429. A Decision Taken in Haste?

"We have been running our dyeing factories in this region for the past fifty years. Now, some people say that the effluents from our dyeing factories pollute the river and they ask us to close our factories! There are more than one hundred units in this region. More than five thousand people are employed in these units. If the dyeing units were to be closed, these five thousand families would be on the street. We will fight this move. No one need to be apprehensive."

After listening to the speech of the President of the Dyeing Units Association, there was a big applause from every one.

"But all of us have received notices from the Pollution Control Board" pointed out Rajangam, the Proprietor of one of the dyeing units.

"We should not feel threatened by these kinds of notices. In a neighbouring village, farmers have been protesting for more than ten years, seeking the closure of a chemical unit, whose effluents, they allege, have polluted the ground water. The government has not acted against that chemical factory!" said the President.

After a few days, Rajangam called a few senior employees of his unit for a meeting.

"We have been facing stronger and stronger opposition from environmental groups day by day. It appears to me that we cannot carry on this activity for long..."

Rajangam was interrupted by an employee, who said, "Sir, but your association has assured you that it won't allow anything to happen to the dyeing units. No dyeing unit is going to close down!"

"But I am going to!" said Rajangam.

"What do you mean, sir?" asked another employee, shocked.

"Sir! You are a businessman. After closing this factory, you can take up some other business to sustain yourself. What will we, the poor employees, do?" asked another employee. It appeared that he was on the verge of breaking down.

"You are right. I am going to start another business. And, I am going to employ all of you in my new business."

"Can you be more specific, sir?"

"I will outline my plan. After executing the orders on hand, I am going to shut down the dyeing unit. I will sell the machines, demolish the factory building, construct a new building and start a textile showroom. Fortunately, I own the land. It is situated on the main road. If we procure clothes from various places at low prices and sell them, keeping the profit margin low, I think the business will run profitably. Thirty people are working here. I am not sending out even one person. I will offer jobs to all of you at the same salary you are getting now. After the factory is shut down, it will take a few months for the showroom to be set up. But all of you will get your salaries without any break. However, if some people want to go for other jobs, it will be their wish" said Rajangam.

"Can you accommodate all of us in the showroom? Moreover, the showroom job will be different from the one we have been doing all along."

"Yes. The job will be different. You should be prepared for it. Now, you are working in the factory, with your clothes getting soiled by the dyes and chemicals. But the textile showroom job will be a white collar job. It may be physically less straining too. Ten people will be employed in the showroom. Five people working in the office now will continue to work in the new office. We need five people, who can travel to various places to scout for good quality clothes at a low price and procure them. Five people will work as salesmen, selling our clothes to various shops in small places."

"That makes a total of twenty five people. Five people will still be left out!"

"No one will be left out. I have plans for the remaining five also!" said Rajangam, smiling.

He didn't want to tell them that he expected that five or six people who won't accept the new arrangement, would leave him and go for other jobs.

"Sir! If you don't mind, I will give a suggestion. Why don't we wait for some more time. As anticipated by the Association President, the government may permit the dyeing units to continue to function" said a senior employee.

"The present trend is to give more weightage to environmental issues, even at the cost of development. The government may prolong taking a decision on this for some more time. But it won't allow us to continue our business indefinitely. When there is a risk of floods, we should get ready to move to a safer place before the flood comes and washes everything away. Once the flood hits us, we will have neither the time nor a place to move" said Rajangam.

The owners of the other dyeing units thought that Rajangam had taken a hasty decision, acting prematurely.

Within a few months of Rajangam shutting down his dyeing unit and starting a textile showroom, all the dyeing units were permanently closed, because of the government order.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 43
Wisdom

Verse 429 (in Tamil):

edhiradhAk kAkkum aRivinArkku illiai
adhira varuvathOr nOy.

Meaning:

Those who have the wisdom to anticipate what is to come and safeguard themselves will not be stumped by a terrifying calamity.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'avasarappattu eduththa mudivu' by the same author.)

Verse 430
Verse 428