103.1 Duty to Community

 103.1 Duty to Community

(103.1 குடிசெயல்வகை)

 

Question:

                What is the best thing one can do for one’s community?

Answer:

Nothing is greater than one’s tireless efforts to uplift

one’s own community.                                                                         (Couplet – 1021)

 

கருமம் செயஒருவன் கைதூவேன் என்னும்

பெருமையின் பீடுடையது இல்.                                              (குறள் – 1021)

 

Explanation:

                The Tamil word “kudi” (குடி) has multiple meanings. It may refer to a country, society, or even family. According to the Cambridge dictionary, the English word “community” refers to the people living in one particular area or people who are considered as a unit because of their common interests, social group, or nationality. Since both the Tamil word “குடி” and the English word “Community” are more or less similar, in this and the next section, the English word “community” will be used as the equivalent of the Tamil word “குடி.” 

Chapter 103 in Thirukkural is kudiseyalvakai (குடிசெயல்வகை) which means uplifting one’s community. In Couplet 1021, Valluvar says that the greatest thing one can do is work relentlessly to uplift one’s community.

                The efforts of Mahatma Gandhi and other patriots who tirelessly worked for India’s freedom are excellent examples of people working relentlessly to uplift the Indian community, which in this case, the country of India. The remarkable social service done by Mother Theresa is an example of her relentless help to improve poor people's quality of life. She served a community of poor people in India. E. V. Ramasamy, the well-known leader of Tamil society, who was affectionately called Thandhai Periyar by his followers, or Periyar for short, worked tirelessly for more than six decades for the rights of the downtrodden Tamil people, to create awareness for self-respect among the Tamil people, for women’s rights, and the abolition of the caste system. Through his dedicated and concerted efforts, he made remarkable progress toward the goals he was working on. Periyar’s service is an example of someone trying to uplift the Tamil people, which in his case, is the community of non-brahmins in Tamil Nadu.

                When I was a young boy, my father was not in good health, so he could not undertake any employment. So, our family was very poor. Those days, two of my elder brothers were in college. Since they were outstanding students, they received tuition scholarships, free boarding, and lodging. Once they finished their college studies, they took up whatever jobs they could get and started supporting our family. In a few short years, my eldest brother successfully passed all the tests and was selected by the prestigious Indian Administrative Service as an officer. The other brother was successful in becoming an officer in the Indian army. They continued to support our family. One of them supported another brother of mine and me in our college education. Thanks to the remarkable sacrifices made by our elder brothers, our parents had a comfortable life, my brother and I had a good education, and we are well-settled in our lives. In addition to helping us and our parents, my brothers also helped to educate my nieces and nephews. In this case, the community to which my brothers offered support and help is our relatives and our family.

                From the examples cited above, it is clear that the efforts to uplift one’s country, community or family are all great service one can perform for one’s fellow men, and this is what Valluvar suggests in Couplet 1021 as the greatest thing that one can do.