Thondrir Pugazhodu Thondruga

In an earlier post (http://vbala99.blogspot.com/2011/02/succeeding-your-parent.html), I had talked about learning from the previous generation.

Little did I know that I would be reading a lovely article on a related subject http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-new-manager/article1162854.ece. ("Patti" means grandmother). When I see a housemaker I expect to see the kind of caliber described in this article. 

I don't call a lazy person (as is typical in India) who chooses not to go to work, someone who stays and manages home with one or more maid/cook etc in an unextraordinary way a homemaker.

In every area, I like to see people who are authorities. An old Tamil poem from Thirukkural
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tirukku%E1%B9%9Ba%E1%B8%B7) echoes what I said. Or should I say I echo the sentiment of the poem? It goes like this:

Thondrir pugazhodu thondruga akdilaar

thondralin thondraamai nandru.

Meaning,

if you are going to be born (rather, live) you might as well be famous. Else don't be born at all.

I am shocked when I see people who neither have the patience nor the talent nor the desire to be extraordinary. "How can you be so" is the question that keeps coming to my mind. They seem to be perfectly happy being ordinary. So ordinary and unexceptional at anything they do (by "do" I mean "create" here, for when it consumes to "consuming" they can give most people a run for their money), that it boggles the mind. They run relentlessly after consumption: I want this designer wear, want to go to Europe/Australia for a vacation etc etc.

Probably such people never had a "patti" as described in the article above. If you never had a role model to learn from, it becomes doubly more difficult to be good. I feel sorry for such people. 

That brings me to my favorite phrase: Do you have a passion for something that people will pay you for?