Birbal's khichdi

Hi Aavya. On a winter night a man stood in the palace yard, hoping for a reward. The fire was far, and he would not ask for a blanket. In the morning he shivered and said, I bore the cold all night, please give the reward. Akbar paused. Why was the decision hard? From far away the man looked near the fire, and up close the flame had never reached his cheek. Birbal stayed quiet. At noon he hung a pot of khichdi high above the flames, on a long rope. Akbar said, how will that cook. Birbal said, the same way that man got warm from a far fire, your majesty. The khichdi stayed cold. The man understood. The talk of a reward stopped there. Aavya, look at a job from close up. That is when you feel its cold.