*From To Sathish*-Sathish's new movie Info & Pics pg20! - Page 119

Buckcherry dont go away

CHAPTER 14

"Famous men have the whole earth as their memorial." --Pericles

My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius. Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.-The gladiator.

Heroes, Billions and billions of human beings have walked the earth, fighting battles, winning,losing and dying and have died and in their last dying moments have seen their loved ones slaughtered in front of their eyes and have gone to their graves knowing that they could not save the ones they wanted to save.How many heroes do we know and how many stories have been forgotten over the Millennium. What great stories they would tell if they had voices to speak. Where are they, but lost and have turned to dust in the wind. Does the air remember their tragedies and does the sky remember their dying wishes thrown up to their gods. Does the water in the rivers and does the water in the oceans hide their ravaged and ancient remains, to one day whisper of great men who walked this land, this ground we call earth.




Mountain of tears


The path through the forest was a bit difficult to travel for sadashivam, but he kept quiet when he realised that but for him,everyone else was walking barefoot.The group had been walking for nearly half an hour and then all of a sudden, sadashivam thought he got a glimpse of some mountains and to be more exact,the gopuram of a temple,with a flag fluttering on it.

The giant stopped and whispered again to palam swamy who turned to sadashivam ' we will rest for a a few minutes here and then carry on. Importantly, we are stopping here for i need to tell you on a few rules on what to do or what to say. Today is a very important day for the village for they are celebrating something important and it is something about which even i have no clue. They are very secretive in their ways and it is has been this way for many hundreds of years. I trust you and i think there is a reason why they have allowed us to enter the village on this particular day and my mind tells me something beyond my understanding is unraveling and i am even thinking that it might be wise and prudent to turn back right now.'

Sadashivam with sweat pouring down from every pore in his body tiredly smiled and said 'swamy,i am having the greatest time i have ever had in my life and i am not going to turn back now,right now when it is getting really interesting.Please don't worry for i will be on my best behaviour and i swear i will not get you or myself into trouble.'

Palam swamy looked at the giant and nodded and off they went through the forest,but not for too long for the dense forest suddenly came to a abrupt halt at a waterfall and even before sadashivam could react the giant gently pushed him into it and to his surprise,sadashivam realised it was just a cover and then they walked in darkness for a few more minutes and sadashivam noticed armed men standing hidden in the shadows and their eyes were all trained and focused on him and him only.

The darkness of the cave soon shone with a dim light in the distance, like the light a dying man imagines is beckoning to come forward as his soul departs and the light brightened and out of the tunnel into light, bright daylight came the party of three. Sadashivam closed his eyes for a few seconds and then opened his eyes and realised that he opened his eyes to paradise and to a place that he had only read in books of fiction and fairy tales.
Perumalpuram or perumalvaram was like an oasis in the desert, for flowers bloomed in every bush and mighty trees towered over the entire village. A small stream gurgled,murmured and danced through the small village. Sadashivam realised that he had entered the village in the direction of west and to left and right,small thatched houses ringed the way and they lead up to an arch, through which he could see a rocky path winding its way into the distance and into the womb of the mountain.

Sadashivam slowly took in the whole picture and it was look a painting done by raja ravi varma.The people looked like they had been transported from some old MGR film like adimai penn or arasa kattalai and the men stood straight and tall and the women were all beautiful.Their skin was neither black or brown but kind of a nutty,coffee color and what hit sadashivam like a brick was the silence and the calm that prevailed in the village.

The giant slowly led him to the center of the village, where under a huge tamarind tree sat an old man.Sadashivam thought to himself ' This whole adventure started with me thinking i am getting old and then i met the late prabhakar,then i meet this palam swamy and now i get to meet an even older man. God,i do feel young and vital compared to these gentlemen.'

The thoughts brought a smile on sadashivam's face and the old man who was sitting there smiled and said ' wrong,there are older people whom we call siddhars living in these forests. older and wiser than you and me.'

Sadashivam stared at him and then remembered how vadivelu kept feeling shocked and surprised in the film CHANDRAMUKHI,when superstar rajinikanth kept telling whatever he was thinking, and although he felt like laughing,he kept a straight face.

The old man introduced himself a Periya swamy and asked them to sit down and then gently told the giant to bring them some water to drink and some fruits to eat. The giant bent down and whispered something in the old man's ears and sadashivam again thought 'Periya swamy,so his wife should be called Periya maamy. nice.'

Periya swamy looked at sadashivam and said 'i never married,so there is no periya maamy in this village. But now i see more than thollai swamy,kurumbu swamy will be a much better name for you. Anyway please tell me how i can be of help and more importantly why you are here in our village.'

Sadashivam did not know how or what to answer to this question for surely the old man would fathom what was going on in his mind and so decided that he would be honest with his queries.' I came across a few paintings and purchased them in an auction. From information i managed to gather, i understood that they are from a very long time ago. But one painting of a pregnant woman really caught my imagination and since in my retired life i have nothing much to do, i thought i would follow my heart and try to collect some information about the painting and if possible the artist who sketched it. I had no idea that this place existed but thanks to palam swamy, i am here.'


Periya swamy closed his eyes and sat still for a while in contemplation and yet sadashivam felt that something was troubling the man and just like that periya swamy opened his eyes and gazed deeply into sadsahivam's eyes. 'Yes,i am troubled with many things and i am more troubled and confused on your arrival. I am sorry to disappoint you, but you will find no answers for your questions in this village and i think it is better that you rest for a while and then make your way back. I humbly request you not to wander off on your own and stay inside the village boundaries.'

Saying this the old man periya swamy abruptly got up and left sadashivam and palam swamy to their confusion and disappointment and both looked at each other wondering what to do.

Palam swamy ' shivam, i am truly sorry for this but i promise you on the god i worship that it was he who guided me to bring you here. I don't know what was supposed to happen or how your questions were going to be answered but this is all i know and i am sorry that things turned out to be so disappointing.'

Sadashivam sighed deeply and let his eyes travel all over the village and drank in the beauty of what lay spread before him and then looked at palam swamy ' Please don't apologize for something which is beyond your control. anyway, i knew from the beginning that questions and answers related to ancient stuff is difficult in asking and also answering .But,it is all worth it for thanks to you, i am here in this heaven on earth and the other option, would have been me idling and rotting at home in chennai.'

Then all of a sudden sadashivam looked around and palam swamy asked him what he was searching for and sadashivam said one word ' Buddha'.

Both looked at each other and tried to recollect where it was that they had last seen buddha and palam swamy said ' he was in the car when we entered the forest reserve but i kind of lost track after that.shivam. please don't worry for i am sure he must be somewhere near by running around, checking out the forest and one thing i am sure of is that even the large herbivores will avoid him, for like i told you earlier,that dog is going to play a significant part in your life.Shivam, if you don't mind, i am going to take a small nap under this tree, for my legs are really aching and my body is showing its age.'

Sadashivam sat next to palam swamy as the old man gently dozed off and started gently snoring and thought of the pressure cooker at him,which sounded somewhat similar when it was cooking rice or vegetables.Even though the thought of a nap in the beautiful surroundings was tempting, sadashivam's heart told him to search for buddha and getting up he slowly walked around enjoying the scenery. The tall and tough looking men near the cave tunnel was warning enough and sadashivam walked around to see if buddha was anywhere in hiding inside some dense growth that bordered the two sides of the village.Slowly his walk brought him to the temple and he stood there straining his eyes and trying to peer into the gloom to see the deity inside. Then, totally immersed in the temple and completely forgetting what the village head man had told him, sadashivam entered the temple and this condition is what you call temporary insanity or let me be exact it is correctly termed ' throwing caution to the wind '.

The temple which looked small was actually quite a long corridor and it took sadashivam a few seconds to adjust his sight, for he had come in from bright daylight into the gloom of the temple. Sadashivam wiped his glasses and placing them back thought to himself Old man, i think it is time for that cataract operation.'

At the end of the narrow passage in the temple, stood a medium sized statue with a garland around his neck and a stick in his right hand and there seemed to be some other statue near his left side.Sadashivam stood near the statue and realised that seeing a young boy with a stick, the deity which he had mistaken for lord muruga in his palanimalai avatar was in fact the statue of a young man and the stick was actually a huge spear and near his left hand stood a lion and both boy and man seemed to have the most beautiful smile on their faces.

Why or what it was that he felt this way but sadashivam felt the hair on his forearms stand up and then suddenly realizing something from his dreams,sadashivam looked at the statue's left forearm and finally saw the image or tatoo and it was in the shape of stars or was it a cloud.

That was the last thing he saw or would remember, for the heavy stick hit him on the head and he just dropped to the ground. The giant picked him up and threw him on his shoulders and came out and looked at his leader, periya swamy. The old man nodded and cast his eyes in the direction of the mountain and then even the old man palam swamy was dragged behind them.

Palam swamy calmly begged periya swamy ' Iyya,the man is from the city and a very famous scientist. he must have entered the temple out of curiosity and i assure you that he is an honorable man, but just a bit impulsive. So please forgive him and let him go. If you need to punish someone, then punish me for it was me that led him here and into this tough situation.'

But his pleas fell on deaf ears and they entered the small canyon,and carved rock steps led them into the bowels of the mountain and after half an hour they were on top it.

Both men were tied to two small rock pillars and periya swamy turned to palam swamy ' this place is more sacred than you will ever know or understand. There are secrets here that are worth protecting and if it means sacrificing our very lives or in this case executing you people, then it is worth it. Just know this that your lives are nothing compared to what lives and breathes here.'

Periya swamy then took a huge conch and blew and everyone in the village stood and stared towards the mountain and the whole forest echoed with the noise.

Sadashivam's eyes flickered open and slowly focused on the situation around him and his sharp brain realised that he had broken a sacred law by entering the temple and was now paying for it. But he was more shocked to see the old man,palam swamy also tied next to him.

But something else caught sadashivam's attention and it was a sound that was alien to this beautiful surroundings and it was a mechanical noise of an engine. It was the chakk-chackk-chak-chak, chak-a-chak-akk-chk-chk-chk noise of an helicopter landing.

Periya swamy looked at the giant warrior, warning him to be ready and then placing the conch to his lips, blew and a strange noise flew out of the conch and sadshivam realised it was a warning to the villagers to be ready for battle.

He then turned to the giant and said ' off with their heads right now and let us go down to chop more heads off those who have dared to enter our sanctuary.'

The giant reached for his huge sword and closed his eyes and then opened them gently and both sadashivam and palam swamy saw to their surprise that the giant's eyes were filled with tears.

He looked at them and then gazed into the bright skies and then loudly roared 'Maasilan,Mamannan,kathiravan,azhagan,meykandan, engal deivam Kavin peril idhai seigiren.Mannithu vidungal ennai.'

The giant raised the sword and the old man Periya swamy raised and blew the conch loudly and then even louder than his conch,came the answering and thunderous noise from another conch and in shock and surprise then old man and the giant went to the edge of the mountain to see who or what was making the noise.


A tall man ran up the mountain and he was dressed in white and even his face was covered in white.He ran and he flew up the mountain and he carried a huge spear and alongside him ran an animal and it looked like a dog or was it a lion. The giant watched in surprise for once he had ran up the mountain in a race and had reached the top in about 18 minutes and here was a stranger and a beast coming towards them effortlessly and it looked like they would cover the distance in just a few minutes. Behind them like specks came the rest of the villagers armed with spears and swords in hot pursuit of the stranger and animal.



I am a boy born to a blind mother and she called me azhagan and although people have called me by many names, my heart skips a beat when i am called azhagan for it reminds me of the times with my mother.

I am azhagan,i am kavin and i will sing my story if you will lend your ears.it is a long one and so take these hands of my mind and listen to my tale.


I am fire and i am water. I am hell and i am heaven and i will bring peace to you.

The boy who went into the dark and came back with light.

A page from my lord Rama days

I had many heroes to worship and whose actions i tried to imbibe when i was growing up and one still sticks,yes it really stuck in my cousins forehead.The film Sampoornaramayanam which had the late N.T.R. acting as LORD RAMA really caught and fired my imagination.I decided that i was going to be lord Rama and my cousin Pradeep,Bujju as we called him was going to be lord Lakshmana.Well Sita did not figure for we thought her as an alien and we used to giggle and hold our stomachs in laughter,when the thought of asking Bindu my kutty cousin sister to be Sita.Both me and Bujju looked at each other and thought that our Ramayana could be better off without Sita and as for all the villains,our pet albino German shepherd TONY agreed to play the part willingly,but he rarely understood the part and always ended pushing us down and licking our faces with his slobbery tongue.But someday's he would be ok and just lie still and me and Bujju used to stab him with sticks as if we were killing Ravana and Kumbakarna.No, we did not hurt him but we used to frustrate him a lot by climbing the guava tree,which was in the back of the house and he used to sit and bark at us.And soon,one of my aunts would join TONY and bark at us.
One day i made bujju stand and tried to be william tell and i had made some arrows with needles tied at the end and the bow was made from one of the guava tree branches and well,i had a sore bum and a swollen head for a few days.i shot the arrow and lo and behold,it went into bujjus forehead,who giggled first and then the pain hit him and off he ran, screaming mummy,mummy and spankings followed.It was only tony and me for a few days and we both ignored bujju for a while and after he bawled repeatedly, we let him into our circle,but not before he promised to never run and bitch to our elders if he got hurt in battle with the demons and our singam,tony

Chapter 15

"In those days I learned that nothing is more frightening than a hero who lives to tell his story, to tell what all those who fell at his side will never be able to tell." Carlos Ruiz Zafn, The Shadow of the Wind

He stood alone, drenched in blood and although sweat poured down his wounded body,it just could not wash away the blood that welled up from the cuts and gashes in his body.The blood from his wounds mixed with the blood from his enemies that had splattered on him,when he had chopped their heads off and like many streams running down a hill they ran down and formed a puddle at his feet. He stared at the blood in amazement and wondered at the color for he could not differentiate between his blood and the blood of his enemies. But it was the pain that he felt deep inside his soul that hurt him the most and he knew that there would be no cure or balm for that pain and he also knew that there would be no end to all the killing which he would be doing. A gentle breeze lifted his long hair and they fluttered like flags behind him and he heard her whisper and her lullaby. He turned his face to the east and heard his blind mother's soft voice singing for him and he smiled gently as he felt better.He looked at his left forearm and tried again to make sense of the weird designs that he had been born with and shrugging his shoulders in frustration walked towards his village using the huge spear as a crutch.

The hundreds of bodies that lay without heads, limbs and most importantly now lay still in death were covered by birds of prey and beasts that scavenged and it looked like someone had thrown a blanket of fur and feathers over the clearing. The old man stood hidden among the trees and cried for the boy and he cried for all the men who had lost their lives and now lay as a feast for birds and beasts. He watched the boy as he disappeared into the distance and realised that he looked like mahakala who had descended from the heavens to do his job, the job of death and destruction.

Swarnat Vijaya Vidmahe

Sula Hastaya Dhimahi

Tanno Kala Bhairavaya Prachodayat

Fire in the mountain,run,run

The sun was now high in the sky and slowly clouds gathered and a strong breeze started blowing from the east. The tall man in white and the huge dog leaped on to the top of the mountain and both Periaya swamy and the giant froze for a second seeing them both and in that second, like light both man and dog put themselves in between the chief and the giant and the shackled sadashivam and Palam swamy.

Periya swamy for the first time in all of the 85 years that he had breathed the air of this land felt a strange sensation running through his mind and body.But he and all who lived in Perumalpuram had sworn to protect the village and its legacy from all enemies and had been trained and prepared to lay down their lives for it.He looked at the stranger and said in anger ' you have broken our laws and have crossed boundaries that are sacred and so your life is forfeit. Now lay down your weapons and surrender or you will surely die here along with these men.'

The tall man's face was covered in a white cloth and only his eyes could be seen and they blazed with a strange light and with the power of the sun. He looked calmly at periya swamy and said ' My life may be forfeit but i will not allow these innocent men to be slaughtered and will not stand still and see innocent blood stain this land. So let them go and i will surrender.'

By now Periaya swamy was totally enraged and he screamed at the giant 'Theeran,kill this infidel who has dared to enter our village and chop his legs for stepping into this sacred mountain.'

Theeran roared in anger and swinging the mighty sword jumped towards the tall man who calmly and with a smile looked at buddha ' relax my friend,i have got this.'

Buddha opened his mouth and yawned and lay down and turned towards sadashivam and periyaswamy and closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Sadashivam stared at buddha and thought ' my god, here we are going to be killed and this dog is taking a nap.It looks like those cartoon channels are affecting the dogs also and no wonder this mutt is behaving like dogs do in TOM and JERRY cartoons.' He turned to see Palam swamy who also seemed strangely calm and relieved upon seeing the stranger.

Dheeran charged at the stranger who stood calmly and just when dheeran's huge sword flung at him, side stepped and let the giant run past him. Gathering himself dheeran charged again and this time the stranger flicked his left shoulder and the shield which lay on his back jumped up and took the brunt of the dheeran's blow.To the astonishment of all three men,it was dheeran who was flung back and who fell to the ground,while the stranger stood still with his eyes full of smiles.

The blow which dheeran had just struck at the stranger could have cut a wild buffalo in two pieces and yet here the man stood still and dheeran lay on the ground in shock and for the first time in his life feeling fear,a feeling he had never felt before.He turned to periaya swamy who was by now at his wits end and it was not only them watching for all the villagers had crept up to see this battle and now stood shocked and astonished.

Periaya swamy whispered ' stranger,who are you. reveal yourself.'

The tall stranger flicked the huge shield onto his back and stood with the huge spear in his right hand and buddha came to his left side and the man bent down and stroked the dog's huge head.The white cloth covering the man's left forearm stretched back and Periaya swamy and dheeran saw the markings and felt their bodies tremble in fear and in faith.

Periaya swamy's body trembled as the legend and the stories raced through his memory and he repeated ' please,tell us who you are.'

The tall man's eyes smiled and he turned his back to sadashivam and palam swamy and faced periaya swamy, dheeran and all the villagers and slowly removed the white cloth that covered his face.Then he took the conch that hung on his waist and placing it in his lips,blew and the noise was as loud as thunder and then from deep in the forest, everyone there heard the roar of a lion and it roared loud and long.

Periaya swamy's eyes filled with tears and with a trembling voice he murmured ' who,what,it cannot be.that lion has never been seen and it is supposed to roar only when the legend returns to our village.so who are you.are you the one ?'

The man smiled and said ' I,We have been called many names.Pakalon,Maasilan,Kathiravan,Meykandan,Koman,Nikaran.I could go on but you can call me Kavin.'

A huge roar filled the air and Periya swamy,dheeran and all the villagers fell to their knees and bowed low touching their forehead to the ground.everyone's eyes were filled with tears and they stared at the legend they had worshipped and prayed for centuries.

Sadashivam was really frustrated now and desperately wanted to see who this man was and right then the man covered his face and turned towards sadashivam and then signaled to dheeran,who ran and untied the chains that shackled both men.

The tall man gently apologised for what had happened and requested both sadashivam and Palam swamy to forgive him and the villagers for the trouble that had been put through.

He placed his left arm on sadashivam's shoulder and said ' all your questions will be answered at first light tomorrow morning, but for now rest and we will talk soon.'

Periaya swamy asked dheeran to take them down to the village and they left and only he and Kavin stood on the mountain.

Kavin took out a slim looking phone out of his pouch and whispered something and a few minutes later, they heard the helicopter taking off and vanishing into the distance.

Kavin slowly sat down on a boulder and looked at periaya swamy and said ' The secrets all of us have been guarding are being threatened. The paintings and sketches were released with a purpose to lure me out and trap me. We have to be on our guard from now on, so please see to it that more eyes are watching for activity in the forest.If it is absolutely necessary then i will do what has to be done.But for now leave me here for i need to be on my own this night,on this mountain and think and plan on what has to be done.'

But I set fire to the rain,
Watched it pour as I touched your face,
Well, it burned while I cried
'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name!

ADELE-SET FIRE TO THE RAIN

If you stay in Larissa, you will find peace. You will find a wonderful woman, and you will have sons and daughters, who will have children. And they'll all love you and remember your name. But when your children are dead, and their children after them, your name will be lost. If you go to Troy, glory will be yours. They will write stories about your victories for thousands of years and the world will honor your name. But if you go to Troy, you will never come back, for your glory walks hand-in-hand with your doom. And I shall never see you again. Thetis, to her son Achilles.

I am fire and i am water. I am hell and i am heaven and i will bring peace to you.

The boy who went into the dark and came back with light.

Hi

Agara mudhala ezhuthellam
aadhi bhagavan mudhatre ulagu.

15 chapters have passed in this tale and soon i will begin to write,no sing about the boy and his blind mother.It will be a song about his birth,his loss,his first love and how from god he becomes an avenging devil.Please excuse my flights of imagination and suspension of certain beliefs,but in the end i hope to answer all questions and tie all knots neatly.I write for a few of you and that is enough and i hope as the tale develops,you will see what we humans have to face and endure everyday.The comedy of sadashivam,the loyalty of buddha and love,true love which makes everything possible.

I want to wish you all lots of love,peace and happiness and i wish you well where ever you are or will be.i remain yours truly and humbly the same satish,who stumbled into this forum and it takes me back to the memory of the sad and unfortunate death of vaishnavi.i think this is my 10th year here and honestly i did not think i would last so long or rather if my moods and interests would let me be still.But here i am and here i hope to be for more days,weeks and years.Be well.

CHAPTER 16

"Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes." J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets


I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream

ABBA-I have a dream


Enter the womb and Renter the past

Kavin sat on the mountain and the darkness, which lay on the land, seemed not so dark around him and hesitated to reach into the aura the man projected. The chill, night breeze calmed his mind and cooled his body and with a sigh, he nudged Buddha,who ran down the mountain in great haste.

It was about four in the morning and the various species of birds realising that dawn was near at hand, started rejoicing with calls and cackles in thought of their daily bread and the security which sunlight brought to thei lives .Buddha raced back up the mountain and was soon followed by Periaya swamy,Palam swamy,sadashivam and dheeran.

Kavin stood up and looked at them ' It is time for you people to know why this place is sacred and why many who went before me laid down their lives without even thinking about it before dying.This mountain is not sacred because of the temple here, in which my people have been worshipped but because of what lies hidden here .Come with me and see for yourself and then you will begin to understand.'

Kavin led them deep into the womb of the mountain and inside the gloom, paused outside the temple doors which guarded what was inside. He pushed the doors wide open and switching on the torch he carried, slowly made his way to the stony wall behind the statue that stood as a deity and as a guardian.

With his face still covered for some strange reason ,he turned to sadashivam who had stopped to stare at the statue and the weird symbols that adorned the wall behind it and ' well, mr.shivam.you wanted answers and i promised you answers and you are going to get answers. I think among all the people who are here, only you will be able to appreciate what you are going to see. It took some time for me to understand what the history of the place was and it took a a few more trips for me to assume my place as the guardian of this forest.'

Kavin quickly turned to periaya swamy and gently whispered ' i am sorry, but someday you will be able to understand the need for the secrecy on my part and hopefully forgive my actions.'

Periaya swamy bent low and whispered ' You are our god and protector. Please do not apologise for your actions and we remain to do your bidding and are ready to lay down our lives for you and for you alone. It is you, who must forgive me for attacking you and i don't know how i am going to redeem myself in your eyes.'

Seeing the old man cry, Kavin gave his spear to dheeran who took it and stepped back and then placed both his hands on the old man's shoulders and then gently wiped his tears ' Please, I know and understand how valuable your service has been to this village and this land and i thank you.' and gently hugged the man and stroked his head.

Then Kavin asked sadashivam to shine the torch on the wall with weird designs that lay spread on the wall and placed both his arms on two circles and then gently breathed into the wall.

A few seconds passed and they heard a click,then a grinding noise and then more clicks and the rock wall opened to reveal darkness, pitch black darkness.Kavin turned to all the men and then whispered something to buddha, who left to stand guard at the entrance.Then he asked them to wait for him and he went in alone and a few minutes later, they heard a click and slowly the darkness vanished to reveal a corridor lit dimly with lights.

Sadashivam thought ' i came in search of answers about the paintings and here i am entering Ali baba's cave and i am starting to feel like Indiana jones in raiders of the lost ark.'

Kavin suddenly turned and stared at sadashivam and stared at him and everybody could see that the man's eyes shone with a strange light and yet they were also full of laughter and he said ' please do not be shocked when you actually lay your eyes on the ark,for it is here among many other lost items.'

Sadashivam thought ' what is this man raving about, ark and treasures. maybe i should wait outside with buddha.'

Kavin roared in laughter and sadashivam heard him say as he walked deep inside the corridor ' mr.shivam,why is it that mrs.kamalam sadashivam has never had the pleasure of all this spontaneous wit and punch dialogues.'

Sadashivam shut up and wondered ' everybody here seems to be a mind reader.'

They all walked for about ten minutes in the dimly lit corridor and then they all stood outside a huge door and it too was covered with strange designs and sadashivam knew he had seen these patterns before and was trying desperately to recollect where he had seen them.

Kavin removed the white cloth on his face and placing both his hands on the wall breathed into it and whispered something and again everybody heard the clicks, and grinding of wheels and the doors slid sideways and they stood outside a huge cavern like area,which was brightly lit.

Kavin then turned and sadashivam gasped and nearly died of the shock.

All he could say was ' sir,sir,neenga.what is happening.But you are,you are.'

Kavin smiled and said yes ' I am also called Chief minister Dhanashaekara pandiyan.I am also called Pakalon,Maasilan,Kathiravan,Meykandan,Koman,Nikaran,Mamannan,azhagan and so many other names. But me and all those who are and were the guardians have been called those. But you can call me dhana, for that is how i am called by people who are close to me .'

I am fire and i am water. I am hell and i am heaven and i will bring peace to you.

The boy who went into the dark and came back with light.

"When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking." Albert Einstein

CHAPTER 17

"The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - which you had thought special and particular to you. And now, here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours" Alan Bennett, The History Boys: The Film


Life is a prison and we are all sentenced to life long imprisonment and the prisoners who languish with us in the same cell are our thoughts,our memories,our depressions and our heartbreaks.My eyes have bars and although they are invisible i see and let inside lots of sights but the bars filter stuff which they know will hurt my heart.My soul broke in half once when i was a child and with time,it slowly healed but with lots of scar tissues and it beats on slowly and steadily and it waits patiently for life or death.In limbo,in zombieland heart and soul entwined travel on a journey with no destination.



Reliquary

The shock dhana had given them was too much for sadashivam and palam swamy but it mattered not much for dheeran and periaya swamy for Kavin was the very god that they and their ancestors had worshipped for many centuries and him being the chief minister was just an additional post and an extra crown for their king.The village was insulated from the politics and technological advancements of the outside world and who or what ruled the land outside was ignored and rejected.

Kavin walked slowly and stopped before a huge statue which was covered by a white cloth and everybody marvelled on seeing how white the color of the cloth was.Kavin slowly pulled the cloth down and it slid and gathered as a flood of snow at their feet and everybody looked up to see the statue and they looked at kavin and the resemblance was startling.

Kavin smiled and said ' that is not me although i resemble the statue.But it is the statue of my ancestor AZHAGAN and the story,my story begins with him.'

Periya swamy and dheeran fell to their knees and with folded hands and bent head mumbled the many names of their god.

Sadashivam's scientist brain was trying to analyse and make sense of everything that he was seeing and yet nothing made sense and he looked at dhana with a puzzled expression.

Kavin asked them all to sit down and sadashivam and periaya swamy sat down on some of the chairs nearby and sadashivam looked down at the chair and wondered on the work and majesty of it.He thought ' Grand looking chair,must have held up a lot of famous backsides and now i am sitting on it and i hope they don't feel insulted.'

Dhana laughed loudly ' sadashivam,you are right about that chair for it used to be in the court of queen elizabeth and was gifted to one of my ancestors,when he visited the court.But all that is history and i will come to it later but for now,the answers to your questions as to who painted the art collection which has recently come into you possession and most importantly the sketch of the blind woman.Well,shivam the paintings and sketch was done by the man who stands before you.'

Saying this dhana pointed to the statue of AZHAGAN and then looked at sadashivam ' It is a very long story and i will tell you if you are willing to listen to it.'

Dhana looked at periya swamy and dheeran and smiled fondly ' it is not only the history of my ancestors but the story of your ancestors who have been with us from the beginning and are equal guardians to this land and the secrets it holds.'


Kavin looked at them ' the story of Azhagan is the story of Avini and the name means "one which cannot be separated" and azhagan and avini were truly inseparable and so much so that i feel her in my soul,even today.Yes,it has been 850 years since the beginning and i know every detail intricately of what transpired then to now.

With everybody settled in dhana,kavin began narrating the tale of Azhagan and his mother Avini.


"But there's a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are simple, and sometimes they are hard and heartbreaking. But behind all your stories is always your mother's story, because hers is where yours begin." Mitch Albom, For One More Day

Naanaga Naan Illai Thaaye
Nal Vaazhvu Thandhaaye Neeye
Paasam Oru Nesam
Kannara Kandaan Un Seye

Keel Vaanile Oli Vandhadhu
Koondai Vittu Kili Vandhadhu
Naan Paarkum Aaghayam
Enghum Nee Paadum Bhoopalam
Vaazhum Payir Vaazha
Nee dhaane Neer Vaartha Kaarmegham

Mani Maazhigai Maadangalum
Malar Thooviya Manjangalum
Thaai Veedu Pol Illai
Angu Thaalatta Aal Illai
Koil Thozhum Deivam
Nee Indri Naan Kaana Vaer Illai

Naanaga Naan Illai Thaaye
Nal Vaazhvu Thandhaaye Neeye

Hi,
The coming of dhana aka dhana shekara pandiyan into this story planted itself when i was writing the last story AND THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE.That is why i gave so much importance to dhana in matters of his physical prowess and the frequent mentions of his skill in fighting and his quick thinking.Why some are more blessed in matters of genetics and what set their genes to culminate in a hero is mother nature's secret recipe and one i have no clue to.But in this story of dhana and as we go back hundred's of years into the past into the life of AZHAGAN and AVINI we will come to know certain things that could be true or certain facts that will aid in this story.

But i think by the time and by the time i finish with the story of AZHAGAN and return back to dhana there will be certain things that will make believers of you or in the least make you think,maybe just maybe all this is possible.

Today we are in the age where breakthroughs are being done on a daily basis in the fields of medicine,science and technology and soon i guess we will touch the edge of life and death.

I will talk more and maybe come back once in a while in the middle of the story to discuss the ifs and buts of the chapters.

I wish you all the very best.Lots of love.

satish