33. Arun Gets a Job

When Arun was selected for a government job, his father advised him, "These days, getting a government job has become very difficult. It is great that you got a government job on the basis of your performance in the Service Commission examination. This is a blessing for a lower middle class family like ours. Take care to ensure that you act with propriety in performing your duties."  

Arun's mother pulled him aside and told him, "Arun! Your father has wasted his life by being adamant about being righteous and acting with integrity and morality. Don't follow in his foot steps. Be smart and make the best of the opportunity you have got!"

Arun joined duty at the office he was posted. He was allocated a seat. Natarajan, who occupied the seat next to him was a middle-aged person. He was friendly with Arun.

"Arun! Many government offices are cramped. They don't have enough space to accommodate all the employees. It will take a couple of years for a new employee to be allocated a permanent seat. Till that time, the new employee will have to scout for a vacant seat that may become available because of some employee being on leave. But we don't have that problem in our office. That way you are lucky" he told Arun.

For the first few days, Arun was not assigned any work. He didn't even know whom he should report to. 

After about ten days, one of the section officers summoned Arun to his cabin and told him that Arun would be working under him.

When the section officer was talking to Arun, Selvam, the peon came there bringing a file for the officer's scrutiny. The section officer told Selvam, "Selvam! Mr. Arun will be working in my section. Attend to his needs."
 
But even after this, Arun was not assigned any work.

The next afternoon, something intriguing happened. Selvam came to Arun carrying some currency notes in one hand and a sheet of paper in the other. He looked at the sheet, pulled out a few notes, counted them and gave them to Arun. 

"What is this?" asked Arun, perplexed.

"Didn't the section officer Raghu say the other day that you would be working in his section?" relied Selvam.

"So?"

"I have to distribute this to others" said Selvam showing the cash in his hand. "Ask Mr. Natarajan about this," he continued and then walked away.

Arun asked Natarajan, "What is this, sir?"

"Today is Friday, which is considered an auspicious day. They have performed puja*. Selvam is distributing the prasad** to all of us!" said Natarajan, smiling. He raised his hand and showed Arun the cash received by him.

"Puja?"

"Arun! You know that in our office, we offer some services to the public. As you must be aware, nothing will move in a government office unless the palms of the government employees are greased. Everyday, a couple of hundred people visit our office seeking our services. We have a system of pooling the amount collected from the public by the frontline employees and distributing it to everyone in this office in proportion to one's rank and role. Obviously, the executives will get a greater share. Since you have joined only recently, you will get only a small share. The sum collected during a week will be distributed Friday afternoon, This is what I meant by puja and distribution of prasad!" 

"How preposterous! We are taking bribes and distributing the bounty so blatantly!" exclaimed Arun.

"Well, this is the practice. After all, it is happening within our office!"

"But I have not even started working!"

"That is not an issue. You have been assigned to a section. Your section officer might have told Selvam to give you also a share!"

"Oh! When I was in the section officer's cabin, he told Selvam to attend to my needs. So this is what he meant!"

At that time, Selvam passed by them.

Arun called him out. "Mr. Selvam! Please come here."

An irritated Selvam came near him and said, "If you think that the sum you have received is small, talk to your section officer about it!"

"No. I don't want this money. Not just today, never!" said Arun and returned the cash to Selvam.

"Don't do anything in haste!" interjected Natarajan. "The public can't get anything done in this office without paying a bribe to the employees concerned. No one working here can avoid taking the bribe either. Employees who had been honest and principled while working in other places were forced to adapt themselves to the system followed here, after coming and working here. I am also one such person. You will not have any problem. You are not working at the front office. You won't come into contact with the public. You are not going to seek or receive any bribe. Some others are collecting money and giving you a share. Just accept it!" 

"No, sir. Wherever I am, I will do only what is righteous and morally upright. This is something I have learnt from my father" said Arun.

*puja - a ritual of worshipping God

**prasad - flowers, dishes etc. offered to God and hence considered sacred.

ThirukkuRaL
Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 4
Stressing the Power of Virtue

Verse 33 (In Tamil)

ollum vagaiyAn aRavinai OvAdhE
sellumvAy ellAm seyal.

Meaning:

In whichever place you are, you should keep doing the morally upright deeds.

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

Verse 34 

Verse 32