Treasure unpleasant truth

When moaning on the death of Ravan, his wife Mandodari wondered how it was possible for a primitive vanara sena led by an ordinary mortal Ram to defeat the mighty army of rakshashas led by valiant Ravan. Lord Ram won the war not by the numeric strength or the strength of the power and abilities of his army but by his simplicity and leadership skills.  We have seen in an earlier episode of Monday Musings that the victory was possible because of the ‘Sense of purpose’ with Ram’s army. Another factor that helped Lord Ram to win the war was the difference between Ram and Ravan on their Leadership traits. Ram proved and acted as a role model and great leader. He listened patiently, intently, and genuinely to sage advice whoever offered such an advice whereas Ravan hated advice. He used to get angry whenever anyone close to him offered opinions contrary to his considered opinion. We can see this in multiple instances in Valmiki Ramayan.  Let us see one such incident. This happens in Yudha Kandam. Let me continue the story from where we stopped last week..

#ValuableButWastedVibishan

Ravan calls his council of ministers for a strategic discussion to deal with the possible war by Ram. Amid sycophancy and cacophony, one sane voice emerged, that of sensible Vibishana, Ravana’s youngest half-brother.  Ravana’s rebuke and Vibishan’s response to the taunt are excellent leadership lessons.  Vibishan’s reply is a great management message.

Sensible Vibishan was not deterred by the sycophancy of his colleagues. He spoke of Ram’s strength and advised Ravan to make truce with Ram. He further added that bringing Sita to Lanka was a big mistake. Ravan, true to his leadership trait, got furious and accused Vibishan. Ravan said, "One can stay together with an enemy or even with a furious snake, but one cannot stay together with an adversary yet avowing himself as a friend". He even accused Vibishan as a traitor, "These kinsmen will inform the strategy to our enemies to seize us. There is no doubt about this. Out of all fears, the fear of kinsmen is very much troublesome for us”.

Not able to tolerate his brother’s harsh words, Vibishan soared high into the sky along with four other demons uttering these precious words before leaving, "Those who have an ill composed mind and who get conceded to the occasion do not assimilate the words of prudence, spoken by a well-wisher."

सुलभाः पुरुषा राजन् सततम् प्रिय वादिनः || 6-16-21 अप्रियस्य तु पथ्यस्य वक्ता श्रोता च दुर्लभः |

raajan = O,king purushaaH = men; priyavaadinaH = who speak pleasing words; satatam = forever; sulabhaaH = are easy to be obtained; vaktaa = one who speaks; pathyasya = of useful; apriyasya = but unpleasing words; shrotaacha = and also one listens to them; durlabhaaH = are rare to be obtained."

"O, king! Men who forever speak pleasing words are easy to be obtained. But one who speaks of useful but unpleasing words as also the one who listens to them, are rare to be obtained”.

The majority will flatter, and it is easy to find such people. It is very difficult to find someone who dares to speak useful but unpleasant truth. Hence Leaders should treasure those in their team who gets the courage to speak the truth and prudent opinion even if it is unpleasant.

Vibishan was a treasure and not a traitor. Unfortunately, Ravan did not possess the maturity to appreciate the treasure and instead called him a traitor.

Not only those who get the courage, those who genuinely listen to such unpleasant words and introspect sincerely are also precious gems. The above sloka covers both the aspects – Offering correct opinion and respecting that opinion. It is not necessary and not possible that all criticism can be actioned. What is important is the open mind to listen to and introspect the truth. Those who develop the courage to speak the truth and offer pertinent advice even if it is against the majority opinion as well as those who are willing to listen to and consider such opinions are precious. Both the breeds are to be respected.

In a typical leadership forum, people generally tend to sugar coat things. It is rare to find people who project the issues, unpleasant truth to bring such issues to the attention of the leaders. Issues will not surface unless we encourage such people in the team. But some leaders have the tendency to put them down. Organizations need advisors like Vibishan and leaders like Lord Ram.

Thiruvalluvar goes a step further. He proclaims that those who have advisors bold enough to reproach can never be defeated.

இடிக்குந் துணையாரை யாள்வரை யாரே கெடுக்குந் தகைமை யவர். Thirukkural 447

Who can ruin the man who commands the friendship of those who can reprove him (when needed)?

Nobody can harm a person who nurtures those counsellors having the courage to nudge and point out the errors. Ravan had one such friend in Vibishan but he did not possess the maturity to recognize such a good friend and that probably is one of the reasons for his defeat in the war.

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Tree Man

In the heart of Madhya Pradesh’s Agar Malwa district, Constable Bunty Dhakar is on a mission to turn barren lands into lush green havens. Using his own funds, Bunty has planted over 1,000 trees, proving that one person can drive meaningful change. To expand his efforts, he formed the ‘Green Army’ — a group of lawyers, police officers, students, and locals — encouraging people to plant trees on special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. “Through social media, I request people to plant trees. We started with 500-600, and I took the responsibility of taking care of them,” Bunty said. But ensuring that the trees survived was no easy task. Faced with irrigation challenges, Bunty collaborated with the community to install water tanks, helping the saplings endure the harsh summers. Known as the ‘Tree Man of Madhya Pradesh’, Bunty Dhakar’s grassroots efforts remind us of the power of collective action for a sustainable future.