Velan was a carpenter who lived with his aged and weak father, Kuppan. Velan treated his father poorly, giving him only a small earthen plate and little food. Velan's son, Muthu, a kind boy of ten, loved his grandfather and was saddened by his father's cruel behavior.
One day, Kuppan accidentally dropped and broke his earthen plate while eating. Velan, seeing this, became angry and harshly scolded his father. Muthu witnessed this but felt powerless to intervene.
The next day, Muthu was seen working with wood and his father's carpentry tools.
"What are you making, Muthu?" Velan asked.
"A wooden plate," Muthu replied.
"What for?"
"For you, father. When you grow old like grandfather, you will need a plate. An earthen one breaks easily, and I might scold you. A wooden plate won't break so easily."
Velan was shocked. He realized his own mistakes and how poorly he had treated his kind father who had cared for him so well. From that day on, Velan changed. He began treating his father with great respect and gave up drinking. He had learned a valuable lesson from his son.