The Hindu Business Line : Budget day tips on V-day

CHIDDU may have little time to spare for Valentine's Day messages even as he is terribly busy with B-Day preparations. In all probability, his deputies should be searching for the most appropriate couplet to plug into the February 28 speech in Parliament. Thus, when he has many options, a Kural that wouldn't be out of place is that a minister must "sift, reflect, select and say surely one fact."

The ideal minister chooses "right means, time, mode, and rare ventures," but it's a different question whether the `one fact' he'd say and his choices would be palatable to us.

"Albeit you know to act from books, act after knowing the world's outlooks," counsels Suddhananda Bharati, in a translation of a different couplet of Thiruvalluvar from a topic on `minister.'

That exercise has already been gone through in the form of scores of meetings on wish lists from various groups. Yet, at the end of February, pray that the FM shouldn't have a `mind bitter' even if the Opposition were to disrupt the proceedings, for, as the poet says, "seventy crores of foes are better," instead.

But that's when I'd suggest PC to remember this verse: "A speech is speech that holds ears and attracts even those that are averse."

Budget speech can do with inputs from `power in speech' chapter of Thirukkural, which begins by extolling `the goodness of speech' as what `nothing can reach.' Words in tax can be slippery, such as raising `to' and `by', bringing in `gain or ruin'; and they can be slab-bery by bracketing people in slabs with unfriendly rates.

"Will there be an amnesty?" ask a few in hushed tone, for they don't want to see "gains from weeping, weeping go." Philosophical thought, it may seem, when reading this analogy that a Kural offers to `wealth gathered in guilty ways' - that it is `water poured in wet clay vase.' However, what makes mercy schemes unpopular among the masses is that the vase may be wet only 60:40!

There's an assurance that "the world will quickly carry out the words of counsellors astute."

However, what should be more interesting is the way Sensex carries out the proposals in its movement. Yet, the FM is a man in a hurry, as you know already, believing in delaying such acts `as need delay' and delaying not `acts that need display.'

Among the many practical tips is this: "Ollumvaai ellam vinainandre ollaakkaal sellumvaai noakicheyal," meaning "it's best to act when feasible, if not see what's possible."

And another lists five factors to be considered before proceeding: "Money and means, time, place and deed." Pursue a fitting act, exhorts the poet saint, but before that "weigh well the end, hindrance, and profit."

I'm sure people are trying to read PC's thoughts from his smiles and grimaces, for "what throbs in mind the face reflects just as mirror nearby objects," which should explain why the Minister may remain as inscrutable as ever, even after the speech is read over.

That exercise itself may not be too long because Chiddu can recite the original of, "They speak in vain at length who talk words unversed which ears don't take."

If this is becoming long enough, let me wrap with just one more from the `love' section of the ancient work: "Mathiyum madanthai muganum ariya pathiyin kalangiya meen." Means? "Stars are confused," says the poet, "not knowing which is the moon and which is the woman's face."

While that's a good message to send to your lovelorn friend, a caution for the Budget-forlorn is that there's a fair prospect you may be similarly confused when listening to the FM's speech: Not knowing which is a sop and which, a pinch.

SayCheek@TheHindu.co.in

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