📖 Chapter 4: In the Kingdom of Fools

Answer: The two strange things the guru and his disciple find in the Kingdom of Fools are: first, everyone sleeps during the day and works at night. Second, everything costs the same — a single duddu — whether they bought a measure of rice or a bunch of bananas.

Answer: The disciple decides to stay in the Kingdom of Fools because everything was cheap there. He could buy all the food he wanted for a rupee and eat to his heart's content. No, it was not a good idea because the guru warned him that the kingdom was full of fools and their actions were unpredictable. The disciple soon found himself in trouble when he was chosen to be executed.

Answer: The following people were tried in the king's court:

• The merchant: He was tried because his weak wall fell on the thief and killed him.
• The bricklayer: He was tried because he built the weak wall that fell.
• The dancing girl: She was tried because she distracted the bricklayer by walking up and down the street with her anklets jingling.
• The goldsmith: He was tried because he made the dancing girl walk up and down by giving excuses about her jewellery.
• The rich merchant (again): He was tried because the goldsmith was busy with his orders, which delayed the dancing girl.

Answer: According to the king, the real culprit is the rich merchant's dead father, who had ordered the jewellery that kept the goldsmith busy. He escapes punishment because he is already dead. The king then decides that the merchant must be punished in his father's place because he inherited everything from his criminal father — his riches as well as his sins.

Answer: The Guru's words of wisdom were: "They are all fools. This won't last very long, and you can't tell what they'll do to you next." The disciple remembers these words when he is chosen to be executed on the stake because he was fat enough to fit it.

Answer: The guru manages to save his disciple's life by using his wisdom and presence of mind. He arrives at the execution ground and asks to be put to death first, claiming that whoever dies first on the new stake will be reborn as the king, and the next will be the minister. The greedy king and his minister, wanting to be reborn as king and minister, decide to go on the stake themselves. That night, they release the guru and disciple and are executed in their place. Thus, the guru saves both their lives.

Answer: Yes, in many cultures, the "fool" is often the wisest character, using humour and wit to expose the foolishness of others. In Indian folk tales, Tenali Rama (in Telugu tradition) and Gopal Bhar (in Bengali tradition) are famous for their cleverness disguised as foolishness. They use their wit to outsmart kings, ministers, and other powerful people. Their stories teach us that true wisdom often lies in humility and the ability to see through pretence. Students can share similar stories from their own regions.