166. Priya's Wishes

"What mom, isn't there any other shirt?" asked Priya.

"Choose something good among the ones available" said her mother Thangam. 

"I don't find any new shirt!" said Priya, in a voice that appeared to be breaking down. 

"I will take a salary an advance from my office today and buy you a new set of dress tomorrow."

"I have the function in my school today. What is the use of your getting me a new dress tomorrow?" asked Priya, feeling frustrated.

Thangam found a lump of grief rising up in her throat. Why should her husband Raghuraman have left the world so early, orphaning her and Priya?

"Mom! Are we poor, or rich?" asked Priya.

"Neither. We are stuck in the middle!" said Thangam. Immediately, a thought occurred to her whether people like her who didn't want to admit that they were poor had been taking shelter under the dubious identity called 'the middle class.'

"If daddy were alive, would we be rich?" asked Priya.

Thangam didn't answer her. Her mind set out to take a quick tour of the past. 

Raghuraman was the eldest son of his parents. Kesavan was his younger brother. When Kesavan was a boy, a relative wanted to adopt him. He was a wealthy person. His wife was not alive. He was living alone. 

As per the terms of adoption, Kesavan could live with his parents. His adoptive father would take care of his education and marriage. He would visit him now and then. When he died, Kesavan should cremate him and perform the obsequies in the traditional way, as a son would perform the rites for his father. After his death, Kesavan would get his property. A will would be executed to facilitate this.

Considering that Kesavan would continue to live with his natural parents and that this arrangement would help Kesavan live a comfortable life after the death of his adopted father, his father agreed Kesavan to be adopted by the relative.

Raghuraman's education stopped at the school level, since his parents didn't have the means to give him a college education. Since, they lived in a village, college education had to be pursued in a nearby town, by staying in a hostel, making it even more expensive.

Kesavan, who completed his schooling the next year, joined a good college in a city, by taking up residence in a hostel, with his college and hostel fees met by his adoptive father. 

Raghuraman felt that it was unjust that while he couldn't pursue college education, his younger brother had the opportunity to study in a college, just because he had an adoptive father, who was rich.

"Dad! Kesavan's adoptive father is wealthy. Why couldn't he have helped me join the college, by financing my college education?" Raghuraman asked his father. 

"How can we expect such favours from him?" replied his father.

Raghuraman could not reconcile himself to the incongruity.

After completing his college education, Kesavan landed a good job in Chennai. Raghuraman also managed to get a job in Chennai. The job was not attractive, but given his level of education, he couldn't get a better job.  

A few months after Raghuraman married Thangam, his parents passed away in quick succession. 

After both his parents had passed away, Kesavan moved to a spacious house in Chennai, bought by his adoptive father. His adoptive father also stayed with him. After some time, Kesavan's adoptive father got Kesavan married to a girl from a wealthy family, 

The relationship between Raghuraman and Kesavan was reduced to almost a non-existing level. When Kesavan's adoptive father passed away, Raghuraman didn't visit Kesavan to express his condolences.

Though Raghuraman had completely cut off his connection with Kesavan, he would keep talking to Thangam disparagingly of Kesavan and his adoptive father, almost on a daily basis.  

"I wonder whether an injustice like the one done to me was ever done to anyone else in the world! We are two brothers. But, one gentleman adopted my brother and gave him everything, completely ignoring me, who was watching the show like a starving child watching in desperation another child eating a sumptuous meal. How does God tolerate this injustice?" he would say one day. 

Another day, he would say, "If somebody came forward to adopt my brother and shower him with riches, how could he accept it? Should he not have rejected it saying that he would stand only with his parents?"

"If my brother had come up in life by his own efforts, I would not have grudged his success. He is living on the charity of someone. This is not right!" he would fume another day. 

"Don't talk disparagingly of other people. Focus your thinking on what we could do to make our life better" Thangam advised him several times. Bur he didn't pay heed to her words.

One day, Raghuraman had a heart attack and passed away. Kesavan attended the funeral, as a show of courtesy. After that, he didn't bother to find out how Thangam was managing her life. 

Thangam got herself a job. She was struggling to live her life, taking care of her daughter Priya. 

"Come and have your dinner!" Thangam called out Priya.

"I find it boring to eat at home every day. Can we go to a restaurant?" asked Priya. 

"You know I can take you to a restaurant only once in a month, just after I receive my salary."

"Not good enough, mom. My friends dine in restaurants almost every weekend. I don't have good dress to wear. We are unable to enjoy dining in a restaurant now and then. Why are things this way for us?" asked Priya, giving vent to her exasperation.  

"I don't know" replied Thangam. 

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 17
Bearing No Envy

Verse 166 (In Tamil)

koduppadhu azhukkaRuppAn suRRam uduppadhUm
uNbadhUm inRik kedum.

Meaning:

One who feels envious of the wealth given away as charity to another person, will have even his kin suffer without adequate food and clothes.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'piriyAvin kuRai' by the same author)

Verse 167 (Soon)
Verse 165