171. A Visit To the Village

Gopi was the only passenger to get down from the bus, that stopped at the village bus stop, after stirring up a large quantity of dust.

He reached Sakthivel's house, after ascertaining the location of the house, by enquiring with people on the way.

The door of the house was open. Standing in front of the doorstep, he could see the entire house, including the dark corridor immediately behind the door, the open yard at the middle of the house, the adjoining corridor and the backyard. But he couldn't see any person.

"Sir" Gopi called out, standing outside the dpprstep.

It appeared to him that his call, made in a feeble voice, was not heard by people inside the house.

After a couple of minutes, a woman made her appearance and asked Gopi, "Yes, please?"

 

Before Gopi could answer her, a man came from inside, walking in hurried paces.

'This should be Sakthivel' surmised Gopi. 

"You are Mr. Gopi, aren't you? Please come in" Saktivel welcomed Gopi and took him inside.

"He is the one I told you about. He has come in connection with the marriage proposal" Sakthivel told the woman, whom Gopi now identified as Sakthivel's wife.

"Please come in and take your seat. I am sorry. At first, I din't recognize who you were" said Sakthivel's wife, in an apologetic tone.

After exchanging pleasantries, Sakthivel told Gopi, "It is good of you to have come here, traveling a long distance, to discuss the marriage proposal."

"Is it not the convention for the girl's parents to meet the parents of the prospective bridegroom and discuss the alliance proposal?" replied Gopi. "I understand that you don't hail from this place" he added.

"Yes. I belong to Thanjavur. I came to this village, when I was posted as the VAO - Village Administrative Officer - of this village" said Sakthivel. 

"Oh, VAO? Earlier, there used to be officials like Karnam and Munsiff."

"Yes. Those positions were abolished in the 80's and replaced by VAOs."

"Did you know the person who was the last Karnam of this village?" asked Gopi.

"I didn't know him personally. But my predecessor has told me about him. Why are you asking about him?"

"After getting down from the bus, I asked some people the directions to your house. They told me that you were residing in the house that belonged to the erstwhile Karnam. That's why I was curious to know whether you had known him."

"This was his house. But, after his demise, his wife sold it. Now, it is owned by another person in this village. I hve taken the house on rent" said Sakthivel.

"I heard that that the Karnam had a bad reputation."

"It seems even before leaving for this village, you have gathered a lot of information about the people of this village!" said Sakthivel, laughing. 

He then added. "That is a long story. You have been living in big cities like Mumbai and Kolkatta. I wonder whether you would understand the systems and practices in a village like this. Those days, it was the Karmam who was maintaining the records of the ownership of lands in the village. With literacy having not spread much to the villages at that time, many of the villagers didn't have proper records for the lands owned by them. Taking advantage of this, the Karnam had cheated several people, by manipulating the records maintained by him. He would classify a piece of land belonging to a particular person as public land and later change the title in his favour. He had indulged in many such manipulative practices."

"Is it possible to make such changes in the land records?"

"I am talking about the system prevalent fifty years back. You and I would have been studying in a school at that time. If you can talk to the affected people, they would narrate many such stories that would appear strange and unbelievable, when we look at things from the way things are today. Parallel records were maintained at the Taluk office. But the Karnam would change even those records, using his contacts at the Taluk office."

"Oh!"

"One fine morning, the Government did away with the posts of Karnams and Munsiffs and replaced them with government appointed VAOs. After that, a large number of complaints were received against the Karnam. The complaints were probed. He was found guilty in some cases."

"Did the police arrest him?"

"No. the police came and questioned him. Realizing that he would be arrested and imprisoned, he ended his life one night, by consuming poison. 

"Oh. My God!"

"Why do you sympathize with a person like him? What else could happen to a person who cheated innocent people and deprived them of of the lands owned by them?"

"What happened to his family?"

"His family has to be pitied, of course. The Karnam had a son and a daughter. His son had run away from home, when he was a school-going boy, sometime before the Karnam was exposed. It was said that he ran away because he was unable to live with the things he heard people saying about his father."

"How could other people know about the reason for his running away?"

"I heard that his mother herself had said this. He had conveyed his anguish about his father's misdeeds to his mother several times, before he chose to run away. She was heard lamenting, narrating his conversations with her."

"Where are the Karnam's wife and daughter now?"

"That lady could have continued to reside in this village, living on the income from the properties the family had. But, she could not live here, listening to the blame and curse the village continued to harp on the Karnam, even after his death and bearing the stigma imposed on the family by the guilt of her late husband. Therefore, she sold all her properties in the village and migrated to her mother's place, situated nearby. Oh, why are we talking about this? You have come here to discuss the marriage proposal. Let us talk about it." 

Sakthivel then narrated details about his family to Gopi and asked him, "Please tell me about you."

"I have nothing to add beyond what I had said in my letter. I had lived in places like Mumbai and Kolkatta. I came to Chennai recently and settled down there. I came to Thanjavur on an assignment. I thought I could meet you in person. I will come again with my wife, after a few weeks. I take leave of you now" said Gopi and got up to leave.  

"Please have your lunch here and then leave" said Sakthivel's wife. 

"No. I have to leave now. I will have lunch at your home, when I come here again with my wife" said Gopi and left.

'I left home resenting my father's ways. But, it was a sin on my part to have not communicated with my family for forty years. Now, I will go to Panthanallur, my grandma's place and meet my mother living there. I don't know where my sister is living, after getting married.'

Reflecting as above, Gopi walked towards the bus stop.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 18
Not Coveting Others' Belongings

Verse 171 (In Tamil)

naduvinRi nan poruL vehkin kudi ponRik
kuRRamum AngE tharum.

Meaning:

A desire to usurp the well-earned wealth of others, using unfair means, will destroy one's family and attach the stigma of guilt and blame.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'thappuk kaNakku' by the same author)

Verse 172 (Soon)
Verse 170

170. Missing the Recognitions

The monthly meeting of the sales executives of 'Southern Enterprises' was in progress.

"I am going to announce the name of the executive who achieved the highest sales last month" announced the Sales Manager.

After a brief pause, he said, "R. Sekhar."

"Can't be, sir. When I checked with the Accounts department on 31st, they said that I had achieved the highest sales for the month" said Murthy. 

"Sekhar had given given his sales invoices late in the evening, and after they were added, his sales figure increased and he moved to the top position" explained the Sales Manager.

Other sales executives sitting in the meeting exchanged some grudging remarks among themselves, in low voices.  

"Give Sekhar a big hand!" said the Sales Manager

There was a mild applause, which subsided almost immediately.

After the meeting had got over, the sales executives broke into small groups and talked among themselves.

"Sekhar has always been doing something to manipulate the figures. If someone outperforms him, he can't stand it. You should have seen Sekar's face, when Chandru emerged the top performer for the month before last!"

"But, it was Chandru, who congratulated Sekhar today, when most of us felt unhappy when Sekhar was declared the top performer for last month. 

"Chandru is a gem. He has a habit of encouraging and helping other sales executives. When it comes to character and attitudes, Sekar and Chandru are two opposite poles."

After a couple of years, when the position of Sales Manager became vacant, Sekhar was elevated to that position. 

This decision was not well received by other sales executives. The reactions were on these lines:

"This is atrocious! The management has given the promotion to Sekhar, overlooking the candidatures of several executives who have performed better than Sekhar. Even if we consider seniority, there are some above Sekhar. Chandru himself is senior to Sekhar!"

"Deciding whom to promote is the prerogative of the management of the firm. Perhaps, Sekhar may be close to the General Manager.""

"If Chandru had been promoted to this position, all of us would have been happy. How are we going to work under Sekhar, who cannot stomach the success of other people?""

After some more years, Sekar got another promotion. Chandru could not rise above the position of a Senior Sales Executive. Some executives, resenting the unfair treatment meted out to them by the management of the firm, moved to other companies.

Time passed. 

It was time for Chandru to retire. A farewell party was given to him, in which many employees at several levels participated.

Sekhar had retired two months earlier. 

After the farewell party had got over, Chandru's friend Karthik offered to drive Chandru home.

While driving the car, Karthik told Chandru, "I usually don't speak while driving a car. But, today, I am making an exception, since I feel the urge to share a thought that occurred to me."

"What is it?" asked Chandru. 

"I have been working with you in this firm, for the past thirty years. Everyone in our firm knows what a noble-hearted person you are. Everyone also knows about Sekhar's petty-mindedness, jealousy, greed and proclivity for dishonest practices. But, Sekhar went up in his career. You were not able to rise as high as him. People working in our firm have feelings of regret about this. I have been wondering since long why things happened this way. But, today I realized something, that would explain things."

"What did you realize?"

"A large number of the employees of our firm attended your farewell party. During the farewell party, I observed the love, affection and goodwill people had for you. But, only a handful of people attended the farewell party given to Sekhar. It was clear that they came to the farewell party and sat through it, only for the sake of courtesy. They had no warm feelings towards Sekhar. But, today, I witnessed people becoming overwhelmed by their good feelings towards you. Elevation in life doesn't have to be only by way of achieving a high position in one's career or earning a lot of money. Earning the love, affection and goodwill of people is also an elevation in one's life. In fact, what reward can be greater than securing a high place in the minds of people around us?" said Karthik.

"I don't know whether your perception is correct. But, I have always felt that getting the love and affection of all of you, my colleagues and associates, was a great reward I got in my life" said Chandru.  

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 17
Bearing No Envy

Verse 170 (In Tamil)

azhukkaRRu aganRArum illai ahdhu illAr
perukkaththil thIrndhArum il.

Meaning:

An envious person doesn’t ever attain glory; of those who are free from envy, there is none who has fallen from glory.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kidaiththadhum kidaikkAdhadhum' by the same author)

Verse 171
Verse 169

706. Dressing Room

The tourist guide, who was showing the tourists the various spots inside the ancient palace building, on entering a particular room, turned to the tourists who were following him and asked them, "Can you guess what this room could have been?" 

The tourists, who were walking with their gazes down, to avoid getting tripped by an uneven part of the floor of the dilapidated palace, looked up and turned their gazes around the room.

'The whole structure is dilapidated. We are unable to make out whether a particular place is a hall or a room. How can we guess what this room was used for, several hundred years back?' Kamalanathan asked himself.

He turned to his wife Satyabama, who had been walking beside him and asked her, "Are you able to guess?" and laughed, as if he had uttered a joke. 

Satyabama didn't answer him. 

"Could it have been a bathroom? There is a hole on the roof. Are you going to tell us that the rain water that fell through the hole served as the shower, for the person taking a bath?" asked one of the tourists, jokingly. 

"You are not quite off the mark. This was not a bathroom, but the dressing room. The dressing room would be the next destination for a lady who had taken her bath, won't it be?" asked the guide, smiling at the ladies in the group.

"How do you say this was a dressing room?" asked another tourist. 

"That is the right question. Do you see this stone slab?"

"It is broken. But, it is glittering" said one tourist and went near the stone slab, to examine it closely. "I am able to see the reflection of my face here. Oh, is this a stone or a mirror?" he said, with astonishment.

"It is a stone. A marble stone that can reflect light like a mirror. They had fixed it on the wall, like a tall mirror that could show the reflection of the person standing in front of it. One can stand in front of the mirror and powder one's nose! The slab has been damaged over the years and only a small part of it is intact now.  One can notice this 'mirror,' only after coming near it" said the Guide, somewhat proudly. 

Several tourists went near the stone and checked whether they could see their reflection on it. 

Kamalanathan, after going near the stone and looking at it, said, "Bama! Come and see this" and turned to look at his wife.

But, Satyabama was not there. She was walking away from the place at a fast pace. A perplexed Kamalanathan, began to walk fast, trying to catch up with his wife.

The guide who was walking behind the tourists, whispered into the ears of his assistant who was walking beside him, "That lady seems to have been upset, for some reason. Her face was reflecting the anger that had arisen in her mind. But, he husband was talking to her about something, without realizing that she had been upset. It has made her even more angry and she has walked away, without even showing any interest in finding out what is interesting about this place. Her husband is trying to catch up with her, without realizing what has upset his wife."

The two men chuckled, hiding their laughter, by placing their palm over their mouth.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 71
Divining the Mind

Verse 706 (in Tamil):
aduththadhu kAttum paLingu pOl nenjam
kaduththadhu kAttum mugam.

Meaning:

Like a mirror showing he hues of the objects near it, the face betrays the mood of the mind. 

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'enna vEgam nillu bAmA?' by the same author.) 

Verse 707 (Soon)
Verse 705

705. Why Did Thilakan intervene?

"We are grateful to you, sir, for giving us the order. Ours is a small firm. We consider getting an order from a large organization like yours an honour" said Pavitran.

Pavitran's business partner Thilakan, sitting next to him, nodded his head, in agreement. 

"Whether a firm is small or big is immaterial. You are making a product we need. So, we are buying that product from you. That's all" said Paranthaman, the Managing Director of the company.

When Pavitran sought to take leave of Paranthaman and got up from his seat, Paranthaman said, "If you are not in a hurry, I will get you tender coconut water to drink. You can have it and then leave. As you might have seen, we have a large extent of land and we have planted coconut trees in the land adjoining our factory."

He then called his peon and asked him to get coconut water for the visitors. 

Till the time the coconut water arrived, Paranthaman and Pavitran were talking about the industrial climate, in a general way.

Thilakan, being reserved in nature, was just listening to the conversation, without participating in it.

During the conversation, Pavitran made critical obsevations about some of the policies of the state government, policies he flagged as being adverse to the growth of industries in the state.

"The attitude of this government is unhelpful. It doesn't understand the problems of people running the industries. The government appears to be focused on creating problems for the industries rather than on helping the industries to thrive" said Pavitran.

Thilakan, who was keeping quiet all along, jumped into the conversation, saying, "It may not be fair to say so. It is true that we have faced some problems now and then. But, we cannot overlook the fact that the government has taken several steps to help the industries." 

He then turned to Paranthaman and asked him with a smile," Don't you agree, sir?"

Paranthaman smiled and nodded his head in agreement. 

When Pavitran and Thilakan were returning to their office, after their meeting with Paranthaman, Pavitran asked Thilakan, "You are the one who has always been criticizing the government. But, when I said something critical of the government's policies, you jumped in and refuted my statement, by speaking in support of the government. When you were speaking, you pressed my foot with yours. Taking the cue, I refrained from talking further on the subject. What made you change your opinion about the government suddenly?" asked Pavitran.

"I noticed that when you started criticizing the government, Paranthaman's face expression changed. I discerned that he didn't like your speaking against the government. As you know, many people have political leanings. Paranthaman may be a supporter of the ruling party. That could have been the reason for his disliking your criticism of the government. We have just established a warm relationship with him and he has been graceful, giving us an order, though the stature of our firm is nowhere near that of his company. I didn't want that relationship to be weakened by his resentment of your views about the government. That is why I pitched in saying something good about the government. Considering the way he reacted to my remarks, by spontaneously smiling and nodding his head, I can say that he was pleased" said Thilakan.

"I have missed perceiving Paranthaman's reaction, which you have so keenly observed. I have been blind. It is good that you, in spite of your reserved nature, stepped in at the right time and saved the situation for us" said Pavitran, holding Thilakan's hand, gesturing his appreciation and gratefulness.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 71
Divining the Mind

Verse 705 (in Tamil):
kuRippin kuRippu uNarAvAyin uRuppipinuL

enna payaththadhO kaN

Meaning:

If one can’t observe and interpret body language, what purpose do eyes serve amongst the organs?

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

Verse 706
Verse 704

704. The Add-ons Man!

"Sir! I would like to ask you something. I hope you won't mistake me!" Kesavan said, reluctantly.

"Ask, by all means!" said Branch Manager Kannan, with an encouraging smile.

"Madhavn and I have the same educational qualification. We joined this company at nearly the same time. Both of us have been holding identical positions in this company. We are drawing the same amount of salary."

"You have omitted some more similarities!"

"What are they, sir?"

"Both of you have two eyes, two hands , two legs, one nose and one mouth!"

"Sir!"

"I was just kidding. Continue."

"Both of us are reporting to you. But you tell Madhavan more things than you tell me."

Kannan threw a sharp glaze at Kesavan, as if he was looking into Kesavan's eyes.

"Pardon me, sir, if you consider my observation impertinent. You treat us with kindness and dignity. You speak to us in an informal way. You have told us that we can ask you anything, without any inibition. That was why I took the liberty of asking you this. I am sorry, once again" said Kesavan, feeling apprehensive that he had offended the Branch Manager.

"I didn't say your question was impertinent or inappropriate. I am just thinking how to answer your question. But, tell me how you say that I tell Madhavan things that I don't tell you."

"You give both of us similar tasks. But, I find that Madhavan, while executing a task, does a few additional things, like add-ons! Apparently, you should have given him instructions for doing such additional things. I feel bad that my execution of the task looks poor, when compared to that of a similar task by Madhavan. I have naturally felt that if you gave me too such additional instructions, I would do things in a better way."

Kannan didn't answer Kesavan. He rang the bell, called the peon and asked him to send Madhavan to his cabin.

When Madhavan came into his cabin, Kannan asked him, "Madhavan! You have sent me the file relating to last year's audit. I didn't ask for that file."

"Sir, you told me that the auditors would be coming in a day or two and asked me to keep the records ready. I thought that you would like to check whether we have rectified the deficiencies pointed out in last year's audit. That's why I sent to you last year's audit file. If you don't need it..." said Madhavan, wondering whether what he had done was inappropriate.

"Yes, I need that file. I wanted to know how you had sent me the file, even without my asking for it. Good job. You may leave" said Kannan, with a smile.  

After Madhavan had left, Kannan turned to Kesavan and said, "Did you see? I don't tell Madhavan anything more than what I tell you, relating to any task. But, he tries to understand my mind, thinks about what I would expect relating to the particular task and executes the task accordingly. I am not finding fault with your way of working. You are doing your work diligently. But, if you can put your mind into the objective of my giving you the task, think what additional things would serve my objective better and execute the job by providing for such additional things, you will be able to perform still better. This approach will help you excel in other areas of your life too" said Kannan. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 71
Divining the Mind

Verse 704 (in Tamil):
kuRiththadhu kURAmaik koLvarOdu Enai
uRuppOr anaiyarAl vERu.

Meaning:

Those who can sense thoughts without being told, are distinct; their resemblance to others is only in their human forms.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'ennaip pOl oruvan' by the same author.) 

Verse 705
Verse 703

703. God's Special Gift

"I don't understand why our MD* has been taking Varadu with him, while attending a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, like someone taking a pet animal with him!" commented Santhan, somewhat irritably.

"Are you jealous that the MD has not been taking you along?" asked Sarala, sitting next to him in the office.

"The MD has not been taking even the Manager with him, while attending an important meeting. How can I expect him to take me along?" said Santhan.

"If the MD takes the Manager with him, who will control you people? Even when the Manager is in the office, you two have been chatting in the office. If he is not in the office, this won't be like an office at all!" quipped Kumaraswamy, a senior employee, who was listening to the conversation.

"The old man has been deluding himself that he is the only person in the office, working sincerely. The output we deliver, even after spending some time chatting, is much more than the output he delivers by immersing himself in work!" Santhan whispered to Sarala, with a smile.  

Varadarajan was sitting at a corner of the room in which the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce was being held.

Though there was some resentment among several members about Nallasivam's bringing his assistant to the meetings of the Chamber of Commerce, they could not object to it, since the rules permitted the presence of an assistant to a member in the meetings. 

A few minutes after returning to his office, after the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce got over, Nallasivam summoned Varadarajan to his cabin. 

"The two of them just returned to the office from the meeting. Why is the MD calling Varadu to his cabin?" Santhan asked Sarala, in a whispering tone.

"Perhaps, the MD wants to discuss the deliberations of the meeting with the 'senior executive' Varadu!" said Sarala, mockingly. 

"Tell me, Varadu" asked Nallasivam.

Varadarajan said, "Whenever, you signaled me, I observed the people pointed by you to me. The points made by Mr. Sambandham were not to the liking of many people. The suggestions given by Mr. Kathiresan, on the other hand, were well received by most of the people. However, M/s Sundaresan and And Shanmugam were not impressed. Then..."

After listening to the observations made by Varadarajan, with interest and amazement, Nallasivam said, "How do you do this, Varadu? I was sitting near these people, but I could not discern their feelings. But, observing from a distance, you have been able to read so much from their face expressions and gestures. Every time, I hear your observations, I am amazed."

"Sir! I just tell you what I perceived from the face expressions and gestures of people. Only you will know to what extent my perceptions are correct" said Varadarajan, feeling slightly embarrassed by his superior's words of appreciation. 

"Your observations have been confirmed to be accurate, every single time. The skill of reading the minds of people from their face expressions is a special gift given to you by God. By the way, did people in our office ask you why I had been taking you with me to the meetings?"

"Yes, they did. I told them that you were taking me with you, to remind you of the pills you have to take at regular intervals" said Varadarajan.

"Good" said Nallasivam, appreciatively.

*MD - Managing Director

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 71
Divining the Mind

Verse 703 (in Tamil):
kuRippin kuRippu uNarvArai uRuppinuL

yAdhu koduththum koLal.

Meaning:

A person, who, when signaled by his superior, can read others’ minds by observing them, should be retained as an aid, by giving him any amount of resources, for his services.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'varadhuvukku angE enna vElai' by the same author.) 

Verse 704
Verse 702

702. The Financier

Ramani and Guru went to meet Financier Shanmugam, for seeking his investment in the business venture they proposed to launch.

After listening to their business proposal, Shanmugam told them, "Your business plan appears to be good. I think I will be able to invest in your venture. But, I will confirm my investment, only after your project is approved by my business venture evaluation team, after a detailed study. In general, I will be able to evaluate the viability of a project, by having a look at the details. Til now, my judgement made after a quick study of the project details, has been endorsed by my team, after a detailed appraisal. But, I still follow the system. We need a system for anything, don't we?"  

"Fine, sir!" said Ramani.

"I will tell you what my terms are" said Sanmugam and outlined the terms of his investment. 

"Ok, sir!" said Ramani. 

Ramani and Guru got up to leave.

"You have not given me your project report. My team can decide, only after going through the project report" said Shanmugam. 

"We need to give some finishing touches to the report. We want the report to be perfect, when it is given to your team for evaluation. We will finalize the report and then hand it over to you" said Guru. 

After coming out of Shanmugam's house, Ramani asked Guru, "Have we not finalized the project report? You said that we need to give some finishing touches to the project. What are they?"

"Our project report is perfect. It doesn't need any finishing touches. I said so, only to avoid giving the report to Shanmugam. I think it is better that we don't take any investment from this gentleman" said Guru.

"Why? Did you find any of his terms unacceptable?"

"The terms mentioned by him are the standard terms that will be stipulated by any investor. I have no problem with them. But, I suspect that his intentions are not good. He seems to be having an ulterior motive in investing in our venture."

"What is that motive?"

After Guru mentioned his apprehension, Ramani asked him, "On what basis are you saying this?" 

"It is the impression I got by listening to him and observing him. I suggest that we contact a few people financed by him already and get their feedback" said Guru. 

"Perhaps, we can" said Ramani, somewhat reluctantly.

"Ramani! I am your working partner. You are the one who is investing the capital. I hope you don't consider my suggestion presumptuous" said Guru, in an apologetic tone.

"Not at all, Guru. I asked you to be my working partner, because I value your advice. I am happy that you shared your misgivings with me. As suggested by you, we will contact a few people financed by Shanmugam and ask them about their experience" said Ramani, patting Guru on his back. 

After a few days, Ramani called Guru over the phone and told him, "Guru! Your misgivings have been proved to be right. I made some enquiries about Shanmugam in the business circles known to me. I also contacted some of the people financed by Shanmugam and talked to them. This is what I found. In the past, Shanmugam made attempts to take over the firms financed by him, soon after they had begun to earn profit. He successfully took over some firms. Some other firms have been resisting his takeover attempts, but their energy and resources are getting drained in the process. How did you discern Shanmugam's motive, by listening to him for a few minutes?"

"We were breeding a cat in our house. When it looked at a prey, there would be a glow in its eyes, reflecting its excitement, anticipation and delight. I saw such an expression in Shanmugam's eyes. Thank God, my suspicions turned out to be right. If they had been wrong, you would have missed a good investment opportunity!" said Guru, feeling relieved. 

"They say God alone knows what lies in the minds of people. It is remarkable that you are able to peep into the mind of another person and dig out the thoughts hidden at the bottom of his mind. This is a divine skill. Taking you as my partner was the smartest decision I took in my life" said Ramani, with excitement and pride.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 71
Divining the Mind

Verse 702 (in Tamil):
aiyapppadAdhu agaththadhu uNarvAnai
dheyvaththOdu oppak koLal.

Meaning:

One who is able to ascertain without a doubt what is within the mind of another person is to be considered God. 

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

Verse 703
Verse 701