Srilanka, Oct. 11 -- We grew up surrounded by a pantheon of jesters and tricksters. Our storybooks and Sunday supplements carried the escapades of Andare, Nasreddin Hoja, and Birbal. They were the clever ones who turned every trap into a triumph. Their tales taught us some early art of deduction, a village version of Sherlock Holmes' logic, told in laughter and metaphor.

But then there was another figure called Mahadenamutta. He was no court wit. He was no philosopher in disguise. He was nothing but a bumbling old man who seemed to misunderstand everything. I grew up laughing at him, but then later felt sorry for him. Why was he made to look so foolish when his peers (contemporaries such as Andare, Nasreddin and Birbal) were so wise? The...