132. Turning A New Leaf

The face of the person, who was sitting next to me in the metro train, appeared familiar.

Even as I was searching my memory, trying to recollect the identity of the person, he asked me, "You are Mr. Arunachalam, aren't you?"

"Yes. But, I am sorry I am unable to place you, though your face looks familiar" I said, sounding apologetic.

"My name is Ganesan. I was your classmate in the school" he said, hesitatingly.

I immediately recognized him. I also realized the reason for his hesitation.

"Hey, Ganesan! How are you?" I asked, excitedly.

"I am fine" said Ganesan. I could sense a feeling of reservation in his tone.

Though my destination was a couple of stations away, I got down at the station, where Ganesan got down. After all, I didn't have anything important to do!

We went to a restaurant and took our seats.

Ganesan and I studied in the same class. We were close friends.

When we were studying in eighth standard, that incident happened.

The whisper that went around the class, carrying the message that Ganesan had stolen the pen of Raghu, another classmate of us, created a sensation in our midst. 

Ganesan was taken to the Headmaster's room.

After that, I never saw Ganesan. People said that he had joined some other school.

Since my father strictly advised me not to have any truck with boys with a proclivity for stealing, I gave up the idea of getting Ganesan's home address, going there and meeting him.

The regret of losing touch with a good friend like Ganesan lived with me for a long time. I could not believe that he stole a pen.

When we were sitting in the restaurant, Ganesan didn't speak much. He appeared to have been suffering from the embarrassment of the incident that had occurred in the school.

"Hey, Ganesan, You will always be my friend. When people said that you stole a pen, I didn't believe it. Even now, I believe that you were innocent. You can be free with me" I said.

"Thank you for your faith in me. But, I did steal Raghu's pen."

I looked at Ganesan, surprised by his words. But, he became enthusiastic. My expression of faith in him should have given him a great relief and encouragement.

"I was worried that I would have fallen in your esteem and that you would have begun to hate me. But, you have so much faith in me! So, I feel that if I tell you the truth, you will appreciate it. As you know, our family was one of small means. Those days, the pen was an expensive object. A new pen would last at least for a couple of years. Nowadays, either we throw out or lose three or four ballpoint pens in a week. In retrospect, it looks both funny and amazing that a fountain pen was a luxury! Losing a pen was like losing a valuable asset. But that was the reality.

"One day, I lost my pen. I was reluctant to tell my father about it. Buying a new pen would have been a strain on the tight finances of my father. I saw that Raghu had a pen which had some resemblance to mine. But it might have been more expensive. As you know, Raghu came from a rich family, He had the practice of changing his pens quite often. I stole his pen, when he was away for a while. I thought he won't think much about losing a pen. But he had seen that I was having his pen and complained to the class teacher.

"The class teacher reported the matter to the Headmaster. The Headmaster summoned my father to the school and interrogated me in his presence. After I had admitted my guilt, he spoke to my father in an insulting way. My father didn't ask me anything when we both were returning home from the school and even after we had reached home. 

"I told my father that I would join some other school. I joined a school which was at a distance of two miles from my house. I had to walk to the school every day. I thought that it would be some sort of a punishment for me and I thought that that suffering, though minor, would give me some satisfaction and relief from the feeling of guilt."

I noticed that the corners of Ganesan's eyes had become moist, as he was recalling and narrating his experience.

"Forget about it! It was an impulsive act done by you in your boyhood" I said, trying to soothe his feelings.

"Committing a wrong in my young age, without thinking about the immorality of my action or about its consequences and making my father suffer a huge embarrassment in the presence of my Headmaster impacted my morale in a big way. I resolved that I would live my life, strictly, following the moral code, without committing even a small misdeed. And, I have been living my life as per my revolve."

"Oh, that is very good" I said, by way of appreciating him.

"I am working in a company as the Purchase Manager. The interesting thing is that originally I was working in the Administration department. The company found out that the man holding the post of Purchase Manage had been taking commissions from the suppliers and sacked him. They wanted to post a man of integrity as the Purchase Manager and they chose me for that position!"

The sense of pride felt by Ganesan was reflected in his tone -  the pride of changing his path after committing a wrong and traveling in that path without swerving a little.

"My father is living with me. He is proud of me. This is enough for me. In a way, the wrong I had committed turned out to be a blessing in disguise to me. It facilitated my turning a new leaf and changing my life for the better."

"You are really great! You have converted a slip into a leap and gone ahead in life" I said, congratulating him heartily.

"I have been talking about me, all along. What are you doing?" asked Ganesan.

"I worked for a bank. I have taken voluntary retirement. I am now sitting at home, relaxing" I said.

"Good for you" said Ganesan.

In contrast to Ganesan, I grew up without committing any wrong in my young age. But, when I was working as an executive in a bank, I committed a fraud, driven by greed and a foolish belief that my fraud wouldn't be discovered. But the fraud was discovered and I lost my job. I was also sentenced to prison for three years. I had come out of prison recently and been searching for a job. 

But I didn't want to share these details with my friend.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 14
Possession of Propriety 

Verse 132 (In Tamil)

parindhOmbik kAkka ozhukkam therindhOmbith

thErinum ahdhE thuNai.

Meaning:

Let propriety of conduct be laboriously preserved and guarded; Though one may know, practice and excel in many virtues, propriety will be the the one that will stand by one.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'thiruttum purattum' by the same author)

Verse 133
Verse 131

570. The Uneducated!

"From the time this government took office, it  has been changing many things topsy turvy" said Ponniah.

"Changes are good. Change signifies progress" said Chinnaiah

"Is it so? Let us say I have a job, which is well-paying and comfortable. If I leave this job and take up another job which is more taxing, but less paying, will you consider my change of job progress?"

"The example you have given is not appropriate to describe the actions of this government. This government has brought about changes, only on the basis of the advice given by experts and the recommendations based on committees formed by the government to study an issue."

"Having advisors to suggest action plans doesn't make the actions of the government right. Hitler might have had his own advisors too! People who run a tyrannical government in a democratic setup will create such systems, to give an appearance that they are acting on the advice of experts and after making a thorough study of issues. Most of the members of the committees formed by this government are ruling party men. The rest are people who have been blindly supporting the atrocious actions of this government."

"What if that was the case? Have not the changes brought in by the government resulted in progress?"

"Progress? Facts and figures show that these changes have only resulted in taking us backwards, on the path of progress. But, the government and the media controlled by it have been describing these setbacks as progress!"

"It is true that there are some problems. But the experts have said that these problems would be resolved over a period of time and advised people to patiently bear the inconveniences, for some time."

"For how long? For hundred years? Don't you realize that this is an attempt to hoodwink the people?"

"The government constitutes committees comprising educated people and people experienced in the field and takes measures on the basis of the recommendations made by the committees. What could be wrong with this approach?"

"Now, we are back to square one in our discussion. First of all, most of the members of the committees you are referring to are politicians. Some of them might have university degrees. That doesn't make them educated or knowledgeable! If we listen to their talks and look at their actions, we can't consider them educated. Even those members, who are experts or knowledgeable, blindly support the untenable actions of this government. They refuse to look at the problems faced by ordinary people. So, this category of people should also be considered uneducated!"

"So, you are suggesting that this is a tyrannical government and when it it is doing things on the aid and advice of uneducated people, the functioning of the government becomes even more tyrannical" said Chinniah, in a mocking tone. 

"Perfect. I couldn't have expressed my point more succinctly!" countered Ponniah, smiling..

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 57

Refraining From Doing Terrifying Things

Verse 570 (in Tamil):

kallArp piNikkum kadungOl adhuvalladhu
illai nilaikkup poRai.

Meaning:

A tyrannical ruler will have uneducated people to aid him. Nothing is more burdensome to the earth than this.

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

Verse 571
Verse 569

569. The Price of Complacence

"The president of MNK party has been sending feelers to us about his intention to switch over to our side. He is keen on meeting you" said Vikas, the president of LNP, the ruling party.

"All along, he had joined hands with our opponents and acted against us. Now that he has broken away from the opposition alliance due to some squabble, he wants to jump to our side for his own survival. I am not inclined to humour him, by giving him an audience" said Surender, the Prime Minister. 

"Switching sides and shifting stands even on important issues are common practices in politics" said Vikas.

"There are still two years for the elections. We have nothing to gain by associating with MNK party at this stage. Let us just ignore him for the time being. Let him live in desperation for some time."

"The opposition leader has been trying to build a strong alliance against us, by mobilizing several political parties. Should we also not strengthen our side?"

"We are in power. The opposition parties are weak. They are trying to group together so that they could win at least a few seats in the elections. Why should we emulate the strategies of people who are weak?" said Surender, putting an end to the discussion. 

 "There are only two months for the election. How is the situation?" Surender asked Vyas.

"The opinion polls say that there will be a tough fight between us and the opposition alliance. As per the report of our government's secret service, our prospects of winning the elections are not bright. I am afraid that the media, which has always been trying to please us, because of the fear it has for us, has been doctoring the opinion poll results and projecting a narrow win for us" said Vikas, with concern.

"Even if there will be a tough fight, we can win. We are in power and we have the government machinery at our disposal. However, to be on the safer side, let us strengthen our alliance. You said that MNK Party had been sending feelers to us. Invite their leader for a meeting with me. If we can bring them to our side, the scales will tilt in our favour."

"Since we had been ignoring them for a long time, they became alienated from us. They are very hostile to us now. I heard reports that taking advantage of the situation, the opposition leader had been trying to pacify MNK and take it back into the opposition alliance. If they offer the party a couple of seats more than what it had contested last time, it will go with them."

"Oh!" said Surender, feeling disappointed.

"Moreover, VMM party that has been in our alliance for a long time is on the vergeof crossing over to the opposition alliance. For the past few days, the party president has not been picking up my calls. I have not been able to get an audience with him either" added Vikas.

Oh My God!" said Surender, feeling shocked. "MVM has been a steadfast and long-standing ally of our party. If that party crosses over to the other side, it will send wrong signals to the electorate and create a perception that we have become weak. We should prevent this from happening."

"Sir! The president of MVV has a long-standing grievance that you have not been giving him the respect and attention due to him. I suggested to you many times to invite him and have a talk with him. He himself tried to meet you a few times. But you didn't give him an appointment. So, he is also aggrieved. I am afraid that the opposition leader had already won over him too to his side.

"In that case, we may not be able to win the election" said Surender, realizing the reality of the situation for the first time.

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 57

Refraining From Doing Terrifying Things

Verse 569 (in Tamil):

seru vandha pOzhdhil siRai seyyA vEndhan
veru vandhu veydhu kedum.

Meaning:

A king who has not built his defences, will in times of war, be seized with fear and quickly perish.

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

Verse 570
Verse 568

568. Dhayalan's Anger

Managing Director Dhayalan summoned the senior executives of his company to his cabin.

"For the last two years, our profit has been coming down. Mr. Shanmugasundaram told me about this only yesterday. I don't know what he was doing for the past two years..." said Dayalan.

Shanmugasundaram, the Accounts Manager began to defend himself by saying, "Sir! I have already..."

Dhayalan stopped him saying, "Don't interrupt me. You can't escape from your responsibility, by telling me that you have already brought this to my notice. Mr. Selvam! As the Sales Manager, what are you going to say?"

"Sir! I have been pleading with you not to accept the orders that are not profitable to us. But, you asked us to supply our goods to your friend's firm at a concessional price. We have not even received the payments from them in full, for the goods supplied by us" said Selvam, somewhat reluctantly.

"Mr. Selvam! This is my company. I will supply my product to anyone and at any price. You can't question such decisions" said Dhayalan, angrily.

"No, sir. I mentioned this, because you asked for reasons for the fall in our company's profitability" said Selvam, in an apologetic tone.

"This is my message to all of you. This is my company. I will do things as per my wish. There is no need for me to consult any of you. But, I will definitely question you. You can't evade your responsibilities. Now, you may leave!" said Dhayalan, ending the discussion.

After coming out of Dhayalan's cabin, Shanmugasundaram took the other two executives aside and told them in a whispering tone, "As the Accounts Manager, I want to share share one thing with you. For the last two years, the profit of the company was coming down. This year, there will be a loss. This is my assessment, based on the revenue and expenses. Our MD will not consult us on any decision. If we suggest something, he will shout at us, but won't consider our suggestions. But he will throw the responsibility for failures on us. If things go on like this, our company cannot survive for long. I doubt whether tis company will be in operation even next year. So, it is better that we look for some other jobs and leave this company as early as possible."

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 57

Refraining From Doing Terrifying Things

Verse 568 (in Tamil):

inaththARRi eNNAdha vEndhan sinaththARRich
chIRin siRugum thiru.

Meaning:

If a ruler does not function by taking the counsel of his ministers and other officials and considering their suggestions and tends to explode with rage, his wealth will diminish.

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

Verse 569
Verse 567

1133. The Shy Lover

"Manickam!" called Doraiswamy.

"Yes, daddy" said a feeble voice from inside the house. Presently, Doraiswamy's son Manickam came to the living room from inside the house.

"Your uncle and aunt have come to our house. You have been sitting inside, without coming out and greeting them!" Doraiswamy chided his son, in an affectionate tone.

Manickam looked at his uncle and aunt, sitting on the sofa in the living room and paid obeisance to them, by folding his palms, and then asked them, "How are you, uncle and how are you, auntie?"

"We are fine, Manickam. You, being a man, are feeling shy like a woman! Even your voice is so feeble, as if struggling to come out of your vocal chord!" said his uncle, smiling.

"That is his nature" said Manickam's mother Meenakshi, coming to her son's defence. "He is very shy. He feels inhibited to speak to anyone other than us, his parents. He feels shy even to come and stand before other people."

"You have been working as a machine operator in a good company. You are at the ripe age of getting married. You can't be shy!" said his uncle.

"His shyness will vanish, once the wife comes into his life" quipped his aunt. She then turned to Meenakshi and asked her, "Are you in the look out for a bride for him?"

"We are keen to fix an alliance for him soon. But he keeps asking us to wait for some more time" said Meenakshi

"Dear damsel, with eyes of a doe,
This is a letter expressing my desire
But what I have penned here is
A poem of supreme love.

After reading the first few lines of the poem, Kannamma laughed and said, "What is this, man! You have simply reproduced the lyrics of a film song! Can't you write something original?"

"I have used the lines of a film song only at the beginning. After these lines, I have written several lines of my own. Won't you read them?" asked Manickam, grudgingly.

"I have read your poem in full, even when I was at home - not once, but ten times! I pretended to begin to read the poem just now and commented on the first four lines, just to tease you" said Kannamma, smiling.

"You have read the poem in full!" asked Manickam, his face muscles curling, reflecting his shyness and nervousness. "How do you find it?"

"I said I read it ten times. From this, can't you understand how much I liked it!"

She then held his hands with affection and asked him, "We met only yesterday. Why did you write this letter, as if we have been separated and living at two different places?"

"Well, one can't express everything he can put in a letter, while talking in person, can he?"

"Yes, it is true. Now, I understand" said Kannamma.

She unfolded the letter again and began to read. "You have written 'on your lips resembling rose petals...'"

"Don't read it aloud. I feel shy" said Manickam and closed her lips with his fingers.

Thirukkural
Section 3

Love

Chapter 114
Shedding Shyness

Verse 1133 (in Tamil):
nANodu nallANmai paNdu udaiyEn inRu udaiyEn
kAmuRRAr ERum madal.

Meaning:

I once possessed shyness and chivalry. But now, like people smitten by love, I have resorted to writing love letters.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'nAn ezhudhuvadhu ennavenRAl' by the same author.)

Verse 1134
Verse 1132

567. Weapon With A Blunted Edge

"Chandraprakash is a senior leader of our party. He has been working for our party for many years, without expecting any position in the party or in the government, when we were in power. He was the right hand man of your father. Your father gave a lot of weightage to his opinions. Your father had openly said several times that the major credit for many of his political victories belonged to Chandraprakash. It was wrong on your part to have issued a statement condemning Chandraprakash!" Sharma, a senior leader of the Democratic People's Party told Raghav, the General Secretary of the party.

Raghav was elected the General Secretary of the party, after the demise of his father, who had held the post

Sharma commanded a special respect in the party, because of his advanced age and rich experience. He would address every one in the party, including the all powerful General Secretary of the party by their first name and talk to them openly, without any inhibition or restraint.

"He openly criticized me in public, by saying in the TV interview that I was not leading the party in the right way" retorted Raghav. 

"That was not what he said. When the interviewer asked him whether the leadership of the party was responsible for the defeat of the party in the bye-elections held recently, he replied that there were several reasons for the defeat. That reply was by way of defending you!"

"When I had been saying that the ruling party won the bye-elections by misusing official machinery, he should have cited the same reason. He should have refuted the interviewer's suggestion and said that the leadership of the party couldn't be blamed for the bye-election defeats. What did he mean by saying that there were several reasons for the defeat?" said Raghav, angrily.

"Raghav! We should win the next election. For that, we have to strengthen our party. Chandraprakash is an expert in devising election strategies. When your father was the General Secretary, Chandraprakash occupied a position next to him in the party hierarchy. After your father's demise, he took the stand that you should lead the party and mobilized support for you among the top leaders of our party. You definitely need his help and support. If you insult him by issuing statements questioning his contribution and loyalty to the party, he will choose to keep away from the party. It will be a big loss to the party."

"You want me to apologize to him!"

"No need to apologize. He is a magnanimous person. He won't expect such things. It is enough if you treat him with the respect and the dignity due to him as a senior leader of our party. I will tell him that you regretted issuing the statement condemning him" said Sharma.

"There is no need for you to do so. I will ensure that such things don't happen in future" said Raghav.

Even after that, there were several instances of Raghav insulting and demeaning senior leaders

The opinion polls predicted that the People's Democratic Party led by Raghav would win the election. 

Raghav engaged the services of an election strategist. Since parties that had used his services in the past had won the elections, it was expected that his strategy would help the People's Democratic Party win the elections in a big way.

But, contrary to the general expectation, People's Democratic Party lost the elections. The ruling party succeeded in snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and retained power.

"What reasons does your election strategist attribute to our party's defeat?" Sharma asked Raghav.

"He is not my strategist. He is a strategist for the party" hit back Raghav. "We engaged his services, only after getting the approval of the Executive Committee of our party. We lost by a margin of two percent. This is not a big defeat."

"In the horse race, it is enough if the winning horse puts its nose ahead of that of the one competing with it. The same principle is applicable in politics too. A defeat is a defeat. The size of the margin doesn't count. Two factors have contributed to our defeat in the elections."

"What are they?"

"The first factor is your making petty allegations against people who had been sincerely working for our party and expelling them from the party. The second factor is your sidelining senior leaders like Chandraprakash, by using harsh words against them. These two factors have blunted the edges of our weapons. If a king enters the war with weapons whose edges have been blunted, even a weak opponent will defeat him. This is what happened to our party" said Sharma.  

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 57

Refraining From Doing Terrifying Things

Verse 567 (in Tamil):

kadumozhiyum kai igandha dhandamum vEndhan
adu muraN thEykkum aram.

Meaning:

Harsh words and excessive punishments form the saw

that files away the king’s military might.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kUr mazhungiya Ayudham' by the same author.)

Verse 568
Verse 566

131. Intimacy

Padmanabhan was the youngest among the candidates who appeared for the interview, for the high level position of the Executive Secretary to the Managing Director of the company. And, he was the one selected for the post.

The General Manager, who conducted the interview told Padmanabhan, "Now, you have to meet our Managing Director. If the MD endorses my selection, your appointment will be confirmed."

Narmada, the Managing Director, appeared to be younger to him by five or six years. 

She asked him a few superficial questions about his education and experience, looked at the General Manager, who was also present in the interview and nodded her head.

The General Manager said "Congratulations," and shook hands with Padmanabhan. Narmada smiled gently.

During the first few months of his working, Narmada didn't seem to pay much attention to him. Though the office routine required that all the actions of the MD should be routed through her Executive Secretary, it appeared to Padmanabhan that she was maintaining a conscious distance from him.

However, after a few months, Padmanabhan noticed a few changes in the MD's attitude and approach towards him. She began to take notice of and appreciate Padmanabhan's efficient functioning.

While at the beginning, Narmala was treating Padmanabhan as a lower level assistant, over a period of time, she began to gradually entrust him with more responsibilities and authority. She delegated to him the power to take decisions on several matters. 

She often told the General Manager and other senior executives, who approached her for advice or permission, "Please discuss this with Mr. Padmanabhan."

Narmada invited Padmanabhan to her cabin several times a day, discussed important matters with him and even sought his opinion and advice. She also took him along with her for most of the meetings and appointments she attended.

Padmanabhan felt proud that he had earned the confidence and goodwill of the Managing Director, through his integrity, hard work, dedication  and efficient functioning. 

Narmada and Padmanabhan had been to the guest house of a client, for an important discussion with him. When they reached the guest house, the client told them that he had to go out for about half an hour on an important matter and asked them to wait in his room till he came back.

After the client had left, Padmanabhan told Narmada "I will wait in the lobby. After the client comes back, I will join the meeting" and got up to leave.

Narmada stopped him saying, "Please sit down, Mr. Padmanabhan. I need to discuss a few things with you, till the time the client comes back."

Narmada told him, "Mr. Padmanabhan! I have been observing your functioning for the past seven or eight months, since you joined my company. To say I am very much impressed will be an understatement. You are simply amazing!. When I was advised to have an Executive Secretary, I only expected that I would get some relief from my routine work. But, you have taken a lot of initiatives and freed me from the burden of most of my tasks, virtually making me idle. I am very happy about your contribution."

"Thank you, madam!" said Padmanabhan. Beyond that, he didn't know what to say.

"I think I can share with you a few personal things about me. I am the only daughter of my father. I lost my mother, when I was a child. After completing my degree course, I joined the company, intending to assist my father. I learnt about the functioning of the company in a general way. But within two years of my joining the company, my father passed away. After that, I have been managing this company to the extent of my capabilities" said Narmada.

"Madam! I am not saying this to flatter you, but the impression about you in the market is that you are very brilliant and that you have been managing the company exceptionally well. Of course, I have been seeing this myself, for the past eight months!"

"Thank you. I am only practicing what I have learnt from my father. But, whatever I have been able to do is nothing compared to the proficiency you have attained within eight months of joining this company, to the extent of doing a major part of my work. ..Okay. Let me come to the matter I wanted to talk to you about. I am not interested in getting married. I thought that I would remain unmarried till the end..."

Narmada paused, thinking how to proceed further. 

She then continued, "I will come to the point directly. I have developed a liking for you. I know that you are married. But this is not about love. I want to be intimate with you."

"Madam!" exclaimed Padmanabhan, stunned by Narmada's words.

"This won't be a serious relationship. It will be just fun. We can be intimate in places like this, when we are alone, outside the office. No one need to know about this. Your wife won't know about this. And, this won't affect our official relationship in any way. What do you say?"

Padmanabhan got up from his seat and said, "I will go out and wait in the lobby." 

"Think about it. If the news about our intimacy were to come out, I will be affected more than you. So, it is my responsibility to ensure that no one gets any inkling about this."

Even as Narmada was saying this, Padmanabhan left the room.

That night, when Padmanabhan was at home, his mobile phone rang. His wife Sarada was in the next room, talking to their five year old son Vignesh.

"Yes, madam" said Padmanabhan.

"You have sent your resignation letter by email. If you didn't like what I had said, it is fine. Why should you resign? I didn't pressurize you!" said Narmada.

"Madam! The shadow of today's conversation will always be falling on me. In such a scenario, I won't be able to function well. Please accept my resignation and relieve me."

When he ended the conversation, Sarada had come near him.

"You have resigned your job! You didn't tell me!" she asked him, perplexed.

"I thought I would tell you after dinner. What if you refused to give me dinner, for the reason I didn't have a job?" said Padmanabhan, smiling.

"This is not a matter to be joked about. It was a good job. Why did you quit?"

"I couldn't get along with my boss."

"You said something about a shadow."

"If my boss was always standing behind me like a shadow and watching me, how could I work? That was what I was telling her."

"I know what your problem is!"

"What is it?"

"You have been unable to accept a woman as your boss."

"When I have accepted a woman as my boss at home, why can't I accept a woman as my boss in the office?"

"You joke about everything!" said Saratha and laughed.

When Padmanabhan joined her in her laughter, he was momentarily free from the worry of finding another job.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 14
Possession of Propriety 

Verse 131 (In Tamil)

ozhukkam vizhuppam tharalAn ozhukkam
uyirinum Ombap padum.

Meaning:

Propriety confers prominence; hence, propriety is

cherished more than life.

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

Verse 132
Verse 130