Tenali Rama And The Weight Lifter

Tenali Raman and his wife were travelling to Hampi when they stopped by a village at the foot of a hill. As they entered the village, they noticed that all the villagers were rushing towards the temple. Raman ad his wife became curious to know what the commotion was all about. They followed the villagers and saw a large group of people standing and cheering.

At the centre of the gathering was a weightlifter who was six feet tall. The crowd cheered as he stood at the centre, flexing his huge muscles. The bodybuilder lifted a huge gunny bag and placed it on his shoulders to exhibit his muscular power. He then started to parade around the crowd. 

An old man remarked that the weightlifter was really strong as he could carry 500kgs of rice like it was nothing. Raman immediately remarked that that was nothing and that he could carry a thousand times more weight. Hearing this, the bodybuilder dropped the bag and gazed at Raman. The crowd was shocked too. Seizing the opportunity, Raman said that he could even carry a hill on his shoulders. 

The villagers were even more surprised now. The weightlifter, however, burst into laughter. He challenged Raman to show them what he could do. Raman replied saying that he had said he could do, it didn’t mean he would do it right now. He asked the bodybuilder how many months of preparation did he need to be able to lift that bag. The bodybuilder replied, saying it took him three months to do so. 

Raman replied saying he’ll need six months to be able to carry the hill on his shoulders and in preparation for it, he’ll need to eat a huge amount of food and have someone massage his body daily. 

The village chief agreed to provide Raman and his wife with a house and everything else he asked for. He also ordered the bodybuilder to massage Raman’s body every day, 

The village chief announced that after six months, they would all gather there again to witness Raman’s weightlifting feat. From that day on, the villagers took care of Raman’s dietary needs while the bodybuilder massaged Raman’s body. 

Finally, the day had come, and the villagers gathered at the foot of the hill to witness the weightlifting feat. Raman entered and stood at the foot of the hill in a warrior’s pose and announced that he was ready. The village chief asked Raman what he was waiting for, to which Raman replied that he was waiting for his men to lift the hill and place it on his shoulders. 

This made th village chief furious but Raman didn’t let him finish his sentence. He then reiterated that he had said that he would carry the hill on his shoulders and he was ready to do so once someone placed it on his shoulders. 

The surprised village headman asked Raman who would lift it for him. Raman replied saying it was up to him to decide. After some time, the village chief came to Raman and said that a man of his intelligence could even carry Mount Kailash. He saluted Raman for his wit and so did the other villagers.  

Moral
With quick thinking and intelligence, one can get out of any situation.

The wonderful Tenali Raman stories are more than just stories in English. His tales depict his wisdom, intelligence, and wit. So, narrate these stories to your kids and acquaint them with a clever man.