Tirukkural - 'ON VIRTUE' - In Praise Of Rain - Kural - 13

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1. Vininru poyppin virineer viyanulakattu
   Ulninru utarrum paci.

If the rains fail, hunger will cause infinite misery to the world, even though it is surrounded by the wide oceans.

We in Tamil Nadu have in the recent past, had experience of successive failures of the monsoon. Fortunately, famine did not really stalk the land, but we had our share of difficulties. Reasonable harvest in some parts of the State supplementing the other parts, and drought relief measures in the affected areas, promptly conceived and executed by a Welfare State, enabled us to tide over the crisis. But the potential for danger is always there. The consequences of a failure of rain are too terrible to contemplate.

The expression 'Virineer' referring to the expanse of the waters surrounding the land, is effective and accentuates the nature of the drought and famine prevailing in the land, inspite of being surround by the wide oceans.