He had invited only some of the relatives and only a few of the invitees were present for the event.
Manimaran was not keen on celebrating his sixtieth birthday. He agreed to have the function only because his wife insisted on organizing a celebration.
Manimarsan had only one daughter. If he had had a son, perhaps, the son might have taken the initiative to organize the event in a big way, since, as per tradition, a son is required to celebrate the sixtieth birthday of his father and seek the blessings of his parents.
Tradition has also prescribed that, after her marriage, the daughter is considered to belong to the family of her husband. So, she could only attend the event as a guest, along with her husband, but not organize it!
Therefore, Manimaran had to organize the event, by himself. Given his economic status, he was not in a position to celebrate the event in a big way, by spending a substantial sum.
If his economic status had been what it was ten years back, things would have been much different. He was a wealthy man at that time, running a successful business.
Manimaran had a humble beginning. He was living a mediocre life on the modest salary he was getting from his job.
At one point of time, he took a bold decision to quit his job and start his own business.
He started his business with a small capital, but his business turned out to be highly profitable. He gradually expanded his business and became a wealthy person in a few years.
He started his business with a small capital, but his business turned out to be highly profitable. He gradually expanded his business and became a wealthy person in a few years.
After attaining an enviable financial status, Manimaran did not like his poor relatives being close to him. He did not even encourage them to visit his house.
His wife Valli pleaded with him many times, "We should invite our relatives to our house. We should have them dine at our house now and then. This will help in keeping our relationship with them vibrant. They will also have goodwill towards us."
But Manimaran didn't pay heed to her advice.
He said, "We meet our relatives now and then, during occasions like marriages or other functions taking place in the families of our relatives. That is enough to keep the relationship alive! There is no need to invite them to our house for lunch or dinner. If someone visits us, welcome them, exchange pleasantries with them, give them a cup of coffee and send them away. If we try to be too hospitable, they will keep visiting us often and even stay here for a few days. I am not working hard and earning money to feed our relatives!"
The relatives understood Manimaran's attitude and learnt to keep away from him.
After some time, Manimaran faced a setback in his business. Due to change in market conditions, his business began to decline and his income started to dwindle. Things didn't improve despite his hectic efforts. Eventually, a stage was reached, when survival itself became a challenge.
Life went on somehow and he reached the age of sixty years.
And here he is, celebrating his his sixtieth birthday as per his wife's desire!
While sitting on the dais with his wife Valli and looking at a sparcely filled hall, Manimaran told Valli, "The gathering is very small. Many of the people invited by us didn't turn up. Maybe, I should have invited some more people!"
"When we were well off, you didn't have the mind to invite any of your relatives to come to our house and dine with us. Now, when your income has shrunk and is hardly sufficient for running our family, what is the point in regretting that we are unable to invite a large number of people for the function and treat them to a hearty feast? And how can we expect that our relatives would readily accept our invitation and enthusiastically participate in the function?" said Valli, with a deep feeling of regret.
While sitting on the dais with his wife Valli and looking at a sparcely filled hall, Manimaran told Valli, "The gathering is very small. Many of the people invited by us didn't turn up. Maybe, I should have invited some more people!"
"When we were well off, you didn't have the mind to invite any of your relatives to come to our house and dine with us. Now, when your income has shrunk and is hardly sufficient for running our family, what is the point in regretting that we are unable to invite a large number of people for the function and treat them to a hearty feast? And how can we expect that our relatives would readily accept our invitation and enthusiastically participate in the function?" said Valli, with a deep feeling of regret.
Thirukkural
Section 1
The Path of Virtue
The Path of Virtue
Chapter 9
Hospitality
Hospitality
Verse 88 (In Tamil)
parindhOmbip paRRaRREm enbAr virundhOmbi
vELvi thalaippadAdhAr.
vELvi thalaippadAdhAr.
Meaning:
Those who have guarded their wealth without spending it on the spiritual ritual of hospitality will later repent that they have lost the support they cherished.
(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'indha nAL anRu pOl illaiyE' by the same author)
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