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Success/failure-who Is To Determine?

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by jayasala42, Dec 10, 2018.

  1. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    The story which I read in Tamil some 25 years back comes to my mind.
    The word success seems to be a relative term. If something happens as per our wish ,it is success.Sometimes we take up certain things knowing fully well that it will fail. Actually when it fails we have some satisfaction that what had been expected has happened. Therefore there is no disppointment, though not rejoicing.

    Coming to the story, such a person meets a rich person in connection with a work. Even while approaching the rich guy, this man knows fully well that he won't get any money from the rich one.The man returns empty handed.Yet he wants to celebrate the failure, which is a success in his perception.
    Now he wants to celebrate the victory. One need not have loads of money for celebration. It can be celebrated within one's mind also.Depends on how one feels.
    He has got only one Rupee coin in his pocket.He needs 12 Annas to go home by train.Yet he has got 4 Annas.
    He goes to a hotel,pays two annas and takes strong hot aromatic filter coffee with less sugar.He feels great delight in taking the hot drink sip by sip.
    Aiah! Now he has got two annas extra after allotting 12 Annas for travel.
    Now he sees a beggar near the railway station asking for alms. He has an Aluminium plate that has pieces quarter Anna, half-an-anna and a few pieces of one Anna.
    "If I give two annas to this blind beggar, how happy he would feel.I can also raise my collar of having donated a big sum ( two Annas was a big amount in those days.)
    As the man dropped the white two Anna coin, the beggar touched the coin and blessed the gentleman.The man felt as though he had done a great charity and has celebrated the success ( expected failure).
    Now the man reaches the booking counter ,gives 12 Annas and asks for a ticket for his native place. For the past so many years he has been getting ticket for twelve annas.
    The booking clerk returns the money saying that the price of the ticket has been increased by one anna with effect from that date.
    Whom can he ask for one Anna? Just five minutes back he has with pride donated two Annas to the beggar.Now he has to beg for an anna.
    He thinks of asking a man in his 50s who was reading news paper.He stopped his intention when he listens to the gentleman lecturing to some other man about the tenacity of beggars.
    Even now the white two Anna coin is shining in the beggar's plate.After all it is he who has given two Annas. It was customary in those days to place one Anna and take half-an-anna back from the beggar's bowl.
    Now he walks to the beggar.
    His conscience says," you have already given two annas to the beggar. It belongs to him.:
    His reasoning says'you have given two annas.If you put one anna in the plate and take the two anna coin from the plate, even then it amounts to have contributed one anna to the beggar.
    He wants to listen to his reasoning.
    "Is this theft?"
    " No. just five mts back it was your property".
    The man slowly walks to the beggar,puts one anna from out of the twelve annas in the plate and as he is trying to take the Two Anna coin, the beggar catches hold of the man's hand and asks," a few mts back a nice gentleman gave me the precious two anna coin.Now you are taking away the coin replacing it by one Anna. Don't cheat a blind beggar.You will go to hell."
    Charity once granted should never be taken back. The man just said'sorry' and left the place.Now his charity was three Annas and his purse was thinner by one more Anna.
    The only reward of giving charity of three Annas was to walk 4 miles to the next station from where he could reach his native place within 11 Annas.
    Half an hour passes.Next train gets delayed by one hour. There is a lot of 'Halchal'He understands that the earlier train missed by him has derailed and some ten passengers met with death.
    Did his dharmam( charity) of three annas save him from the clutches of Yama?
    Is this always true?
    It was the year 1956 0r 1957 when Ariyalur Train accident took place and Shri Lal Bahdur Sastri,the railway minister resigned owning responsibility to the accident.I was doing my S. S. L . C class.A classmate of mine, just married three months back was waiting to join her husband soon after public exams were over. Her mother suddenly died. Her father gave a telegram to his son-in-law stating'Wife passed away.Start immediately".The young boy thought his young wife passed away.There were no phones in those days to get confirmation.Actually he was in a cinema theatre when the telegram came.His friends consoled him, went upto Egmore station to see him off.He boarded one compartment and later due to some reason changed his compartment.
    That was a fateful day. The train got derailed and it was the final journey to the boy also who travelled by the ill fated compartment.Had he remained in the same compartment where he boarded,he would have escaped.A few people who missed the train, escaped the evil.
    The young girl lost her mother and husband on the same day.
    Then we studied together in the college.She was given appointment on compassionate grounds after she finished graduation.15 years later, a widower sought her hand and now she is happy with two daughters.
    Is it destiny? kaarmic consequences?Can a big or small charity save a person from a great calamity?Is success and failure one and the same?The questions remain unanswered for ever.

    Jayasala 42
     
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  2. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    It is wonderful to read the anecdote of anna paisa days. 2. Events of the past makes one conclude that there is no perpetual success or failure. Seemingly success now later turns to be a big disaster. From Frying pan to fire.
    3. Bikshus walking in forest and wanted one junior most to exclude from their group considering his presence among them is inauspicious. It begins to thunder and rain. They told the New entrant to be away from them and the group took shelter under the big canopies tree. Lightning strikes. Group perished with the tree.
    One can say success follows hard work but success follows failure. One determines the other.
    Thanks and regards.
     

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