731. The New Monarch

Mahendran climbed the throne, after the demise of his father.

"May you provide good governance like your father" the minister wished the king.

"I will do my best, using the guidance of wise men like you" said Mahendran. "Minister! I had been confined to the palace all these years. I don't know anything about our country. I would like to travel to various parts of our country and learn about our country and our people" he added.

"As you wish, Your Majesty! I will make arrangements for your tour immediately" said the minister.

Mahendran returned to his palace, after touring various regions of his country for about a month.

A couple of days after he had returned to the palace, Mahendran summoned the minister

"Minister! After visiting many parts of our country, I feel very  proud of our country. I saw green fields everywhere. Since we have been having a good harvest, we have no shortage of food grains. People are good-natured. They are mostly well off. But..."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

At many places, I saw barren lands. People living in those regions told me that since they had been getting enough harvest from the lands cultivated already, they didn't take any steps to cultivate the barren lands. I was disturbed by the answer. As the population grows, we will need more food grains. I feel that we should devise a plan to cultivate the barren lands too. We can donate those lands to people who have no lands and give them financial assistance to convert these lands into cultivable lands so that after that they would be able to cultivate those lands and make more food grains available to us" said Mahendran.

"It is a very good idea, Your Majesty. I will take steps immediately to implement it" said the minister.

"Secondly, I find most of the people have had no formal education. Only education can make a person worthy. Just as barren lands are to be made cultivable, illiterate people must be made educated. We should set up educational institutions in all places and impart basic education to all."

"Yes, Your Majesty! Imparting education to the people must be one of our primary objectives. I have discussed this issue with your late father. But, we couldn't implement the plan of setting up educational institutions, since it required immense resources. I will start working on this task too. But, this can be done only over a period."

"I understand. I authorize you to earmark any amount of money from the palace treasure for education. The third thing I wanted to talk about was improving our financial resources."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"The people of our country are reasonably well off. But, as you know, wealth is not stable. It will get depleted over time. Wealth will remain undiminished, only if we keep augmenting our earnings. We should create plans for making the best use of the country's natural and the skills of our people. We should encourage people to engage in various trade and service activities that will generate income for them and add to the income of the country in the process. We can even sell our goods to other countries and earn substantial revenue."

"Your Majesty! It is the duty of the minister to advise the king. But you have carried out my responsibilities also. I will make all out efforts to implement your ideas and ensure that your objective of making our country and our people grow well and excel in all fields is fulfilled soon" said the minister.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 74
The Country

Verse 731 (in Tamil):
thaLLA viLaiyuLum thakkArum thAzhvu ilAch
chelvarum sErvadhu nAdu.

Meaning:

Unfailing crops, virtuous people, and the wealthy

with untarnished and undiminishing wealth, constitute a country.

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

Verse 732 (Soon)
Verse 730

195. A Speech That Changed Perceptions

 "Gurumurthy is going to speak in our club!" said Girija, with excitement.

"Oh!" said her husband Parasuram, "The man who has been hoodwinking television viewers is going to hoodwink the members of our club!"

"You have always been biassed against him. Aren't his talks in the television program interesting?"

"Gurumurthy is a psychiatrist. I don't know how skilled he is in his profession and how effective his treatments have been. But, in the television program, he answers questions of people who call the channel over phone during the time his talk show is featured. As far as I have observed, his answers are of general nature. They are completely devoid of professionalism. Even I can give such general, evasive answers! As per my understanding, a psychiatrist will seek to understand the problem of the patient, by encouraging the patient to open up and speak at length and then give a solution. But, Gurumurthy talks a lot, without allowing the questioners even to state their problems completely. His suggestions are very general and mostly not tailored to the problem of the person seeking a solution. He is more focused on making some humorous remarks and making the viewers laugh. He doesn't seem to bother about addressing the problem of the person who calls him up during the show. One thing that distinguishes him is that  he speaks about problems relating to sexual relationships, without any inhibition, something most of the people will be reluctant to do in public. That has also made him popular" said Parasuram.

"Will you be attending his lecture in our club?" asked Girija.

"No. I can't sit for two hours, listening to a speech without any substance. By the way, what is the topic of his speech?"

"Human Behaviour."

"He has chosen a general topic on which he can talk anything and make it sound appropriate to the topic. Yet, he can get away without addressing any particular aspect of human behaviour. If he had been knowledgeable, he would have chosen a topic covering a specific issue" said Parasuram.

"You are prejudging his speech, without even knowing what he is going to speak. Anyway, I will be attending his speech" said Girija.

"If he cracks some good jokes, share them with me!" said Parasuram, laughing.

Two days after Gurumurthy had spoken in the club, Girija asked Parasuram, "You didn't ask me how Gurumurthy's speech was!"

"I know what you will say about the speech. Ok. I am asking you now. How was his speech?"

"Not bad" said Girija.

"Not bad! I expected you to say that it was excellent! What happened? Did he not crack jokes?"

"Of course, he did. That was the only thing he did!"

"I am surprised to hear you, an admirer of Gurumurthy, saying this."

"I think that your assessment about him is correct. He didn't cover anything useful in his two-hour long speech. He just filled the time, talking about sundry things.

"It is good that you were able to see through his hollowness. But, if he had filled his speech with jokes, several people would have liked it."

"No. It appeared that no one was impressed by his speech. That was what I gathered from people's comments, as they were coming out of the hall, after listening to the speech. One person said, 'Even I can deliver a speech, talking about several things, in general.' 'He has somehow been managing the television program. But here, he was exposed. He did not speak a single sentence about the topic' remarked another" said Girija. 

"I asked the secretary of the club about Gurumurthy's speech, when I was chatting with him yesterday. He told me that many members had  conveyed their disappointment to him. He told me that he regretted his decision to invite Gurumurthy to speak in our club. I didn't ask you about the program, since I wanted to wait for you to speak about it."

"If his speech had been good, I would have told you about it immediately. Since I was disappointed, I thought I could tell you about it, when you asked me."

"I didn't have a good impression about Gurumurthy from the beginning. But, seeing how you and other members have reacted to his poor performance, I realize that if a person talks without substance, he will lose his good name and respect. I am seeing this happening, right  before my eyes!" said Parasuram.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 20
Avoiding Vain Speech

Verse 195 (In Tamil)

sIrmai siRappodu nIngum payanila
nIrmai udaiyAr solin.

Meaning:

If a dignified person speaks vain words, his eminence and excellence will leave him.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'manadhai mARRiya pEchchu' by the same author)

Verse 194
Verse 192

730. Kamban's Disappointment!

Tamil teacher Kannappan went to see the Headmaster, on being summoned by the latter.

"Sit down, Mr. Kannappan. I am proud of you" said Vaidhilingam, the Headmaster.

"Thank you, sir. Any specific reason for you to  feel proud of me, sir?" asked Kannappan, overwhelmed by the unexpected praise showered on him.

"I have come across many Tamil teachers. But I have not seen another person like you, with such a keen interest in literature, profound understanding of the classics and an uncanny ability to explain the meanings of the literary works to the students, in an intelligible and interesting way."

"May I know how you made such an assessment about me, sir?" asked Kannappan, politely.

"When you were giving a lesson on Kamba Ramayanam* to the 10th grade, I happened to hear your words, while passing by your class. I thought I would stand there for a few minutes and listen to you. But, I couldn't move away, till your class got over!" said the Headmaster.

"Oh! If I had known that you were standing outside the classroom and listening to me, I wouldn't have been able to give my lesson at all!"

Ignoring Kannappan's words, Vaidhlingam went on: "Not limiting yourself to teaching the students only what is needed for them to score well in the examination and giving your lesson with so much dedication shows your abiding interest in Tamil literature and the depth of your knowledge."

Kannappan said, "Thank you, sir! It was nice of you to have called me to your room and conveyed your appreciation, in person" and got up from his seat.

"Please, sit down. Are you aware that Kamban festival is being celebrated in our town next month/" asked Vaidhilingam

"Yes, sir. I saw the announcement."

"I requested the organizers to list you as one of the speakers. They have agreed" said Vaidhilingam, proudly.

"Sir!" exclaimed Kannappan, taken aback.

"Your mastery over Kamba Ramayanam, known only to your students, will now be known to the entire town. After sometime, as you become popular, it will be known to our state, to our country and in due course, to the entire world."

"I am sorry, sir. But, I can't do this."

"You don't want to be popular!"

"No, sir. I can't speak before an assembly. I am shy of speaking even before a small group of four or five people."

"Don't worry. Once, you start speaking, you will be able to overcome your shyness and become a confident speaker. Speaking before an assembly of strangers is no different from speaking in front of the students" said Vaidhilingam.

"I beg to differ with you, sit. The two situations are entirely different. The students are under my control. If I raise my voice a little, they will be scared. Speaking to the students is different from speaking in an assembly of elders. If you ask me to speak in front of all the students of our school, I can't do even that."

Vaidhilingam was surprised and disappointed by the diffidence and desperation in Kannappan's plea.

"Observing you speak in the class so confidently, displaying the right emotions and presenting the story like enacting a drama, I got your name included in the list of speakers during the function" said Vaidhilingam, in a tone of disappointment.

"I am sorry to have disappointed you, sir. Please pardon me" said Kannappan and got up from his seat. 

"I am not the only person disappointed. The poet Kamban will also feel disappointed. If only you could speak in an assembly the way you spoke in your class, expounding Kamban's classic, it would have added to the glory of Kamban!" said Vaidhilingam, with a sigh. 

*Kamba Ramayam is one of the most acclaimed literary works in Tamil. It is the story of the Hindu epic Ramayana, retold in Tamil by Kamban. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 73
Facing An Assembly Without Fear

Verse 730 (in Tamil):
uLar eninum illArOdu oppar kaLan anjik
kaRRa selach chollAdhAr.

Meaning:

Those who, because of stage-fright, can’t articulate

their learning before an assembly, though alive, are like the dead.

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

Verse 731
Verse 729

194. Parvatham's Regret

As he was stepping into his house, Vinayakam asked, "Where is mom?"

"She has gone out" said his wife Sumathy.

"The marriage of her granddaughter has been fixed. Cant't she stay at home, even during this time?"

"Is she going to do the marriage arrangements? She has to spend her time somehow. She will go out, talk to some people and come back" said Sumathy, defending her mother-in-law.

"I don't like my mother visiting her friends and chatting with them at this age."

"Aged people need to find ways to spend time. Why should her going out and chatting with others disturb you?"

"I think you will be the only daughter-in-law on the earth, who defends her mother-in-law!" remarked Vinayakam, smiling.

At that time, Parvatham, Vinayakam's mother entered the house."

"Where did you go?" asked Vinayakam, sounding casuall. 

"I was sitting on the pial of our house. I noticed Rukmini sitting outsider her house. I went there to have a chat with her" said Parvatham.

Vinayakam didn't say anything.

Vinayakam came home, looking exhausted.

"Are you coming from the bridegroom's house? Did they say anything about the marriage arrangements?" asked Parvatham.

"Did you talk to anyone about Sumathy's mother?" Vinayakam asked Parvatham, without answering her question, 

"Why should I talk to anyone about Sunathy's mother? She is a nice lady. If at all I had any complaints against her, I would tell you, not others."

"Mom! You visit your friends' homes and chat with them for long. I don't know what are the things you talk about."

"What are you implying? I visit old women like me and talk for a chat. We talk about things happened in our lives in the past and about things happening in the village nowadays. What do you find objectionable about this?"

"You say you talk about things that happened in the past! Sumathy's mother doesn't belong to our caste. Sumathy's father loved her and married her. This was something that happened in the past, wasn't it?"

"What about it? When the proposal for your marriage with Sumathy was being considered, I din't make an issue of Sumathy's father marrying outside his caste. Though I am a person who had been conforming to traditional practices, I didn't consider Sumathy's mother hailing from another caste, an issue. I consented to your marriage with Sumathy, without even mentioning this issue."

"Yes, mom! I have been proud of your liberal outlook and broadmindedness. All along, no one in our village had known that Sumathy's mother belonged to another caste. Now, many in our village know about it. Did you mention this fact to anyone?" asked Vinayakam. 

 

Parvatham started saying, "Why should I..." But she stopped in the middle and bit her tongue, remembering something.

"Tell me, mom? Whom did you talk to about this?"

"Two days back, while talking to Kunjamma, I mentioned it. It was a slip of a tongue that happened, when we were conversing about the proliferation of inter-caste marriages these days. But, what harm could result from it?" asked Parvatham, shifting to a defensive tone, from an apologetic tone.

"Don't you know that Kunjamma has a loose tongue? She has carried the information shared by you to quite a few people in our village. The news has even spread to the nearby villages and reached the bridegroom's family."

"Oh, my God! Was that why they had sent for you? Hope you were able to mollify them?" asked Parvatham, feeling remorseful.

"I wasn't. They have rigid views on following the caste system. So, they told me that they had dropped the marriage proposal" said Vinayakam, with disgust. 

Both Parvatham and Sumathy looked at Vinayakam, with shocked disbelief.

However, Sumathy quickly recovered from the shock and said, "Consider it a blessing in disguise. If the bridegroom's family had come to know of this after the marriage, they would have made a big issue of it. Our daughter's marriage life would also have been affected. Let us accept the situation calmly. Our daughter will get a better match than this, soon."

But, Parvatham remained unconsolable. "Like the proverbial frog bringing harm to itself by its unrestrained trill, I had been the cause of my granddaughter's marriage getting stopped, because of my loose tongue" she kept lamenting. 

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 20
Avoiding Vain Speech

Verse 194 (In Tamil)

nayan sArA nanmaiyin nIkkum payan sArAp
paNbil sol pallAr agaththu.

Meaning:

Vain words spoken before an assembly will make destroy all gains and goodness.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'Ur aRindha ragasiyam' by the same author)

Verse 195
Verse 193

193. Hello, Doctor!

The number of patients waiting in the clinic was more than the usual number. With the doctor running the clinic having a reputation as a physician with a healing touch and his fee being modest, his clinic always had a high footfall.   

There were mothers with their babies, elderly people and patients debilitated by their illness, sitting in the hall, waiting for their turn.

Sundaram entered the doctor's room, when his turn came. Having consulted the doctor several times in the past for his health problems, as well as those of his family members, he ha some acquaintance with the doctor. However, the doctor did not encourage personal relationships with his patients.

The doctor diagnosed that Sundaram was having a mild fever and prescribed medicines for it. The consultation got over in a couple of minutes. 

But, Sundaram did not come out of the doctor's room immediately. He started chatting with the doctor on a few general topics. He asked the doctor whether he was affected by the frequent power outages in that area. The doctor answered him that since his clinic was equipped with an inverter, he was able to manage.

"You are running a clinic, doctor. So, you are able to generate enough revenue to afford an inverter. What will ordinary people like me do?" asked Sundaram.

"It is a problem, of course" said the doctor, looking at his watch. Though he would have liked to respond, "You have been earning a good salary. You should be able to afford an inverter too!" he didn't want to prolong the conversation.

Sundaram then began to talk about other topics.

The doctor was patient for five more minutes. He then told Sundaram politely, "A number o patients are waiting outside. We can have a conversation some other time."

"Yes, of course" said Sundaram, getting up from his seat. But without moving away, he said, "Doctor! Yesterday, I heard the Amman temple announce in a loudspeaker the names of people who had donated for the upcoming temple festival. I heard your name too. You seem to have donated one thousand rupees!"

"Yes" said the doctor, looking at his watch again. But, Sundaram continued to talk about the arrangements being made for the temple festival, even as he was walking towards the door. After opening the door partially, Sundaram stood there and continued to speak to the doctor for a couple of minutes more.

The patient, who was the next to see the doctor, stood near the door. But, Sundaram was talking to the doctor, blocking the entrance.

At last, he stepped out.

A young man sitting in the waiting room called Sundaram "Sir, one minute, please!"

When Sundaram went near him, he said, "Sir! A number of people suffering from health problems have been sitting here, waiting to see the doctor. Some who are seriously ill, have been suffering the strain and discomfort of sitting and waiting for a long time. There are mothers with small babies. People who went in to see the doctor before you, came out in a couple of minutes. But you were sitting in the doctor's room for about fifteen minutes. Even as you were coming out of the doctor's room, you were blocking the way for the next patient and talking to the doctor for some more time, standing at the door step. You don't even appear to be quite ill. You have made all of us suffer, by chatting with the doctor for several minutes. Is this fair?"

Sundaram stared at him angrily and left. As he was passing by the patients waiting there, he met the angry gazes of people who had been waiting patiently, bearing the discomfort and suffering of sitting for a long time. Some children conveyed their protest to him through their loud  cries.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 20
Avoiding Vain Speech

Verse 193 (In Tamil)

nayan ila enbadhu sollum payan ila
pAriththu uraikkum urai.

Meaning:

One’s gracelessness is exposed by one's elaborate hollow speeches.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'hello doctor!' by the same author)

Verse 194
Verse 192

729. The Book Release Function

The book release function was arranged in a grand manner. The the book written by Professor Sundaram was to be released by Navalar Padmarajan. Navalar, meaning a great orator, was the title given to Padmarajan, in recognition of his oratory skills.. 

Newsreporter Ganesan, who was attending the function, told his friend Mano, who was sitting next to him, "Professor Sundaram is a great scholar. He is a renowned researcher too. But, they have invited an ignoramus to release the book written by this scholar!" 

"Padmarajan isa reputed speaker and you call him an  ignoramus!" replied Mano, laughing. 

"One cannot become a scholar by getting a name as a platform speaker. Padmarajan has become a popular speaker just by making speeches without any substance, but somehow succeeding in making the audience laugh. His speeches might be relished by a mediocre audience. But, he is not qualified even to sit near Professor Sundaram. One should blame the publisher for getting Professor Sundaram's book released by a populist platform speaker like Padmarajan!" fumed Ganesan.

The function started.

Padmarajan released the book and then spoke praising the book and its author. The audience relished his speech and conveyed its appreciation through laughter and ovation. 

After Padmarajan had completed his speech, Ganeshan said, "It is obvious that this man has not read Sundaram's book. But, he has cleverly managed to hoodwink the audience by saying something general about the subject of the book. He has succeeded in putting on an impressive show!" 

"Did you not observe how well his speech was received by the audience?" asked Mano.

"That's what I just said" quipped Ganesan.

The chairman of the meeting announced, "Now Mr. Sundaram, the author of the book, will say a few words about his book."

Sundaram stood before the mike. After remaining silent for a few seconds, without knowing how to begin, he said, "First of all, my thanks to all." 

He kept shifting his feet, as if he could not stand firmly. He paused for a few seconds and continued, "What made me write this book was..." 

By that time, many in the audience had lost interest in listening to him and started chatting among themselves. The words uttered by Sundaram, did not reach many people in the audience, his constant shifting of his body might have amused them, though.

"I am not able to make out what he says" Ganesh told Mano, in disgust. 

Sundaram concluded his speech after a few minutes and sat down.

"If we ask this audience, which has listened to the speches of Padmarajan and Sundaram, 'between the two, who is a scholar?' most of them would mention the name of Padmarajan. But we cannot blame them for saying so!" said Ganesan, feeling sad. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 73
Facing An Assembly Without Fear

Verse 729 (in Tamil):
kallAdhavarin kadai enba kaRRu aRindhum
nallAr avai anjuvAr.

Meaning:

A learned person, who fears (to speak in) the assembly of good people, will be considered inferior to a person with no learning.

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

Verse 730
Verse 728

192. A Cabin for Gajapathy

No one in that firm knew what work Gajapathy had been doing. In fact he had no work to do!

Gajapathy was a friend of Sundaramurthy, the founder of the firm. He had been working in that firm, since the time the firm was launched. 

The firm was engaged in supplying various products to government departments. When the firm was started, it was selling stationery items like paper, files etc. Within a short period, a number of other goods including furniture and fittings were added to the list. 

During the early days of the firm, Gajapathy worked hard, along with Sundaramurthy, to improve the business of the firm. But, with the firm having grown big and the number of employees also gone up, Sundaramurthy's workload gradually came down and he began to relax.

In the firm, no one was given any designation. In the beginning Gajapathy was acting like the manager, but in the course of time his involvement in the firm's management came down.

The employees also gradually gave up the practice of reporting to Gajapathy and seeking his guidance. They began to report to the proprietor directly. 

The firm's office was functioning in two floors, the ground floor and the first floor. Sundaramurthy's cabin was at one end of the first floor. 

There was no separate cabin for any employee, including Gajapathy. Gajapathy's seat was near the staircase. 

Gajapathy would stop every employee, who was going up or coming down the stairs and chat with them. No one was able to avoid him. The employees could not help spending a few minutes talking to him. 

The chat could be on various topics like the employee's family matters, accidents and crimes in the town, movies, politics or occasionally, matters relating to the firm too!

Some employees enjoyed the chat, since it provided them with a short diversion from the monotony of work. But, Some others, particularly the lady employees, did not relish this. 

Gajapathy had a stentorian voice. So his voice would invariably reach most of the employees sitting on that floor. Everyone would be forced to turn their attention and listen to this chat. 

Since Gajapathy was a senior executive close to the proprietor, no one complained about the distraction caused by his chat.

One day Sundaramurthy shifted his cabin from the first floor to the ground floor.

When Gajapathy asked him, "Why did you change your room?" Sundaramurthy said, "Just for a change." 

A few days after shifting his cabin to the ground floor, Sundaramurthy called Gajapathy to his cabin. 

"Do you know why I moved to the ground floor?" asked Sundaramurthy.

"When I asked you, you said it was just for a change!" replied Gajapathy.

"Gajapathy! You have been with me from the time I started my firm.Your contribution to the growth of the firm is immense. I wanted to recognize your contribution and give you the importance you deserve. As you know, it is my policy to not give any designation to any employee in our firm. Otherwise, I would have designated you the general manager, even at the time I started the firm. Now, I am going to designate you the general manager. As a general manager, you need to be given a cabin. I vacated my cabin only for giving it to you. That cabin is bigger than this. Hereafter, you will be sitting there. I will send you some important files. You can look into the files leisurely and give your views. You won't have any work pressure."

Gajapathy was both happy and confused. 

"I have designated Gajapathy the general manager of the firm. I have vacated my cabin and given it to Gajapathy" Sundaramurthy told his wife, when he was at home.

"Why did you make this change suddenly?"

"Gajapathy has done a lot for the firm. When the firm became well established, I should have given some responsibility to him. I thought he could relax and enjoy his time in the firm till the time he retired. But, he had been stopping people passing through his seat and wasting their time by chatting with them and spoiling the work atmosphere of the office, in the process. The employees couldn't avoid him. I didn't know how to restrain him, since I didn't want him to feel hurt by my confronting him. So, I adopted this approach."

"How has Gajapathy taken the change?"

"He appears to be happy about getting a separate cabin. But, his cabin is located in a corner on the first floor. No one would have any need to go that side. So, he is isolated now. If he wants to chat with someone, he has to come out of his cabin and look for people. He can't do this quite often. Since the cabin has a glass door, he has been signaling people to come to his cabin by waving his hand. But people avoid looking at the glass door and even if they do, they signal back saying that they would come later, since they have some important work."

"I pity him."

"Till recently, it was the office which was in a position to be pitied! I am sure Gajapathy would adjust to the new situation. I have started giving him some assignments too. Who knows! He may start working hard and contributing to the firm again, as he was doing in the early days" said Sundaramurthy, with a smile.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 20
Avoiding Vain Speech

Verse 192 (In Tamil)

payan ila pallAr mun sollal nayan ila
nattAr kaN seydhalin thIdhu.

Meaning:

To speak useless things in the presence of many is a greater evil than to do unkind things towards friends. 

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'padhavi uyarvu' by the same author)

Verse 193
Verse 191