Page:Castes and Tribes of Southern India, Volume 3.djvu/382

KOMATI If a Kōmati fails in business, his compatriots will come to his rescue, and give him a fresh start. Organised charity is well known among them. Each temple of Kanyaka Paramēswari is a centre for charity. In the city of Madras the Kanyaka Paramēswari charities,among other good objects, promote the development of female education. In 1905, the Kōmatis established a Southern India Vysia Association, with the object of encouraging "the intellectual, moral, religious, social, industrial and commercial advancement of the Vysia community." Among the means employed for so doing, are the helping of deserving students with scholarships for the prosecution of the study of the English and vernacular languages, and organised relief of poor and distressed members of the community by founding orphanages, and so forth. The affairs of the association are managed by an executive committee made up of prominent members of the caste, including merchants, lawyers, and contractors. Many stories and proverbs have reference to the wealth, ready wit, thrift, and other qualities of the Kōmatis.* Of these, the following are selected from a large repertoire: —

Rh A blind Kōmati prayed to Vishnu for the restoration of his eyesight, and at last the god appeared before him, and asked him what he wanted. "Oh! God," he replied,"I want to see from above the seventh storey of my mansion my great-grandsons playing in the streets, and eating their cakes from golden vessels." Vishnu was so astonished at the request of the blind man, which combined riches, issue, and the restoration