134. The Precedent?

"Mr. Sekar, After your disgraceful behaviour, we cannot allow you to continue to work in our college. Resigning your job is the only honourable option you have" said Pazhani, the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of the college.

"To err is human. Please give me another chance" pleaded Sekar.

No way."

"Sir! In the past, you have given a chance to people who have erred, to redeem themselves."

"Whom are you referring to?"

"Mr. Gopal."

"Mr. Gopal?" 

Pazhani smiled and looked at the other two members of the committee - the Principal of the college and the Secretary of the Management Committee.

The other two members smiled back at Pazhani.

It happened five years back. 

Complaints were received from several students against Gopal, a lecturer.

"He doesn't teach well."

"He leaves out several topics. Only after we referred the text-book, we realized that he had not covered some topics in the classroom."

"Some times, he just reads from the book, but doesn't discuss the points read out by him elaborately."

"He starts discussing a topic but gets stuck in the middle. It is not clear whether he has trouble recalling the other points or he is unable to discuss the topic further. He just abandons that topic at that point and proceeds to the next topic."

When complaints on the above lines were received, the Principal summoned Gopal and asked for his response.

Gopal asserted that the complaints were not true.

The Principal directed two senior professors to look into the issue.

The Professors tested Gopal's knowledge of the subject, by asking him questions on the subject he was teaching. Gopal could not answer some of the questions.

They also observed Gopal's class, by sitting in an adjacent classroom, without Gopal's knowledge. They then gave a report that the allegations made by the students in their complaints were true.

The Disciplinary Committee examined Gopal. When they confronted him with the findings of the senior professors, Gopal admitted that he had been having a problem.

Driven by a complacent attitude about his knowledge of the subject, Gopal had been lecturing in his classes without preparing himself, by reading the text-book or other books on his subject. Since he had not been referring to the books for several months, the knowledge he had gained over the years through studies and teaching began to slip away from his memory gradually. He attributed his failure to recall some points some times to a temporary lapse of memory. He became aware of the problem, only when he was examined by the senior professors.

"I had been negligent in preparing myself for classes, due to a misplaced sense of overconfidence about my ability to teach, without refreshing my learning through reading. It was a grave lapse on my part. I will ensure that this won't happen again" pleaded Gopal.

But the Disciplinary Committee was not inclined to allow him to continue to work as a lecturer.

"Sir! Please give me another chance. Please grant me leave of absence for one year, without pay. I will devote this period of one year to update myself on the subject, by reading books and practicing to give lectures on the topics. Let the senior professors examine me again at the end of one year. Take me back, only if they certify that I have thorough knowledge of the subject and that I am competent to teach" appealed Gopal.

The college accepted his request and gave him leave of absence for one year. 

As promised, Gopal equipped himself with thorough knowledge of his subject, during the one year break he was given. The senior professors thoroughly examined him, tested his ability to teach, by asking him to take mock classes and gave a report, certifying his knowledge and competence.

The college took him back as a lecturer.

It was this case that Sekar referred to.

Pazhani laughed out loud and told Sekar, "Mr. Sekar! There is no need for us to be talking to you at length. The nature of your misonduct and the nature of the lapse on the part of Gopal are entirely different. Mr. Gopal allowed his knowledge to dissipate by being complacent and lazy. He regained his knowledge by taking a break for one year and studying the subject thoroughly. You committed an offence by trying to sexually assault a girl studying in your class. The college peon who happened to witness this forcibly removed you from the scene and saved the girl. Since the girl's parents requested us not to bring this matter to the knowledge of the outside world, we refrained from filing a police complaint against you. We want to give you an honourable way out, by accepting your resignation and relieving you. But you are trying to evade punishment by citing a precedent that has no similarity to your misconduct. Are you going to resign, or do you want us to dismiss you? Give us your decision quickly."

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 14
Possession of Propriety 

Verse 134 (In Tamil)

maRappinum oththuk koLal Agum pArppAn
piRappu ozhukkam kunRak kedum.

Meaning:

If a Brahmin forgets the Scriptures, he can regain the knowledge by learning. But if a person violates propriety, he will lose his stature.  

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'iraNdu thavaRugaL' by the same author)

Verse 135 (Soon)
Verse 133

579. The Punishment

A high level enquiry into the allegations against Masilamani, who had been suspended from his position of the General Manager of the company, was conducted and the report submitted to the Managing Director Raghavan.

Raghavan had to send his recommendation to the Chairman of the company, on the action to be taken on Masilamani 

A few senior executives of the company were discussing the matter among themselves.

"Intoxicated by power, Masilamani acted arrogantly and did things to hurt people who worked under him! Now he is in the dock. I think that he should be sent to jail" said Mukundan.

"He didn't commit any wrong. The charge against him is that he failed to see the fraud committed, right under his nose, by some people working under him. It was sheer negligence" said Dorai.

"If he he were to detect the negligence of someone working under him, what would he say? 'How do I know whether it was negligence or a deliberate act? If you commit a wrong, you have to face the punishment, whether your wrongdoing was intentional or unintentional' and punish that person. A lot of people including you and I have been victims of his merciless behaviour. Even for a trivial thing like a typo in a letter, he would make hell and humiliate the person in front of others, as if that person had committed a grave irregularity!"

"What you say is true. He has punished people, who committed small mistakes, with unjust punishments like transferring them to another department and in some cases, with disproportionately severe punishments like recording adverse comments in their personal files leading to the denial of increments and promotions to them. If he perceived the mistake to be severe, he would punish the person mercilessly by transferring him to a far off place, suspending him, demoting him etc. Let us see what punishment is going to be awarded to him!"

"Mr. Raghavan. A fraud has been committed. But you have recommended that Masilamani be reinstated as the General Manager!" asked Kanakalingam, the Chairman of the company.

"The only charge against Masilamani is negligence. The fraud was discovered during the internal audit. We have identified the culprits, dismissed them, handed them over to the police and with the help of the police, even recovered the money misappropriated by them. Masilamani did not knowingly commit any wrongdoing. He is going to retire in two years. We may reinstate him in his old position, but curtail his powers. We may appoint another General Manager and entrust him with all the powers. Putting him back in his position, with all his powers stripped off, will make Masilamani a dummy. This will be an adequate punishment for him" said Ragavan.

"Masilamani showed no compassion to others, He awarded disproportionately severe punishment even for small mistakes. in many cases, you have intervened and reduced or annulled the punishment given by him. So, why are you showing mercy to such a person?"

"Sir! In dealing with Masilamani, I have adopted the same approach, as I had, with people affected by Masilamani's merciless approach. If a person has not committed a wrong intentionally, he should be shown mercy. This is my approach. If I can't show mercy to Masilamani, just because he has not shown mercy to others, it will mean that Masilamani determines what approach I should adopt! How can I allow it?" said Raghavan.

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 58

Compassion

Verse 579 (in Tamil):

oRuththu ARRUm paNbinAr kaNNUm kaNNOdip
poRuththu ARRum paNbE thalai.

Meaning:

Being compassionate and tolerant even towards a person, who follows the practice of punishing people without showing them any mercy, is most admirable

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'pOdhumA indha dhandanai' by the same author.)

Verse 580
Verse 578

578. Alternate Accommodation

"Sir! There are two hundred huts there. These people have been living there for twenty years. If you ask them to vacate now, where will they go?" asked Purushothaman, a resident of that area, and a popular man in that region.

"The government has ordered the removal of all structures constructed on water bodies. I am an official obliged to execute the orders of the government" said Selvanathan, the government official. 

"You have provided them accommodation at a place about forty kilometers from here. How will these people commute to the city for their work, from such a far off place?"

"The government can provide accommodation only in a place where there is government land. I have forwarded your request to my higher officials. The Secretary has assured me me that he would check whether the government could find land at some other place. Wait for a week. A satisfactory solution to the problem may be found."

"Sir! There are only two hundred huts here. Can you not recommend to the government to permit the people living in them to continue to live in this place?" pleaded Purushothaman.

"I can't recommend a course that is not lawful. Even if I do, the government won't consider it"  said Selvanathan, firmly.

After Purushothaman had left, the junior official, who was in Selvanathan's room asked him, "Sir! Has the Secretary told you that he would consider locating the hut-dwellers in a better place?"

"No, he didn't. But, I have an idea" said Selvanathan, smiling.

"Sir! Our application for approval of building construction is still pending" said Kishore, the Public Relations Officer of Kuber Industries

"You have constructed the building without first seeking approval from the government. Now, you want us to regularize the construction. How can we approve this?" asked Selvanathan.

"Sir! It is only an extension of the existing factory building. Since we needed space urgently to house the new machines bought by us, we did the construction, in anticipation of approval from the government. The construction has been made as per the rules and the norms. The government, in the past, has given approval for such actions to some companies."

"Well. If you believe that you are entitled to get the government approval, then you can approach the courts and get a court order directing the government to give you approval!" said Selvanathan.

"Pardon me. sir. I didn't mean to say that we are entitled to get the approval. We are only making a request for approval" said Kishore, upset by Selvanathan's blunt reply.

"Giving approval to a building constructed without seeking prior approval from the government is as per the discretion of the government. If your building plans, structures etc. are as per government rules and norms as claimed by you, I may recommend your case for approval. But, it is up to the government to decide on giving the approval."

"Please send the file to the Secretariat with your recommendations. We will follow up with the Secretariat and get the approval" said Kishore, feeling relieved.

"I can do that. But there are some issues relating to your company, about which I have to mention in my recommendation."

"What issues, sir?"

"We allocated land to you in Porur, for construction of houses for your employees. But, you have not utilized that land. It still remains a vacant land."

"We will construct, sir. But, it will take some time."

"I think you may not be constructing the houses at all. Your employees commute from various parts of the city. They don't prefer to live in Porur. Your employees' union has suggested to you that instead of constructing houses for the employees, the company pay them house rent allowance and transport allowance to cover their commuting expenses. You have also accepted that suggestion and signed an agreement to this effect with the union. Am I right?"

"Yes, sir. But how did you...?"

"The government knows every thing, Mr. Kishore. The agreement you have entered into with the union has been filed with the Labour department, which is another wing of the government!"

Kishore remained silent, not knowing what to say.

"Since you are not going to use that land for the purpose for which it was allocated to you, I suggest that you surrender it to the government. We sold the land to you at a concessional price. We will buy it back from you at the same price. Even if you don't surrender the land voluntarily, the government can take back the land any time, since you have not made use of it for the declared purpose, within a reasonable time. If we take back the land, by issuing an order, you may not even get any compensation from the government. But, if you surrender the land now, it will strengthen your application for building approval" said Selvanathan.

"I will discuss this with our Managing Director and get back to you" said Kishore and took leave of Selvanathan.

After Kishore had left, the junior official asked Selvanathan, in surprise. "Sir! The government has not asked about the unutilized land!" 

"No one at the higher levels of the government might have thought about it. We are also part of the government. So, we also have responsibility! Doing only what our higher officials ask us to do is a reactive approach. Our higher officials asked us to remove the huts in Porur and we set to do accordingly. But when I empathized with the problems of the people getting relocated and thought how we could help them, I remembered about this land lying vacant for several years. It is not right on the part of Kuber Industries to keep the land allocated to them unutilized. If we make them agree to surrender that land and then recommend to the government to use that land for relocating the hut-dwellers being displaced, the government will definitely agree. In fact, the government will use this opportunity to claim that it has acted in the interests of the hut-dwellers and try to earn some credit! As far we are concerned, we can feel satisfied that we performed our duty correctly, while also adopting a humanitarian approach!" said Selvanathan.

"I have a lot of things to learn from you, sir!" said the junior official, with excitement.

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 58

Compassion

Verse 578 (in Tamil):

karumam sidhaiyAmal kaNNOda vallArkku
urimai udaiththu ivvulagu..

Meaning:

The world belongs to those who do their duty unfalteringly,

while being compassionate.

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

Verse 579
Verse 577

577 Father, or Son?

"Welcome, bard! You were not to be seen for a long time" said the Minister, welcoming the bard.

"You have eyes. So, you are able to sense that I was not seen for a long time. If you didn't have eyes, you wouldn't have sensed this" said the bard. 

"I don't have the intelligence to decipher your cryptic reply. The fact remains that you didn't visit the King's court, since the present king took over, after his father passed away!"

The bard closed his eyes for a moment and said, "True, Minister. When I heard you refer to our late king, my eyes closed on their own for a while. Tears welled up from inside my eyes. What a noble soul was he! He was visually handicapped, but his eyes brimmed with so much compassion as to qualify him to be called the embodiment of compassion" said the bard.

"You are implying that in contrast, the present king, though blessed with the facility of vision, is bereft of the virtue of compassion so essential for a king, aren't you?" asked the Minister, smiling. 

"You are putting words into my mouth, my friend! I never implied such an opinion. Do you want to make me a victim of the king's displeasure?" said the bard, also smiling, even while pretending to have been scared.

"Have no fears, my friend! Only we two are here. We, being friends, can converse freely, sharing our inner thoughts with each other. There is no one here to carry our views to the king's ears" said the Minister.

"What you say is true. Yet, the fact remains that you are the powerful Minister and I am a poor poet. I can't risk taking the liberty of speaking my mind."

"But a poet can convey a message in a subtle way through a well-crafted poem. Many poets have done this."

"How is it going to help? If a compose a poem with a subtle message that the king lacks compassion and recite it before the king, will he reform himself and embrace the quality of compassion? It is not uncommon for the son to not inherit the virtue of his father. Dhritarashtra had the quality of compassion. But his son Duryodhana didn't have even an iota of compassion" said the bard.

"I am unable to agree with your view that Dhritarashtra had compassion in him. Even after knowing that his son Duryodhana had planned to kill the Pandavas by making them stay in a house of wax and setting fire to it, he didn't do anything to stop the plot. On the other hand, he sent the Pandavas there. If he had mercy, would he have done so?"

"Oh! I will modify my statement and say that Dhritarashtra had more compassion than his son Duryodhana!"

"Okay. This is more acceptable, at least less unacceptable!" said the Minister.

"Our conversation about Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana has triggered in me an idea for a poem" said the Bard, feeling excited.

"That is wonderful. Since I have also played a role in triggering your idea, by talking to you on this topic, I expect you to share with me, the prize money the king will reward for this poem!" said the Minister, jokingly.

"I don't mind. But what if the king feels offended by my poem and rewards me with whiplashes?"

"In that case, you can have them all for yourself! I won't mind. By the way, can you share with me the theme of your poem?"

"I will give you an outline of the poem to you."

"I am all ears" said the Minister.

"When we were discussing Dhritarastra and Duryodhana, a thought struck me. Compassion is a natural attribute of the eye. When the eyes see someone suffering, they are filled with compassion. This is what should happen naturally. So, logically, if one has eyes, one will have compassion. If a man has no compassion, we will consider him a person lacking the ability to see. But, sometimes, the reality is different. 

"Dhritarashtra, who was not blessed with the facility of vision, had more compassion than his son Duryodhana, who was born with the facility of vision. This is the Mahabharata story. 

"In Ramayana, the other great epic of our country, there is a story of Shravana Kumara. who took great care of his parents, both of whom were visually handicapped, by carrying them on his shoulders and providing for their needs. 

"Once, when he was filling water in a pot from a river, mistaking the sound of water being filled in the pot as the sound of an elephant drinking water, Dasaratha, the king of Ayodhya, who was hunting in the forest, sent an arrow in the direction of the sound, which hit Shravana Kumara.

"Dasaratha realized his mistake when he went near the spot and apologized to Shravana Kumara. Shravana Kumara, who was dying, forgave him, but requested him to take the water to his visually handicapped parents, who were thirsty. 

When Dasaratha went to Shravana Kumara's parents and apologized to them, Shravana Kumara's father Santanu cursed Dasarata that he would suffer the pain of separation from his son, the same way Santanu and his wife did.

"If we consider the father-son pairs in the above two stories, Dhritarashtra, who didn't have eyesight, had more compassion than his son, blessed with eyesight. Sravana Kumara, blessed with eyesight, was more compassionate than his father, not blessed with eyesight. 

"In our country, the deceased king, who had no eyesight had more compassion than the present king blessed with eyesight. However, it is said that compassion is an attribute, delivered through the eyes. This is the theme of my poem. How do you find the theme?"

"The theme of the poem is excellent. But how are you going to present the poem with this theme to the king?"  asked the Minister, showing his concern.

"After all I am going to tell the truth. Why should I be afraid? Anyway, I am not belittling the king in any manner. I am only saying that the father of the present king had more compassion than the present king. So, the king won't feel offended" said the bard.

The minister didn't say anything, his silence reflecting his concern.

"I was worried that your poem might make the king feel offended. But you have written a poem with a distorted meaning and got rewarded by the king!" the Minister told the bard, his tone expressing his anger and disappointment.

"I didn't distort any fact" protested the bard.

"The theme of the poem you presented before the king was different from the theme you had outlined to me. The poem you read out before the king says that the present king has more compassion than his father had."

"That may be the apparent meaning of the poem, as understood by the king. But my poem carried the meaning that the king's father had more compassion than the king."

"How do you say that?" asked the Minister, perplexed.

"Did you wonder why I wrote the poem in Sanskrit, rather than in Tamil, the language spoken by you, me and the king?"

"Yes. I did wonder about it. But since it is well known that you are proficient in both the languages, I didn't attach much significance to your choosing to write the poem in Sanskrit."

"My friend! In Sanskrit, the word 'dhata' has two meanings. It can mean the son and also the father. In my poem, I used the word 'dhata' to refer to the father. But the Sanskrit scholars in the king's court, fearing that the king would be angered by the real meaning of the poem, chose the meaning 'son' to the word 'dhata' and interpreted the poem to give the meaning that the son had more compassion than the father, though they would have known that the structure of the poem would permit only the meaning 'father' to be chosen for the word 'dhata' used by me in the poem" said the Bard, laughing.

"You are not only a bilingual poet, but a master of double entendre as well" said the Minister, appreciatingly.

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 58

Compassion

Verse 577 (in Tamil):

kaNNOttam illavar kaN ilar kaN udaiyAr
kannOttam inmaiyum il.

Meaning:

Those who lack compassion have no eyes;

Those who truly have eyes can’t lack compassion.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'pulavar sonnadhum poyyE poyyE' by the same author.)

Verse 578
Verse 576

133. Family Background

On receiving the phone call from the school in which Gunaseel was studying, Gunaseel's mother Manjula sent a message to her husband Swaminathan, who was in his office and hurried to her son's school. 

As she entered the school, Swaminathan's car also arrived there.

Both the parents together went to the Principal's cabin.

The Principal received them with a tight expression on his face and asked them to be seated. 

"Where is Gunaseel?" demanded Swaminathan.

"He is lying down in the room. I think he will become sober soon. Before that, I want to talk to you about him. Are you aware that your son has been drinking?"

"What do you mean, sir? Gunaseel is a boy of impeccable character. I could not believe what you conveyed to me over phone. We want to see him first" said Manjula.

"I was also shocked to learn that a student of ninth grade has drinking habit. But, some students have confirmed to me that they have seen him in the liquor shop, a few times" said the principal.

"We have not groomed our son that way. He might have been influenced by the company he has been keeping. He should have got into this habit, because of his association with some undesirable elements" said Swaminathan.

"The liberal allowance you give him every month as pocket money might also have been a reason!" quipped the Principal.

At that time, a teacher entered the Principal's room, bringing Gunaseel with him. Another boy also came along with them.

Gunaseel, who walked into the room, presenting the appearance of having been woken up from sleep, looked at his parents through his tired eyes. 

"How did you get into this habit? No one in our lineage had this habit!" asked Swaminathan, angrily.

Gunaseel didn't say anything.

"Who is that boy?" asked Manjula, pointing to the boy, who came along with Gunaseel.

"He was the one, who found Gunaseel lying unconsciously on the side of the road and brought him here" said the Principal.

"So, Gunaseel had drunk in the company of this boy! Did I not say that our son should have been spoiled because of his association with undesirable boys?" asked Swaminathan. "Don't you have a system of screening to ensure that only boys with a good character and background are selected?" he added.

"This boy doesn't study in our school" said the Principal, tersely.

"How did you become friends with him?" Manjula asked Gunaseel. "Moving closely with street urchins has made you take to drinking and adopt it as a habit!"

"Madam! You are completely mistaken. Your son didn't drink in the company of this boy. During the lunch interval, your son had gone to the nearby liquor shop, bought some liquor and drank it. While walking back to the school in an inebriated state, he fumbled and was about to fall down. This boy, who was walking on the road, saw your boy's condition, rushed to him, held him on his hands and prevented him from falling on the road. Judging that Gunaseel was a student of this school, by looking at his uniform, he brought him here. I asked the boy to be here till you came, so that you could, if you wanted, ascertain the facts from him. Why do you blame this boy for the wrong committed by your son? Is this the reward you are giving him, for going to the rescue of your boy who was about to fall down and get hurt?" asked the Principal, his tone conveying his unpleasantness with both the parents.

The boy showed signs of saying something and after hesitating for a few seconds, said, "My father is a drunkard. But I don't drink."

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 14
Possession of Propriety 

Verse 133 (In Tamil)

ozhukkam udaimai kudimai izhukkum
izhindha piRappu Ay vidum.

Meaning:

Class is determined by propriety of conduct; impropriety will lead to

being considered part of an ignoble class.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'nalladhoru kudumbam' by the same author)

Verse 134
Verse 132

576. One Week's Time

When Guruswamy went to meet Sabhapathy, he took along Kannan, who had joined him as a partner recently.

"I have already sent a notice to you through my lawyer. What is the need for you to meet me?" asked Sabhapathy, in a stern voice.

He then looked at Kannan and asked Guruswamy, "Who is this person?" in a cautious tone.

"He is Kannan. He has recently joined me as a partner" said Sabhapathy.

Kannan greeted Sabhapathy. Ignoring the greeting, Sabhapathy told Guruswamy, "You have taken him as partner recently. Did you come here to tell me that you are going to pay the amount due to me, using the capital brought in by him? I am so happy. When will I get my payment?"

"He has not invested any capital. He has joined me as a working partner. He is highly experienced. He has a lot of ideas. We are going to implement some of his ideas and improve our business" said Guruswamy.

"Glad to hear that. Does he have some ideas for the repayment of the loan taken by you from me?" asked Sbhapathy, mockingly.

Ignoring his jibe, Guruswamy said, "I have been having business dealings with you, for the past several years."

"Not business dealings. You have been doing a business and I have been giving you loans for your business. That is all."

"I meant to point out that I have borrowed money from you several times and promptly repaid them with interest."

"Not promptly. You never repaid any of the loans in time."

"I have paid penal interest for the period of delay."

"You were bound to. It was as per the terms of the loan agreement. You are talking to me, as if you have done some favour to me."

"I wanted to convey that dealings between you and me have been going on for many years, without any hitch or problem. Your money had always been safe with me. Only this time, there has been some delay. And, you have sent me a lawyer's notice, for attaching my house given to you as security for the loan. Please don't proceed with any legal action. I will settle your dues fully in two months' time" pleaded Guruswamy.

"Our lawyer has told me that if I file a case now, I will be able to get an attachment order from the court in two months' time. I will give you one week's time. You should repay the amount due to me with interest till that date, within this time. Otherwise, I will file a case in the court. I have nothing more to discuss with you. You may leave now" said Sabhapathy.

After coming out of Sabhapathy's house, Kannan told Guruswamy, "If, instead of talking to this man, you had spoken standing in front of a tree, the tree would have moved a little!"

"I noticed that you were just looking at his face. But you didn't utter a word. Why?" asked Guruswamy.

"He did not consider my presence at all. So, what could I have talked to him? You have repaid all the loans taken by you in the past. You have mortgaged your house as security for the loan. But, he refused to give you even two months' time. He could have said, 'Okay. I will wait for two months. If you don't repay the loan before the end of two months, I will file a case in the court.'" said Kannan.

"He has seen my track record and he knows I won't default. I thought he would show me some mercy."

"He is not capable of doing it!" said Kannan.

"Why do you say so?" asked Guruswamy, surprised.

"Because, he has no quality called compassion. You mentioned about my looking at his face for long. I was looking at his eyes. There was no trace of compassion in them. I realized that there would be no point in talking to him. That is why I kept quiet. Don't worry. We will make some arrangement to raise money and repay his loan within a week, the time given by him" said Kannan, reassuringly.

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 58

Compassion

Verse 576 (in Tamil):

maNNOdu iyaindha maraththu anaiyar kaNNOdu
iyaindhu kaNNOdAdhavar.

Meaning:

People born with eyes bereft of the attribute of compassion in them are like trees rooted in the earth.

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

Verse 577
Verse 575

1134. Avvai Shanmugi!

Two palace guards hauled up a young man, with his hands tied by a rope, before the Chief of Security.

"Chief, when it was getting dark, this young man, dressed as a young woman, was walking surreptitiously, hiding himself now and then. We thought that it was a woman in danger and went near the person, intending to escort the person to a place of safety. Only when we went close to the person, did we realize that it was not a woman, but a man. When we questioned him about the reason for his disguise, he refused to answer" said one of the guards.

"Tell me. Why did you disguise yourself as a woman? Are you playing the role of a woman in a play? Even if it were the case, you would be getting the make-up done at the theatre" the Chief queried the suspect.

"Sir! You may not believe what I say. I was going to meet my lover" said the young man.

"Why did you put on this disguise, while going to meet your lover?"

"Sir! A few days back, some of my friends and I had taken a pledge that we would remain unmarried and serve the country, by joining the army. But, after meeting a girl, I instantly fell in love with her. I proposed my love to her and she accepted it. If my friends come to know of this, they will make fun of me and mock me for taking a pledge to remain unmarried and serve the country. So, I decided to meet my lover, disguising myself as a woman. My lover also likes this arrangement, since she doesn't want people to see us together and gossip about us. Please set me free. My lover will be waiting for me."

"Where will she be waiting?"

"In the park at the end of this road."

"Okay. Our guards will come with you to the park. If your lover is there waiting for you, they will set you free. Otherwise, you will have to come back here" said the Chief of Security. 

"My lover will be definitely waiting for me there, even if I were to arrive there late. Please ask your guards to take me to the park" said the young man, confidently.

The Chief told the guards, "Get his name, his parents' names and his address and take him to the place he mentions. If his lover is not there waiting for him, arrest him and lock him up in the prison."

"My name is Shanmugam. I live in Avvaippatti Village" said the young man.

"Avvaippatti Shanmugam! Since you are disguised as a woman, the female version of this name will be appropriate to you - Avvai Shanmugi!*" said the Chief, laughing.

*Avvai Shanmugi is the title of a popular Tamil film, in which the hero (Kamal Hasan) disguises as a woman, deceives his father-in-law and takes up a job in his house, as part of a plan to win over his estranged wife, living there.

Thirukkural
Section 3

Love

Chapter 114
Shedding Shyness

Verse 1134 (in Tamil):
kAmak kadum punal uykkuum nAnOdu
nallANmai ennum puNai.

Meaning:

The strong current called lust will sweep away the boats called masculinity and modesty.

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

Verse 1135 (Soon)
Verse 1133

575. 'Benefactor of Education'

In the function held to celebrate the sixtieth birthday of 'Benefactor of Education' Doraiswamy, the speakers were extolling his praise.

"Mr. Doraiswamy has always considered providing education equivalent to providing eyesight to a person with visual disability."

"Having been born in a poor family, Mr. Doraiswamy did not get a chance to get good education. This deprivation inspired him to make a resolve to provide the opportunity he couldn't get, to poor boys and girls of our country. It was this resolve that made him establish various educational institutions."

Karunakaran, sitting among the audience on a rear seat, murmured, 'There should be a limit even for making false claims.' 

Ramanan sitting next to him heard Karunakaran's murmur. He turned to Karunakaran and smiled.

After a couple of minutes, Ramanan asked Karunakaran, "Can we go out and get some fresh air?"

Karunakaran nodded his head and stood up from his seat. 

Both of them came out of the meeting hall and stood on the open area outside.

"Though the hall is airconditioned, its ambience is no match to the fresh air we breathe in the open" said Ramanam.

"Listening to the false claims made by speaker after speaker suffocated me so much that air-conditioning had no effect on me!" said Karunakaran. 

He added, "This 'noble man' won't give admission, if there is a shortfall of even one rupee in the donation demanded by the college. And they say such a person has been running educational institutions with the noble objective of providing education to the poor! Though my son had scored high marks, I had to shell out a lot of money for his admission, in the form of fees, under various heads, in addition to the donation and the tuition fees. Even for conducting this function, they have forcibly collected donations from us. What more, they have asked the students to bring their parents for this function without fail, threatening them of consequences, if they failed to do so."

"Your son and our daughter had secured good marks. Doraiswamy's people would extract even more money from students with poor marks. Parents of many poor people have borrowed money much beyond their means, for paying the exorbitant sums demanded by these people. Not only the students, but also the teachers are harassed in Doraiswamy's institutions.

"How? Are they not being paid in time?"

"They will get their salaries, alright. But the teachers are made responsible for making the students score pass marks in the examination. If they fail to ensure this, they will lose their jobs. Desperate to save their jobs, the teachers give vigorous coaching to weak students, by taking extra classes for them in the evenings and during weekends. During the annual vacation, the teachers will be asked to come to the college and do administrative work. Apart from work relating to the colleges, work relating to the other businesses of Doraiswamy group will also be given to them."

"Oh, my God! I was upset about my being forced to attend this kind of meetings. But, it is shocking to know that the teachers are harassed so much! How did you come to know of these?" asked Karunakaran.

"A professor working here is known to me. He would often share with me the ordeal he and his colleagues are being subjected to." 

"A man with no compassion is being glorified as a benefactor of education and as a person born into this world with the objective of providing education to the poor and downtrodden! How atrocious!" said Karunakaran, expressing his contempt.

"...It is only because our 'benefactor of education' has considered education as his eyes, he doesn't have the need to wear glasses even at the age of 70!..."

Speeches lauding 'the benefactor of education' were being carried by the air and delivered to their ears.

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 58

Compassion

Verse 575 (in Tamil):

kaNNiRku aNikalam kaNNOttam ahdhu inREl
puN enRu uNarappadum.

Meaning:

Eyes are adorned by compassion; but for it,

they would be considered wounds.

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

Verse 576
Verse 574

574. Meenakshi's Empoyer

"What a poor job you are doing, sweeping the floor? There is dust in the corner" Kayalvizhi told Meenakshi, the maid. 

Meenakshi looked at the spot pointed out by her employer. She couldn't see any dirt there. However, to satisfy her employer, she swept that spot once more.

After sweeping the house fully, Meenakshi told Kayalvizhi, "Madam! I have backpain. Can I wipe the floor tomorrow?"

"What is the point in sweeping the floor and not wiping it? Only if the floor is wiped every day with a wet cloth, it will have a clean look. You always have the problem of backpain. How can you be sure that you won't have backpain tomorrow?" snapped Kayalvizhi, unsympathetically.

Meenakshi cursed herself for making the request and proceeded to wipe the floor, using the mop.

"I have worked as a maid in many houses. But I have never come across another person like Kayalvizhi, who has no compassion or consideration for others!" Meenakshi told her friend Rani.

Meenakshi and Rani have been friends from their childhood days, growing up in the same neighbourhood. 

Even when Meenakshi was a girl, she was assisting her mother, who was working as a housemaid in a few houses. After her mother's death, she began to work as a maid, by dropping out from the school.

Rani went to a college and after completing her undergraduate course, began to work in a firm. 

The two friends would often meet and converse about their life and topics of mutual interest.

"Kayalvizhi? The name sounds fascinating. Do you know that in Tamil, Kayalvizhi means one with eyes resembling a fish? Her father might have been a Tamil scholar or a person fond of Tamil" said Rani.

"No. Her real name is Sivakami. Her husband, who married her, after falling in love with her was fascinated by the beauty of her eyes and lovingly addressed her Kayalvizhi. One of Kayalvizhi's friends heard this and began to call her Kayalvizhi, to taunt her. With other people also picking up this name, Sivakami has come to be known as Kayalvizhi. I happened to hear this, when she was narrating this to one of her friends" said Meenakshi.

"It is said that one's attributes and feelings like love, compassion etc, will be reflected in one's eyes. When your employer doesn't have even an iota of compassion, what is the use of her having beautiful eyes?" said Rani.

"You may be right. Her eyes look beautiful, alright. But when I see her acting with no sympathy or empathy, I will often think that it is a pity that such beautiful eyes don't have even a bit of compassion in them."

"You and your employer share a common trait!" said Rani, smiling.

"Are you suggesting that like my employer, I am also a person with no compassion?" asked Rani, upset by her friend's remark.

"No. I referred to the interesting coincidence of the names of both of you having the same meaning. Meenakshi is a Sanskrit name meaning one who has eyes resembling a fish, while Kayalvizhi is a Tamil name with the same meaning!"

"Oh! I don't know. After all, I am not educated. If I had pursued education, just as you had, I wouldn't have to suffer the ordeal of working for a person like Kayalvizhi, totally devoid of compassion!" said Meenakshi, with a sigh.

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 58

Compassion

Verse 574 (in Tamil):

uL pOl mugaththu evan seyyum aLavinAl
kaNNOttam illAdha kaN.

Meaning:

If the eyes are not abound with compassion,

what purpose do they serve, by giving the appearance of being on the face?

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

Verse 575
Verse 573

573. The Novice Composer

"What kind of music have you composed? The lyrics depict a sad mood. But your music is set for a joyous mood!" said Kanniappan, the Director of the film.

"I will compose another tune, sir!" said Nathan, apologetically. It was the first opportunity he got to compose music for a film and it was the first song he composed for the film.

"I can't wait till you compose another tune. I have to shoot the scene" Kanniappan yelled at him.

He then turned to Venu, the producer of the film and told him, "I can't work with him. Replace him with Sundar."

Venu bent his head towards Kanniappan and spoke to him in a low voice, "Mr. Kanniappan. This boy is young and inexperienced. But he has talent. This being his first song, he has composed a good tune to impress us, failing to notice that the tune was not appropriate for the mood of the song. He says he will compose another tune. Let us give him a chance."

"Sir! If you think that he is so important to you, then you may engage another director in my place" said Kanniappan nonchalantly. He said "pack up" to the team and left the studio.

Venu looked at Nathan, who was standing unnerved, and told him, "Don't worry, young man. Kanniappan being a veteran director, would only talk that way. I will talk to him later and pacify him. Compose another tune for this song and keep it ready. In case, he is adamant about replacing you, I will give you a chance in my next film. You have talent. I have no doubt that you will come up in this field. Even if I have to replace you with another composer for this film, I won't ask you to return the advance payment I gave you. My best wishes" said Venu.

Nathan paid obeisance to Venu with folded hands and left.

"What is this, sir? This director speaks to you in a disrespectful way" said Venu's assistant Sakthivel.

"Success has gone to his head. He is is in demand and so he thinks he can dictate to others. He is driven by arrogance. When he doesn't give the respect due to me as the producer of the film, how can we expect him to show some consideration towards a novice like Nathan? The poor boy is rattled by Kanniappan's tantrums. Kanniappan says that the music composed by Nathan does not fit with the mood of the song. But he doesn't realize that acting towards other people without empathy and compassion doesn't fit with human nature!" said Venu, in a regretful tone.

Thirukkural
Section 2
Materialism
Chapter 58
Compassion

Verse 573 (in Tamil):

paN ennAm pAdaRku iyaibu inREl kaN ennAm
kaNNOttam illAdha kaN.

Meaning:

What value does a tune have, if it is not appropriate to the tune?

What is the purpose of having eyes that have no compassion?

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

Verse 574
Verse 572

572. Speaking Ill of the Dead!

Sachidanandam passed away. 

He was a high level executive in a big company.

Many people came to pay their homage to him. 

Most of them stood near his body for a couple of minutes, spoke a few words of condolence to his relatives standing or sitting near his body and left.

A few employees from his company were standing on the corridor, near the entrance of his house.

Some of them were talking among themselves, in whispering tones.

"I had been working under him for twenty years. Never once did he listen to my problems. If I began to say something, he would immediately put me off, saying, 'Do what I asked you to. Don't talk to me about your problems.' Even if a person was on the verge of dying, he would tell him mercilessly, "Complete the assignment I gave you and then you can die!' I have not come across another person as hard-hearted as he is."

"I worked as a typist under him. He complained to the top management that I was slow in my work and got me transferred to a branch at another town. I begged him pleading, 'Sir, please get me posted to some other department in this office.' He didn't relent. He told me mercilessly, 'Only if you suffer, you will improve yourself.' Some of his colleagues pointed out to him that since I was a housewife, transferring me to another place would cause hardship to me and my family. He told them, 'Well, women seek equality. Why should I show consideration to her, based on her gender?' Because of the transfer, I had to be away from my family and live alone in a new place. Both my children were below five years. I couldn't afford to quit my job either. I suffered for six months, before the head office reviewed my case on compassionate grounds and brought me back here. I have often wondered how a person could be so merciless!"

"I was his personal assistant. I have personally witnessed him punishing employees. How many employees had their increment cut, for a small lapse in their functioning! How many people were shunted out to different places on punishment transfer! Being his personal assistant, I was the one who typed out the orders. I felt bad about typing such letters, carrying cruel punishments, but he had no compassion! I have seen many employees coming to him and begging him to annul or mitigate the punishments. Some would beg him, pleading, "Sir! Please condone my mistake once and give me another chance. If you cut my increment, it will be recorded in my file and affect my career.' But he won't show even a little mercy. God seems to have made his heart in stone!"

Several people shared their bitter experiences in the above lines.

A person, sitting near them and listening to their outpourings, told the person sitting beside him, in a low voice, "What is this? A man has died. Even his body has not been removed. It is okay, if people don't say anything good about him. Should they speak ill of him, with his body still lying here?"

"I had been to his office a few times. I have seen him acting without any compassion towards his subordinate employees. When he was alive, these people had been tolerating him, since they had had no other option. Hearing about his death, they have come to pay homage to him, out of courtesy and humanitarian feelings. But, how can we expect them to have respect for him?" said the other person.

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 58

Compassion

Verse 572 (in Tamil):

kaNNOttaththu uLLadhu ulagiyal ahdhilar
uNmai nilaikkup poRai.

Meaning:

It is compassion that keeps the world functioning;

those who lack it are a burden on the earth.

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

Verse 573
Verse 571

571. Mercy Petitions

When Krishna Prasad, the Home Secretary went to see Ram Dayal, the President of the country, the President was reading a book.

After Krishna Prasad entered his room, Ram Dayal put down the book he was reading, asked Krishna Prasad to sit and got ready to listen to him.

It was an established routine that once in a month, the Home Secretary would brief the President about the law and order situation in the country.

The Home Secretary referred to the report in his hand and outlined the highlights of the report to the President and handed over the report to him.

Noticing that Krishna Prasad wanted to ask him something but hesitated to ask him, Ram Dayal prompted him, by saying, "Tell me, Mr. Krishna Prasad."

"Sir! The number of mercy petitions from convicted prisoners seeking reduction or annulment of their sentence or premature release from prison has been increasing" said Krishna Prasad.

"Yes. I have also noticed such a trend."

"I feel that we are being too magnanimous in considering such petitions."

"I understand what you are trying to convey. I have sanctioned the pleas of several petitioners, despite your recommendation to reject their pleas. This is what you are concerned about, aren't you?" asked Krishna Prasad, smiling.

"Sir, I am not suggesting that you accept all of my recommendations - by my recommendations, I mean the recommendations made by the officials of my department, after elaborately going through the details of each case and assessing the merits of the plea. But, if we show mercy to people who have committed crimes, will it not embolden potential offenders, by making them think that even if they were to be convicted, they could appeal for mercy and get their sentences reduced or annulled? After all, one of the objectives of awarding punishment to a wrongdoer is that the fear of punishment would act as a deterrent for those who intend to commit a crime. Won't you agree that we shouldn't do anything that will have the effect of weakening this objective?" asked Krishna Prasad.

"Your point is well taken. That is why we scrutinize the petitions, evaluate the merit of the pleas and take a decision. Perhaps, my perspective is more sympathetic than yours. Let us say, a person is given a prison sentence of ten years. After spending five years in prison, he submits a petition, seeking his release on sympathetic grounds. You may take the view that five years' imprisonment is not adequate for the crime committed by him. I may think that since he has suffered an imprisonment for five years, he could be released, It is not necessary that after getting released, he would commit a crime again. Will he not be aware that if he is caught, the punishment will be even more severe? Having experienced the pain of imprisonment for five years, will he risk being subjected to the pain again? Considering this aspect and taking into account the family circumstances of the petitioner, I show mercy in some cases."

The Home Secretary was silent.

"Mr. Krishna Prasad! Despite many wrongdoings occurring in the world, the world is functioning, by adhering, albeit imperfectly, to some system of discipline,. What do you think is the reason for this?" asked Ram Dayal.

"In my opinion, it is the law enforcement that ensures at least some discipline in the world. In the absence of law enforcement, there will only be chaos."

"I agree with what you say. Using laws to control people is only one side of the coin. The other side of the coin is love or compassion. Love is what we show towards people close to us or known to us. Also, many people in the world have compassion towards other people. That is why we are moved by the grief experienced by other people. It is compassion that drives people to help orphan children, whose faces they have not seen and other categories of people suffering various misfortunes. I believe that the head of a state should have more compassion than an average human being."

"I understand, sir" said Krishna Prasad.

"I think you are not fully convinced of my views. Do you believe in God?" asked Ram Dayal.

"Yes. I believe that God is compassionate, but..."

"God is not compassionate, Mr. Krishna Prasad!" interjected Ram Dayal.

"What do you mean, sir?" asked Krishna Prasad, surprised by Ram Dayal's words.

Ram Dayal showed him the book he was reading.

"The title of this book is 'Daya Satakam.' It is written by Vedanta Desiaka, a Vaishnavite Guru. This book has 108 hymns on Lord Venkateswara of Tirupati. That is why  it is named 'Satakam' meaning 'hundred.' As you know, 'Daya' means compassion. Desika says that Lord Venkateswara has a wife named Daya. When the Lord seeks to punish people who commit sins, Daya intervenes and saves the sinners from punishment, because of the compassion she has for all!"

"Interesting!"

"Fortunately, I have an innate trait of compassion. Otherwise, I would have had to marry a woman having the trait of compassion. Don't tell my wife what I told you just now. If you do, my wife will show no mercy on me!" said Ram Dayal, laughing.

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 58

Compassion

Verse 571 (in Tamil):

kaNNOttam enum kazhi perum kArigai
uNmaiyAn uNdu ivvulagu.

Meaning:

There exists this stupendous beauty called compassion;

and therefore, the world exists.

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

Verse 572
Verse 570