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As
all of us know that Brahmins  in
North India have been referred to as Panditjis. But many of us don't
know how and when that title came to brahmins indiscriminately.
Here
is a story of amusing interest among Akbar-Birbal anecdotes that
tells us the details. Sevaram was a brahmin who met Birbal for help.
He had a personal problem: His forefathers were great Sanskrit
scholars, and that the people used to call them with respect
"Pundits". But Sevaram had neither scholarship nor money.
Of course, he had no regrets. He was content to live a simple life
of an ordinary man. However, he had just one wish-that the people
should cal him Panditji, as it was in the case of his forefathers.
Sevaram
made a request to Birbal, "Will you kindly do me a favour in
making me achieve this one goal in my life?"
Thereby,
Birbal came out with a solution: "Sevaram follow this advice of
me, word for word. Your desire will be fulfilled."
He
whispered his advice to Sevaram and left the place.
Birbal
came to know that Sevaram never spared the pranks of his
neighbouring children. He even scolded them without reason. The
children entertained a grouse against the brahmin. Birbal went to
them and told them that they could tease Sevaram by calling him
Panditji and he left the place.
Soon
the children in the neighbourhood started repeatedly calling Sevaram
"Panditji", "Panditji", "Panditji",
thinking they were teasing him.
The
time had come that Sevaram stopped scolding the children. And the
people around him started addressing him "Panditji".
This
is how, for every brahmin, whether he be a scholar or not, the title
of Panditji has been stuck once for all
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