*From To Sathish* - Thread 3 - Page 55

Redemption-chapter 76


At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.Plato

Rudran glanced at Renuka ' I am going to play some music.Any favourites or requests.'

Renuka thought for a second ' anything is okay as long it is not too loud and definitely not that stuff called trance or something.Better still play something from either tamil or hindi.'

Rudran chuckled 'my thoughts exactly.having spent the past years in the north,i have become addicted to 60's and 70's hindi songs,specially those by kishore and rafi.I used to love ilayarajas songs but that was only in my room or house for up north,after a few drinks everybody drowns their sorrow with kishore,naushad,rafi and manna dey.'

Renuka nodded her agreement ' true,i think his best composing started in the early eighties and kind of slowly faded and gave way to rahman and other new entrants.But then he ruled the music industry and was the undisputed king for those years.'

' you know rudran,i discovered ilayaraja during college and i became very partial to the songs he composed for actor mohan's films.I think most of the actors like mohan,ramarajan and a many others owe their success to the genius of ilayaraja.'

At the next signal,rudran searched in the dashboard and with a sigh of relief pulled out a cd and looked at renuka 'Bala, my batchmate in the academy and one of my best friends gave me this cd with his favourite music.It has been with me for years and this will the first time i will be playing it.for both our sakes,i hope that guy hasn't played a cruel joke on me by making some god awful dance cd .'

Rudran placed the cd into the tray and with a hum it slid in and a few squeaks later the music filled the small car and both looked at each other and renu said 'okay,that is not ilayaraja but more or less the next best thing that happened to tamil cinema.'

The music of Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy and the soft yet melodious voice of p.b srinivas filled the air inside the car and even the snoring,bored Buddha got up and looked at each other as if he was trying to say something.

Nenjam Marappadhillai Adhu Ninaivai Izhakkavillai
Naan Kaaththirundhaen Unnai Paarththirundhaen
Kangalum Moodavillai En Kangalum Moodavillai

Nenjam Marappadhillai..

Kaalangal Thoarum Unmadi Thaedi Kalangum En Manamae
Varum Kaatrinilum Perum Kanavilum Naan Kaanbadhu Un Mugamae
Naan Kaanbadhu Un Mugamae..

Nenjam Marappadhillai Adhu Ninaivai Izhakkavillai
Naan Kaaththirundhaen Unnai Paarththirundhaen
Kangalum Moodavillai En Kangalum Moodavillai


Renuka's eyes were filled with questions and rudran ' it is okay.you can ask me anything.'

' Rudran,do you believe in reincarnation and stuff like that.'

Rudran looked at her with serious and yet understanding eyes ' Renu,I have seen so much in my short life span and i can tell you with absolute clarity.Anything is possible in this life.Proof and evidence is not everything and i i know for sure that there is something beyond all this.'

The song sang itself and then the next song came to life and again both turned and looked at each other and fell silent.

Oraayiram parvayile, un paaravayai naan ariven;
Un kaaladi osayile, un kaadhalai naan ariven.
Oraayiram parvayile, un paaravayai naan ariven...

Indha maanidar kaadhal elaam,
Oru maranathil maarividum;
Andha malargalin vaasamellam,
oru maalaikul vaadividum.

Nam kaadhalin deepam matum, endha naalilum kooda varum...

Oraayiram parvayile, un paaravayai naan ariven;

Renuka gently placed her hand on rudrans left hand which was shifting gears and turned and panicked to see tears in her eyes ' renuka,what's wrong?'

Renuka wiped the tears ' sorry.Nothing is wrong.These tears are from the joy and happiness i feel in my soul.'

She wiped the tears with the stole that lay like a snake around lord shivas neck and continued ' Rudran,i don't know why but i feel i have known you all my life and for more.It is as if i have been waiting for you to come and fill this void i have felt from the time i was born.The second i saw you on the garage,something lifted from my soul,a burden,a weight and i felt free.'

' You know,even if i had died while you fought those bas***ds,i would have died happily for somehow i felt i was holding on for you to come,to see you,to hear your voice.'

Rudran switched on the left indicator and brought the car to a halt.He slowly unbuckled the seat belt and turned and faced renuka.

They sat looking at each other and then rudran cupped her face in his hands and gently placed his lips on her and kissed her deeply.

Buddha smiled in his soul and knew the circle had closed and it would remain like that.forever.Now that it was done,buddha lay back and went to sleep.

Lost in each others breath,lost in love both were rudely brought back to earth when loud knocks were heard on the window and Rudran turned angrily and saw a police constable standing there.

Rudran rolled down the window 'yes,how can i help you.'

The police constable looked at both of them ' are you joking.what the hell do you think both of you are doing parked here ?'

Rudran looked at renuka and then both started laughing and rudran looked at the constable ' love panrom.podhuma.'

Then he took out his Id and flashed it and looked at the constable ' sorry.very sorry.'

Then he slipped the constable a 500 rupees note and winked and the constable winked back ' enna sir,thallittu vandhuteegala.all the best.'

Rudran and Renuka both started laughing and he started the car and moved away leaving the constable wondering what the bloody hell was going on.

Redemption-chapter 77

Un Perai Sollum Bothey Ul Nenjil Kondaatam
Unnodu Vaazhathaane Uyir Vaazhum Poraatam
Nee Paarkum Bodhey Mazhai Aavaen
Un Anbil Kanneer Thuli Aavaen
Nee Illai Endraal Ennavaen
Neruppodu Venthey Mannaavaen

Song from Angaadi theru


They crossed the Tidel park stretch and entered OMR stretch when Renuka asked Rudran if he was feeling hungry for she had skipped breakfast.

Rudran 'but why,we are not on a deadline to reach the hospital and so you could have taken your time and eaten something.'

Renuka looked at him ' I should have,could have but i wanted to spend every moment i have with you alone and not share you with anybody else.Anyway we both are here now,so lets find a decent hotel and grab something to eat.'

Rudran 'ok.There is a saravana bhavan hotel a few kms from here and on the way to the hospital.We will stop there for breakfast.'

Renuka had fallen quiet and rudran true to his character waited for her to open up and speak about what was on her mind.

A few minutes later,renuka cleared her throat gently ' rudran.can i ask you something?'

Rudran smiled ' ma'am,what is it? Are you going to demand that i stop at some temple and marry you right now because i kissed you.'

Renuka ' maybe later.What i wanted to ask you was about the kiss we just shared' and when she stopped at that rudran looked at her as if urging her to go on.

' Rudran,have you kissed many women before?'

Rudran shook his head ' renuka madam,i am a police officer,not ulaganayagan Kamalhassan to go around smooching beautiful women.And yes,to answer your question,i have kissed a couple of women.But what has the past got anything to do with what we shared just now ?'

Renuka turned to her left and stared at the world outside and then looked at rudran ' Because,that was my first kiss.I don't know how others feel when they kiss or kissed,although i have read about it in books and seen it on films.But it is so different from all that i have heard and seen.'

Rudran waited for her to speak and she spoke ' I never knew that a kiss could do so much or feel so beautiful.My heart hasn't stopped beating and i feel different and the world outside the world looks different.All because we kissed each other.Why is that Rudran.'

Rudran sighed ' we will talk about this later.' and switched on his left indicator and slowly turned into the hotel's compound.

Since it was nearly 10.00 am the parking was nearly full and then Renuka pointed towards the end of the line where a car was coming out and Rudran slowed and moved to the right to let the car go past him and just as he shifted to the first to move forward,a toyota fortuner sped past them and took the parking spot which they were about to turn into.

Renuka ' what the bloody hell do they think they are doing ? we were going to park there and that car just ignored all decency and took our spot.'

Rudran calmed her and told her it was okay and that they would find a spot somewhere else and they did find a spot and parking the car,both got out.

Rudran left all the windows rolled down and also left the rear doors open in case Buddha wanted to get down to stretch himself and probably take a walk around the compound.He then poured a bottle of water into a bowl which he had purchased the previous day and left him still fast asleep.

Both passed the car which had so rudely taken their parking spot and they noticed the family who were getting out and also noticed a flag with some strange color combination sticking out of the hood.

Rudran asked Renuka if she recognised to which party that flag belonged to and renuka shrugged saying that every day,a new political party was being launched solely based on caste and community and money was the real motive behind all these parties.

But in that few seconds in which he had noticed the people who had got out of the fortuner vehicle,Rudran counted seven members and importantly that they guy who had driven the vehicle was drunk and it was obvious that he was the father of the three children and with them were the mother and a couple of younger men who could be his brothers or some other family members.

Rudran knew trouble when he saw it and told renuka not to say anything and going inside found a corner table and both sat down and picked up their menu cards.

Rudran looked at renuka and told her to order for both of them and taking their orders the steward went away and a few seconds later returned and placed two water bottles.

The family who had come in the toyota entered the hotel in the same rude way in which they had entered the parking lot.The drunk guy swaggered as if he was trying to announce to everyone there that he was someone very important and yet to the world he looked like a drunk and more like a rowdy.

The other members sadly were very well behaved and quiet and were in obvious distress with his behaviour and meekly followed and sat in the table he pointed to.

Their food came and renuka got up and left to wash her hands while rudran waited for her to return for their mobiles and car keys were on the table and he did not want to leave them lying around for he knew that things had a habit of vanishing,specially cell phones.

Then he heard Renuka yelling at someone and grabbing the phones and keys quickly got up and walked towards the wash basin and as the days luck would have it,he found the drunken guy from the toyota fortuner arguing with renuka.

Rudran asked renuka what had happened and she told him that while she was washing her hands,the guy had stood behind making some dirty remark and when rudran asked her to repeat what he had said,renuka hesitated and then told him what the drunken man had said.

Meanwhile the two other men who had accompanied the drunken man rushed to his side as Rudran turned to face the man and stared into his eyes and then all that was heard was the sound of hand meeting cheek as rudran slapped the man and whispered ' your wife and children are here and that is the only reason i am letting you go with just this slap.Sit,eat and quietly leave without making any noise or else.'

Rudran watched as the three men left to their table and worried about renuka turned to see her holding her cheek and looking down at something on the floor.

Renuka ' wow,that must have really hurt for just hearing that noise hurt my ears.Chee,see what that guy did on the floor.This is the first time that i am seeing a grown up guy pee himself in fear.And with you by my side i guess i am going to see a lot of that.'



Police commissioner Rakesh menon was studying a file when his mobile rang and he wondered whether he should take it for it was an unknown number.But he answered it anyway and listened to some strange clicking noises and then it stopped and a soft voice spoke ' Rakesh,he is going to madurai.Call him and tell him.Only he can help and he will surely help.At least this way you can get rid of the burden you have been carrying for so long.Talk to him now and everything will be all right.'

The call ended and left rakesh staring at the mobile and wondering he if he had really heard what had just been spoken or if he had dreamnt the whole thing.

How could anyone know about what had happened so long ago and that too only when so few had been there when the incident had happened.But he knew that the voice had been right for Rudran would help and solve that which had remained unsolved all these years.

Redemption-chapter 78

Even from a distance,Rudran's eagle eyes picked up the shape and color of the vehicles parked on the road leading up to the entrance of Global hospitals and he flashed a smile to renuka ' the good guys are here.'

Renuka strained her eyes to see what rudran was talking about and could make out the shapes of the army vehicles as they came closer ' army vehicles.But what are they doing here?'

Seeing him smile,renuka realised that they were there for his mother ' so many army vehicles.But you are a police officer,so why are the men in green here,and that too in so much force.'

Rudran pulled in to the parking lot and looked at renu ' you will see for yourself.'

Renuka got out the car and gazed around the parking lot at the khaki of the tamilnadu police dept and the green of the indian army.She turned as Rudran get out of the car and she saw that he was placing a handgun in to the holster that now hung on his right hip.

Before she could say something,both looked in the direction as tall,good looking army man along with ten other fully armed men come up to rudran and then they all stiffly saluted and rudran returned the salute and ' at ease gentlemen.'

He then extended his hand ' col.vasant.good to see you again and thank you for being here to help shift my mother.'

Col.vasant took rudran's hand and shook it with warmth and also lot of respect ' sir,you forgot to mention that you are a much higher ranked officer than me.so please accept my apologies for addressing you by your name,rather than your rank.'

Rudran smiled warmly ' i could not announce and reveal myself for i was involved in an undercover operation the night we met.And i am glad we could speak as brothers adn fellow officers regardless of the rank.so don't worry about it.'

Just then ACP abdul shakir and his team of police commandos came to meet rudran and all of them saluted him and he returned their salutes.

ACP Abdul ' sir,we are ready to hand over the security of your mother and mr.babu to the army team headed by mr.vasant.Is that okay with you sir?'

Rudran ' thank you mr.abdul.I am grateful for all the help the dept has given me and i will never forget it.Thank you again.'

Then he turned to col.vasant 'Col,can you go on and start supervising the shifting of my mother into the army ambulance while i finish up with ACP Abdul here.'

After col.vasant had left and just as rudran and renuka were about to follow them into the hospital,ACP Abdul looked at rudran ' sir,if you dont mind,me and my men want to take a selfie with you,so that we can print it and frame it in our gym and training quarters.'

Rudran smiled shyly and looked at renuka and then at ACP Abdul ' okay.'

Renuka watched with pride as rudran stood among the police commandos with a shy smile and she knew that he was not used to all this selfies and was feeling very self conscious and it only increased the love and protective instincts that she felt for him.

She wanted to rush into his arms and kiss him and just stay there with her lips locked on to his and lost in her love she stood and came back to reality when rudran nudged her shoulder ' ma'am,renuka ma'am.are you all right? i told you not to have both thayir vadai and sambhar vadai.see this is what happens if you stuff yourself with so much food.'

Renuka looked down for she didn't want to see his face,for he would take one look into her eyes and read what she had just thought.

Composing herself,she looked up ' police,commandos,army commandos,colnel,ACP'S and they all saluted you.Rudran,who are you man? for all this is to much to take in for a humble college proffessor.'

Rudran took her hands and softly kissed it ' I am just an ordinary man who is deeply in love with this extra ordinary and beautiful woman who stands before me.Everything else is irrelevant.'

' come renuka.It is time you met my family and also mrs.kamalam sadashivam who is a new addition to it.'

"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you've never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can't wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it's like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn't exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day's work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there's no need for continuous conversation, but you find you're quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there's a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that's so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life." Bob Marley

Redemption-chapter 79

They had been married for nearly two years,happy two years and to top it she became pregnant and both of them felt blessed for the couple now had everything that a human being would want.They were one of the richest people in the city and yet were always invited to the most happening parties here in madras and all over the country.Both of them came from rich backgrounds and although theirs was an arranged marriage,they hit off very well and fell madly in love with each other.

But the happiness was short lived and they lost their first child in the fourth month and although both of them were heartbroken,they continued and a year later she became pregnant again.Though happiness came flooding back into the house they lived in,deep inside the shadow of the first miscarriage kept haunting both of them and just as they feared she miscarried again and that too in the eighth month and it broke both of them literally.

He told her that he couldn't stand to be in the same house and since she agreed they shifted to kodaikanal.He set up a base in madurai and handled his business from there and since it had an airport,he flew around all over he country and the shifting of his company from madras did not bother their fortunes too much.

Six months after they settled in kodaikanal,the mountain air,the green vegetation brought fresh hopes and life into both of them and one night they made love and their bodies united in the sole purpose of bringing a child safely into this world.Unknown to each other,they whispered prayers deep in their souls and hoped for the best.

The prayers of their souls flew into the air and became one with the very air that all life breathes.It took on its own energy and it flew over the forests and became one with the cosmos.

A week later he flew away to delhi on some company work and would be gone for a couple of days.

She called Babu,a young man who had come looking for work and in just a few months had become a part of their family and told him that she wanted to go and pray at the madurai meenakshi amman kovil for the well being of the family and asked him to tell the driver to be ready to leave in an hour.

Halfway down the mountain,the car suffered a flat and so she got out while the driver was removing the flat tire and putting in the spare wheel.

She walked by the side of the road and saw a small board with directions to a temple that was a few kms away into the forest.

She told the driver that she was going to see the temple and asked him fix the car and wait for her.

After walking for about fifteen minutes,she saw a small clearing ahead and a small temple in the middle of it.

She ignored the small statue that stood guard over the deity and went and stood before the temple that was carved out of rock and resembled a small cave.There were no doors to this small rock enclosure and only a small clay lamp burnt brightly and steadily.There were fresh flowers at the feet of the deity and she realised that people from the small villages around the mountains were coming here daily and praying to this deity here.

She bent her head and whispered ' Bless me mother.Bless me with a healthy child.'

Wiping the tears that were flowing from her soul she then went and stood before the small statue that stood guard over the deity and bowed to him and whispered a prayer.

The sun had climbed high in the sky and it now cleared the trees that were shading the earth from his light and it now blazed down into the clearing and bathed the woman as she stood whispering a prayer.

The light of the sun touched her head and slowly she felt a gentle light sinking into her mind and the she felt the gentle heat settling in her womb and when she touched her stomach she felt the heat pulsating from deep inside.

She looked up into the skies wondering what was happening and then looked at the statue of the guardian more closely and saw it was the form of a young man who held a spear in his right arm and to the left stood a lion guarding him.

She did not know what to make of all that which had just happened and then she heard a rustling and hurriedly turned to see a few beautiful deer step out from the shadows of the trees and they came towards her and nuzzled her hands.

She felt the presence of another human being and looked up to see a very old man standing before her.She bowed to him and he blessed her and whispered ' the womb of a woman is like mother earth.The womb is not just to bring joy to the parents but to bring forth a life who will live,love and protect all that is precious in this universe.Watch over your child for he has been gifted to you for a specific purpose and he has come from the light to fight the dark.The darkness that took away life is gone now and light has made its home in you.'

Then he turned and quietly walked away and the deer too vanished and she heard the driver come into the clearing ' amma,car ready.'

Ten months later in the hospital she remembered the old mans words as they came out into the world as BHAIRAV and RUDRAN.


I am avini,daughter of ponni and nannan.I was alone in my blindness and i was alone in my soul.But the spirits of the forest have breathed their elements into me and now the light has pierced my soul and filled my womb.I am the light because of the light that has been given to me.I am beautiful because of the light and the soul that twinkles its heart every second and my heart beats with its beat.

Tears of joy filled her eyes and they filled her soul and she whispered to her son ' i have been alone and yet i loved you,ached for you before you were born.i have carried all these dreams and visions of you even before the spirits of the forest breathed you into me.I am ready to die now for i am content but i will live my life for you,i will breathe for you and die for you.I am beautiful because you are beautiful and so i will call you that.I will call you Azhagan.'


I am Azhagan.I am the son of Avini.I am fire and i am water. I am hell and i am heaven and i will bring peace to you.

Redemption-chapter 80

"You must remember, family is often born of blood, but it doesn't depend on blood. Nor is it exclusive of friendship. Family members can be your best friends, you know. And best friends, whether or not they are related to you, can be your family."? Trenton Lee Stewart, The Mysterious Benedict Society

Buddha using his massive head pushed open the rear door that rudran had left unlocked so he could get down and move around if he so desired and then again using his head,closed it.He stood still sniffing the air and knew that danger was present but still out of reach and far off in the distance and future.Calmly,he padded to the entrance of the hospital and stood near the shade of a tree and looked into the distance and knew he had to be on a constant vigil.Buddha knew no fear or worry and only the thought of their safety and well being was paramount in his soul.

Many a time he looked curiously at other animals that called themselves dogs and yet felt no kinship with them and they always ran away yelping in fear or just gave him a wide berth.He wondered how he appeared to other animals or how they perceived him in their minds.

He himself knew that he was different and that the only kinship and bond that he felt was for The Man and those who stood by him in his light.Deep in his soul he also knew that The Man had yet to awaken and feel the universe flow in him as many had done over the centuries and know his real purpose.

Buddha felt the great rage and sadness that lay deep in The Man's soul and knew that it could lead to drastic consequences but then the warriors of the light always came filled with rage and a bit of darkness and they waged their battles not only to defend the light but also for redemption.

But the time and the place were not far off now and the spinning,circling time would bring the past to collide with the present and then what would be,will be now.


She sensed his mood changing the minute they stepped into the hospital and saw a look of sadness fill his eyes and they seemed to weigh on his shoulders.She watched silently for a few moments and the while they waited for the elevator to come down,gently nudged his shoulder ' are you all right for something seems to be bothering you.'

Rudran nodded ' I was just thinking of all our lives and it struck me as if this whole thing called life is some kind of cruel trick,a bad illusion and in the end does not profit you or me and we are all left with only misery and tragedy.'

' take for instance,the death of sadashivam and the grief that fills his wife's heart and the grief that fills my mothers heart who was never the same after losing Bhairav.For that matter,take me as an example for i have always known that i am not normal and i wish and pray that i can live a normal and quiet life.This ache for peace and solitude has become more important now that you are by my side.'

Although he had spoken the words with a quiet calm and dignity,she could feel the sadness that filled his great soul and it brought tears to her eyes.

She held his hand ' Rudran,it is going to be okay.I promise you that as long as there is breath in my body,i will comfort you,protect you and see that nothing ever harms you.I hope my love and friendship can bring some calm and healing to your soul and life.'

Rudran bent his head in respect ' thank you renuka.It means a lot to me having you by my side and only now do i realise how lonely i had been all these years and how your love is filling that void of darkness that has been a constant companion.Thanks.'

The elevator made a ping noise and opened its doors and just as they stepped in and as rudran pressed the number three,he turned to renuka ' listen,my mum is not doing too well in matters of memory and stuff like that and so sometimes she might ramble on without any connection to the present.so don't be shocked or upset when you are with her and hear her talk.'

Renuka looked at him with soft eyes and nodded ' okay.'


The elevator reached the third floor and opened itself with a hum and renu saw that the place was crawling with army commandos and a few police officers.

Col.vasant came up to rudran ' sir,we are ready to shift your mother and were just waiting for you to arrive,in case you need to spend sometime with her before we move her.'

Rudran patted col.vasant's shoulder 'thank you col.I truly appreciate all that you and your men are doing for my family.I will just take a few minutes with her and then i will wheel her out and Babu will be there to help out in case she acts cranky.excuse me.'

Rudran and Renuka entered the room and both saw his mother siting in a wheelchair,staring out through the window with her back turned to them.

Babu,who was just finishing packing saw rudran and came rushing to him and rudran gently hugged him and asked him how both of them were holding up.

Babu ' Both of us are doing fine.she is gone most of the time and the only constant thing is that she has started mumbling your brothers name very often.It is strange,very strange indeed for before she used to remember him only when you came to see her but now she constantly sits at the window and mumbles his name.'

Rudran 'it is okay babu for we knew that at some point her memory is going to totally break down and soon she will forget everyone of us,including his name.'

Then he looked at renuka and at babu ' by the way,meet renuka a dear friend of mine.'

' renuka,this is babu who is not only the pillar of this family but also the very foundation of it.I am because of him and this family owes a huge debt to this gentle soul.'

Renuka folded her hands and softly whispered ' vanakkam.'

Then rudran and renuka went to meet his mother and he slowly sat next to her ' amma,meet renuka.You were always complaining that i dont have girlfriends and were nagging me to get married and so here she is,the girl who i want to marry.'

Rudran's mother looked at both of them and they could see form her eyes that she did not recognise or remember him and yet she gently stroked his head ' Bahirav,watch out for rudran,for he is not as strong as you.They will come for both of you eventually and so you must be ready for the shadows.'

Rudran looked at renuka and his expression was ' i told you so.'

Renuka gently held rudrans mothers hands and kissed it and both she and rudran were surprised when his mother held on to renuka's hands and whispered ' you have come,finally.good,now you can watch over bhairav for he has been lost in the shadows since rudran went away.Take care of him,protect him for soon his purpose will be revealed.'

Saying those words she went back to staring at the world outside the window and seeing rudran getting up,renu also stood up and watched silently as he explained to Babu where they were going to shifted to for a few weeks.

Babu nodded ' iyya,it does not matter where you make us stay.what is important is your safety.'

Rudran then told babu about sadashivams cremation and how he was going to Madurai to complete his wishes.He informed him that he would be back in a few days time and that both he and mother would be safe in the army quarters.

He told babu that he would be back in a few minutes for he had to go visit mrs.kamalam sadashivam and both he and renu left the room.

Redemption-chapter 81


The stories of heroes and their legendary tales as they fought,vanquished,triumphed and many a time lost their lives while waging wars against evil,villians fill many a book all over the world.Be it in english,tamil,hindi,russian,german etc every civilization,every modern country has epics,legends and myths that though untrue are revered,read and worshipped for they stand as a beacon of all that is good in this otherwise corrupt and evil world.

We want,we need and we ache for one person to be right,to do right and live right even when the might of evil and tragedy step on them and crush them to the ground.We want to worship and remember those great souls who fought and died with a smile as life bled out.

But most of all we whisper in the dark for a hero,for an angel,a god to come throw his arms around us and rid us of our misery and burdens.

We normal,mere mortals are neck deep in this bondage called life and all the emotions it throws up and we can never,ever make up our minds about what is right or what is wrong and sing a different tune at different times and when it suits us.To do what is right takes great courage and only they can,the heroes who come from the light.They come only when the very source cries out for them to help and they come,they always come in some form or another.


Just as Rudran turned into the corridor that led to the ICU in which mrs.sadashivam was in after her bypass.he saw a woman crying into the chest of man,a white man who was consoling her and gently whispering something to her.

Rudran paused at the entrance of the ICU and glanced at Renuka and turned to the woman who was crying uncontrollably ' ma'am.'

Wiping her tears the woman turned to see who was addressing her and seeing Rudran stopped and stared at him and then wiping her eyes kept staring at him and then whispered ' Rudran.Am i right?'

Rudran smiled 'yes ma'am.And you must be mr.sadashivam's daughter, Malati.Right.'

Malati smiled sadly ' yes.And this is my husband christopher.'

Both men shook hands and rudran introduced renuka to both of them and as always silence fell on them as their minds recalled the incidents that had led them to this moment.

Malati looked at rudran ' Rudran,mother told me about the funeral and that you handled the cremation of Appa.Thank you so much for all that you have done.I wish i could have been here at least for the cremation but we were out of station and the place we had gone to had no cell phone coverage.If we are here at all right now,it is only because of my husband,for he borrowed his dads private jet and we have flown non stop to reach chennai.Although i feel a bit sad that my dad is no more and that i couldnt see him for one last time,i am glad that like my mother feared,he was not lying cold and frozen in some mortuary all alone.He was a soul that liked to travel a lot,see places,meet new people and yet he sacrificed all of that just to be with his wife.But then all that changed a few years ago when he bought those paintings in an auction and we will never know what happened for he was very secretive about it.He decided to travel and off he went to madurai and the best part was he had a huge dog for company and that was truly remarkable for he hated pets and was very scared of dogs.But this huge dog came out of nowhere and became his best friend and constant companion.We will never know what took place there in madurai and the only thing he would ever talk about was that when he died he wanted his ashes to be cremated at some place which he only told mother and that too in some sealed envelope.'

At the mention of a huge dog both Rudran and renuka looked at each other and both wondered if it could be the same dog.

Malati stared at the ground lost in her thoughts and memories about her father and then composing herself 'Rudran,mother has been eagerly waiting for you.So go in and meet her and we will talk more about my dad and all that has happened afterwards.'

Rudran nodded to both malati and christopher and went into the ICU.

The doors of the ICU closed shut on the germ filled world that lay outside its sterile boundary and christopher grabbed malati's arm ' sweetheart,i have seen this guy somewhere before this for he looks very familiar.From the second i saw his face i have been trying to recollect where i could have seen him,but it is not coming to me right now.But i am cent percent sure that i have seen this gentleman before.'

Malati too nodded and looked at her husband ' i am not sure why but i think i have seen the likeness of him before and like you i am not able to recollect the incident.'

Ten minutes later rudran and renuka came out of the ICU and just as he was about to invite malati and christopher for a cup of coffee,col,vasant and a few commandos came up to Rudran who told them it was okay to move his mother and Babu and that he would meet all of them at the army quarters.

Col.vasant and the commandos stood tall and smartly saluted and rudran returned the salute and seeing this christopher grabbed malatis arm and whispered ' i recognise him now.This is the guy who along with his team rescued my parents when they were kidnapped in the middle east when they had gone there as part of the united nations peace making process on behalf of our country.My parents took a photo with him and in it his face was completely covered in green paint.But his eyes,i think i recognised him from his eyes for there is something really scary about them and they are not eyes that one can forget.'

Rudran turned to malati and christopher ' I am really sorry for that was really important.I was just about to ask both of you if you wanted to have cup of coffee with me and renuka and we can talk more,seated comfortably.'

Malati said okay and just as they were about to move,Rudran's mobile rang and shrugging his shoulders he answered it.

' sir.yes sir.'

'Most probably tomorrow morning to madurai for a few days.'

'Today evening sir.dinner.okay sir.is it okay if i bring along a guest.'

' okay sir.see you at dinner.'

As they walked towards the cafeteria,Rudran nudged renuka ' want to join me for dinner tonight.'

Renuka smiled and raised her right eyebrow and rudran whispered ' police commissioners house.'

I just read the news that sai prasanth,tv and film actor is no more for he died last night after committing suicide.

Flashback to 2006 muhurtham when i joined this forum and then a few weeks later vaishnavi my co-artiste in that serial committed suicide and now ten years later 2016 march and more or less the same time Sai prasanth who acted with me in that serial has passed on the same way.

I have no words for this loss and i cannot even begin to imagine the depths of sadness that must have driven the gentleman to take his own life.

Unlike most. i think and believe that suicide needs real strength and great courage and life and living also needs great courage.

My thoughts are with his family and my prayers for his soul to rest in peace and find that peace we all seek and fail while still breathing.

Last year Balaji who directed me in three serials committed suicide and the previous year A.C.MURALI did the same.

Death as always wins and always comes and i don't what it means to die and to live like an undead.

My prayers and wishes to all of you and your families and that he who resides in my soul gives all of you strength to fight and to go and endure and in the end go fighting.

Yes,for we can only fight,live and wait.