642. The Missed Opportunity

"Mr. Selvam. You are the leader of our trade union in your company. Should you not have acted with  responsibility?" asked Senguttuvan, a member of the State level committee of the trade union.

"Are you suggesting that I should submit myself to the repressive approach of the management?" countered Selvam.

"Surya, an employee, spoke to the supervisor in an insulting way. The management suspended Surya for this. Instead of meeting the Managing Director (MD) and settling the matter amicably, you fought with the MD. Now he has hardened his stand against Surya and decided to take stringent action against him. The situation has become more complicated now."

"I asked the MD whether it was fair on his part to have suspended Surya, for using an inappropriate word against the supervisor, in an emotional moment. He didn't like me asking that."

"You didn't stop with that. You asked the MD, 'Did you not once call your persona assistant 'bastard,' when you were angry with him?' Wonder how I knew about this? Your MD himself told me!" said Senguttuvan.

"You spoke to my MD! When? You had never met him, without taking me along?" asked Selvam, shocked.

"Yes, I met him without taking you along. I met him only to pacify him about your inappropriate remarks. How could I have taken you along? You would have again said something untenable and exacerbated the problem. But, I didn't go alone. I took your deputy Manikandan along, since he was present when you spoke in an inappropriate way with the MD."

The fact that Senguttuvan had taken along Manikandan, whom Selvam considered a potential rival shocked Selvam even more. 

"What have you done, Senguttuvan? You have taken along my deputy Manikandan, without my knowledge, to meet the MD. Is this fair?"

"Having failed to exercise restraint in your speech, you can't expect that your action won't have any consequences" said Senguttuvan, with irritation. 

"Okay. What did you tell the MD? Did you apologize to him for Surya being disrespectful to the supervisor?"

"There was no need for that. I only apologized to him for the way you spoke to him. The MD, on his own, said that he was revoking the suspension of Surya. If you had told the MD, during your meeting with him that what Surya did was wrong, he would have revoked Surya's suspension immediately. You would have got the credit for getting Surya's suspension revoked. By speaking to the MD in a provocative way, you not only missed that opportunity but also earned a bad name for yourself. At least hereafter, be careful in the use of words" said Senguttuvan.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 65
The Power of Speech

Verse 642 (in Tamil):
Akkamum kEdum adhanAl varudhalAl
kAththOmbal sollin kat chOrvu.

Meaning:

Since (both) wealth and destruction result from a one's speech, one should carefully guard oneself against faultiness in one's speech. 

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'mudhalALiyudan pEchchu vArththai' by the same author.) 

Verse 642 (Soon)
Verse 640

151. A Journey Into the Forest

Finding the hermitage of Valmiki in the deep forest was not an easy task for the old man. 

Starting from Ayodhya, the old man entered the forest, after traveling for several days. With no one in the forest to seek guidance from, he roamed about in the forest with no sense of direction, before finally arriving at the hermitage.

After reaching the hermitage, he sent word through a disciple standing at the doorstep that he wanted to meet Sita, residing there.

Sita came out in a moment.

Looking at the fatigued state of the old man, Sita told him, "You look fatigued and exhausted. First, have some food."

Even before Sita could complete the sentence, a disciple came from inside, carrying a fruit tray. He placed the tray before the old man.

"If you know who I am, you may not be so hospitable to me!" said the old man. 

"Who you are doesn't matter. We follow the practice of offering food to anyone visiting this hermitage. Especially in the case of people who are old or fatigued, we would ask them any details, only after making them eat food" said Sita.

"No. madam, First, I will introduce myself. I am a washerman."

"Oh! But, in our hermitage, we wash our clothes by ourselves. We don't engage the services of a washerman."

No, madam. I didn't come here, offering my services as a washerman. I am coming from Ayodhya."

There was a trace of grief on Sita's face, for while. But, quickly changing her expression and assuming a cheerful disposition, she asked the old man, "Are Rama, his brothers and others doing well?"

The old man broke down suddenly and began to sob uncontrollably. 

"Madam, you still don't seem to have realized my identity. I am the one responsible for your having to come to the forest and live an arduous life here. It was only after listening to my thoughtless remark questioning your chastity that your husband Rama decided to send you to the forest" said the old man, amidst sobs.

There was a faint smile on Sita's face. "It happened several years back. Why talk about it now?"

"No. madam. I made a scandalous remark in some mood, without  realizing the implications of my thoughtless and irresponsible remark. You had already proved your chastity to the whole world, by stepping into fire and coming out of it unscathed. It was cruel of me to have spoken ill of you, in spite of knowing about it."

Sita didn't say anything. 

"I have been living in regret, blaming myself for my stupid and arrogant remark and getting seared by the flame of guilt that has constantly been burning inside me. I realized that I would be able to come out of my feelings of guilt only after meeting you in person, apologizing to you for my sin and accepting a punishment at your hands. It was only with that determination, I gathered information about your whereabouts and came to this place, after walking for several days" said the old man. 

"I am sorry that I had engaged you in conversation, without asking you to take your food. Please have your food" said Sita. 

"No, madam. You should award some punishment to me. Please ask someone in this hermitage to give me lashes with a whip or a crane."

"Ok. But, your body needs strength to withstand the punishment. You have come here, after a few days' travel. You might not have got adequate food on the way. Therefore, have your food first" said Sita. 

"Will you award me some punishment, after I take my food?" asked the old man and began to eat the fruit.

Sita went inside. When she came out after a few minutes, she was accompanied by a disciple, carrying a spade in his hand. 

The disciple began to dig a pit on the ground outside the hermitage. 

'Why is this man digging a pit? Is he going to bury me alive into this pit?' the old man began to wonder, with apprehension.

Since the ground was moist, digging through the earth was easy. Within a short time, a pit with the depth of a few feet was dug.

Sita told the man who was digging the pit, "Enough. Now, please descend into the pit."

The man stopped digging, kept his spade aside and descended into the pit.

Sita asked the old man, "Sir! Can you tell me why the man is standing in the pit, without going under the earth?"

"Because the earth is supporting him" answered the old man, puzzled by the question. 

"When he was standing on the surface of the earth, the earth was supporting him. But, even after he dug the earth and stood in the pit dug by him, the earth has still been supporting him.

"My father Janaka picked me up from the earth, when he was ploughing the fields. So, I am considered the Earth's daughter. Being the daughter of the Earth, which is an embodiment of forbearance, won't I have a little forbearance myself? 

"I don't want to punish you. You can return home with the satisfaction of having expressed your regret for your action and live your life, without any feeling of guilt.

"I have asked the men to give you a packet of fruits to serve you as food, on your way back. Please take it and leave. A disciple will come with you some distance to show you the way in the forest" said Sita.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 16
Forbearance 

Verse 151 (In Tamil)

agazhvAraith thAngum nilam pOlath
thammai igazhvArp poRuththal thalai.

Meaning:

Like the earth that bears even those who dig through it, supreme virtue is to be patient with one’s deriders.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kAnagaththaith thEdi' by the same author)

Verse 152 (Soon)
Verse 150

641. The Reluctant Negotiator

"I don't have the means to send my son to the college. After completing his school education, he is sitting at home. There is a saying, 'one who has the gift of the gab will be able to survive.' My son won't even speak loud. He has no capacity to talk to the other person and get his need fulfilled" Sengamalam lamented about her son Raju.

After making several attempts at getting a job, Raju got a job as an assistant in the Personnel department of a company, in Chennai.

Since Sengamalam did not want to leave the village where she had been living for many years, Raju took up residence in Chennai and lived alone.

There were discussions between the management of the company and the leaders of the employees' union on the demands made by the union. The Personnel Manager participated in the discussions on behalf of the management. Raju was sitting with him with the relevant files, to provide the details that may be needed by the Personnel Manager, in the course of the discussion. 

When a union representative raised an issue, the Personnel Manager asked Raju to read out specific details from a file.

After Raju had read out the details, the union representative asked a question about the point being discussed.

The Personnel Manager did not reply. Seeing that he was quiet for several seconds, Raju reluctantly ventured to answer the question raised by the union representative. 

Following that, the union representative asked for a clarification and Raju responded.

For the next few minutes, Raju, without being consciously aware of what he was doing, was debating with the union representative, countering the points raised by the union representative, through facts and figures as well as logical arguments. 

The Personnel Manager was observing this scene, with interest. 

The union representative kept talking to Raju, as if he was the sole spokesperson on the other side.

 After a few minutes, the union representative accepted the point made by Raju. He looked at Raju, with a sense of respect and admiration 

When the leader of the union representatives' team had a chance to speak to the Personnel Manager in private, he told him, "You brought the right man along, for the negotiations. When I saw him articulating his views with so much clarity and cogency, I wished that I had a person like him on our side!" 

The Personnel Manager accepted his remarks, with a smile. 

The Personnel Manager spoke to the General Manager about Raju.

"This young man possesses the skill of making his points smoothly, yet forcefully. He speaks softly, but in a way to make the other person accept his views. He is articulate, clear, gentle, logical, patient and empathetic. When he speaks, the other person finds it compelling to listen. And after listening to him, the other person will find it difficult to counter his arguments. He is an asset to our company. Though he is only an assistant, we should make the best use of his talents. I would like to include him in my team, for all negotiations in future."

"Hearing what you say, it appears to me that he won't remain an assistant for long!" said the General Manager.

"I only hope that you won't replace me with him!" said the Personnel Manager, laughing.

Sengamalam called up Raju and asked him to come to the village next week to attend the marriage of one of their relatives, Raju said, "I can't make it, mom. I have to be here for a discussion with the union on the marriage day" said Raju. 

'What is this boy, who can't even ask for something he needs, going to do, sitting through some serious discussion?' wondered Sengamalam.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 65
The Power of Speech

Verse 641 (in Tamil):
nAnalam ennum nalan udaimai annalam
yAnalaththu uLLadhUm anRu.

Meaning:

The benefits the power of speech can offer can't be found in any other asset.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'vAyuLLa piLlai' by the same author.) 

Verse 642
Verse 640

150. Not Guilty Of

A week passed, since Jaganmurthy had returned home, after serving a prison sentence of two years.

No one visited him at home, during this time.

When Jaganmurthy was released from prison, he expected his son Kittu to be present outside the prison, to take him come. But Kittu didn't come to take his father home. When his son himself did not come to the prison to receive him, Jaganmurthy was not surprised that neither his daughter Radhika nor her husband Kumar came to receive him. He knew that his wife was not able to come on her own, since she needed someone to take her to any place. 

It was only after reaching home, did Jaganmurthy realize that one week before Jaganmurthy was scheduled to be released from prison, Kittu had moved to a house rented by him, since he didn't want to live with his father.

Only Jaganmurthy's wife Kokila was home, to greet him, when he went there from the prison. As soon as Jaganmurthy entered the house, Kokila began to cry, unable to control her tears. 

She called up her son and told him that Jaganmurthy had come home. But, even after that, their son did not come to their house to see his father. Nor did their daughter. 

Concerned that Jaganmurthy wouldn't have had good food in the jail for two years, Kokila cooked a variety of dishes for him. But he didn't relish those preparations.

"I served my firm for twenty years, working hard like a bull. They gave me awards and promotions acknowledging my performance and achievements. But, all of a sudden, one day they charged with fraud, dismissed me from service and sent me to jail, for two years.

"After I had been released from prison, even my son and daughter didn't come to see me. None of the people I worked with in the company want to see me. People who roamed with me, calling themselves my friends, are nowhere to be found. But, you alone have been taking so much care of me and cooking a variety of dishes every day for me. Have you not been upset with me?" asked Jaganmurthy.

"Of course, I am upset with you. I am also angry with you, for what you have done, which brought shame to me and our children, apart from making you suffer in prison for two years. But..."

"But, you are devoted to me as a traditional Indian wife will be, to her husband, irrespective of what he does to her?" asked Jagnmurthy, mockingly.

"Not just that. Above every thing, I respect you for one thing."

"What is that?"

Before Kokila could answer him, the door bell rang.

Kokila opened the door.

It was Bhavani, who was Jabanmurthy's personal assistant in his company.

"I am sorry, sir" said Bhavani, after coming inside.

"You handed over all the documents that incriminated me to the police that helped them to convict me and send me to jail and you are saying 'sorry' now!" said Jaganmurthy, angrily. 

"Sir! How could I have not given the details our office asked me to give? But, I have always had great regards for you, sir."

"I did so much for you. I had recommended and got liberal increments to you. I recommended that you be promoted too."

"Yes, sir. You have been good to me and helped me in many ways. But those are not the reasons for which I hold you in high esteem ."

"For what reason, then?"

"It is for the way you treated me, the way you moved with me, when I, as your personal assistant, was close to you in the office for several hours a day. I have worked under quite a few male executives in the past. All of them would exhibit some inappropriate behaviour towards me, one way or the other. They would touch me, as if their hand landed on some part of my body, accidentally. They would stand very close to me, almost brushing against me. They would say things with some hidden meaning. They would ask me whether I was living happily with my husband, with a smirky expression on their face. They would tell me vulgar jokes and check how I take them. They would comment about my dress, my complexion, my being slim etc.

"But, you were one person who treated me and the other women employees of our company with dignity. Not a single inappropriate word slipped out of your tongue, even inadvertently. You never looked at any woman employee with lust in your eyes. We women know the feeling behind the look of a man. We, the women employees of our company would always be holding you in high esteem, for the dignity with which you treated us. The reason I came to see you was only out of the respect I have for you. Other women working in our office asked me to convey their regards to you. I now take leave of you, sir."

Bhavani left.

"I was telling you that there was another reason for my respect for you, over and above the traditional sentiment of devotion a wife has for her husband. It was the same reason that Bhavani had mentioned!" said Kokila.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 14
Possession of Propriety 

Verse 150 (In Tamil)

aRan varaiyAn alla seyinum piRan varaiyAL
peNmai nayavAmai nanRu.

Meaning:

Though a man performs no virtuous deeds, but commits wrongs, it will be well, if he doesn't covet another man's wife.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'seyyAdha thavaRu' by the same author)

Verse 151
Verse 149

640. The Man Who Delivered Victory

Election results were announced. People's Democratic Party (PDP) won the majority of seats and emerged as the party entitled to form the government. 

A meeting of the newly elected legislators of PDP was called to elect the leader of the legislative party, who would become the Chief Minister of the state.

While it was widely expected that Thirunavukkarasu, the seniormost leader of the party would be elected to lead the government, to the surprise of many, Manivasagam was elected the leader.

Manivasagam offered the post of Deputy Chief Minister to Thirunavukkarasu, but Thirunavukkarasu declined the offer.

"You have been given the mandate. Use it well and provide a good government. If I were to be the Deputy Chief Minister, you would often feel my shadow falling on you. Such a feeling won't be good for governance" said Thirunavukkarasu.

Three years passed since Manivasagam had become the Chie Minister. A meeting of the party's legislators was convened, in response to the demand made by a few legislators. 

Alageasan, the President of the party, who presided over the meeting said, "Mr. Manivasagam has been functioning as the Chief Minister for the past three years. Some legislators have written to me, demanding that he be replaced. I request Dhandapani, one of the legislators who have made this demand, to speak."

Dhandapani spoke:

"The major factor that contributed to the victory of our party in the last elections was our election manifesto. The manifesto prepared by Mr. Manivasagam outlined the schemes we planned to implement in elaborate details, in an exhaustive and attractive way, no other political party had done till then. It was an excellent blueprint that was appreciated both by the ordinary people and the experts. The media gave it a lot of publicity by telecasting a lot of discussions about it. The opposition parties were stunned. Realizing that by criticizing the manifesto, they would only be giving more publicity to it, they tried to ignore it, but they couldn't stop it being discussed by all. Till the time we came out with the manifesto, the pollsters were predicting that we would lose the election. It was the manifesto that turned the tide in our favour and facilitated our win. 

"It was by way of acknowledging the role the manifesto played in our electoral victory that a majority of our legislators chose Manivasagam, the architect of the manifesto, as the person who should lead the government. 

"But, during the past three years, Mr, Manivasagam's performance as the Chief Minister has created considerable discontent among the people. Today, our party has an unfavourable image among the people. 

"Mr. Manivasagam is a good leader, no doubt. Though he had displayed great skills in preparing the election manifesto of our party, he doesn't seem to have the skills needed to implement the plans devised by him. We now understand that the skills needed to implement a plan are vastly different from the skills needed to prepare it. So, it is the wish of the majority of the legislators that Mr. Manivasagam should step down from his position of Chief Minister and pave the way for a person having the competence to implement the plans in an efficient way, making the benefits to reach a large number of people, to be elected in his place."  

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 64
Being A Minister

Verse 640 (in Tamil):
muRaippadach chUzhndhum mudivilavE seyvar
thiRappAdu ilAdhavar.

Meaning:

A minister who lacks the ability to do things will not be able to execute his projects properly, though he may have conceived and planned them the right way.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'mudhalvarai mARRa vENdum' by the same author.) 

Verse 641
Verse 639

149. The Short-listed Candidate

"I have shortlisted three candidates for the post of the General Manager. You may select one of them for appointment" Mukundan, the CEO of the company told Sankararaman, the Chairman.

"If we are appointing a candidate from outside our company, I may be interested in looking at the background of the candidates. These three are the senior executives of our company. As the CEO, you would have interacted with them closely. You are the best person to evaluate them and choose the one you consider the best. Why do you want me to look at their profiles?" asked Sankararaman.

"I think that since we are choosing a person who is going to occupy a position immediately below me, I thought it would be appropriate if the appointment was made by someone above me."

"I appreciate your ethical standards. Please show me the profile of the three people shortlisted by you. Can I take it that the name on the top of the list is your first preference?"

"In a way, yes. But, I would consider all the three candidates to be equally good."

"Okay. Let us start with the first name - Giridharan."

After spending a couple of minutes going through the profile, Sankararaman said, "His profile is quite impressive. But you have attached a bunch of papers to the profile. What are these?"

"The Human Resources (HR) department has prepared a profile sheet, incorporating all the important information about each candidate. That is what you went through. The attachments are supporting papers, kept by the HR department, for reference, in case of necessity. I should have removed them, while giving you the file. I am sorry" said Mukundan. 

"That is ok" said Sankararaman and quickly browsed through the papers. He stopped at a page and asked. "What is this? There is a reference to some FIR!"

"That is a something relating to a happening in a company Giridharan worked earlier."

"What was the issue? Can you elaborate?"

"It seems there was an affair between him and a female employee. But, it is said that it had happened only with the consent of the woman."

"Was it something like a consensual rape?" asked Sankararaman, with a smile.

"Sir! It was not rape. Giridharan and the woman had been having a relationship for quite some time. Every one in the company had known about it. But, allof a sudden, one day, that woman gave a police complaint that Giridhran sexually assaulted her."

"Interesting! Then?"

"It transpired that the woman's husband had forced her to give such a complaint, intending to use it to extract money from Giridharan." 

"That means that the affair had been going on only with the consent of the woman's husband. This is real consensual sex!"

"The woman's husband had planned to use the police complaint to blackmail Giridharan and withdraw the complaint after extracting some money from him. But, the police registered an FIR immediately. So he was forced to hurriedly reach a compromise and withdraw the complaint. Since Giridhran's name was in the FIR, that fact was recorded by his company in his personal file."

"But, how did you come to know of these details?"

"When Giridharan was selected by our company for the job, I saw these details in the confidential report sent by his previous company at our request. I spoke to the HR Manager of the company to ascertain the details. He was the one who gave me the details. He also said Giridharan was very good at his job and that it was an isolated incident resulting from an indiscretion on the part of Giridharan." 

"You had been very thorough. But you made a mistake in appointing him in our company, even after knowing about this incident."

"Why do you say so, sir?"

"A man who had an affair with another man's wife doesn't deserve anything good in life. If I had known about these facts, I would have stalled his appointment even at that time. Now, of course, we can't dismiss him. But, we can stop him from becoming the General Manager."

"Sir! That incident happened many years back. After Giridharan had joined our company, there was no complaint against him. He is a person with an excellent performance record and proven competence. I would say that he is the best among the three short-listed candidates."

"Then, let us go for the second best. I am sorry, Mr. Mukundan! As I had said earlier, I don't consider a person having a liaison with another man's wife a human being at all. He does not deserve to be considered for a high position. Please strike off his name from the list. Let us select one of the other two" said Sankararaman, firmly.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 14
Possession of Propriety 

Verse 149 (In Tamil)

nalakkuriyAr yAr enin nAma nIr vaippin
piRarkku uriyAL thOL thOyAdhAr.

Meaning:

Those who don't touch the shoulder of a another man's wife are the ones who deserve all the good in this world surrounded by the fearsome ocean.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'mUvaril oruvar' by the same author)

Verse 150
Verse 148

639. A Remark During the Press Meet

Chief Minister Adhavan met the media persons, in connection with his government having completed two years in office.

After detailing his government's achievements during the two year period, he answered the questions posed to him by the media persons.

A question was asked about the criticism of his government by the opposition parties. 

'"The role of the opposition parties is to oppose the government. They have just been playing their roles. I am not concerned about them" said Adhavan.

"You talk about your achievements. But the opposition parties talk about the shortcomings in your performance. Don't you think that this will tarnish the reputation of your government, you have been trying to build?"

"I should definitely be concerned about issues affecting the reputation of my government. But I don't believe that our reputation would be affected by the criticism levelled against us by the opposition parties. It may, however, be affected by other factors" said Adhavan, smiling.

"Can you elaborate what you imply by 'other factors?'"

"I said it in general. Let us conclude this meet at this stage."

Adhavan got up and left the press meet, after waving his hands to the media persons, by way of saying goodbye to them. 

"What have you done, sir? You have cast a stone in still waters and created ripples. Now everyone is talking about your use of the phrase 'other factors.' The media has been speculating about the 'factors' you referred to," Aravanan, President of Adhavan's party, told Adhavan.

"Let them speculate. Let there be debates on what I meant. Then only the erring ministers in my cabinet will realize the damage they have been causing to the reputation of our government" said Adhavan, somewhat angrily.

"You mean..."

"You know who are the people I have been referring to. A senior minister has been doing things that are against public interest. His actions have brought a bad name to our party and the government. Our own partymen are angry with him. But, since he is a senior leader in our party, I cannot sack him from the ministry. I have spoken to him about his wrongdoings many times and emphasized the need to mend his ways. But he has not changed his ways. That is why I threw a hint in the press meet by mentioning about other factors that could create a bad name to our government. I hope he would have got the message and would mend his ways. If he doesn't, I have no option but to drop him from the cabinet. As I indicated in the press meet, our government  does not face any threat from the opposition parties. The real threat we face is only from people like this person. You may also talk to him and make him understand what is expected of him. I also expect that my remark would serve as a warning to other erring ministers, if any, whose wrongdoings might not have come to my notice" said Adhavan.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 64
Being A Minister

Verse 639 (in Tamil):
pazhudhu eNNum mandhiriyin pakkadhadhuL thevvOr
ezhupadhu kOdi uRum.

Meaning:

It is better to face 700 million foes

than have an erring minister.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'paththirikaiyALar sandhippu' by the same author.) 

Verse 640
Verse 638

1143. 'Local Gossip.'

"A hand-written tabloid is being circulated in our town. Do you know about it?" Murali asked his friend Kalyanaraman.

"I don't know. What is it called?"

"Local Gossip!"

"The name looks funny. What kind of a tabloid is it?"

"As the name suggests, the tabloid carries 'news' about interesting things happening in the town, including things kept secret by the people concerned and of course rumours."

"How are they running it? How are they circulating a hand-written tabloid?"

"The tabloid is released once in a week. The publishers will fill 10 pages with news stories and gossip columns written in legible hand and then release it. There are people who read this tabloid regularly. There are also casual readers who read it now and then. Every one, after reading it, will pass it on to someone else. That is how it gets circulated."

"How do they gather the news? Is it not scandalous to write about happenings in other people's lives?"

"I don't know how they gather the news. Someone eavesdropping the conversation between you and me may also publish it under the title "A conversation about 'Local Gossip.'" When they publish a news story, they won't directly reveal the names of the people involved. But they will give enough hints to ensure that the readers will have no doubt about the identity of the people mentioned in the news. For example, if the news story says, 'The wife of Dasaratha's son, residing in the street named after Siva's younger son, had a fight with her husband and left for her mother's place,' the reader can decode the message, by understanding that the lady referred to in the news is the wife of Ramasamy (Rama being the son of of Dasaratha), residing in Subramaniam Street (Subramaniam being the name of Lord Siva's younger son.) If she had been away, it would serve as a confirmation of the news. Thus, the people who run this tabloid, will use mythological references and names from folk stories to give hints to the readers, for identifying the persons mentioned in the news stories."

"My goodness! Will that person Ramasamy not be outraged, after reading the story about him?"

"If he gets outraged and protests, would it not amount to exposing himself? So, he would, in all probability, keep quiet. Moreover, when you don't know who the publisher of the tabloid is, how will you fight him?"

"This is atrocious. If the tabloid writes about me, I will show it to the police and file a complaint. The police will find out who the publisher is."

"In that case, the time has come for you to go to the police" said Murali, with a smirk. 

"What do you mean?" asked Kalyanaraman, startled by Murali's words.

"Look at this!" said Murali, showing the 'Local Gossip' issue he had kept by his side and then read aloud a particular news item. 

"Rama, the bridegroom working in a central government office, secretly loves Green Stone working in a private company. Since Green Stone's father is hard like a mountain, Rama is scared to meet Green Stone's father and tell him that he loves his daughter.

"Some more details are given, but I think that these details are sufficient to identify 'Rama, the bridegroom' as you, 'Green Stone' as Maragatham, which term, in Tamil, refers to a gem with a green hue and her father Annamalai, described as being hard like a mountain, the English word for the Tamil word 'malai.'" added Murali.

"Oh! They have made the references so clear that no reader would miss identifying the characters" said Kalyanaraman, in exasperation.

"Here is the tabloid. You can take it to the police station, if you want" said Murali. 

Kalyanaraman reluctantly received the issue of the tabloid from Murali. 

The next day, when Murali met Kalyanraman, he asked him, "Did you go to the police?"

"No."

"Why?"

"It has been a week since this issue of the tabloid was released. A lot of people would have read it by this time."

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

"If I know who the publisher of this tabloid is,  I will meet him and..."

"strangle him?" interjected Murali.

"thank him!" said Kalyanaraman, completing the sentence.

"What for?"

"As this news report says, I had been afraid to meet Maragatham's father and tell him that I love his daughter. But, to my good fortune, Maragatham's father had learned about our love through this 'Local Gossip.' He asked Maragatham about it. After Maragatham confirmed the news story to be true, he told Maragatham to ask me to meet him with my parents, to discuss the marriage arrangements. Maragatam told me this news only last evening, when I met her. Therefore, should I not express my gratefulness to 'Local Gossip' for helping our love to succeed?" said Kalyanasndaram.

Thirukkural
Section 3

Love

Chapter 115
Shedding Shyness

Verse 1143 (in Tamil):
uRA adhO Ur aRindha kouvai adhanaip 

peRAdhu peRRanna nIrththu.

Meaning:

It is good that the people of this town, on coming to know of our love, began to gossip about it. As a result, my marrying my lover, which looked uncertain earlier, has become certain now.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'uLLUr kisukisu' by the same author.)

Verse 1144 (Soon)
Verse 1142

638. The Minister's Adamancy

Finance Secretary Suresh entered the cabin of Finance Minister Sharma and told him, "Sir! We have the meeting of the Advisory Committee."

"Oh!" said Sharma, showing his positive disinterest. 

"What kind of a system is this? They make me the Finance Minister and also create an Advisory Committee. This ministry can as well be run by the Advisory Committee! Why do they need you as the Finance Secretary and me as the Finance Minister."

"Sir! As you know well, this system was created several years back by one of your predecessors. And it has been followed since then" said Suresh. 

After a pause, Suresh added, "Is it not advantageous to have the benefit of the ideas and views of a few people with divergent thinking?"

"What new ideas that we don't know are the committee members going to come up with?" asked the Minister. 

A few days after the meeting of the Advisory Committee was held, Suresh met Vir Singh, a member of the Advisory Committee, in a function. Suresh had a good rapport with Vir Singh, though the two had been meeting only occasionally.

"What has the Minister decided?" Vir Singh asked Suresh.

"I think he would decide to do things as per his idea" said Suresh. 

"To do that, he should have ideas. And to generate ideas, he has to think. I think he is not capable of doing it" said Vir Singh, laughing.

Suresh kept quiet. He knew that what Vir Singh said was true. But being a Secretary working under the Minister, what could he say about the Minister?

"So, what is the Minister's idea?" asked Vir Singh.

Suresh outlined the Minister's idea.

"This is madness. If we do this, the economy will collapse!"

"The Minister has not yet finalized his plan. Because you asked me, I indicated to you what his line of thinking was. Please keep this confidential. I am still trying to reason with him not to proceed with this plan."

"What is the point in your trying to reason with a person who has neither the intelligence nor the inclination to listen to experts like you? You will only be wasting your time and energy. Let him implement his plan. He will understand the stupidity of his plan, after suffering the consequences. But, by that time, he would have been sacked for the damage he had created!" said Vir Singh, in an angry tone.

"No, sir. It is my duty to explain to him the flaw in his thinking and make him understand the repercussions of his plan. I am following an approach of initially going with his plan and gradually moving him away from his idea, by pointing out the practical difficulties in implementing it and ultimately making him accept an alternative plan. I have the confidence that by patiently working with him, I will be able to make him see reason. After all, during my tenure, I have done this quite few times, with different ministers!" said Suresh, with a smile. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 64
Being A Minister

Verse 638 (in Tamil):
aRikonRu aRiyAn eninum uRudhi
uzhai irundhAn kURal kadan.

Meaning:

Even when the king stubs out the wise counsel,

and knows not by himself, it is the duty of the minister to advise the king firmly.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'amaichcharin pidivAdham' by the same author.) 

Verse 639
Verse 637

148. 'The Best Man!'

Anyone listening to a conversation in the office, between Accounts Manager Aravind and Senior Accounts Officer Rekha in the would think that Rekha was Aravind's superior officer.

In addition to Rekha being two years older than Aravind, there was another reason for Rekha appearing to have authority over Aravind.

When Rekha joined the company about one year back, Aravind made a pass at her, when the two were alone, despite knowing that Rekha was married. Rekha's reaction to Aravind's inappropriate behaviour was so ferocious that Aravind apologized to her immediately.

Rekha accepted Aravind's apology and moved with him normally. But, as if punishing him for his misdemeanour, she had been speaking to him, as if he was her subordinate.

Fearing that Rekha could publicize his inappropriate behaviour towards her, Aravind accepted her treatment of him and acted as if he was giving her respect, considering that she was older than him.

He often joked with her, treating her like a friend, in an effort to make her feel that he had no inappropriate feelings towards her.

"What, Mrs. Rekha? Who, do you think, will win the contest?" Aravind asked Rekha.

"Which contest?"

"Have you forgotten? In our company's anniversary celebration tomorrow, the female employees are going to select one male employee as the 'best man.'

"Oh, that? You are not going to be the winner, for sure!" said Rekha.

"What madam! Everyone in our office has been saying that I am going to be the winner."

"Some male employees might have told you so. How do men know on what basis women will vote?'

"Okay. Whom are you going to vote for?"

"To the person, who is going to win!"

"Does it mean that you are not going to vote for me?"

"What a sharp brain you have, Aravind! That is why they have made you a manager!" said Rekha, sarcastically. 

The anniversary function was celebrated on Saturday.

When Aravind came to the office on Monday, he greeted Rekha saying "Hello"

"Hello, best man!" said Rekha.

"Don't add insult to injury. Every one in the office is surprised that the female employees have chosen Murali 'the best man.'"

"You mean all the men in the office are surprised. Did I not tell you that men couldn't guess whom the women would select?"  

"That may be true. But the question remains on what basis did the women choose Murali. He is an introvert. He doesn't even talk to most of the people."

"Let me ask you a question, Aravind. If the male employees in our office were asked to choose one female employee 'the best woman,'  whom would you people have chosen?

"Not you, for sure!" said Aravind, laughing.

"Tit for tat! You are using the same words I used against you. It is fine. I know pretty well that you people won't choose me. I can also guess whom you will choose!"

"How can you? If men cannot know the mind of women, women cannot know the mind of men, either!"

"Women know. That is the fact. If men are asked to select 'the best woman,' they will choose the woman, who is the most beautiful. But if women are asked to choose 'the best man,' they will choose the one who has the best character!"

"Is there no one in the office who is better than Murali in character? I am also a person of good character."

"When I say character, I mean treating women with dignity and moving with them with genuine goodwill, not with a desire to win over them. Women will consider only such men as men of character. Most of the men working in our office have a tendency to look at a woman as a sexual object. They will try to win over her love, without even considering that she is married. Many men think that they are smart and that women will fall for their appearance and talk. What can be surprising about women voting for Murali, who treats women, especially married women, with dignity?" said Rekha. 

Realizing that she could have hurt Aravind inadvertently, she added, "I am sorry. I was not referring to you. I have forgiven and forgotten your past behaviour. What I said was in general. Since you have been moving with other men in our office, you can gauge to what extent my statement is true."

"I will try to improve myself and win the votes of women employees during the contest next year. I should get at least your vote" said Aravind.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 14
Possession of Propriety 

Verse 148 (In Tamil)

piRan manai nOkkAdha pErANmai sAnROrkku
aRan onRO AnRa ozhukku.

Meaning:

The manliness of not looking at the face of another man's wife is not only a virtue to be followed by great men, but also a moral code.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'thEdhal mudivu' by the same author)

Verse 149
Verse 147

637. Felicitation Function

In the function held to felicitate spiritual speaker Pandurangan, many people spoke about his special attributes and achievements.

"There are many speakers well versed in narrating mythological stories. All of them are scholars. They are well read and well informed. Among them, Pandurangan has created a unique approach for himself, following which he has been delivering discourses that delight the listeners."

"On the one side, Mr. Pandurangan's discourses are commended by scholars and connoisseurs, impressed by his knowledge of the scriptures and mythological stories and his power of expression. And on the other, ordinary people are also attracted by his speeches. This is something rare to find."

"The Hindu mythology mentions about Souta Pauranika, an expert in giving discourses. The epics say how people showed a lot of interest in listening to his discourses. Mr. Pandurangan occupies a place today that was occupied by Sauta Pauranika during ancient times."

The above were some of the observations made by speakers who felicitated Panduangan. 

Finally, it was Pandurangan's turn to reply to the felicitations.

"Reading books on any subject and becoming an expert on that subject is something within the reach of every one. Anyone, who is willing to put in hard work will be able to achieve this. But, conveying what one has learnt, to other people, in an interesting and intelligible way is a special skill. Not many people had learnt this skill."

The audience were somewhat surprised by Pandurangan's words, which appeared to be self-praising. 'What is this? Why does this person praise himself, without even pretending to be modest, while speaking in public?' thought some people.

"In the beginning, I had not learnt that skill."

The audience now realized that Pandurangan was not indulging in self-praise and became interested in listening to what he was going to say.

"When I started giving discourses. not many people found my speeches to be interesting. Only a few people, who were able to discern the profound messages I had tried to convey through my speeches, appreciated me. I was able to comprehend that most of the audience felt, 'He is trying to convey something, but it is not interesting.'

I didn't know what I could do about this problem. I shared my problem, with a person close to me. That person was not well-educated, but she possessed worldly wisdom. She attended my next discourse. After listening to the discourse, she said, 'There is good content in your lecture. But your speech is not structured in a way to kindle the interest of the listener.'

"I asked her what I could do about it. She thought for sometime and then said, 'You are narrating stories written during ancient times. The happenings in those stories do not fit with the present day scenario. So, when you are telling those stories, if you can relate them to present day occurrences, the audience might feel interested. For example, when you narrate the story of Ramayana, you can compare Rama's unquestioning obedience to his parents with the attitude of the young people of today, who don't give any consideration to their parents' words. When talking about Lakshmana using strong words against his father, you can point out that even a good person, when gripped by anger, could lose his balance and use harsh words against his parents. This way, if you can link the events and characters in the mythological stories to the present day occurrences, your narration could stimulate the interest of the audience.'

"From my next discourse, I began to follow her advice. I was able to sense the enthusiasm my new approach created among the audience. Thus, it was not only the things that I had learned from books, but also the wisdom I had learned from that person that contributed to my speeches being liked the audience."

After a brief pause, Pandurangan continued.

"It would have been appropriate for me to bring the person responsible for my success to this felicitation event and honour her. But, I have not been able to do that."

Pandurangan paused again, removed his spectacles and wiped his eyes with his handkerchief.

"The person, who guided me in understanding the world and attuning my behaviour in accordance with the characteristics of the world, is not alive now. It has been three years, since my wife left me" said Pandurangan in a voice choked with emotion.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 64
Being A Minister

Verse 637 (in Tamil):
seyaRkai aRindhak kadaiththum ulagaththu
iyaRkai aRindhu seyal.

Meaning:

Even if you know well how to do a task,

do it knowing the nature of your world.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'pArAttu vizhA' by the same author.) 

Verse 638
Verse 636

1142. Miss Pearl

Ajan first met her in the jewellery shop.

By virtue of having worked in a jewellery shop for a few years, Ajan had developed the expertise of identifying and evaluating precious stones.

After working in a jewellery shop for a few years, Ajan had the idea of starting his own business. He quit the job and started a food grains business, with a small investment.

Though the income from his food grains business was small, it was sufficient for him to support his family, comprising him and his mother. 

Ajan's mother wanted him to get married. Ajan felt confident about expanding his business and increasing his income to support his family, after getting married and begetting children.

Ajan's mother was engaged in finding a suitable match for her son.

Ajan's former employer, the owner of the jewellery shop, would, now and then, ask him to come to his shop for help, whenever the shop had an important customer. 

The shop owner found that Ajan's expertise on the quality and value of precious gems impressed the potential customers and gave them the confidence to buy the gems, with a feeling of conviction. 

It was during such a visit to the jewellery shop of his former employer that Ajan met the young woman. 

From the way the woman had dressed, talked and acted, it was obvious that she belonged to a wealthy family. Whether she was speaking to the shop assistants or to the shop owner, she displayed an authoritarian tone. 

When the shop owner introduced Ajan to her, saying, "Madam! Ajan is an expert in identifying the quality of stones and assessing their value. He will help you to select the pearls," she threw a nonchalant look at him. 

However, within a short time of listening to Ajan explaining the different grades of pearls, their characteristics and value, she was impressed by his expert knowledge about precious stones. She began to look at him with respect and admiration..

After she had bought some pearls and left the shop, the shop owner thanked Ajan for facilitating the sale.

"Who is this lady? She is so authoritarian!" said Ajan.

"She has a reason to be so. She is the daughter of a high level official in the palace" said the shop owner.

"What is her name?"

"I don't know her name. Since she bought pearls from me, we can refer to her as Miss Pearl!" said the shop owner. 

After sometime, Ajan received word from the shop owner that Miss Pearl wanted him to visit her residence.

Ajan went to her house, feeling apprehensive whether she didn't like the pearls bought by her on his advice and whether she called him for reprimanding him for giving her wrong advice.

But, contrary to his fears, Ajan was given a warm reception when he reached her house. The servants served him some dishes, in spite of his saying that he was not hungry.

"It is Madam's order that you should be taken to her chamber, only after you take food" said a servant.

After Ajan had had his food, he was taken to the 'Madam's' chamber.

"Welcome, gentleman!" Miss Pearl received him enthusiastically. "I have known many experts well versed in the intricate knowledge about gems. But I have never come across a person with such an incisive sense of discrimination like you. I have some more precious gems with me. I want you to examine them and give me an assessment about their quality and value. I keep buying and selling gems. But I want to keep rare gems with high value, permanently with me. I need your help in assessing the values of the gems I have" said Pearl

Ajan examined the gems shown by her, one by one, studying them closely, and explained to her about the quality, characteristics and value of each of them. 

When he took leave of her, after completing his task, she offered him gold coins of considerable value as remuneration for his services. But he refused to receive any remuneration from her, saying, "I consider it my fortune that I am able to serve a noble person like you." 

Ajan was often thinking about Miss pearl. 

'What a majestic personality, with a commanding appearance, cheerfulness and affability! Why did I get a feeling of being overwhelmed, in her presence. I used to be amused reading writers comparing the eye of a woman to a lily flower. But her eyes do remind me of lily flowers!

'Will I get a chance to meet her again? Oh, what a stupid desire! I am nowhere near her in status. I am fit to be only a servant in her house. But, if I were to be a servant in her house, commanded by her and spend my time looking at her flower-like eyes from close quarters and admiring her majestic appearance from being near her, I would be fortunate! Oh, what a stupid thought!'

But, Ajan could not help having such thoughts quite often.

After a few weeks, Ajan received a message from Miss Pearl, asking him to visit her house.

This time, she was slightly upset.

"What is this, young man? I called you to my house only to make an assessment of my gems. But it has led to people gossiping about you and me!" she asked in an angry tone.

Though such rumours reached his ears also, Ajan did not attach any importance to them. With Pearl herself calling him and asking about the rumours, he had a fear that perhaps things had gone a little far.

"Madam! I have not done anything to cause such rumours."

"You call me 'madam!' Is this the way to address a woman you are going to marry? My name is Parivadhini" she said, smiling.

"I don't follow..."

"When I first heard about the gossip of the people of this town, I felt angry. But, after pondering over the matter deeply, I realized that the talk of the people only reflected my inner feelings. If you like this Parivadhini, please tell me. I will talk to my father and ask him to make arrangements for our marriage."

Parivadhini bowed down her head, involuntarily. 

Ajan was struck with wonder by the sight of the commanding Parivadhini bowing down her head like a timid girl.

Thirukkural
Section 3

Love

Chapter 115
Gossiping by Others

Verse 1142 (in Tamil):
malaranna kaNNAL arumai aRiyAdhu 

alar emakku Indhadhu ivvUr.

Meaning:

Not knowing the value of this damsel, whose eyes are like flowers, this town, by gossiping about her, has facilitated my earning her love.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'pavaLakkodi' by the same author.)

Verse 1143
Verse 1141