In the ancient city of Gordium in Phrygia (modern day Turkey), there was a chariot with an intricate knot securing its yoke (Gordian Knot). According to prophecy, whoever could untie this knot would become the ruler of all Asia. Many tried and failed, no one could solve this elaborate puzzle. One day, Alexander the Great arrived in Gordium. He, instead of trying to untie the knot, simply drew his sword and sliced through it in one stroke. 1/2026 Doolittle Raid: Bombers Launched from a Carrier (1942) After Pearl Harbor, America needed a morale‑boosting strike on Japan. Bombers could not reach Japan from any base. So, they launched medium bombers from an aircraft carrier, something never attempted before. Why it is Gordian: They didn’t extend the range. They moved the runway. More recently, happened in Op Spider too – Drones strike 4000 Kms inside Russia.

The Koh‑i‑Noor’s “Curse Management” Strategy The story of the Gordian Knot has since become a metaphor for solving difficult problems with bold and unconventional solutions: requiring just a fresh perspective and a bit of audacity. Some other interesting examples: The Trojan Horse (12th century BCE) A siege that could not be won. Walls that could not be breached. So, the Greeks did not attack the walls – they walked through the gates hidden inside a “gift.” Why it is Gordian: They didn’t breach the defence head‑on – they made the problem irrelevant: what a Trojan horse moment. Porus and the Elephant Gap (326 BCE) Facing Alexander at the Hydaspes, Porus used elephants to create psychological shock and break cavalry charges. Alexander countered by attacking the flanks, avoiding the elephants entirely. Why it is Gordian: Neither tried to overpower the other’s strength.

Both reframed the battlefield. The Battle of Agincourt: Mud as a Weapon (1415) Outnumbered five to one, Henry V faced French heavy cavalry. He positioned his archers in a narrow, muddy field. The French knights charged …….… and sank into the mud, becoming sitting targets. Why it is Gordian: He did not defeat the cavalry. He defeated the ground beneath them. Japanese Bullet Train & the Kingfisher (1960s) Engineers struggled with sonic booms in tunnels. Chief engineer Eiji Nakatsu, a bird‑watcher, redesigned the train’s nose after the kingfisher’s beak, eliminating the boom (The Kingfisher’s beak is shaped so it can dive into water with almost no splash). Why it is Gordian: Well, he did not optimize the train. He stole a design from nature. A solution that feels almost cheeky in its simplicity.

Doolittle Raid: Bombers Launched from a Carrier (1942) After Pearl Harbor, America needed a morale‑boosting strike on Japan. Bombers could not reach Japan from any base. So, they launched medium bombers from an aircraft carrier, something never attempted before. Why it is Gordian: They didn’t extend the range. They moved the runway. More recently, happened in Op Spider too – Drones strike 4000 Kms inside Russia. Why it is Gordian: They did not fight superstition. They weaponized it. The Delhi Metro Land Acquisition Trick (1990s) Land acquisition was notoriously slow. Sreedharan bypassed the bottleneck by starting construction only on land already owned, creating visible progress that forced other departments to accelerate approvals. Why it is Gordian:

He did not fight bureaucracy. He embarrassed it into moving. “Printer Jam” Ending a Bureaucratic War A university department had a printer that jammed every day. Committees formed. Budgets debated. Vendors blamed. This went on for three months. One day a PhD student walked in, lifted the printer, and threw it out of the window. Then calmly said: “Problem solved. Buy a new one.” The department bought a new printer the next day. Why it is Gordian: The solution bypassed the entire problem instead of solving it. The “Too Many Subsidies” Problem Government of India struggled with too many subsidies, middlemen were involved, corruption was rampant, trying to audit was a nightmare. The solution – a Shift to Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Money goes straight to the beneficiary’s account. Why it is Gordian: It was a tangle of dozens of interlocked problems. Replace the System