The Farmer who Bought a Well

AKBAR BIRBAL STORIES SERIES

Once there was a farmer who bought a well from a very rich man. He bought it so that he may irrigate his land from the well water. The rich man asked for a good amount for the well and the farmer paid it. One day when the farmer tried to draw water from the well, the rich man stopped him and said he isn’t obligated to give any water from the well as he sold only the well but not the water.

The farmer was puzzled and confused. He thus went to the court of Akbar to seek justice. Akbar too became confused and decided that they should ask Birbal.

To solve the problem Birbal went to visit the rich man who was causing problems for the farmer. The rich man insisted to Birbal that he had sold the well and not the water, but Birbal responded that, since this is the case, he would either have to move all of the water or pay rent for it.

Now the rich man understood that his trick would not work in front of Birbal and so he now decided that he would let the farmer use the well from the water, and eventually, he let him use it.

Moral of the Story: Don’t try to cheat, or you’ll regret it in the end. You may have to pay for your mistakes.