When I was about t step into that restaurant, a person coming out of the restaurant stared at me for a while and asked me, "Aren't you the son of Mr. Sivaraman?"
"Yes. But I am unable to place you!" I said.
"What Chandran, are you not able to recognize me? I am Jambu, who was a tenant in your house" he replied.
"Oh! I am sorry I couldn't remember you. It it was several years back. Hope every one in your family is fine."
I tried to end the conversation and enter the restaurant.
"Just a minute, Chandran! Why are you in a hurry?" Jambu held my hand with his and continued. "At that time, you were a boy, studying in the school. We were staying in a portion adjacent to yours. Being a boy, you wouldn't have interacted with us a lot. Your father was a noble person. I can never forget him. How is he?"
"He passed away some years back."
"Oh, what a tragedy! Of course, he would have been quite old. Yet, I am shocked to hear about his demise. This world needs people like him. You wouldn't have known much about me. At that time, I was working as a sales executive in a company. My salary was low. The job was tough. If I didn't reach the target for a month, I wouldn't be paid the salary for that month. My company would release the salary only after 15 to 20 days, as a punishment for my failure to reach the target.
"I struggled a lot to run my family. Some months, I was not able to pay the house rent in time. But, your father was never annoyed by the delay. 'What can you do, if you don't get your salary in time? You can pay me after receiving your salary' he would say. How kind and how understanding! Whenever I was feeling rejected, he would enthuse me saying, 'Don't feel disheartened. You have been working hard. Be patient. Your efforts will definitely be rewarded.' I used to think that he was just trying to make me feel good.
"We stayed in your house for about two years. After that, we had to move to another other area, where my son's school was located. Over a period, I was able to succeed in my efforts. I realized that your father's words were not words of consolation, but words of wisdom. Now, I have my own business and I am doing well in life. I would often think about visiting your father and thanking him for his valuable advice. But, somehow, I couldn't make it. And he is not there now. Are you living in the same house?"
"No."
"Oh! You would have got your house demolished and rebuilt it as an apartment complex. That is what people do nowadays. Are you looking after your father's business now?"
As I was thinking what reply I should give to his questions, he looked at his watch and said, "I have to meet someone. It is getting late. Bye."
He then walked away.
When I entered the restaurant, the owner of the restaurant, sitting at the cash counter told me in a stern voice, "Why should you stand at the entrance and chat with someone, for hours together? Don't you know that you have to report for duty?"
I looked at the wall clock hung above his head. It was still five minutes for my shift to start. But, he chided me, as if I chatted with someone and reported for duty late!
But, I couldn't protest. He was my employer. I was an underpaid server working for him. I cannot point out to him that he was wrong.
Mr. Jambu, a tenant in our house, was inspired by my father's words and came up in life, by making efforts.
'Even a person, who is in a good position, should make efforts to reach a higher position. If a person remains idle, feeling complacent and doesn't make efforts, he will go down from his position' my father had told me many times.
But, I ignored his advice and chose to be idle. As a result, unable to successfully run the business established by him, after his death, I had to wind up the business. And, I had to sell our house, for meeting the liabilities, incurred in my business.
After winding up my business, I took up a job as a server in a small restaurant, for my survival.
Quietly accepting the reprimand of the restaurant owner, I got into the restaurant to start doing my work.
Thirukkural
Section 2
Materialism
Chapter 62
Perseverance
Verse 616 (in Tamil):
muyaRchi thiruvinai Akkum muyaRRinmai
inmai puguththi vidum.
Meaning:
Efforts will produce wealth; idleness will bring poverty.
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