45. Ode to a Kind Heart!

"Have you made allocations of my salary for this month's expenses?" asked Damodaran.

"Yes. Of the sum of rupees one lakh you gave me, after making allocations for our household expenses, there is a surplus of rupees eighty thousand. Where shall we invest this?" asked his wife Vani.

Damodaran laughed, enjoying her humour, knowing well that his wife was talking in a lighter vein. In the early years of their marriage, such remarks of Vani were born out of sarcasm and were intended to hurt him. But after understanding Damodaran and the realities of life during the twenty years of their married life, her outlook has gradually undergone a change.

"You said that we have to pay the school fees for Kala this month" said Damodaran.

"Yes. And I know that you won't forget the due date."

"Don't worry. I have arranged to get a loan from a friend of mine."

"I am sure you would have made some arrangement. Give me the money. I will go to the school and pay the fees today. If we keep the money in our hands, we may spend it for some other purpose."

"The money has not yet come to my hand. Once it comes to my hand, I will hand it over to you. You are better than me in handling the money."

"I should hand it to you for your skill in handing out handsome compliments to your spouse!"

"I hope it comes handy to me!" remarked Damodaran.

Vani was not in a hurry to ask Damodaran about the money after he came home after work, She didn't browse the subject even after they had dinner.

After dinner, Kala suddenly remembered something and told Damodaran, "Dad! Our school has arranged for an excursion for the students. It will cost five thousand rupees. But it is not compulsory to join the excursion."

"See how smart your daughter is! Knowing our financial position, she hints that she is mentally prepared for not joining the excursion!" said Vani.

"Usually, a parent will refer to his or her son or daughter as 'your son' or 'your daughter' when he or she complaints about the son or daughter to the other parent. But you are saying 'your daughter' when complimenting her. You are so magnanimous" said Damodaran.

"Maybe, I was being tactical. If I had not spoken the way I did, I wouldn't have earned the compliment of being magnanimous, from you!" said Vani. "Since joining the excursion is not compulsory, Kala won't join it, will she?" she continued.

Damodaran was silent for a moment. He then said, "Shall we go to Mahabalipuram* this Sunday?"

"How wonderful!" said Kala, jumping with joy.

"So, a picnic to make up for our daughter missing the excursion? I should prepare and pack lunch for us. What is the menu? Tamarind rice, Coconut rice or Pulav?" asked Vani.

"No need to pack lunch. We will have lunch at a high class restaurant at Mhabalipuram!" said Damodaran. 

After Kala went to bed, Vani asked Damodaran, "Did you get the loan amount from your friend?"

"I got it, but I don't have it. I had to hand it over to another person!" said Damodaran.

"Why? The money should have come to me!"

"Yes. But it has gone to your sister!"

"How?"

"Today, Saravanan came to my office and met me."

"Saravanan! Shanti's husband?" 

"Of course, your sister Shanti's husband? Do you expect Saravanan, the son of Lord Siva, to come to me asking for a loan?"

"Shanti's husband asked you for a loan!"

"He did. Just as we needed money to pay our daughter's school fees, he also needed money to pay the school fees for his son. He said today was the last day to pay the fees for his son. But we have one week time to pay the fees for our daughter!"

"So, you magnanimously handed over to him the money you had borrowed to pay our daughter's school fees!"

"Magnanimity is too big a word to describe a small help."

Vani was silent for a while.

"What are you thinking, Vani? Are you feeling disappointed that the money that should have come to you has gone to your sister?" asked Damodaran, half in jest and half in apprehension of how Vani would react.

"No. I was pondering whether, if you had helped your sister instead of my sister in a similar situation, I would have taken it with the same level of equanimity!" said Vani, looking at her husband with admiration and pride.

Damodaran looked at his wife with surprise

Vani laughed and asked Damodaran, "So, how are you going to arrange the money needed to pay for Kala's school fees?"

"You said it! I have to arrange!" said Damodaran.

Kala was in high sprits during the picnic at Mahabalipuram.

She was astonished at the sight of the giant rock called 'Krishna's Butter Ball' supported on a tiny base.

"Dad! How has this giant rock been standing on this small base for several centuries? Is it not a wonder that a tiny base could support a heavy rock?" she asked.

"Your puny father can balance any heavy thing on the tip of his little finger. Compared to that, this is not such a great wonder, after all!" said Vani.

"That is because your puny father is supported by your bulky mother!" said Damodaran.

"You call me bulky! I will throw this heavy rock at you!" yelled Vani, in mock anger. 

What she threw at him was only a tiny pebble.

*Mahabalipuram is a tourist spot near Chennai in South India.

Thirukkural
Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 5
Family Life

Verse 43 (In Tamil)

anbum aRanum udaiththAyin ilvAzhkkai
paNbum payanum adhu.

Meaning:

If love and virtue pervade the family life, they become

the characteristic and fruit of the family life.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'nalla manam vAzhga' by the same author)

Verse 46 (Soon)

Verse 44