✦An original retelling of a Tenali Rama folktale
Tenali Rama and the Thieves
Two would-be thieves expect to find treasure in Tenali’s well. By morning, they have discovered a very different kind of reward for their work.
A story to read together
Tenali Rama and the Thieves
Take your time. Let the story unfold.
During a spell of dry weather, Tenali Rama’s garden began to droop. He carried water from the well whenever he could, but there were many beds to tend. One evening, as he walked home, he noticed two strangers watching his house from behind a tree. They whispered whenever he passed. Tenali did not stop to argue. He went inside and quietly thought about what they might be planning.
A conversation to overhear
Tenali told his family what he had noticed. Then, near an open window, he spoke loudly enough for the strangers to hear. “People say thieves are searching the village,” he announced. “We should put our valuables somewhere they will never think to look.” His wife understood the twinkle in his eye. Together they filled an old wooden chest with ordinary stones. After dark, they carried it to the well. Tenali carefully lowered it with a rope, making sure it could be recovered later. The watching strangers heard a satisfying splash.
The night at the well
When the house grew quiet, the two strangers crept into the garden. They were certain the chest held jewels. “We must lower the water until we can reach it,” one whispered. They began drawing buckets from the well. Tenali had already opened the shallow channels that led towards his vegetable beds. Water flowed through the garden instead of pooling beside the well. Bucket after bucket, the strangers worked. They paused to wipe their faces, then started again. The imagined treasure seemed too close to leave behind.
Treasure at daybreak
At last the sky began to brighten. The tired men managed to raise the chest, only to find a heap of plain stones inside. Before they could complain, Tenali came out of the house. He looked at the damp earth and the refreshed plants. “Good morning,” he said. “You have watered every bed. My garden has had a very useful night.” The men stared at him, then at the chest. Their clever-looking plan had given them a great deal of work and no stolen treasure at all.
A better way to earn
Tenali spoke more seriously. “If you needed work, you could have asked. Taking what belongs to someone else is no way to begin.” The strangers admitted what they had intended and apologised. In this gentle retelling, they left the chest and helped put the buckets away. Before they departed, Tenali told them where villagers were looking for workers to clear paths and repair fences. They went away tired, embarrassed, and willing to try an honest day’s work. Tenali watched the morning sun touch his garden. His quick thinking had protected his home—and turned a foolish plan into a lesson the visitors would remember.
The end
After the final page
There is no single right answer. Invite young readers to notice, wonder and imagine.
Why did Tenali put stones in the chest?
What did the strangers overlook while thinking about treasure?
How could they have asked the village for help in a better way?
Make something: Draw a garden with water channels. Add three story panels showing the plan, the unexpected work, and the lesson at dawn.
