11.
Muruga Chettiar had a long-held anger. The family wanted to appoint his
brother-in-law to the post. He was thinking for a long time to remove me
under a pretext. Chettiar fired me from the job. I agreed with him. That
is what happened.
Manikka Chetty: "What is your name?"
"Māni."
Chetty: "Your father's name?"
Māni: ''Sitaramaiyer.''
Chetty: "Is he alive?"
Māni: "No, he is dead."
Chetty: "Is your mother home?"
Māni: "Yes."
Chetty: "How many more are there in the family?"
Māni: "No one else. I am not married."
Hearing this, Chetty laughed.
Chetty: "Aiyar! Why are you not married? The Brahmin boys, even before
they go in search of food, get married and have children to feel
complete. If the family grows, begging becomes easier. One can assemble
the family members and go begging with the accompaniment of drum and
cymbals."
Māni: "Mr. Chettiar! I am not here asking for wedding expenses. I came
to find out whether you have a salaried job for me. You said in the
negative, and so I am leaving. You Called me back."
Chetty: At what age do you plan to marry?"
Māni: "It is not a matter under my consideration now."
Chetty: "Did your mother think of it?"
Māni: "I don't know."
Chetty: "When it comes to marriage, would you not listen to your
mother's advice?"
Māni: "Not a certainty."
Chetty: "What then will you do?"
Māni: "I am trying to support my family while you are happy and rich and
have the time to chat. Bhagavan has not given me such luxury."
Chetty: "Aiyare! Should you go back home? Are you in a hurry? Don't you
need money for your meals?"
Hearing this, Māni became angry.
Māni Aiyan said, ''Chettiare! By the grace of Goddess Mīnākshiamman, we
have enough food to last a few months. My mother owns lands. If I don't
make it here, I can go elsewhere. I considered that futile talk has no
place and showed some haste. Besides that, there is nothing else."
Māni continued. "From the flavor of your questions, I thought I would
express my opinion to you. My mind will not calm down if I don't tell
you about my observations of the town's merchants. I thought I should
not proffer my opinion to you. But you kept on needling me with your
questions. It appears you have time to spare. So I decided I would tell
you my observations."
Mānikka Chetty: "Spill the beans, Aiyare! Please don't keep it in your
mind and suffer. Those who do not seek riches always consider reforming
society. I have the penchant for finding out what kind of ideas you
have."
Māni Aiyan: North Indian merchants come south often. I have moved with
them. Our merchants do not have their business acumen and sharpness of
mind. This is the first point. Our merchant's intelligence does not
match with their arrogance. If the business were to thrive, there must
be fertile lands and general wellbeing. Greatness in business goes
parallel to greatness in the town. I bet no one said this to you."
Mānikka Chetty: "I know that. No one needs to tell that. Go on with your
story."
Mani Aiyan ''Chettiare! What I say is not fiction. The next thing is the
town's merchants do know how to get work out of the employees. First,
the merchants do not want to pay the employees directly. The employer
must appease the employee's hunger. The merchant should not practice
nepotism. They should not think a stupid relative is better than an
intelligent outsider. If you entrust your business to a stupid relative,
he will ruin it. Besides, do not let a stupid manager, a sycophant, and
a false actor oversee the intelligent, the honest, and the efficient.
There must be posted hours of work for each employee. It is unacceptable
to ask the employees to do work beyond their time slot and exploit them
by calling them off-hours. Do you want me to go further?"
Mānikka Chetty: ''Aiyare! Take it easy. You will know the full measure
of the business if I tell you the crimes committed by the employees. The
hires are dishonest. The rich boys do not take up these jobs because
they perceive these jobs are below their dignity. The applicants are
rags. There is no place to entrust them with the management of
money and work ethic. They want to make money by doing handyman's
jobs. They have no enthusiasm for hard work and business management. The
poor have the poor's intellect. Our relatives will not engage in
deceit.
Māni Aiyan:" Your thinking is faulty. Did you not hear the words, ''Have
you not heard of the proverb: A helper need not be your sibling."
Mānikka Chetty: "Of course, I know. Both are bothersome. Is it sensible
to give money management in the hands of an idiot? Would we desire to
lose because of a relative or an outsider?"
Māni: "Do we enter the business to lose? But to make a living. If you
don't get a competent hire from within the family, get one from outside.
Bookkeeping should be good. Every problem has a solution."
Mānikka Chetty reflected on what Māni said.
Chetty thinks:
The Brahmin boy is clever. I should keep him as a help. But he should
not know my intention. Let me follow the path shown by God.
Mānikka Chetty said, "Let me appoint you on probation for three months.
If I am happy with your work, the job is yours. If not, you must leave.
No salary for you for the probationary period of three months. Do you
agree with it?"
The Brahmin boy thinks, "Hey bloody miser!" He tells the merchant,
"Chettiyare! I will do three months of work. If satisfied, the job is
secure. If not, it does not matter. That is your desire. You must pay me
for the days I put in work. Are you willing?"
Chetty: Are you not uptight?
The Brahmin boy: "Nothing of that sort."
Chetty: "Ayare! Come back a week later. I will tell you if I need you."
The Brahmin boy: "If you need me, send a messenger. I cannot report
without you making the call. The Chetty laughed loud and said, "Ayare!
Take it easy. I have no difficulty getting a Brahmin boy. But for you,
getting a Chetty is difficult."
Chetty: Goodbye, Ayare. The boy returned home.
Two days are gone. A great problem came to Chetty. He had a
brother-in-law, named Swindler Chetty. Manikka Chetty kept him as the
manager of his shop and lending business.
Swindler Chetty is an expert to cook up a loss. He concealed earnings
and showed the cooked-up account. The loss report came to Mānikka
Chetty. He read the financial statement and had the shock of his life.
Chetty: "Sinner, he ruined me. Chetty was in the doldrums. What am I
going to do?"
But he rallied himself later and wanted to send a man to Tanjore to
straighten out his finances. Who to send?
Chetty thought of Māni Aiyar and sent a messenger. Aiyar came back.
Chetty: "Welcome back Aiyare!"
Aiyar respectfully said, "I am waiting for your assignment."
Chetty thought of Aiyar as a competent person.
12. Rasika Sirōnmani, the donkey, continued with the story.
The donkey: "You will realize you laugh at me as the Chetty laughed at
the Brahmin boy. You laugh now, but later, you will admire me."
The peacock: "Rasika Uncle! You can never sing. You can't even tell a
story."
The donkey became angry. "I can't sing! Are you talking about me"
The peacock: "Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes."
The donkey: "Such extraordinary arrogance on your part."
Peacock: "Can't even tell the truth?"
The donkey: 'Neve say it." Peacock: "Yes, I can tell."
The donkey: "Hey peacock! Why don't you come down from the tree?"
The peacock laughingly said, "Why don't you climb up the branch and come
to me?"
The donkey, in an angrier mood, moved away.
Peacock: "Uncle, Uncle! Never leave angry. Listen .''
The donkey came back.
Peacock: You did not complete Chetty's story. Will you complete it?"
Donkey: "I told you enough, and the rest, you don't have to know."
Peacock: "If you stop at half the story, you will be born a demoness in
the next birth. It is more difficult to learn singing songs."
The donkey, struck with fear of rebirth as an ogress, said, "Is it
true?" The donkey is a firm believer in rebirth.
The peacock replied," It is true. My grandpa told me that ."
The donkey thought it must be true if the peacock's grandfather told
such a thing.
Donkey: "If that is so, could I tell the whole story?"
The peacock: "Yes, tell me the whole story. Meanwhile, I will tell you a
short story."
The donkey: "What is the title of your story?"
The peacock: "Rose Flower."
The donkey: "Tell me."
The peacock told the story.
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