1124. When the Soul Leaves the Body!

Looking at Aravindan lying on the hospital bed with a big bandage on his right leg, Mira felt like crying.

"How did the accident happen? You always ride the motorcycle cautiously?" she asked him.

"You have seen me drive cautiously when you were sitting on the pillion. How do you know how I will ride, when I ride alone?" asked Aravindan, laughing.

"How are you able to laugh, when you are experiencing so much pain?"

"Ah!"

"What happened? Has the pain intensified? Shall I call the nurse?" asked Mira, perturbed by Aravindan's cry of pain.

"No. When I was talking with you, I had forgotten about the pain for a while. By asking me how I was laughing even while feeling so much pain, you have reminded me of the pain. That's why I cried in pain. Don't call the nurse. It will create a problem" said Aravindan.

"What problem? Are you scared that she would give you an injection? Are you a baby?"

"Is this body scared of injections? Do you know how many injections this body has taken in the last couple of days?"

"What is the problem, then?"

"If there are two women in front of me, I will be in dilemma about whose beauty I should relish. I was referring to that problem!"

"You are bed-ridden, having been hurt in an accident. Otherwise, I would have delivered a strong blow on your scalp" said Mira, suppressing her laughter, provoked by Aravindan's friendly teasing. It was a relief to her that her lover, hurt in an accident, was joking and feeling good.

"By the way, you have not told me how you got hurt?" asked Mira.

I was riding my motorcycle fast. The motorcycle skid on the oil that had spilled on the road from an oil tanker, and fell down. A bone on my right leg got broken. The doctor has kept it in place and held it with a bandage. I don't know how long I should be lying on the bed, without moving my leg."

"Is the pain too much?" asked Mira, sympathetically.

"Not too much. Only as much as it would be, when my soul leaves my body!"

"How do you say it pains you as much as it would, when the soul leaves your body? Your soul has not left your body till now!" said Mira, teasing him in his own style.

"It has happened several times."

"Don't be silly!"

"I am only stating what I had experienced. When you leave me, after being with me for sometime, my soul will leave my body. Only when I see you again, my soul will reenter my body. This has happened several times!"

"Oh, I see!" said Mira, mockingly.

After conversing with Aravindan for some time, Mira took leave of him. Before leaving, she told him encouragingly, "You will be discharged soon. Don't worry."

When Mira was near the exit door of the room, she heard a sharp cry from Aravindan.

Mira turned back and asked him, "What happened? Is it paining?"

"Yes, it is the pain of my soul leaving my body. You are going away!" said Aravindan, laughing aloud.

Thirukkural

Section 3

Love

Chapter 113
In Praise of Love

Verse 1124 (in Tamil):
vAzhdhal uyirkku annaL Ayizhai sAdhal
adhaRku annaL nIngum idaththu.

Meaning:

The girl decked with splendid jewels is my very life when she is with me, and brings on death when she leaves me.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'uyir pOy uyir vandhadhu' by the same author.)

 Verse 1125 
Verse 1123

484. The 'Emperor' Rules!

For the past few years, a restaurant named 'Kunjammal Bhavan' was becoming popular in the city of Chennai.

Someone bought a restaurant that had been running at that place for many years and was on the verge of being closed down due to mounting losses, renovated it and began to run it after renaming it (perhaps after his mother!) 

The new restaurant became popular very soon and branches were getting opened in different parts of the city.

I was working in Delhi. The name 'Kunjammal Bhavan' was popular even among the Tamils living there, who had connections in Chennai

When I had been to Chennai on a visit, I went to 'Kunjammal Bhavan' with my friend

The name board fixed at the entrance of the restaurant had the words 'Cleanliness, Hygiene and Taste' written above the name of the restaurant in fonts larger than the ones used to write the name of the restaurant itself.

About twenty people were sitting in the waiting room outside the dining hall. They had been issued tokens and were being sent inside in the order of the token numbers.

After waiting for fifteen minutes, we were ushered into the dining hall.

The atmosphere inside the dining hall resembled that of a five star hotel.

Features like spotless carpets on the floor, portraits hung on the walls coated with a light colour paint and the decorative false ceiling under the high roof, all set up with taste, instantly attracted those entering the dining hall.

The dining tables were set with large spaces in between them. This gave the appearance of high class to the restaurant.

"It is because they have fewer tables due to their having been placed with a lot of space between them that people have to wait outside" remarked my friend.

"They give more importance to the ambience. That is why they have put fewer tables, even though such an arrangement has resulted in a lower capacity" I said.

In conformity with the words used on the board outside, the food was exquisitely tasty. Cleanliness and hygiene were also observed scrupulously.

With a view to enabling the diners to witness how cleanliness and hygiene were being observed in the kitchen, a transparent glass panel had been fixed on the upper part of the door leading to the kitchen.

"People can also go to the spot where the dishes are being cleaned" said my friend.

While coming out of the dining hall, after finishing our meal, I told my friend, "When I heard high praises for the restaurant from various sources, I thought that people were creating a hype about this place. But things are actually better than how they were described" I said.

"You are an expert at finding faults. If you are praising this restaurant, it is an honour to the restaurant" said my friend, half in jest and half in earnestness.

When we were coming out of the restaurant, my friend showed a cabin with a glass door and pointing to a person sitting inside the cabin, said "He is the proprietor. Though he has several restaurants in the city, most of the times he will be here, since this is the first restaurant started by him"

Acting on an impulse, I stood outside the door of the proprietor's cabin and tapped the door gently with my knuckles, seeking his permission to enter his cabin. After he signaled his consent, the two of us went into his cabin and sat in front of him.

"Everything - the ambience, the hygiene, the cleanliness, the taste of the food and the aesthetics - about your restaurant is good. I wanted to convey my appreciation to you in person" I said.

"Thank you, sir" he said, smiling.

"I am a journalist. Therefore, I am asking this question out of curiosity. You have bought this restaurant which was running on loss and been running it so well. How did you manage to do this?" 

Immediately after asking this question, I wondered whether I was being presumptuous in posing this question to a businessman, who is a stranger to me. But he answered me without any hesitation.

"I was working as the manager of this restaurant. When it was running at a loss, I made some suggestions to the proprietor for improving our performance. But he was not in a position to consider my ideas. After the situation became worse, he decided to sell the restaurant. Fortunately, he had no borrowings. So, he could have the entire sale proceeds for himself. When he expressed his intention to sell the restaurant, the prospective buyers offered very low prices. Since this area was not well developed, not many people evinced interest in buying this place. Every one asked for a price much below the market price. Initially, he was not inclined to accept a low price. But after a while, finding that he was not getting any good offer, he was reconciled to sell this place at a low price. At that time, I made an offer to him. I told him that I would buy the restaurant from him at the market price. But at that time, I didn't have much money. I also needed money to renovate and relaunch the restaurant. I told him that I would enter into a sale agreement with him to buy the restaurant at the market price, that I would pay part of the sale consideration immediately, pay the remaining amount within a year and then get the property registered in my name. I also offered to pay him interest every month on the amount due from me. Since he had faith in me, he accepted my proposal. I paid him a part of my savings as advance payment and took possession of the restaurant. Since I had been working in restaurants for twenty years, I know some very good cooks. I employed one of them as the head cook and retaining other employees already working here, I restarted the restaurant, after giving it a new look. I have learnt many things about this trade during my long service in this line. I also had some ideas of my own. Using my knowledge gained from my experience and some of my own ideas, I have been able to run the restaurant successfully, with God's grace" said the proprietor.

"You said that you had worked in restaurants for twenty years. Where did you start?" I asked, driven by the natural curiosity of a journalist.

"I worked as a tea boy in a small teashop, carrying tea to various people and serving them at their places. I had brought tea to you also. Don't you remember me?" he asked me, with a giggle.

Surprised by his question, I asked him, "When? Where?"

When I looked at his face keenly, his face looked familiar. But I was unable to recall where I had met him.

"You were staying in a lodge in Adyar. I was working in the teashop, situated opposite to your lodge. If someone from your lodge needed tea, he would call out my name loudly!"

The smile on his face had become broader. It appeared that he was relishing the memories of the past.

I remembered him then.

"Are you Maharaja?" I yelled impulsively, but immediately realizing the mistake of calling him by his name without any title, I said "I am sorry." 

How many times, I would have yelled, "Hey, Maharaja! Bring me a cup of tea!" standing on the corridor of my lodge!

I recalled our enjoying the joke of summoning a Maharaja (meaning Emperor) and commanding him to bring us tea. One of us had even remarked right over his face "his parents could have chosen a different name for him!" 

Once, provoked by our comments, he said, "You will see that some day, I will start my own restaurant." 

We all laughed treating his statement as a joke.

Now, the 'emperor' was looking at me and laughing.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 49
Knowing One's Strength

Verse 484 (in Tamil):

JnAlam karudhinum kaikUdum kAlam
karudhi idaththAl seyin.

Meaning:

Even if you aspire for the world, you can get it, if you act, choosing the right time and the right place.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'mahArAjan ulagai ALalAm' the same author.)

Verse 485
Verse 483

114. Raghavan's Legacy

"What is the use of my having worked for so many years? I have not been able to create any asset for my children" Raghavan told his wife Sarala.

Sarala didn't say anything. She thought 'You are now saying what I had been saying all along!' But, at that moment, she didn't want to say anything that could hurt her husband.

It was two years since Raghavan had retired from his job. It was only when, after his retirement, he looked at people of his age that he realized that in spite of working for thirty years, he had not saved much.

After working for thirty years, in five different firms, at various places in the county, Raghavan was left with only a small house and the lumpsum amount he received as the retirement benefit. A major part of that sum was spent for performing the marriage of his daughter. He deposited the remaining amount in a bank and the interest on this amount was his only income.

That income was adequate for Raghavan and his wife. Since they were living with their son's family, they didn't have separate expenses for food and other essentials. Yet...

Many of his friends had more than one house. They also had timeshare in holiday resorts, which enabled them to spend a few days in a resort at different places once a year. They also had other assets like investments in shares, mutual funds etc.

Some of his friends had contributed substantial amounts to their sons and daughters to buy houses. When Raghavan's son Satish bought a house by taking a loan from the bank, Raghavan could not contribute even a token sum for his son's purchase. Raghavan had no idea whether Satish would have felt that unlike many other friends of him, he was not getting any help from his father for buying a house. Perhaps, his wife or her parents might have felt so.

Raghavan felt bad that when many people had saved substantial sums of money for their children, he, with his wife, was living with his son, as non-paying guests, thereby being a burden on him.

When he expressed his feelings to Sarala, she lamented, "What is the use of regretting now? I have been pleading with you that when you were earning, you should be saving some money. If you had allowed me to handle the money, I would have saved at least a small amount."

'Where did all my earnings go? I was not profligate. I have had no habits like drinking and gambling. Apart from spending money for the needs of my family, I have not spent any money for myself. My only lapse was that I spent the money without proper planning. I have not even taken insurance for a substantial amount. What will my son and daughter in law say about me, after my death? Will Satish lament that I have not left him any money? Will the modest sum of insurance my wife will receive after my death and the savings I have be adequate for my wife to live with dignity?' reflected Raghavan.

The moment when it would be known whether Raghavan's concerns would come true arrived. Raghavan died in his sleep. The doctor diagnosed that he had suffered a heart attack in his sleep.

A large number of people came to pay homage to Raghavan. Sarala was surprised that so many people had known Raghavan.

"We have to publish an obituary for daddy in a newspaper. Is it enough if I publish the obituary in the Chennai edition of the paper or shall I publish it in the Tamilnadu edition?" Satish asked his mother.

"Your father had worked in many places throughout the country. So, get the obituary published in the the all-India edition of the paper" said Sarala.

For the next few days, the telephone in their house was constantly ringing. A number of people called from various places, conveying their condolences.

"It is shocking to know that Mr. Raghavan is no more. He was such a nice man. It is very rare to come across a person like him" said a caller.

"I was just a peon in the office. But he treated me with respect!"

"He was kind to all. He would never speak harshly to anyone."

"He was not inimical to even those in the office, who tried to sabotage him. Can there be another person like him?"

"He would help every one but won't ask for help from any one. Such a noble soul!"

Messages like these kept pouring. Sarala was amazed. She knew that Raghavan was a good and kind person. But she didn't know that he had earned such a good name from so many people.

Many people came in person to convey their condolences. They also expressed similar sentiments about Raghavan. Sarala understood that those words were not spoken in a formal and courteous way but that they came from the hearts of those who spoke those words.

"Many people spoke to me over phone, offering condolences for your father's demise" Sarala told Satish.

"Yes, mom. I also received a number of calls to my mobile phone. What a great person daddy had been! I should have done penance in my earlier birth, to have been born as his son."

His wife, standing near him, smiled by way of endorsing his view.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 12
Neutrality

Verse 114 (In Tamil)

thakkAr thagavilar enbadhu avaravar
echchaththal koLLappadum.

Meaning:

Whether a person is worthy or not will be decided by the legacy left behind by him.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'iRappukkup pin' by the same author)

Verse 115
Verse 113

483. Once Bitten

When Venkat heard his friend Raghu suggest the idea for the business venture, he was momentarily excited.

But, he immediately quelled his excitement, like putting out a fire by pouring water on it.

"This won't work out for me" said Venkat.

"Why?" asked Raghu.

"You know about my background" said Venkat, with a sigh.

It happened ten years back.

Venkat was employed in a good company. He was leading a happy life with his wife and his one-year old daughter.

He happened to meet Ramani, his classmate in the college.

Ramani's father Sekar was a well-known industrialist. There was hardly anyone who had not heard about his firm 'Sekar Industries.'

Ramani told Venkat that he was planning to start a manufacturing unit. 

"Why do you want to start a new business? You can look after your father's business" remarked Venkat.

"My father's business is very big. It is being managed by several senior executives. I won't have any freedom there. I will have to go by what the executives say. My father himself has left the task of running the business to the executives. He does only what they say. I told my father that I can't function in such an environment. When I expressed my desire to start a business of my own, my father accepted my decision and agreed to provide me the capital needed for starting the business. The business will be in my name and run by me under my control."

"Oh, it is good" said Venkat.

"But, I need a couple of good partners. Only then, the business can be run well. Already a friend of mine has agreed to be a partner. You may also join as a partner" said Ramani

"Leave me out of this. I have a fairly good job. I don't have money to invest. I can't even think of having my own business" said Venkat.

"Did I say that you should invest money? I want to run my business with the help of a few educated, intelligent and reliable people. Join me as a working partner. I will ensure that you will get an income that will be at least twice the salary you have been getting now. We will have an agreement about profit sharing. If you go through the project report, you will have an idea of how much profit we will get and what your share will be" said Ramani.

When Venkat studied the project report prepared for the proposed venture, it appeared to him that the venture would be profitable. He agreed to be a working partner in the business launched by Ramani.

"Is it wise to leave a good job and plunge into this venture?" asked Venkat's wife Gita.

"I have always wanted to be in business. But I didn't have the capital. Now, a good opportunity has come my way. I am not investing any money. There will be no risk in this" said Venkat.

But Venkat's hopes were belied very soon. Even from the beginning, the new business was facing problems..

In the beginning, Venkat was being paid a fixed sum every month on the stipulation that it would be adjusted from his share of profit. But after six months, the payments stopped.

When Venkat asked Ramani about this, Ramani told him that he had no money with him, that he had asked his father for money and that the amount due to him would be paid soon.

But even after three more months, Venkat didn't receive any payment. There was no improvement in the overall situation of the firm either.

Venkat quit his position as the working partner.

Fortunately, there were no conditions in the agreement stipulating that he should serve as the working partner for a minimum period.

After that, it took several months for Venkat to get a job. The financial problems and the mental agony faced by him during that period made him resolve that he would never again think of venturing into a business.

"What you did at that time was an immature act. It was a misadventure. When we take up a task, the time and circumstances should be favourable. At that point of time, neither you nor your friend Ramani had any experience. It was not the right time for either of you to start a business venture. Secondly, for performing any task, we need some tools. We should have adequate capital not only for investing at the beginning but also for meeting unexpected emergencies. We should have knowledge and experience in the field of our business. We should also have support for finance and marketing. Because Ramani's father was a businessman, you had assumed that Ramani possessed these tools. But it appears that except for getting the capital needed at the beginning, Ramani didn't get any other support from his father. The business we are going to start is entirely on a different footing. There will be four partners including you and me. Each of the partners has experience in a specific area. You and I have knowledge and experience in the technical aspects. Of the other two partners, one is well versed in finance and the other in marketing. We also have a marketing tie-up with a big company. To cap all these inherent strengths we have, our project is being financed by a venture capital fund. The people who manage the fund are experts in evaluating any new business venture. They have made a thorough study of our project and approved it, before deciding to give us the finance. Thus, we are entering into this venture at the right time, with powerful tools, We will definitely succeed in this venture" said Raghu.

"I will think about it" said Venkat.

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 48
Knowing One's Strength

Verse 483 (in Tamil):

aruvinai enba uLavO karuviyAn
kAlam aRindhu seyin.

Meaning:

Will there be anything called an impossible task,

when the right resources and strategy are deployed at the right time?

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'sUdu kaNda pUnai' the same author.)

Verse 484
Verse 482

482. Karthikeyan's Manouvres

When Karthikeyan was trying to get a job after completing his Engineering degree, he came across an opportunity to start his own business.

Torrent Machines, a firm manufacturing certain kinds of machines, announced a scheme for helping young entrepreneurs to manufacture and supply some components and parts required by the firm.

Torrent Machines came forward to set up an industrial estate for housing thirty small factories, called ancillary units, which would manufacture and supply the components required by Torrent Machines.

A person setting up the ancillary unit needed to invest only rupees five lakh towards the machines that would be supplied by Torrent Machines. Additionally, he will have to pay a monthly rent for the factory shed. 

The ancillary unit would manufacture the parts and components as per the orders received from Torrent Machines. However, the ancillary unit was not allowed to manufacture and supply any component or part for any other customer.

The number and specifications of the components to be manufactured by the ancillary unit and the price to be charged were to be decided based on an annual contract, which could be renewed every year.

Karthikeyan was one among the thirty applicants selected by Torrent Machines.

Karthikeyan's father, who had held a senior position in a large firm, told Karthikeyan, "This is a great opportunity which would enable you to settle down running a profitable business even at a young age. Torrent Machines is a company that has been growing well. You can keep running your business profitably, focusing only on production, with no worries about marketing and finance."

After three years, Karthikeyan moved his factory to a rented place outside the industrial estate, with the approval of Torrent Machines. 

When the executives of Torrent Machines asked him the reason for his moving out of the company's industrial estate, Karthikeyan told them that one of his friends was offering him a factory shed with a large area at a low rent and that moving to a larger factory would help him expand his factory by installing more machines. 

Since Torrent Machines had other ancillary units functioning outside its industrial estate, some of whom had been asking for allotment of a shed in the industrial estate, Torrent Machines had no problem in accepting Karthikeyan's request, since it could allot the shed to another ancillary unit.

"Why are you moving out of Torrent Machines' industrial estate to a shed outside the industrial estate, paying a higher rent?" asked Karthikeyan's father.

"If I run my factory from the shed in Torrent Machines' industrial estate, I can manufacture components only for them. If I move out, I will not have this restriction. I have saved some money from the profit earned by me during the last three years. With that money, I intend to buy new machines and manufacture components for some other large firms. I have already spoken to a firm and the firm has agreed to give me orders, once I have the required machines installed" said Karthikeyan.

"Why are you taking this risk? There is someone offering you a readymade business on a platter. You are unable to appreciate the bonanza you have been offered!" said his father, expressing his dissatisfaction with Karthikeyan's plan.

Karthikeyan did not reply.

For the next couple of years, Karthikeyan was manufacturing and supplying components to Torrent Machines and also to a few other firms.

After a few years, Torrent Machines began to face problems. It was said that due to technological changes, the demand for the machines manufactured by Torrent Machines was declining, resulting in fall in the sales and profitability of the firm.

Payments for the components supplied by Karthikeyan to Torrent Machines were getting delayed.

While at the beginning, Torrent Machines was paying the invoices in one month, the time for payment was progressively going up to two months, three months etc. At one stage, the firm was unable to make payments for the invoices even after six months.

Several ancillary units of Torrent Machines were unable to function, due to the funds crunch caused by non-receipt of the payments due to them from Torrent Machines. Some units stopped their production, after realizing that they won't be able to get the payments from Torrent Machines. Some units closed down. In many units, salaries were not paid to the employees for the last few months.

Since Karthikeyan had been manufacturing and supplying components to some other firms also, he was able to manage, in spite of the losses on account of non-receipt of the payment from Torrent Machines. Since he had been continuously engaged in getting orders from new customers, he was able to run his unit without interruption.

"You had been wise in coming out of Torrent Machines' industrial estate and expanding your business. How did you do it? Did you anticipate this development?" asked Karthikeyan's father.

"No, daddy. But I thought that depending on only one firm for my business was risky. After all, if we look around, we can see that people who are at the top go down after some time. I thought of the possibility of such developments happening to companies too. That is why I decided not to depend on only one firm, however big it was. Even now, I am thinking about what changes may occur in future and how I can prepare myself for them" said Karthikeyan.

Karthikeyan proudly looked at his son.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 49
Knowing the Right Time

Verse 482 (in Tamil):

paruvaththOdu otta ozhugal thiruvinaith
thIrAmai Arkkum kayiRu.

Meaning:

Doing the right things at the right time is the rope

which binds the wealth, preventing it from slipping away.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kAy nagarththiya kArthikEyan' by the same author.)

Verse 483
Verse 481

481. The Time Will Come!

"How did you get this?" asked Satyamurthy, the President of 'We People Party (WPP).'

"I got it through a senior government official close to me" said Navaneetham, a senior leader of the party.

"This evidence is clinching. If we get this information officially through the Right to Information Act and fie a case against the Chief Minister, he is sure to be convicted."

"I thought that much. Shall I proceed?" asked Navaneetham, enthusiastically.

"Wait! We can collect the details. But to file a case against the Chief Minister, we need sanction from the Governor of the state. Do you think that he will give the sanction?" asked Satyamurthy.

Navaneetham's enthusiasm quickly evaporated like air leaving a deflated balloon.

"The NDP, the ruling party at the centre, doesn't have a majority in the Rajya Sabha*. It has to depend on the support of the ten members of the TSP, the Chief Minister's party, for getting the bills passed in the Rajya Sabha. So, the central government won't act against the Chief Minister. The state Governor, being a representative of the entre, won't act against the Chief Minister, either!" said Sathyamurthy.

"In that case, we can do another thing. We will hand over the evidence to a leading national newspaper and using our contacts, make them publish it."

"That can be done. Since we will be collecting the evidence officially, it will be authentic. A reputed newspaper may have no problem in publishing it, if we can prove to them that the evidence is authentic. The government will deny it, of course, but it won't act against the newspaper, since the information is authentic. So, the newspaper will feel safe to publish the information."

"So, we can take this route" said Navaneetham, his enthusiasm having been revived.

"The question is: What next?" said Satyamurthy, smiling.

"What are you trying to say, sir?"

"What will happen after the evidence is published in the newspaper? It will create a sensation. Every one will talk about it. We can launch an agitation, demanding a full-fledged enquiry into the issue. The people and the media may also support us. But the sensation will begin to fade and after five or six months, people will lose interest in this topic. Thereafter, it won't even find a mention. The election is two years away. If we try to revive this issue at the time of the election, people won't show much interest in it."

"Are you saying that we cannot do anything at all?"

"Let us wait for the right time" said Satyamurthy.

"What is this, sir? You, being a rationalist, are talking about the right time, the way astrologers talk about good time and bad time!"

"When I said 'right time,' I didn't mean it in the sense 'good time,' At present, the situation is favourable to our enemies. We should wait till the situation turns in our favour."

"When will it happen?" said Navaneetham, showing his frustration.

"Don't feel discouraged. The right time will come in about three months" said Satyamurthy, smiling.

"How are you so sure?"

Satyamurthy looked at his watch and said, "The time is four now. Can we not say that in three hours, it will be dark? What I said was similar to this! Collect the information officially and keep it ready."

Navaneetham looked at Satyamurthy, perplexed.

After three months, Satyamurthy told Navaneetham, "Based on the details you have collected officially, we will be giving a petition to the Governor, requesting his sanction, for prosecuting the Chief Minister for his corrupt deals. I have asked for an appointment to meet the Governor next week. You may also come with me!"

"Will the Governor give his sanction now?" asked Navaneetham.

"He will, definitely."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Right now, elections to the Rajya Sabha are being held in several states. As I have already worked out, the NDP is going to get fifteen additional seats in the Rajya Sabha. After that, they won't need the support of the members belonging to TSP, the Chief Minister's party. All along, using his leverage with NDP, gained from that party's dependence on the support of ten members of his party, the Chief Minister had exerted undue pressure on the central government and got certain things done for himself and his party. So the leaders of NDP have been angry with the Chief Minister and waiting for the right time to take revenge on him. Therefore, when they get a chance to create trouble to the Chief Minister, they won't miss it. So, the time is now favourable to us. It is for this time I said we should wait" said Satyamurthy, feeling excited.

*Rajya Sabha is the upper house of the Indian parliament.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 49
Knowing the Right Time

Verse 481 (in Tamil):

pagal vellum kUgaiyaik kAkkai igal vellum
vEndharkku vENdum pozhudhu.

Meaning:

During the day the crow conquers the owl. So the monarch who wishes to defeat the enemy must choose the proper time. 

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

Verse 482
Verse 480

113. Breaking News

"You wanted to speak to me in private. Tell me" asked Arun, the Chief Editor of 'Daily Register.'

"Sir, if you won't mistake me, can I ask you something?" said Ramanan, an enthusiastic reporter, who had joined the newspaper recently.

"Ask me anything" said Arun, encouragingly.

"Our newspaper is a non-partisan paper. But you have written an editorial exhorting the voters to defeat the ruling party, in the coming election. Does it not make our neutrality questionable?"

"It is a good question. Since you have joined our paper only recently, you need to be apprised of certain basic things. When we say, we are politically neutral, it just means that we do not support any political party. A news report may be favourable to one party and adverse to another party. But we will publish that news story, without bothering about what impact the publication of that news story will have on the image or prospects of either party. But, editorial policy is different. If a particular policy, program or action of a political party or a government is good, we will support it; otherwise, we will criticize it. In the same way, at the time of elections, we give our assessment of the performance of the party in power and give our opinion about whether the ruling party deserves to be reelected. Since the performance of the party in power has been extremely bad, we have expressed our opinion that it deserves to be voted out. It may appear that by expressing such a view, we are indirectly supporting the opposition party. But it is not true. At the time of the previous election, the party that is in opposition now was the ruling party. At that time, we wrote that that party had to be voted out. The voters also thought in that line, voted that party out and brought the present ruling party to power. If this party is defeated, only the other party will come to power. In a democratic system, there is no other course open to us. Sometimes, a new party may come to power. But even then, there is no assurance that that party would provide a good government. Therefore, when we know that a particular government has been performing poorly, saying that that government should be voted out is the only fair thing. It is our duty also. It is neutrality."

"I understand what you say, sir. But many of our readers think that we are against the TSP -Tamil Soil Party - which is in power and sympathetic towards the SDP -Social Development Party - which is in opposition."

"Such perceptions are bound to be there. If the SDP comes to power, its rule is also going to be bad. In future, when we criticize that government severely, people will understand us. Or, they may not! If, during the next election, we write that the SDP should be voted out, people may call us pro TSP! We shouldn't bother about such views. As long as we publish the news objectively and express our opinions honestly, we don't have to bother about anything else."

"Sir! Don't mistake me for harping on this point again. We have been writing that the ruling party may be involved in the recent murder of Raghu, a journalist."

"Yes. There are strong reasons for our nurturing that suspicion. Raghu was repeatedly threatened by people belonging to the ruling party. In spite of his asking for police protection, the government didn't give him police protection. Only on the basis of such factors, we have been writing that the needle of suspicion points to the ruling party. Not just our paper, many other newspapers have expressed similar views."

"But our newspaper has high credibility. If we raise such a suspicion, people may be inclined to believe that it may be true."

"What you say is true. But we are not writing anything scandalous. We have raised certain questions and sought answers for them. There have not been satisfactory answers to those questions either from the government or from the ruling party."

"This suspicion will affect the prospects of the ruling party in a big way, won't it?"

"Definitely. The opinion polls suggest that there is close contest between the TSP and the SDP. Because of this issue, the scales may tilt against the ruling party,"

"Suppose we come across evidence showing that the ruling party is not involved in this murder, but someone else is involved, will you publish it in our newspaper?" 

"Why? Do you have any such evidence?" asked Arun, smiling.

"I do have, sir!" said Ramanan.

"Shoot!" said Arun, getting curious.

"Sir, this is a big scoop. The police have arrested the person who murdered Raghu. He has confessed to the murder and stated that he was hired by an industrialist to commit the murder. But, a few high level police officials, antagonistic to the government, are keeping his confession a secret, since if it is made public, it will create a situation favourable to the ruling party in the election, which they didn't want to happen. They have been making a show of still interrogating the suspect. Voting is to take place in two days. They plan to release the confession, after the polling is over!" said Arun.

"My God! If this information is true and if it comes out in the open, it will have a dramatic impact on the outcome of the election. A perception will be created that the opposition party has orchestrated a false propaganda against the ruling party. It will make the voters sympathize with the ruling party and vote for it. But, tell me, how did you get this information and how reliable is it?"

"Sir, a few people in the police department know about this. The sub-inspector who arrested and questioned the suspect doesn't like his confession being hidden from the public. He gave me the information."

"That's not good enough, Ramanan. You know about our policy. We can publish a news story only if someone gives us an interview or we have some tangible evidence. We can't publish a news story quoting an anonymous police officer, as our source."

"I have evidence, sir."

"What evidence?"

"That sub-inspector took a risk and allowed me to interview the arrested person. He has, in the interview, confessed the truth to me. I have recorded the interview. However, the sub-inspector didn't allow me to take a photo of the arrested person."

"Play me the recording."

After quietly listening to the recorded interview, Arun said, "Very good! This is a big scoop, indeed. You have done a great job, Ramanan" and shook Arun's hands.

"Sir, are you going to publish this story?" asked Ramanan.

"Definitely. But, considering your safety, I am not going to reveal who conducted the interview. Let us publish the transcript of the interview, as it is, without trying to blame the police and without giving details about the confession the suspect had made to the police. Once the police confirms that this story is true, I will reveal to the world that you were the one who interviewed the murderer. At that time, you will become a big hero. Congratulations, in advance!" said Arun.

"But, if the interview is published, it will give an advantage to the ruling party!"

"Yes, it will. But, for that reason, we can't withhold the information we have received."

"Why don't we wait for two days, sir? We can release this after the election is over. In fact, we can publish it on our website, immediately after the polling is closed."

"No. That will not be fair. This government has to go. Our publishing the interview may cause that good result not happening. But if we desist from publishing this interview for the sake of a good result, it will mean that we are throwing to the wind values like integrity, objectivity and neutrality, we have been meticulously standing by all these years. I will never do that. I will publish the interview and write 'The suspicion about the ruling party's involvement in the murder of Raghu has been proved to be wrong, but other reasons why the ruling party should be voted out still remain valid. We reiterate our strong view that the ruling party deserves to be unseated in this election." After that, it is for the people to decide' said Arun.

Ramana looked at his Chief Editor with renewed respect.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 12
Neutrality

Verse 113 (In Tamil)

nanRE tharinum naduvigandhAm Akkaththai
anRE ozhiya vidal.

Meaning:

Even if deviating from neutrality will yield benefits, one should not deviate from neutrality.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'Breaking News' by the same author)

Verse 114
Verse 112

480. The Proprietor's Wife

"My husband is not home" said Syamala.

"Yes, I know. I came to see you, madam" said Ganesan, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

Wondering why the manager of her husband's firm, had come to see her, Syamala asked him to come inside the house.

"Tell me!" said Syamala, after Ganesan took his seat, noticing that he was still hesitating.

"Madam! The position of the firm is not how it was earlier. During the time of the previous proprietor - your father-in-law, we had virtually no competition. We were ruling like an emperor. But, during the past three years, a number of new firms have sprouted from nowhere and been competing with us. Because of hectic competition, our sales have decreased and we were also forced to reduce our selling price. As a result of this twin effect, our profit has fallen steeply during the last two years. This year, we may even incur a loss."

Ganesan paused and looked at Syamala's face.

"Yes. My husband has told me about the situation" said Syamala.

"There has been a practice of our firm making liberal donations for charitable activities even from the time of the previous proprietor. The present proprietor also contributes liberally to charities, following the footsteps of his father. Giving donations to good causes is definitely a good thing. But, at the present time, our income has decreased. We find it difficult even to pay the interest on the bank loan we have taken for business development. When the situation is like this, is it wise to spend money on charities? I have been repeatedly requesting the proprietor to cut down donations for charitable activities. But he keeps making donations to every one who seeks his help. You should impress upon him the need to cut down the donations to others" said Ganesan.

Syamala laughed.

Ganesan threw a puzzled look at Syamala.

"This morning he called up the credit card firm and asked for a loan of fifty thousand rupees. They sanctioned it instantly. The amount will be credited to his account tomorrow!"

"I didn't know that the boss had such financial problems. Is he borrowing money on credit card for household expenses?" asked Ganesan, in a perplexed tone, even as asked himself to what extent he could talk about the personal financial problems of his proprietor with the proprietor's wife.

"Not for household expenses. He has promised a friend of his that he would lend him the money needed for paying the college fees for the friend's son. Since he has no money with him, he is borrowing. When I asked him, 'Why do you have to borrow money and help someone?' he said, 'I have already promised my friend that I would help him. Now In can't say that I can't help him since I have no money with me.' When you asked me to impress on him the need to restrain himself from helping others, I couldn't resist my laughter" said Syamala. 

The grief buried in her mind was reflected by her voice getting choked, as she said this.

Ganesan felt bad about bringing the problem to her, without realizing the situation.

"Our son is studying in tenth standard, In two years, he has to be admitted into a college. I am worried that our financial position would have deteriorated to such an extent that we should have to seek the help of someone for paying his college fees" said Syamala, feeling frustrated.

"Such a situation will never arise, madam" said Ganesan. Though he said this to console her, he felt an apprehension inside him that such a situation could arise.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 48
Knowing One's Strength

Verse 480 (in Tamil):

uLavarai thUkkAdha oppuravANmai
vaLavarai vallaik kedum.

Meaning:

The wealth of a person who helps others without considering his own economic condition will perish.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kEttadhum koduppavarE' the same author.)

Verse 481
Verse 479

1123. See Yourself Inside My Eyes!

"You seem to have changed the ringtone of your mobile phone. I hear one old song 'kaNNukkuLLE unnaip pAru,' meaning, 'see you inside my eyes!" said Viji. 

"Yes. It is true, isn't it? Right now you are inside my eyes. Even if I close my eyes, I can see only your face" said Gopi.

"Is it so? Let me see!" said Viji and looked into his eyes.

"Are you able to see you inside my eye?"

"I seem to be there in a corner of your eye!" said Viji, jokingly.

"Ok. By the way, I have been inviting you to my house. When are you going to pay a visit?" asked Gopi.

"You are staying alone. Will it look good, if I visit your house?"

"It will look very good. My landlord, who is living downstairs, has a suspicion that I have a crush on his daughter. If I introduce you to him as my lover, he will feel relieved!"

"I will come this Sunday" said Viji.

When Viji visited Gopi's house on Sunday, Gopi introduced her to his landlord as his fiancee. He then took her into his room upstairs.

Gopi's dwelling place comprised a small living room and a kitchen.

On entering the house, Viji said, "What is this? The cot you have put in the living room occupies almost the entire room. There is no space even to step into it."

"What can I do? I am used to sleeping on a cot. I don't get sleep if I lie down on the floor. So, I have the cot. The room being small, the cot is occupying almost the entire room. Since I am the only person living here, it has not been a problem. You are the first person to visit my home. Don't worry. After our marriage, we are going to live in a spacious house" said Gopi.

Viji sat on the cot, conversed with him for some time and then left.

The next Saturday, Gopi told Viji, "Tomorrow also you should visit my house."

"I came to your house only last Sunday. Why do you want me to come again?" asked Viji, puzzled.

"There is a surprise for you!"

The surprise was waiting for Viji, the moment she stepped into Gopi's house, the next day.

There was no cot in the living room. The room appeared spacious now.

"Where is the cot?" asked Viji, surprised.

"I have disposed it off."

"Disposed it off? Why?"

"Did you not tell me that there was no space even to step into the house, with the cot occupying almost the entire room?"

"Yes, I did. But, you said you won't get sleep, if you lie down on the floor."

"I have been trying to sleep lying on the floor for the past four days. I think I will get used to it" said Gopi, smiling.

Viji looked at him with amazement. She held his face with her hand and looked into his eyes. "Now, I will say that I am occupying the whole of your eye."

"That day, you said that you were there only in a corner of my eye?" Gopi reminded her, teasingly.

"When I made a casual mention that there was no space for me to step into your living room, you threw the cot out of your house, to make room for me to step into your house. Since I said that I am only in a corner of your house, I had the apprehension that you may think that I don't have enough space in your eye due to the pupil of your eye occupying a major portion of your eye and throw the pupil of your eye out, for giving me more space. That is why I admitted that I am occupying the whole of your eye" said Viji.

Thirukkural

Section 3

Love

Chapter 113
In Praise of Love

Verse 1121 (in Tamil):
karumaNiyin pAvAy nI pOdhAyAm vIzhum
thirunudhaRku illai idam.

Meaning:

Pupil of my eye, go away! There isn’t room enough for the girl I love.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kaNNukkuLLE unnaip pAru' by the same author.)

Verse 1124
Verse 1122

479. Daddy's Friend

We were keeping in touch with Marudachalam uncle at least through correspondence, till the time my father was alive. At the time of my father's death, I received a letter from Marudachalam uncle conveying his condolences. He had expressed his shock and grief at the passing away of his longtime friend. 

After that, we had no contact with him.

More than ten years had passed since my father's demise. But my mother kept talking about Marudachalam uncle.

"He was many levels above us in economic status. But he was very close to your father. Your father would often compare his friendship with Marudachalam uncle to the friendship between the mythological characters, the extremely poor Kuchela and the princely Krishna. After you had got a job in Hyderabad, all of us had to leave our village and settle down at Hyderabad. After our settling down at Hyderabad, your father had been to our village once, to attend the marriage of Marudachalam uncle's daughter. After that, your father had no occasion to visit our village. But your father would keep talking about Marudachalam uncle. Your father had been writing to him every week. In the beginning, Marudachalam uncle was replying to your father's letters. But after sometime, the frequency of his letters came down. Your father was very unhappy about it. I told him that after your father had left that place, the intimacy Marudachalam uncle had with your father might have faded. But your father didn't accept my explanation. He would say, 'Maybe, he doesn't have the time.'"

"Well, father is no more. Why should we talk about Marudachalam uncle?" I remarked once, irritated by my mother's repeatedly talking about him.

But, my mother kept talking about Marudachalam uncle.

Once, I had to go to Kumbakonam in connection with my official work. 

"Our village is near Kumbakonam. Why don't you visit our village and meet Marudachalam uncle?" suggested my mother.

Though I didn't like the idea of visiting my village for meeting Marudachalam uncle, I went there, in deference to my mother's wish.

The village had undergone a lot of changes. However, Marudachalam uncle's house looked the same as was before. When we were living in that place, Marudachalam uncle' house was the biggest in the village. But now, with many houses having been demolished and reconstructed in a modern style, Marudachalam uncle's house presented a lacklustre appearance.

Marudachalam uncle welcomed me warmly and spoke to me with kindness and affection. When he got up saying that he would make coffee for me, I asked him, "Uncle! Why are you making the coffee?"

"Who else is there? My wife had passed away even when my daughter Thangam was a girl of five. Now Thangam has got married and gone to her husband's place. So, I am taking care of my needs" said Marudachalam uncle.

I remembered the time when the house was filled with servants. But I didn't ask him about it.

Ignoring my protests, Marudachalam went to the kitchen, made coffee and brought me.

"Don't you have a cook, uncle" I asked him, receiving the coffee cup from him.

"If I employ a cook, shouldn't I pay him a salary?" said Marudachalam uncle, with a wry smile.

"What are you saying, uncle?" I asked, feeing shocked.

"What can I say? There was a time when I had a lot of properties. Being a wealthy man, I was on a spending spree. My wife Meenakshi would often say, 'Exercise some restraint in spending money. A situation may arise when we will be left with nothing.' At that time, I didn't pay heed to her words. After her demise, there was no one to question me. Your father would often tell me, 'Control your spending. You need money for your daughter's marriage.' But I didn't take his exhortation seriously. It was only after I had fixed my daughter's marriage and started mobilizing funds for my daughter's marriage that I realized that my financial position was not that rosy. I had to sell my lands to arrange for the money needed to perform my daughter's marriage. Even prior to that, I had sold some of my lands for other expenses. I had been living a  luxurious life, without calculating how much was my income and how much were my expenses. Even after selling my lands, I had to borrow money for my daughter's marriage. I couldn't believe that my financial position had gone that bad. I didn't tell your father who came here to attend my daughter's marriage about the state of my finances. It was because of my frustration about the state of my finances that I reduced the frequency of my replies to your father's letters."

I didn't know what to say. To me, that big house appeared similar to a flavour left in a container, after the exotic ingredient in it had been completely exhausted.

"It is good that you came today. If you came next week, I wouldn't be in this house" said Marudachalam uncle.

"Why, uncle?" 

"I still have some debts to clear. Why do I need a big house like this? So, I have sold this house. After paying my debts from the sale proceeds of my house, I plan to deposit the remaining amount in a bank and use the interest income for my expenses. I have taken on rent a small house. I will move into that house next week."

I felt my throat getting choked, with emotions. 

It is a good thing that my daddy is not alive to witness his friend's finances coming to such a state.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 48
Knowing One's Strength

Verse 479 (in Tamil):

aLavaRindhu vAzhAdhAn vAzhkkai uLa pOla
illAgith thOnRAk kedum.

Meaning:

A life lived beyond one’s means, will look glitzy,

but will lose its sheen and give way to gloom.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'thandhaiyin naNbar' the same author.)

Verse 480
Verse 478

112. A Man of Justice

"The lizard will make predictions for every one, but it will fall into a pot of stale gruel" 

Murugaiyan had heard his mother Dhanabhagyam quoting this adage quite often.

Murugaiyan's father Sundaralingam was a person of average means in his village.  He had a small extent of cultivable land. He was leading his life from the limited income he was getting from the land,

But in the village, Sundaralingam was respected as a man of justice People from his village as well as those from nearby villages would approach him for resolving disputes relating to various matters like family issues, borrowings, property disputes, disputes about drawing the border between the lands, sharing of water from the village canal etc.

Sundaralingam would patiently listen to the arguments from both the sides, ask questions to get more details and clarity and give his verdict, explaining the principles of justice based on which he was pronouncing the judgement. Most of the people would accept his verdict. They had such great faith in his objectivity and sense of fairness. The instances of people not accepting his judgement and approaching the courts were rare.

Dhanabhagyam's grievance was that her husband, who had been helping other people get justice, allowed his elder brother to cheat him and grab his property.

Sundaralingam was the second son of his parents. When he was ten years old, a distant relative of him, who had no sons wanted to adopt Sundaralingam as his son for the purpose of performing the last rites of the relative on his death. Sundaralingam's father agreed to the request, since the relative was on the verge of death, due to old age and sickness.

It was understood by all concerned that the adoption was only a token act. Sundaralingam continued to live with his parents, even after he was adopted by the relative. Once Sundaralingam performed the last rites of the relative after his death, that relationship came to an end.

The relative had a small piece of land and a small house in the village. These two properties devolved on Sundaralingam, after the relative's death. This was the only benefit of Sundaralingam becoming the adopted son of the relative.

Sundaralingam's elder brother got a government job, a couple of years after he had completed his school final examination. He had his posting in Thanjavur. So, he took up residence in Thanjavur. He got married soon after getting the job.

Sundaralingam stayed in the village with his father and looked after the land along with his father. He also got married. 

After a few years, Sundaralingam's parents passed away, one after the other..

Sundaralingam resolved a few disputes between some people living in his village.This earned him a reputation as a man who could resolve disputes fairly and amicably. He became popular in the surrounding villages also. People from many places approached him for getting their disputes resolved.

Sundaralingam didn't accept any fee for his services. He suggested that that both the parties donate a sum to one of the temples in the village. Accordingly, people who availed of his services began to make donations to the temples in the villages. The temples received substantial amounts as donations. The funds were utilized for renovating the temples, conducting festivals, special rituals of worship etc.

Gunasekaran who had taken permanent residence at Thanjavur, on the advice of someone, sent a legal notice to his brother claiming that since Sundaralingam was adopted by a relative, he had no claim on their father's properties.

Some people of the village, well versed in legal matters told Sundaralingam, "This claim may not be legally sustainable. Even if Gunasekaran were to go to the court, it will take several years for the judgement to be delivered. If the judgement were to be against you, at that stage, you can decide how to overcome the situation."

But Sundaralingam didn't listen to them. He said, "When my brother thinks this way, I don't want this property."

Sundaralingam sent a reply to his brother accepting his stand. He subsequently made a declaration, in a sworn affidavit, that he had no claims on his father's properties.

Gunasekaran came to the village, got all the properties transferred in his name, gave the lands on lease to a person in the village and went back.

Sundaralingam was left with only the small parcel of land and the tiny house he had inherited from the relative who had adopted him. He vacated the large house of his father and moved to the tiny, dilapidated house inherited by him.

The income Sundaralingam was getting from his lands was barely sufficient to run his family. With great difficulty, he performed the marriage of his daughter, by resorting to borrowings. The future of his son Murugaiyan studying in the high school remained a question mark.

"Your father earns a lot of money for the Gods in the village temples. But those Gods have been keeping your father poor" Dhnabhagyam lamented, talking to her son.

"My elder brother has been afflicted by T.B. He has been admitted in the T.B. Hospital at Chengippatti. I have to go to the hospital and see him" said Sundaralingam.

"Of course, you should, for all the good he has done to you!" said Dhanabhagyam, sarcastically.

Since some people from nearby villages had already sent word to Sundaralingam that they would be meeting him during the next two days for getting their disputes resolved, Sundaralingam could not leave his village immediately. He had planned to go to the hospital after two days.

But, unexpectedly, Gunasekaran's son Shanmugam came to the village the next day, to meet Sundaralingam.

Sundaralingam's first thought on seeing his brother's son was that something had happened to his brother.

But Shanmugam told him that his father was still in the hospital, getting treatment.

"I came to see you on a different matter" Shanmugam began reluctantly. "It was my father who had sent me here. Only when my father was lying in the hospital, facing the prospect of death, did he realize the wrong he had done to you. He has been talking about the injustice done to you and crying. He has sent me here with the power of attorney, for legally transferring your properties back to you. I have got the deed ready. I will go to the Registrar's office tomorrow and register the deed transferring your properties back to you. My father will die peacefully, only if you forgive him."

"Don't say things like that. I never thought bad of my brother" said Sundaralingam.

'God has saved us and our children from sinking into the quagmire of poverty" thought Dhanabagyam.

* There is a superstitious belief that the lizard through its cries gives predictions.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 12
Neutrality

Verse 112 (In Tamil)

seppam udaiyavan Akkam sidhaivinRi
echchaththiRku EmAppu udaiththu.

Meaning:

The wealth of a person who acts impartially will remain intact and get passed on to his heirs.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'sundharalingaththin soththu' by the same author)

Verse 113
Verse 112