மனமே

மனமே 

என்  மனமே
என் நிழலே
எந்தன் பிரதியே
ஏன்  கலக்கம் ?

விழி மூடா,
நீ கண்ட
கனவுகள் எங்கே?
களவு போனதா ?
கலைந்து போனதா ?
ஏன் தடுமாற்றம் ?

யோகம் நம்பாத
தன்னை நம்பும்
உந்தன்
முயற்சி எங்கே ?
முடிந்து போனதா ?
மயங்கி போனதா ?

என் மனமே
ஏன் கலக்கம் ?


உழைப்புக்கு
 ஊதியம் கேட்கும்
உந்தன் உறுதி எங்கே ?
பாறை போன்ற
உந்தன் தீர்க்கம் எங்கே ?
ஏன் தடுமாற்றம் ?

நிலம் நோக்காது
நிமிர்ந்து நில், மனமே !
 கலக்கம் தவிர்.

Love You Appa

Anbulla Appa,
             I have written a few letters in my life so far, including a complaint letter addressed to the powerful State and another to the even more powerful 'God' although without receiving any reply from them both.But I havent have expressively written one to you. Perhaps because we have been in consistent touch, speaking to each other or more pertinently hearing each others voice invariably every passing day. Or may be because I am cultured not to publicly display love and affection but rather to consider public as a space for spreading squalor or filth. I may have even found it little awkward to express MY(our) love for you, and our limited(if not biased) evaluation of you, very explicitly in written form. However I do not want to procrastinate it further. Here it comes.
   
       First of all I plead before you to forgive me for going very personal and belongingly possessive of you or your love, if at all I go so anywhere in this letter. For you have taught us more on collective belonging rather than on private possession. We siblings have shared not just our home, room,bicycles, motor-bikes etc but also our parents. Its not that we did not personally own each one of them but we have been nurtured to think each and every thing-living and non-living- as a collective & common good for three of us as far as possible. We have never said "My appa/amma" but felt comfortable saying "enga appa". Even today when we 3 of your sons have grown up and are all SETTLED, we still continue to have that in our mind not to claim anything for exclusive personal possession. You should not be very surprised why we siblings long for and try to grab every opportunity ,that appears to pass through our way, to settle down in our locality with enga amma-appa . So you can even be boastful of  your way of nurturing us that make us to live as a happy joint family.
              As every other child, we grew considering you as our  super-hero. I remember feeling so excited whenever someone says I resemble more of you. Round face, curly hair were a few physical attributes we longed for in our childhood. My penchant for white Khadi shirt is because its enga appa's signature wear. Equally we may have had regrets when somebody passes a comment that we look like our mom. Yes its true. Biologically your's X Chromosome was the sole determinant of our gender, being a male, but amma has contributed with her Y Chromosome. But she apparently has felt contented and satisfied to disown us when it comes to claims of resemblance of physical appearance, even if reality -both on our appearance and her actual feeling- may be otherwise.
          As you know very well, amma is amma. All that she craves for is our well-being and love, and satisfies with her being identified as your wife and our mom. Sacrifice is the only language she speaks, nothing more, nothing less. Agree, accommodate and adjust,  and compromise, love and care are the scripts she is well versed in. However I need not have to tell you about the love you both have on each other. And there are times when I have tried to gauge your mental strength to face a double whammy of death of your daughter and consequential loss of mental balance of our amma. We infant-siblings were put under relatives'  care then whose separation would have exacerbated your mental well-being. Its nothing but your love for our amma that had helped her regain herself and brought us all together.
            Appa, can we ever forget the ideals that you reckon very much in life. Self-esteem, dignity, service to others, humbleness, introspective maturity and humanity etc are a few things you would never want to compromise on.  You were working, are working and would continue to work for ever in your life time, as far as I have understood you. You  love to lead a financially independent life and any form of social security such as pension, insurance, or any notion of old age retirement or rest is unknown to you.
          While male children are considered to be an economic security source who could be relied upon during a parents' old age, you are inclined not to depend on us on your financial needs. To all the functions that we have organised in our family in recent times, including two marriage functions, you have put your financial contribution. You did not even want us to spend money for amma's medical surgery as a symbolic gesture that your wife should be treated from your earnings through out your life time. This is despite the fact that you have been working for over 5 decades without adequate rest or any means of extra enjoyment. All that you demand from us is moral support not monetary support. Your sense of self-esteem is also evident in all your dealings with your friends, powerful politicians and businessmen friends, and government authorities. You would always want to differentiate between being compliant to official authority and subservient to the same. Hope you would very well remember few of your organised opposition to political and official authorities as a government registered works contractor. Submitting yourself before them for any personal gains is unheard of.
       And the main thing with you that impresses every one of us- of course not much of amma- is your proclivity to help others un-invitedly. We feel very proud to notice that our father lends his helping hands to others even if that involves monetary hardship for him. Even when he takes 100 Rs @ 3% monthly interest from someone , he will not hesitate to donate a significant part of it to those needing help. Both of my elder brothers have learnt that art of being a helping hand, from you,which I am yet to articulately learn.
        Even before Shivaji Ganesan- Kamal Haasan duo emotionally kindled a section of viewers' senses and insisted on leading a socially beneficial personal life, through a famous Tamil movie Devarmagan, you have impressed upon that sense on us. A government civil engineer could help atleast a few works contractor-families in living happily. A senior government civil servant could help thousands of families live happily. Whereas a private professional career, life in a 'heavenly' foreign soil, posh living would be just self fulfilling. "Lead a life with public purpose" is your life message for us.  To all our happiness, one of your sons has been working as a Civil Engineer with the Tamilnadu government. And I request you not to worry too much about the rest, WE  would ensure that we repay this society and this Nation, which has overwhelmed us with many form of social assistance.
                You had some initial disagreements over your sons' life-partner choices. "Every parent wants to choose the life partners for their KIDS" - you said then. When two of your sons, back to back,  have indulged in their otherwise rare self-assertion by choosing your daughters-in-law and thus denying you those rights, it would have certainly hurt you. The social identities such as caste, religion, cultural practices etc with which a person associates are usually restrictive, rarely providing for any marriage alliance between families of different identities. Such inhibitions are much more ingrained in the milieu of people hailing from lower strata in the socio-economic hierarchy. However you were neither stubborn nor unforgiving and gave up your apparent rights ,for your sons' well being. You are so accommodative and appear to be happy of your daughters-in-law now. Sometimes I wonder how our father, coming from a humble social and economic background and not exposed to much of outsiders' cultural characters and living, could come out of the casteist and religiously determined orthodoxy which are so prevalent in his immediate social surrounding. You are even ready to subject your activities (not all however) to scrutiny at our family level and are open to convincing suggestions and changes.  So we are very aware that enga appa is a person who could be moved if we could convince him even if it takes some time.
    You are a person of exceptional humbleness, except in the past when you spoke of your sons' academic achievements, and compassion. You will lend money to others without demanding any interest payment however you may have got that money at some monthly payable interest. You may have been angry with your workers but would not exploit them and their work. A good part of your earnings are being donated to whomsoever you find it relevant. Never wonder " tharmathukku kattupattu seyvaen"(My actions are controlled by moral consideration) is your oft-repeated dialogue.
        Appa, you were so careful enough to cultivate the value system of living within our means. Yes, you have got us whatever we sought for in our childhood. But you made sure that we do not seek anything from you that may understandably fall out of our parents' ability to offer. You used to tell a story wherein "a father encourages his daughter to score well in her studies and promises to reward her accordingly. For every improved performance, he gets her higher value products as per her wishes. One day he tells his daughter not to perform well because she appeared to have demanded for a gift that he could not afford to buy. " We are sure to pass on this story to your grand-children at the appropriate time.
            I have rarely seen any person like you who is so loving and concerned about his children and their safety. Even at this age of 29 years, you consider myself to be susceptible to kidnapping by unknown persons or vulnerable to accidents caused by rash driving of others. You want every one of us to sign your mentally held attendance-verification-register by personally hearing to our voices through phone calls, whenever we are out of home. You are actually a fragile person who is very sensitive to others feelings and would broke down not so rarely. We share a conviction that its your ability to vent your feelings through these emotional expressions that you are able to keep yourself  relatively relaxed and less worried.
        Appa, you are a source of inspiration, not just during our childhood but even now. We may want to emulate you and become a responsible human being, a not so irrational citizen, an unmatchable father. And on this Father's day I assure you one thing, like what Kamal Haasan promises his father in Devarmagan movie, that I would lead a socially purposeful life. Don't worry too much about me. I am not unsettled. In fact I am very well SETTLED with your guiding presence, moral support and never ending love and care. Take sufficient rest appa.
                          We love you.
                                                                     Piriyamudan,
                                                             T.M.Rajeev Ganth
                                                       
         
     

அன்பு மகள்களுக்கு,
                          என்ன எழுதுவது என்று முடிவு செய்யாமல் எதையோ எழுத தொடங்கும் சித்தப்பாவின் கடிதம்.நாளை பெரியவள் தர்ஷி செல்லத்தின் ஐந்தாவது பிறந்த தினம். எங்கள் மூத்த மகள் , இந்த மண்   தொட்டு, நம் மனைகள் தவிழ்ந்து, விழுந்து, எழுந்து , நடந்து ,ஆடி, சாடி, தளர்ந்து , எங்கள் மனங்கள் திருடிய ஐந்து அற்புத , ஆச்சர்ய வருடங்கள்.
                   
                  நேற்று தர்ஷிமா உன்னோடு தொலைபேசியில் பேசிய போது , " எப்ப ராஜுப்பா வருவீங்க " , என்ற முதல் கேள்வியோடு, " நான் ஒரு கேள்வி கேட்டா, நீங்க ஏன் 5 கேள்வி கேட்கறீங்க ? ", என்று கேட்கிறாய். ஒரு வேளை  இதே கேள்வியை நான் பணி செய்த போது என் சக பணியாளர் என்னிடம் கேட்டிருந்தால் ,  நான்  கோபம் கொண்டிருக்கக் கூடும்.

                     சில தினங்கள் முன்பு  திருக்குறள் வாசிக்கையில் ,  " தான் கோபப்பட்டால் எடுபடும் இடத்தில் ,ஒருவன் தன்  கோபத்தை அடக்க வேண்டும். மற்ற இடத்தில் கோபத்தை அடக்கினால்  என்ன அடக்காவிட்டால்  என்ன  " என்று வாசித்தேன்.  கற்க கசடற என்ற வள்ளுவர் வழி வந்தவன் அல்ல நான். 'நிற்க அதற்க்கு தக' , அது யாருக்கோ சொன்னது போல தான் புரிந்து வைத்து இருக்கிறேன். எனினும் உன்னிடம் கோபம் வரவில்லை.  பதிலுக்கு சிரிப்பும், கொஞ்சம் பூரிப்புமே இருந்தது. ஒரு வேளை , எங்கள் மகளான உன்னிடம் தோற்பதில் எனக்கு ஆட்சேபனை இல்லை  போலும்.
   
             ' என்னுடைய பிள்ளை என்னை ஜெய்க்கிறதே
            என்னை விட உயரத்தில் பறந்து, சிகரம்  தொட,...'
என்ற திரைப்பட பாடல் நினைவுக்கு வருகிறது.

                        இந்த வீட்டில் வெறும் 5 வயதான நீ, பெரியவள் என்ற நிலை அடைந்த அசௌகர்யம் நினைத்து சில நேரம் வருந்தி இருக்கிறேன்.  உனக்கு பிறகு நம் வீட்டில் இரு தங்கைகள் உனக்கு வந்ததின் வெளிப்பாடு அது. ஒருவேளை அது உந்தன் குழந்தை பருவத்தின் .........to be continued..

Secularism ----- religious attitudes

             For the last few months I happen to listen to too many public/private debates on secularism.There were claims and counter claims on the relevance of this socio-political concept of secularism. In a series of articles I would attempt to presenand questions related to secularism or more precisely on pseudo-secularism as some one there may wish it to be referred to.
                                  To deal with secularism, I consider it to be relevant to discuss on the role of religion in determining our private attitudes. Most of these attitudes and beliefs, I suppose, are prejudicial and biased, instrumentally learned from and conditioned by our families or private relationship however not without individual personal enforcement ie I, as an individual, cannot abdicate my role in enforcing these attitudes even though they are learned from my ecosystem. Some of these may even be the breeding ground for hatredness ultimately compromising social harmony and or national integrity.
                 But I understand that I am Constitutionally obliged to abide by its ideals and hence at the very outset let me reiterate the gist of what the Supreme Court of India says on right to freedom of speech and attendant reasonable restrictions-- " What is offensive shall be determined keeping in mind the views of a stable, reasonable, rational person and not that of some one who is easily impressionable. "Also I may want not to forget that  it is a fundamental duty to develop  ' scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of enquiry and reforms'. Please dont be prematuredly offended.

                                Religious Atttitudes

              In a pluralistic society like ours with enormous diversity, 'Unity in Diversity ' is a relevant, compulsory topic which attracts atleast a 5 marks question in all Social Science examinations when I was a school student. I used to memorize the standard answer - centered around not just tolerating but also respecting various avenues of Indian diversity including race,religion, caste, language, class etc- and usually score well in this topic.
                  However when Tamil cine music-director Yuvan Shankar Raja publicly revealed that he had changed his religious faith with utmost conscience, many questions did arise in my mind regarding his personal choice. Let me not reveal those questions but I leave it presumable to the reader and his/her own personal evaluation on this conversion. How do you evaluate this choice of ILAIYARAJA's son? Please try to analyze the influence of your immediate social milieu in determining your evaluation.
                   It is accepted that the manner of dressing, language used, hair style, food habits and other cultural elements usually give a clue about the religious faith of people around us. A casual person, dressed in lungi and seen with untrimmed beard, shaven mustache did attract the attention of many passengers while he was travelling in a crowded railway coach. I would have expected such attention-gathering affinity not even for a Bollywood movie star. Why did he attract the eyes of all around there? Was it law of attraction that was in force then or law of suspicion? What role do the society, media and I AS AN INDIVIDUAL have in normalising our prejudices at the social level ?
       Population of Kanyakumari district officially contains atleast 40% religious minorities, mostly people of Christian religious faith,but the government school where I had studied did not have even 25% religious minority students. The case is much worse in case of under graduate college education wherein not even 5% of students in the college I studied were from religious minority groups.
           A friend who practises Christianity told that being a minority this land is unsafe for him and he may soon empower himself to settle in a foreign country. Why is this feel of insecurity even though every Indian citizen is Constitutionally guaranteed to be free to practise, profess and propagate any religion? Does equality of treatment being compromised in our society?
       I dont have a convincing answer as to why I don't have many non-Hindu friends although they are numerically dominant in Kanyakumari district. While people tend to conglomerate in a similar-cultural environment, there are some cases of exclusivity prohibiting people from other cultural belief to inhabit their locality. While caste based exclusivity is well evident in Hindu habitations, I have seen some localities in our district where non-Muslims and non-Christians are to be excused. Even renting of house in such localities for people from other religious faith is prohibited.
                   I remember asking my friend why his cousin was given a Hindu name. He questioned back, "Wasn't it an Indian name?". But when he revealed his full name it was a Christian name as I have expected. So I have a predetermined belief as to what constitutes a Hindu name or Christian name. One of my kids' name is 'Dipika Logini' and a Christian-friend said that it seems to be a Christian name too.In case of Tamil cinema I suppose there are conscious attempts to change the names of actors in such a way that their original religious faith is not readily identified. Why is there not much films in Tamil where the protagonist is a Christian/Muslim? Does business take an excessively prejudiced opinion?
              A Hindu mason once declined to take water from a Muslim saying that they are untidy. While majority of the Muslims are engaged in self-employment, but for their Briyani making ability, it appears that not many people from other religious faith would hire a Muslim cook. Have you ever hired a domestic worker- a cook in particular- who practises a religion other than yours? Have you allowed them to access your rest room?  It is a well known fact that formal financial system players such as banks are reluctant to lend to Muslims and there are cases of blanket ban on lending to certain Muslim dominated localities. Isn't it a brutal form of discrimination?
                   While breaking law is not so uncommon, what opinion do you have against people claiming fake reservation benefits? I have known a few families that still practises Christianity but officially are termed as Hindu families to claim SC reservation benefits. A few of them work in higher government official positions. Its a different matter that the Ranganath Mishra Committee has recommended for SC status to eligible Christian and Muslim families.
                 My parents visit Churches very often and attend both Catholic and Protestant prayers. Monthly private prayer meetings are still being organised in our home often but there is something that prevents us from allowing my sister-in-law, who is a Christian, to attend prayers at the Church at Nagercoil. Interestingly my brother is as highly religious as my sister-in-law is and both have contradictory opinion on each others religion while my niece takes sides as and when required. Yet it is love that binds them all. Does it imply the superiority of humanism and love over religious proclivity or a mere compromise that is waiting for the right moment to break out with vulcanic thrust?
            If you take marriages, religious faith is obviously expressed even in non-religious  matters. A Christian friend told that their bridegrooms use to wear suits because they are Christians. Another friend claimed that the Hindus have a compulsion to print the names of their relatives on marriage invitation card while Christians are free not to to do this.
                      A Christian fish-seller asked my mother, "Why should you rush to the marriage function? After all your people are not going to serve non-vegetarian food as ours." While another Hindu friend told he has a compulsion not to use drum bands in his marriage function because it is an identity of Christians. A Muslim friend told that in Hindu marriages main function occurs at late morning hours but food is served very late inviting the wrath of others whereas marriage under his faith are organized usually at noon and lunch is served very soon.
           Although serving non-vegetarian food is quite common even in Hindu family marriage functions in Kanyakumari district, a neighbour said he wants to differentiate om Hindus and hence will serve beef instead. While we served non-vegetarian food as dinner for our family marriage functions, there were advices not to do this as we are Hindus. Ofcourse these attitudes may not be that harmful.
                 A Hindu friend told me that he could not see Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam as a Muslim. So he seems to have a sense on how a Muslim may behave/look like. While the whole nation celebrated when A.R.Rahman was awarded the USA-Academy awards( Oscar) and no religious identity was brought to the fore then , Sania Mirza may have an additional burden of proving her patriotic zeal very often because of her marital choice.
                      Whenever people speak about religious conversion, I have noticed that not many speak about conversion of foreigners by Hindu groups. Even many refute to acknowledge that after over four centuries of European presence in India, people who have converted to Christianity were less than 4% at the national level. A retired school teacher advised me to pray to only his God so that I shall clear my examinations. I have myself witnessed religious prayers being offered at Trivananthapuram Government hospital by outsiders. When District Collector of Kanyakumari district spoke publicly against religious gatherings within District Hospital, there was widespread agitations against his initiatives.
        A friend asked why the Indian Constitution should insist on non-slaughter of cows, associating it to satisfying Hindu interests. However it is true that it was ancient  Hindu religious practice to sacrifice cows which was openly opposed by Buddhists and Jainists.
                 In social media platforms I have observed people getting easily offended when some body from other religious faith pinpoints to the superstitious practices of their  religion. Also the playing of religious songs through public-disturbing speakers, by their own religious institution do not dusturb them in the same way as those played by other institutions.
             While mishandling of foreign donations by Churches got much attention in my immediate neighborhood not much debate was initiated when Ranji*** fame Nithyanandha was imprisoned. Can anybody forget the support mobilized by self-styled godman Rampal going against the law of land? Why do religious cults attract much following?
                     In a private channel interview Tamilnadu Jammad Chairman was asked if there werent any forced and allured religious conversions done in Tamilnadu. He said that Islam do not have any missionary-architecture and aligned foreign aids that are essential to do the questioned conversion. People embrace Islam religion by being attracted to any of its  tenets, he claimed.
                            While I still continue to receive specially cooked non-vegetarian items or baked food from my Muslim/Christian friends during special occasions like Bagrid/Christmas, there  is not commensurate reciprocity by the Hindus, I feel.
                     

To be continued......
       Part 2 : Constitution, secularism and religion
        Part 3 : Political secularism

Not fair but unfair

 Except my hair ( if at all I have enough of it), I dont like anything black. Any thing that is not very fair appears to be less attractive to me. Not just fellow humans but also the rice I eat to the additive sugar or salt, I usually prefer very fair coloured one. I have a subconscious belief that all that is not fair is unfair and strictly subscribe to the belief that fair is not just lovely but also handsome. Never wonder there is a famous Tamil cine-dialogue that one who is fair complexioned will never lie.( VELLAIYAA IRUKKRAVAN POI SOLLA MAATTAN).
       
                       If given a chance my mom resorts to cooking brown-rice and even starts lecturing on the nutritional advantage of it over the excessively polished white rice.However the most disgusting rice is those delivered in PDS(Public Distribution System) shops- popularly known as ration shops. Atleast 40 crores of Indians are still reliant on this ration supplied rice for their daily subsistence,which sometimes is not sufficient to many.

                      Have you ever seen the ration-rice?I do not understand how these people who are dependent on ration-supplied rice eat it.Even the smell of this rice some times prevent me from even accessing the PDS shops.We are privileged to have not used it.Let us thank God, the Almighty ,for making us economically powerful to afford a market supplied, fair and lovely, polished rice.

                            However I own a Below Poverty Line Ration card using which the rice is purchased free of cost from the PDS shop and usually is used for our pet-dog's consumption. At the starting of every month, we shall see middle-agents near PDS shops who will purchase this rice at a cheaper price from us. Thanks to them and their strong supply chain system, the same rice reaches the market as my favourite fair and handsome, neat and clean, white rice.Without them and their value addition, shiny and soft rice,even if it is nutrition defecient and very expensive, may not be in supply. So I would like to extend my heart felt gratitude to them for providing me with fair, clean and shiny rice and also sugar whereas to the State for not restraining them in the name of any health or standards regulation.

   

Salute U thatha

                             After withdrawing the maximum amount allowed in an ATM per day transaction, I offered the security guard of the ATM, 20Rs as tips.The security-guard should be about 60 years of age. He is a typical MADARASI- oiled hair, dark skin, thick mustache- atleast as novelist Chetan Bagath would expect Tamils to be. Usually in metropolis like Chennai city, if persons like him seek help from us, particularly in identifying an address,I MAY not attend to because I believe that to get an address clarified you need a face value. Not every address seeker gets the required assistance because WE PEOPLE are practical and cautious. However I personally envied his dense lock of hair. Even if Amazon forest's Ervamatin-promoters spend some billions in marketing their apparent hair-growth oil they may not succeed in capturing Indian market if there are hairs as his.

                                 Unlike the other usual older security guards of ATMs , he was very fit i.e without any baggy-belly or hanging waist-line which is my definition of being fit. He also had perfectly dressed himself in his uniform with his shirts tucked in and polished black shoes, that made him look like a retired ex-service man. According to Myntra app(online fashion market place), dressing is an art and thus he appeared to be an artist. But I had more than one reason to begin a short conversation with him.

                             Although initially reluctant to speak he became much responsive and interactive subsequently. There was enormous pride in him when he said he was once a practising farmer- THE FEEDER OF PEOPLE, he claimed. Leave aside all natural, governmental/market policy led complications, a farmer still practises agriculture with deep felt conviction and heart felt pride, he averred. He expressed with a poetic note that when the crop is ready for harvest, a farmer feels just like a to-be mother pregnant lady. Equally he had expressed an inferior feeling when he said that he was forced to give up farming when his agricultural land was acquired for a road extension project.

                           But I had a larger role to defend my self-respect in front of an unknown person. So I did not tell him that in software-services industry, ENGINEERS ARE BELITTLED and could be easily removed from the job even without fulfilling the mandatory regulatory obligations such as notice period etc, when he questioned if we could be denied our economic livelihood in the way he was forced to.

                       Nevertheless it appears that the promised road extension project did not kick off even after five years, instead an Indian made foreign liquor factory (the life line for Tamilnadu's Revenue generation) was established nearby where some of his long time former farmer-colleagues found unmatching job.But he claimed to have declined the job of security guard in the factory because his CONSCIENCE prohibits him from working for a SAARAAYA KADAI(liquor shop).

 "I have not even smelled alchohol in my 75 years of living. Never had I been hospitalised in my life so far.NAL OLUKKAM(MORALITY) romba mukkiyam thambi" , he continued.

 "I have never fallen asleep in my duty hours and have never rested in the ATM cabin when a customer is using it. Manushanaa DHARMATHUKKU(morality/ethics) kattu padanum" , he followed.

               When he began talking about Law of Dharma, I was about to dwell deep on my private-ethics in professional career. I really wonder if I have any such ethical underpinning. However the number of pages of colour print-outs for personal use, accessing facebook and whatsapp during office hours, submitting fake receipts during onsite travel etc did not flash in my mind. Instead I felt that it is high time I stopped the conversation with him lest feel outraged.
   
                 Before I left the place, he asked me a final question to which I did just smile.

                " Thambi neenga enna aalunga?" ( which caste do you belong to?)

                  Whenever I cross that ATM locality, I continue to remember that person and his dignified look when he declined to take that 20Rs. Perhaps even a larger denomination of money will not have compromised his integrity.And thus I had a reason to begin a conversation with him.

Salute you Thatha. Thats all I can do because I am a PRACTICAL person.