Through a jungle of speaking animals, a sage, Vishnu Sharma, created a storehouse of wisdom in the form of short stories for children as well as adults. Those stories, written as far back as 2000 years ago, came to be known as “Panchtantra”. It has been translated into fifty different languages in some 200 different versions.Panchtantra means five devices or treatises- (Panch=Five,Tantra= devices or treatises,) The stories under five different heads cover all aspect of safety management, personal life and cunning that one has to combat in life. The Panchtantra is divided into five volumes: -
1. The first Tantra = Mitra bhed (Rift between friends)
2. The second Tantra = Mitra samprati (Wining of friends)
3. The Third Tantra = Kakolukiyam (Untrustworthy friendship of a former
Enemy.)
4. The fourth Tantra =Labdhapranasha (Presence of mind during emergencies)
5. The fifth Tantra =Aparikshita karaka (Untested situations)
In the collection of five stories of Panchatantra, I have tried to show what bearing these fables have on our safety skill, I have highlighted some of the morals embedded in the fable themselves in terms of safety insights and correlated with practical example of Coal fields .The diagram of causes of “Accident –Panchtantra” is given below: -
STORY – ITHE TALE OF THE MONKEY
The Construction of a temple was on outside a town. Near a site a wood log was split. At lunch, the workers fixed a wedge between split wood and went for a bite. A Monkey had been watching the activities of the workers since morning. When the workers were away, the monkey descended from the tree and began to meddle with the log of wood. During his play, he noticed the wedge and began to withdraw it. But he forgot that his tail was hanging between the split ends of the log .As soon as the wedge was out, the split ends closed squeezing the tail of the monkey. The monkey tried hard to free himself, but in vain. No help was available nearby. By the time the workers returned from their lunch, the monkey was dead.
SAFETY INSIGHTS: -
· Not to interfere in the affairs of others.
· Lack of experience and knowledge is harmful to anybody.
PRACTICAL EXAMPLES: -
· Inexperienced helpers acting as drivers or operators of HEMM turned to accident.
· Undesignated persons working as electrician, mechanic, fitter etc. are also prone to accidents.
· Officers/In-charges interfering jurisdiction of others also invites problems and worsens the normal situation.
STORY –II
THE BRAHMIN AND THE CRAB
A Brahmin named Brahmadutta lived in the city. One day he decided to go to another city for some work. His mother asked who was accompanying him. He replied that he was going alone. Brahmadutta mother advised him to take somebody along, as having a companion is very useful while traveling.
Brahmadutta’s Mother gave him a crab and said, “This crab will be your companion on this journey”.
Brahmadutta proceeded on his journey with crab, which he kept insight a small camphor box. In the afternoon, he decided to take rest under the shade of a tree. Being tired he soon fell a sleep. While he was sleeping a snake emerged from the hollow of that tree. The snake was attracted by the smell of camphor box and tried to swallow it. The crab came out from the box, and killed the snake. When Brahmadutta wake up from his sleep, he found a dead snake lying near the camphor box. He realized that the crab had saved his life.
SAFETY INSIGHTS: -
· Never underestimate any one’s usefulness.
· Follow higher up safety instruments.
· Never go alone in danger places.
PRACTICAL EXAMPLES: -
· Pump khalasi without safety lamp in underground site and succumbed due to presence of black damp.
· Electrician without safety belt, gloves working on overhead lines fell down to the ground.
· Over-man without safety lamp or methanometer in gassy mines may save from impending danger of Fire lamp, Explosion.
· Go with helper/worker is remote places.
STORY –III
THE BRAHMIN’ WIFE AND THE MANGOOSE
There once lived a Brahmin called Dev Sharma. After he got married, his wife gave birth to a child in due course. At the same time, a female mongoose had delivered and died. The Brahmin’s wife felt sorry for the baby mangoose and decided to look after it. She ever gave it her milk to drink, looking after it as if it were her own son.
One day the Brahmin’s wife went to fetch water after instructing the Brahmin to take care of the child. After some time the Brahmin went away to seek alms, leaving the child alone. In the mean time, a black cobra entered the house. Spitting his enemy the young mangoose was very angry. He fought with cobra and ultimately killed him. The mangoose was very happy that he had saved the life of his brother (The Brahmin’s child). He waited for the Brahmin or his wife to return, standing proudly at the door. When the Brahmin’s wife returned, she saw the mangoose mouth smeared with blood. Immediately she jumped to confusion that the mangoose has killed his son. In blind anger, she smashed the water pot she was carrying on mangoose head. The mangoose died instantly. When she entered the house she was surprised to find her child playing happily on the cot. A dead cobra lay under the cot. In a flash, she registered everything and began to wail in the grief.
SAFETY INSIGHTS:-
· Don’t take any hasty action before checking out where you stand.
· Always analyze the situation, which will be able to decide on the right course of action.
PRACTICAL EXAMPLES:-
· To save an electrolocuted person in haste without using non-conductive material such as wood/glove etc.
· Jumping from the crane, dozer and dumper during retreating from ramp by operators with out analyzing the situation.
· To rescue any unconscious person during re-opening of a sealed mine in haste without wearing dragger, proto mark -IV
· To suspend or charge sheet anyone without checking the fact or faults, ultimately loosing an effective human resource.
STORY –IV
MANTHAR – THE WEAVER
A weaver named Manthar once lived in a village earning his livelihood weaving clothes. While at work one day, his spinning wheel broke down. As the only means of his livelihood was destroyed, he becomes sad. He then decided to earn his livelihood by selling wood.
So he went to the seashore with an axe in hand. There he saw a huge rosewood tree and decided to axe it. A Yaksha who lived on this tree requested Manthar not to cut it down. But Manthar did not pay heed and asked the Yaksha to move to some other tree “I can earn a lot of money by selling the wood of this big tree,” said Manthar.
The Yaksha realized he was very poor and said, “ I am pleased by your innocence, I can fulfill one wish of yours.”
Very happy, Manthar requested the Yaksha to wait until he returned after asking his wife what to demand. The Yaksha agreed. As Manthar was walking home, he met his barber friend. He told him everything about the Yaksha and asked what he should demand. The barber advised him to ask for an empire, “you will be the king and I will be your minister,” said the barber.
Manthar liked the idea, but still went to ask his wife. At home he narrated the story to her and also mentioned what the barber had suggested.
Manthar wife told him “Your friend does not know the troubles of a King faces ruling over his subjects. Even his queen is burdened with tension. Your occupation is best for you. But there is one problem. You can do very little work with two hands. Ask for two extra hands to do more work. And don’t forget to ask for an extra head.”
Manthar returned to Yaksha and expressed his desire to have four hands and two heads. After the Yaksha granted his desire, Manthar returned to his village happily. As he was entering the village, the villagers took him for a demon and killed him.
SAFETY INSIGHTS: -
· Ambition is laudable as long as it does not turn into a moral monster. The dividing line between ambition and greed is nebulous and crossing this could bring you grief.
PRACTICAL EXAMPLES:-
· The ambition people work on over time without keeping in view about health status get frequent sick, alcoholic, mental stress and ultimate invite accident.
· Using one’s whole deposited money in life, they purchase tippers/hyva in hope to earn more and more. But reality comes that they become unable to pay the monthly installments too. Very few become successful, otherwise many of them are getting higher mental stress and physical fatigue, Crime rate and suicide also.
STORY –V
THE LION AND THE FOOLISH SCHOLARS
Four Brahmins who were very good friends once lived in a village. While three were great scholars, the fourth was illiterate but had lots of practical knowledge.
One day, all the friends decided to visit another country to earn money. However, one of them decided not to give to any thing to the fourth friend from whatever they received from the king, saying, “ He is not a scholar and has not read any scriptures. He has only some practical knowledge, which does not entitle him to rewards from the king. So the second friend advised the fourth to turn back, as he was not a scholar.
The third, however, convinced the others to allow him to accompany them, saying “friends he too is our friend we must not abandon him like this” All of them then agreed to take him along and proceeded on their journey. As they were passing a forest, they saw some bones on the ground and decided to test their knowledge. One collected the bones and erected the skeleton through the powers of his mantra. The second added flesh, skin and blood to the skeleton through the powers of his mantra. As the third friend was with reference to to infuse
a new lease of life in to the animal through the powers of his mantra, the fourth friend said, “ Stop, this is a lion. Do not resurrect it because it will kill all of us.”
All the friends laughed at him, saying he was being unduly concerned and that they would certainly test their knowledge. When the fourth Brahmin realized his friends were adamant on resurrecting the lion, he climbed a tree to save his life. As soon as the lion was brought back to life, he devoured all the three Brahmins. When the lion went away, the fourth Brahmin came down the tree and quickly returned the home.
SAFETY INSIGHTS: -
· Theoretical knowledge without practical abilities and common sense is unless and ever harmful.
· To exploit scientific / technical knowledge one should know how to control it.
· Production of any commodity shall be such that it shall be manageable and marketable.
PRACTICAL EXAMPLES: -
· Many employees use only theoretical knowledge without considering practical aspects or say common sense they fails to achieve the target safely.
· In case of any breakdown of HEMM dragline, Dumpers, shovel etc. many departments like E&M, Excv. Survey to use their theoretical knowledge and skill to rectify it, the result happened that costly spare parts or accessories got break down, damaged and consequently HEMM machine/man power could not be utilized properly and many times it created accident prone situations in fields.
CONCLUSION
In the conclusion, I have expressed that the sermons on safety in the panchtantra and narrated them with a typical causes of mining accident and tried to add them in to risk management plan designed to bring it easy language and keep in to their memories how to avoid accident and be safe.
