100. Unripe Bananas

Those who knew about Nagammai would avoid talking to her. If someone were to engage in an argument with Nagammai, that person won't be able to withstand the flood of harsh words, coming from her mouth, and hitting the other person.

Unable to live with Nagammai, listening to and putting up with the sharp expressions coming from her, her mother-in-law left their home and went to live with her other son.

Even Nagammai's two sisters would limit their conversations with her.

Nagammai's younger sister Sivakami once told her other sister, "Our parents have rightly named her after the cobra*. The words flowing out of her mouth are as venomous as the poison emitted by a cobra!"

Fortunately, Sivakami's words had not reached Nagammai's ears. If they had, Nagammai would have proved her sister Sivakami right, yet another time!

Nagammai's husband Shanmugam was living with her, patiently tolerating her diatribes, bitter expressions and sarcastic remarks,

Sumathy, Nagammai's twelve year old daughter, was one person, who would stand up to her mother, and even pull her up, for the harsh language used by her.

Sumathy would often reprimand her mother, saying "Why do you always talk to people, as if you are engaged in a fight with them?"

"What do you know? You are just a child. And you have the temerity to advise me!" Nagammai would hit back.

When Sumathy returned home from the school, she found that her mother was delivering a harangue to her father.

"You have been buying fruits and vegetables for so many years. But, you are still unable to pick the ripe fruit. I wonder what kind of upbringing you have had from your parents!" said Nagammai.

"What is the problem, mom?" asked Sumathy.

"Look at the bananas your father has bought. I asked him to get banana fruit to eat but he has bought unripe banana, which can only be used to make curry!" said Nagammai, showing the bananas to Sumathy.

"Then, make curry out of them" said Sumathy.

"Don't talk smart. It is half-ripe. Hence it qualifies to be neither a vegetable nor a fruit."

"Then, wait for a couple of days for the bananas to ripe, and then eat the fruit" said Sumathy, not giving up.

"Did I ask your father to buy bananas, which could be eaten only after two three days?" countered Nagammai.

Shanmugam tried to explain saying, "Nagammai! Last time, when I bought ripe bananas, you said that they decayed soon and told me to buy only half-ripe bananas, so that they can be kept for a day or two and eaten. That is the reason I bought semi-ripe bananas."

"These are not even semi-ripe. They are hard to bite and they they have a bitter taste. The bitterness lingers in the mouth for long" said Nagammai.

"Mom, you say that if the banana is not ripe, it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. The same way, the harsh words used by you also make people feel better. Why can't you realize this?" asked Sumathy, recalling a verse from Thirukkural, she had learnt in the school.

*Nagam means cobra in Tamil.

Thirukkural
Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 10
Speaking Pleasantly

Verse 100 (In Tamil)

iniya uLavAga innAdha kURal
kaniyirppak kAy kavarndhaRRu.

Meaning:

Using harsh words, when sweet words are available, is like plucking an unripe fruit, when ripe ones are available.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'thuvarppu vAzhai' by the same author)

Verse 101
Verse 99