Brinjal with a crown

There is an old Tamil folktale about a king and the royal cook. One day, the cook made a dish that the king loved. 'What is this,' enquired the king. The cook came rushing with a brinjal in his hand. He said, 'Your Majesty, this is the king of vegetables. See, Sire, it even has a crown on its head.' The king was mighty pleased.

The cook thought, 'I should do my best to keep the king happy.' He made very many variations of brinjal, daily. The king soon got tired of eating the same vegetable.

One afternoon he bellowed with annoyance, 'Call the cook, what is this vegetable?' The cook again came running with the brinjal in his hand. 'Your Majesty, this is one useless vegetable. Even God does not like it. See how He has even driven a nail on his head.'


Here was a man willing to tailor his response to suit the mood of the audience, a man with no firm conviction. He was neither true to himself, nor to the king.

Character is what makes a man; it is often revealed by just one action, or one word. A person who has character takes responsibility, never passes the blame, in this case, on to a brinjal. Traits of character can be taught to any age; easier in the young and a little more challenging in the old. One has but be willing to acknowledge the shortcomings and learn.