38 - A Close Shave
Summary
TLDRIn this episode of 'Stories from India,' host Narad Muni narrates a tale of Emperor Akbar and his wise minister Birbal. The story revolves around a conspiracy by Akbar's ministers and the royal barber to get rid of Birbal by tricking him into a fake afterlife mission. Birbal, however, outsmarts them by faking his own death and reappearing later to reveal the truth. The episode ends with the conspirators imprisoned and a humorous twist that Birbal's presence is sorely missed in heaven due to the lack of a skilled barber for Akbar's bearded ancestors.
Takeaways
- ποΈ The podcast 'Stories from India' narrates myths, legends, and folk tales, hosted by a character named Narad Muni who is a mythological figure with eternal life and knowledge of past, present, and future.
- π The story focuses on Emperor Akbar and his favorite minister, Birbal, known for his wisdom and wit in solving problems and answering difficult questions.
- π During a poker night, other ministers and the emperor's barber express their discontent with Birbal's favored status and plan to get rid of him by exploiting Akbar's belief in the afterlife.
- π Birbal becomes aware of the conspiracy and devises a plan to outsmart his enemies by pretending to go to the afterlife to check on the emperor's ancestors.
- π₯ Birbal creates a spectacle of his 'journey to the afterlife' by having a pyre set on fire, while secretly escaping through a tunnel back to his home.
- πΊ For a month, Birbal stays at home, binge-watching Netflix shows and growing a full beard, all while his enemies believe he has been sent to the afterlife.
- π Birbal makes a dramatic reappearance at the emperor's court, surprising everyone and delighting Akbar, who had been bored without his witty minister.
- π΄ Birbal tells Akbar that his ancestors in heaven are comfortable but lack good barbers, as evidenced by their long beards, which leads to a humorous situation.
- πͺ The barber, part of the conspiracy, is ordered by Akbar to go to heaven, but instead, he and the other conspirators end up in prison.
- π The story ends with Birbal's victory, showing his resourcefulness and the consequences for those who conspired against him.
- πΆ The podcast is supported by music from Purple Planet and encourages listeners to engage through comments, reviews, and social media.
Q & A
What is the podcast 'Stories from India' about?
-The podcast 'Stories from India' is about myths, legends, and folk tales from India, hosted by Narad Money, a mythological character with eternal life and knowledge of the past, present, and future.
Who is the main character in the story of Akbar and Bebel?
-The main characters in the story are Akbar, the emperor of most of medieval India, and Bebel, his favorite minister known for his wisdom and resourcefulness.
Why did the ministers and the barber dislike Bebel?
-The ministers and the barber disliked Bebel because they felt he was favored by the emperor and his influence was causing issues for them, such as budget cuts and being asked silly questions.
What was the plan devised by the ministers and the barber to get rid of Bebel?
-The plan was to exploit Akbar's belief in the afterlife by suggesting that someone be sent to the afterlife to help the emperor's ancestors. They hoped that Bebel, being the wisest, would be chosen for this task.
How did Bebel prepare for his supposed journey to the afterlife?
-Bebel used the month of preparation to dig a tunnel under the stack of wood where he was supposed to be burned. The tunnel led back to his house where he stocked up on food and spent a month watching TV.
What happened to the conspirators who tried to get rid of Bebel?
-The conspirators ended up in prison after their plan was exposed. They later applied for an exchange program to another kingdom.
What was the reason Akbar ordered the barber to be sent to heaven?
-Akbar ordered the barber to be sent to heaven because Bebel reported that the emperor's ancestors in heaven were in need of a good barber, as their beards had grown very long.
How did Bebel manage to reappear in the court after supposedly being sent to the afterlife?
-Bebel reappeared in the court by using the tunnel he had dug during his preparation. He grew a full beard to match his story of having been in heaven and walked in during an All Hands meeting.
What was the reaction of the court when Bebel reappeared?
-There were gasps all around as people recognized Bebel. Akbar was delighted, and the court was once again captivated by Bebel's presence.
What was the final outcome for the conspirators after their plan was exposed?
-The conspirators were sent to prison, and they eventually applied for an exchange program to another kingdom to escape further punishment.
Outlines
ποΈ Introduction to 'Stories from India' Podcast
The podcast 'Stories from India' is introduced by the host, Narad Muni, a mythological character with eternal life and omniscience. The podcast focuses on Indian myths, legends, and folk tales. The host, also a traveling musician and storyteller, discusses the story of Emperor Akbar and his favorite minister, Birbal. The episode is standalone, and listeners are encouraged to check out previous episodes for context. The story begins with discontent among other ministers and the emperor's barber, who are jealous of Birbal's favored status and his ability to solve problems and answer difficult questions. They conspire to get rid of Birbal by exploiting the emperor's belief in the afterlife.
π₯ Birbal's Cunning Escape from the Afterlife Plan
The ministers and the barber devise a plan to send someone to the afterlife to check on the emperor's ancestors, knowing that Akbar is gullible and would believe in such a journey. They spread rumors to reinforce this belief. Birbal, aware of the conspiracy, decides to play along. He requests a month to prepare and financial support for his family. On the day of the supposed journey, Birbal fakes his own cremation by setting a stack of wood on fire while secretly escaping through a tunnel back to his home. There, he spends a month binge-watching Netflix shows and growing a full beard before reappearing at court, much to everyone's surprise.
π¨β𦲠The Return of Birbal and the Barber's Downfall
Birbal returns to court during an All Hands meeting, shocking everyone present. Akbar is delighted to have Birbal back and provides him with comfort. Birbal shares a fabricated story of meeting Akbar's ancestors in heaven, claiming they are comfortable but lack a good barber, as evidenced by their long beards. This prompts Akbar to order the barber, who was part of the conspiracy, to be sent to heaven, effectively ending the plot against Birbal. The conspirators are imprisoned, and Birbal secures another victory. The podcast concludes with a teaser for the next episode featuring a mythical creature from the Himalayas and a call for listener feedback.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Narad Muni
π‘Akbar
π‘Birbal
π‘Conspiracy
π‘Podcast
π‘Afterlife
π‘Wit
π‘Folklore
π‘All Hands Meeting
π‘Resourcefulness
Highlights
Introduction of the podcast 'Stories from India' and the host Narad Muni, a mythological character with eternal life and knowledge of past, present, and future.
The podcast focuses on the story of Akbar and Bebel, where Bebel is portrayed as Akbar's favorite minister and problem-solver.
Akbar's ministers and the emperor's barber express their discontent with Bebel's favored status and plan to get rid of him.
A plan is devised to exploit Akbar's belief in the afterlife by spreading rumors and news to reinforce his belief.
The barber raises questions about the comfort of Akbar's ancestors in heaven, sparking a discussion in the court.
The court decides to send someone to the afterlife to assist Akbar's ancestors, with Bebel being the obvious choice due to his wisdom and resourcefulness.
Bebel willingly accepts the mission to the afterlife, requesting a month to prepare and financial support for his family.
Bebel secretly digs a tunnel during his preparation month, leading from the pyre to his house, where he hides with a stockpile of food.
The conspirators celebrate, believing Bebel has been burned to death, unaware of his escape through the tunnel.
Bebel reappears at court with a full beard, surprising everyone and revealing that he has been in the afterlife.
Akbar is delighted by Bebel's return and eager to hear about his ancestors' well-being in heaven.
Bebel cleverly informs Akbar that his ancestors lack good barbers in heaven, leading to the exposure of the conspirators.
The barber and the conspirators are imprisoned, and they later apply for an exchange program to another kingdom to avoid punishment.
The podcast concludes with a teaser for the next episode featuring a creature from the Himalayas known in pop culture.
Invitation for listeners to leave comments, suggestions, or reviews on the podcast's website or social media.
Acknowledgment of the music source from Purple Planet and a sign-off from the host with a promise to see the listeners soon.
Transcripts
[Music]
[Applause]
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hello and welcome to stories from India
a podcast where we talk about myths
Legends and folk tales from
India I'm your host narad money and I'm
a mythological character
myself I have the gift of eternal life
and knowledge of the past the present
and the
future by
profession I'm a traveling musician and
a
Storyteller so the way I'm doing my job
is by
podcast this week we are back with Akbar
and
bebal we'll see how beerel can pull off
a trick that even David Copperfield and
Houdini would have been proud
of if you haven't heard previous akar
bebel stories that's perfectly okay as
these stories are all
Standalone check out the links in the
show notes to earlier
episodes all you need to know for
today's episode is that Akbar was the
emperor of most of medieval
India as any Emperor
should he had many min
ERS but one of them was his absolute
favorite and that was
bebble akar could count on bebble to
solve every problem to give the wisest
replies to the toughest
questions and to get anyone out of any
sticky
situation bebell was the equivalent of
Jes to akar's biry w booster or Herm to
Harry
Potter today's Story begins not with
akar and beel but with a few other
people from the emperor's
Court it was poker
night at the poker table were three
other ministers and the emperor's
Barber as is usual amongst co-workers at
a social event who have a common boss
they started complaining about their
boss's
favorite and that was
bebble the minister for horse saddle
procurement slammed his cards down on
the table and cursed
beell my budgets are cut just because
bebble told a joke the other day about
some
horses the minister for manure and
fertilizers
added and if I have to answer another
one of silly and hypothetical questions
I might just ask for a transfer to
another
kingdom the barber chimed in you can say
that again I can't stand listening to
beable stories from the emperor
anymore the other day as I was trimming
his hair I almost snipped his ear
off if I hadn't been akar's dad's Barber
for years I'd have found a different job
by
now the fourth chap the emperor's
personal secretary's personal secretary
was a man of
action gentlemen he said we all agree
this is a deplorable
situation we should
act moving someplace else is not a good
idea I hear other countries have it
worse we should get rid of
beerel but
how does anyone have any
ideas they brainstormed a bit until they
finally hit upon a
plan Akbar was gullible and known to
believe in the
afterlife they would take advantage of
that soon they began spreading bits of
information and news around the palace
reinforcing akar's
belief after lots of this one day the
barber wondered aloud to akar that he
had had a new thought and that he was
really
worried how were akbar's dear old father
and grandfather getting on in
heaven were they
comfortable what if they needed
something wasn't it akar's duty to
ensure they were
comfortable these questions ate at the
gulal emperor
Emperor until finally he brought up
these questions during the next All
Hands meeting in his
court people pondered over
this but soon the emperor's personal
secretary's personal secretary had an
idea why not send someone to the
afterlife they could help out if the
emperor's ancestors needed
anything that seemed like a jolly good
idea to the
crowd beerel meanwhile was on his
guard he had been following the trending
afterlife hashtags all over the
kingdom he could see where this was
leading he began thinking
furiously once the entire court had
cheered for the decision to send someone
there was no doubt as to who would be
sent this job job required the wisest
the wittiest and the most resourceful
person amongst
them and that of course was
bebble Akbar was a bit
hesitant but he heard people muttering
around him about how Noble he was for
sacrificing bebel for his ancestors
needs beille stepped up and said he'd
love to
go the conspirators had not expected
that but the plan was working it
seemed beer will continued that it would
be a pleasure to see the emperor's
ancestors he'd just need a bit of time
to
prepare say a month or
so and
money call it his entire earnings and
pension for what might have been the
rest of his
life he would secure his family
future top up his kids college fund and
only then head out on the oneway
trip that sounded reasonable
enough a month passed by very
quickly on the appointed date beerel had
prepared an elaborate P for himself
stacked with logs of
wood he waved everyone goodbye and got
in between all of the
wood he gave the goahead signal to a
couple of guards who then promptly set
the stack of wood on
fire hours later when the wood had
completely burned out everyone headed
home the conspirators hung back to make
sure that everything in the stack had
indeed burned
completely and then they went off for a
celebratory drink
but don't worry beille was completely
safe he had figured out that the barber
was involved and that he was the weakest
link in the
conspiracy beerel had used the month of
preparation to prepare a
tunnel right under the stack of wood the
tunnel led him back to his house where
he camped out on a ton of food he had
locked
away he spent the next month binge
watching on all of the latest Netflix
shows finally when he had had enough of
watching TV he decided to make his next
move he had been careful not to shave
during the entire month and now he had a
full
beard he walked in at halftime during
the next All Hands meeting at akar's
court there were gasps all around as
people recognized
him Akbar was
delighted the past month had been
extremely dull without beerel
around beerel had been comfortable
enough in his own home but no one else
knew
that your majesty he said it's been a
long
journey Akbar immediately ordered his
servants to bring in a recliner
some drinks and food and anything else
beer might
need as beer slowly ate his food and
sipped at his drink all eyes were
expectantly glued to
him finally Akbar
asked well did you meet my
father of course your majesty replied
bebel your illustrious father received
me warmly
he's in excellent health and having the
time of his life so are all your
ancestors Akbar then asked if they were
all comfortable in
heaven absolutely replied beel they have
every possible
Comfort
except yes go on prompted
akar well it's like this your highness
there's every possible comfort in
heaven except for good
Barbers you can tell from my own
beard most of your ancestors have beards
trailing down to their
feet in fact just the other day right
after he had tripped on his own beard
your father mentioned to me how very
badly he misses the Royal
Barber you can guess the
reaction Akbar was distressed by this
piece of news and immediately ordered
the barber to be sent to
heaven the barber didn't go of
course he would sooner give up all his
co-conspirators than be burned
up and that's exactly how all of them
ended up in
prison another victory for
bebble and and this one served as a
warning to any other future
conspirators they applied for an
exchange program to another kingdom
instead that's all for
now previous akar and bebble episodes
include episode 9 a clever minister in
King akar's Court episode 10 The Great
detective and episode 22 slow
cooker in the next mini episode we'll
meet a creature from the Himalayas whose
existence is very much
debated its existence in pop culture is
indisputable as it makes guest
appearances in tinon and Disney and
Marvel
Comics as well as various movies
including one as recent as last
year if you have comments or suggestions
please leave a comment or a review on
the site sfip podcast.com or tweet at
SFI podcast you can also find me on
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automatically of new
episodes thanks to all your listeners
for your continued support and
feedback the music is from purp
planet.com that's
purple-planet.com I'll see you
soon
[Music]
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