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