REDEMPTION-CHAPTER 11
"Scientists are slowly waking up to an inconvenient truth - the universe looks suspiciously like a fix. The issue concerns the very laws of nature themselves. For 40 years, physicists and cosmologists have been quietly collecting examples of all too convenient "coincidences" and special features in the underlying laws of the universe that seem to be necessary in order for life, and hence conscious beings, to exist. Change any one of them and the consequences would be lethal. Fred Hoyle, the distinguished cosmologist, once said it was as if "a super-intellect has monkeyed with physics".
To see the problem, imagine playing God with the cosmos. Before you is a designer machine that lets you tinker with the basics of physics. Twiddle this knob and you make all electrons a bit lighter, twiddle that one and you make gravity a bit stronger, and so on. It happens that you need to set thirty something knobs to fully describe the world about us. The crucial point is that some of those metaphorical knobs must be tuned very precisely, or the universe would be sterile.
Example: neutrons are just a tad heavier than protons. If it were the other way around, atoms couldn't exist, because all the protons in the universe would have decayed into neutrons shortly after the big bang. No protons, then no atomic nucleuses and no atoms. No atoms, no chemistry, no life. Like Baby Bear's porridge in the story of Goldilocks, the universe seems to be just right for life." Paul Charles William Davies
WHO ARE YOU STRANGER
Renu aka Renuka mudaliar sat by herself in the air conditioned room and wondered if she was in some star hotel for it was that luxurious.Her wounds had been cleaned and dressed up and yet she had been asked to stay the night before being discharged.All her thoughts were about her two students and yet he seemed to fill something even more than her thoughts and what she felt she knew as she felt them that she had never felt before.
The stranger had displayed phenomenal strength when he had yanked the man who was about to rape her and had in seconds disabled him.But then he had been phenomenally gentle when he had untied her hands and legs and had checked her for any major injuries and what touched her and what drew him into her soul was how softly he had covered her and her two students.More than all that he had looked at her,really looked at her and renuka blushed on remembering the way he had looked at her.
She gently felt her cheeks where he had softly touched her to check how deep the scratches were on her cheek and then she felt her shoulders where he had gently held them and told her that they were going to be all right.
Renuka thought " who are you stranger ? who are you that came like lightning and vanished as fast as the lightning? Will i see you again ?
Her thoughts were disturbed by the sound of the door opening and renu knew that her dad was here even before he entered the room.She looked at him and he stood looking at her.
Then he gently embraced her and kissed her head " don't worry.appa vanthuten ille.ellam sariayidum."
Renuka had been born to kandaswamy mudaliar and Anuradha when they were in their final year of graduation.Kandaswamy's dad had put his foot down and refused permission citing caste and wealth as reasons.His father had lost his cool and the tension hit his heart and he suffered a major heart attack and was in critical condition for nearly a month.
Anuradha knew this was not the time to tell kandaswamy that she was pregnant and had quietly disappeared from the scene and headed towards the north where one of her aunts was working with an NGO.She had delivered renu there and had spent nearly ten years working along with her aunt in the same NGO.
Anuradha's parents had been kind and understanding when their daughter had told them about her pregnant situation and had agreed for her to go be with saroja aunty in north india.They had visited anu and their granddaughter a few times and then she had to return home to chennai when her mother was diagnosed with uterus cancer.
Anuradha had pushed kandaswamy into the darkest recesses of her soul but he had never forgotten and had kept vigil over her house and when she came to see her dying mother,kandaswamy made his appearance.He stood at the door and one look at the ten year old girl who had opened the door,he knew it was their daughter.
The tears had burst out and he felt as if a vice had gripped his heart and was squeezing it to death.Anuradha had found father and daughter sitting next to each other and renu was asking why he was crying.
After asking renu to go in,both of them had gone for a long walk and both realised that they still loved each other.Kandaswamy had proposed that they get married immediately.
" nothing is more important to me than you and my child.not my family nor my company.Please say yes and we will get married today,right now."
Anuradha had looked at him " your company's shares have just hit the roof and are trading in the stratosphere and you want to shake the apple tree.Just stop and think what it will do if people gossip and if you,your family and company are thrust into bad publicity.It will have a drastic effect on all of us and most importantly imagine the effect it will have on me and renu.so slow down and think this through."
So their relationship had been on status quo and at one point during her 10th std both had sat renu down and had told their story.Renu's young heart had been more angered and betrayed than shocked from this disclosure by her parents.So things had been uneasy between them and although renu had all the wealth and power of her father at her disposal,she had refused them and had worked hard and had got a job as a proffessor on ethiraj college.She taught geography and a bit off archeological studies in the college.
The doors closed and father and child were left to their privacy and talk.
Kandaswamy mudaliar looked at renu " enna aachu.leave no detail.okay."
Renu " we were coming back from mahabalipuram after studying the rocks there and erosion on the shore where the last temple is and my maruti car had a flat.This black muv stopped and these guys offered to help but before we could say no,we were attacked and thrown into the back of their vehicle.The last thing i remember is this cloth being held over my nose and when i regained my consciousness i opened my eyes to this most horrible sight of seeing my students being raped."
Kandaswamy mudaliar raised his hand and asked her to stop " enough,more than enough.But tell me how you managed to escape these three men."
Renuka looked at him and said something which her father could not hear,so he asked her " what,what is it renuma."
Renu looked at her father " he said not to talk about him or even mention that he was there and asked me to lie and tell the cops that there were three or four men who attacked the criminals and fled away."
Kandaswamy mudaliar leaned back " one man.just one man did all that damage.tell me child,how did he look."
Renuka smiled the most beautiful smile " Hero,he looked like a hero.He came like a hero,moved like a hero,fought like a hero and vanished like a hero.I just have that one word to describe him.I have seen our actors in films act,walk and deliver punch lines and yet they were acting their parts.but this guy was the real deal.Now i am a believer.Now i believe there are heroes in our real lives."
Kandaswamy mudaliar nodded and smiled " okay renu,you rest now and i will come and see you tomorrow morning.Your mother and grandfather have been informed and they will be here very shortly."
He then gave her a real expensive looking mobile " keep this with you and call me if you need anything.Okay."
He kissed her forehead gently and left her to her thoughts.
"For a split second they stared at each other. A fleeting, lasting moment. One person noticing another person out of a whole crowd of strangers." Alexandra Potter, Calling Romeo
Edited by s.satishkumar - 10 years ago
Anupamaa
Pocket Mein Aasman
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