387. A Call from the Party President

Kumaran was the head of a village unit of a political party.

That day, when he went to his party office, four people were waiting for him.

"Good morning! Welcome to our party office. What can I do for you?" asked Kumaran, politely.

"Gentleman! Your partymen have erected a stage for the public meeting of your political party. It has not been dismantled even two days after the meeting got over. It is obstructing the movement of people and vehicles in that street" said one of them, in an angry tone.

"I am sorry for the inconvenience. The public meeting was held the night before the last. I had asked our people to dismantle the stage yesterday, but since our party workers were with our party president who was staying here yesterday, they couldn't attend to the task yesterday. I have sent people this morning for doing the job. They may be engaged in the task even at this moment. I apologize for the delay" said Kumaran, with folded palms, in a gesture of apologizing.

They left, with one of them grumbling in a low voice "The alacrity displayed by you while erecting the stage is not there when it comes to dismantling it!"

After they had left, Somu, a party worker who was watching the exchange remarked, "These people have a dislike our party. That's why they are complaining. Other political parties take more than a week to dismantle a stage erected by them. These folks won't complain to them. Even if they do, the party people will say nonchalantly 'It will take some time. If you want, go and complain to the authorities!' But you talked to them so politely! You even apologized to them as if you had committed some wrongdoing. Watching you apologize, I was outraged!"

"When someone raises a genuine concern, should we not address it? Being polite while talking to people doesn't hurt!" replied Kumaran.

"Yesterday, something queer happened at our party office, when you were not there" said Somu, changing the topic.

"What was it?"

"During the recent floods, you had food cooked at your home, brought it to the party office and distributed it to the people affected by floods. Someone gave a twist to this and told the party president that you cooked food at your home using rice, vegetables etc. bought with party funds and distributed it at the party office, giving the impression that you did it using your own money. The party president asked me about this in private. I told him, 'Sir, Kumaran had the food prepared in his home with provisions bought with his own money. He brought it to the party office and distributed it with the intention of earning a good name for the party. You can't find another person so selfless and so self-effacing like Kumaran.' The party president was amazed."

"Oh! But, it seems that he was not fully convinced by what you had told him. He has asked me to come to the head office of the party next week and meet him. Perhaps, he wants to interrogate me in person!" said Kumaran, with a tinge of frustration in his voice.

"How are you Kumaran? I have been hearing things about you!" said the party president, when Kumaran met him at the head office of the party.

"They are not true, sir!" said Kumaran, in a desperate voice.

"Which is not true - that you have earned a good name in your village by being polite with everyone and by using kind words while speaking to even those who provoke you, or that you provided food to the people affected by the floods spending your own money but made it appear that this was done by the party?" asked the party president, smiling.

"Sir!" said Kumaran, overwhelmed with joy.

"The party needs people like you. Not just the party, the country too. I am going to nominate you as the candidate of our party in your constituency in the ensuing state assembly elections. I asked you to come here only to convey this news to you. I have no doubt that you will win the election with a thumping majority" said the party president.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 39
The Might of a Ruler

Verse 387 (in Tamil):

insolAl IththaLikka vallArkkuth than solAl
thAn kanda anaiththu ivvulagu.

Meaning:
If a ruler uses kind words and has the quality of munificence, the world will hail him and give him what he desires.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'thalaivaridam irundhu azhaippu' by the same author.)

Verse 388
Verse 386