140. Vasanthi's Suggestion

"What is the need for me to attend the association meeting?" asked Kannan.

"It is an opportunity to get to know the other occupants of our apartment block" said his wife Vasanthi.

"You may attend. I don't want to come."

"You can be there just for a few minutes and leave the meeting, giving some excuse about another commitment."

Kannan grudgingly agreed to his wife's suggestion.

They had bought an apartment in that building only recently and moved there. 

Vasanthi had got acquainted with several other occupants of the apartment block within a short time, but Kannan had not even spoken to his immediate neighbours. Even when someone greeted him or smiled at him, while running into him in the pathway, Kannan wouldn't even notice it and would be looking elsewhere.

Kannan was a postgraduate in the field of bio-technology and was working as a scientist in a biotech firm. Even at home, he was mostly engaged in reading a book or doing something in his computer. If Vasanthi spoke to him, he would respond. Otherwise, he won't talk much.

Sometimes, Vasanthi would share with him something interesting that she had read in a magazine or saw in the TV. He would listen to her, with an occasional terse comment. 

Vasanthi knew that Kannan was not interested in the matters she talked about and that he was listening to her and responding occasionally, only to make her feel good.

If Vasanthi wanted to go for shopping, or a movie or visit their relatives, Kannan would accompany her.

Vasanthi considered Kannan's aloofness a lacuna in his personality. She learnt from Kannan's office friend Seenu that Kannan maintained his aloofness in the office also. Seenu was the only friend Kannan had. Vasanthi would sometimes think that it was a relief that Kannan had even one friend, given his introverted and inhibited  nature.

The meeting of the apartment owners' association got over in half an hour. The apartment block had 72 apartments. The secretary of the association expressed his desire to be relieved of his position. The meeting was conveyed only to select a new secretary. With no one coming forward to take the responsibility, the meeting got over within a short time.

After returning home, Vasanthi asked Kannan, "Why don't you become the secretary of the association?"

"Me? Are you being serious? How can I take up that responsibility" asked Kannan, surprised by the suggestion.

"Of course, you can. You are well educated and intelligent. You have the capacity to think deeply about any issue and decide. Managing the association's affairs is not so difficult. There are some chronic issues, of course. If you rectify them, then things will begin to move smoothly. You can definitely resolve these issues" said Vasanthi.

"Vasanthi! You know about my nature. I don't socialize much. I don't move with people. How can I take up the responsibility of managing the affairs of the building that involves interacting with people, talking to them, convincing them etc?"

"I am asking you to take up the responsibility, only to make you move with other people. Don't think that I am advising you. You are better informed than me in all matters. You are well educated, intelligent, knowledgeable and capable. Is your keeping aloof and not moving with people not a shortcoming on your part? Should you not fill this gap in your personality? If you become the secretary of the association, you will have to interact with other occupants and other people like service providers. You will be able to shed your inhibition, even without making any conscious effort and become a stronger person" said Vasanthi. 

Kannan looked at Vasanthi for a minute and then said, "If my boss wants me to do something, how can I say no?" and laughed.

It appeared to Vasanthi that the transformation had already begun in him.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 14
Possession of Propriety 

Verse 140 (In Tamil)

ulagaththOdu otta ozhugal pala kaRRum
kallAr aRivu ilAdhAr.

Meaning:

Those who don't know how to act agreeably to the world, even if they have learnt many things, are still ignorant.

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

Verse 141 (Soon)
Verse 139

611. Thank God!

"Mr. Prabhakar! Among the department managers of our firm, you are quite distinct" said Chndran, the General Manager.

Prabhakaran received the compliment politely, by remaining silent.

"In our firm, there are tasks common to more than one department. When such tasks are to be performed, other department managers evade their responsibility, by pointing their fingers to another department manager. 

"If this were a firm in private sector, such evasion of responsibility won't be possible. Since ours is a public sector firm, people are able to get away with shirking their responsibility. But, you are different. You readily accept any responsibility given to you. 

"Some times, I had asked you to do things not related to your department. Before assigning such a task to you, I had wondered whether you would say no, pointing out to me that the task was not related to your department. But you never did so. Every time, you have accepted the task and carried it out sincerely."

"After all, the tasks you have assigned to me are related to our firm's business" said Prabhakar, feeling slightly embarrassed by the General Manager's effusive praise.

"I am mentioning this because I felt that I should acknowledge and appreciate your attitude. Another thing I observed about you is that you would never say, 'Sir, this is very difficult. I won't be able to do this,' about any task. I myself would, when I encounter some difficult task, think that I may not be able to do it."

"I should thank God for this attitude of mine" said Prabhakar, smiling.

"Where does God come here?"

"When I was a boy, I was physically very weak. The primary school in which I studied was only about half a kilometer from my house. But, I would feel fatigued after walking even such a short distance. I used to rest for about an hour after returning from the school, before I could do anything else. 

"After completing the fifth grade, I had to join a high school, which was about two kilometers from my house. My place was a village. There was no bus facility to commute to the school. 

"If I were to learn to ride a bicycle and ride on it to the school, it would take some time. My father was not confident about my riding a bicycle safely. Above all, buying a bicycle was a luxury, given the economic status of our family at that time. 

"Therefore, after I had completed my fifth grade, my family decided that I discontinue my studies. But, I was keen to continue my studies. So, I pleaded with my father and got him to admit me in the high school.

"At that time, my father told me, 'After a few days, you will become physically exhausted and stop going to the school.' But I was determined to pursue my education, by withstanding any physical strain I may have to face. 

"In the beginning, walking to the school and returning by walk was very difficult. But I withstood the physical strain through sheer will power. Over a period, I was able to overcome the strain and feel normal. To everyone's astonishment, my constitution improved to a great extent and I gained the physical strength of a normal person of my age. 

"The lesson I learnt from that experience was that if one decides to take up a task, however arduous, with the determination and belief that one would be able to do it successfully, one would automatically gain the strength and the power to execute that job."

"You had used your experience resulting from your physical weakness to transform your weakness into a strength. Great! I will try to follow your approach" said Chandran, genuinely impressed by Prabhakar's narrative. "But, why did you say you should thank God for this?" he added.

"Was it not God, who gave me a weak constitution and presented me with the challenge to overcome weakness?" said Prabhakar.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 62
Perseverance

Verse 611 (in Tamil):
arumai udaiththu enRu asavAmai vENdum
perumai muyaRchi tharum.

Meaning:

Do not avoid a task because it is tough;

perseverance will bring glory.

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

Verse 612 (soon)
Verse 610

1136. A Letter A Day

 A large number of people were waiting to see the medical practitioner.

When Kari's turn came, he entered the practitioner's room.

"I am not getting sleep in the night" said Kari.

After checking Kari's pulse, the practitioner told him, "Your body functioning appears to be normal. I will give you a medicinal powder. Dissolve a pinch of the powder in water and drink the solution, before going to bed. You will get sleep."

He took out a few scoops of a white powder from a container, put it in a paper, folded it into a packet and handed over the packet to Kari.

"Sir, if I wake up in the middle of the night, can I take another dose of this powder?" asked Kari.

"If you wake up in the night, you will be able to go to sleep again. There will be no need for you to take another dose of the powder" said the medical practitioner. 

"No, sir. After waking up in the middle of the night, I won't go to bed immediately. I will attend to a work and then only go to bed again. At that time, I don't get sleep. This is what has been happening for the past few days!"

"What is the work you have to do, after getting up from sleep in the night?"

"Writing a letter to my lover."

"What?" asked the Practitioner, shocked by Kari's reply. He then said, "Whatever it is, it is your personal matter. But, why don't you do it during the daytime?"

"I can't, sir. I won't be able to write the letter during the daytime, because my family members will be wide awake. I have to write the letter in privacy. Therefore, I wake up in the night, when everybody else in my family will be deep asleep and write the letter, using the dull light I could get through the window. After writing the letter, when I try to go back to sleep, I don't get sleep. This has been my experience for the last few days."

The medical practitioner controlled his annoyance with great difficulty, driven by his curiosity to know more about the letter Kari had mentioned.

"What is the need to write a letter every day?" asked the Practitioner.

"Because, every day, after writing the letter, I burn it!"

"Why should you do so?"

"My lover works as a maid in the palace. I met her when she came to the market to buy something for the princess. I fell in love with her instantly. I conveyed my love to her and she accepted it promptly. But, she said that she didn't know when she would come out of the palace again. Therefore, I have not been able to meet her subsequently. I have been quenching my desire to meet her, by writing a letter to her. Since I have no way of sending the letter to her, who is residing in the palace, I burn the letter. I will write a letter again the next day and destroy it. That was how I lost my sleep" explained Kari.

"By talking to you so long, thinking that you were a patient, I lost my time. The valuable time of the patients waiting outside has also been lost, because of my wasting my time with you. Get out immediately!" shouted the Medical Practitioner, angrily. 

He then snatched the packet of medicinal powder he had given Kari earlier, from his hand, unfolded it and transferred the contents back to the container..

Thirukkural
Section 3

Love

Chapter 114
Shedding Shyness

Verse 1136 (in Tamil):
madal Urdhal yAmaththum uLLuvEn manRa
padal ollA pEdhaikku en kaN.

Meaning:

Even during the night, I think of writing a letter to my lover. My eyes don't get sleep due to the agony of separation from my lover.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'dhinamum oru madal' by the same author.)

Verse 1137 (Soon)
Verse 1135

610. Rajendra Chola

"Your Majesty! Your late father had conquered several small countries, expanded his empire and handed it over to you. It is your responsibility to preserve this empire" said the Minister.

"You say my father conquered several small countries. Did he not try to conquer any large country?" asked King Ilavazhagan. He had ascended the throne only recently, after the demise of his father.

The Minister looked at the King, with surprise.

"Your Majesty! Conquering a large country is not easy. If we lose the war, we will lose our country too. That was why your father wisely focused on conquering small countries and expanding our empire. Some emperors, after conquering small countries, would allow the kings of those countries to continue to rule, with the condition that pay an annual tax to the emperor, by way of acknowledging that the emperor is the ultimate ruler of their countries. But your father didn't follow that practice. He merged the conquered countries with our country" said the Minister. 

"So, if we conquer big countries and merge them with our country, we can make our country the largest in the world!" said the King, with excitement.

"Your Majesty! Fighting large countries is not easy. You have ascended the throne just now. It is not advisable for you to engage in a war, even at the beginning of your tenure as the king. I would suggest that you enjoy a leisurely life as the King for a couple of years, before considering the possibility of expanding our empire, by conquering other countries. This is my humble suggestion" said the Minister.

"Minister! I am not suggesting that we go to war with a big country immediately. If we have to fight big countries and conquer them, we need to devise an extensive plan. We should strengthen our forces. We should gather intelligence about the strengths and weaknesses of the countries we want to conquer. I am aware that planning and preparations will take a couple of years. But should we not start preparations for these steps, even now? I want you to think and make a plan for the steps we need to take. I am not interested in taking leisure. I am ready to actively involve myself in the preparatory activities, starting from today!" said Ilavazhagan.

"Your Majesty! In expanding our empire, you have outperformed your father. Within a short time, you have conquered four big countries and hoisted our country's flag in distant regions. Your achievement is unparalleled." 

"The wisdom and experience of a person like you who had worked with my father, the strategies devised by our Army Chief and the support extended by our people to our efforts, by willingly foregoing some comforts and suffering some inconveniences are the factors that enabled this victory" said the King.

"Your Majesty! Like your commitment, dedication and perseverance, your humility is also laudable. Just as Vamana, an avatar of Lord Vishnu covered the entire world with his foot, you also conquered large landscapes. I have never ceased wondering how you got the stimulus for achieving this feat."

"You were the one, who provided the stimulus, Minister" said the King, smiling.

"Me? What did I do?" asked the Minister, perplexed.

During my carnation, you blessed me saying that just as King Rajendra Chola had attained a glory equivalent to that of his father Rajaraja Chola, I should also emulate my father and attain a glory matching his. Inspired by your words, I read the life history of Rajendra Chola. While Rajaraja Chola conquered Lanka, a country situated near to the Chola kingdom, Rajendra Chola conquered Kadaram, a country situated far from his country, beyond the seas. He also expanded his empire by conquering the countries situated  on the banks of the river Ganga, in the northern part of our continent and earned the title, 'Conqueror of the Ganga.' Learning these facts gave me the impetus to expand our empire" said Ilavazhagan.

"I might have provided you the stimulus. But it was your relentless efforts that made this achievement possible" said the Minister. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 61

Not Being Sluggish

Verse 610 (in Tamil):
madiyilA mannavan eydhum adi aLandhAn
thAyadhu ellAm orungu.

Meaning:

The ruler who has no sloth will attain all that was attained by

the one who measured the world with his foot*.

*This is a reference to the mythological story of Vamana, an incarnation of the Hindu God Vishnu, who covered the entire earth by his one foot.

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

Verse 611
Verse 609

609. The Boy's Question

"Dad! The dads of my classmates have been going for jobs. Why is it that you are not going for any job?"

Thangappan was not surprised, but irritated, by the question posed by his son, studying in the fifth grade.

"My mom had asked me this question. After that, your mom asked me the same question. Now, it seems to be your turn!" replied Thangappan, showing his annoyance at being asked the question.

"Why are you directing your anger at our son? It is not just our son; everyone known to us has been commenting about your not going for a job!" said his wife Sumangali.

"I have ancestral properties and I am getting income from them. Why should I go for a job?"

"Your father had ancestral properties too. But, he was not sitting at home. He went to the fields and managed the agricultural operations in lands owned by him. Even during the time he was at home, he was engaged in gardening at home. He worked hard, earned well, multiplied his properties and left them to you."

"He enjoyed working. I don't. I like sitting at home and enjoying life!" said Thangappan.

"I also come from a wealthy family. If I choose not to do cooking or other household chores and sit idle like you, how will you like it?" asked Sumangali, angrily.

"I will have no problem with your not doing household chores. We can afford to have a cook and a maid" said Thangappan, laughing.

"In the school, my teachers and classmates ask me 'what is your father?' What answer should I give them?" asked the boy, sticking to his point.

"You can tell them that your dad provides jobs for other people!" said Thangappan. 

"You think this is a joke. But when I hear people comparing you with your father and commenting that while your father was a hardworking person, despite being wealthy, you are the opposite of him, I feel ashamed" said Sumangali, frustrated by the realization that her husband won't change his ways.

"For the past few days, you have been going out and returning home quite late. What is the matter?" asked Sumangali.

"I am going to start a business!" said Thangappan, beaming.

"Business! What business?" asked Sumangali, with astonishment.

"I am going to be a paddy merchant. I will procure paddy from the farmers of our village and of other nearby villages and sell it to the big merchants in the nearby towns. For doing this business, I have been looking out for labourers to work and arranging for bullock carts to transport the paddy. This was what I had been doing, during the last few days. I am going to start the business this Friday, after performing a puja*" said Thangappan, with excitement.

"Reallly? How did you make the decision to start a business, all of a sudden?" asked Sumangali, elated by her husband's plan. 

"All these years, my mother and you have been pleading with me to take up a job or some activity. Somehow, I didn't feel motivated to act on your suggestions. But I was pricked by our son's question why I didn't go for a job, while the dads of his classmates did. The embarrassment felt by him to answer the question from his friends about what I was doing also made me feel bad about myself. I suggested to him that he could tell his friends that his father was providing jobs to others. It was a response that occurred to me at the spur of the moment. But, when I kept thinking of my answer, a thought occurred to me 'what if I could really do it?' After reflecting on this thought for sometime, I conceived the idea of taking up the paddy business, a business which I could do, using the knowledge and resources I have. Then I began to take steps to implement my idea. I thought I would tell you about my plan, after making all the arrangements to launch the business."

"I feel proud of you!" said Sumangali.

"But, there is one problem" said Thangappan.

"What is it?"

"Paddy procurement being a seasonal business, I will be working only for four or five months in a year. I don't know how to keep myself busy, during the remaining months."

"Oh! This may not be a problem at all. Once you have decided to be active and launched the business, you won't be able to remain idle even for a short period. You will find a way to engage yourself in some activity. Hereafter, no one will be able to say that in spite of being born in a good family, you remain idle. That will be enough for me" said Sumangali, with a sense of satisfaction.

*puja - a prayer ritual

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 61

Not Being Sluggish

Verse 609 (in Tamil):
kudiyANmaiyuL vandha kuRRam oruvan
madiyANmai mARRak kedum.

Meaning:

When a man puts away idleness, the reproach which has come upon himself and his family will disappear.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'magan kEtta kELvi' by the same author.) 

Verse 610
Verse 608

608. Born Noble

"Velmurugan! I asked you to go to Selvam Enterprises and collect the amount due from them. Have you collected the money?" Gopalaswamy, the Proprietor of the firm, asked Velmurugan, in a tone of rebuke.

"Not yet, sir. I have been going to their office everyday. Every time, they ask me to come on a particular day and when I go there on that day, they ask me to come some other day" replied Velmurugan, in a feeble tone.

"You are a lazy pig, after all! You would not have gone there on the day specified by them. The pay day is just four days away. If you don't collect the dues from them before the pay day, you won't get your salary" warned Gopalaswamy. 

As Velmurugan came out of the Proprietor's cabin, wiping the sweat on his face with his kerchief, Gunaseelan, the Accountant looked at him with sympathy.

After a few minutes, Velmurugan left the office, to collect the dues from the customers.

After he had left, Gunaseelan told his colleague, Sabhapathy, who was sitting next to him, "It is pathetic that this man, born in respectable family, has to eke out his living by putting up with such insults!"

"Does he hail from a noble family?" asked Sabhapathy, surprised by the information. 

"Yes. Velmurugan's father was a rich and respectable man in his village. Velmurugan is his only son. After his father's demise, Velmurugan was sitting at home, without going for a job. Subsequently, his mother also passed away and there was no one to advise him. He was living on the assets left by his parents, not feeling the need to take up a job and earn an income. It was only after getting married and begetting children that Velmurugan realized that he was left with very little money and that he could not run his family unless he took up a job."

"You said he had assets left by his parents!" asked Sabhapathy.

"Only a person, who earns no income, but feeds on his assets will know how fast the assets get depleted. Don't ask me whether I have experienced it! I have seen a lot of people undergo this experience" said Gunaseelan.

"So, what happened eventually" asked Sabhapathy, like a person listening to a story becoming curious about how the story develops and ends.

"Realizing his situation, Velmurugan began to search for a job. He couldn't get a good job. Somehow, he landed at our firm. The unfortunate fact is that our Proprietor's father had lived in the same village as Velmurugan and had some enmity with Velmurugan's father. Our Proprietor gave a job to Velmurugan, acting magnanimous, by helping a person whose father was an enemy of his father. But he has been treating Velmurugan like a slave. I feel pained to see our Proprietor treating Velmurugan with disrespect, without considering the fact that  Velmurugan is elder to our Proprietor in age and and constantly insulting and belittling Velmurugan in various ways" said Gunaseelan, gravely. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 61

Not Being Sluggish

Verse 608 (in Tamil):
madimai kudimaikkaN thangin than onnArkku
adimai puguththi vidum.

Meaning:

If idleness takes up its abode in a man of high birth, it will make him a slave of his enemies.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'En indha nilai' by the same author.) 

Verse 609
Verse 607

607. Hunting For A Job At the Age of Forty

"You are forty years old. Did you not go for any job till now?" Shanmugam, the Manager of the firm, asked Kesavan, who had appeared for the interview, for a job in the firm.

"No, sir" said Kesavan.

"Why?"

"Family circumstances."

"That means?"

"My father was ill. He was bed-ridden. My mother was also weak. She was unable to take up any physical activity. So, I had to stay home, do the chores and look after my parents too."

"What about your siblings?"

"My elder brother has been working in another town. My sister got married and went to live with her husband."

"So, the entire burden was on your shoulders" said Shanmugam, feeling sympathetic. "But, you don't even have a good education. You didn't study even up to tenth grade!" he remarked.

"Yes, sir. I have been looking after my parents, even from my school days" said Kesavan.

"How do you know our Proprietor?"

"One of my father's friends had told your Proprietor about me and requested him to give me a job in his firm. I met the Proprietor in his house. He asked me to go to the office and meet you."

"Mr. Kesavan! This is a small organization. There is a vacancy only for the post of a peon. The salary won't be high" said Shanmugam, reluctantly.

"Any job is good enough for me, sir."

"As a peon, you will have to do various tasks, ranging from running errands to getting coffee and tea to the employees from the nearby restaurants. The job will be hectic and you will have to run around a lot. Usually, we recruit only young people for this job. They will have the inclination and the energy to move about a lot. You are not young..."

"That won't be a problem, sir" said Kesavan.

"Ok" said Shanmugam. Hearing some sounds of movement in the Proprietor's cabin, which was close by, he told Kesavan, "Our Proprietor seems to have come to the office. I will put in a word to him about you and come back."

Shanmugam then got up from his seat and went into the Proprietor's cabin.

Kesavan was able to hear the conversation Shanmugam had with the Proprietor in the latter's cabin. 

Shanmugam spoke in a subdued voice, taking care to ensure that Kesavan wouldn't hear him. But the Proprietor, who had a stentorian voice, didn't make any attempt to lower his voice. 

After hearing what Shanmugam had said, the Proprietor laughed out loud.

"Oh, that's what he said! It has been several years since his parents passed away. All these years, he had been idling at home or roaming about the town aimlessly, without doing anything useful. After squandering all the money and properties left to him by his parents and reaching a state, where he needs to earn money for his survival, he is seeking a job, at the age of forty. He is married and has a child too. His wife had been urging him to go for a job for the past several years, but, he didn't listen to her. As a boy, he didn't bother to study well. But, you say he is blaming his parents for his lack of education! My friend, a friend of his father, told me these facts. He had also repeatedly advised Kesavan to take up a job, but to no avail. It was only out of sympathy for Kesavan's wife and child, that my friend recommended him to me. By nature, Kesavan is lazy. He is likely to be sluggish in his work. Be strict with him" the Proprietor told Shanmugam.

The Proprietor's words entered Kesavan's mind through his ears and pierced it like arrows. His body shrank in humiliation, caused by his plight of having to listen to such demeaning words from strangers.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 61

Not Being Sluggish

Verse 607 (in Tamil):
idi purindhu eLLum sol kEtpar madi purindhu
mANda ujnaRRu ilavar.

Meaning:

Those who, out of indolence, do not engage themselves in dignified exertion, may have to listen to rebukes and insulting remarks.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'nARpadhu vayadhil oru vElai' by the same author.) 

Verse 608
Verse 606