A few months back, a small time actress was arrested on charges of prostitution. When she was produced before the magistrate, she presented the most hackneyed defence against the world’s oldest profession – her market as a junior artist was gone. She did not have money to eat; money to support her sick mother and educate her young brother. She knew no other way. The magistrate took pity on her, imposed a nominal fine and set her free with some kind words of advice. There is nothing newsworthy about it until you contrast it with another incident which happened in Madurai some thirty years ago. Vaigai, the river which divides the city into two, was in spate at that time.

A woman was stranded in the floods. She should be about 30 years old and was from a nearby village. A navy helicopter was summoned for rescue operations. The chopper with a two-member crew hovered very low to spot the stranded woman. A rope was extended to her and she was climbing up to the helicopter. She was wearing a saree which because of the force of wind coming from the propeller blades got loose from her body.

The lady was to be stripped of her dress by the wind in the next few seconds. Thousands of peple were watching the scene. The chopper could not remain there for a long time. The lady true to her spirit valued honour more than her life. She let the rope go and fell down into the water. She was swept away by the raging floods and died in no time.

The actress was well-educated and had the courage and conviction to say on oath that she lost her honour because she had to live. The village woman was probably an illiterate. She did not say anything. Or whatever she might have said was not heard.

But her actions spoke loudly for all of us to hear. “To me my honour is more important than my life. I am now laying down my life to protect my honour. “ When I walked along the the banks of river Vaigai a few days back these two incidents came to my mind.