In the lively kingdom of Vijayanagara, there lived a gentle man named Ramaya, known for his warm smile and big heart. But a silly rumor shadowed him like a playful ghost: if someone saw Ramaya’s face first thing in the morning, they'd skip breakfast all day long! One bright morning, King Krishnadevaraya, full of curiosity, decided to test this very strange tale.
Summoning Ramaya to the palace, the king had him stay in a cozy room nearby. As dawn painted the sky with golden hues, King Krishnadevaraya awoke, rubbed his eyes, and eagerly peeked at Ramaya’s cheerful face, thinking, “Let’s see if this silly rumor is true!” But lunchtime came, and disaster struck! A pesky fly landed on the king’s food, and he flicked it away with a loud “Yuck!” When the next meal arrived, he found he had no appetite at all! By evening, the king hadn’t eaten a single bite!
Fuming with anger, he declared, “This Ramaya’s face must be cursed! Seize him!” Guards marched Ramaya off to the gloomy dungeon, while his terrified wife raced through the dark streets to find Tenali Raman, the kingdom’s cleverest man. “Please help! Ramaya’s innocent!” she cried, her heart racing like a drum.
Without wasting a moment, Tenali dashed to the prison, sharing a brilliant plan with Ramaya. The next morning, just as the guards arrived with a rope, Ramaya said, “I have one last wish! Please take this note to the king.”
Curious guards delivered the folded paper to King Krishnadevaraya. Reading aloud, he discovered: “Your Majesty saw my face and missed one meal, but I saw your face and might lose my LIFE. Who is truly the cursed one here?”
The king’s eyebrows shot up in surprise! Suddenly, he burst into laughter, realizing he’d made a silly mistake. Ramaya was set free, and Tenali received a shiny bag of gold coins. The king declared the rumor nothing but a funny tale, vowing never to test such silly superstitions again. From that day forward, the kingdom learned that laughter and clever questions could solve problems better than anger ever could.