635. The Minister's Choice

"Our leader has become a central minister now. This is a new responsibility for him. I don't know how he is going to manage!"

"Yes. If one is a minister at the state level, one will be able to manage with the help of the officials at the state level. The officials at the centre are of a different kind. Managing them is not going to be easy. Though our leader knows English, functioning as a Minister at Delhi, the capital city, will be a challenge to him."

"That's why he is going to have a personal secretary."

"Whom is he going to appoint as his personal secretary?"

"It is only through his personal secretary, will our leader be able to interact with other ministers and officials. I think that he will choose an educated and knowledgeable person from our party as his personal secretary."

"That means neither you nor I will be selected!"

This was the dialogue between two second level leaders of the political party.

"Mr. Arumugam! You have become a central minister. There seems to be a lot of competition to be appointed your personal secretary!" said Sabhapathy, the President of the party.

"Yes, sir. I have come to you, only to speak to you about this. I have chosen a candidate. I would request you to give your approval" said Arumugam.

"Who is the lucky person?"

"Gunaseelan."

"Gunaselan! He is quite young. After observing that he was a good orator in our party's public meetings, I made him a spokesperson of the party. He has been articulating our party's policies and views in the Television debates quite effectively. But, will he be a fit candidate for a personal secretary? Several senior leaders of our party are hankering for this post. Some even approached me, requesting me to recommend them to you. But, I told them, 'Arumugam will choose the person he thinks suitable. I won't recommend anybody.' But, you have chosen a young and inexperienced person!"

"Sir! Our party has been given a berth in the union cabinet for the first time. Reposing your faith in me, you have chosen me for the post. I want to make the best use of this opportunity, perform extraordinarily well and earn a good name for our party at the national level.

"Gunaseelan is educated. He is a man of integrity. While speaking in the television debates in support of our party, he will present facts and figures and advance logical arguments. He won't belittle the other side. He always uses measured words, chosen after careful thinking.

"I have noticed that he has admirably carried out the tasks and responsibilities given to him by you now and then, on matters relating to our party. If I have him as my personal secretary, he will not only carry out the tasks efficiently but also advise me appropriately on various matters."

Arumugam looked at Sabhapathy.

"This will create some flutters in the party. Some of the senior leaders will feel discontented. But, when you have taken a good decision, after deep thinking, I have the responsibility to support your decision. Best wishes" said Sabhapathy.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 64
Being A Minister

Verse 635 (in Tamil):
aRan aRindhu AnRamaindha sollAn engnAnRum
thiRan aRindhAn thErchchith thuNai.

Meaning:

He is the best helper (of the king) who understanding the duties of the latter, is by his special learning, able to tender the fullest advice, and at all times conversant with the best method (of

performing actions.)

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

Verse 636 (Soon)
Verse 634

634. The Finance Minister

When People's Welfare Party (PWP) won the elections and was set to form the government, there was a lot of interest among various sections of the people including the media, political commentators, economists and the general public at large about who was going to be made the Finance Minister in the new government. Names of a few senior leaders of the party made the rounds.

But, to everyone's surprise, Chief Minister Manickam chose Parankusam, a retired professor of Economics as the Finance Minister.

This decision shocked the senior leaders of the party and led to some heartburning. However, they chose to keep quiet, since they did not have the courage to ask the Chief Minister.

Six months passed, since the PWP government had assumed office.

Chief Minister Manickam, who was also the President of the party, convened a meeting of the Executive Committee of the party. Finance Minister Panakusam, though not a member of the party, participated in the party, as a special invitee. 

The Chief Minister spoke:

"I know that many of you were surprised and shocked by my appointing a person who had not been a member of our party as the Finance Minister. All of you are aware to what extent the economy of our state had been ruined by the party that was holding the reins earlier. I strongly believed that we needed a professional, an expert, to retrieve the economy from the pit it had fallen and make it healthy. It was also imperative that the economy could be put back on rails, only if the person managing the Finance portfolio took steps purely from the perspective of Economics, keeping political considerations aside. That was the reason for my choosing Mr. Parankusam, an Economist with no political background, for the job.

"During the last six months, the Finance Minister has taken several decisions and implemented measures for reviving the economy. Some of his decisions and actions might not have been to your liking. You may pose your questions to him."

"Sir! Soon after coming to power, we have raised a few taxes. People are unhappy with us for these raises" said a senior leader.

"Further, we have not implemented many schemes we had promised in our election manifesto. In the television debates, our party spokespersons have a tough time answering the questions raised about this issue" remarked another.

"Even a minister like me has been unable to answer the questions about our electoral promises, posed to me, when I visit my constituency" said a minister.

"The Finance Minister will answer your questions" said the Chief Minister, smiling.

Parankusam hesitated for a moment and then said, "While entrusting me with the responsibility of managing the Finance portfolio of the government, the Chief Minister told me, 'You should set right the economic situation of the state, acting the way you would, if the economy of your family were in a bad shape.' After studying the state of the economy, I told the Chief Minister, 'Sir! The revenue deficit has been increasing. Because of it, the borrowings have increased. The interest on the borrowings has been making the revenue deficit go up still further. If this situation has to be rectified, we should increase the revenue on the one side and reduce the expenditure on the other side. We will be able to take up new schemes only after bringing down the revenue deficit to zero.' The Chief Minister accepted my diagnosis and my action plan to revive the economy. Accordingly, I have implemented some measures."

"You make it sound so simple. How are we going to explain these to the people and make them understand?" asked a minister.

When Parankusam tried to answer him, the Chief Minister said, "People have given us a tenure of five years to govern. We have five years' time to deliver on our promises. It is quite possible that we will face the discontent of the people during the first two years, because of the unpopular but essential measures implemented by us. If there were to be by-elections, we may lose some or even all of them. But, if we pursue the path of course correction devised by us, with steadfastness, for two years, we will be able to see results in the last two years. At that time, we will be in a position to implement the schemes promised by us. Once people are able to realize that the measures implemented by us have begun to yield results, they will extend their support to us. The points mentioned by the Finance Minister are known to all of us. But, since he was not obliged to consider the political perspective, he was able to look at the economic situation objectively, decide what steps were needed to improve the economy and outline his plan of action to me. I accepted his plan and gave him the freedom to implement the plan the way it should be."

Nobody said anything.  

"We should do one more thing to make people understand that the financial position of the government is bad. We should cut our salaries by half. The amount saved from this step my not be significant. But it will send the right signal to the people." 

The Chief Minister paused and added "Again, it was the Finance Minister, who suggested this step," turning to Parankusam, with a smile.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 64
Being A Minister

Verse 634 (in Tamil):
theridhalum thErndhu seyalum oruthalaiyAch
chollalum valladhu arasu.

Meaning:

The minister is one who is able to comprehend (the whole nature of an undertaking), execute it in the best manner possible, and articulate his views unequivocally. 

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

Verse 635
Verse 633

1141. Welcome Gossip!

Muthaiyan, standing at the doorstep of his house, was watching with interest and amazement, the young woman walking on the street, carrying four bags filled with groceries and vegetables bought by her from the market, frequently, yet adroitly, shuffling the bags from one hand to the other.

At that time, a bullock cart entered the street from one end of the street. Muthaiyan noticed that the cart was moving behind her. 

The young woman, not being aware of the bullock cart coming behind her, was focusing her entire attention on carrying the bags, by repeatedly shuffling them between her hands and balancing their weights.

Though the cartman tried to pull the ropes on the bulls, attempting to stop the cart, lest it should hit the young woman, Muthaiyan was not sure whether the bullocks would stop in time or whether the young woman would notice the cart and move aside.

Muthaiyan jumped into the street, rushed to the spot and pulled the young woman away. While pulling her away, he took care to ensure that the bags in her hand didn't fall down. 

For a moment, the young woman, shocked by the sudden movement of her body by some force external to her, wondered what had transpired. Then she saw the bullock cart passing her and the cartman looking at her and scolding her for her inattentive behaviour, which could have resulted in an accident. 

Even as the young woman turned aside to see who the person that had saved her was, she realized that he was still holding her tight. She extricated herself from his clasp, threw a thankful look at him and began to move.

"I see that you have been struggling to carry the bags. If you don't mind, I will carry two of your bags and escort you to your house" Muthaiyan told her.

"I am already worried whether people would imagine things about us, after seeing you holding me. I can't imagine how people will gossip, if they see you walk along with me to my house. People of this village have gossip in their blood" said the young woman and turned to leave. 

The young woman's fears were proved right.

"When I was driving a bullock cart, a young woman was walking before the cart on the middle of the road, carrying three or four bags, without noticing the cart coming behind her. I was worried that the cart was going to hit her. Fortunately, her lover rushed to the spot and pulled her away. The passion with which he hugged her while saving her showed how much love she had for her!"

The above message shared by the cartman with some of his friends got spread to the whole village in no time. 

With one of those who watched the scene identifying the young woman as Annapoorani and another identifying the young man as Muthaiyan, the message got the names added to it. 

The "love" between Muthaiyan and Annapoorani became a talking point in the entire village.

It was only after some people asking Muthaiyan, "Is it true that you are in love with a girl called Annapoorani?" that Muthaiyan came to know the name of the young woman saved by him.

"Are you Muthaiyan?" asked the young woman.

"Yes. And who are you?" asked Muthaiyan.

"I am Kannamma, a friend of Annapoorani. Have you realized what you had done? The whole village has been talking about you and Annapoorani being lovers" said the woman.

"What was my fault? I saved your friend from getting hit by a bullock cart. Was it wrong?"

"What are you going to do about the gossip in the village, linking you and Annapoorani."

"I think it is good that such the villagers have been gossiping that way!"

"What do you mean?" asked Kannamma.

"I don't know what is in the mind of your friend. But, from the time I pulled her away to save her from getting hit by the bullock cart, I have developed a liking for her. I wanted to meet her again and know her mind. But, I was reluctant to approach her. I was feeling restless, not knowing how to meet her again and convey my feelings to her, since I didn't know her identity. Then I heard the villagers gossiping about us. With the villagers revealing what was in my mind, my love for Annapoorani has become known to all. If your friend also likes me, then I will meet her parents and request them to get her married to me" said Muthaiyan.

Kannamma turned towards a nearby tree and said in a loud voice "Your lover has spoken his mind, Annapoorani. Now you can come out from the hideout." 

Annapoorani came out from behind a tree, her face beaming with love and ecstasy, with an underlying expression of shyness.

Thirukkural
Section 3

Love

Chapter 115
Gossiping by Others

Verse 1141 (in Tamil):
alar ezha Aruyir niRkum adhanaip
palar aRiyAr bAkkiyaththAl.

Meaning:

My precious life is saved by the raise of rumour, and this, to my good luck, others are not aware of.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'UrkkArargaL seydha udhavi' by the same author.)

Verse 1142 (Soon)
Verse 1140 

633. The Indignant Prince

"Father! Why should we invite the king of Valliya country to our palace? Valliya is a small country. Should we give so much importance to that country?" 

"Yes, son. I also feel the same way. But this arrangement has been made by our minister. I have given him a certain amount of discretion. He has been acting within that discretion. It won't be appropriate to question his decision" replied the King.

"Who is the monarch, you or the minister?" asked Komagan, angrily.

"Your Majesty! We have received information through our intelligence network that Malaya country is making preparations to invade Kundala country. Kundala country has always been friendly with us. So, I suggest that we send our troops to support the Kundala army in its war against Malaya country" said Minister Arulmozhi.

"Honourable Minister! I am unable to understand why you have so much concern for the welfare of other countries. Some time back, you invited the King of a small country like Valliya to our palace and had him as our guest for a few days. Now you want us to send our troops to fight along with the troops of Kundala country. Have we built up our army for the sake of fighting the wars of other countries?" flared Komagan. 

"Komagan! Though you are not a member of the Elders Council, I invited you to the meeting of the Council, since I wanted you to get acquainted with the developments relating to our country's engagement with other countries. You may speak, if I ask for your opinion. Otherwise, just listen to what others say. I disapprove of the way you spoke to the Minister" the King reprimanded his son.

Minister Arulmozhi told the King, "Your Majesty! It is my duty to clarify the doubts the Prince may have."

The King nodded his head, signaling his consent. 

Arulmozhi then turned to Komagan, smiled at him and said, "Prince! When people who have stood by us in the past encounter a threat, we have a moral obligation to extend our help and support to them."

Komagan did not appear to be satisfied by the Minister's terse reply.

"Minister! The dangerous development we have been apprehending since long is now at our doorsteps!" said the King, his voice betraying his concern and consternation.

"Yes. The army of Kari country has launched an attack on our troops stationed at the border. The Kari army is trying to invade and capture our country. Our army is not strong enough to fight the mighty army of Kari country. What are we going to do?" asked Komagan.

"We have a three tier defence setup. so, we will be able to thwart the attack of the Kari army" said the Minister.

"What is this three tier setup?" asked Komagan, perplexed.

"Valliya country had been friendly with Kari country. We invited the King of Valliya to our palace, befriended him and made him our ally. Therefore, Valliya country will not send its troops in support of Kari country, as they did in the past during Kari's war with another country" said the Minister.

The King interjected and told Komagan, "You questioned our inviting the king of Valliya to our palace and having him as a valued guest in our country for a few days. If we had not extended our hand of friendship to him and alienated him from the king of Kari, Valliya's troops would have joined the war on the side of the Kari troops, making the fight more difficult for us. Do you understand the significance of the Minister's move in inviting the king of Valliya?"

Komagan nodded his head silently. 

"Secondly, the troops of Kundala are going to attack the Kari country from the eastern border, even as the Karmi army is trying to invade our country from their southern border. Kundala country will do this in return for our help in sending our army to support its army in its war against the Malya country. With Kundala attacking Kari from the east, Kari will be forced to abandon its invasion into our country, since it cannot fight the war on two fronts" the King added.

"You spoke about a three tier setup. What is the third tier?" Komagan asked with interest.  

The Minister looked at the King and told him in an apologetic tone, "Your Majesty! I did something without seeking your prior permission."

"What is it?" asked the King, feeling apprehensive.

"We know that your cousin who left the palace after a misunderstanding with you has taken shelter in a place near the border and been building up his own army to fight you."

"Yes. You told me that since the local tribes near the border have been protecting him, we have not been able to arrest him."

"Pardon me, Your Majesty. I had located his hiding place with the help of our intelligence network. A few days back, I went to his hiding place secretly and met him. He is remorseful of acting against you. He wants to apologize to you, return to the palace and serve you, as he did in the past. Since, for the past few months, you have been seized of the looming threat of a war with Kari country, I thought of bringing him to you, after the situation eased."

The King cut short the Minister saying, "We can deal with it later. What has that to do with the present war?"

"Your cousin has a small army comprising a few hundred men. But they are experts in launching clandestine attacks on the enemy troops by hiding themselves in strategic places. By making use of them, we can stun the Kary army" said Arulmozhi

"Minister! Forgive me for speaking to you harshly, without understanding your intricate planning and strategic moves" Komagan told Arulmozhi, folding his palms together. 

"What is this Prince? You are the Crown Prince" said the Minister, holding the Prince's hands.

The King beamed in satisfaction about his son son having gained an understanding about the Minister's thinking.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 64
Being A Minister

Verse 633 (in Tamil):
piritthalum pENIk koLalum pirindhArp
poruththalum valladhu amaichchu.

Meaning:

The minister is one who can bring about discord (among foes), maintain the good-will of the king's friends and restore to friendship of those who were estranged from the king.

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

Verse 634
Verse 632

145. The Broken Spectacles

"I am unable to put up with that man's amorous advances" Parvathy told her husband Sankaran.

"What does he do?"

"When madam is in the house, he will keep away from me, pretending to be a gentleman. During the times madam is not there, he will act funny. When I am sweeping the floor, he will come and stand near me, almost touching my body with his and say, 'See, there is a bit of dust here,' showing some spot on the floor. When I turn to look at the spot, he will brush against me, as if by accident. When I am cleaning the vessels in the kitchen, he will come to the kitchen, pretending to be looking for something in the kitchen shelf, stand there for a while and stare at me. He will exhibit such inappropriate behaviour, in many other ways. Being a woman, I can't describe them to you elaborately."

"Why don't you go there for work, during the time he won't be in the house."

"I have to go there twice every day, once in the morning and once in the evening. He will be at home, at least during one of the two slots."

"Parvathy, I have a job in a government organization. Though I am only a low level employee, I am getting a good pay. After a couple of years, I can even get a house allotted to me in the government quarters. He is a senior officer. I cannot afford to antagonize him. Even if we give a complaint against him, it won't have any effect. It may even lead to my losing the job. If you feel that you can't put up with his behaviour, quit the job. You can get a job in some other house. Even if you don't, it doesn't matter. We can manage to run our family on my income alone" said Sankaran.

Parvathy didn't say anything.

Sankaran was employed as a low level employee in a public sector undertaking. The undertaking had residential quarters for the employees. Parvathy was employed as a maid in some of the quarters including the house of Arumugam, a senior executive in the undertaking. 

What she narrated to her husband was the inappropriate behaviour of Arumugam towards her.

When Parvathy went to Arumugam's house that evening to do the chores, only Arumugam was in the house.

"Is madam not there, sir?" asked Parvathy.

"Don't you see that I am here?" replied Arumugam.

Parvathy began to sweep the floor.

As she was sweeping the floor with a broom, bending her back, she sensed a shadow falling on her and turned back.

Arumugam had quietly come near her and stood behind her.

"What do you want, sir?" asked Parvathy, politely.

Without replying, Arumugam tried to hug her from behind.

"Leave me!" said Parvathy, in protest.

"Yield to me just for once. I will never trouble you again. See this."

He opened his palm and showed a five hundred rupee note he was holding. 

Parvathy picked up the broomstick and began to hit him on different parts of his body including his head, back, chest. hips and legs. Arumugm's spectacles slipped and fell on the floor and broke into pieces.  

"Stop! What do you think you are doing? I will ruin you. Do you want your husband to lose his job?" Arumugam shouted, jumping in pain and shock, 

"You think that if someone is poor, you can do anything to him or her? Just see what I am going to do to you" Parvathy yelled back, in anger.

She then called out "Senthil!"

"I am here, sister!" answered a voice from nearby. A young man made his appearance before them, as if from nowhere.

"Who are you? How did you enter my house? You are an intruder. Shall I call the police?" shouted Arumugam, feeling angry and helpless.

"Please call, sir!" said Senthil, laughing.

"You scoundrel! What do you think of yourself? Do you think we will be scared, if you just mention the word 'police?' Call the police, by all means. Let the police come here. Senthil will show the video taken by him to the policemen. They will then decide whom they should take to the police station" said Parvathy.

"Video! What do you mean?" asked Arumugam, rattled by Parvathy's words.

"When I came here to work in the morning, madam told me that she won't be at home in the evening. I knew that you would try to misbehave with me, when madam was not present. That is why I brought Senthil, who is my neighbour, with me. He was standing near the entrance of the house and observing what was happening. The moment you came near me, he sneaked into the house and began to shoot the video, using his mobile phone."

"Listen to me. Delete the video. I promise that such a thing won't happen again" Arumugam pleaded with Parvathy.

"Hereafter, I can't work here. I will cite some reason to madam and quit the job. If you try to sabotage my husband's career, by misusing your authority, by way of taking revenge on me, I will send this video to your higher officials. If you give even a small trouble to my husband, you will lose both your job and your honour" said Parvathy.

She then told Senthil, "Let us go" and walked out of the house. 

Arukugam stood transfixed, gazing the broken pieces of glass on the floor.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 14
Possession of Propriety 

Verse 145 (In Tamil)

eLidhu ena il iRappAn eydhum engnAnRum
viLiyAdhu niRkum pazhi.

Meaning:

One who indulges in adultery with another’s wife, considering it to be simple (without anticipating the consequences), will beget a blame that will stay forever.

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

Verse 146
Verse 144

632. The Successor

"Minister! I want you to accompany me, when I do the rounds in some parts of our country, in disguise, tonight" the King told the Minister.

The Minister nodded his head acknowledging the King's command, puzzled why the King wanted to take him along.

That evening, the King and the Minister disguised themselves as ordinary people and went to a place about ten miles from the palace. It was quite dark when they reached that place.

They got down from the chariot in which they travelled and sent the chariot back to the palace, instructing the charioteer to bring the chariot back to the same spot, the next morning around the time of sunrise.

After entering the village, the King stopped a man walking on the street and asked him, "Sir! We are coming from a far off place. We are heading towards the palace with a desire to see the King. Since it has become dark, we would like to halt at this village and resume our journey tomorrow. Can you suggest a place where we can stay for the night?"

"I can have you stay in my house. But there is a rule in our village that if any stranger visits our village, we should inform our village head about it. So, I will inform our village head about your visit and come back. I will be happy to accommodate you in my house, after I get the clearance from our village head" said that man. 

"Why should you inform your village head about a stranger visiting your village? Is your leader an autocrat?" asked the King.

"Sir! Please don't use such words about him. Our leader is a noble person. He has made this rule, only for the purpose of protecting us from any harm from unsavoury visitors" said the man.

"What if someone doesn't inform him?"

"Our village head is a kind man. But, if someone violates rules, he will act strictly against that person. That is why every one in the village loves him, even while respecting him. Till now, no one in the village has acted against his instructions. You can come with me and meet our leader. You can see for yourself what sort of a person our leader is."

When they went to the village head's house, he was reading some palm leaves.

The man who took them there, told the village head about the purpose of their visit.

The village head told them, "My family members are away. So, you can stay in my house. Just a minute, I will arrange some food for you two" and got up from his seat. 

"Don't bother, sir. We had had our food on the way" said the King.

The person who brought them there took leave of them. 

The King and the Minister took their seats on the pial of the village head's house.

"May I know what book you are reading?" the King asked the village head. 

"This is a book on the moral values to be followed by people. Since a leader has to be well versed in ethics, morals and principles of justice and equity, I am reading this book."

"If there is any dispute among some people in your village, will you adjudicate the dispute?" asked the King.

"People will come to me with a request to adjudicate the issue. I will have a wise man sit with me while hearing the dispute, take his advice and then decide" said the village head.

The King and the Minister returned to the palace the next morning.

"What do you think of the village head we met yesterday?" the King asked the Minister.

"Oh, he is a fine man. Even at the young age, he has maturity of thinking. He has the welfare of his people in his mind. He has created a system of getting any visitor to the village vetted by him, by making a rule that any stranger visiting the village should be reported to him. He has been enforcing the rule strictly for the safety of the villagers. Care and concern for his people while also being strict with them if they violate any rule, realizing the need to be well versed in the principles of ethics, morality and justice and reading books on these subjects to enhance his knowledge, taking the counsel of wise men when needed - these are the qualities which we were able to see in him, even during the short period of our interaction with him. He has the noble traits of wisdom, love and affection, learning and firmness. May I know how you came to know of him? Why did you take me along when you went to meet him?"

"During my rounds in various parts of the country, I came to know about this person For a few days, I observed him from a distance. The reason I took you along with me is to facilitate your meeting him and then ascertain from you whether he has the qualities needed in a minister" said the King, with a smile.

"What do you mean, Your Majesty?" asked the Minister, even as he began to discern the meaning of the King's words.

"Sometime back, you have conveyed to me your intention to retire from your post. So, I not find a replacement for you. How is my selection?" asked the King, with a feeling of pride.

"Your choice is excellent, Your Majesty. But, I am wondering whether I possess the traits of the person you are going to appoint as my successor" said the Minister. unpretentiously. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 64
Being A Minister

Verse 632 (in Tamil):
vankaN kudi kAththal kaRRARidhal ALvinaiyOdu
aindhudan mANdadhu amaichchu.

Meaning:

A sense of determination in tune with the task, protecting the citizens, learning and sustained efforts -

a minister is one who possesses these five qualities.

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

Verse 633
Verse 631

146. A Shadow From the Past

"How I wish that my elder brother had chosen some other place to conduct the marriage of his daughter!" remarked Sivamani.

"Why do you say so? Your brother is a person who commands good respect in the village. He is wealthy. He has a big mansion in the village. He has people around him, who would do things at his command. Why should he forego all these advantages and choose to conduct his daughter's marriage in another place?" asked his wife Santha.

"I had not been to my village for the past fifteen years. If I go there now to attend the marriage, people known to me will find fault with me for not visiting the village for such a long time."

"Should you be worried about it? Everyone knows that after my father passed away soon after our marriage, you have settled down at this place, in order to look after my father's business."

"That is true. But the villagers will still question me for having not visited my village even once, during these fifteen years."

"Yes. Even I have wondered why you didn't show any interest in visiting your native village all these years!" said Santha.

"There is no particular reason for this. Once I started looking after your father's business, I was unable to move out because my presence was always required here for the day-to-day running of the business. If you can't understand this, how are people in my village going to?" said Sivamani.

That incident had happened one year before Sivamani's marriage. His brother being a wealthy and influential person in the village, Sivamani was living a carefree life. Driven by the energy of his youth. he was roaming about the village in the company of hos friends, 

One day, he went to the house of Utharapathy, a resident of the village, to convey a message from Sivamani's brother. When Sivamani went there, Utharapathy was not home. His wife Susila was at home alone. Sivamani conveyed the message intended for Utharapathy to Susila and got up to leave. At that time, due to some impulse, Susila pulled Sivamani towards her and hugged him. Though stunned by this, Sivamani yielded to her desire.  

After that, Sivamani and Susila met quite a few times ensuring that nobody saw them together. Though both had the apprehension that they could be caught, neither did anything to end the relationship.

Eventually, the illicit relationship was sensed by someone in the village and through him the news began to spread. But no one dared to bring this to the knowledge of Sivamani's brother, out of the fear people had for him.

As soon as Sivamani came to know that his affair with Susila had become a talking point in some circles in the village, he stopped meeting Susila. But, even after ending is relationship with Susila, he was living in the constant fear of the information about his affair with Susila reaching the ears of either his brother or Utharapathy.

Once, when Sivamani was walking on a street in the village, he saw Utharapathy walking towards him from the opposite side, carrying a sickle in his hand. For a moment, Sivamani froze in fear, almost feeling sure that Utharapathy was going to cut off his head with the sickle.

But, after coming near him, Utharapathy passed him with a smile. Sivamani felt as if he was given a new lease of life. 

A person walking with a sickle in his hand is a common sight in village. Reflecting on the fact how such a common sight had created the fear of death in him, Sivamani cursed himself for having committed the wrong of having an affair with the wife of another man.

One day, Utharapathy committed suicide by hanging himself. His suicide was attributed to the insurmountable debt problem faced by him.

However, Sivamani had a lurking suspicion that Utharapathy could have committed suicide, driven by a sense of shame on coming to know of his wife's affair with Sivamani.

After a few months, Sivamani married Santha. With Santha's father passing away one month after the marriage, the responsibility of carrying on his business fell on Sivamani's shoulders. Sivamani shifted his residence to his father in law's place and took over the business. After that, Sivamani did not visit his native village.

'As pointed out by Santha, I have been avoiding visiting my native village. Now, I have to visit my village to attend the marriage of my brother's daughter!' reflected Sivamani.

Many people in the village exchanged greetings with Sivamani and conversed with him. He was not sure how many of them knew about his affair with Susila.

When Sivamani had a chance to be alone with his childhood friend Muthu, he asked Muthu, "How is Utharapaty's wife doing?'

"After the demise of her husband, she has seldom stepped out of her house. She has leased out her lands and been living on the income she gets from the lease. Why are you asking about her?" replied Muthu.

"Well. I remembered some people in the village gossiping that she had an affair with me" said Sivamani, reluctantly.

"Yes. I had also heard such a talk."

"Are they still talking about it?"

"In the village, such talks will always remain in the air. They may subside over time but will never go away. They will be carried from one generation to another."

"Do you believe it to be true?"

"Don't I know about you?" replied Muthu.

Sivamani was not sure what Muthu's reply meant.

"Why talk about it now?" asked Muthu, apparently intending to move away from that topic.

But, he continued to talk about Utharapathy's family.

"You know that Utharapathy had a son. He has grown big. He has done his bachelor's degree from the college near our town. He told me that he wanted to meet you."

"Why does he want to meet me?" asked Sivamani, shocked by Muthu's words.

'Has he known the truth? As it happens in films, is he going to take revenge on me?'

Questions like these surfaced in Sivamani's mind.

"He wants to start a small business. It seems someone in the village advised him to seek your advice, since you have experience in running a business."

Sivamani felt as if his breath had stopped for a while and got revived.

'How long am I going to live in regret, shame and the fear of sin and vengeance for a wrong I had committed many years back?'

Sivamani had no answer to this question.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 14
Possession of Propriety 

Verse 146 (In Tamil)

pagai pAvam achcham pazhi ena nAngum
igavAvAm il iRappAn kaN.

Meaning:

Animosity, sin, fear, disgrace; these four will never leave a person who had a liaison with another man's wife.

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

Verse 147 (Soon)
Verse 145