Sunday, March 23, 2008

TIRUKKURAL STORY 2

KNOWN AND THE UNKNOWN
तक्कार तहविलार एंबदु अवरवर
एचात्तार काणप्पडुम
तिरुक्कुरल ११४
The righteous and the unrighteous are known by what they leave behind.
“Why are you both shouting so much at him?” Thyagarajan asked his son and daughter in law.

While his son Pradip tried to say something, Pradip’s wife Priya interrupted and said “It is all because of you pampering him all the time uncle! You see how much marks your intelligent grandson has scored in his 10th prelim exams. Shameful! I will not be able to go to the school and face anyone. Neither the teachers, nor the parents of the other children”.

Thyagarajan was still supporting his grandson. He said “The syllabus has become more tough”.

Pradip looked at his father from the corner of his eyes and gave a sarcastic smile.

To add to that Priya said “when I meet other parents, they do not forget to mention that my father-in-law was once upon a time the Principal of a big and famous school”.

Yes! Thyagarajan cannot do what he has done in his times as the Principal. He used to bend rules to favor the rich and the close ones in the society. Now he can do nothing. Neither his children excelled in studies nor in their life. It appears not even the grand children will make any change. It has taken two generations for him to reap the fruits of the seeds he had sown.

The grandson looked innocently at his grandfather and asked “Can you come and write exams for my sake Thatha?

Sunday, March 16, 2008

MUMMY, PAPPA SHAME SHAME

The names have been published in big letters in Ahmedabad. Students' names, even before the exams got over. I was excited to see the names and the photographs of these famous students, as I thought. I read further and I realized that these students, Harsh Kotak and Komal Patel were caught cheating in the examination halls. They duped of fracture, both incidentally on right hands, both from the same school, both got the same centre for their examination and both are the children of big builders in Ahmedabad. Both got the same class room for examination. Both got their ghost writers from a single school as per the instruction of that school managing trustee. Both were caught on the same day.
Some times back in my column I wrote how the common man is becoming a criminal. Everyday such instances prove the point.
In our childhood days, if we do anything not as per the norms, friends and other children will say, "puppy, puppy shame shame" . Now the order is changed. The old ones corrupt the young. From "puppy, puppy, shame, shame" to "Mummy, Pappa, shame, shame" or "Pappa, mummy, shame, shame".
The human being needs only one quality to do anything and everything against the family, social and religious norms and the rules of the land. He must become shameless. As a community, in India, we are becoming more and more shameless.

Tirukkural Story 1

JANAKI – Setril Malrnda Senthamarai
Janaki, an IPS officer. Praised as the most honest and efficient officer in the state. She got an information about some sex trade in an otherwise decent housing colony. She called up her lady deputies and raided the place. When she was walking away with them, she saw a small girl standing at the end with a book in her hands and tears in her eyes. She went close to her, hugged her and kissed her on her forehead. Then she told one of her assistants to take care of her.

Her thoughts went back to ‘Mudukku Theru’ a street in Srirangam in Tamilnadu, known for it’s busy nights. Mudukku Theru was known as the red light area of Srirangam in 50s and 60s. While the sex trade was flourishing all around, including in her own house, she was a girl of great grit and inner strength. Her mother while indulging in sex trade for the family’s survival, never allowed anyone to go near her daughter Janaki, who was a bright, brilliant student.

Today she stands tall as an honest and efficient officer and her mother is busy organizing reformation for destitute women. The Tirukkural that Janaki learnt in her young days was:

"Ciraikaakun kaappuevan ceyyum makalir
Niraikaakkun kaappe thalai". Tirukkural 57

This means: prison walls, pad locks and chastity belts are absolutes of no use to ensure a woman’s chastity. Her own conscience and inner strength will alone keep her really pure.

A good translation of this Kural given by Thiru K.Srinivasan: “Of what avail is watch and ward? A woman’s chastity is the best safeguard of her honour.

“Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come”

My sincere thanks to Dr.S.M.Diaz IPS, Ph.D., and Thiru.K.Srinivasan

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Tirukkural

Thirukkural is a Tamizh literary work translated into many Indian and foreign languages. Tirukkural is in 3 parts. The first is Arathupal. This part describes the greatness of the Individual. Porutpal describes the role of wealth in social life. And Kamathupal is on love and sex. Amongst the translated versions in English, G.U.Pope's translation is the oldest. Later came, Kindersley's, F.W.Eliss's, W.H.Drew's, C.E.Gover's, E.G.Robinson's, Rev.G.Lazarus's, T.M.Scott's, and H.A.Popley's. Tirukkural has been translated into Latin by Father Beschie, and Dr.Grawl. And the translators in German are A.F.Gammers, and Friedrich Ruckert. Translated in French by three authors, and the other translations available are in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Oriya. To reach the visitors to my site, I will be writing short, in fact very short stories based on the themes/morals laid out by Tiruvalluvar, the poet who wrote Tirukkural.

MORE ON DIET - NO DIET FOR SEX

Let us have 'Chai' means "give me a kiss". Let us have 'coffee' means "give me kiss on the lips". 'OK' means "One Kiss". 'Let us have bhojan' means, "come and sleep with me". These are the words that the rapists teahers at Patan 'Teachers' training college' used to molest the girl students. What should be the level of punishment to these unscrupulous devils in the human form? A big punch on the nose for chai. Double punch in the abdomen for coffee. For bhojan their private parts must be safely detached and thrown into the ocean. Bhojan for big fishes.