman’s wise decision brought harmony and unity to the village, teaching everyone the importance of thinking smartly and resolving conflicts peacefully.

In a lively town in India, there lived a witty and clever man named Tenali Raman.

He was loved by everyone for his intelligence and sense of humor.

One day, as the town prepared to celebrate Tenali Raman’s birthday, an unexpected problem arose.

The king, who was fond of Tenali Raman, wanted to give him a special gift.

However, he couldn’t decide what to give, as Tenali Raman already seemed to have everything he needed.

The ministers and advisors brainstormed ideas but couldn’t come up with anything unique.

That’s when the king turned to Tenali Raman himself and asked for his suggestion.

Tenali Raman thought for a moment and then said, “Your Majesty, I have a humble request for my birthday gift.

I ask for a single grain of rice today, but I want you to double the amount and give me double the grains of rice each day for the next 30 days.”

The king found Tenali Raman’s request strange but agreed to fulfill it, intrigued by the clever man’s idea.

On the first day of Tenali Raman’s birthday, the king presented him with a single grain of rice, as requested.

The next day, the king doubled the amount and gave him two grains of rice.

Each day, the king doubled the previous day’s amount of rice and gave it to Tenali Raman.

At first, the amounts seemed small and insignificant. But as the days passed, the quantity of rice started to grow exponentially.

By the 10th day, Tenali Raman had received 512 grains of rice. On the 20th day, he received over 500,000 grains of rice.

And on the 30th and final day, he received a whopping 1,073,741,824 grains of rice!

The king was astonished by the massive amount of rice accumulated over just 30 days.

He realized that Tenaliraman’s request was not just a simple one but a clever way to showcase the power of exponential growth.

Tenali Raman, with a smile, thanked the king for the generous gift of rice and explained the mathematical concept behind his request.

The king appreciated Tenali Raman’s intelligence and creativity, and from that day on, he consulted him for important matters, knowing that Tenali Raman’s wisdom was invaluable to the kingdom.

And so, Tenali Raman’s birthday gift became a lesson in mathematics and strategic thinking, reminding everyone that sometimes, the simplest requests can hold profound meanings.

Key Vocabulary

Tenali Raman and the Wise Decision

Tenali Raman’s Birthday Gift

• Tenali Raman – a clever and wise man known for smart solutions

• Village – a small place where people live, smaller than a town

• Clever – smart and quick at thinking

• Wit – the ability to say or do smart and funny things

• Dispute – an argument or disagreement

• Claim – to say something belongs to you

• Conflict – a serious disagreement or fight

• Resolve – to solve a problem

• Peacefully – without fighting or anger

• Contest – a competition to decide a winner

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Land & Decision Vocabulary

• Pit – a deep hole in the ground

• Disputed land – land that two people argue over

• Challenge – a difficult task to test someone

• Effort – hard work

• Absorbed – soaked in (liquid going into soil)

• Stubbornness – refusing to change your mind

• Wisdom – the ability to make good decisions

• Reward – something given as a prize

• Rightful owner – the person who truly deserves something

• Harmony – peace and happiness together

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Birthday Gift & Math Vocabulary

• King – the ruler of a kingdom

• Minister – a helper or advisor to the king

• Request – a polite ask

• Grain – a very small piece (here, rice)

• Double – to make something twice as much

• Amount – how much of something there is

• Exponential growth – very fast increase where numbers double again and again

• Astonished – very surprised

• Accumulated – collected over time

• Concept – an idea or understanding

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Moral & Thinking Vocabulary

• Intelligence – the ability to think and understand

• Strategic thinking – planning smartly before acting

• Lesson – something learned from a story

• Creativity – using imagination and new ideas

• Unity – working together peacefully

• Benefit – something good that helps people

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Message for Students

Think before you act.
Smart thinking solves problems better than force.