Suresh Chandrasekaran's Blog, page 34

To do or not to do?

Seithakka alla seyakkedum seithakka seyyamai yaanum kedum - Tirukkural To do what you ought not do and to not do what you ought to do both lead to disaster - Loose translation I have always been a master of 'Strategic Inaction'. Oh well, for all you non-management chappies with no real appreciation of jargon it is what you would call the 'Ostrich syndrome'. (I? I call it that only when OTHER

Look before you leap

Ennitthuniga karumam thunindhapin ennuvam enbadhu izhukku - Tirukkural Consider well before you decide on a course of action; to decide first and consider later is folly - Loose translation Tiru has generally been considered a wise old bloke. Yeah, to be sure, I have had reason to believe that his advice suited his times better than they suit ours. But, even in his times, I doubt that people

Turn the other cheek?

Inna seidharai oruthhal avar naana nannayam seidhu vidal - Tirukkural Avenge yourself on he who does ill to you by shaming him by doing good to him and forgetting both the evil he did and the good you did in return - Loose translation One does try to see Tiru as still a worthy adviser in contemporary times but it is certainly an uphill task. I mean, yeah, even when someone advises you to turn

Open minded

There are these words which make you feel all fuzzy inside. Take this 'open minded', for example. The moment someone says that some chap is open minded and you are all ready to embrace the guy as a bosom pal. I used to be the same as well but... You see, the thing is that, like in all things, there is the right sort of open-mindedness and the wrong sort. Giving me the sneer down your nose

The unhealing hurt

Theeyinal sutta pun ullaarum aaraadhe naavinaal sutta vadu - Thirukkural The body heals from the burns caused by fire; the mind, when burnt by words, does not - Loose translation This one, I am sure, Tiru wrote after a heated argument with Vasuki. I mean, after hearing from her about how he hurt her by what he said twenty years back about her sambar, how he derided her dress eleven years

Sweet speech?

Allavai theya aram perugum nallavai naadi iniya solin - Thirukkural If speech be sweet, motivated by good intentions, your vices diminish and virtues flourish - Loose translation Aha! At last. This is one of Tiru's sayings which vibes with the modern world. Flattery gets you everywhere as we all know. I mean, what earns you more friends on Social Media than 'Likes', 'Shares' and praise in

The Blame Game

Edhilar kutrampol tan kutram kaangir pin theethundo mannum uyirku - Thirukkural If you could see your faults in the same way as you see others', you will be safe from evil - Loose translation I think that there is a problem of mental orientation when it comes to Tiru. Like I have had occasion to muse before, maybe it is that the people of his day all suffered from the same problem. You

Holiness?

Vaanuyar thotram evanseyyum thannenjam thaan ari kuttrappadim - Thirukkural What's the use of acting and appearing holy when your mind dwells on what you know is sinful? - Loose translation There are times when one truly despairs of Tiru. I mean, yes, he lived in a different age and all that but, really, were people not more interested in appearances than in the truth, even then? Take

Friendship defined?

Udukkai izhandavan kai pole; aange idukkan kalaivadhaam natpu - Tirukkural A true friend extends help in need with the same instinctive speed as your hand stopping your robe from slipping off you in public - Loose Translation That is one metaphor I really love. I mean, you can really GET what the chap means. Like, if you were wearing a towel around your waist and have to answer the door and

Destructive speech?

Yaakaavar aayinum naakaakka; Kaavaakkaal sokaappar sollizhukku pattu - Tirukkural Control your tongue even if you control nothing else; Else your ill-said words will come back to bite you - Loose Translation When I first heard the first part of this, I was shocked. I mean, I LIVE for my tongue, for the taste of all sorts of food and this...thankfully, the second part kicked in. The man was