694. What Had Gone Wrong?

"Conducting a consecration ritual for the temple is a laudable thing. I am always happy to render my help for such causes."

Murthy was elated by Kasi's words. 'It appears that our objective will be achieved easier than I had anticipated" he thought.

He turned to Ramaswamy, sitting beside him. Ramaswamy was also beaming. 

'The other seven members of the 'temple consecration committee' seated behind him would all have been excited by Kasi's response,' Murthy thought, with satisfaction.

The people of the town, after having decided to conduct a consecration ritual for the temple, constituted a committee with nine members and entrusted it with the task of mobilizing the funds, by seeking donations.

The committee members decided to first visit Kasi, a prominent and wealthy person in the town, known for his philanthropic nature. The encouraging words spoken by him, immediately after hearing the proposal, naturally enthused the members.

After briefly apprising Kasi of the plan, Murthy looked at Ramaswamy. On receiving his signal, he told Kasi, "Sir! We will take leave." 

He then took out a notebook from his bag, showed it to Kasi and said, "Sir! We bought a new notebook, got it placed before the idol of the Lord in the temple and brought it with us. Please write your name as the first donor and the amount you will be donating."

Kasi did not extend his hand to receive the notebook from Murthy. He told him, "I will enter my name later. I am not particular that my name should be on the top. Collect donations from other people. I will give my contribution after some time." 

"No, sir. We want your name to be on the top. You can pay the money later. Please write your name and..."

Kasi interrupted Murthy, by waving his hand. "I don't know how good the harvest is going to be this year. I have to consider such factors before making a commitment. You may come to me later."

He stood up and went inside, signaling that they should leave.

A perplexed Murthy got up from his seat. Others followed suit and all of them walked out of Kasi's house.

After coming out of Kasi's house, Murthy told Ramaswamy, "He was so enthusiastic at the beginning. I don't understand why he changed his mind within minutes."

Ramaswamy told the other members, "You may go home now. We will meet at Murthy's house at 5 o' clock in the evening and discuss our further course of action."

After the others had left, Ramaswamy told Murthy, "Let us talk while we walk."

After walking a few steps, Ramaswamy told Murthy, "We two were sitting in the first row. The other seven were sitting behind us in two rows. You couldn't have noticed what some of them were doing."

"I thought they were sitting idle" said Murthy.

"If they had been sitting idle, things would have gone well. Kasi would have given us a substantial sum as his contribution!"

"What do you mean?"

"Subbu and Mani, sitting in the third row, were chatting with each other and giggling. Guna and Karunakaran sitting in the second row looked back at them, with concern. I thought of asking Subbu and Mani to be silent. But, realizing that doing so would have made it glaring, I kept quiet. Since you were engaged in conversing with Kasi, you didn't notice it. But Kasi noticed it."

"Oh! As you had said, I didn't notice it. But, was it such a grave offense making Kasi feel annoyed?" asked Murthy.

"We should be very careful in the presence of the elderly, the powerful, the rich and the elite. These people are highly sensitive. They expect others to be polite, humble and calm in their presence. Kasi should have felt offended by the two men in our group chatting and giggling and considered heir behaviour disrespectful. That was why he retracted from his decision to give us a donation. You and I should meet him after a couple of days and apologize to him about the behaviour of the two members of our group. I hope that he would be pacified, if we do so. While talking to our group members this evening, let us exhort them to behave appropriately, while meeting other people. We will pull up Subbu and Mani privately and make them realize how their inappropriate behaviour has hurt our mission" said Ramaswamy.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 70
Getting Close to the Ruler

Verse 694 (in Tamil):
sevich chollum sErndha nagaiyum aviththu ozhugal
AnRa periyAr agaththu.

Meaning:

Whisper not in others’ ears nor giggle with them

in the presence of dignified elders.

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

Verse 695
Verse 693

693. Bhupathy's Confidence

It took three days for the cabinet minister Bhupathy to realize that the Chief Minister, who would call him to his cabin and talk to him at least once a day had not called him for the past three days.

'How did I fail to notice this?' Bhupathy cursed himself. 'Perhaps, immersed in my work, I failed to realize this."

Bhupathy called up the personal secretary of the Chief Minister and asked him to fix up an appointment with the Chief Minister.

"Sir! The Chief Minister is very busy. He has instructed me not to give any appointment to anyone" said the secretary.

"He would have said so in a general way. Tell him that I want to meet him. He will definitely give me an appointment,"

After a short pause, the secretary said, "I am sorry, sir. The Chief Minister particularly told me not to give you any appointment."

That evening, Bhupathy went to the party office, where he met the party president.

"I find that the Chief Minister doesn't want to see me. Is there any issue?" Bhupathy asked the party president. 

"The Chief Minister had received a complaint about your department. He summoned the secretary of the department and asked for a clarification about the issue raised in the complaint. The secretary told him that you had taken a decision, overruling his recommendation. The decision taken by you has created a bad name to the government. That is the reason the Chief Minister is unhappy with you" said the party chief.

"Oh! It should be about my relaxing some terms in the contract for the construction of a bridge. I did so for expediting the construction, by removing some impediments. But the construction had been completed and the bridge opened for the use of people. The outcome has been good, after all" said Bhupathy.

"Well, I don't know with what intention you relaxed the terms of the contract. But, there has been a complaint that relaxing the norms enabled the contractor to circumvent some provisions of the contract relating to the safety of construction. There is a perception among the people that quality could have been compromised in the construction of the bridge."

"This is a bogey raised by the opposition parties!"

"When you decided to act against the recommendation of the secretary of the department, you should have apprised the Chief Minister of the situation and taken his concurrence for your line of action. Won't your failure to have informed the Chief Minister of your plan of action, despite your being close to him, give rise to suspicions about your intentions?"

"If I talk to the Chief Minister in person, he will understand my position."

"You know about our Chief Minister. If anything happens to shake the confidence he has on somebody, it will be very difficult for that person to regain his confidence."

"I plan to meet him at his residence this evening. I will explain things to him and convince him" said Bhupathy, confidently.

The party president checked a message he had just received on his mobile phone and told Bhupathy, "I think there will be no need for that. The Chief Minister has just dropped you from his cabinet. This news should be on all the television channels now."

He then switched  on the television set that was in the room, using a remote control, to facilitate Bhupathy to watch the news.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 70
Getting Close to the Ruler

Verse 693 (in Tamil):
pORRin ariyavai pORRal kaduththa pin
thERRudhal yArkkum aridhu.

Meaning:

If people close to the ruler want to safeguard themselves, they should avoid (the commission of) serious errors, for if the ruler's suspicion is once roused, no one can remove it.

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

Verse 694
Verse 692

692. The Unlikely Successor

Chief Minister Adimoolam surprised every one, by issuing a statement that he was going to retire from active politics. He said that he would be resigning as the Chief Minister and that after sometime, he would also step down from the position of the president of his party. He concluded his statement with the announcement that the high power committee of his party would decide who would succeed him as the Chief Minister.

That the high power committee of his party with twenty members had-picked by Adimoolam was just a mirror that would reflect his wishes was known to all.

The media speculated on who would succeed Adimoolam as the Chief Minister. The names of quite a few senior leaders of the party were floated.

But, quite unexpectedly, the high power committee of the party chose Poovarasan, a junior minister in Adimoolam's cabinet, who became a minister for the first time only two years back, as Adimoolam's successor for the Chief Minister's post. 

"When there are many seniors like us, how could our leader pick up a rookie like Poovarasan?" lamented a senior minister.

"What can we do? Adimoolam is the supreme leader of the party. He does things as per his wishes. No one has the courage even to make a suggestion that will not be in congruity with his wishes. After some time, he is going to step down from the position of the party president. Let us hope one of us, the seniors, get that position!" said another senior leader.

"You made it, Poovarasan! How did our leader choose you, overlooking the aspirations and expectations of many senior leaders?" asked Arul, a friend of Poovarasan in the party. 

"I have been with the party for the past twenty years. I had been a district secretary. When I had the chance to observe our leader from close quarters, I realized that he was highly possessive. He is also a suspicious person. He has always been nurturing a suspicion that other leaders in the party might be making attempts to undermine his leadership and conspiring to overthrow him at the appropriate moment. He wanted to be in power perpetually. He decided to resign only after the doctors advised him that given his state of health, he should be under rest. Even several years back, I understood that if I had to secure our leader's confidence, I should not aspire for power. He had offered to make me a minister a couple of times. I politely declined his offer twice, saying that I had no desire to be a minister. If he had sensed that I desired to be a minister, he would have begun to suspect that I could, at some time, conspire to unseat him and grab his position. Only after he offered me the post for the third time and insisted that I should accept the position, I accepted it reluctantly. Now, because of the confidence he has in me, he has made me the Chief Minister" said Poovarasan.  

"He is going to give up his leadership of the party also after some time. What will you do, if the new president of the party tries to unseat you and make some other person the Chief Minister?" asked Arul. 

"You don't seem to have understood what I said. When I told the leader that I had no aspiration for power, I was not pretending! After knowing our leader's mind, I made up my mind that I won't aspire for any position in the party or in the government and that I would remain faithful to our leader. In fact, I have conditioned my mind to firmly stick to that attitude. So, I won't feel disappointed or sorry, if the office of the Chief Minister is taken away from me, sometime in the future!" said Poovarasan.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 70
Getting Close to the Ruler

Verse 692 (in Tamil):
mannar vizhaiba vizhaiyAmai mannaRal
manniya Akkam tharum.

Meaning:

Not aspiring for the things desired by the king will give lasting riches through the (grace of the) king.

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

Verse 693
Verse 691

691. The Minister's Proposal

"How are you, bard?" asked the voice from the other end of the phone.

Tamil scholar and poet Vedachalam was momentarily stunned, recognizing the voice on the phone.

"What a pleasant surprise, sir! If you had sent me a message through your personal secretary, I would have come and met you" said Vedachalam, his nervousness reflecting in his voice.

"It is fine. Instead of sending a message through my secretary, I am giving you the message myself! Meet me at my office at 4 pm today."

Minister Subbu ended his conversation abruptly. 

"You once told me that you had bought a house-site several years back. Are you still holding it?" asked Subbu. 

'He remembers my telling him about buying a house-site during a casual conversation long time back! But, why is he asking me about it?' wondered Vedachalam.

"Yes. I still have it" said Vedachalam. 

"What will be the present market price of the site?"

"I have not checked. I guess it may be in the range of 1 to 1.5 million rupees. But, why are you asking this question?"

"If someone offers to buy the site for 20 million rupees, will you sell it?" asked Subbu, with a mischievous smile.

"How is this possible, sir? Who will buy a site worth about 1.5 million rupees for 20 million rupees?" asked Vedachalam, perplexed.

"Don't worry about 'how' and 'who.' There is a buyer who offers you 20 million rupees for that site. What you have to do is to sell it to him for 20 million rupees and buy a mansion I have identified, for the same price. In fact, the market value of that mansion is 50 million rupees. But, the owner of that mansion is willing to sell it to you for twenty million rupees, in deference to my wishes!" said Subbu.

Vedachalam began to understand the scheme behind the minister's proposal. 

"What will happen after that?" asked Vedachalam.

"After that, you will lease the mansion to me for 3 million rupees. I will pay you 3 million rupees in cash, upfront. Afterwards, at the appropriate time chosen by me, you will transfer the ownership of the mansion to a person I specify."

"Is it not a good deal? We will get 3 million rupees in cash. You can transfer the house to the person specified by the minister at any time. What is the hitch in this?" asked Kamala, Vedachalam's wife.

"The minister is trying to use me as his benami*. If there is going to be any case against him about his accumulating assets disproportionate to his income, I will also be arraigned as an accessory. Many years back, I got his acquaintance accidentally, I thought that being close to a politician can be useful to me and maintained my acquaintance with him. Perhaps, unknown to myself, I had become too close to him. It has led to a situation of his asking me to be his benami" said Vedachalam, with exasperation.

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him that I didn't feel comfortable about the arrangement. I pleaded with him that I am a timid and fearful person and requested him to not involve me in this arrangement. Fortunately, he understood my reluctance and refrained from pressing me to accept his proposal. I hope he is not displeased with me. Hereafter, I should be careful about how I move with him. I will not make any contact with him. Of course, if he wants me to meet him, I will meet him, lest I should antagonize him. I have realized that in maintaining an acquaintance with powerful people, one should exercise the caution a person sitting next to a flame of fire, for getting the comfort of its warmth, will" said Vedachalam.

Kamala noticed that her husband had still not completely come out of his nervousness and anxiety.

*benami - An Indian word for proxy (now accepted by and entered in English dictionaries)

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 70
Getting Close to the Ruler

Verse 691 (in Tamil):
agalAdhu aNugAdhu thIk kAyvAr pOlga
igal vEndharch chErndhu ozhuguvAr.

Meaning:

A person who is acquainted with a ruler of unpredictable nature should, like a person who warms himself at the fire, be neither (too) distant, nor (too) close.

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

Verse 692
Verse 690

690. A Shoulder Injury

"It is my duty to warn you of the dangers you may face when you go to Ponni country, as our emissary" said the Minister.

"I am not scared of dangers, sir" said Kathavarayan, who had been chosen as the emissary.

"Kathavarayan! I know that you are a fearless person. That was  the reason I recommended you to the King, for being sent as the emissary to Ponni country. But, it is always wise to be forewarned of the dangers one might encounter, during the mission one undertakes." 

Kathavarayan listened with keen attention to the potential dangers outlined by the Minister. 

"Congratulations, Kathavarayan! You completed your mission successfully. The King of Ponni has accepted my peace proposal and sent a reply through you. We have averted a war. The people of both the countries have been spared the agony of a war" said the King, appreciating Kathavarayan. 

"Your Majesty! Kathavarayan paid obeisance to you by raising only his left hand, instead of raising both the hands as per the custom. Don't you find his behaviour disrespectful?" the Minister asked the King. 

"The emissary has returned after completing his mission successfully. I didn't notice that he raised only one hand, while paying obeisance to me. Even if I had, I wouldn't have minded it. Kathavarayan is well-versed in etiquette and manners. If he had raised only one hand, it could have been due to a sprain in his other hand!" said the King, in good humour.

"It was not a sprain, Your Majesty. His right shoulder has an injury resulting from laceration by a sword" said the Minister.

"He was attacked with a sword! How did it happen?" asked the King, shocked. 

"Your Majesty. Some people conspiring against the King of Ponni had been making secret attempts, to create a war between the two countries. Their plan was to dethrone the King and capture power, when the King would be engaged in fighting the war. They had arranged to capture the King with the connivance of some officials working in the palace. I had come to know of this conspiracy, though our secret agents operating from Ponni country. Based on this information, I anticipated that the conspirators would try to sabotage our peace efforts and that as a part of their strategy, they might try to cause physical harm to our emissary, before he could meet their King with your peace proposal. I warned Kathavarayan about these risks, while briefing him about the mission" said the Minister.

"But, your warning the emissary did not avert the mishap. If there was a risk of a danger to the emissary's life, we could have avoided sending him!" said the King. 

"Your Majesty! Considering the interests of our country, there was a need for us to launch a peace initiative, by sending an emissary to Ponni country. I had warned Kathavarayan about the dangers he could face and also given him exhaustive advice about the measures he needed to adopt to save himself from such dangers. He agreed to take up the mission, only after knowing about the potential dangers he could face. It was because he was aware of the dangers and well prepared to face and overcome them that he was able to survive the attack made on him. After knowing about the attack made on our emissary, the King of Ponni identified the conspirators and arrested them. In the process, the threat to his throne was also eliminated. Thus, the attack made on our emissary has turned out to be a blessing in disguise to the Ponni country, in general and the King, in particular. Kathavarayan requested me not to tell you about the injury suffered by him, lest you should feel saddened by the incident. But, since I wanted you to know that he took up the mission, braving the potential danger to his life and that he suffered an injury during his mission, I pointed out to you that he had paid obeisance to you by raising only his left hand, as if I was finding fault with him and brought the injury suffered by him to your knowledge!" said the Minister.

"Kathavarayan, who took up the mission, unmindful of the danger he could face and did his job in an admirable way leading to a peaceful agreement between the two counties that would do a lot of good to the people, deserves all the praise and appreciation. His valuable service can never be compensated adequately" said the King, looking at Kathavarayan with pride. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 69
The Ambassadorial Mission

Verse 688 (in Tamil):
iRudhi payappinum enjAdhu iRaivaRku
uRudhi payappadhAm thU thu..

Meaning:

An emissary should fearlessly seek his sovereign's good, even at the risk of facing a danger to his life (in the course of delivering the message).

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'thOLil vizhundha vettu' by the same author.) 

Verse 691
Verse 689

689. A Close Shave!

Sravanan, who was sent by his king as an emissary to a neighbouring country, conveyed the message to King Abhishekavallabhan. 

Abhishekavarman was impressed by Sravanan's way of conveying the message and his pleasant manners. So, he conversed with Sravanan for a while.

During the course of the conversation, Abhishekavallabhan remarked, "I hear that your king's step-brothers have been creating problems for him."

"It is not true" said Sravanan briefly, not willing to discuss the internal affairs of his country with the king of another country. 

"It was your king who told me this. When I met him sometime back, he told me that his step-brother Suryakesi had been conspiring against him" asserted Abhishekavallabhan. 

"I am not aware of such a thing, Your Majesty. All I know is that our king is loved by the people, because he has rightfully..."

Sravanan quickly checked himself and said, "I mean he has been ruling the country in the right way!" and smiled.

'Thank God that I was able to check myself in time from saying 'our king has rightfully climbed the throne.' If I had said so, Abhishekavarman, who is an illegitimate son of the late king, would have construed my statement as a veiled reference to his ascending the throne by killing the legitimate sons of his father. If he had concluded that I made the remark with an intention to degrade him, the mission successfully carried out by me by deploying a lot of care and by using nuanced strategies, would have turned into a disaster. It could even have led to an enmity between the two countries. I saved myself and my country from a grave danger, by stopping in the middle of a sentence and changing my statement, as if I was correcting the structure of my sentence to make it grammatical! It was a close shave. I will use this experience to be even more careful in my speech in future' Sravanan told himself.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 69
The Ambassadorial Mission

Verse 689 (in Tamil):
vidu mARRam vEndharkku uraippAn vadu mARRam
vAy sErA van kaNavan.

Meaning:

An emissary conveying his ruler’s message to another,

should be firm enough never to denigrate him even by a slip of his tongue.

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

Verse 690
Verse 688

688. The Minister's 'Impropriety'

"We are sending Chithiraichelvan as an emissary for the first time. Will he able to perform the role effectively?" the King asked the Minister.

"Your Majesty! There will be a first time for every person. After all, Nandi country is our friendly country. The experience Chithiraichelvan will gain by going as an emissary to a friendly country will prepare him well to take up challenging assignments in future."

"Okay. Let us see how he performs" said the King. 

"Minister! Chithiraichelvan has come back after completing his mission. He seems to have done a good job" said the Minister.

"Yes, Your Majesty! I can confirm it" said the Minister.

"How?"

"You should forgive me, Your Majesty! Without seeking your approval, I arranged to have the emissary monitored."

"How did you monitor him?"

"I sent a message to one of our intelligence agents operating from Nandi country to keep a watch over Chithiraichelvan. The agent monitored every activity of Chithiraichelvan, from the time he stepped into Nandi country. Even before Chithiraichelvan returned to our country after completing his mission, I received a coded message from the agent about Chithiraichelvan's performance."

"Is it not improper to have an emissary monitored by an intelligence agent?"

"It is, Your Majesty! But there was a need to assess how an inexperienced person going to another country as an emissary for the first time performs. Your Majesty also expressed some concern about his ability to perform the role!" said the Minister, apologetically. 

"Ok. What did the intelligence agent say about Chithiraichelvan's performance?"

"Chithiraichelvan had been steadfast in maintaining his character, while being in Nandi country. The intelligence agent set a honey trap to him, by sending a seductive call girl to entice him. But. Chithiraichelvan spurned her seductive moves and sent her away. Secondly, Chithiraichelvan got acquainted with a wise and courageous citizen of Nandi country to get some help he might have needed while being in that country. Thirdly, while conveying your message to the King of Nandi, Chithiraichevan had been bold and unequivocal. He answered the King's questions truthfully. When the King repeatedly asked Chithiraichelvan about things which he was not expected to talk about, he told the king that he had no information on that subject and added courageously that even if he had, he wouldn't reveal it."

"Minister, I am happy about the assessment you made about the emissary. But, as to your act of asking an intelligence agent to follow our emissary..."

The King paused.

The Minister looked at the King, with apprehension. 

"It was an act of impropriety. But, I can't fault you for it, because I also committed the same impropriety!" said the King.

"How, may I ask, Your Majesty."

"Just like you, I also engaged a spy to monitor the emissary. The report given by my source is in concurrence with the report you received from your source!" said the King smiling. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 69
The Ambassadorial Mission

Verse 688 (in Tamil):
thUymai thuNaimai thuNivudaimai immUnRin
vAymai vazhi uraippAn paNbu.

Meaning:

The qualifications required of a person who faithfully delivers his king's message are purity, ability to seek support from sources in the country of his visit and boldness. In addition to the above three, he should also be truthful.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'thUtharaip pin thodarndhu' by the same author.) 

Verse 689
Verse 687

687. The Emissary Who Became Ill

"You said an emissary had come from Maragatha country!" King Subhakeerthy, asked the Minister.

"Yes, Your Majesty! He arrived here last night. We have put him up in our guest house. We told him that he could meet you this morning. But, this morning, he suddenly became ill. So, we can get him to the palace only tomorrow" said the Minister. 

"What if he is not well? He can come here, convey the message, go back to the guest house and take rest!" said the King, showing his displeasure.

"He is suffering from severe dysentery, Your Majesty" said the Minister, with embarrassment.

The emissary could not come to meet the King the next day, either. The Minister informed the King that the palace physician was treating the emissary, but that the emissary was still not cured.

"In that case, you may meet him and get the message from him" the King told the Minister.

"I tried to do so, Your Majesty. But, the emissary told me that the King of Maragatha had strictly instructed him that he should personally communicate the message to Your Majesty" replied the Minister.

"In that case, I will visit him at the guest house this evening and hear the message from him."

"Your Majesty! It may not be appropriate for you to go to the place where the emissary is staying and see him."

"There is a dispute between us and Maragatha country about the ownership of the Cardomom island. I am curious to know what message the king of Maragatha had sent to us through the emissary. I am impatient of waiting for the emissary to recover from his illness and come to meet me."

"How is your health, Emissary?" asked the King.

Meganathan, the emissary, who was lying on a cot, was momentarily startled by the King's voice and made a strong effort to get up. 

"Don't strain yourself. You can convey the message to me, lying on the cot" said King Subhakeerthi, in a commanding tone.

"Your Majesty! How can I be llying down, when you are standing?"

The King sat on a seat near the bed and told Meghanathan, "Now, convey the the message to me!"

Meghanathan said something, but his voice being feeble, the King could not hear him clearly. The King bent down, kept his ear near Meghanathan's lips and listened to him. 

After listening to the message conveyed by Meghanathan, the King became livid with anger. In an impulse, he almost drew out his sword to strike Meghanathan, but restrained himself and got up from the seat. 

Observing the King's reaction, the Minister, who was standing nearby asked him, "What was the message conveyed by him, Your Majesty?"

"The King of Maragatha asserts that the Cardomom Island belongs to his country and demands that we immediately withdraw our troops stationed there. If we don't, he will send his warships there and decimate our troops stationed in the island! This was the message conveyed by this sick man, lying on the cot! If he had conveyed this message to me in my court, it would have caused me immense disgrace. In such a situation, I don't know what I would have done to him. Driven by an impulse, I could have even beheaded him, violating the tradition of not harming an emissary. Whether the emissary recovers from his illness or not, ensure that by the end of tomorrow, he is taken away from here and left at some place outside the border of our country."

The king left the place in anger, after instructing the minister.

When the minister looked at Loganathan's face, he discerned a faint smile at the corners of his lips.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 69
The Ambassadorial Mission

Verse 687 (in Tamil):
kadan aRindhu kAlam karudhi idan aRindhu
eNNi uraippAn thalai.

Meaning:

Foremost among envoys is one who knows the task,

weighs the time and place, and speaks with sagacity.

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

Verse 688
Verse 686

686. The Minister's Suggestion

"We have to send an emissary to Kalanjiya country. Servarayan, the king of Kalanjiya is a scholar. He has read books on a wide range of subjects. He will try to convince our emissary that he is being fair and reasonable. He will cite many historical events to justify his point of view. Therefore, the emissary we send should be an erudite person, be able to present the facts to him boldly and answer his arguments in a logical way. He should be able to convey our message to Servarayan clearly and boldly, without mincing words.

"Servarayan has the habit of trying to intimidate the other person if he fails to convince the other person, or if he finds that the other person is firm in his convictions. Though there is an unwritten rule that no harm should be caused to an emissary, Servarayan will try to intimidate the emissary, using an angry gaze and veiled threats. The person we send as our emissary should be capable of facing these challenges."

The minister listened to the king's words, without saying anything.

"Why are you silent? Are you not able to think of anyone with the capabilities mentioned by me?" asked the king.

"Your Majesty! There is one person who fits the requirements mentioned by you. But, I am not sure whether we can send him as our emissary" said the minister, in a tone of hesitation. 

"Who is he? Why can't we send him as the emissary?"

"If you permit, he can be sent. He is in prison now!"

"Whom are you referring to?"

"Your cousin Nandivarman" said the minister and looked at the king, wondering how he would react to his suggestion.

"Nandivarman! He was sent to jail for his disloyalty to the throne. You are picking up that man for this job!" remarked the king, angrily. 

"Your Majesty! You had entrusted him with with certain duties relating to the administration of the country. But, you were displeased with some of his activities. When you questioned him about his deeds, he justified them from his point of view. You didn't accept his explanation. He averred that he acted after careful thinking of the issues involved and that his actions were aimed at the good of the country. His crime was that he reiterated his views, without being intimidated by your disapproval of his line of thinking. If you can look at his actions from another perspective, you can see that he has the qualities required of an emissary, the qualities listed by you. It is my humble opinion that you should release him from the prison, send him as your emissary to Kalanjiya country and subsequently make use of him in the performance of tasks relating to governance!"

The minister waited with bated breath for the king's response to his suggestion. 

The king was silent for a minute and then said, "Minister! After listening to you, I have realized that the qualities of an emissary listed out by me are possessed not only by Nandivarman, but also by you! Ask Nandivarman to be released, treat him with honour and bring him to me. I will request him to accept the assignment of going to Kalanjiya country, as our emissary" said the king. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 69
The Ambassadorial Mission

Verse 686 (in Tamil):
kaRRuk kaN anjAn selach chollik kAlaththAl
thakkadhu aRivadhAm thUthu.

Meaning:

A good envoy is well learned, can look anyone in the eye without fear, has compelling speech and comes up with timely strategies.

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

Verse 687
Verse 685

169. A Man of Noble Heart

When lyricist Kasilingam came to the film studio, he brought a young man with him.

"Who is this young man? Is he your assistant?" asked the producer. 

"His name is Ilavarasan. He pens good lyrics" said Kasilingam.

"How did you find him?"

"He had been sending his poems to me by post. I have always been receiving poems from a number of budding poets. I won't read most of the poems. I would randomly pick a few poems and read them. Among them were the poems sent by Ilavarasan. I found his poems to be interesting. I sent him a letter appreciating his poems. He came to Chennai from his native place to see me, bringing my letter along, as if it was a call letter for an interview! I told him,' Hundreds of budding poets are roaming about the streets of Chennai, hoping to get a chance to write lyrics for films. But, getting a chance to write for a film is not easy' and sent him away. But he had been visiting my home every morning and waiting at my doorstep. I ignored him all along. However, considering his persistence and talent, I brought him here, to request you to give him a chance in one of your films" said Kasilingam.

The producer told Ilavarasan "Please wait outside the room. I will call you after a while."

After Ilavarasan had gone out, the producer told Kasilingam, "What is this, sir? The film world is notorious for the fierce competition among the various kinds of artists. Each artist is trying to drive others out so that he could monopolize the field. But, you have brought in a person to be your competitor. And, you are asking me to give him a chance!"

"I thought I could help a person who had talent. If he comes up in this field and overtakes me in future, I am not going to grudge his success!"

"You are a person with a golden heart. I don't think I can find another person like you in this field. I will give a chance to this boy, only out of my respect for you" said the producer.

The very first song written by Ilavarasan earned a name for him. He began to get chances to write songs for a number of films. His graph was rising very fast. A stage was reached when the leading actors began to insist that Ilavarasan should write the songs for their films. Within a short time, Ilavarasan reached a height above the reach of other lyricists in the field. 

"Sir! You will be writing three songs for this film. Lyricist Mani will write the remaining two songs" said Ilavarasan's secretary. 

"No way. Hereafter, I should be the only lyricist for the films I am working for. Tell the producers who come to book me for their films that I would write for their films, only if they agree to this condition" Ilavarasan told his secretary. 

"Why do you want to insist on this condition, sir?"

"If a song written by another person for the same film becomes more popular than the songs written by me, then people will start talking that the other lyricist writes better than me. Should I have to listen to such nonsense?"

'If Lyricist Kasilingam had thought this way, you wouldn't have been able to enter the film world at all!' thought the secretary. 

Though the producers did not like the condition insisted on by Ilavarasan, they were forced to accept it, since the leading actors were adamant that Ilavarasan should write the lyrics for their films. As a result, the other lyricists found opportunities for them dwindling.

When Kasilingam was coming out of the studio, film director Kittu, a long time friend of Kasilingam, ran into him. 

"How are you, Kasilingam? It has been long since we met. After all, I have not directed any film during the last few years" said Kittu.

After conversing for a few minutes, Kasilingam took leave of Kittu. 

"Where is your car? Is your driver bringing it here?" asked Kittu.

"I have no car and hence no driver. I have no money, either. I alone exist!" said Kasilingam, using poetical language.

"What happened, Kasi?" asked Kittu, shocked by Kasilingam's reply. 

"Just as opportunities have dwindled for other lyricists, after the rise of Ilavarasan, opportunities have become scarce for me also. With my present level of income, I can't maintain a car. So, I have sold my car. I use only public transport and on rare occasions, a cab" said Kasilingam.

An Audi car went fast them. 

"It is Ilavarasan!" said Kittu, looking  at the fast moving car.      

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 17
Bearing No Envy

Verse 169 (In Tamil)

avviya nenjaththAn Akkamum sevviyAn
kEdum ninaikkp padum..

Meaning:

The wealth of a man of envious mind and the poverty of a person with a good heart need to be analysed.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'uyarndha uLLam' by the same author)

Verse 170 (Soon)
Verse 168

685. Kathirvelan's Questions

"Are not emissaries expected to go alone, when they are on a mission?" asked Kathirvelan.

"Yes, in general. But, why do you ask this question?" asked Kumaravyasan.

"You are the emissary. Why did they ask me to accompany you?"

"They might have sent you along with me, thinking that you would be of some help to me!"

"But I didn't render any help to you. There was neither a need nor an opportunity for me to render any help to you!"

"In that case, you will have to think and find an answer to the question why they sent you with me."

"The minister has not left even that task to me. While briefing me about this mission, the minister told me that he was sending me as your assistant, with a view to give me an opportunity to learn things from you. He exhorted me to keep my mouth shut, quietly accompany you and just observe the things you say and do."

"Why did you ask me the question, then?"

"I asked you with a fond hope that you might give me a different answer! By the way, may I know what the minister told you about me?"

"Of course. He told me, 'Someday, this boy would become an excellent emissary. I am not sure whether you will be alive at that time. So, learn things from him now itself!'"

"Please don't ridicule me. I have a keen desire to learn a lot from you. Can I ask you some questions?"

"You can. But just now, you told me that the Minister had asked you to keep your mouth shut?"

"Again, you are pulling my leg! I am asking you for this favour, only out of my strong desire to learn things from you."

"Okay. Shoot your questions."

"First of all, I would like to convey my astonishment at the way you communicate. You collected your thoughts in an organized way and conveyed the message given by our king in a concise and coherent way, yet ensuring that the communication was comprehensive and clear. I noticed that the king of this country was impressed by the way you delivered the message to him." 

"Communicating the message in a concise and coherent way, ensuring that no point is missed, is the foremost skill to be mastered by a person wishing to serve as an emissary. If you want to become an emissary, you should acquire this skill first."

"I understand, sir. I have another question. When the king asked you how the crop yield in our country was, you told him that since a part of the crops had been damaged by heavy rains, the harvest was lower than normal this year. But, we had a bountiful harvest this year!"

"While travelling in this country, I noticed that there was famine in some parts of this country. If I had said that we had a bountiful harvest in our country, the king would have felt bitter about the famine in his country. A person, however good he is, will be inclined to compare his status with that of another. Such a comparison will invariably create a feeling of bitterness towards the other. This has nothing to do with a person being good or bad. This is human nature. When I told the king that our crop yield was lower this year, that information would have given some consolation to the king. That is why I gave a slightly gloomy picture about the crop yield in our country. This does not amount to telling a lie."

"I understand. But, you also lied about one thing!"

"What was that?"

"You told the king that people of this country were very hospitable and that they offered food and shelter to us, during our travel within the country. But this was not true. No one offered food to us. We had to starve during the major part of our journey, since there were not many places that offered food for money, either."

"If we speak to a king highly about his people, will he not feel proud and elated? When he is in a happy state of mind, he will be more inclined to listen to us. The chances of his giving us a favourable response will also be good, won't they be?'

"In fact, that is what has happened! By accompanying you, I have learnt how an emissary should conduct himself to make his mission successful and secure benefits to his country through his mission" said Kathirvelan, with a feeling of happiness and satisfaction.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 69
The Ambassadorial Mission

Verse 685 (in Tamil):
thogach chollith thUvAdha nIkki nagach cholli
nanRi payappadhAm thUthu.

Meaning:

Being coherent in speech, avoiding harsh words, and speaking in a pleasing manner are the ways an envoy should adopt, to get an outcome favourable to his country.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kadhir vEndhanin kELvigaL' by the same author.) 

Verse 686
Verse 684

684. The Emissary

Arivanandam, who returned to his home country, after completing his mission of carrying a message to the king of a hostile country, met the king of his country and conveyed to him what transpired in the meeting he had with the enemy king.

After Arivanandam had briefed the king and left, the king summoned the minister and told him, "Arivanandam's mission has been successful. King Kathirvelan has accepted our proposal."

"Very happy to know this, Your Majesty" replied the minister.

"I don't see any sign of happiness in your tone or on your face!" said the king, with a chuckle.

"I am happy, Your Majesty."

"I understand that you are unhappy about my sending Arivanandam as our emissary, instead of Ramadasar, recommended by you."

"Your Majesty! I recommended Ramadasar, considering that he is intelligent and erudite and hence highly appropriate for the mission. But, I am not unhappy about your sending Arivanandam as our emissary."

"Acting on your recommendation, I asked Ramadasar to accept the mission. But, he told me that he won't be the appropriate choice for the mission and recommended Arivanandam, instead. I requested him to advise Arivanandam about the intricacies of functioning as an emissary. Accordingly, he advised Arivanandam. Arivanandam went as our emissary and performed his task successfully. Since you were indisposed and confined to your home as per the advice of the palace physician, I had no opportunity to appraise you of these developments, earlier" said the king. 

"Your Majesty! I am perplexed by the question why Ramadasar considered himself unsuitable to act as an emissary.When he had considered himself unsuitable for the job, how could we consider his advising Arivanandam appropriate?" remarked the minister. 

"Minister! When I told Ramadasar that you considered that he possessed the intelligence and erudition required to serve as an emissary, do you know what his response was?" 

"What did he say?"

"He said 'An emissary should have one more trait - an impressive appearance. I don't have that. The minister might have overlooked this disqualification, because of the affection he has for me. But, a good appearance is also important for an emissary. Only a person with good appearance, a keen intelligence and erudition is competent to serve as an emissary.' He then recommended Arivanandam for the job" said the king and looked at the minister. 

The minister recalled Ramadasar's face studded with freckles and wondered how he had failed to consider his unattractive appearance, while recommending him as the emissary. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 69
The Ambassadorial Mission

Verse 684 (in Tamil):
aRivu uru ArAyndha kalvi im mUnRan
seRivudaiyAn selga vinaikku.

Meaning:

Intelligence, good appearance and thorough learning - he who has these three in abundance, let him be the one to go on a diplomatic mission.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'amaichcharin parindhuraiyai ERkAdhadhu En?' by the same author.) 

Verse 685
Verse 683

168. Valliappan's Fall

When Muthu joined as the Manager of 'Meenakshi Bhavan,' a restaurant owned by Valliappan, he found Valliappan to be a wonderful person, kind and considerate towards his employees and customers. 

During the next few years of Muthu's association with Valliappan, he often wondered whether there would be other people in the world, with the noble qualities of Valliappan. Because of his esteem for Valliappan, Muthu did not consider attractive offers he received from some other reputed restaurants, at various places. 

Muthu was therefore surprised by the changes in the attitude and behaviour of Valliappan, since the time 'Meenakshi Bhavan' met its competitor in the business.

'Meenakshi Bhavan' had, for the past several years, the reputation of being the best restaurant in the town. Though some other restaurants came up from time to time, they did not grow to the level of becoming a competitor of 'Meenakshi Bhavan.'

But, after 'Lakshmi Vilas' restaurant was opened in that town, the situation changed. Very soon after its opening, 'Lakshmi Vilas' attracted more customers than 'Meenakshi Bhavan.'

"What is there in that restaurant that pulls people? Are the dishes they offer more delicious than the ones we do?" Valliappan asked Muthu.

"I don't think so. sir. People seem to have been attracted by the ambience of that restaurant. The restaurant is housed in a new building, which has a shining floor. The restaurant has other attractions like a attractive display board, fancy furniture etc. However, our business has not been affected. Some of our customers might have gone there out of curiosity, but they have not left us. Perhaps, some customers of other restaurants might have shifted their patronage to the new restaurant. Since we have not been affected by the opening of 'Lakshmi Vilas,' we need not be concerned about its popularity" said Muthu. 

"A person who came from nowhere is trying to compete with us. How can we watch it passively?" asked Valliappan. 

For the first time, Muthu saw a different facet of Valliappan's personality. 

'Why is this man, who is so kind and considerate towards every one, has a rancor towards the proprietor of 'Lakshmi Vilas,' especially when his business has not been affected by the entry of 'Lakshmi Vilas?' Muthu wondered.

From that time, the Valliappan that Muthu saw was a person totally different from the one he has been working under in the past. 

Valliappan was constantly obsessed with the thought of sabotaging 'Lakshmi Vilas.' He often discussed his plans towards that end with Muthu. Though Muthu politely suggested to him that such negative approach won't be helpful, he didn't pay heed to his words.

'Lakshmi Vilas' began to face some problems. Rumours were afloat about that restaurant. 

One rumour was that the restaurant bought rotten vegetables for a cheap price and used them for cooking. There was another rumour that some people who had dined in that restaurant developed symptoms like nausea, vomiting, stomach ache etc, that they were treated in an hospital and that Kannan, the Proprietor of 'Lakshmi Vilas' met the treatment expenses but made the affected people promise that they would keep the health problems developed by them after eating in his restaurant and the treatment received by them a secret. 

Other such rumours surfaced now and then. However, the business of 'Lakshmi Vilas' did not seem to have been affected by those rumours. 

Muthu had a suspicion that Valliappan could have engineered the generation and spreading of such rumours. Whenever there was a negative news about 'Lakshmi Vilas,' Valliappan would look at Muthu and smile.To Muthu, that smile appeared similar to the smile of a child that had committed a mischievous act secretly.  

After some time, an impression began to be created in the minds of the people of that town that Valliappan, driven by a sense of business rivalry, had been causing problems to 'Lakshmi Vilas,' with the intention of besmirching the good name of the restaurant. 

This perception created a sympathy for 'Lakshmi Vilas,' and an aversion for 'Meenakshi Bhavan.'

The business of 'Lakshmi Vilas' was growing exponentially. For the first time since the inception of 'Meenakshi Bhavan,' the turnover of 'Meenakshi Bhavan' began to decline. 

"Sir! Please don't mistake me for saying this. I think you should stop thinking about 'Lakshmi Vilas' and focus on improving the business of our restaurant, which is showing a decline" Muthu told Valliappan. 

"I ddon't care if I have to close down my restaurant. I won't stop till I bring down 'Lakshmi Vilas!" said Valliappan, his voice reflecting his anger and frustration. 

After a few months, a stage was reached, when 'Meenakshi Bhavan' had to down its shutters. due to mounting losses on the one hand and the lack of patronage from customers, on the other. 

Muthu took leave of Valliappan, accepted a job in a restaurant in another town and moved there.   

After a few months, Muthu happened to meet a person, who was a resident of the town where Muthu had been working as the Manager of 'Meenakshi Bhavan'

"How is Mr. Valliappan?" Muthu asked him.

"Have you not heard the news? One day, a number of people who had dined in 'Lakshmi Vilas' suffered an attack of diarrhea and were hospitalized. The police registered a case. The investigation by the police revealed that Valliappan had bribed an employee of 'Lakshmi Vilas' and made him contaminate a dish by mixing a toxic substance. Valliappan was arrested. After a few days of incarceration, he was released on bail. He has to fight the case in the court but people say that he has no money to engage a lawyer" he said. 

'What a fall from grace for a person who was wealthy and honourable!' regretted Muthu. 

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 17
Bearing No Envy

Verse 168 (In Tamil)

azhukkARu ena oru pAvi thiruch cheRRuth
thIyuzhi uyththu vidum..

Meaning:

Envy is a damned ill that will destroy one’s wealth and consign him to a fiery inferno.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'sarOjAvin kavalai' by the same author)

Verse 169
Verse 167