Necessity is the mother of invention.

History has proved that great inventions have always been made in emergency situations. When a grave necessity arises, man has always come up with a new invention to manage the situation. Similarly our presence of mind is very important when we are faced with unusual threats in real life. Finding quick and intelligent solutions can only get you out of a messy situation.


Tenali Raman was a court jester of King Krishnadevaraya of Vijaya Nagar. He was well known for his quick wit and intelligence and his fame spread far and wide. Once there was a very learned and famous saint who was passing through the Vijaya Nagar Kingdom.


Tenali Raman was not very convinced about the greatness of the saint and made fun of him. This angered King Krishnadevaraya very much and he ordered his guards to take Raman outside the city and bury him in a neck-deep pit and have an elephant crush his head.


The guards did as they were told. Raman wanted to escape from the punishment and was trying to find a way out of the tricky situation. He knew he did not have much time since the guards had gone for lunch and had decided to bring an elephant on their way back.


Raman saw a washer man who had a hunchback returning from the river bank with some clothes. The washer man thought that Raman was a saint when he saw him neck-deep in the sand and sought his blessings.


Raman suddenly got an idea and said. ‘I am just a washer man like you and not a saint. I also have a hunchback like you because of carrying heavy loads of clothes. A saint asked me to try this remedy and that is why I am under the sand. If you dig me out you can also get your back straightened.’


The innocent washer man believed what Raman said and dug him out. He buried himself in the sand. Raman escaped from there. After a while the washer man saw the guards walking towards him with an elephant. He started screaming. The guards realized that Raman had escaped and reported it back to the king. The king was at first angry but later realized Raman’s wisdom and presence of mind to get out of a tricky situation was indeed amazing and pardoned him.


The necessity of the Tenali Raman to escape from the trap is what motivated him to think of an idea to distract himself from the situation.