519. Kannan, the Acolyte

"I have come here two years back. Do you remember?" asked the Factory Inspector.

"Sorry. I don't remember" said Paramasivam, the Managing Director of the firm.

"You wouldn't have noticed me at that time. There was a Factory Manager. He was the one who had furnished me the records and helped me inspect the factory. Everything was perfect at that time" said the Inspector. 

"It couldn't have been otherwise!"

The Inspector looked at Pramasivam's face, unable to comprehend what he was saying.

"You will expect that every thing should be perfect, won't you?" said Paramasivam. 

"Oh, you mean that. Let alone being perfect, in many factories, even basic regulations are not being followed properly. Only in a few places, rules and regulations are being followed to a reasonable extent. Even in those places, record keeping won't be satisfactory. I have seen perfection only in very few factories. Yours was one among them" said the Inspector.

"Thank you."

"Didn't you notice that I used the past tense? What I said was about how things had been, when I came here last time. After me, a couple of inspectors have visited your factory. They have also pointed out several lapses in the observance of government regulations in your factory. Now, the lapses are much more. Record keeping is particularly poor."

Paramasivam remained silent.

"During my last visit, the Factory Manager had ensured that all regulations were meticulously complied with. He had also maintained the records well, I don' remember his name, though" continued the Inspector.

"Kannan."

"Yes. Kannan. Now I remember. He was a nice gentleman. Is he not working here now?"

"No. He has left" said Paramasivam. 'After he had left, every thing left me' he told himself.

Kannan, who had an education only up to the high school level, joined Paramasivam's firm as an Office Assistant. By his sheer dedication, hard work, sincerity and proactive functioning, Kannan had earned Paramasivam's trust within a couple of months. 

After a few years, Paramasivam made Kannan the Factory Manager, entrusted the responsibility of running the factory entirely to him and focused his attention on expanding his factory. 

After deciding on the expansion plan, Paramasivam recruited Velayutham, an Engineering graduate and entrusted with him the responsibility of executing the expansion project. He also designated him the General Manager of his firm.  

Though Velayutham was specifically appointed for implementing the expansion project, he tried to dominate Kannan, making use of his position as the General Manager of the firm. 

However, Kannan didn't make any attempt to take up this issue with Paramasivam.

Once, Velayutham complained to Paramasivam about Kannan, alleging that Kannan was getting kickbacks on the purchase of raw materials for the factory and that he was swindling a considerable sum of money every month, by overstating the expenses.

Paramasivam didn't ask Kannan about these allegations. However, he made discrete enquiries with some of the raw material suppliers and satisfied himself that the allegations were not true. 

One of the suppliers told Kannan about Paramasivam's enquiries and remarked, "You are a man of integrity and you have been serving your firm with sincerity and dedication. But your proprietor suspects your integrity!"

After a few months, Kannan tendered his resignation from the firm. Paramasivam tried to pacify him and dissuade him. But since Kannan was firm in his decision to quit, after his integrity has been doubted, Paramasivam accepted his resignation and relieved him.

'Velayutham and Kannan have not been getting on well with each other. The expansion project is important for the firm's future. Therefore, Velayutham need to continue. In a way, Kannan's quitting the firm is a blessing in disguise, since the constant friction between Velayutham and Kannan will be a hindrance to the implementation of the expansion project" thought Paramasivam, though he felt sorry about losing Kannan.

Unexpectedly, the expansion project had to be abandoned in the middle, due to changes in the market conditions. The entire expenditure incurred on the expansion project had to be written off as a loss incurred by the firm. This created a severe strain on the firm's finances and shattered the morale of Paramasivam.

After the expansion project had been abandoned, Velayudham quit his job and joined another firm.

The huge loss suffered by Paramasivam's firm on the expansion project had a toll on the firm's existing business too. 

Paramasivam realized how his losing an able administrator and a good person like Kannan had such a devastating effect on his business. 

Paramasivam's attempts to bring Kannan back didn't fructify.

"Since things were perfect in your firm during my previous visit, I don't want to take any severe action on the lapses I find now. You will receive a notice from my office listing out the lapses. Please get them rectified. I or someone else from my office will come for inspection again after two months. If the lapses still persisted at that time, there would be no alternative to taking legal action against you" said the Inspector.

'Well. When you come here the next time, this factory may not even be in existence!' thought Paramasivam.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 52
Assessing Before Acting

Verse 519 (in Tamil):

vinaikkaN vinaiyudaiyAn kENmai vERAga
ninappAnai nINgum thiru.

Meaning:

Prosperity will desert the person who suspects the motives of

the expert performing an action, in the process of executing the task assigned to him.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kaNNan en sEvagan' by the same author.)

Verse 520 (Soon)
Verse 518

518. An Advice To A Friend

After completing my college education in Chennai, I took up a job in the Government of India and settled down in Delhi.

I was in touch with my college friends for a few years through correspondence. Whenever I visited Chennai, I would meet some of my friends.

In course of time, the frequency of correspondence among us dwindled gradually and at some point, the correspondence stopped completely.

Since my visits to Chennai had been infrequent, my contact with several of my friends ceased to exist.

Those days, telephone connection was a luxury only a few could afford. Maintaining contacts through correspondence was a challenge to many people, especially to the lazy ones like me!

Sasikumar was one such person with whom I had lost contact.

It was only after my settling down in Chennai, after my retirement, that I established contact with Sasikumar again.

At first, we spoke over phone, after I got Sasikumar's phone number from another friend of mine. He told me that after working in a company for more than twenty years, he started his own business by setting up a manufacturing unit and was running it successfully. He invited me to his factory.

When I went to Sasikumar's factory, he welcomed me and took me to his cabin.

We talked about the life we had after we had left the college.

Even as we were chatting, some of Sasikumar's employees came to him now and then and asked for his advice or approval on various matters.

I asked Sasikumar to tell me about his business.

After briefly telling me about what his business was about, he told me, "Having worked in a big company, I learnt a lot, particularly about allocation of responsibilities to various people, based on their skills and ability. I have recruited people with skills and experience and allocated responsibilities to each, according to his aptitude, skills and experience. Every one has been functioning efficiently."

"Excellent" I said.

At that time, an executive came to his cabin and asked for some clarification and went away.

"He is our Purchase Manager. Before finalizing a purchase, he is taking my approval" said Sasikumar, proudly.

"I saw some other employees also coming to you and seeking your approval for doing certain things" I said.

"They are all managers looking after various departments."

"Will your managers do every thing only after getting your approval?"

"Yes, of course. Not only approvals. At every stage, they will seek my approval and then proceed."

"Well. My entire service has been only in a government department. I had no choice in selecting the people who worked under me. I had to work with those posted by the government. Some employees were only mediocre. But, I found that they functioned fairly well, when I assigned specific responsibilities to them gave them the freedom to function" I said.

"What are you trying to say?" asked Sasikumar.

"You have recruited people suitable for various roles in your firm. But you have not given them the freedom to function. You have created a system in which your managers have to seek your approval for every step they need to take. If you entrust your managers with specific responsibilities and give them the power and the freedom to do the things they have to do for carrying out that responsibility, they will function much more effectively. Your burden will also get reduced. I suggest you try this out with a couple of small tasks. You will then be able to judge which system is more effective."

Sasikumar silence appeared to indicate that he was contemplating my suggestion.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 52
Assessing Before Acting

Verse 518 (in Tamil):

vinaikku urimai nAdiya pinRai avanai
adhaRku uriyavanAgach cheyal.

Meaning:

After figuring out who is worthy of doing a task, equip and empower him to get the task done.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'naNbanukku oru yOsanai' by the same author.)

Verse 519
Verse 517

517. Goodwill Ambassador

"Your Majesty! We have received a message from King Gangavarma" said the Minister.

"What has he written?"

"He says that our troops have been trespassing into his country now and then. He apprehends that we have been planning to invade his country. He has warned us not to take his country lightly thinking that it is a small country. He says that a powerful country is ready to come to the help of his country, in the event of our launching an attack on his country."

"Surprising! Have we not been friendly with him? But, is it true that at times, our troops trespassed into his country?"

"Occasionally, some of our soldiers patrolling our border might have inadvertently crossed the border and stepped into his territory. But there had been no deliberate trespassing by our troops."

"Of late, Gangavarma has been getting closer to the King of Salva. I think that the King of Salva has been planting wrong ideas about us in the minds of Gangavarma and attempting to portray as potential aggressors, who would end up annexing Gangavarma's country. His intention is to provoke a war between our two countries, so that he could intervene in the guise of helping Gangavarma and capture some of our territories in the process. What do you think we should do to dispel the apprehensions of Gangavarma?" asked the King.  

"We can send a Goodwill Ambassador to Gangavarma and convey our good intentions to him. If he is still not convinced of our good intentions, we should be prepared for a war" said the Minister.

"It is a good idea. Whom should we send as the ambassador?"

"We can send our Army General. He is a person who will be able to communicate our position clearly and firmly. Through him, we could communicate our goodwill as well as our warning to Gangavarma."

The King thought for a while and said, "What if we send our Court Poet?"

"Your Majesty! Our Court Poet may not be well versed in politics and in matters relating to the issues between our two countries. I am not sure whether he will be able to convey our position clearly to Gangavarma" said the Minister, reluctantly countering the King's suggestion.

"You may brief him about what message he should convey. Since Gangavarma has already been nurturing suspicions about our intentions, sending our Army General as our messenger may send wrong signals to him. On the other hand, sending our Court Poet will be seen as a sign of our goodwill.

"Gangavarma is inclined towards appreciation of arts and literature. Our poet will be able to converse with Gangavarma on topics of his interest and establish a good rapport with him. It will help our poet in communicating our message to Gangavarma in a friendly way. Our poet will also be able to interact with the poets and scholars in Gangavarma's court. This can create an atmosphere for friendship between our two countries.

"Our Court Poet has a nature of using sweet words while talking to people. And he has a sense of humour. I think these qualities will bring success to his mission. What do you think?"

The Minister nodded his head, conveying his agreement with the King's suggestion.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 52
Assessing Before Acting

Verse 517 (in Tamil):

idhanai ivanAl mudikkum enRu Ayndhu
adhanai avan kaN vidal.

Meaning:

Assess and choose the person capable of doing a particular task and leave that task to him.

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

Verse 518
Verse 516

516. A Call from the Party President

When Selvendran, the President of the political party TPP, was approaching the venue of the public meeting of his party, riding by a car, the speech of one of his party functionaries who was addressing the meeting reached his ears through the loudspeakers.

"Park the car on the side for a while" Selvendran told the driver. Accordingly, the car was parked.

Sitting in the car, Selvendran listened to the speech broadcast through the loudspeaker for a few minutes and then asked the driver to proceed.

"Who is the speaker" Selvendran asked Palani, the District Secretary of the party, riding with him in the car. 

"Sir, he is Poomani. He is young and educated. He has been an active functionary in the party. You had the car stopped just to listen to his speech!" asked Palani, expressing his surprise. 

"Yes. I found his speech interesting. Once I reach the venue, he will stop his speech, since everyone's focus will be shifted to welcoming me! That's why I had the car stopped and listened to his speech for a few minutes."

After the meeting was over, Palani introduced Poomani to Selvendran.

"You spoke well, young man" said Selvendran, tersely. 

After a few months, when Selvendran, sitting at the party headquarters, was going through the list of candidates recommended for contesting the elections to the state Assembly, he found the name Poomani, among the names recommended by Palani, for contesting from his district. 

"Who is this Poomani" Selvendran asked Palani, who was present there. 

"Sir! You may recall hearing his speech when you visited our place a few months back and appreciating him. Since you had advised us to give opportunities to new faces, I included his name" said Palani.

Selvendran reflected for a while and then told Palani, "Not now. We will consider giving an opportunity to him some other time" and struck off is name from the list.

Palani wondered why the party president, who had commended Poomani's speech earlier, didn't want to give him an opportunity to contest the Assembly election.

After returning to his town, Palani told Poomani, "I had recommended your name to be nominated as a candidate for the assembly election, but our leader didn't give his approval."

Poomani felt disappointed. 

Selvendran's party did not win the elections. However, it won a large number of seats and emerged as a strong opposition party.

After a few months, a message was received by Palani from the head office of the party that the party president wanted to meet Poomani.

When Palani conveyed this news to Poomani, Poomani asked, "Why does the leader want to see me?" perplexed.

"Our leader was impressed by your speech. I think he wants to nominate you as one of the official orators of the party. It will be a good opportunity. You will be traveling to various places across the state and addressing public meetings. Perhaps, the leader didn't give you a seat for contesting the Assembly election, intending to make use of your talent this way. Our leader always thinks differently. We can't decipher his mind. But when it comes to spotting the talent in someone and making the best use of it, there is no match to him" said Palani.

"Welcome, Poomani! I listened to your speech several months back. You spoke very well. But you spoke about the economy and the security of the country. These topics wouldn't strike a chord with ordinary people. Palani had recommended your name for contesting the assembly election. Campaigning among the electorate and winning an election is an arduous task. I thought such a task won't suit you. That's why I didn't give you a seat to contest the Assembly election. But now, election to the Rajya Sabha* has been announced. Based on the strength of our party in the Assembly, we can win two of the five seats, for which elections are going to be held. Many senior leaders are competing for these two seats. But I am going to nominate you for one of the two seats. Your speeches on national level topics should echo in the Rajya Sabha and bring glory to our party" said Selvendran.  

*Rajya Sabha - Upper house of Indian Parliament

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 52
Assessing Before Acting

Verse 516 (in Tamil):

seyvAnai nAdi vinai nAdik kAlaththOdu
eydha uNarndhu seyal.

Meaning:

Assess the person, choose the right task for him, identify the right time to do the task and then execute the task.  

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

Verse 517
Verse 515

515. Sivanandam's Decision

Industrialist Sivanandam would always introduce Balu to every one, as the person who had been functioning as his right hand, from the time he had started his firm.

After Balu had completed his Bachelor's degree, he got a job in Sivanandam's firm. Since Sivananandm's firm was small when Balu joined it, he considered the job to be a temporary one, till the time he would get a better job. 

However, the concern and affection with which Sivanandam treated Balu made him continue to work in that firm. Eventually, Balu stopped looking for other jobs and firmly attached himself to Sivanandam's firm.

As the firm began to grow, several people better educated than Balu, including technical experts, computer professionals, finance and marketing professionals etc. joined the firm. But, Sivanandam created a structure under which all such people came under Balu, in the management hierarchy of the firm.

Sivanandam would often tell Balu, "I am planning to expend the firm in a big way. When my idea materializes, you will get even more importance in the firm."

"Balu! The time has come for implementing the expansion project I have been envisaging since long" Sivanandm told Balu.

"I am very happy, sir!" said Balu.

"This is not exactly an expansion project. This is a new project. So, I am planning to start a new firm for implementing this project" said Sivanandam. After looking at Balu's face for a minute, Sivanandam added, "I am going to make Ramanan the the CEO of the new firm."

Balu didn't say anything. But his face reflected his sense of shock and the feeling of disappointment.

"When I was planning this project earlier, my idea was to make you the CEO of the new firm. But I now find that the implementation of this project will be somewhat complicated. It needs getting approvals from different agencies at every stage of the project. Additionally, right from constructing the buildings for the factory, through procuring the machinery, till installing the machines and commissioning them, we need to engage different contractors. We need to work closely with the contractors, monitor and correct them and even fight with them if needed, to ensure that the work is done as per our requirement and that it is completed as per the schedule. This will be a challenging task.

"I know that you are a competent person. But managing the implementation of this project demands a degree of toughness on the part of the CEO. It requires a certain kind of background and experience. From that perspective, Ramanan will be the most suited person to don the role of the CEO.

"But, your importance will not diminish even a little. Rather, it will go up, as I have promised you. I am going to make you the Executive Secretary to the Chairman. Therefore, Ramanan, the CEO, could approach me only through you, to get approvals and clearances from me. You will be the next in command to me both in the existing firm and in the new firm. Do you understand?" 

Balu understood that Sivanandam had made this arrangement only to ensure that he shouldn't feel disappointed at having not been made the CEO of the new firm.

Though Balu felt disappointed at having not got the responsibility he had been expecting to be given as hinted by Sivanandam earlier, he understood the reasoning behind Sivanandam's decision and his offer of another high level position to him to assuage his disappointment.

Balu nodded his head quietly, conveying his acceptance of Sivanandam's decision.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 52
Assessing Before Acting

Verse 515 (in Tamil):

aRindhu ARRich cheygiRpArkku allAl vinaithAn
siRandhan enRu EvaRpARRu anRu.

Meaning:

Assign the task to one who understands the task and has the capacity to plan and execute the task, and not to the most prominent, or likeable person.

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

Verse 516
Verse 514

514. The First Three Executives

The orientation program for the newly recruited executives of the company began with a welcome address by Kannan, the General Manager of the company.

After welcoming the new recruits, Kannan briefly outlined what would be covered in the orientation program and then said, "I now request Mr. Margabhandhu, the Chairman of our company to inaugurate the orientation program."

The elderly gentleman, who was sitting inconspicuously in the front row got up, went before the mike and began to speak.

"Sir! You may please sit down and speak" said Kannan.

"No. I prefer to speak standing. For old men like me, this will be an exercise. Moreover, only if I speak standing, I will feel my legs aching and finish my speech soon!"

Margabandhu's response evoked a mild laughter in the audience. 

"When I started this company twenty years back, I first recruited three executives. I am proud of the fact that today, this company has grown to such an extent that we have been recruiting twenty executives every year. 

"I have always believed in doing every action, following a systematic approach and observing due diligence. I followed this approach in recruiting executives for my company also. 

"When my friends came to know of my intention to recruit executives for my newly established company, they recommended people known to them. They said that those people would be trustworthy. Was it enough that the candidates were trustworthy? Should they not have qualities like intelligence, capacity to take decisions and execute them, acting with alacrity, being proactive etc.? 

"So, I decided to assess the candidates for possession of such attributes and select the best among those satisfying the requirements, gave advertisements in the newspapers, carefully scrutinized the applications, shortlisted suitable candidates, interviewed them, conducted a detailed background check on the selected candidates and recruited three executives. 

"I thus followed an arduous process of selection for recruitment of the first set of executives for my company. That process has been constantly updated, tweaked and improved over the years, keeping the basic criteria for selection intact. So, you people, recruited now, can feel proud that you have the requisite attributes." 

The trainees were pleased by the Chairman's observation. Some of them began to clap, but seeing that others had not joined them, quickly stopped clapping, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"Why are you reluctant to clap? Give yourselves a big hand. It is important that we acknowledge and celebrate our own achievements." 

On hearing Margabandhu's exhortation, the trainees clapped enthusiastically.

"If what I had said appeared like a story to you, then you should also expect a twist in the tale!" said Margabandhu and paused.

The trainees who were excited and enthused a few seconds before, now became quiet, anxious to learn what the twist in the tale was.

"All the three executives excelled in knowledge, work skills and personality traits. But in course of time, there were some changes in them. One of them was caught in a fraud. He was arrested on my complaint and went to jail after being convicted by a court. 

"Another person's interest in work began to dwindle after a while and he was functioning in a mediocre way. After a few years, he left the job, complaining that he didn't get the promotion he was entitled to. I am not sure whether he would have been able to do well in his new job. 

"I saw such changes in the executives recruited by me in the subsequent years also. Initially, this development was frustrating to me. I was angry with myself over what I perceived as my failure in choosing the right people. 

"It took me several years to understand that this was a natural phenomenon. However thoroughly we may scrutinize people, assess their capabilities, analyze their qualities and select people through a carefully designed system, people are bound to act in different ways, because of the inherent differences in the the nature of people, their thinking, mental make-up and the choices they make at different points in their life. 

"In a way, this realization was a blow to my ego. These experiences made me realize that the belief that we can control every thing is misplaced. 

"During the recent years, I have not been playing any role in the recruitment of people for the company. But, I know that you have been recruited through a refined process of assessment. I have no doubt that all of you are very good in several ways.   

"However, sustaining your position in the company and rising up to great heights will be entirely determined by your actions. If you understand this and function accordingly, you will be able to come up well, not only in this company but also in your life."

 After Margabandhu completed his speech, there was a big applause.

After the applause had subsided, one of the trainee executives reluctantly got up from his seat and asked Margabandhu, "Sir, May I ask you a question."

"Go ahead" said Margabandhu.

"You spoke about two of the three executives recruited by you at the beginning. But you didn't say anything about the third person."

"Oh, I forgot. Or, I can even say that I deliberately omitted to talk about the third executive!" said Margabandhu, with a giggle.

"He came up by virtue of his excellent functioning. He has now become the General Manager of this company."

Margabandhu looked with pride at Kannan, the General Manager, who was sitting next to him and gently patted him on his shoulder, conveying his appreciation, satisfaction and happiness.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 52
Assessing Before Acting

Verse 514 (in Tamil):

enai vagaiyAn thERiyak kaNNUm vinai vagaiyAn
vERAgum mAndhar palar.

Meaning:

There are people in this world, who, even after having been chosen through a proper assessment, will go astray due to their actions.

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

Verse 515
Verse 512

122. Conceited?

"What is the point of being a renowned scientist, if he doesn't know how to respect other people? Conceited and arrogant!" Sambandham, burst out angrily.

"Whom are you talking about?" asked his friend Guna.

"It's only about our great friend, the genius called Dr. Sekar!"

"What about him?"

"Our college wants to felicitate Sekar. Our Principal called me and said, 'Sekar was your classmate. Please talk to him and get his consent for participating in the Felicitation function being organized by our college.' I felt excited, called up Sekar, told him about our proposal and asked for his consent to participate in the function. But he acted strange!"

"How? Did he say no?" asked Guna, surprised.

"Yes. And he spoke to me insultingly, as if I had offended him by making this request. He is a renowned scientist, known all over India. But, what are we, after all? We are mediocre people with little education, holding on to some job in a college and eking out our living. It is natural for him to look down upon us" said Sambandham, expressing his disappointment.

"First of all, we are not in a state of mediocracy. You and I are well educated and well employed as professors in a well known college. Secondly, Sekar is not a person who would have an attitude of looking down upon people" said Guna.

"It has been several years since you had met Sekar. Do you expect him to be the same person that was always sticking to you in the college, like a child to its mother? He has changed. Have you ever wondered why he didn't contact us even once all these years?"

"We have not been touch with our classmates who were close to us in the college. Since you and I are working in the same college, we remain close. It is true that Sekar and I were intimate in the college. But, I have also not tried to contact him afterwards. Since he is a reputed person, we keep hearing about him. Otherwise, we wouldn't have known his whereabouts. So, we can't fault him alone for having not been in touch. Did you speak to him over phone?"

"Yes. As you know, he lives in Hyderabad."

"You spoke to him over phone after several years. You can't judge him based on your telephonic conversation with him. I am going to Hyderabad next week. At that time, I will meet him in person and talk to him about this" said Guna.

"Let us see whether he accepts the invitation, if it comes through you!" said Sambandham, sounding skeptical.

When Guna called up Sekar while he was in Hyderabad, Sekar spoke to him enthusiastically. He invited Guna to his house for dinner.

When Guna went to Sekar's house, both the friends were delighted at meeting each other after a long time. They conversed heartily for a long time. 'How did Sambandham consider him conceited!' wondered Guna.

"Sambandham invited you to our college to participate in a function to felicitate you, but you declined his invitation. Why?" asked Guna.

Sekar's face expression changed immediately. "Let us not talk about it" he said.

"Why? Do you have any grievance against Sambandam?'

"No way. It has been several years since we saw each other. How could I have any grievance against him?"

"But he got an impression that you spoke to him in a disrespectful manner."

"Yes. I might have spoken to him somewhat harshly."

"Why did you speak to him like that?"

"Guna! I hope you will understand me. I have to be very cautious."

"Cautious about what?"

"Well. I don't know whether I can explain this to you clearly. If I had politely declined his invitation, what would have happened? He would have tried to persuade me in a stronger way, thinking 'He says no initially, just as people normally do, but if I persuade him, he will accept.' After that, it would have been difficult for me to say no to him. Thinking that if I strongly decline his request even at the outset, he won't press me further, I declined his request in strong terms. That is the way I speak to people who approach me for felicitation, or who praise me for my achievements. This is the only way I will be able to block these kinds of felicitations and praises."

"Why are you so keen on preventing people from praising you? If someone praises you, you may listen to that praise politely and thank that person!"

"You don't understand my thinking. People who have money deposit hem in the bank. They keep their jewelry in the bank lockers. Why?"

"They do it for safety. They want to protect their money or jewelry from being stolen. "

"In the same way, I want to safeguard the asset I have."

"What is that asset? Your intellect? How will your intellect be endangered by your listening to the praises showered on you by other people?"

"I don't know whether I have the asset you call intellect. I was referring to my sense of humility, which I consider the most precious asset I possess. It is only my cultivated belief, 'what I know is very little' that facilitates my continued learning. If I listen to these kinds of praises or felicitations, I will unconsciously develop a belief that I am a great person, I am somewhat special or superior to others in some way. Such a belief will destroy my humility. After that, I won't be able to learn anything, nor will I be able to use my thinking faculty effectively. That is why I am very cautious about safeguarding my precious asset called humility. Please make Sambandham understand this and ask him to forgive me."

Guna was surprised at the irony of the very humility of Sekar that he was keen on preserving, having been perceived as conceit by Sambandham!

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 13
Restraint

Verse 122 (In Tamil)

kAkka poruLA adakkaththi Akkam
adhanin Ungu illai uyirkku.

Meaning:

The attribute called 'humility' should be safeguarded as a precious treasure. Nothing can be more beneficial for the growth of a person.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'thimir pidiththavan' by the same author)

Verse 123 (Soon)
Verse 121

513. Choosing the Treasurer

"Minister! Our Treasurer wants to retire on account of old age. We need to appoint a new person in his place. Whom do you recommend?" asked King Keerthiverma.

"Your Majesty! It had been a practice to appoint a wealthy person to this post. But I feel that we should appoint a person on considerations of of his merit, rather than on considerations of his wealth. If you accept my suggestion, we may appoint a suitable person based on certain criteria" said the Minister.

"What could be those criteria?"

"Your Majesty! A person holding the position of the country's Treasurer should be a man of wisdom. The Treasurer has the responsibility to impose and collect taxes from the people. He has the discretion to give tax exemptions to some people on compassionate grounds. Therefore he should have the sense of discrimination to decide whom he should be strict with and whom he should treat with compassion. Moreover, since the Treasurer will be handling a large quantity of funds, he should be a person free from greed."

"How do we identify such a person?"

"I have assessed the people working in the palace on the basis of these attributes and shortlisted three people who have passed my assessment. Your Majesty may choose one among them as the Treasurer."

"Let the two of make the selection together. Ask the three of them to come to my court tomorrow."

After the King and the Minister had interviewed the three shortlisted candidates one by one, the King told the Minister, "I find that all the three candidates hail from poor families!"

"Yes, Your Majesty! As I had mentioned to you earlier, it had been a practice to appoint a wealthy person as the Treasurer, perhaps on the premise that a wealthy person won't be tempted to misappropriate money from the Treasury. But I suggested to you that it would be more appropriate to appoint the Treasurer on considerations of his merit rather than on considerations of his wealth" said the Minister in a subdued tone, apprehending that the King had not found his idea acceptable.

"Yes. I have accepted your idea. I mentioned this fact only to point out that unlike in the past, this time, the Treasurer will be a man hailing from a poor family. I think that the third candidate would be the best choice. What do you think?"

"Your Majesty! I feel proud and elated you have chosen the same person that I have considered the best among the three!" said the Minister, feeling excited.

"We will appoint that person as the Treasurer, then. Some wealthy people who have been expecting to get this coveted post will feel disappointed. But that can't be helped" said the King, laughing heartily.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 52
Assessing Before Acting

Verse 513 (in Tamil):

anbu aRivu thERRam avAvinmai innAngum
nangu udaiyAn kattE theLivu.

Meaning:

Choose men, who are endowed with love, wisdom, clear vision and freedom from greed.

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

Verse 514
Verse 512

512. Election Manifesto

"Which party are you going to vote for - Tamil People's Party (TPP) or All World Tamils Party (AWTP)?"

"It is only for deciding this that I have been studying and comparing the election manifestoes of both the parties."

"Will studying the election manifestoes suffice? Should we also not consider the policies of the parties, the qualities of the leaders of the parties and the good and bad things done by the parties when they were in power?"

"Of course, we should. But, let us look at the election manifestoes primarily. After all, the election manifesto will be the action plan of a party, if it were to be voted to power."

"It is true. But many of the promises made by both the parties in their manifestoes are similar, if not identical. Are we to see which party has given the higher number of promises or promises with higher monetary values?"

"Well. In the past, people had voted by looking at the promises in that perspective and got disappointed by the kind of government they got. That's why, now a rule has been enunciated requiring political parties to give a detailed plan of action for implementing the promises they make in their manifestoes." 

"Yes. I saw that the manifestos contained a lot of details and workings. But I don't have the patience to go through these details."

"If we can patiently go through the details, we can learn a lot both about the seriousness and about the feasibility of the promises made."

"Okay. Tell me what you have learned by studying the manifestoes."

"One of the two parties has made several attractive promises. But its manifesto has not clearly stated how the finances needed for implementing those promises would be mobilized. The manifesto gives only some vague ideas and is short on specific facts and figures. On the other hand, the other party has presented a blueprint about how it will generate additional income for the government by making better use of the resources of the state, outlining the details of steps to be taken and giving figures for the additional income that could be generated from each of the steps proposed. The manifesto goes on to explain the financial outlay required for implementing each of its promises and how this can be met from the additional income generated by the steps outlined in the manifesto."

"Oh!"

"Not only that. The manifesto even discusses the possible hurdles the government might face in implementing the plans and how the government would overcome those hurdles. The environmental issues that would arise while implementing certain schemes and ways to resolve them have also been discussed. For example, the manifesto explains how and where the people, evicted from the houses built on lands that were water bodies earlier, would be rehabilitated. 

"Surprising! It appears that the manifesto has been prepared in consultation with experts in different fields. Doesn't the manifesto of the other party have such details?"

"No. It doesn't. As I had said earlier, the manifesto gives only vague and sketchy information. Pages have been filled to create an impression that details have been given in line with the requirement of the rule. But, there are no concrete details."

"Now, tell me which party has given the relevant details in its manifesto?"

"TPP."

"So, are you going to vote for the TPP?"

"Yes. What about you?"

"My vote will also be for the TPP!"

"But, you said we should look at some more factors!"

"It is known to everyone that going by those factors, we could vote only for the TPP!"

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 52
Assessing Before Acting

Verse 512 (in Tamil):

vAri perukki vaLam paduththu uRRavai
ArAyvAn seyga vinai.

Meaning:

He who has tapped all productive sources, increased the revenues, and brought prosperity and who has the capability to analyze and overcome the hurdles is the one who should be entrusted with the task of doing things. 

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

Verse 513
Verse 511

511. The Chief Minister's Route

"This is the route from your home to the Secretariat. This is the route to the party office. If you give your approval, we will clear these routes" said the Security Officer.

"Clearing the routes means?" asked Tamilmani, who had been sworn in as the Chief Minister only that morning.

"We will regulate the activities on the roads."

"Regulating the activities means?"

"We will clear the shops on the pavements" said the Security Officer, hesitatingly.

"Ok. Show me on this map the spots where the pavement shops are located" said Tamilmani.

The Security Officer pointed to some spots on the map.

"Can I travel through some other route - through roads that don't have pavement shops?"

"Yes, sir. You can. But the length of the route will be three kilometers longer" said the Security Officer.

Tamilmani was silent for a few minutes, reflecting on the choices before him.

The Chief Minister's Personal Secretary, who was listening to the conversation, told the Chief Minister, "Sir! There is a proposal for constructing a commercial complex and moving the pavement shops to the shops allotted to them in the complex."

"Yes, I am aware of it. That scheme was conceived by me when I was the Minister for Urban Development, five years back. But the new government, that came to power after us, dumped the scheme, since the ruling party felt shy of implementing a scheme conceived by the previous government, run by a rival political party!" said Tamilmani,

"We can implement it now, sir."

"Yes, we are going to. But it will take a couple of years for the scheme to be completed. If we evict the shop-owners from the pavements now, how will they earn their livelihood, till the new complex comes up? No, I don't want their livelihood to be affected" said Tamilmani to his Personal Secretary. 

He then turned to the Security Officer and told him, "Please finalize the alternative route shown by you. But, even in that route, not a single hawker should be evicted. There should be no hardship to anyone else, either."

"I will do accordingly, sir" said the Security Officer.

"Sir! You have made a public statement that since the finances of the government are under strain, every government department should focus on cutting costs and reducing the expenditure" said the Personal Secretary, hesitatingly.

"Since I will be traveling through a route longer by three kilometers, the fuel expenses for my car, and for the security vehicles that lead and follow my car will be considerably higher. Thus, I will be going against my exhortation to the government departments. Isn't this your point?" asked Tamilmani, with a smile.

"Yes, sir. The media and the opposition parties will make this an issue."

"Whether they make it an issue or not, the fact is that this arrangement will lead to increased expenditure!" said Tamilmani. He then asked the Security Officer, "How many vehicles will be there in my convoy?"

"Nine,"

"Is nine a lucky number? Reduce the number of vehicles to six. This will even lead to a decrease in the fuel expenses" said Tamilmani.

"It can be done, sir. But..." The Security Officer hesitated.

"I understand your concern. I appreciate the importance of security. But, think of it this way. If we have twelve vehicles in the convoy instead of nine, won't it enhance the security? But we have settled for the protection given by nine vehicles, haven't we? Let us tweak the arrangement a little more and accept the protection given by six vehicles" said Chief Minister Tamilmani.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 52
Assessing Before Acting

Verse 511 (in Tamil):

nanmaiyum thImaiyum nAdi nalam purindha
thanmaiyAn ALappdum.

Meaning:
One should examine the benefits and the harm resulting from an act and should execute the act in such away that it yields only benefits. 

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'mudhalvar sellum vazhi' by the same author.)

Verse 512
Verse 510

510. The New General Manager

Thangappan, who, since the time he had joined the firm, been working, for long, in the branches of the firm located in the Northern part of India, was promoted as the General Manager of the Southern Zonal Office of the firm at Chennai, on the retirement of Nambi, the incumbent General Manager.

When Thangappan joined the office at Chennai, Nambi, who had a few days for retirement, introduced the office staff to Thangappan.

"This is Ramesh, my Personal Secretary. He has been working in this firm for the past ten years. He has been serving as my right hand. He is capable of doing the jobs I do, as efficiently as I could, if not better than I could. More importantly, he is highly trustworthy. I am sure that he would be of assistance to you, as much as he was to me" said Nambi, introducing Ramesh to Thangappan. 

Ramesh greeted Thangappan. Thangappan reciprocated his greeting, even as he was wondering whether Nambi's praising him so high over his face won't make him feel conceited..

"You have been working only in the North. The atmosphere there would have been different. The market, the customers, the office environment, work culture will all be vastly different here from what they are in the North" said Nambi.

"I hail from the South, having been born in Tamilnadu" said Thangappan, with a smile. 

"I am not suggesting that you are unfamiliar with this territory. I meant that it would take some time for you to get adjusted to the atmosphere here. Till that time, the assistance of people like Ramesh will be useful to you" said Nambi, by way of clarifying his remarks. 

"I understand" said Thangappan. But, a thought that he should not rely too much on Ramesh was registered in his mind, even at that moment.

"Come in, Ramesh" Nambi greeted Ramesh, who visited his house. "How is the firm going?"

"Sir! It was to talk about the state of affairs at our firm that I came to meet you" said Ramesh. "After Mr. Thangappan had taken over as the General Manager, we are facing a lot of problems. There are issues relating to internal management as well as managing the customers. A couple of our long-standing customers are likely to leave us!"

"Why? Thangappan is an experienced person. Though he is new to this office, he should be able to function effectively, by taking the help of able and trustworthy people like you What is the problem?"

"The General Manager, in general, doesn't accept my suggestions. Many times, he doesn't even discuss issues with me. Of course, that is his privilege. But, you know about Vinayakam, working in our office..."

Yes. Vinayakam, the 'all-knowing' Accounts Assistant. He is a good-for-nothing fellow. He has no knowledge about our business or about office procedures, but he will keep interfering in all matters, offering unsolicited advice. As you are aware, I have reprimanded him a couple of times. What about him?"

"He is the main advisor to the General Manager, these days. The General Manager consults him on most of the issues. Most of his decisions, taken on the advice of Vinayakam, have gone wrong, resulting in more and more problems to our firm. But the General Manager has not realized this."

"A person holding a responsible position in an organization should study the people working under him, assess every one's capabilities and shortcomings and should decide whom he should listen to and whom he shouldn't. If he fails to do this, and acts on the advice of someone, blindly trusting his judgement, it will cause harm to him and to the organization. What is it we can do? It is for Mr. Thangappan to think clearly, choose his advisors wisely and function efficiently" said Nambi, with a deep sigh.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 51
Assess Before Accepting

Verse 510 (in Tamil):

thErAn theLivum theLindhAn kaN aiyuRavum
thIrA idumbai tharum

Meaning:

Selecting a person without assessing him, and doubting a person after selecting him will both ensure enduring distress.

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

Verse 511
Verse 509

509. To Buy or Sell?

"Sir! We bought the shares of 'Alpha Delta' before three years. We bought the shares at 65 rupees per share. The price has fallen to 52 rupees now. They say the price will fall still further. Every one says that it is better to sell the shares now" said Vivek, the Personal Secretary of industrialist Ramanathan.

"Who is 'every one?'" asked Ramanathan.

"The financial experts who give investment advice on television channels."

"Ok. I will think and decide."

After a week, Vivek told Ramanathan, "Sir! Last week, I told you about selling the shares of 'Alpha Delta.' Now, the price has fallen further. Today, it has opened at 48 rupees in the exchange."

"It is good that you reminded me of this. Buy 1000 more shares, when the price comes to 45 rupees" said Ramanathan.

"Sir! It will be risky. They say the price will go further down."

"Who? The investment advisors who appear in the TV channels?"

"Our Finance Manager is also of the same opinion."

Ramanathan chuckled and said, "If it is a matter relating to our firm's finances, I will go by the advice of our Finance Manager. For my personal investments, I have another advisor. As far as stock market investments are concerned, I can only go by his advice."

"Yes, sir. You have told me about him. But, when his opinion is divergent from that of most of the other experts, will it be wise to go by his advice?" 

"Vivek! I understand your concerns. Your question whether my advisor's opinion can be relied upon, when it differs from that of other experts is quite reasonable. But, you know about me. Before I select anyone, I will make a thorough assessment about that person. I have selected you also only that way! 

"Investment advice is an art. Apart from a thorough knowledge about Finance, the Economy and the market, giving such advice involves incisive analysis and some instinct or intuition too. Not every one can excel in this expertise. Most of the investment advisors give their advice based on the market conditions and price movements. Their advice may go wrong on many occasions. 

"But, my advisor is a professional. He gives his advice after making a deep study of  the performance of a company, the country's economy and the long term market movements. He will not be perturbed by short term price movements in the market. 

"I selected him as my advisor only after studying his approach and his track record. In the past also, his views about some shares have been at divergence with that of many other people. But on those occasions, he was proved right. 

"Once I have selected a person as my advisor, after making a thorough assessment of him, it is only proper that I act as per his advice. It is possible that his advice may turn out to be wrong this time. But, this is likely to happen with all kinds of experts. I am going to strictly follow his advice. So, once the price comes down to 45 rupees, buy 1000 shares more" said Ramanathan.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 51
Assess Before Accepting

Verse 509 (in Tamil):

thERaRka yAraiyum thErAdhu thErndha pin
thERuga thERum poruL

Meaning:

Don't choose anyone without assessment; once chosen,

trust the person to deliver on the assigned tasks.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'viRpadhA vAnguvadhA?' by the same author.)

Verse 510
Verse 508