Kannadasan – A Realized Master (Part 21)

 

Nowadays, couples often set up independent households, viewing it as a smart move. Many even tie the knot only after stipulating that there should be no "old baggage" (parents are called old furniture!) involved. Yet, even in this independent setup, conflicts arise between couples. A primary reason is that while one person struggles to earn, the other is busy spending it. Alternatively, both might squander money recklessly or both might hoard it tightly. When both partners earn, there is often an agreement that "my money is my money; your money is your money." Despite this, money remains the root cause of many family disputes. 

In their book, "The Millionaire Next Door: The surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy", authors Thomas J Stanley & William D Danko reveal that, "Most people will never become wealthy in one generation if they are married to people who are wasteful. A couple cannot accumulate wealth if one of its members is a hyper consumer. If you can't control your spending, you're unlikely to accumulate prodigious amounts of wealth. A good start is to keep an accurate record of each and every expenditure that your family makes each month."

Does it mean that if you get married, your finances are ruined and you can never become rich by doing business? No says author John Ruck in his book titled, "Think Lazy Grow Rich": "The lesson is obvious: if you are a normal human, wanting a family life as well as business success, do try to cut down your hours. Set aside certain times for your family, and stick to them come hell or high water. And when tempted to bark out orders, remember you are not at work. In your household enterprise, your spouse is not an employee, but an equal partner." Anita Roddick from "Body and Soul" points out to whom we should NOT look for money making ideas: "A bank manager is the last person to ask for business advice because he is only a housekeeper of money. For him it is always a question of percentages and break-even points, profit and loss; he rarely gets to grips with an idea and how to promote and manage it. That's not business, that's just housekeeping.”

Let us now turn to a very famous song by Kannadasan and glean some wisdom from it (“Varavu ettanaa selavu paththanaa”) (Film: *Bama Vijayam*): 

"Income is eight annas, expenses are ten—a deficit of two annas;

In the end, it all just fritters away to nothing. 

If your aspirations exceed your means, peace of mind will vanish;

If your desires go beyond limits, even what you possess will not endure;

If a cat tries to eat like an elephant, it simply won't digest.” 

The above authors also confirm the same in their book: "Planning is typically found to be a strong habit among people who have a demonstrated propensity to accumulate wealth. Planning and wealth accumulation are significant correlates even among investors with modest incomes. Money should never change one's values... making money is only a report card. It's a way to tell how you're doing. The more dollars adult children receive, the fewer dollars they accumulate, while those who are given few dollars accumulate more." 

Going further back to the Babylonian periods, what can a book written in the 1920s tell modern investors about their finances? A whole lot! Taken out of the Babylonian parables, literally from the clay tablets of Babylon, this classic book, "The Richest Man in Babylon " by George S Clason, holds the key to all you desire and everything you wish to accomplish. This is the book that reveals the secret to personal wealth: "A part of all you earn is yours to keep. For each ten coins I put in, to spend but nine. That what each of us calls our 'necessary expenses' will always grow to equal our incomes unless we protest to the contrary. A man's wealth is not in the coins he carries in his purse; it is the income he builds, the golden stream that continually flows into his purse and keeps it always bulging. This is the cure for lean purse, and of great importance if it prevents the purse from being emptied once it has become well filled. Guard thy treasure from loss by investing only where thy principal is safe, where it may be reclaimed if desirable, and where thou will not fail to collect a fair rental." 

Bur Kavi Gnani has also written in the same song the following lines sung by the youth:

When it comes to money,

Dignity is nowhere to be found." 

In another song sung with great exuberance by young people (Film: *Nichayathamboolam*), the 'Kaviarasar' (King of Poets) wrote that one should spend money "like water" (“Aandavan padachaan, enkitta koduthaan”): 

"God created it and gave it to me;

He sent me forth saying, 'Enjoy life, my friend,'

Yes, He sent me forth saying, 'Enjoy life, my friend.'

 

The world is in my hands, and money fills my pockets;

If you look closely, I am truly a king—for youth is a rare gift;

Here, one finds every form of pleasure and revelry.

 

It is folly to hoard and stash away money;

Wealth created by the Divine belongs to all;

My duty is to spend freely and savor the moment—

That pride is my very right;

To scoop up silver coins,

To dance with joy, to laugh and rejoice—that is a unique delight!" 

There is a common illusion that in the cinema world, money pours like rain. Is the film industry really flush with money? Appears not, at least looking the lyricists, as most of the songs written by them portray money as evil, or advise us to save and spend responsibly, etc. Except of course when the hero/heroine is a rich and spoilt brat who wants to spill around the silver and enjoy life limitlessly, in youth. The only rare songs of Kannadasan which are positive about financial future is “Engalukkum kalam varum”, “Oli mayamaana ethirkaalam en kannukku therikirathu”, etc. The poets oscillate between extremes about money, abject poverty on one side and extraordinary riches on the other side. These days, a poor hero transforms into a wealthy tycoon in the span of just a single song. Everything is about extreme views. There seem to be NO middle path and positive/detached view on wealth. 

After thirty years of my life in North India, particularly the financial capital of Mumbai, I have also time and again wondered on the stark contrast between how we Southies are brought up from childhood with fear and other emotions embedded along with money whereas generally in North and in the Western world, they look at wealth as power. Both are same, in looking at it as electricity. We in the South are afraid to touch it because it will give us shock and they in North they see at it as a useful ‘power’ for lighting the bulb or moving the industry for manufacturing. Let us check on some of the Tamil Film songs of money extremes and also look at various western authors how they help us widen our perspective on wealth. 

YouTube videos reveal that Kavi Gnani never placed great importance on money in his personal life—which is why it never stayed with him. Here are a few of his verses. Through these lines, he portrays the nature of money and the way relatives behave (“Yaarai Nambi Naan Poranthen?) (Film: *Enga Oor Raja*): 

"On whose account was I born? Just go away...

My time will triumph; come back only after I have won...

 

In the pond... there is no water, no crane, no fish;

In the chest... there is no money; even one's own child is no longer kin...

 

If there is rice in the pot, even cats become 'kin'...

But if one shares their hardships, there are no relatives or bonds left...

 

With a courageous heart and a clear mind,

If I set my mind to it, I get it done right; who are you to me? Just go away...

If the wind blows in the month of Aadi, the rains will follow in Aippasi;

When the right time comes, wealth will come rushing to find me." 

The song "Annan Ennada Thambi Ennada" (Film: *Palani*), which we discussed earlier, also laments the conflict between money and relationships: 

"What does it matter if one is an elder brother or a younger brother in this hurried world?

What is the point of harboring desires within a family that lacks money?

 

Even between mother and child, mouths and stomachs remain distinct;

In the herd gathered at the marketplace, what meaning do ties of kinship hold?

 

Look how crowds flock to you while you are living well;

But who would value even a broken pot in a home where the coffers are empty?

 

If devotion is reserved solely for money, why cling to bonds of affection?

Ultimately, those who truly embrace a heart in distress are the ones who are brothers." 

It has become a disease that poor/working middle class families struggle with the false mindset that money should be earned to increase our living standards, and that relationships and others should value us based on the money and things we have. Comparing what white goods our neighborhood others have seem to be the motivation for earning money, becoming rich, chasing false and empty happiness. Where did we get this poverty mindset from? Financial wizard Robert Kiyosaki explains in his series of books on how fundamentally working-class people are wrongly wired from childhood at homes and made into life-long-laborers by the cruel British-imposed classroom education system. 

In his book, "Retire Young Retire Rich: How to Get Rich Quickly and Stay Rich Forever!": "When it comes to money, most people follow their parents' financial plan... and that plan is often to work hard and save money.  Following that plan, millions of people then sit on the slow train to and from work and watch the limos, corporate jets, and luxury homes from the window of their train. Teaching people to spend their lives working for earned income is like teaching someone to be a high-paid slave for life. Giving a credit card to some people is like giving a loaded gun to a drunk. Anyone who is near the drunk is in danger, including the drunk. The poor and middle class have a hard time getting rich because they try to use their own money to get rich. If you want to get rich, you need to know how to use other people's money to get rich...not your own." In his Mythological novels, "Chanakya Chant & The Rozabal Line", successful Indian author Ashwin Sanghi concurs Kiyosaki's views, drawing wisdom from our own Great Indian Strategy Genius Chanakya. He says, "What is the root of wealth? The root of wealth is economic activity, and lack of it brings material distress. In the absence of fruitful economic activity, both current prosperity and future growth are in danger of destruction. In the manner that elephants are needed to catch elephants so does one need wealth to capture more wealth." 

Come to think of it, who taught you how to handle money, finances, investment, long term compounding growth, extent of risk and reward, etc.? Not from Banking and Finance sessions in schools or colleges. The only lessons learnt from home and in our childhood is by spending the pocket money buying candies. We learnt from personal experience very early as to how to spend money, by transacting, taking loan, borrowing and repaying, storing, saving, betting, losing, etc. No one taught us how to save, invest and grow money, unless of course, you belong to an already successful business family where the matter of money is discussed daily on the dinner table. All our financial intelligence was acquired by going to the bank, or by dealing with real people and real money, playing in the stock market and burning fingers, or buying and selling real estate, land, gold, jewelry, reflecting on what we did and what we had in hand in the end. All this was by doing real-time unlearning and relearning outside the classrooms. But more tragedy happened inside the classrooms says Kiyosaki in his series of books. You might be wondering what connection there could possibly be between money-related arguments in family life and the hardships we faced at school as children, right? Let’s find out in the next episode... 

Pattukottaiyar once sang about what it is like to toil like a beast of burden for a monthly wage (“Kaiyile vaanginen..paiyiley podaley”) (Film: *Irumbu Thirai*): 

"I received the cash in hand, but it never made it to my pocket;

I have no idea where the money vanished—

My sweetheart will ask for the reason,

And I am at a loss for what to say;

Times are hard for the poor.

 

After toiling all thirty days of the month,

Worn thin by poverty and hunger,

The moment I collect my pay, the creditors appear

With their account books in hand—

And tear into my earnings, claiming their share.

 

While I sweat drop by drop

And suffer the pangs of hunger,

Stacks of currency notes pile up

In the coffers of the clever—

And through interest, they even breed more!" 

Thiruvalluvar famously declared in a *Kural* that "this world does not exist for those without wealth." Citing this, everyone rushes about, convinced that money is the only thing that matters. Yet, in the very first line of the same verse, he stated that "the other world does not exist for those without compassion." Thus, the wisdom I derive from his words is this: for individuals who focus on the spirit rather than fixating on material wealth, this world—composed of mere matter—holds no real significance. Yet, even knowing that material possessions are impermanent, does the craving for them ever truly let go of a person? 

Let us drift a little in a dream world where money pours down like rain in our lives, and we stack it up in great bundles... We shall meet again in the next episode... until then, let us reflect a little... 

-Jeyes (www.jeyes.in)