Abandoning the ship

This morning I was reading some passage from the book "Arthamulla Indhu Madam" by Kannadasan, where a particular story impressed me and took my thoughts to some years back. A hunter who was very fond of meat went into a dense forest with arrows dipped in deadly poison. Sighting a herd of hefty deers, he pointed the arrows towards them but it missed the target and hit the biggest tree in the forest. Due to the deadly effect of the poison, the tree quickly shed all its leaves and was barren  in no time. As the tree lost its leaves the birds that had built their nest in that tree felt I was no more to stay there and fled in the quickest possible time, looking for the next available dense tree. But a parrot who has been living in a comfortable hole in the tree for years stayed put. When lord Indra who was on a visit to the forest asked the parrot, why she did not follow her friends and relatives who had sought other safer havens, the parrot replied " At many a time, when it was raining its leaves protected me and my family. When I was not well, I survived in this hole just by eating the fruits of this big tree and also when there were hunters this tree gave refuge to me and sheltered my young ones from the frequenting hunters. Now, this tree has withered with its leaves barren and it has nowhere to go . As I enjoyed the richness and green of the tree when it was healthy, I do not want to desert it when it is down and suffering.  If I had enjoyed its protection when I was in dire streets should I not stay put and support her when she is down" . Moved by the sincerity Indra granted a wish which enabled the tree to regain its lost glory and affluence, goes the story.

I was immediately wondering at how many instances in our life this great learning could be put to use. I was reminded of an instance some years back, when one of my senior team leads walked into my cubicle and enquired about the health of the company as at that time many companies were reeling under the pressure of recession. Being a patient listener, most of my team members took liberty of seeking such advices and updates. I patiently explained as to where we were, how the management is handling the expected slow growth until things improve. The guy went a step further and asked me to suggest whether he could stay back or look for opportunities elsewhere. I was taken aback by such  attitude of  such a senior member but patiently explained that he had grown from an ordinary graduate to a man of stature by associating himself with this organization, acquired a well furnished apartment in the heart of the city , recently went for a car also and had travelled on long term to US and Europe. Concealing my disturbance and growing irritation, I quipped whether he could have obtained these without associating himself and grow with this organization. Now, when the ship appears to be tossing in the waves, he is thinking of abandoning the ship. I further explained that I did not advocate him staying with it forever, but could support it at times of need and when it becomes worse and the survival comes into question then he could separate with some honor intact. He was somewhat taken aback by my honest reply but said he had made so many sacrifices for the organization and that the organization could have taken better care of him. I told him very clearly that the biggest mistake you can ever make is to assume that you are working for anyone except yourself. There is no question of sacrifices as you work and the company pays and vice versa. Ultimately , he stayed back and when the organization survived the recession, he was promoted and the last I heard was he was somewhere in Europe. The point is no one wants to keep sailing with the sinking ship but atleast help the ship and other occupants until the water raises to your waist level and then look for life jacket. Otherwise, your chickening out for your own end might haunt you forever.  

This anecdote is also applicable to the sons whose aged parents once sacrificed their sleep, taught them to walk and was always holding you when you kept falling until you had someone else to grab not only your shoulder but also the waist. My mother used to tell that when the boy comes late the mother will look at his stomach checking whether it is empty  whereas the wife will always look for the packet, of course in those days, when they lived out of their daily earning .

It is amazing such a beautiful and thought provoking story was there in our great epic of Mahabharata,  that it was noticed and elaborated by a once atheist Kannadasan and more importantly without even knowing this story,  I more or less impressed upon my young friend to stay put! I am happy again today, about my convictions.