Code of Conduct

During my recent trip to Kumbakonam in South India, my wife and I took the opportunity of visiting many rural areas around. It was one of the most satisfying vacations that we ever had.

Picture of a Poster

In this trip, my objective was not merely to visit the temples but to learn more about the lifestyle of people in the villages. What’s most interesting is to observe how the rural people make a living and how happy they are given the poverty in their lives. In pursuit of my mission, I went trekking on the narrow Mangudi-Konakkarai road close to the banks of Cauvery river. The rough clumsy road had clutters of huts lined on either side surrounded by dense trees almost like a rain forest. The journey provided me opportunities to meet with many rural folks. They seemed very happy, merrily engaged in weaving, picking flowers, drying coconuts and doing such mundane jobs. None complained about life. Some of the kids playing around were wearing only their beautiful smiles. A lady was carrying several cut stems of banana trees. I bought from her four pieces and gave her Rs.20. She declined the Rs 20 note and said 'Please give me Rs.10 only. It is more than enough and I do not want more.' Her words left me stunned. It reflected a code of conduct and supreme contentment. How exactly she had inherited such a code of conduct and contentment? 

The clue came from a poster that I saw on the walls of one of the huts (see picture). It was an announcement of the 1341st birthday of a king called the third suvaramara muthraiyer. The local people said that they belonged to a community called 'Muthraiyar' and were followers of the great tradition set by a King Mutharaja, a renowned chieftain who lived sometime in 5th or 6th century A.D. This king himself was believed to be a descendant of Kannappa Nayanar, a great devotee of Lord Shiva, who offered his own eyes to replace the bleeding eyes on the Shivalingam (see right corner of picture). The code of conduct set by this king included honesty, truth, and service to others. I was told that the community living there was very peaceful, contented and the incidence of thefts or other crimes was negligible.

Think about it! How different are our urban attitudes, and how indifferent are the most educated people?

Having a personal code of conduct is a powerful source of contentment to help you respond to challenging life situations. Judging by Western or Urban standards, the poor rural folks I saw near Kumbakonam had really no reasons to be happy. Yet they were supremely happy and lived on their own terms! Is there a lesson for us to learn from them?