178. Pawn Shop or Bank Locker?

Vajravelu raised his head and looked back at the glass cupboard fixed on the wall, behind his seat.

"The cupboard is full. There is no space to keep any new article that may be received for pledge" he told his accountant Kumaravel.

"How will there be space, sir? Either, those who have pledged their belongings should redeem them by repaying the loans taken by them, or we should auction the articles that have not been redeemed by the due date. Neither of these is happening" said Kumaravel. 

Vajravelu laughed, enjoying the sarcastic remark of his employee. "How could I have been running this pawn shop for the past ten years, if borrowers have not been repaying their loans and redeeming the articles pledged by them? Have I not been earning enough to pay the salaries and take home enough money, to meet my family expenses?"

"Sir! You are talking as if you are not aware of the way this business is run. No other pawn broker keeps the objects not redeemed by the borrower, for an indefinite period of time, without getting them auctioned and recovering the loan amount due."

At that time, a customer entered the shop. Kumaravel turned his attention to the customer. 

He looked at the receipt produced by the customer, checked the ledger, did some calculations using a calculator and informed the customer the amount of money he had to pay, to close the loan. 

After the customer had paid the amount, Kumaravel took out a silver lamp from the cupboard and handed it to the customer, after getting his signature on a document. 

The customer looked at Vajravelu, paid obeisance to him, by bringing his palms together and left.

"The promissory note got expired six months back. Our man Arumugam had been trying to reach him for the past six months, but couldn't get to him. The man has just repaid the loan and redeemed the silver lamp pledged him. He had had no fear that we might auction the silver lamp pledged by him!" said Kumaravel.

Vajravelu just smiled.  

"I don't understand how you are so patient with the defaulters, even at the risk of losing your money and your hold on the article pledged, with the promissory note getting lapsed."

"We are running the business of lending money for interest. If the borrower fails to repay the loan before the due date and redeem the object pledged him, we have the legal right to auction the object pledged and recover the amount due to us. But, I don't like to exercise that right. Though a borrower has pledged his belonging to us, it still belongs to him. I don't like to auction it and take the money due to me. After all, a person who has pledged his property will have the intention to redeem it. Therefore, acting on the faith that the borrower will repay the loan and redeem his property, sooner or later, I keep the property, without auctioning it."

"But, some borrowers may not be able to repay the loan!"

"Yes. It has happened. Maybe, it has not happened after your joining my firm. So, you may not be aware of such instances. After waiting for some time, I would call the borrower, hand over the object pledged by him to him and ask him to sell it and repay the loan. Some people have done so."

"Then, why are we taking something as pledge. We can lend money without taking any security!"

"Taking an object as pledge is only to create a sense of obligation for the borrower to redeem it, by repaying the loan."

"But, what is wrong in auctioning a pledged asset, if the loan is not repaid?"

"Nothing wrong. After all, it is permitted by law. But, I believe that our auctioning the pledged article, asking the borrower to sell the article and repay the loan is being fair to them. When the borrower sells the object, he gets to decide the price. But, when it is auctioned, the borrower may not get a good price." 

"Sir! As you know, before joining your firm, I worked in another pawn shop in this town. The owner of that shop was very strict. If the pledged object was not redeemed before the due date, he would auction it promptly, after giving a notice to the borrower. I have seen him getting good profit from his business. I think we should also be businesslike, since we are also running the business, only with the objective of earning a profit."

"Why did you leave that shop?"

"As I told you during the job interview, they were not paying my salary in time. My salary was pending for three months. That was why I left that firm."

"Why were they not able to pay your salary in time?"

"I don't know, sir. Though the business was making profits, there was a problem of cash shortage, most of the time. Sometimes, there was not enough cash in the shop to give new loans. Some borrowers had filed cases against the firm, for auctioning their properties. The firm had to pay the fees to advocates on frequent occasions, whenever the cases came up for hearing."

"You say that that firm was earning a good profit. But, it was facing the problem of cash shortages. I may not be earning a big income from the business. But, the capital I have invested is intact. We never faced the problem of not having adequate cash to give new loans. I have been getting enough income from the business, to enable me to lead a comfortable life. I derive my income from the interest paid by people, to whom I lend money. And, I have been running this business, by treating the goods pledged by people as the property of the borrowers and not as my property."

Another customer stepped into the shop.

"Two months back, I pledged a gold chain of my wife and borrowed money" he said.

"Are you going to repay the loan and redeem the chain?" asked Kumaravel. 

"No" he said, hesitatingly. 

He then looked at Vajravelu and said, "Please don't mistake me. We are attending a marriage tomorrow. My wife has no other jewel to wear for the function. If you can give me the chain, I will return it to you the day after tomorrow."

"Is this a pawn shop, or a bank locker?" asked Kumaravel.

"If I give you your chain, will you give me some other object for pledging, till the time you return the chain to me?" asked Vajravelu.

"I don't have any other valuable object, sir. If you want, I can give you my television set."

"No need. I trust you. We will give you your chain. But, bring it back day after tomorrow, without fail" said Vajravelu. 

He then turned to Kumaravel and told him, "Get a request letter from him with the promise that the chain would be returned to us on the specified date and give him the chain, after getting his signature."

'This is a bank locker, not a pawn shop. There is no doubt about it!' murmured Kumaravel.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 16
Bearing No Envy

Verse 178 (In Tamil)

ahkAmai selvaththiRku yAdhenin vehkAmai
vENdum piRan kaip poruL.

Meaning:

The mark of lasting wealth is shown by not coveting others' wealth.  

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

Verse 179 (Soon)
Verse 177

718. Riverbank Lectures

It was 7 o'clock in the evening, when Arumugam returned home from the school.

"Why are you late today?" asked his wife Mekala.

"Our school has started special classes in the evenings, for the students who have been lagging behind in their studies. Hereafter, I will be able to come home only by 7 pm. Can you make me some coffee? I have to leave for my riverbank lecture. People will be waiting for me."

Mekala went to the kitchen returned with coffee in five minutes. "You say you will come home only by 7 pm, hereafter. Why don't you discontinue the riverbank lectures?" she asked Arumugam. 

"Let us talk about this, after I return home after today's lecture" replied Arumugam.

Arumugam returned home after 8 pm. After having his dinner, he came and sat in the living room.

Mekala came to the living room after a while, after completing her chores in the kitchen and sat near her husband.

"You are handling classes in the school, from the morning to the evening. In the evening, you are giving lectures on the river bank, sitting under a tree, to an audience comprising people from of diverse age groups and backgrounds, from the village. Now that you have to take classes for one more hour in the school, why can't you discontinue the riverbank lectures, in which you preach morals to the people?" asked Mekala.

"Mekala! My lectures at the river bank are not aimed at preaching morals to people. I just communicate various things I have learnt about this world, facts relating to nature, principles of basic science, truths and principles about life, living in tune with nature, moral values, making ourselves useful to other people etc. A number of people, ranging from kids to senior citizens, come to the riverbank and listen to my talks, with interest. When I tried to talk about these matters to my students in the school, they said, 'Sir! Please teach us topics relating to the examination.' But, a wide cross-section of the people of this village realize the significance of the things I talk about and are even inclined to implement in their lives what they have learnt from my talks. That is why I enjoy talking to these people. We water a plant, hoping to help it grow. And if we see that the plant is growing, won't we feel even more interested in watering the plant and helping its growth in other ways? Though the time available at my disposal has become less, because of  the increase in my working hours in the school, I don't want to discontinue or curtail my riverbank talks" said Arumugam.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 72
Divining the Mind

Verse 718 (in Tamil):
uNarvadhu udaiyAr mun sollal vaLarvadhan
pAththiyuL nIr sorindhRRu.

Meaning:

To speak before an audience, who have a keenness for learning,

is like watering a sapling, growing by itself, in a nursery.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'mAlai nEra vaguppugaL' by the same author.) 

Verse 719 (Soon)
Verse 717

717. The Second Round

After the first round of interview for the position of a senior executive in the firm, four candidates were shortlisted for the second round. One candidate was to be selected in the second round.

The four members of the selection committee were chatting among themselves, before conducting the second round of the interview.

"There are four of us in the interview committee. The number of candidates is also four. How will it be, if each of us chooses a different candidate?" asked Padmanabhan, the chairman of the selection committee, in a lighter vein. 

"In that case, we three will accept your selection, since you are the chairman of the committee!" said Selvakumar, a member of the committee.

"No, no. I won't expect other members to accept my choice, just because I am the chairman" said Padmanabhan. 

"I said it in a lighter vein" said Selvakumar.

"We have already interviewed the candidates thoroughly, in the first round. What are we going to ask them in the second round?" asked Suryakant, another member.

"I have a suggestion. We have already assessed the knowledge, skills, aptitude and attitude of each of the candidates. All the four candidates are at a nearly equal level. Applying what one has learnt is an important requirement for a person to function in this position. Therefore, we need to assess how each person would apply his learning in the job. Maybe, we can give each of the four a topic in the field of their learning and ask them to explain that topic in five minutes. We will select the one who excels in explaining his topic. I feel that if a person is able to present what he has learnt, using appropriate words, it will be a confirmation that his learning has been thorough. This is my suggestion" said Sekar, another member.

"Excellent suggestion" said Padmanabhan.

Selvakumar and Suryakant nodded their heads, endorsing Padmanabhan's observation.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 72
Knowing Your Audience

Verse 717 (in Tamil):
kaRRu aRindhAr kalvi viLangum kasadaRach
chol theridhal vallAr agatthu.

Meaning:

The value of the learning of those who are well educated will be revealed by their ability to present their learning in an assembly of scholars.

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

Verse 718
Verse 716

177. Ramkumar's Plans

When Ramkumar regained consciousness, he realized that he was lying on an hospital bed. He felt a heaviness and intense pain in his body.

After sometime, a doctor came to the room, examined Ramkumar and asked him, "How are you now?"

'You should tell me what my condition is!' thought Ramkumar. "What happened to me?" he asked the doctor.

"You fainted suddenly. Now you are alright. I will come and see you again" replied the doctor tersely and left.

In the next few hours, Ramkumar had several visitors including his wife Girija, a few relatives and friends. 

From what his wife and others told him and kept from him and from the sensations in his body, Ramkumar understood what had happened to him and what his physical condition was.

Three days back, Ramkumar suddenly fainted and fell down in his house. The doctors diagnosed that he had had a stroke. The right side of his body was paralyzed and there was intense pain in the left side of his body.

"What is the date today?" Ramkumar asked Girija. 

"April 20" said Girija.

"My God! We were supposed to have left for Switzerland today!" said Ramkumar, dismayed.

There was a sob from Girija. Ralkumar wondered whether the sob was caused by Girija's distress over his health condition or by her disappointment at the Switzerland trip having been aborted. 

At the time of completing his Engineering degree, Ramkumar had an ambition. It was to set up a manufacturing unit and make it grow into a corporate firm.

In keeping with his financial position at that time, Ramkumar set up a small engineering unit, investing a small sum of money as capital. By working hard and gaining the confidence of customers, he succeeded in making his firm grow well within a few years. 

When Ramkumar was thinking of ways to take his firm to greater heights, he got the acquaintance of a business consultant. Ramkumar sought the consultant's advice on the strategy to be adopted to make his firm grow big, within a short time. 

"You have immense potential for growth. Even people with no impressive track record set up companies and promote them in a big way, using sheer paper work. You have a solid factory, with assets like building and machinery. You have shown excellent performance, by growing very fast in a span of ten years. Your turnover and profits have grown manifold. Just prepare a scheme for expanding your firm. Using that scheme, we will go for a public issue, by offering shares to the public at a premium and transform your small firm into a corporate company" said the consultant. 

"I have already prepared a plan for expansion of my business. How much time will it take to issue the shares to the public?" asked Ramkumar, enthusiastically.

"Two years" said the consultant.

"It will take so much time!" exclaimed Ramkumar, feeling disappointed. 

"We can arrange for public issue within a couple of months. The two year period I mentioned was to make some adjustments."

"What adjustments?"

"You had invested ten lakh rupees. But the networth of your firm is one crore rupees, now. Am I right?"

"Yes."

"The first thing to do is to increase the value of your networth from 1 crore rupees to 3 crore rupees."

"It can't be done in two years!"

"That is why I mentioned by the word 'adjustments.' We need to make some book adjustments. Your books should show that in the next two years you would be investing substantial sums of money, for creating additional assets like new buildings, machinery and other assets."

"How is it possible? How can I show a source for the additional investment to be brought in?"

"Don't worry about those aspects. There are ways to do things. You don't have any loan now. You can show part of the funds coming by way of capital from you and part by way of loans from your friends and relatives. We can also take a loan from a bank by pledging your assets and show it as being invested in your business, to create new assets. In the next two years, you can show higher profits and show the profits as being invested in the business to create more assets. Since you can claim depreciation on the 'new assets' shown in the book, you will end up paying a lower tax, in spite of an increase in your profits. I will take care of all these adjustments. The only additional expenditure you have to incur is the consultation fee you will have to pay me!" said the consultant, laughing. 

Acting as per the advice given by the consultant and 'increasing' the value of Ramkumar's firm's assets to three crore in the next two years, Ramkumar went for a public issue.

The consultant revised the cost of  Ramkumar's expansion scheme from 20 crore rupees to 25 crore rupees. He presented calculations to Ramkumar, showing that he would be able to pocket 4 crore rupees, out of the increased sum of 5 crore rupees, after spending 1 crore rupees as commissions to various people.

"Is this not wrong? Does this not amount to cheating the people, who will be subscribing to our public issue?" asked Ramkumar.

"People who invest in shares do so, out of greed. They hope to earn big profit from their investments in shares, but they are aware that there is a risk of loss and that they may even end up losing their entire investment. So, there is nothing immoral about our strategy" said the consultant. 

Ramkumar was not convinced by the consultant's explanation. He was taunted by the thought, 'I have already overstated the networth of my company by 2 crore rupees. Now, I am overstating the cost of my expansion scheme by 5 crore rupees. How is this justified?'

However, he subsequently convinced himself that after venturing into an action, he should not give any room for such disconcerting thoughts.

The public issue of shares was a big success. The shares were allotted in due course and Ramkumar's firm got transformed into a public limited company, with thousands of shareholders.

With the company having grown big, Ramkumar, acting on the advice of the consultant, appointed a Managing Director, accepted the honorary position of the Chairman of the company and got himself relieved from the day to day activities of the company. 

For the first time in his life, Ramkumar found himself in a situation, in which he could use both his time and his money, as per his discretion. It was after he had planned to visit Switzerland, with his wife, son and daughter and made all arrangements for the travel that he was struck by stroke.

Ramkumar was able to hear the conversation his wife Girija was having with the doctor.

"When will he be cured completely, doctor?"

"I can't say whether he will be completely cured. One side of his body has been paralyzed. It may take several months, even several years for him to be cured of the paralysis. The more severe issue is the pain he has in the other side of his body. He has to live the rest of his life, with that pain. Even if the intensity of the pain gets reduced to some extent, you should feel relieved" said the doctor.

Ramkumar felt as if the intensity of his pain had increased many times.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 18
Not Coveting Others' Belongings

Verse 177 (In Tamil)

vENdaRka vehkiyAm Akkam viLaivayin
mANdaRku aridhAm payan.

Meaning:

Do not desire the gain obtained by coveting others' wealth. The enjoyment of the fruits of such wealth will not bring you any good. 

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'ninaippadhellAm nadandhu vittAl' by the same author)

Verse 178
Verse 176

176. The Philanthopist

A number of people were waiting in the temple for the puja* to be performed. But, the priest didn't start performing the puja.

"Respected priest! We have come here from a far-off place. If you can perform the puja soon, we will be able to return home in time" said one of the devotees assembled there.

"Please wait for a while. Let Mr. Sakrhivel come" said the priest. 

Sakthivel arrived at the temple at that moment.

"Why are you making other people wait, Priest? You could have started the puja, without waiting for me" Sakthivel told the priest.

After the puja was performed, Sakthivel looked at everyone, folded his palms, by way of showing his reverance to them and said, "I have arranged for serving of food for all the devotees in the hall outside the temple. 'Serving food' may not be the appropriate word. Perhaps, I should have said, 'extending the hospitality to the devotees.' I am not well-educated. So I used a commonly known expression 'serving food.' Please don't mind it. I appeal to all of you to bless me, by accepting my hospitality. This is my humble request."

"Who is this person?" a devotee who had visited the temple from another place asked the person, standing beside him.

"Sakthivel is a noble man, in the real sense of the word. He is a wealthy man, possessing large extents of lands and other resources. But, he is very humble. He is a philanthropist. He contributes a substantial amount of money for various religious activities in the temple. If someone approaches him seeking his help, he will definitely extend his help" said the other person, who hailed from that place.

"Oh! It is heartening to know that we have such people in our midst."

When Sakthivel returned home from the temple, his wife Vadivu told him, 'You have got a letter from your brother's wife.".

"What has she written?" asked Sakthivel.

"She has written that the amount of money you send her every month is not sufficient to meet her needs. She has requested you to increase the monthly payment you have been sending her."

"Let me see!"

"You have been helping even strangers. Why don't you help your sister in law, by sending her a little more money?" asked Vadivu. 

"My elder brother had left this place at a young age, to take up a job at a far off place. From that time, I have been looking after his lands, along with mine and sending him his share of the income from the lands. He didn't know anything about the yield from the lands. He was accepting whatever money I gave him as his share. After he passed away, I have been sending the same amount of money to his wife. If I send her more money now, won't she think that I had been cheating my brother all these years? I have a plan in my mind. I expect that after sometime, my sister in law would ask me to sell her lands and pay the sale proceeds to her so that she could deposit the sale proceeds in the bank and live on the interest received on the deposit. At that time, I would buy her lands at a low price!" said Sakthivel.

"I have been pondering over the question why God has not blessed us with a child, while you have been involving yourself in so many philanthropic activities. Now, I understand the reason for that" said Vadivu, bitterly.

*puja - a ritual of worship in Hindu temples.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 16
Bearing No Envy

Verse 176 (In Tamil)

aruL vehki ARRin kaN ninRAn poruL vehkip
pollAdha sUzhak kedum.

Meaning:

One who seeks to be compassionate and follows a virtuous path, will succumb to destructive thoughts and acts, if he falters and covets others’ possessions.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kELvi piRandhadhu anRu badhil kidaiththadhu inRu' by the same author.)

Verse 177
Verse 175

716. After the Presentation

"Have you prepared the paper for the seminar?" asked the principal of the college.

"I have, sir" said Purushothaman. He was a professor of Physics in the college.

"Did you have your paper checked by someone?"

"No, sir" said Purushothaman and added reluctantly, "I think there is no need for it."

"Your paper needs to be checked by someone to  ensure that there is no inadvertent inaccuracy. Your Head of the Department is on leave. Please get your paper checked thoroughly by someone, whose erudition you trust. This is an international seminar. There is a chance of the paper you will be presenting in the seminar being published in reputed international journals. My best wishes to you" said the Principal. 

When Purushothaman came out of the principal's chamber, he noticed Aravindan, a professor of Mathematics, walking on the corridor. Aravindan raised his hand and greeted Purushothaman. But, Purushothaman turned away, avoiding Aravindan's gaze.

Purushothaman had been moving closely with Aravindan. But, after a sexual harassment allegation had surfaced against Aravindan, Purushothaman moved away from him.

With the affected lady professor not preferring to lodge a complaint and leaving the college soon after the incident, Aravindan was able to retain his job, by apologizing for his indiscretion and begging the principal not to sack him.

After that incident, no one in the college respected Aravindan. Other professors avoided him, like a plague. Aravindan commanded some respect only inside the classroom, sine he was an excellent teacher.

After Purushothaman had read out his paper in the seminar, there was a big ovation in the seminar hall. Purushothaman looked at the audience, with a feeling of pride. His college principal, other professors from his college, professors from various other colleges and a large number of students were among the audience.

A professor from Germany, sitting on the dais, asked Purushothaman, "Mr. Purushothaman! I think that your theory is not plausible. Can I have a look at your paper?"

Purushothaman handed over his paper to the professor.

The professor quickly browsed through the pages. On coming to a particular page, he stopped, spent a few minutes reading that page and then looked up.

"Mr. Purushothaman! You have calculated the value of 6.243 x 10^5, taking it as 6.243 x 10^6, inadvertently. Therefore, the answer you got is wrong and hence your theory. Your paper is based on wrong workings" said the professor, returning the paper to Purushothaman.

Purushothaman was hit by a strong wave of humiliation, he found unable to bear. It was as if he was stripped off his clothes before the large audience. 

Purushothaman reluctantly looked at his principal. The principal's face, which was brimming with pride and joy a few minutes back, was now livid, reflecting his anger and embarrassment.

Purushothaman noticed Aravindan among the audience. An apprehension that his own status would also fall to the one similar to that of Aravindan began to rise in his mind.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 72
Divining the Mind

Verse 716 (in Tamil):
ARRin nilai thaLarndhaRRE viyan pulam
ERRu uNarvAr munnar izhukku.

Meaning:
Committing a blunder in the presence of those who have acquired a vast store of learning and know the value that learning, is like a good man stumbling and falling away from the path of virtue.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'katturaiyaip padiththa piRagu' by the same author.) 

Verse 717
Verse 715

175. The Professor's Suggestion

"You are lucky to have got Kailasam as your guide."

This was the comment made by several people, after Raghavan had registered for his Ph.D, with Professor Kailasam as his guide.

Professor Kailasam was a renowned scholar. His depth of knowledge, innovative thinking, ideas and presentations often found a mention in the media.

If Kailasam addressed a seminar, the seminar hall would be filled to capacity. Even people with no knowledge about the subject of his talk would throng to the hall, to listen to his speech. His speeches were so interesting and intelligible.

It was said that Kailasam had done more than a hundred research works in the university alone. Additionally, he had several research papers to his credit, some of them published in various journals and some presented in seminars.

Raghavan had been meeting Kailasam at frequent intervals and updating him about the progress of his research. Kailasam helped Raghavan in his efforts, by encouraging him through his appreciative comments and by giving suggestions for improvements.

Raghavan was approaching the end of his Ph.D. course. He had completed his research report. Once Kailasam went through the report and approved it, Raghavan would give it a final shape and submit it to the university for evaluation.

When Raghavan submitted his research report to Kailasam. Kailsam told him that he would go through it and asked him to come after a week.

Accordingly, Raghavan met Kailsam after a week.

The moment Raghavan entered his cabin, Kailasam extended his hand to congratulate him. 

"Congratulations, Raghavan. Your paper has come up very well" he said, shaking Raghavan's hand.

"Thank you very much, sir" said Raghavan, overwhelmed with pride and joy.

"Sit down. I have a suggestion for you."

"Please tell me, sir."

"Your paper is quite advanced. It can be divided into two parts."

"Yes, sir. I could have stopped my research at one point. But, I had an interest to develop the concept further and take it to the next stage. So, it has evolved into an advanced report. As you had said just now, I could have made it into two papers and got two Ph.D degrees!" said Raghavan, jokingly.

"That was what I wanted to suggest. Submit only the first part now. You can submit the second part, after six months and get a second Ph.D degree!" said Kailasam.

"Is it possible, sir?"

"Yes. I will take care of it."

"Thank you, sir" said Raghavan. 

The next issue of the university gazette carried the list of research papers approved by the university, during the last quarter. It carried the details of Raghavan's research paper.

The gazette also carried the details of the second part of Raghavan's research paper, but it was listed as a new research paper by Professor Kailasam.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 18
Not Coveting Others' Belongings

Verse 175 (In Tamil)

ahki aganRa aRivu ennAm yAr mAttum
vehki veRiya seyin.

Meaning:

What is the use of deep wisdom and broad knowledge,

if one, coveting someone's belongings, acts unjustly towards him?

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'ArAychchik katturai' by the same author)

Verse 176
Verse 174

715. Who Will Get the Opportinity?

"We have received an offer from the international research centre to nominate three persons from our research centre to its research team. They will be 'understudies' in the international team of scientists for three months. At the end of three months, one of the three will be selected to work in the centre for five years, on contract basis. The selection will be based on the knowledge and skills acquired by the person during the three month training. Though only one person will get a job at the centre, the other two will have the advantage of having been 'understudies' in an international research centre, which will enrich their resume and help in their career development. Please identify the best three among the trainee scientists working in our centre and forward their names to me. I will approve the names recommended by you" said Chandrakant, Director of the research centre.

"Ok, sir" said Deputy Director Danvantri.

"All the three persons recommended by you are outstanding candidates, no doubt. But, let me ask you a question. Who among the three do you think will be selected by the international research centre for the contract job?" Chandrakant asked Danvantri, after going through the list of names sent by him.

"I believe that among the three, Arivazhagan has the best chance" said Danvantri.

"You mentioned the name even before I could finish my question! But, Arivazhagan's name is the third in your list. I thought you would mention the name of Gopichand, the first in your list" said Chandrakant, expressing his surprise.

Danvantri smiled, without saying anything. 

"Excellent, Mr. Danvantri. As predicted by you, the Centre has selected Arivazhagan for a job on a five year contract. How did you make an accurate guess?" asked Chandrakant.

"Since the three trainee scientists were working under me, I was able to make an assessment about each of them. All the three are highly intelligent and knowledgeable. But, I had observed that Gopichand and Krishna Prasad were somewhat overenthusiastic. They would rush to give their answers to every question and unsolicited opinions on every issue. They had a habit of displaying an unrestrained urge to show off their knowledge and intelligence. I advised them several times that it was not a good habit to hasten to express one's views, in a gathering of seniors and scholars. I pointed out to them that the seniors and the scholars would consider such overenthusiastic actions as showing off and resent such an attitude and behaviour. But, neither of the two changed his ways. Arivazhagan, on the other hand, was polite. He won't be in a hurry to show that he knew the answer to a question, or a solution to a problem. He would wait for his turn, or, till the time someone asked him to answer the question. It was this attitude of Arivazhagan, which I thought, would propel him to be selected for the job" said Danvantri.

"I think you are also like Arivazhagan!" said Chandrakant.

"Why do you say so, sir?" asked Danvantri.

"When I asked you for your opinion about who would be selected, you mentioned Arivazhagan's name, but did not elaborate on why you thought so. You are doing it now, only after I asked you to!"  sad Danvantri, smiling.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 72
Knowing Your Audience

Verse 715 (in Tamil):
nanRu enRavaRRuLLum nanRE mudhuvaruL
mundhu kiLavAch cheRivu.

Meaning:

Having the restraint to not speak, out of turn, in a forum of learned elders, is the best among all the good deeds.

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

Verse 716
Verse 714

174. The Cattle Broker

Even before Marudamuthu had stepped into the house, his wife Mangai came to the doorstep and asked him, "What happened? Was your visit successful?"

Marudamuthu, without answering her, entered the house with a forlorn face and sat on the swing. His action provided the answer to Mangai's question.

"Get me some water" said Marudamuthu. Noticing that Mangai did not move, as if she had resolved not to move unless he answered her question, he said, "The cow had been sold, before I reached the place."

Mangai went inside and returned with a mug of water.

"What kind of a profession is this! Cattle broker! Acting on information given by someone that someone somewhere has a cow for sale, you will go to that place, walking a distance of five or six miles. By the time you reach that place, either the information will be proved wrong or the cow will have been sold already. If at all there is a cow available for sale, you will then have to visit different villages in the neighbourhood, searching for a prospective buyer. And if you find a buyer and clinch the sale, you get a commission of one thousand rupees or so. And there are people who will cheat you, without paying you the commission!" lamented Mangai.

Marudamuthu, who had just finished emptying the mug, said "This is the profession that has been feeding us!"

"Yes, it has been feeding us! Are we not having a sumptuous meal every day, with soup, fruit, vegetables and sweets?" snapped Mangai, with bitter sarcasm. 

She added, "Since our family comprises just the two of us, we have been surviving, often borrowing money even for our daily needs. What are we going to do, after our family expands, with children being born to us? During the partition arrangement, you could have opted for the lands, instead of opting for the house. We would have been able to earn some money by cultivating the lands" said Mangai.

About two years back, after Marudamuthu's parents had passed away in quick succession, Marudamuthu's younger brother Saravanan wanted his father's properties to be partitioned between the two of them. His father had a small piece of agricultural land and a house. It was decided that one of the brothers would take the land and the other the house.

Saravanan wanted to take the land. He intended to sell the land and use that money to invest in some business in some other place. Considering that the income from the land would not amount to much, Marudamuthu agreed to accept the house as his share.

Maudamuthu's father was a cattle broker. He was well known not only in his village but also in the surrounding villages and enjoyed a lot of goodwill in that area. 

Marudamuthu took up his father's profession. But he was not very successful so far. He believed that if he continued to do the business earnestly, he would be able to achieve success after some time. However, Mangai was skeptical of the earning potential of her husband's profession. Not a day passed without her lamenting about his profession. 

It was two years since Saravanan had left the village, after selling the land received by him as his share. After that, there was no communication from him to Marudamuthu. It appeared that with the partition of their father's assets, the relationship between the two brothers had ended. 

A trader from his village, who toured a lot, told Marudamuthu that that he had seen Saravanan in Trichy.

"Brother Marudamuthu!"

Marudamuthu came out of his house, hearing someone call him from the doorstep of his house.

"Oh, Ponnan! Come in and sit down. You had been away from the village for a couple of years. Someone told me two days back that you were back at the village" Marudamuthu welcomed him and took him inside his house. 

Ponnan took out a bundle of currency notes from his bag and handed them to Marudamuthu.

"What is this?" asked Marudamuthu. 

"Three years back, I had borrowed ten thousand rupees from your brother Saravanan. I paid him the interest for one year. After that, I had to leave this village, due to a personal problem. As you know, I returned to the village only a few days back. I heard that during the time I was away from the village, Saravanan also left the village for some unknown place. He would have thought that he won't get back the money he had lent me! I owe him Rs.14,800, including interest for two years. The amount could be more, if you apply compound interest. But, I think you won't ask me to pay you compound interest!" said Ponnan.

"Why are you giving the money you owe Saravanan? I don't know where he is now" said Marudamuthu. 

"Since I don't know Saravanan's whereabouts, I am returning the money to you, his elder brother. You may give it to him, whenever you meet him. I left this place two years back, due to a problem I had in this village. I found a good business opportunity at the place I went to. I started a business there. I have earned a fairly good sum of money. I had borrowed money from some people in this village. I came here only to repay those loans. I am going back to the place where I have set up my business. I won't come to this village again. I am not going to reveal to anybody where I am going. But, I have repaid all the loans I took from people in this village."

"It is fine. But, I can't accept the money you owe my brother."

"No, sir! In the absence of Saravanan, you should accept this. I take leave of you."

Ponnn left.

"What are you going to do?" asked Mangai.

"That is what I am thinking about" said Marudamuthu.

"What is there to think about? Your brother has not communicated with you and you don't know his address. He is not going to come back to this place. He should be doing well at the place he lives.. Why shouldn't we keep this money for ourselves? If at all your brother comes here some day and asks you for the money, we can decide what to do, at that time. This money was given as a loan by your brother, before the partition of your father's assets. Before the partition, your brother had no money of his own. So, it was your money too! Let this money be useful to us, when we are struggling."

"No, Mangai. This money belongs to Saravanan. Even if we are starving, we shouldn't take it. I know that Saravanan is in Trichy. I know a man from our village who has settled in Trichy. I will write to him, requesting him to trace Saravanan. Once I get Saravanan's address, I will write to him and ask him to come here and receive the money. Till that time, let this money be kept in safe custody. Keep it in the cupboard" said Marudamuthu, handing the cash to Mangai.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 16
Bearing No Envy

Verse 174 (In Tamil)

ilam enRu vehkudhal seyyAr pulam venRa
punmaiyil kAtchi avar.

Meaning:

The wise, who have conquered their senses and are free from dishonest thoughts, will never yearn for other’s wealth, driven by the feeling 'I am poor.'

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'thAnAga vandha paNam' by the same author)

Verse 175
Verse 173

714. In the Company of Intellectuals

My friend Jagadeesan is reserved, by nature. He would converse only with his close friends like me, that too only briefly.

My friends' circle consists of people who are jovial, chatting being our favourite pastime. We would mostly chat about films, film stars and matters mentioned in gossip columns of popular magazines. We would mock at people known to us as well as people not known to us, like celebrities. We seldom talk about anything productive.

People who listen to our conversations are apt to consider us creatures of low intelligence, having a superficial perspective about life. 

Though Jagadeesan is not a person of our kind, being a part of our circle, would participate in our conversation

I took Jagadeesan to a club, in which I was a member. That club had many intellectuals as its members. Some of them were my friends. When they discussed topics like world economy, international politics, latest developments in the field of Science and Technology etc, I would be idly listening to the discussion, sitting by their side. I didn't have the knowledge or perspicacity to understand the points discussed by them and offer my views.

I introduced Jagadeesan to my intellectual friends. They greeted him out of courtesy and began to discuss certain serious topics, in keeping with their habit. 

At one stage, Jagadeesan joined the discussion. He spoke, agreeing with some of the points discussed and countering some other points. He spoke emphatically, presenting logical arguments and citing sources, facts and information in support of his views. 

My intellectual friends looked at Jagadeesan with respect and admiration and continued the discussion with him. 

When I was leaving the club, some of these friends told me, "Your friend appears to be a genius and a scholar. Bring him to the club often."

As we were coming out of the club, I told Jagadeesan, "Jagadeesan! When people in our circle of friends talk something frivolous and ridiculous, you join us by responding to our silly and meaningless comments. But, today you had a discussion with my intellectual friends in the club. I have not been able to grasp most of what these people say. But, you were able to discuss with them some serious topics and stun them with the depth of your knowledge and understanding. How are you able to do this?" 

I pressed his shoulders gently, by way of conveying my admiration.

Jagadeesan smiled, without saying anything. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 72
Divining the Mind

Verse 714 (in Tamil):
oLiyAr mun oLLiyar Adhal veLiyAr mun
vAn sudhai vaNNam koLal.

Meaning:

Be brilliant before the enlightened, and amidst the ignorant,

turn blank as a wall plastered white.

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

Verse 715
Verse 713

713. Nityseelan's Folly

"I invited you to speak in our club, expecting that your speech would be enthralling. But, you have disappointed me" said Nityaseelan.

"Disappointed you! How?" asked Bard Ganesan

"I have watched your performance in debates in the television channels. You would entertain the audience with your humorous speech. That was the reason I invited you to speak in our club. Most of the members of our club are businessmen or high level executives in large organizations. They have been under stress most of the time, due to the challenges faced by them in their work environment. I thought that you would deliver a humorous speech that would entertain them and relieve them of their stress at least for a while. But you spoke about the struggles, agitations and revolutions taking place in various parts of the world. You also tried to drive home the message that if the wealthy people continued their elitist lifestyles, without bothering about the sufferings of millions of people, the anger of the poor would reach a flash point and explode into a revolution, leading to a large scale destruction of properties and bloodshed. You concluded with the warning that a revolution like that would end up in the wealthy people being thrown into the streets and their families becoming vulnerable to attacks by the deprived sections of the society. Our members were dismayed by your speech." 

"Just because I am know, for my humorous speeches, should I ever speak on a serious topic?"

"You can. But, you should have considered the forum in which you were speaking. You are entitled to your views about the current social and political scenario in the world and its possible consequences. If you had delivered this speech before a political gathering or in a trade union meeting, the audience might have applauded your speech. But, the theme, content and the tone of your speech in a gathering of industrialists, businessmen and corporate executives sounded as if you were accusing the audience and making them feel guilty about their lifestyles. As soon as you started talking on this topic, I gave you a slip of paper, asking you to speak on some other topic. But, you ignored my request and went on with your tirade!"

"I believed that after hearing my speech, if at least a few people in the audience would think of the plight of the starving millions and try to do their mite to mitigate the sufferings of the poor and the downtrodden. it would be good for the society. That was the reason I persisted with my topic" said Ganesan.

'If you believed so, there wouldn't be a greater fool in this world' thought Nityaseelan. 

However, not willing to argue further with the intransigent bard, Nityaseelan ended the telephone conversation, saying, "Inviting you to speak in our club was my folly." 

Even an eloquent speaker should be considered a person with no oratory skills, if he doesn't know what to speak before a particular audience' thought Nityaseelan.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 72
Knowing Your Audience

Verse 713 (in Tamil):
avai aRiyAr sollal mERkoLbavar sollin
vagai aRiyAr vallaDhUm il.

Meaning:

Those who endeavor to speak, without knowing their audience, are ignorant of the styles of speech. They can't be considered competent, either.

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

Verse 714
Verse 712