King Labadatta's currency notes

 

Wanatsu was a kingdom that was flourishing day by day under the reign of king Labadatta. Labadatta was knowledgeable and hard working. He had a good experience of all the administration and financial issues of the kingdom, as his father Late King Rabasam made him undergo all the roles during Labadatta's learning period.

Labadatta wanted to bring more and more development to his kingdom in each and every sphere and to do that he planned to issue currency notes and coins for his kingdom. The plan was discussed among all the courtiers and they all agreed with King Labadtta. All the ministers also agreed, but they had a question in their mind.

Labadatta eventually understood that there was something regarding which ministers wanted to talk about. Being a wise man, he politely asked the ministers about the question. The ministers were confident and with due respect one of them said,” Your Majesty, we agree to your plan of issuing currency notes and coins, but what will be the symbol on our currency notes and coins?”

After listening to this question, Labadatta was galvanized and told his ministers to think about it and they shall discuss it the next day. All the ministers and courtiers kept on finding an appropriate symbol for the currency notes. The next morning, Labadatta asked his ministers and other courtiers to share their ideas. All of them came with the best possible idea which somehow represented the kingdom or their tradition.

But Labadatta didn’t seem satisfied and told his thoughts about the symbol. He said, “The symbol should be related to something which sees the very first sunray and represents growth irrespective of religion.” One of the soldiers told Labadatta , that a cock can be the symbol of our currency notes, as it’s the only one who sees the very first sun rays of the sun and also makes other to start with their day by telling them that the sun is out and that too without any discrimination.

Labatta was highly impressed and awarded the soldier. He also told his chief to call all the painters the next day for painting the picture of a cock. The next morning was going to be a special one, as the symbol was to be finalized. The king told all the painters to paint a picture of a cock. All the painters agreed to the king’s order. But there was one painter who had questions. And he asked the king who would judge the painting?

After thinking for a couple of minutes Labadatta said, “ All the paintings will be shown to a real cock and on whichever painting he jumps upon will be considered as a symbol for the currency notes and coins. All the painters were told the specifications they had to be cautious of while painting. But this painter asked the king to give him a time of six months to complete the painting. The rest of the painters made fun of him, but the king agreed to give him a deadline of six months. The painter also told the king that you’ll not ask me any questions during that time. The king agreed to all of his conditions.

After three months, the king sent his ministers to check whether the painting was ready or not. The ministers got to know that the painter was in the forest for the last three months. When they reached there, they were taken aback to see that the painter was living with cocks, walking like them and eating their food. They immediately left for the palace and told the entire situation to the king. The king was helpless, as he promised the painter that he won’t ask any question. Two more months went by and the ministers again went to the forest and saw him doing the same stuff. They again went back to the palace and told him that there was no painting.

After completion of six months, the painter himself went to the palace carrying a piece of paper with him. The king asked all the painters to display their work. Labadatta was impressed by the different artwork, but he was waiting for the painter who asked for six months.

Labadatta told him to show his painting. As soon as the painter unfolded the paper, everyone started laughing at him. Though he was being made fun of he didn’t react and painted the picture of a cock then and there in a couple of minutes. The entire court was
shocked to see his speed of painting. Labadatta asked him that why did he take six months to complete if he could do it in a couple of minutes.

To this, the painter said, “Your Majesty before I tell you why it took me six months to complete it. I would first want the paintings to be judged.” Labadatta gave the order of bringing a cock to the court and as soon the cock saw the last painting it started jumping.” The result was as clear as glass.

Later on, the painter told the king that for you it’s just a painting which was made in a couple of minutes but I demanded six months because I wanted to be prepared. I stayed with the cocks and lived their life which gave me a lot of knowledge about them. And it is because of my preparation only that my painting is selected. Execution of something may take a couple of minutes but the main value is of the preparation.Changing a channel in seconds is only possible because of endless trials done behind it.