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

15. Rain, the Blessing!

Parvathy was engaged in trapping the rain water that was dripping down from various spots on the roof of her tiled house in vessels, in an attempt to prevent the water from reaching the floor.

The water that was flowing on the floor seemed to be laughing at her for having completely failed in her mission.

Her husband Sivakkozhunthu was lying on the mud floor of their house, happily singing a tune, unmindful of the rain water flowing near him, on the floor.

"My dear! I am struggling to stop the water dripping from the leaking roof from reaching the floor and you are lying flat on your back and singing with excitement!" said Parvathy, in a tone of annoyance.

"Let the water flow! What can we do about it? After the rain stops, I will fix the roof tiles, to prevent any leakage in future" said Sivakkozhunthu, without even moving a little.

"It did not rain for the past two years. You could have fixed the tiles at that time!"

"There were no rains. So, there were no leaks either! What would be the purpose in fixing the tiles?"

Reconciled to the fact that she won't be able to prevent the dripping water from reaching the floor, Parvathy came and sat near Sivakkozhunthu. She then opened her cloth bag, containing betel leaves and betel nuts.

"Don't chew betel nuts so often. It will make you anemic" chided Sivakkozhunthu, in a concerned tone.

"It is the other way about. Only those who are anemic are tempted to chew betel nuts!" said Parvathy.

"Who told you this?"

"I heard it in the TV."

"You watch TV programs that give out unverified bits of information like these!"

"What do you want me to watch? If you want, you can watch the program giving tips to farmers. I can watch only what interests me!"

"For the past two years, there have been no rains. The river has dried up. We don't have the means to sink a borewell and do cultivation, using a pump to water the fields. What is the use of watching programs that give tips to farmers?"

"So, what will I do, sitting at home? I watch programs on health to while away the time. And you find fault with me for watching such programs!" said Parvathy, in an aggrieved tone.

"Okay, okay. Don't get annoyed. I just made a casual remark. I am very much excited that it is raining after such a long time. Don't worry about leaks in the roof. Once the rain stops, the leaks can be fixed. Just reflect on how much we suffered during the last two years, due to the failure of the monsoon" said Sivakkozhunthu, in an appeasing tone.

"Don't I know how much suffering we have undergone due to paucity of rains? We could not cultivate our lands. Only a few people in the village took up cultivation, by digging borewells and installing pumps. With the landowners who were unable to cultivate their own lands forced to work as labourers, the number of people seeking work increased and there was not enough work for all. We were able to get work only for a few days in a year. We faced an unprecedented problem of not having enough food for our family. To protect our children from starvation, we sent them to my parents' home, in a far off village...It has been several months since we looked at the faces of our children. They have also been pining for a reunion with us!"

As Parvathy was narrating the harrowing experience they underwent, her eyes began to well up.

"Don't cry, Parvathy!" consoled Sivakkozhunthu. Our ordeal is about to come to an end. The weather forecast is that the rains will continue for two more days. Once the rains stop, big landlords will start cultivation in their lands. If we work for them for wages for about ten days, then, using the money we earn, we will be able to start cultivation in our lands."

"That is fine. But, first go to my parents' place and bring back our children. Once we start working, we will have no time to go and bring the children" said Parvathy. 

"Yes. I will go there tomorrow and bring them back."

"You want to start, when it is still raining!"

"What if it is raining? The rain is bringing good things to us. Nothing will happen to me, if I get drenched during my travel. By the time I start my return journey with our children, the rain will have stopped!"

"Oh, rain! For two years, you tormented us, by not showing up. Now, you are blessing us, by descending on the earth from the heaven with vigour!"

Parvathy folded her palms and worshipped the rain.

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 2
The Glory of Rain

Verse 15 (in Tamil)
keduppathUm kettArkkuch chARvAy maRRAngE 
eduppathUm ellAm mazhai.

Meaning
Rain can ruin people's lives, by not showing up; again it can give relief to the suffering people, by showering water on the earth.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'Avathum mazhaiyAlE' by the same author)

 Verse 16 

Verse 14

14. Govindan's Decision

Of late, Govindan had been looking at the sky quite often.

In fact, it had become a habit for Govindan to keep looking at the sky, the way an anxious mother would keep looking at the end of the street, hoping for her son to return home from work.

His wife Annam would taunt him occasionally, saying, "If you keep looking at the sky like this, your head may become permanently tilted upward!" 

However, she also shared his concern about the elusive rain. After all, she had also been affected by the failure of the monsoon.

"Did they say anything in the TV news about the chances of our region getting any rain?" asked Govindan, knowing what the answer was going to be.

"Yes. They said that it was raining cats and dogs in Mumbai. But, the cyclone that was expected to bring rain to our region seems to have changed direction and gone northwards!" said Annam, with dismay.

This was the third consecutive year of monsoon failure. When the sky failed to deliver, there was no life for people like Govindan, who were dependent on agriculture for their livelihood.

Annam asked him to have his lunch, but Govindan had no desire to eat.

All these years, Govindan had been eating the food prepared from the rice cultivated by him in his own land.

Govindan owned lands, got by him as his ancestral property. He had been cultivating his lands, growing paddy in them. 

After several months of hard work, from sowing seeds to nurturing the plants by watering them, applying fertilizers, pesticides etc, he would harvest the paddy and store it in huge bins in his house. 

He would mill part of the paddy into rice for consumption, sell the remaining part and use the sale proceeds for his expenses. There would always remain some quantity of paddy in the bins, till the time of next harvest.

But now, he had to buy rice from the shops in the nearby town, bring it home by bus and use that rice to cook his food. How cruel that a farmer like him has to buy rice for his own consumption!

When Govindan was taking his food mechanically, with no interest in relishing the food, Annam told him:

"Why are you being so adamant? The real estate people are offering to buy our lands. They are offering a good price too. Why don't you sell our lands to them? You can deposit the sale proceeds in the bank and we can live on the interest income. Our son has also been sending us some money."

"If the farmer decides to sell his land, deposit the sale proceeds in the bank and live on the interest income, what will happen to this world?" asked Govindan.

"Are you the only farmer in this world? In our village, many farmers have sold their lands, deposited the sale proceeds in the bank and have been living comfortably and happily, using the interest income as the source of their livelihood."

Govindan continued eating, without saying anything. Even gulping down the food was painful to him.

When he was washing his hands after the meal, a thought occurred to him.

'Rather than keep feel guilty about buying rice from the market in spite of owning cultivable lands, if I sell my lands, then buying rice from the shops will become the only option. There will be no need to feel guilty about it!'

When Govindan came back to the living room, after washing his hands, he called Annam and told her. "If the real estate people come again, I am going to give my consent for selling our lands."

Annam looked at her husband with a wonderstruck expression, unable to believe her ears.

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 2
The Glory of Rain

Verse 14 (in Tamil)
Erin uzhAr uzhavar puyal ennum
vAri vaLam kunRikkAl

Meaning
If the rains that enable the farmers to earn their livelihood are not delivered in adequate quantities, the farmers may have to give up farming.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kadaiyil vAngiya arisi' by the same author)

Verse 15 

Verse 13

13. Nothing to Eat, But...

"My God! The price of rice has gone up so high!” exclaimed Selvaraj, in dismay. 

“What to do, sir? Due to poor monsoon, rice production has fallen. When the supply is inadequate to meet the demand, the price is bound to go up!” explained the shopkeeper, in the manner of an Economics expert, displaying his wisdom during a TV interview. 

Selvaraj murmured something incomprehensible in mild protest, paid the price and bought the rice.

Unlike Selvaraj, everyone couldn't afford to buy the rice needed for their family at such a high price.

Take for instance, Shanmugam, working as a labourer in the wholesale vegetable market at Koyambedu in Chennai.

These days, having rice for lunch had become a rare occurrence for his family, similar to the electricity that would show up only now and then. 

The fall in rice production led to a fall in the stock of food grains available with the Government for distribution.

The repeated assurances made by the Government that of ration card holders would get their entitled quota of rice only highlighted the prevalence of the problem of scarcity. 

During the past few months, supply of rice to ration card holders was irregular. During some months, the supply was delayed and during other months, there was no supply at all.

Since the quantity of rice supplied to ration card holders was reduced, even during the months when the supply had been regular, many people had to buy some quantity of rice in the open market, at a high price, towards the end of the month.

Steep rise in the price of rice in the open market made it impossible for Shanmugam to buy rice from the open market.

To Shanmugam's wife Muthazhagu, feeding her two children was a challenging task every day.

That evening, when Muthazhagu's son Murugesh and daughter Divya returned from the school, the first question they asked their mother was, "Will we get rice for dinner today?"

Avoiding a direct answer to their question, Muthazhagu with a question, "Did they give you eggs for lunch* today at your school?"

"Yes, they did" answered Divya,"but since the egg I got was rotten, I had to discard it. You didn't answer my question whether we would get rice for dinner today?"

"Sorry, dear. I couldn't buy rice today also. Your father has assured me that when he comes home tomorrow morning from the market, he will bring rice" said Muthazhagu, in an apologetic tone.

"Then, what do we have for dinner today?" asked Murugesh.

"I will buy you bread" replied Muthazhagu.

"Oh, I can't eat that dry bread. Don't bother. We will get rice in our school tomorrow for lunch. We will manage" said Divya.

"Tell me, Mom! Daddy gets something to eat in the place where he works. We get lunch in our school. How do you manage?" asked Murugesh, holding his mother's hand with affection.

'I have a daughter who accepts the situation of not getting enough food at home. And I have a son, who, ignoring his own pangs of hunger, is concerned about me, his mother, not getting anything to eat. How fortunate I am!' thought Muthazhagi.

This good feeling made Muthazhagu feel full, with her hunger receding into the background, for a while.

* In the state of Tamilnadu, India, there is a system of providing lunch to poor children in the schools run by the Government.

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 2
The Glory of Rain

Verse 13 (in Tamil)
viN inRu poyppin viri nIr viyan ulagaththu
uL ninRu udaRRum pasi

Meaning
Though this world is surrounded by water, if the rains fail, starvation will cause pain to people, from within.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'ammAvin mIthu akkaRai' by the same author)

Verse 14 

Verse 12