An interesting story about
Avaiyaar (A well-known Tamil poet) on adulteration…
One day Avaiyaar was walking in
the hot sun. Thirsty, tired, she looked around for something that would keep
her going. She saw an old woman (Aachi) selling buttermilk.
Avaiyaar decided to buy some
buttermilk to quench her thirst. But after taking a sip of the drink, she
realised that it was mostly water. Avaiyaar, being a poet was a kind-hearted
person. She could not tell the lady on her face that she was selling
adulterated buttermilk. But even Avaiyaar’s kindness was put to test, when the
old lady asked Avaiyaar to describe the buttermilk in a poetic manner, in lieu
of the money that she had to pay!
Yet she had to convey the
message. How she ended up telling what she wanted to convey makes for a very
interesting read.
“Oh water, when you are present
in the sky, you are called as cloud. When you pour down from the sky to earth you
are known as water. When you are reach Aachi’s hands you become buttermilk! You
are known by these three names and when I consume you, you attain salvation!”
Diplomacy is a very important
aspect of human behaviour. In a quick world people seem to have lost the knack
for it, as emotions, like messages travel fast and when they are negative, they
travel faster!
The old lady who sold the
buttermilk was at the mercy of passers-by. She was giving them whatever she
could afford. Therefore it was not prudent to fight with her. At the same time
Avaiyaar wanted to convey to the lady that she was not getting cheated and she
is knowingly letting her get away, and what better way to do it than to tell it
diplomatically!
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