1116. The Confused Stars

"The joy of sitting on the terrace and chatting has no parallel."

"It's true. But there is the moon today. If it were dark, with the moon not being present, it would be still better."

"Why do you say so? Is it not natural for lovers to love the moonlight?"

"Moonlight is cool and pleasant, no doubt. But sometimes, it can be a hindrance. For example, if I want to touch you, I should be wary of someone from the terrace of a nearby house witnessing it. If it is dark, I can touch you without that fear."

"What a man you are! When you are sitting on the terrace, you should admire the beauty of the sky, the moon, the stars, the space etc. But you are always thinking of..."

"Ok, my dear. Let us study the stars. After all, we have come to the terrace to learn Astronomy, haven't we!"

"I will not be put down by your sarcasm. Even from my childhood days, I have been interested in watching the sky."

"Me too! When I was a boy, I would be looking at the sky, even when I was walking on the road. My friends would tease me, saying 'Hey! Look at the ground, while walking. Otherwise, you may fall into a pit!'"

"You are the one teasing me now. If you keep talking like this, I will leave this place and go down!"

"Sorry, dear. Don't get upset. Hereafter, I will be serious."

"Do you see a group of stars there?"

"Yes. There are seven stars. They call it 'Sapta Rishi Mandala (a gathering of seven sages)', in Indian tradition."

"Oh, you have knowledge about these things!"

"Did I not tell you that even when I was a boy, I would always be looking at the sky?'

"Back to frivolity! Listen to me. Do you see a tail-like structure in that group of stars?"

"Yes, I do."

"If we see the stars after some time, the tail would have turned in a different direction."

"Oh! "

"Yes. I have seen this amazing sight several times."

"But, I have not seen it. Maybe, it won't happen, when I look at the stars!"

"How can it be? You would not have observed it. Maybe, you don't look at the stars long enough."

"No. However long I look at the stars, it won't happen. It will happen only when you look at them."

"How can it be so?"

"Look at the stars. The tail is now on the other side of the moon, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"That means, the stars are facing the moon. The stars are going towards the moon. That is how it appears, doesn't it? Why?"

"It is a naturally occurring phenomenon."

"There is a reason for everything, darling. The stars are attracted by the moon. So, they move towards the moon."

"Good imagination. Go ahead."

"Now, what will happen, if the stars look at another moon?"

"There is only one moon on the sky."

"Yes. There is only one moon on the sky. But, the stars see another moon on the earth. That moon is the beautiful face of you, my lover. The stars are now confused about which moon is the real one. They turn their faces towards the moon on the earth. So, the tail moves to the other side. This can happen, only when you are looking at the sky. How will it happen, when I am looking at the sky?"

"Don't you think that this is a bit too much?"

"Too much! See there! One star is falling towards you after looking at your face and mistaking it to be the moon."

He showed a star that was falling from the sky. She picked up a stalk of a plant that was lying nearby and hit him with it, playfully.

Thirukkural
Section 3

Love

Chapter 112
In Praise of Her Charms

Verse 1114 (in Tamil):
madhiyum madandhai muganum aRiyA
padhiyin kalangiya mIn.

Meaning:

The stars on the sky stray from their course, baffled by their inability to distinguish between the moon and her face.  

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'viNmIngaLin kuzhappam' by the same author.)

 Verse 1117 (Soon)
Verse 1115

457. An Interview with An Entrepreneur

"At the outset, we express our gratitude for your agreeing to give an interview to our television channel. You started your business in a small way and built it up into a business empire over the years. You have completed fifty years of launching your business, which you have been running successfully, making it grow in leaps and bounds. What do you think of this achievement of yours?"

"First of all, I don't consider this an achievement at all. When I started this business as a young person, I had a mission to provide products and services beneficial to people, market my products and services using honest means and earn a fair income from my business. I was steadfast in my objective and ran my business sticking to the norms of high quality, fair price and doing the business without considering my competitors as enemies. I believe that this approach brought me success, in a natural way."

"Apart from being a successful businessman, you have also been a member of the Responsible People's Party (RPP), holding a senior position in the party hierarchy. What was the reason for your joining the RPP?"

"RPP is not like other political parties. Mr. Ramraj, the founder of the party chose this name for the party, to emphasize that the party should function in a responsible way. In a way, it is significant that the founder of this party has the name Ramraj. Many political parties use the term 'Ram raj,' meaning the 'reign of Rama,' the legendary hero of the epic Ramayana, as an empty slogan. In contrast to other political parties who mechanically use this term as a catchy slogan, without even having a proper understanding of what 'Ram raj' is, Mr. Ramraj has created a blueprint of how the government should function in the 'Ram raj,' and what the responsibilities of the people should be in such a framework.' I was convinced that this approach would lead to good governance, development of the country and improvement in the standard of living of the people. As a citizen of this country, I felt that I should extend my support to this idea and contribute my mite to the success of the political party that espoused this idea."

"But, even ten years after RPP was launched, the party has not grown much. The party has not been able to win more than three or four seats in elections. 

"I think Mr. Ramraj had anticipated that electoral successes won't come easily for a party with such lofty ideals, a party that wouldn't make tall promises to the people but would tell the people that they have some responsibilities too! If someone wanted to join RPP, Mr. Ramraj would tell them, 'If you have expectations of becoming a member of parliament, a legislator etc, don't join this party. Join this party only if you have the resolve to uphold certain good values and fight for them.' Only if they want to join the party, even after realizing the truth of his statement, he will admit them into the party. 

"Why did Mr. Ramraj start this party, even after knowing that the chances of his party succeeding in its mission were not bright?"

"When I posed this question to Mr. Ramraj, this was the answer he gave me: 'When Rajaji was asked, 'Nehru is a leader who enjoys a high level of popularity with people. Can you fight him politically and win? Rajaji replied, 'I know that fighting Nehru politically and winning is difficult. But when I believe that Nehru's policies and programs are harmful to the interests of this country, I have a duty to oppose them. If I don't, history will record, 'So much of wrong was going on. But no one opposed the wrongdoings' and blame us for failing in our responsibility.' I feel the same way. All of us have the responsibility to point out the mistakes and wrongdoings of the government and several political parties and show the right path to the people. Even if what we say is not being accepted by people at the beginning, we need to keep making our efforts.' This was the response of Mr. Ramraj."

"This is a commendable attitude, indeed. Do you believe that the efforts made by your party have made at least some impact on the people?"

"Definitely. Today, other political parties are talking about things that we talked about twenty years back. Though we are a democracy, values like personal freedom, right to free speech and freedom of the media have been facing threats now and then, on account of the tendency of people in power to suppress voices critical of them. We are the only political party that has been raising the voice against such kind of oppressive measures. Though we are considered a small party, our bold, steadfast and uncompromising stand against oppression has given the stimulus and courage to many people to fight against injustice and autocracy. We have disproved the myth that a political party can do good to people only by being in power. Fighting for people's welfare and their rights and instilling the courage and the energy in people to fight against injustice is also a kind of service to the people, isn't it?' 

"One final question. Which has given you more satisfaction - your achievements in the field of business and industry or your political activities?"

"As I had said earlier, if one is good at heart, if one has good intentions, that attitude will bring him success in life. Therefore, I don't consider my business success a great achievement. I consider my choosing to join a good political party like RPP and working as a member of the party for the development of our country and for the welfare of our people something to be proud of."

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 46
Shunning the Company of Mean People

Verse 457 (in Tamil):

mana nalam mannuyirkku Akkam ina nalam
ellAp pugazhum tharum.

Meaning:

Having a good heart will bring riches to a person. Having a good company will bring him glory.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'thozhil adhiparudan oru pEtti' by the same author.)

Verse 458 (Soon)
Verse 456

456. "The Squirrels"

"Ours is a big firm. We have five branches in Chennai alone. More than a thousand people are working in the five branches put together. The employees have formed various groups, for pursuing activities outside the office hours. There are groups for music, drama, literature, poetry, spirituality etc. People interested in a particular activity become the members of the group and pursue their interests. They will meet during the weekends and participate in the activities of the group. You can join the group formed for the activity that interests you" said Murali.

Raghu, who had joined the firm only recently, asked Murali, "In which group have you joined?"

"Well, I am not a member in any of the popular groups. A few of my friends and I have been engaged in doing a service. But not many people will be interested in what we do" said Murali, sounding enigmatic.

"Tell me about what you do" asked Raghu.

"We have a meeting at the residence of a member of our group this Saturday evening at 6 p.m. Come there and observe the proceedings. You will have a first hand idea of what we do. If what we do appeals to your interest, you can join our group" said Muralidharan. "It appears to me that you will join us!" he added, smiling.

Raghu went to the meeting. Including Raghu, eight people had assembled there.

Observing the proceedings during the next couple of hours, Raghu learnt that the group called 'The Squirrels' had the objective of using the free time of the members, to help people at the lower strata of society. The services rendered by the members of the group varied from getting medicines and other essential things needed by old and sick people with no one to help, to giving proper guidance and help to the poor and the uneducated people, for getting various services and welfare benefits from the government departments and other agencies.

Raghu learnt that the group was open to render any kind of help to the downtrodden people that was permissible under the law, if it was within their means or capability. Every weekend, the members would assemble at the residence of one of the members, share the requests for help received from various people, discuss the modalities of taking up the requests and allocate the tasks among the members.

After the meeting was over and the members disbursed, Muralidharan asked Raghu, "What do you think?"

"I would also like to be a 'squirrel' and contribute my mite" said Raghu.

Raghu retired from the firm, after thirty years of service.

Speaking at the function organized to give a farewell to him, Raghu said, "During the thirty years of my service in this firm, I got several opportunities to perform various tasks and received several promotions, rewards, recognitions etc. I also had the fortune of gaining the friendship of many good people working in this firm. I am grateful to the management of the firm and the employees I worked with, for these blessings."

'However, I consider the opportunity I got to become a part of the movement called 'Squirrels' the most valuable. There is no retirement for me from this organization. I don't have to part from the people I work with. And I don't have to ever lose the satisfaction of my serving in that organization' he told himself.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 46
Shunning the Company of Mean People

Verse 456 (in Tamil):

manam thUyArkku echcham nanRAgum inam thUyArkku
illai nanRu AgA vinai.

Meaning:

Those who have purity of mind will leave a good legacy behind. Those who have the company of people with good heart, nothing they do will fail to be a good deed.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'aNilgaL' by the same author.)

Verse 457
Verse 455