*From To Sathish* - Thread 3 - Page 18

Originally posted by: s.satishkumar

It took nearly two hours of non stop writing to write that chapter and my fingers are aching and my eyes are burning.I don't know why but that chapter left me sad and empty.I think i will go take a nap now.be well.

Chapter 58


"Imagine you come upon a house painted brown. What color would you say the house was?"
"Why brown, of course."
"But what if I came upon it from the other side, and found it to be white?"
"That would be absurd. Who would paint a house two colors?"
He ignored my question. "You say it's brown, and I say it's white. Who's right?"
"We're both right."
"Non," he said. "We're both wrong. The house isn't brown or white. It's both. You and I only see one side. But that doesn't mean the other side doesn't exist. To not see the whole is to not see the truth."? Megan Chance, The Spiritualist




The other king,his son and the sun


Nearly five days had passed since his son and prince rajendara cholan had been sent after the escaped prisoners and no news had reached him as yet about the situation and this was testing kulothunga cholan's patience.He was worried that the sneak attack had been just a decoy and probably there was a huge pandyan army that lay hidden and had now attacked his son rajendara cholan.But he consoled himself that moorkan,the tracker had gone along with the prince and no army could lay hidden from his superior senses.

Kulothungan offlate had realised that age had finally caught up with him and he knew that at some point he had to crown rajendra cholan as the next king.But he secretly prayed for his death since he knew that the mighty chola regime would not last long under his son's rule.He had known that his son was corrupt in mind and body and had been preying on the weak for pleasure and to pass time.He had turned a blind eye to all of this for he was his only son and the kingdom would suffer more without a head than being ruled by a cruel king.

The sun was slowly sinking over the west and it seemed to whisper to his finely tuned senses that maybe this was the beginning of the end for his legacy.Hearing the soldier's footsteps as it raced towards where he was standing,he turned and looked at the soldier who bent low and informed him that the prince had returned.
With energy that would have fooled people into thinking that he was a young man kulothungan ran towards the entrance of the palace and saw that indeed,that rajendra cholan and the army sent along with him had returned.

Kulothungan's eagle eyes took in the depleted numbers of the returned soldiers and some of them were grieviously injured.His expert eyes further took in the injuries of the men and realised that all of them had been sliced or cut just once and not one carried more than a single injury and all that had come from a sword like weapon.Out of the nearly hundred men that had set off on the chase only thirty to forty had returned and most importantly,moorkan was not among them.

Kulothungan looked at rajendran " what happened and where is moorkan for i had given orders that he should not leave your side.The sun may forget to rise but it is well known that moorkan will never disobey my orders and if he has done it today then it means something significant has taken place."

Rajendara cholan struggled to look up and into his father's eyes and with his head bent low mumbled " moorkan is no more."

Kulothunga cholan was shocked but he was more curious to know about the warriors who had bested and felled moorkan and proudly twirling his moustache " how many were they and how many of them did moorkan kill before dying a heroic death."

There was silence and kulothungan roared like a lion " answer my question."

By now the already mentally broken and physically tired rajendran squeaked " one,just one man."

Kulothungan recoiled as if someone had slapped him and then composing himself called one of the army chiefs who was part of the group and who was a good and honest man and asked him to explain what had happened and told him not to leave even one bit of the incident.


The army chief nellaiappan, a veteran of many wars and who also had served as the king's personal guard sighed and looked into his kings eyes " my king,where do i begin ? do i begin from the moment when we came upon a young man who stood alone in the middle of the path in the forest or do i tell you how he boldly but gently asked us to return back to our kingdom or we would never return to our homes.In what beautiful manner can i describe the way in which he tore moorkan's head from his shoulders in just one single movement ? what poet can or great story teller can do justice to the way he swirled his sword and killed half of our elite army in a blink of an eye and then sparing our lives asked us to head home?
But most importantly he said that we were being spared on your account and simply because of the the love you had shown him that one time when both of you met in the forest,many years ago."

Kulothungan frowned and " what do you mean in the forest and long ago.you mean are you talking about the boy.you mean the boy single handedly killed moorkan and half of our army."

Then kulothungan did something surprising and that was he roared in laughter and clapped his hands in joy " bravo,bravo.oh,how i wish i had been there to see all this.But then if i had been there i guess he would not have killed any of us and maybe i would have gladly followed him as a prisoner to the pandyan kingdom."

He turned to his son rajendra cholan "you see,that is the kind of son i prayed for and that is the kind of man that this kingdom needs as a king and not a coward and an immoral person like you.Don't look shocked for i know what you and moorkan have been up to.raping and torturing women and murdering their family members if they dare protest.You think i am not aware of what is going on in my palace and kingdom.let me warn you that and this will be my first and last warning.mend your ways or you will surely meet the same fate as moorkan.i am getting old and i can sense that i will not be around for very long.so please come to your senses or give up your right to your legacy and i will adopt and name someone else to take your place."

He turned to the palace guard and asked him to go bring Appanar iyya and when he was brought before him,kulothungan folded his hands and bowing " old man,you are free to go.Please carry a message to kulashekara pandyan that peace will prevail between us both and that i will be travelling to madurai shortly.Please request the young man that i would like to meet him while i am there."

Apanar iyya bowed and looked at kulothungan with a smile and tears blooming i his eyes " you are one of the kindest and noblest kings i have had the privilege to meet and i will surely pass on the message to my king and the young man.My blessings to you and your family and i wish that you live a very long and healthy life."


Long after everyone had left,rajendra cholan stood with his body on fire.the fire of anger,the flames of vengeance and the jealousy that he had been compared to azhagan burnt him and pained him so much that he swore revenge.

How does so much evil prevail in this world i wonder.i sometimes think that the gods hear the prayers of both good and bad men.I am sure that there is a god who rules in the light and that there is a god who rules and lords over darkness.for when innocents are killed and young lives are brutalised and they call out for help,i wonder which god comes before them.it must be the god of darkness who comes to help not the suffering but the evil men who worship them.
So much pain,so much troubles and more than anything so much to bear and all for what,for silence of death.Kicking and screaming we come out of her and in the end we lie quiet and rigid in death.


vaazhvae maayam indha vaazhvae maayam
tharai meedhu kaanum yaavum thanneeril podum kolam
nilaikkaadhammaa...
yaaradu yaar vandhadhu? naam pogumboadhu
yaaradu yaar selvadhu?

yaaraarkku endha medaiyo inge yaaraarkku enna veshamo
aadum varaik koottam varum aattam ninraal oattam vidum
thaayaalae vandhadhu theeyaalae vendhadhu
mei endru meniyai yaar sonnadhu

pirandhaalum paalai ootruvaar ingae irandhaalum paalai ootruvaar
undaavadhu rendaaladhaan oorpovadhu naalaaladhaan
karuvodu vandhadhu theruvodu povadhu
mei endru meniyai yaar sonnadhu

vaazhvae maayam indha vaazhvae maayam
tharai meedhu kaanum yaavum thanneeril podum kolam
nilaikkaadhammaa...
yaaradu yaar vandhadhu? naam pogumboadhu
yaaradu yaar selvadhu?

Hi,
I am off to trivandrum for a few days of work for the malayalam tv serial and so the above chapter will be like a mini break for me,all of you and the characters azhagan,avini and buddha.

If you happen to read and reread the chapters,just imagine the scenes as if you are acting them for i have come to realise that i write as if i am doing so for a film rather than a story.

In the coming days and years,i hope to polish my skills in the language and the way i write and hopefully will keep coming back with new stories and new characters and who will sing their thoughts.

I wish you all well and pray that there is always light in your lives even when darkness seems to threatens our sanity.Be well.

Earth,a balance of life
"Your hand opens and closes, opens and closes. If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralysed. Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as birds' wings." Rumi,




Sitting near the window and watching the world go by is a fascinating sight,be it in a car or be it on a flight.With my e-ticket i walk up to the counter and flash my sweetest and saddest smile and gently whisper " can i please have the last row,window seat " and since it is usually a female and since they always recognise me from somewhere,i get the window seat of the last row.My first sentence would have explained why like everyone i crave for the window seat but there is another reason for that and a reason for my request for the last row.Nothing cryptic and just that the last row boards first and if i am seated in the window seat i don't have to get my lazy butt up for someone who needs to go to the loo.Once i settle in,that's it i don't have to move until the plane lands in its destination.

" crew,disarm and open the doors" and that split second before even the seat belt sign is switched off and before the doors open,people like cattle jump up and start opening the overhead lockers and get ready to leave and all they do is stand their with their luggage for about five,ten or even fifteen minutes.Me,with my smug smile usually prefer to sit,wait and let all the hurry,burry folk to go and then slowly getup,stretch and then walk out with my dignity intact,with the words of my wife preening " smarty pants,smarty pants."

Why is that i wonder that not only aboard a flight that people have sat for about an hour or more ,cannot wait for a few more minutes and prefer to rather stand and look forlornly at the exit sign and no they do this everywhere,particularly in cinema halls.I have to confess that i have pathological fear of being touched and i do my best to avoid crowds,especially when i am alone.so i wait until the crowd clears and then walk out slowly with my phobias and dignity intact.


The air india express was flying nearly 10 kms up in the air and the clouds were everywhere and it was just the most beautiful sight.I thought to myself " maybe this is a world to itself and a world where angels sit and watch over us."

Earth,the third planet from the sun and a body that was made over 4 to 5 billion years ago spins in an orbit that is called the habitable zone or goldilocks zone.

A Goldilocks planet is a planet that falls within a star's habitable zone, and the name is often specifically used for planets close to the size of Earth. The name comes from the children's fairy tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, in which a little girl chooses from sets of three items, ignoring the ones that are too extreme (large or small, hot or cold, etc.), and settling on the one in the middle, which is "just right". Likewise, a planet following this Goldilocks Principle is one that is neither too close nor too far from a star to rule out liquid water on its surface and thus life (as humans understand it) on the planet. However, planets within a habitable zone that are unlikely to host life (e.g., gas giants) may also be called Goldilocks planets. The best example of a Goldilocks planet is the Earth itself.


Earth is life and its history is our life itself.Yes,a balance between good and bad,a balance between right and wrong,a balance in our lives.See what i am getting to and yes it is so simple,excess in any form leads to disaster and for me our mother and planet earth screams " balance,my children,balance your needs and greeds for otherwise i cannot guarantee your existence."

Man,in his insatiable greed has destroyed the very house he lives in and now complains about leaky roof and broken walls,meaning global warming,scarcity of freshwater,scarcity of food when the true scarcity is balance and harmony and the need for all of us to come together and think as one.

I have something you need and you have something we need and let us trade,barter and give each other what the other ones want,rather than squeeze my balls and make me give what i want.Yes,toady the world is reeling and falling apart with the problem called oil and religion and if it is not solved soon,then the day of reckoning is not far off.

People who will inhabit space stations will see our blue planet become the color of venus,orange and filled with co2.The blue seas would have dried up and the green of vegetation would have disappeared and we will spin and orbit round the sun our father,dried,dead and all because we did not strike a balance.

A balance between man and nature
A balance between man and fellow species
A balance between man and his fellow men
A balance between man and woman
A balance between husband and wife
A balance between parents and children
A balance between greed and need

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJxiJCuhEdg

My first scene for the malayalam tv serial 4 the people.

Chapter 59


"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are" - John Wooden.

At one point or at many points in our lives,we act on instinct and we act on our needs.The actions are mostly decent and do not bring chaos or sorrow to one and others involved in it.But certain times,we scream " to hell with everyone and everything and we act purely on instinct and rage and then all hell breaks loose.
The action could be words that we shout out in anger or sometimes physical acts and against all beliefs those angry actions and words are forgiven but never forgotten.This funda applies to me,you and all of us,for everything is stored in memory and brought back to reality again and again.

I only wish mother nature had some kind of killswitch to erase memories of bad events in our lives for then we would all be better people and live better lives.But it is not so and hence even if we want to forget,forgive and move on with our lives, the damn memories in our brain just does not allow us to do so.
So most of us fall,fail and very few get up and say " i am better than this and i can do better than this." Easier said than done.


Revenge of the fallen

Rajendra cholan stood near the window as the sun sank in the west taking with it not only the light but the prince's sanity.For suddenly all that mattered to him was revenge for moorkan and for the honor and face that he had lost before his men and father.The reader has to understand that nothing corrupts like power and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

When a normal person pursues revenge,it is normal in scale and in measure but when a power hungry prince is threatened and he thinks of revenge then the scale is larger.For examples,remember what hitler did to the jews,what stalin did to the jews and cossacks,what saddam did to the kurds etc.


His mind kept playing and replaying the two scenes that had brought him to this state from where he had fallen from glory and had been embarassed before the very people he would one day rule and give out orders.He thought to himself " will they laugh and remind themselves how i,now king was addressed to by the king as if he was talking to a child."

The other scene was azhagan attacking his men and hacking them to pieces and that too was done as if he was playing with children and seeing him fight thus had scared rajendra cholan and he hated the feeling of being scared.But rajendra cholan knew that he could never face azhagan in a one on one battle for that would surely mean the end of his life.

" just a young man and not even totally grown up and he so easily dispatched the mighty moorkan and the rest of my veterans and then had the audacity to grant me my life.No,this will just not do and i will not be able to sleep until i know he is dead and gone and his village burnt to ashes."

Rajendra cholan called for his personal and most trusted aides and advisors and so men with their souls filled with darkness sat in counsel and talked and debated through the night.

One man said " my lord,i think it is better not to involve any of our chola men in this plan for the king has already warned you publicly and imagine what our situation will be if he comes to know baout our involvement.So,this has to be planned and carried out secretly with the help of assasins of the highest order."

Another man spoke up " Prince,we too like you are thirsting for revenge but for now an attack by assasins from another kingdom is the best course to be taken.A few of us in disguise will carry out this plan but then it requires a lot of money."

Rajendra cholan laughed " money,how much ever money it takes to get this done will be given to you.So don't any of you worry about money.Promise me that it will be carried out and i will see to it that all of you will live glorious lives when i come to power and that day is not far off."


Money,gold and the promise of wealth then and now has been the sole instigator and motivator for people to cover their minds in darkness and to sell their very souls to the devil.Name a price and most men can be bought and forced to do things that sane people will not even dare think about.But poor souls, for money can buy gold and money can buy expensive wine and women but alas they cannot buy a night filled with peaceful sleep for they are haunted and will be haunted forever.So what does one fight for,the body or the soul.

Rajendra cholan and his advisors plotted and readied their plan to bring death and mayhem to the village of perumalvaram and to the life of azhagan.


He stood on the mountain with his long curly hair flowing in the wind.He stood in the gathering darkness as a lighthouse would stand alone on a lonely mountain going about its work tirelessly shining its light and warning sailors to stay away from shores and cliffs.

He stood shining a beacon of light,shining and casting light for justice and for all that was good.But now the time has come when the lights would go out and the life and world of azhagan would be cast in darkness.For the first time in his life he will know death,darkness and with the loudest roars of roars he will come screaming,not of light but with darkness in his soul.The boy who came from the light will now venture out as darkness and all that lies ahead is a long road of misery and vengeance.


In the darkness of the depths of my soul
it stirs,a dark and deadly monster
it reaches its claws and readies its fangs
the light is receding from my soul and sight
there is no life and love left
I am hanging with the tips of my fingers
and i hang at the edge of the precipice
Only darknes reaches out with its strong hands to pull me up
should i give in,should i sell my soul
alone,i am alone in the darkness
only monsters and evil for company
no light,no light
so darkness it is and i let go
and i fall,fall deep into evil
and i fall for a very long time
and there is no way out'
the doors are shut,the way is shut
and i emerge as the dark itself
barely recognisable to myself


The boy who went into the dark and came back as the dark itself

Chapter 60


When you were small, your cupped palms
each held a candleworth under the skin, enough light to begin,
and as you grew,light gathered in you, two clear raindrops
in your eyes,Light gatherer. You fell from a star
into my lap, the soft lamp at the bedside
mirrored in you,and now you shine like a snowboy,
a buttercup under a chin, the wide blue yonder


The Light Gatherer - Carol Ann Duffy



It is but natural that fathers are away most of the time for they go away for work and the child from the first day to his formative years is molded by his mother in various ways.Yes,the baby in the womb hears his mother's heartbeat for the first time and wakes to a world of sound and light.The baby hears the voice of its mother as she talks,sings and croons to him.As the child grows up and grows old,those tender times might not be remembered as much but they are there long after a mother is gone and she still sings to you croons to you as you go old and are ready to die and join her and your voices become one and then you sing the same song in chorus.




I am Azhagan and i am the light of Avini


The waters of Sivatheertham,the little stream that ran through the village of Perumalvaram gently lapped against Azhagan who sat kneeling in its water holding his mother Avini's feet in his hands.He gently tied the string of flowers that he had made around her ankles and then taking her wrists,gently tied a string of flowers to them both.

" mother,if you so wish,i can dress you in gold and precious stones.But your heart beats i mine and i know that your heart does not want or ache for petty things like that.Both our souls only wish to live out our days in peace and quiet and yet we know that is just not possible."

Avini reached out to her childs face and felt the hollows in his cheeks " son,with you by my side and with you in my mind,i just cannot think of anything more precious or valuable to compare with that.What does a blind woman know of things such as gold and gems when she cannot see them and they are cold and dead to the touch.For me hearing your voice,knowing you are safe is all that matters to me and i will not exchange that for all the wealth in this world."

Avini sat basking in her son's love and azhagan sat with her feet on his lap recounting stories from all the books he had read during his stay in "Sairandhrivanam"
For both of them just being next to each other seemed enough and they could be silent or talk endlessly from morning to evening without bothering about hunger which gnawed at their insides.

Avini had been thinking off late about the stranger she had met in the forest and decided that it now would be a good time to tell her son about it.She wondered if he would be able to make sense of an event which had yet to make sense even to her.

" son,there is something i need to tell you,actually confess to you about and it is connected to your birth.I am just a bit scared and nervous as to how you will react on hearing it."

Azhagan gently cracking the toes on avini's right foot smiled and tickled her foot and said " mother,it does not matter now for all that concerns me is you and your wellbeing.why talk about the past when it is not relevant now ?"

Avini shook her head in protest " no,azhaga,no.This is something you need to know for i feel this information might play a very important part in your life."

Avini told in azhagan as to how she was labelled a barren woman and how one day in the forest a man had kissed her and how azhagan was born.

Azhagan took in all the information and slowly ran it over in his mind and started to put the events that had transpired together.But he still did not know what to make of the lights that spoke to him and wondered if they had any connection as to how his mother got pregnant with him.

" mother,could you please tell me more about that man whom you met in the forest and what he felt like."

Avini " I am sorry but it was just that one time and i have not gone into the forest after that.But the man felt gentle and light,yes bright light everywhere.so bright that i could briefly for a few moments and that slight awareness has continued to this day and i feel and sense much better when you are by my side.'

Azhagan tenderly placed his mothers head on his chest and whispered " i will be here mother,now and forever."

The sun which had been bathing them with its light in a nearly cloudless sky suddenly vanished into a thick cover of dark clouds.Azhagan wondered about it and was about to look up when he heard both their names name being called loudly and saw that the temple priest and a few other villagers were running towards them.

Azhagan closed his eyes and sent his mind and senses towards the direction of the village and saw that a small group of men were coming towards them and along with them were hundreds of cows and dozens of carts being pulled by massive bulls.Wondering what was happening and a bit worried,azhagan slowly got up and pulled up avini and then together they went forward to meet the people who were calling for them.

The priest panting and totally out of breath " child, there are minister from the palace of our king waiting for you and they have requested a meeting with you."

Azhagan smiled and holding avini by his side slowly took his time and made his way along with the villagers towards the people who had come to meet him.

The palace security chief and the ministers were seeing azhagan for the first time and were at first taken aback in surprise at seeing how young azhagan was and then the more they looked at him,they realised even from a distance how powerful he was in body and mind.

They people from the palace waited until azhagan and avini were near to them and then in unison bowed and looked up and loudly proclaimed " Azhagan,kathiravan,nigaran,pagalon,our salutations and greetings from our king Kulashekaran pandyan."


Avini trembled in excitement and " son,i recognise your name but whose other names are those that these great people are so loudly proclaiming."

Before azhagan could answer her,the ministers in one voice said "lady,it is the same person.all the names are the titles given to the same person and that mighty person stands next to you.It is he who we have come to meet,with a message from our king and the gifts that he has bestowed upon your son and the village."

The minster opened the scroll with the kings seal and proceeded to loudly read out from it " I,kulashekaran pandyan,king of pandyan lands bow and pay my respects to the great warrior and saviour of our land.I declare that from this day forward that the titles koman,maasilan be bestowed on azhagan and from this day henceforth he shall be addressed in the land of pandyas as such.I give my salutations to the mother of this child for because of you our kingdom has regained its honor and hopefully soon will gain its freedom and splendor.My wish is that more mothers like you are born in this land and give birth to sons as great as the one of yours"

The minister further read out the lists of gifts that had been given to azhagan and the village of perumalvaram and as they kept reading from the scroll,every villagers eyes filled with tears and slowly avini trembling with pride and love,pulled her sons head down and kissed his forehead.

" they say i am your mother.no,you are my mother for you have given new meaning to this blind womans life and legacy.I was lost and alone and you came as the light into my womb and soul and only after your presence,have i felt life and the will to live and endure.Our king mentions me and my village and sends his salutations.God,what more does a mother want for now i can go in peace to my death."

Azhagan held her closely in his mighty arms and the sun that had gone behind the clouds now shone brightly on them and everybody blessed and praised mother and son.

"Eendra pozhudhinum peridhuvakkum than maganai
sandron ena ketta thaai"

Great is the joy of the mother when a child is born to her; but greater is her joy when she hears his unblemished character and merits from others.

Your light is my light
your sight is my sight
and in your soul and in your actions i will burn bright
my story is mixed with your story
and we are forever inseparable
the song of azhagan will be the song of avini


The forces of darkness bent on dark deeds were assembled and from many corners they headed towards perumalvaram and all hell would soon be unleashed.

hi Satish,

I was out of town and couldn't post your photos.. I shall do it tomorrow.

Nithya

Hi nithya
Thank you very much.

Hi,

Thoughts and reviews of the last chapters,please.