22. A Customer at the Bank

There was only a small number of customers inside the bank. 

The old man had been patiently waiting in front of the Savings Bank counter, while the clerk at the counter was attending to other customers, ignoring the old man.

After a few minutes, the old man politely asked the clerk, "Have you made entries in my pass book?"

The clerk sitting behind the counter got annoyed by the question.

"Look here, man! Asking for pass book entries to be made during the busy hours is improper. And, you can't even wait for five minutes, while I am attending to other customers?" he flared.

The customer standing beside the old man thought, 'Should he not consider the person's age and treat him with some respect?' but didn't say anything.

After a few minutes, the clerk opened the ledger and began to post entries in the pass book. Presently, he looked up at the old man with an expression of surprise and asked him, "Whose account is this? Is it your employer's?"

"It is my account" replied the old man.

Perplexed by the simple appearance of the man, whose bank account showed substantial sums of credits and a huge balance, the clerk quietly completed the entries and handed over the pass book to the old man.

"Thanks" said the old man.

The clerk did not even bother to acknowledge it.

When the old man was leaving the bank, he had to pass by the Branch Manager's cabin. The Branch Manager, on sighting the old man, came out of his cabin, greeted him and said, "Sir, please come in!"

When the old man was sitting in the Branch Manager's cabin and talking to him, the clerk who had made the passbook entries for the old man came into the Branch Manager's cabin to seek some clarification. He hesitated a little, when he saw the old man.

"Come in, Bhaskar," said the Branch Manager. "Bhaskar, this is Mr. Damodaran, a renowned businessman. Although his company accounts are in another bank, his savings account is in our bank. The accounts of his family members are also with us. He also has many fixed deposits with us. You wouldn't know he is a millionaire, by looking at him. He is so simple. He treats everyone with courtesy and respect. How many people have been deceived by thinking that he is an ordinary person! He remains as simple as he was, when he first started his business in a small way! I can go on and on about him. I have told him many times that he doesn't have to come to the bank, but can send his driver or servant. But he won't listen." 

He then turned to Damodharan and told him. "Sir, this is Bhaskar. He has recently come to our branch on transfer. He is the one who looks after the Savings Bank counter."

"Yes, I know! Just now, he made entries in my pass book" said Damodharan, smiling at Bhaskar.

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 3
The Greatness of the Ascetics

Verse 22 (In Tamil)
thuRandhAr perumai thuNaik kURin vaiyaththu
iRandhArai eNNik koNdaRRu.

Meaning:

Trying to quantify the greatness of those who have given up attachments is like counting those who have died till now (It is so difficult a task.)

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'vangiyil oru vAdikkaiyALar' by the same author)

Verse 23 

Verse 21

21. The Saint's Choice

"Who was on the phone? You were so excited?" asked Sivakami.

"Swamiji* is visiting our town!" said Dharmaraj, in a voice bubbling with enthusiasm.

"I can't believe this! He seldom steps out of his ashram** at Delhi."

"As you know, a conference on 'Confluence of Religions' is scheduled for next month in our town. Swamiji is coming here to participate in that conference."

"Who was the one that gave you this information over phone?"

"It was Swamiji's secretary who called me up. The conference is going to be held for three days. Swamiji will arrive at our town one day before the conference and will leave the day after the conference. He is going to be in our town for five days!" said Dharmaraj, with the enthusiasm of a child.

"I am so happy to hear this. We have gone to Delhi many times to meet the Swamiji. It is our good fortune that he is coming to our town and staying here for five days. He will be staying in our house, won't he?"

"His secretary didn't say anything about it. He told me that he would give me the details later. Since there is one month time for Swamiji's visit, the secretary might have thought of telling me about this later. Since our house is the biggest in the town, Swamiji will stay here only" said Dharmaraj.

"Is it possible that people who are organizing this event may make his arrangements for his stay?" asked Sivakami.

"Possible. But I am sure that Swamiji will prefer to stay in our house only!" asserted Dharmaraj.

 
One week before the scheduled arrival of Swamiji, Dharmaraj called up Swamiji's secretary and asked him, "I expect that Swamiji will be staying at my house. But I have not heard anything from you. That's why I am calling you."

"Oh, I am sorry. I seem to have forgotten to tell you when I called you earlier. Swamiji is staying at the residence of Vallimuthu, another devotee from your town" said the secretary.

"I know Vallimuthu. Though he is a well-to-do person, he is stingy. His house is small. It doesn't have adequate facilities for Swamiji's comfortable stay. The house has no air-conditioning either. Swamiji will not feel comfortable staying there" said Dharmaraj, in a tone of disappointment.

"What you consider stinginess may appear simplicity to Swamiji. Maybe, that's why he is staying there! Anyway, it is Swamiji's decision" said the secretary and hung up.

Before Swamiji's departure, after the conference got over, Dharmaraj met him at Vallimuthu's house. When he got a chance to speak to Swamiji in private, Vallimuthu conveyed his disappointment to Swamiji. "Swamiji, I have been your devotee since long. It is disappointing to me that you didn't choose to stay at my house."

Swamiji smiled at Dharmaraj and asked him, "Dharmaraj! Have you read the Mahabharata?"

"I know the outline of the story."

"When Krishna came to Hastinapura, people like Bhishma, Drona and Duryodhana expected him to stay at their house. But, Krishna chose to stay at Vidhura's cottage."

"Swamiji! Am I a wicked creature like Duryodhana?"

"I mentioned the names of Bhishma and Drona also, who were noble people. But Krishna ignored them also and chose Vidhura, because of Vidhura's simplicity and ascetic way of life. You are a good person. You are wealthy and you use your wealth for many charitable deeds. You are devoted to me. I also esteem you well. It is only because of the goodwill I have for you that I asked my secretary to inform you about my visit to your town" said Swamiji.

"But, you didn't want to stay at my house, Swamiji" said Dharmaraj, grudgingly

"It is not that I didn't want to stay at your house. But, my first choice was Vallimuthu's house. Like you, Vallimuthu is also a wealthy person. But, he has chosen to discard the luxuries money can buy and has been living a simple life. There is no air-conditioned room in his house. You might have noticed that though there are many air-conditioned rooms in my ashram at Delhi, there is no air-conditioning in the room I live. It is only natural that an ascetic like me prefers to stay in the house of an ascetic like Vallimuthu. When I come here next time, I will stay at your house. You may also practice giving up some comforts and begin to live an ascetic way of life. Renunciation will take us closer to God. Renunciation does not mean renouncing one's family, going to the forest and doing penance. It only means giving up at least some comforts one has been enjoying. My best wishes to you and your family!" said Swamiji, touching Dharmaraj's head and blessing him.

* A Hindu saint is respectfully referred to as Swamiji.

** ashram - abode of a saint, a monastery

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 3
The Greatness of the Ascetics

Verse 21 (In Tamil)
ozhukkaththu nIththAr perumai vizhuppaththu
vENdum panuval thuNivu.

Meaning:
It is the considered opinion of the scholars that the greatness of people, who observe discipline and give up desires, deserves to be glorified.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'ennai En odhukkinIrgaL' by the same author)

Verse 22

Verse 20

20. The King's Concern

King Chandrachuda was brimming with anger, as he talked to his minister.

"For the past few months, incidents like theft, robbery, housebreaking, looting of shops etc. have gone up steeply. Did these come to your notice?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. I myself wanted to discuss this problem with you" replied the minister.

"What is there to discuss with me? You just have to advice the Chief of Security to nab the culprits and punish them severely!"

"Your Majesty! The Chief of Security has been taking action. Most of the culprits have been nabbed and put into prison. But I think this is not enough."

"Are you suggesting that the punishment has to be more stringent? You have the authority to make the punishment more severe!"

"Pardon me for saying this, Your Majesty, but I think that awarding severe punishments for these kinds of crimes is not the right thing to do" said the Minister, somewhat reluctantly.

"If people who commit crimes are not given severe punishments, how will the crimes come down?"

"Your Majesty! What you say is true, in general. But it is my humble opinion that crimes like the ones happening now should be looked at in a different way."

"How do you think that they should be viewed?"

"Your Majesty! There have been no rains, for the past several months. In many parts of our country, there is severe famine. This is the reason for the increase in thefts in recent times."

"Attributing poverty as the cause for theft has always been a conventional argument to justify such crimes" said the King.

"It is true that stealing is an act of immorality. Not all those who suffer from starvation resort to stealing. People who follow the moral code will not resort to acts like theft, under any circumstances. On the other hand, we can't say that all those who indulge in acts like thefts or robberies do so, only out of starvation. Most of the people who steal, do so, only because they want to earn their livelihood, without doing any hard work. But, when the rains fail and there is shortage of food grains, some of the honest people begin to lose their sense of morality and indulge in acts like thefts. The recent spike in the number of thefts has resulted, because even people, who all along had been sticking to morality were forced to steal, for the sake of feeding their families. I am tormented by the question whether it is fair to cause more suffering to these people, who have already suffered a lot due to starvation caused by the paucity of rains, by giving them punishment."

"What you say sounds strange, Minister! Are you suggesting that rather than punish these people, we should reward them?" asked the King, in a tone of mockery.

"No, Your Majesty! My submission is that considering that starvation caused by the failure of rain could force even honest people to pursue an immoral path,Your Majesty, being a noble monarch, may take steps to mitigate the sufferings of the people."

"What kind of steps?"

"Feeding the poor is taking place in temples and in some charitable institutions. We can help these institutions to feed more people, by donating funds and food grains to these institutions. We could take up public works like deepening wells, desilting water bodies, digging more wells etc. This will generate jobs and provide income to the poor and will also mitigate the sufferings of people by increasing the availability of water, both in the short run and in the long run. We can also think of other ways to help the poor. These steps will go a long way in alleviating the suffering of the people and preventing people from being driven to resort to immoral activities like committing thefts and robberies. My opinion is that taking these steps will help to bring down the incidence of crime."

The minister looked at the King's face, wondering how he would react to his suggestion.

He noticed the livid expression on the king's face giving way to an expression of deep contemplation.

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 2
The Glory of Rain

Verse 20 (In Tamil)
nIr inRu amaiyAdhu ulagu enin yAr yARkkum
vAn inRu amaiyAdhu ozhukku.

Meaning:
World cannot survive without water. Morality can't exist without rains.

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

Verse 21 

Verse 19

19. No Rains, No Charity and No Penance!

Sundaralingam was highly devoted to his parents. Every year, on a particular day, Sundaralingam hosted a feast for the people of his village, in memory of his parents. He had been doing this for the past several years.

Sundaralingam insisted that everyone in the village participate in the feast. Even the wealthy people of the village, who would otherwise feel shy of participating in such mass-feeding events, participated in the feast hosted by Sundaralingam.

The only exception was Veeraraghavan, who was living an ascetic way of life and who followed the practice of keeping away from such feasts. However, his family members would participate in the feast. 

For the past several years, Veeraraghavan had been living a life of austerity, or rather, a life of penance. On several days during a year, he would fast for the whole day, on some count or other. Though he looked emaciated, with his bones showing, his face was always beaming with what can be called a spiritual glow.

On the days Veeraraghavan fasted, one couldn't see any sign of fatigue or weakness on his face. His face would only reflect serenity and happiness.

"Did you hear the news? This year Sundaralingam is not going to host the feast in memory of his parents. Not only that. He is going to stop this practice altogether!" said Veeraraghavan's wife Pankajam.

 

"What is the reason?" asked Veeraraghavan.

"Sundaralingam has told some people close to him, 'I have learnt that it is stipulated that the annual rituals for a deceased person be performed till twenty five years after the person's death. I have been hosting the feast in memory of my parents, for thirty years. So, I have decided to stop this practice from this year.'"

"It is not surprising that Sundaraingam took this decision. But I think that the real reason for his taking this decision is different" said Veeraraghavan.

"What do you mean?"

"The monsoon has failed for the past three years. In our village, the agricultural activities have dwindled. The businesses have also not been doing well. People have been somehow surviving by tightening the belt."

"But activities like mass feeding become significant during times like this, won't you agree?"

"Yes, you are right. But Sundaralingam is not a wealthy person. Like us, he also belongs to the middle class. He is a small farmer. He has a family to support. The annual feast he has been hosting would have strained his finances, even during normal times. But, he has been continuing this, with great difficulty, because of his dedication to the commemoration of his parents. With the monsoon having failed for the past three years at a stretch and survival itself having become a burden for many people, his having continued this mass feeding during the last two years was a great feat. Only on realizing that in the present circumstances, he won't be able to bear the expenses of hosting a feast for the entire village, he would have decided to give up this activity. He would have unconsciously felt the need to rationalize his decision and come out with this reason!" said Veeraraghavan.

"But why should he stop it completely? He could have stopped it this year and resumed it next year!" asked Pankajam.

"If activities like this are interrupted once, it will be very difficult to resume them. The guilt of having stopped the activity once will be haunting a person throughout his life. They would find it better to discontinue the activity, citing some reason. It will give the person a sense of relief!"

"You are stating your own assumptions about what Sundaralingam's thinking would have been, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am saying this based on my assumptions. But, my assumptions are based on my own experience!" said Veeraraghavan, with a faint smile.

"In the case of Sundaralingam, he needed money to host the annual feast. But, I have given up the rituals I have been performing in the early morning, which didn't involve spending any money!" he continued.

"You have stopped your early morning rituals? I didn't notice it!" said Pankajam, in astonishment.

"Since I had been doing these early morning rituals even before your getting up in the morning, you might not have seen me doing them. Therefore, you could not have noticed my having stopped them either!"

"But, why did you stop those rituals?"

"I used to get up in the early morning, go to the river, bathe in the river, do the rituals sitting on the bank of the river and return home. After the failure of the monsoon, the river became dry. So, I drew water from the well at the backyard of our house, took bath and did the rituals sitting at home. After sometime, the water level in the well had also gone down. I found it difficult to draw water from the well. Sometimes, when I felt too weak to draw water from the well, by exerting myself, I would think, 'What if I skip the rituals today?' Then, I started thinking, 'I have been doing these rituals earnestly and regularly for the past many years. I am getting older and physically weaker. Why shouldn't I discontinue this?' Eventually, I discontinued the rituals and I feel relieved now. I think that Sundaralingam might have been in a state of mind similar to mine!" said Veeraraghavan. 

"If you found it difficult to draw water from the well, you could have woken me up. I would have drawn water from the well for you!" said Pankajam.

"You have been drawing water from the well several times a day for cooking, washing the dishes etc. It would not have been fair on my part to have burdened you with more work."
 
"Helping you in performing your rituals wouldn't have been a burden on me!" protested Pankajam.

"Rituals are to be performed by a person, by exerting his physique. Doing rituals by making another person do tasks is not austerity or penance, but a crime" asserted Veeraraghavan, firmly.

"See what a range of consequences results from the failure of rain. On the one side, charities get affected, as happened to the annual feast hosted by Sundaralingam. On the other side, austerities and rituals an individual does for his own spiritual development also get affected. The failure of rains is disastrous" said Veerarghavan, with a sigh.

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 2
The Glory of Rain

Verse 19 (In Tamil)
dhAnam thavam iraNdum thangA viyan ulagam
vAnam vazhangAdhenin.

Meaning:
If there are no rains, both charity and penance will cease to exist in this vast world.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story ' dhAnamum kettadhu thavamum kettadhu '  by the same author)

Verse 20 

Verse 18

18. The Temple Festival

"This year, we should celebrate our temple festival in a much grander scale than we did last year" said Nachimuthu, the Trustee of the Temple Committee.

"Definitely. We will make it a smashing success" said Ayyakkannu, a member of the Temple Committee.

'Smashing event! Such hype! But he won't open his purse strings to contribute to the expenses' thought another member Marudhamuthu.

Other members just nodded their heads in agreement.

"Okay. Let me and other office bearers start collecting money from people, from tomorrow" said Nachimuthu. 

The meeting of the Temple Committee was concluded on that note.

After two weeks, Nachimuthu arrived at the house of Ponnanbalam, along with three other office bearers of the Temple Committee. Ponnambalam, the richest man in the village, had the reputation for being a benefactor, who would donate liberally to all good causes.

Ponnambalam received the visitors with his customary cordiality. After exchange of pleasantries, Ponnambalam asked Nachimuthu, "So, how are the collections this time?"

"Very disappointing, sir" said Nachimuthu, as if he was waiting to share his disappointment with someone. "The collections are not even one fourth of last year's. Even those who had donated substantial sums last year, donated only paltry sums this year, that too grudgingly. What I found most frustrating was that some people even asked me whether it was necessary to celebrate the temple festival by spending so much money. Some people were defiant and refused to donate more than a token sum of money. It appears that people's faith in God is dwindling."

"However, we hope that you will facilitate the festival to be celebrated in a grand manner, by donating generously, as you always do" pitched in Namasivayam, the Treasurer, worried that the Trustee's lamentation might dissuade the liberal minded Ponnambalam from donating a large sum of money.

After reflecting for a minute, Ponnambalam asked, "Don't you realize why the collections are so poor this year?"

"Of course, we do. Due to the failure of the monsoon last year, agricultural activities were at a low level. Consequently, the harvest was also poor. The fall in income of the farmers had a cascading effect, leading to a fall in the income of the traders and various other categories of people, whose income had always depended on the income of the farmers. People don't have much money left with them. Even those who have money seem to think why they should donate money to the temple festival, when they couldn't meet their own needs completely" said Nachimuthu.

"Exactly. Nearly everyone is in dire straits and hence has no inclination to contribute money to the temple festival. That includes you and me! When the failure of the monsoon has affected agriculture and made people struggle even to survive, will they have any enthusiasm for celebrating the temple festival?" asked Ponnambalam.

"What are you implying?" asked Nachimuthu, in dismay.

"Let us not organize the temple festival this year. You may refund the money you have collected. We will celebrate the festival next year, when, hopefully, things would have turned around after a good monsoon."

"Will not skipping the festival this year amount to showing disrespect to God?" 

"Is it not God's responsibility to ensure that we get the rains regularly? If the monsoon fails, is it not due the fault of God? I am not speaking against God. I am only trying to point out that if we are prevented from celebrating the festival due to God's own actions, it can't be considered an act of disrespect to God. We have been celebrating the temple festival every year. If we are unable to celebrate the festival this year, won't God understand the reason behind it? People will be able to celebrate festivals only when the rains occur regularly and they are able to lead their lives comfortably. How can people, who are struggling to run their families, even think of hosting festivals for gods?

"Okay, sir. We take leave" said Nachimuthu and left along with the other office-bearers, without communicating his acceptance or non-acceptance of Ponnambalam's suggestion.

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 2
The Glory of Rain

Verse 18 (In Tamil)
siRappodu pUsanai seyyAdhu vAnam
vaRakku mEl vAnOrkkum INdu.

Meaning:
If the rain that has to come from the heaven does not arrive, then the rituals of worship, ordained for the gods that dwell in the heaven, will not be performed.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'vENdAm thiruvizhA' by the same author)

Verse 19

Verse 17

17. Will the Ocean Ever Become Dry?

"Dad, Today, in the school, they taught us how the rains occur" said Rishab.

"Let me guess. Rains come, when there is a leak in the sky, right?" said Murugan.

His wife Nirmala chided him saying, "The boy is excited to share something he learned in the school. Without allowing him to share what he has learnt, you are joking about it. Will it not kill his enthusiasm?" 

She then turned to her son and said, "Tell me, Rishab! What did you learn about the rain?" her voice sounding curious. 

"The heat of the Sun evaporates the water in the sea. The water vapour goes up and becomes the cloud. The cloud then comes down as rain" explained Rishab, with excitement.

"Very good" said Nirmala, hugging Rishab, by way of showing her appreciation. "Your father didn't know this all along. He just learnt it from you!"

Rishab couldn't contain his amusement on learning about his father's 'ignorance.'

"Did they not teach you at your school?" Rishab asked his father.

"I never attended school. I went to the college straightaway! But, when your mother had her schooling, she stayed in each class for two years. So, she should have learnt these things!" said Murugan, by way of returning his wife's jibe to her.

Before Nirmala could hit him back, Murugan asked Rishab, "I will ask you a question. Will you answer it?"

"Oh, yes!" said Rishab, with enthusiasm.

"You said that sea water gets evaporated by the heat of the Sun. Then, why is it that the quantity of water in the sea doesn't get reduced?"

"Because the water that gets evaporated comes back to the sea, in the form of rain!" answered Rishab, instantly.

"Very good" said Murugan and looked at Nirmala. Her face was brimming with the pride of her son's intelligence.

"Dad, I have a doubt. What will happen, if the evaporated water remains as cloud in the sky and does not return to the sea?"

"How thoughtful of you!" exclaimed Murugan, admiring the boy's thought process. "If the evaporated water does not come back to the sea in the form of rain, then, the sea will be depleted of water and become dry!"

"Such an event will never occur, will it?" asked Rishab, concerned that in such a scenario, he won't be able to go to the beach.

"No, it won't. Don't worry!" said Murugan."But you should understand one thing. We spend money in many ways. What will happen, if we don't get any money, after we spend it?"

"We won't be able to buy things!"

"Correct. Your mother won't be able to go for shopping! In this world, everything follows a cycle. The world can function, only if the cycle is maintained. In life, we often get help from others. In turn, we should also help others. If we just receive help from others, but fail to help others, we will no longer get help from others."

"What a great philosophy!" said Nirmala, in a mocking tone.

"Even improbable events like the sea getting depleted of water may happen. But, you will never appreciate me!" said Murugan, in feigned exasperation.

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 2
The Glory of Rain

Verse 17 (in Tamil)
nedum kadalum than nIrmai kunRum kadindhu ezhili
thAn nalgAdhu Agi vidin.

Meaning
If the clouds that take the water from the ocean do not give back the water to the ocean in the form of rain, even the vast ocean will lose its abundant store of water.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kadal nIr vaRRum' by the same author)

Verse 18 

Verse 16

16. The Borewell Experiment

"What is this, man? This is an arid region. We rarely get any rain here. Most of the original inhabitants of this village have migrated from this place already. There are a few public wells and the water level in them is at eighty feet depth. Because we have the sea at five miles from here, the wells have some water always. But the water is acrid in taste. Those who are still living here are doing so, because they have no other place to go. They eke out their living by doing some job or business in the nearby town. You want to sink a borewell here and raise a farm! How did you even get this idea?"

Swaminathan patiently listened to the harangue of the village patriarch and then replied:

"Sir, you say there is groundwater at the depth of eighty feet. So, if I sink a borewell, won't it yield water? You also say that because the sea is nearby, there will always be a spring of water deep below the ground. So, once I sink the borewell, it will keep yielding water, won't it? People living here didn't attempt to sink a borewell perhaps because they didn't want to spend money. They have not even dug any well in their houses and have been content with using the water from the public wells. Many of them draw water from the public well, using the pulley installed there, take their bath, wash their clothes and carry a few pots of water home for using in their houses. I don't know whether no one thought of sinking a borewell or whether no one had the money for doing it! I hail from this place. I had been to Dubai for work. I earned well and sent money home regularly. After a while, my family members, not willing to live here, migrated to the nearby town and settled down there. I have just come back from Dubai, after completing my assignment there. I could also have settled down at some other place and lived a comfortable life, with the money I have earned and saved. But, since I own a small piece of land in this village, I want to raise a farm there. Once I do that, this village will be transformed completely. After six months, you will see for yourself the extent of transformation that has taken place."

After explaining his plan in detail, Swaminathan took leave of the patriarch.

"Hm! If you are destined to lose all you have earned in Dubai, by digging the ground for water in this arid region, who can prevent it?" murmured the patriarch to himself.

In the next few days, Swaminathan actively pursued his plan of sinking a borewell.

First, he brought in a water diviner and using his expertise, selected a spot for digging the borewell.

The next day, a truck, carrying the borewell digging machine and a team of workers arrived. The truck also brought in a few mineral water cans, to supply drinking water to the workers!

The boring machine roared and bored for three days. At the end of the third day, water sprang up from the ground. Swaminathan celebrated the event, by distributing sweets to everyone present on the spot.

The patriarch, who was watching the developments, was surprised at the success of Swaminathan's efforts. 'Well, it appears that this man is going to succeed in his mission of raising a farm in this village!' he said to himself.

The very next day, Swaminathan got a pump installed, laid the pipelines and using a temporary electricity connection, got the pump started.

When water flew out of the outlet pipe, everyone clapped. Some people tasted the water and expressed their satisfaction about the water not tasting bad.

But, after a few minutes, the flow of water stopped. The workers switched off the pump and restarted it, after priming it, by pouring water from the mineral water cans. But, water did not flow out. They tried this a couple of times, but the flow of water did not resume.

Swaminathan looked at the team of workers with concern.

The leader of the team, after a moment of hesitation, said, "Sir, it appears that there is only a small quantity of water under the ground. You will get water, only if water accumulates again from the springs around this spot."

"How much time will it take for the water to accumulate so that we can get it through the pump?" asked Swaminathan.

"You can try tomorrow" replied the team leader, conveying the subtle message to Swaminathan that the team had completed its job and that it had no plans to come back the next day.

As Swaminathan was contemplating what to do next, some villagers came to that place, running.

One of them threw a hostile look at Swaminathan and yelled at him, "What have you done, man? Water level has gone down in all the public wells. We are unable to draw even half a pot of water at a time. Your borewell has sucked up the ground water from all the wells in the village. We don't know how long it will take for the water level to rise up to a sustainable level."

The leader of the borewell team, who was able to size up the situation, told Swaminathan, "Sir, our Proprietor has asked us to collect the remaining amount from you. You can pay by cheque, as well."

"My dear young man! This is a place where the rainfall is rare and scarce. There will be ground water, only if it rains. I warned you even at the beginning not to enter into such ventures in a place not blessed with sufficient rain. Now, the existing wells have also dried up. How are you going to make up for the loss suffered by us?" asked the patriarch, his voice reflecting both sorrow and anger.

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 2
The Glory of Rain

Verse 16 (in Tamil)
visumbin thuLi vIzhin allAl maRRAngE
pasumpul thalai kANbu aridhu.

Meaning
Unless raindrops fall from the sky, not even a blade of grass will grow here.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'pul kUda muLaikkAthu' by the same author)

Verse 17 

Verse 15