Thirukkural-On Virtue-Impermanence Of The World-Kural 337

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People who are not sure of living the next moment, indulge in day dreams and make millions of plans.

We are not sure if we shall live the next instant; what then is the meaning of all our fancies and fantasies? Shakespeare apparently had the same thought in mind when he wrote about the momentariness of life thus:

'We are such stuff as dreams are made on and our little life is rounded in a sleep.'

According to Kalingar, men have been known to live and pass away, all within the twinkling of an eye; and that is what is intended to be conveyed by the poet in the expression.
'Oru Poludhum vaalvariyaar'

Exactly that is what Sambandar too meant when he said - 'yaararivaar"
Saanaalu vaalnaalum"
(Sambandhar-Saaikaadu : 3)

The circumstances of the gruesome Caravelle aircraft accident on the night of 11/12 October 1976 illustrates the point the poet had in mind. A hundred and nine passengers from Bombay to Madras were already air-borne at 6 P.M., when their Boeing aircraft was hit by a kite and had to return to base.

After several hours a Caravelle aircraft was arranged to take only 89, leaving behind a protesting 20, because of smaller capacity. As the scheduled co-pilot did not possess a Caravelle licence, another one who had it was pulled out of bed and put in the plane. About 1-30 p.m. soon after taking off, the engine caught fire and the plane had to crashland in the Santa Cruz airport itself. All the 89 passengers and the 6 members of the crew lost their lives. The twenty who considered themselves unfairly left out escaped fortunately. That is life. The co-pilot who was pulled out of bed never knew he was going to die the next moment. It is as if the poet's words had come true in a dramatic fashion over this unfortunate event.

Thoughts such as Valluvar's must have agitated Dag Hammarskjold when he recorded in his Markings (published posthumously) the following lines:

'Tomorrow we shall meet
Death and I –
And he shall thrust his sword
Into one who is wide awake
But in the meantime how grievous the memory
Of hours frittered away.

Obviously, these were the thoughts that galvanised this great man into action for peace and international good will. It is again dramatic irony that Hammarskjold met with sudden death in a plane-crash (probably shot down) over Congo, in the performance of his duty.