BAGHEERA (the panther): "Many strange legends are told of these jungles of India, but none so strange as the story of a small boy named Mowgli. It all began when the silence of the jungle was broken by an unfamiliar sound. (Bagheera hears a baby crying, stops and turns to look, finding the basket that carries baby Mowgli). It was a man-cub. Had I known how deeply I was to be involved, I would have obeyed my first impulse and walked away."

(Many years later): Hathi Jr to Mowgli: "Write the sum of two and two." Mowgli: "Like this?" Hathi Jr: "No that’s wrong." (Colonel Hathi comes over) Col Hathi to Mowgli: "Tsk-tsk-tsk. Pea-brain, if you can't do simple sums like this, how will you face Sher Khan. Soldier; remember, in a battle, mathematics can save your life. Don't ignore it, my men." All elephants: "Yes, Sir!" Col Hathi to Mowgli: "Wipe off that silly grin, soldier. This is the Army. Ahem! Eyes front, on the jungle book and quick march." Mowgli: "Enough of this torturous teaching method. I quit."

(Just then, Baloo the bear walks by) Baloo: "They’ll come to you; Look for the bare necessities; Forget about your worries and your strife; I mean the bare necessities; That’s why a bear can rest at ease; With just the bare necessities of life; Now when you pick a paw-paw; Or a prickly pear." Mowgli (interrupting the song): "Wow! You are great Baloo, will you be my tutor?" Baloo: "Mowgli! You are an elephant, but don’t worry, a little bit of geometry and you'll make a fine bear."

Kaa (the python) comes rushing to Bagheera: "The monkeys of Sher Khan kidnapped Mowgli and threw him somewhere deep in the forest for Sher Khan to find him and take him apart." Baloo: "Hurry Bagheera, Mowgli is lost and he knows no mathematics, let's find him before Sher Khan does." Meanwhile, Mowgli is lost and scared. He knows that the forest is circular, but doesn't know where he is. He has to find a shortest route out of the forest and soon because two eyes, shining in the dark, are following him. Sher Khan (to himself): "Element of surprise. Ha, ha, ha!"

Just then, Col Hathi and his army arrive there and recognise instantly what is the problem. Col Hathi (to Mowgli): "The shape of the forest is a circle of diameter ‘d’. If you follow a straight-line path in an arbitrary direction, walking a distance not more than ‘d’ leads out of the forest. Suppose there is a shorter route. Position its midpoint (the halfway point of its length) at the center O of the circle. The two endpoints must be properly inside the circle as these are at a distance less than d/2 from O. Beginning from one endpoint of the route, you cannot escape the forest, which means that there is no shorter route than ‘d’." Sher Khan (from his hiding place after Mowgli has escaped): "That Col Hathi again! I will throw the man-cub into a square forest next time."

Bagheera: "Kaa has told me about Khan’s plan. I’ll have to find out the shortest route out of a square forest within a week. If anyone knows what is it, write to me at adityarishi@kasparovchess.com."

— Aditya Rishi