668. The Winner

"I think our leader has taken the decision in haste."

"He took over as the president of our party only recently. Perhaps, he wants to show that he can succeed by adopting a different approach. But he has acted without understanding the reality at the ground level."

"Yes. That only the ruling party will win a by-election has been proved repeatedly. Moreover, our party has suffered a major defeat only recently. So, the wise thing would have been to have avoided contesting this by-election."

"Perhaps he wants to make a show of plunging into the election and withdraw from the contest, after campaigning for a few days, alleging that the ruling party is using money power to win the election and that the election commission is turning a blind eye to the violations committed by the ruling party."

Conversations like these that took place at the lower levels of the party reached the ears of Dorairajan, the party president. 

"Sir! It appears that your decision to contest the by-election is hasty. Not only that we have no chance of winning the election, but, our party candidate may also forfeit his deposit, by failing to win the minimum number of votes required to retain the deposit" Damodaran, a senior leader of the party told Dorairajan. 

"I didn't take the decision in haste. I consulted all of you before taking the decision" said Dorarirajan.

"When you suggested that we contest the election, we agreed, thinking that we could use the opportunity to showcase our strength. But, we never thought that our position would be so bad."

"Why do you conclude that our position would be bad, even at this stage? We have not even started our campaign. Whether we win or lose, we should work hard and give a tough competition to the ruling party" said Dorairajan.

Damodaran nodded his head, without feeling convinced.

During the next few days, Dorairajan extensively toured the constituency and canvassed votes for his party's candidate. He met the party workers at different places, talked to them, got their feedback, encouraged them to work hard and gave them suggestions for launching a powerful campaign. 

The ruling party, which went into the election campaign with a high level of confidence, became concerned, after witnessing Dorairajan's enthusiastic and energetic campaigning. 

The president of the ruling party told the party leaders and workers, "Looking at the vigour with which Dorairajan is campaigning, winning this election is not going to be an easy task for us. We need to work hard. Be vigilant and active."

The media, which initially predicted that the election would be a cake-walk for the ruling party, after noticing the intensity of Dorairajan's campaign, began to sing a different tune, by hinting that Dorairajan could spring a surprise.

The election was held, the votes were counted and the result was announced. The ruling party won the election with a thin margin. But, the perception prevailed in the media and among the people at large was that Dorairajan had achieved something significant.

"Our party has lost the election. Why are you garlanding me?" asked Dorairajan. 

"Sir! Though our party has lost the election, every one looks at you as a winner. You moved our party from the precarious position of even forfeiting the deposit to a close runner up. Your clear thinking, determination and firm actions are the factors that achieved this feat" said Damodaran.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 67
Efficiency in Action

Verse 668 (in Tamil):
kalangAdhu kaNda vinaikkaN thuLangAdhu
thUkkam kadindhu seyal.

Meaning:

Conceive a task through clear thinking and perform the task 

unwaveringly and without procrastination.

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

Verse 669 (Soon)
Verse 667

163. House-Warming Ceremony

When Ramu's friend Suresh visited him, the two friends spoke about their other friends, during their conversation. 

"Do you know that Swaminathan has bought another house?" asked Suresh.

"Yes. He already has two houses, one at his native place and another in the city. Why does he need another house? He has a lot of money and he doesn't know what to do with that!"

"Did he invite you for the house-warming ceremony?"

"He did. He came to my house with his wife and invited us. However, I won't be attending the function."

"Why?"

"He has arranged for the function only to exhibit his wealth to every one. I have no interest in being a part of the show."

At that time, Ramu's wife Kamali, who came there, bringing them coffee, remarked, "When your friend came to our house with his wife and invited us, won't it be discourteous, if we don't attend the function?"

"You don't know about his background. There was a time, when he was penniless. If the two of us had coffee in a restaurant, I was the one to pay the bill. He didn't have any money. He was just surviving. Suddenly, his fortunes turned. He started a business from scratch and grew wealthy within a short period. Now, he is rolling in money. He wants to exhibit his wealth through this kind of shows. Why should I witness his ostentatious show?" said Ramu, in a bitter tone.

"Well. When he came here with his his wife, to invite us, he told his wife and me how you had helped him during the times he was struggling. He spoke admiringly of you. He seems to be holding you in high esteem. Considering that he came to our house with his wife and invited us, it won't look good, if we don't attend the function" said Kamali.

"Are you attending the function?" Ramu asked Suresh. 

"He has not yet invited me. I am not so close to him as you are. Maybe, he will send me the invitation by post. If I receive the invitation, I will attend" said Suresh,

The friends then conversed about other subjects. Suresh left after a while.

After Suresh had left, Kamali asked Ramu, "When are we going to buy a house?"

"Am I in a position to buy a house? That was one reason why I didn't want to attend Swaminathan's house-warming ceremony" said Ramu, in a tone of irritation. 

"I think we should attend the function. You are upset that when you have been unable to buy a house, your friend, who was poor, has bought three houses. If we harbour such thoughts, how can we expect good things to happen to us? We may end up being incapable of having any good thought at all. Let us attend the house-warming ceremony. Let us have a look at the house and feel happy that your friend owns such a nice house. Let us wish him whole-heartedly. I am not saying that by doing this, we will also be able to buy a house soon. But I feel that celebrating the success of your friend will make us feel good. Good thoughts make us feel good and feel happy. After all, feeling happy is the ultimate goal of life" said Kamali. 

Kamali looked at Ramu's face, wondering how he would take her suggestion. 

Ramu's face was expressionless for a few seconds. He then looked at Kamali with a smile and said, "Okay. We will attend the function."

Kamali was aware that Ramu accepted her suggestion only to satisfy her. But, she believed that in course of time, Ramu would change his attitude.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 17
Bearing No Envy

Verse 163 (In Tamil)

aRan Akkam vENdAdhAn enbAn piRan Akkam
pENAdhu azhukkaRuppAn.

Meaning:

If a person envies others' good fortune, it will be deemed that he desires neither righteousness nor prosperity.

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

Verse 164 (Soon)
Verse 162

162. Bhaskar's Failures

After Sumathy and Bhaskar got married, the couple visited the homes of many of Bhaskar's colleagues, for lunch or dinner, accepting their invitations. 

One day, Bhaskar told Sumathy, "We are going to my boss Ravi's house today, for dinner."

"I feel nervous, since I can't feel free at your boss's house, as I felt, when we visited your colleagues' homes. Can you cancel the visit on some excuse or other?" asked Sumathy.

"If I decline my boss' invitation, he will be annoyed with me. I may even lose my job. Let us go there, accepting his invitation" said Bhaskar. 

After returning home from Ravi's house, Sumathy asked Bhaskar. "You said Ravi was your boss. But you moved with him, as if he was a friend. Is he a friend or the boss?"

"Both!" said Bhaskar. "Ravi and I were holding the same position in our firm. In fact, he is two years junior to me. But, he got promoted and moved up to a level higher than mine. Since I didn't get any promotion, I am remaining at the same level."

"Don't you feel unhappy about this?"

"I am unhappy about my not getting the promotion. But, I am happy about my friend Ravi getting the promotion!" said Bhaskar.

"Didn't you feel upset that a person junior to you got promoted overtaking you and became your boss?"

"I didn't. You are younger to me. You came to this house only recently. But you have become my boss already! Do I feel unhappy about this?" asked Bhaskar, laughing.

Sumathy looked at her husband with a feeling of surprise and admiration. 'He has no grudge or jealousy about his friend overtaking him and getting a promotion. If a close friend of mine got something that I didn't, I would feel unhappy' she thought. 

The doorbell rang. Sumathy opened the door.

"Is Bhaskar at home?" asked the visitor.

"No. He has gone out. May I know who you are?" asked Sumathy. 

"There is a club called Srinagar Club in this area. I am the secretary of that club."

"Oh! Is Bhaskar a member of the club?"

"He is an active member. Perhaps, you are not aware of this, since you got married recently."

"You are right. I didn't know about it."

"This is one of the biggest clubs in the city. We have a membership of five thousand. There was an election for the secretary, six months back. It was hotly contested as if it was an election to the state assembly. There was hectic campaigning and a lot of excitement. Bhaskar and I were the contestants."

"And you won the election!"

"Yes, I did. But, I have not come across a person like Bhaskar. During the campaign, I had used strong words against him, in my fervour to win the election. But, after the election, Bhaskar began to move with me in a friendly manner, without any hard feelings towards me, for my using harsh words against him, during the campaign. He has become a good friend of mine and has been helping me in carrying out various activities relating to the club. In fact, I came to see him only to seek his advice on a matter relating to the club. I will come and see him later."

He took leave of her and left. 

'When I have a person with such sterling qualities as my husband, what more do I need in my life?' Sumathy thought proudly. 

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 17
Bearing No Envy

Verse 162 (In Tamil)

vizhuppu ERRin ahdhoppadhu illaiyAr mAttum
azhukkARRin anmai peRin.

Meaning:

Not being envious of anybody is a rich reward. There is nothing that can match it.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'bAskarin thOlvigaL' by the same author)

Verse 163
Verse 161

667. The Passenger

Dinakar extended his seat on the luxury bus, by pulling up the part of the seat that was folded down, stretched his legs, pushed back his seat and reclined comfortably, getting ready to go to sleep.

"Oh! my back is aching. It seems that traveling in a sitting position will be more comfortable" he lamented.

"That is the reason I am sitting erect, without pulling up the folded portion of the seat. This is the problem with semi-sleeper buses. If we want to travel comfortably, we should travel by a sleeper bus. Otherwise, traveling in a sitting position will be better" said his friend Arun.

"Only you and I have this problem. Look at our 'friend' there. How comfortably is he reclining on his seat!" Dinakar whispered in the ears of Arun and pointed to a person sitting on a row opposite to the one the two were sitting. 

While one passenger sitting in one of the two seats in that row was struggling, unable to decide whether to stretch his legs or fold them, the person described as 'friend' by Dinakar was relining comfortably on the seat adjacent to the window. 

Since he had a diminutive figure, his short legs fitted within the short length of the extended portion of the sheet.

"There appears to be space for another person to sit in the space left, after the little man has stretched his legs!" quipped Arun, controlling his laughter.

"He looks like a doll wearing pants and a shirt. People like him will have to lead a pathetic life. No one will offer them a job. They will have to depend on someone else, throughout their life" said Dinakar.

"You are worried about his life. But, he doesn't seem to have a care in the world and has gone into sleep immediately after stretching his legs!"

"Let him have the pleasure of good sleep, at least!"

Dinakaran was awakened from his sleep by the sound of voices. He noticed that the bus had halted and that the passengers were getting down.

He gently shook Arun and told him, "Get up, Arun. We need to get down."

The two friends took their baggages and set out to get down from the bus. 

They noticed that the passenger in the opposite row was still sleeping and that two men were standing near him and politely calling him, "Sir" repeatedly, trying to wake him up. 

"He seems to be in deep sleep. He may not hear your calls. Pat him on his back or shake him gently and wake him up" suggested Dinakar.

"We can't do so, sir. He is our Managing Diector" said one of the two. 

"Managing Director?" asked Dinakar, surprised.

"Yes, sir. He is the owner of Ramya Textiles, the biggest textile show room in this town."

At that time, the Managing Director woke up from sleep, exclaimed, "Oh! The bus has reached the destination!" He then turned to the two who had come to receive him and said in a commanding tone, "My briefcase is in the luggage compartment above. Pick it up" in a commanding tone and alighted from the bus.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 67
Efficiency in Action

Verse 667 (in Tamil):
uruvu kaNdu eLLAmai vENdum uruL perum thErkku
achchAni annAr udaiththu.

Meaning:  

Don't scorn a person for his diminutive figure. There are people in the world who are like the linchpin of the big rolling car.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'payaNiyin mIdhu paridhApam' by the same author.) 

Verse 668
Verse 666

1148. Yamuna's Decision

"They say things about me, knowing well that I am near them, with the deliberate intention that I should hear their words" Yamuna told her friend Neela.

"Who are you talking about and what are they saying about you?" asked Neela.

"The girls studying with us. They say that I am secretly in love with Bhaskar."

"Isn't it true?"

"The question is not whether it is true or not. Why should other people gossip about me?"

"Shall I tell you a secret? Many girls studying in our college have a crush on Bhaskar. I know that a few girls expressed their love to Bhaskar. But, 'your man' did not accept their proposal. At the same time, everyone has been seeing how Bhaskar speaks to you in a cheerful and loving way. Those girls who failed in their attempts to win the heart of Bhaskar are jealous of you and are gossiping, linking you and Bhaskar" said Neela.

"But, I don't understand why they gossip in such a way that their gossip would reach my ears. Why do they spread false stories like I have been going to the beach and the movies with Bhaskar?"

"People who indulge in gossip will always exaggerate things. They may even spin stories and make them sound like real happenings. Moreover, being jealous of you, they may believe that if they talk like this, you will feel hurt and shamed and stop moving closely with Bhaskar" said Neela.

"Bhaskar! Aside from talking to each other within the college campus, standing at an open place where people can see us, have we met at any other place outside the college campus?" asked Yamuna. 

"No. Not till now. I have been asking you to come out with me. But, you have been saying 'no.'" said Bhaskar, in a mock tone of accusation.

"I said 'no,' fearing that people would gossip about us. But, even now, people gossip about us and spread a false story that we have been secretly meeting at various places outside the college campus. So, why should I still feel shy of going out with you? Our parents are not going to stand in the way of our love. Why should we be concerned about what other people are going to say?" asked Yamuna.

"Why should we?" said Bhaskar and moved his hand towards Yamuna's shoulder, attempting to touch her.

"Not here. Let us go to a park or the beach" said Yamuna, moving aside, to ward off his touch.

Thirukkural
Section 3

Love

Chapter 115
Gossiping by Others

Verse 1148 (in Tamil):
neyyAl eri nudhuppEm enRaRRAl kouvaiyAl
kAmam nudhuppEm enal.

Meaning:

To say that one could extinguish passion by rumour is like saying that one can extinguish fire with ghee.

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

Verse 1149 (Soon)
Verse 1147

666. The Pocket Notebook

Industrialist Sachidanandam, who was invited as the special guest for the anniversary celebrations of the college, began his speech with the words, "Your college has invited me to this function, thinking that I have achieved something in my life. But in reality, I have not achieved much."

The students eagerly waited to hear what he was going to say next.

Sachidanandam took a notebook he had kept on the podium, opened it and displayed the open pages to the audience. "This notebook contains a list of things I wanted to do. I could not do most of the things in this list."

He then took out a small pocket notebook from his shirt pocket and showed it to the audience.

"But, I have done most of the things listed in this notebook. This pocket notebook is the reason for whatever I achieved in my life and my getting invited to this meeting!"

Sachidanandam gave a pause and continued.

"What is the difference between these two notebooks? In the bigger notebook, I have written everything I wanted to do, small and big. I keep adding new things in this notebook almost every day. But, I didn't make any effort to do any of those things. However, I selected a few things from that list, which I considered important, and noted them down in this pocket notebook. I took efforts to do those things and I was able to do most of those things successfully."

Sachidanandam looked at the faces of the students. Noting that they were listening to him with interest, he continued. 

"Thoughts are powerful. You might have heard people say that you can achieve whatever you wish to. Well, we can't get what we want, just by making a wish. But, if we make efforts, we will be able to achieve most of the things we wish to. Our wishes are like the things listed in this big notebook. They will remain only as wishes. Those wishes which we strive to realize by making concerted efforts, with determination, are like the things listed in this pocket notebook. They will be be realized, by the power of our actions."

After Sachidanandam completed his speech, he received a big ovation from the audience, comprising the students of the college, their parents and the college staff.

"I have been noting down the daily milk purchases in a pocket notebook. I need to see how much I have to pay the milkman for this week's supply of milk. I had kept that notebook on the table. Did you see it?" Sachidanandam's wife Bhargavi asked him.

"Oh! I took it, but forgot to put it back on the table" said Sachidanandam, taking out the pocket notebook from his handbag and handing it over to her.

He then took out a big notebook and gave it to her, saying, "This is the notebook in which our son Ramesh has been noting down his ideas for writing stories. I took this also. Put it back on the table."

"Why did you take these two notebooks, while going to a college to deliver a speech? Did you note down points for your speech in these notebooks?" asked Bhargavi, opening the pocket notebook and browsing through it.

I didn't use the two notebooks for making any notes" said Sachidanandam. "In my speech, I wanted to convey a message to the students. If I just mentioned it, they would listen and forget. I thought if I did something dramatic, the message would be deeply impressed in their minds. When I saw these two notebooks lying on the table, an idea struck me. So, I took these two notebooks with me and showcased them, to deliver a powerful message through my speech" said Sachidanandam, with a smile.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 67
Efficiency in Action

Verse 666 (in Tamil):
eNNiya eNNiyAngu eydhuba eNNiyAr
thiNNiyar Agap peRin.

Meaning:

If those who have planned (an undertaking) possess firmness (in executing it), they will obtain what they have desired, the way they have desired it. 

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'chinna nOttu periya nOttu' by the same author.) 

Verse 667
Verse 665

665. A Letter From the President

"Anbarasan! You are a talented and competent person. I have been paying you well. I can give you a rise too. Don't leave my firm" said Ponnambalam, proprietor of the firm. 

"Sir, I am not leaving this firm for better prospects. You have recognized my competence and hard work and been paying me well. I will always be grateful to you for this. But, I have an ambition to start my own business" said Anbarasan.  

"Starting a business can be easy, but running it will be difficult. Apart from initial investment, you should have the resources to invest more money in the business, to meet the contingencies that may arise during different times, till the time the business starts earning profits. I am telling you this from my own experience."

"I understand your point, sir. But, an opportunity has come my way and I want to make use of it. A small machine shop is coming up for sale. I have inspected the machines. They are in good condition. The machine shop is offered at an attractive price. I propose to buy the machine shop, using my savings. In the beginning, I will be taking up only job works, which won't require investing money on purchase of raw materials. You may also help me by giving me some jobs" said Anbarasan.

"My best wishes to you. I am sure you will succeed in your venture" said Ponnambalam. 

Six months passed since Anbarasan left Ponnambalam's firm, to start his own business. 

One day, Ponnambalam called up Anbarasan over phone and asked him how his business was running.

"Sir, as indicated by you, there are challenges. The income from job work is quite small. It appears that I will be able to earn a fairly good income only by taking up manufacture of components for large industries. But that will require additional investment for purchase of raw materials and for other expenses. I have been thinking how to go about it" said Anbarasan.

"If you want to go for a job again, I can take you back any time. If you are reluctant to work in my firm again, I will recommend you to some other firms known to me."

"Sir! I don't know how I could thank you for your kindness and consideration. But, I am firm in my resolve to continue to run my business, even if I have to struggle for sometime to come" said Anbarasan. 

After a few months, Anbarasan rang up to Ponnambalam and told him, "Sir, recently I secured an order from a large company for manufacturing a component for them. I showed that order to a raw materials supplier, bought materials from the supplier for credit, manufactured the component and delivered it to the company. I will receive payment from the company after a month. After that, I will make the payment to the supplier. Subsequent to that, the supplier will supply materials to me for credit on a regular basis." 

Ponnambalam wished him, saying "Congratulations! You will grow up to become a good industrialist" 

After that, Anbarasan would call up Ponnambalam now and then and appraised him of the developments in his business, including his success stories and challenges.

In course of time, Anbarasan had become a big industrialist. He continued to share the developments in his business with Ponnambalam, even many years after his leaving Ponnambalam's firm. 

Anbarasan read the letter several times with a sense of disbelief and excitement. The letter conveyed the message that the President of India would be honouring fifty people from across the country for their achievements in the industrial front. It also carried an invitation for the function at New Delhi, in which the achievers would be given the awards. Anbarasan was one of the fifty industrialists to be honoured.

Anbarasan dialled Ponnambalam's number for sharing this good news with him. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 67
Efficiency in Action

Verse 665 (in Tamil):
vIRu eydhi mAndAr vinaiththitpam vEndhan kaN
URu eydhi uLLappadum.

Meaning:  

Dynamic deeds of a doughty person, who has become great by virtue of his firmness and excellence will be acclaimed even by the king.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kudiyarasuth thalaivaridamirundhu oru ahaippu' by the same author.) 

Verse 666
Verse 664