*From To Sathish* - Thread 3 - Page 70

REDEMPTION -134

"Everybody gets told to write about what they know. The trouble with many of us is that at the earlier stages of life we think we know everything- or to put it more usefully, we are often unaware of the scope and structure of our ignorance." Thomas Pynchon


Rudran's eyes were closed but sleep refused to come for the words of his boss Gen.Veer singh kept playing in a loop,over and over again.

" Rudy,the Americans could have taken care of this problem by themselves,quietly and secretly and yet they came forward with the information about the mad Japanese doctor and his Indonesian terrorist connection.Maybe they genuinely want our help and also don't want to carry out secret missions on our soil which they have done before and are still doing.But anything to do with the US secret service and the information that they share with us has to be taken with a pinch of salt for we have no idea what their true agenda is.Remember always that their government is run by the corporate sector and the most important thing and priority for the Americans is the strength of their dollar and their economy.Their priority is money,money and only money.

For the Americans,their main worry right now is the Chinese and how far they have come in today's world and how mighty they have become in terms of weapons and economy.The Russians are not their worry for it is china and the situation in south east asia and its troubled relations with south korea,Philippines and japan that are really tricky and if someday a war is fought i think it will be between the Americans and the Chinese.So,tread carefully and please don't get caught for you know what will happen."


Rudran opened his eyes and looked out into the dark night and the dark waters of the Bay of Bengal and whispered " Murky."


From darkness into light


With his mind fully occupied and sorting out what to do and how to kind of do's and donts,Rudran for a second missed the brightening of the eastern sky and as the sun began to reveal itself to its child,Mother earth who rotated its face towards the light.

The darkness over the waters of the Bengal sea suddenly glimmered and shimmered a orange and golden color as the plane carrying Rudran flew into the early,new morning.

The light hit Rudran who sat near the window and he stared at it for the sun was just peeping over the horizon.

Without even being aware of his lips moving,Rudran prayed " I have never prayed to you.Have never taken your name and whispered it in my soul.Forgive me for i know not who you are and yet i believe in good and bad and right and wrong.If you are out there and if you can hear me,then grant me my wishes.Keep renu safe,keep my family safe and please grant me revenge.Grant me redemption so that i can live in peace knowing that i avenged the death of my brother.I don't ask for anything else."


Closing his eyes,his mind full of Renuka,Rudran finally drifted off into a deep and blissful sleep.

The warrior came again with a huge lion by his side.He lifted his left hand and pointed and Rudran could see the strange markings on his left forearm.

The warrior spoke " we don't ask for ourselves.We don't pray for our own.We are here to protect,fight and sacrifice for that is who we are and that is who you are.The source will always be in you.Embrace the light.Embrace who you are and then you will have your Redemption."

The Air India flight from New delhi landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport also known as (New) Bangkok International Airport on time and Rudran got out into bright sunlight.

Before i jump in along with you into Thailand with Rudran,let me share with you a story about bangkok and my best pal venket for it will then give you a clue what the world thinks of Thailand and bangkok

Thailand connection

Venket my dear friend and also known in the society as G.VENKET RAM,where G stands for Gumpeni is one of the most sought after Photographers in south india and is now one of the busiest in the film business.

Just google G.venket ram and see the results.

I first met venket sometime in 1985 when he was the school pupil leader in guru nanak school,Royapettah and which was the venue for Inter school competition for dance.I always enjoyed dancing and after being exposed to the king of pop,the late michael jackson and to the new style of dancing called breakdancing i fell in love with dancing all over again.In late 1985 for teachers day,my class teacher,the beautiful malati achuthan who was also our english teacher asked our class what we we had to offer and we all collectively offered blank stares and pin drop silences.The teachers day was just a few weeks away and soon just a few days away when.i am sorry for i cant remember who it was that said " satish,nalla dance panre.Indha pudhu style break dancea namme teachers day le aaden,please."

I thought about it,dwelt on it and wondered aloud if i would fall flat on my face and make a fool of myself and then tentatively put forward the proposal to malati who said,go for it.See,i was a black sheep in the house,in the school and everywhere and for me to offer something for teachers day was as malati must have thought " something vague,funny and worth watching."


The teacher's day performances started at about 2 pm and starting from LKG,every class worked itself with great difficulty and then the stage was empty and somebody announced " now,a dance performance by our senior satish kumar."

I was dressed in black baggy pants,a sleeve less black tee,a head scarf with red,white and blue of america and bracelets and ear rings.

I stepped out and looked out at all those who were seated in front of me,small tiny kids who reminded me of kutty navin my little brother who died so long ago and then i turned to my right and looked at the person who was ready with the tape.Sadly,it took a minute or so for him to hit the right note but the attention grabber in me said stretch and i stretched,loosened up,did a few waves that brought loud roars from all the kids and then the Irene cara's breakdancing song filled the stage,filled my soul and off i went popping,waving,moonwalking and just generally having a good time.

Five minutes flew past like that and the music stopped and i turned,bowed,smiled and walked away and as i left the stage a roar filled and refused to die down for everyone kept screaming " more,more,again,please,please"

I came back with a shy smile and i let loose again with my floor knee spins and sweeping walk and well it was all good.damn,time does travel fast,real fast.

And then somebody mentioned this dance competition in a culturals being held in Guru nanak school and i told them you must be crazy.But as it turned out it was not crazy and i took sanjay,prakash,raghu,praveen and along with me went to participate in the dance just for the heck of it.

You have to stop and think hard about it for the situation was seriously funny.Here are four classmates of mine who have never danced before and here is me who just dances for the pleasure of it and i am their teacher and i have to compose.

We decided on the same Irene cara " breakdance song" and well by the time we were back stage and ready to unleash,i had composed nearly 20 moves for that song and the opening introduction was a brief solo with me and then the rest join in.

I am sorry for i do not remember how many took part nor did i see the others dancing and went off for a cup of tea and a smoke outside the school.

Then we were all called as the judges were about to give out the prizes and we placed second and the chief judge said that though we were the best and brilliant,he was sad that we had no indian dance moves in our performance. I went " what." Well,that was that and although i was upset,the rest were over the moon and the next day was good when everyone came to know about the fact that we had won something for our school.Wow.

Those are memories that people tell their children and it is such a pity that i have no photos of that event.

I met venket again a few months later through prakash and then venket and paddy my classmate started dating and eventually got married and have a beautiful son named Prithvi.


About seven or eight years ago,venket and his rotary group of friends along with their families went to Thailand for a holiday and had a great time.

Venket who does not know swimming was nursing a drink at the poolside bar,when a beautiful,young thai woman sat next to him and chatted him up.

vneket all flattered,brought her a drink and then off the lady went to powder her nose or something and the bartender,placing another round of drinks before venket " sir,you from inida"

Venket " yes,chennai."

The bartender nearly jumped over the bar " namma oora.super sir."

Then he fell quiet and after a few moments gathering courage " Sir,please don't mistake me but i hope you know what your situation is."

Venket shrugging his shoulders " what situation"

" sir,that lady you just spoke to is not a lady but a lady boy."

Using my imagination, i can visualise the drink sputtering from his mouth and him stammering,muttering " what' lady boy,you mean boy who has become lady"


The rest of the two days,venket told me he spent it in his room for he was so embarrassed and was the butt of all the jokes.

REDEMPTION -135


The mountains are singing your name


Rudran felt a tingling in his mind and something primordial and very primitive seemed to gather and take form in his consciousness.This feeling felt strange and also new but it also gave him a surge of power that he had never ever felt before.He braced himself for the coming headache,blinding and crippling and that would make him unaware of the world around him for a few minutes.

Rudran had by now realised and understood that though he could not remember what happened during those lost minutes,he was alive,active and alert although who or what controlled him and his mind was a huge mystery.

For a perfectionist like him and one who expected everyone to be the best and give the best,Rudran had wanted to reveal his fears and problems to his boss Gen.veer singh and the team of chakravuyh but something told him not to and also told him that it would not help in anyway.

The reason he had wanted to come clean about his problems was not because he was worried about his own welfare but only of his assignment and the responsibilites that were asked of him.But against his worst fears,he seemed to be on top of his game and had taken on Murky and his gang in Delhi and then decimated his connections in chennai.So,for now everything was okay and he could operate freely and in the best ways he thought was good for his nation.

Rudran by now knew that he had a highly developed skill in being aware and also sensing when people were covertly watching him and knew from which direction he was being watched.But now at this moment,he sensed more,vague shapes,number of people who were watching and what weapons they were carrying.As he got into the shuttle bus that would take him into the airport,Rudran slipped on his dark glasses and now he could see who was seeing him without revealing to them where he was seeing and his eyes saw everything and his mind noted down everything.

Rudran's mobile vibrated and hiding the keypad,he entered the secret authorising code and read the message.

" Subject moving south.Possible destination Thai-malay border.The americans have lost contact.But we have our own sources tracking subject.Be ready to fly to Pattani via Phuket.


Rudran closed his eyes and went through the map of thailand and slowly his mind scanned down to the border that separated Thailand and malaysia and knew why the man he was after was going south and it made sense for south Thailand was in the grip of malay muslim insurgency.And connecting Indonesia to the problem was now easy and everything fell into place.


" Murky,south,north and even into the heart of Indonesia you may run to for safety.But i am coming and no one is going to get between you and me.You are mine and your life is mine and has been mine from the second you lay your filthy hands on my brother.Run,keep running and soon you will face me with your back against the wall and you will know death and i will have my Redemption.


South Thailand insurgency


The very mention of Thailand evokes the word prostitution in most who hear the country's name and yet most are unaware that Thailand is ranked ten and below in the chart of countries with highest prostitution rate.Guess which country comes first,venezuela from South america.

Thailand is a beautiful country and yet it shares its borders with Myanmar,Laos,Cambodia and Malaysia.But for Malaysia,the other three countries are nations with poor track records in human rights and are famous for genocide.

But for the past few years,southern Thailand has been facing a rapidly growing and serious problem of muslim insurgency in its southern provinces of Pattani,yala and narthiwat.



On May 16 this year, a bomber walked unnoticed into a toy store in the main street of Yala, a town in southern Thailand only a few hours' drive from the country's main tourist beaches, and left a shopping bag packed with explosives.Minutes later, a mobile telephone in the bag detonated the bomb that ripped through the store, one of three dozen blasts over three days in May that injured 22 people and terrified the town's population of 65,000.

Beheadings, bombings, drive-by shootings, assassinations, extra-judicial killings and vicious assaults have left more than 6300 people dead and at least 11,500 injured since 2004 in south-east Asia's longest-running war in Thailand's four southernmost provinces.Armed and organised ethnic Malays - almost all of whom are Muslims - are pitted against the predominantly Buddhist Thai state in a cycle of violence that is rarely reported outside of Thailand.Monks, teachers, schools, government officials - people seen as symbols of the Thai state - have been targets of insurgents operating in secret cells while Thai security forces, which operate with impunity, are accused by human rights groups of abuses including arbitrary arrests and extra-judicial killings that cause more reprisals.

Militants plant indiscriminate bombs in public places, often changing tactics to keep security forces off-guard. Hundreds of civilians - Buddhists and Muslims - have been killed or wounded while simply going about their daily activities.And fears are growing that insurgents, who have shunned attempts to align themselves with Islamist terrorist organisations like al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah, are looking to expand their sphere of influence and could be ripe for recruitment by transnational militant groups such as Islamic State.

No-one claims responsibility for attacks or articulates the insurgents' aims and the identities of its leaders remain largely unknown, even to many of those in clandestine village and town cells.

Ethnic Malay militants have not accepted Thailand's assimilation policies dating back to the country's conquest of the sultanate of Patani in the early 20th century. Their immediate aim appears to make the region known as the "Deep South" ungovernable.

The southern provinces are well developed, the government having poured billions of dollars into infrastructure and other services over decades, but they look like an occupied territory, with 60,000 heavily armed security personnel and militia deployed in fortified posts - the equivalent of one soldier or police officer for every seven households.

Travelers are asked to show their ID and have their vehicles inspected at checkpoints every few kilometres.

In Yala town, blast plinths line both sides of a main street to minimise the impact of car bombs.

Armoured vehicles patrol roads and military units go deep into the countryside and remote areas conducting "hearts and minds" campaigns - and to hunt insurgents.

The government has provided thousands of weapons to local militias and "village guards", prompting concerns that more arms, especially in the hands of people not in any real chain of command, will exacerbate the problem.

Analysts say that while Malay-Muslim nationalism and identity lies at the heart of the insurgents' cause, their struggle is often couched in religious language and practices.

The government does not allow Malay to be used as a main language of instruction and does not commonly allow it for official purposes.

The area is also home to a large population of ethnic Chinese Buddhists, whose comparative wealth makes them stand out sharply from Muslim farmers and fishermen. The Chinese are often targets of attacks.

REDEMPTION -136

Rudran stepped up and handed over his passport to the guy behind one of the many passport control counters that were there to service the steady inflow of international tourists.

The official whispered a soft " Good morning sir.Welcome to thailand."

Rudran smiled pleasantly and whispered "Txn ch th d la khx khxbkhu."( good morning and thank you very much)

The official's head instantly came up and his mouth opened to show his spectacular molars and " Oh,you speak thai.Very good sir."

Rudran nodded " Thkthy phnhn pheyng." ( just basic greetings)

The Thai official was mightily impressed and bowed in respect and handed back rudran's passport "Chn hwng khu ca phk xng rnrmy' mr.Bhairav." ( i wish you a pleasant stay mr.bhairav.)

Rudran's mobile vibrated and entering his code,he saw that his team had sent him two PNR'S,one was for a direct flight to Phuket in the next hour and the other was to Pattani.

Rudran shook his head in admiration " the boss thinks of everything."

Then his whole body tingled and his brain whispered " alert,alert,people's eyes on you,watching you."

A normal person would immediately react in a predictable manner and when their primitive senses and instincts tell them that someone is watching them.They will turn towards the direction of the eyes and start evaluating,who ,what and why.

But then men trained in the covert art of surveillance do not do so and then there are men like Rudran who have had exceptional training in surveillance and counter surveillance.

Someone is looking at you

You know that feeling you get when you're being stared at? Out of the corner of your eye, even outside your field of vision, you can just tell someone is checking you out, sizing you up, or trying to make eye contact with you. Sometimes it almost feels like ESP, this ability to detect another person stare, because it often comes at the fringes of our awareness.

But far from being ESP, the perception originates from a system in the brain that's devoted just to detecting where others are looking. This "gaze detection" system is especially sensitive to whether someone's looking directly at you (for example, whether someone's staring at you or at the clock just over your shoulder). Studies that record the activity of single brain cells find that particular cells fire when someone is staring right at you, but"amazingly"not when the observer's gaze is averted just a few degrees to the left or right of you (then different cells fire instead).

This specialized machinery in the brain reveals just how important your gaze is when communicating with others. Where you look conveys how you feel and what your intentions are, what you like and what you don't like, and directs attention to meaningful things in the environment. Further, making direct eye contact is the most frequent and perhaps the most powerful non-verbal signal we exchange with others; it's central to intimacy, intimidation, and social influence. Eye contact is so primal that its meaning extends across animal species: Predators stare intently before they pounce. Infants gaze at their parents to capture their attention. And as you probably know, humans and dogs can express many things to each other through eye contact alone.

Think of a time when you were out in public somewhere and you could sense someone was staring at you, without you even having to look in that person's direction. What information was your (peripheral) visual system using that led to this awareness?

The first things we usually notice are the other person's head and body positions. If either is pointed in your direction, especially in an unnatural way, this is a big tip-off. The most obvious case is when someone's body is pointed away from you, but their head is turned toward you. This then alerts you to pay closer attention to their eyes.

But even when head and body positions don't give us much information, studies find that our peripheral vision can still detect another's gaze remarkably well. How do we do this?

One factor goes back to our gaze detection system, which makes us more sensitive to the position of others' eyes than we realize. Another factor can be deduced by asking yourself this: How are human eyes different in their appearance from the eyes of other animals? What's unique about the anatomy of human eyes?

The biggest difference is that when looking at human eyes, it's easy to distinguish the dark center (the pupil and iris) from the rest of the visible eyeball (the sclera, the white part). These are hard to distinguish in other animals because: 1) in many animals, the pupil and iris cover most of the outward appearance of the eye, and 2) the sclera of other animals tends to be darker than the human sclera.

So humans have the greatest amount of visible white sclera. This contrast between the white sclera and the dark center makes it much easier to tell where someone is looking. We use a simple rule: dark in the middle of the eye = eye contact; dark on the right = looking right; dark on the left = looking left.

Assuming the head is stationary, consider how easy it is to follow the gaze of human eyes compared to the eyes of a gorilla, tiger, lemur, wolf, or owl.

Having such an easily detectable gaze would be a liability for many species, especially predatory ones. As a predator, you don't want others to know you're staring at them, so a darker, less visible sclera is ideal.

But human survival has come to depend more on cooperating and coordinating our efforts with other people, so communication skills have become more critical to our survival. Biologists suggest that our larger, whiter sclera evolved because they vastly improve our ability to communicate with others"the same reason our complex language capacities evolved. However, eye gaze can express many things that spoken language can't, or things that would take too long to verbalize, like imminent dangers in the environment.

True, having these eyes can make it harder to hide our emotions or to sneak up on prey, but on the whole, gaze signaling and gaze detection have been huge assets to us. That ESP-like feeling you get when you're being watched is your brain telling you, in a barely perceptible way, that something meaningful is happening.


I am,I see everything,I see you


Dr.Otto hauptman had been right,when he had said that he was puzzled and mystified by Rudran's brain for it posed several questions.But then he and every other human being would have been scared beyond their imagination if they could see how his brain operated and what it did when he really used all its power.

But me the writer and you the readers know the roots and ancestry of Rudran and where he comes from.He comes from beyond the stars,beyond the black veil that covers our present knowledge.His ancestors have been here,they have always been here and they are the Guardians of this universe.

Rudran with his passport calmly proceeded to collect his single piece of luggage and then went for the customary customs check and then entered the arrival halls from where he would have to go to the domestic terminals to catch a flight to either Phuket or Pattani districts.

In the time it took for him to collect his baggage and go through the customs check,Rudran had recorded everybody and every bit of the surroundings and his brain kept constantly evaluating the people around him.It took him a few moments but his mind isolated five potential surveillance teams that could be watching him.

Rudran immediately knew that the American secret service were monitoring him but shrugged their attentions off as a necessary evil and kept his eyes and mind on the other three targets.One was single, a Buddhist monk and the other two were couples or tried hard to look and pass off as couples.

Now the question that preyed on his mind was " if there are people watching me,who are they and who are they working for? But what scared him a bit was that the operation might be compromised and that there was a leak and that was a significant threat for it now posed and threw up all kinds of scenarios.

Rudran stopped at a coffee shop and ordered a large black coffee and quickly but casually typed " eyes on me.suspect a leak from our side or on the American side.Caution and do not share information.need advise on how to proceed." and sent the message to his boss Gen.Veer singh.

Rudran sipped the coffee and it was good and stretched his arms and yawning looked around and picked up the same five subjects and confirmed that he was the target.

His mobile vibrated " At a loss on who the leak could be.Proceed as planned but cautiously.If dangerous,abort and get report.But stay safe and please avoid confrontations and please no dead bodies."

Rudran closed the message and locked the phone,which meant that apart from him,it would be virtually impossible to unlock the phone without the proper code.

Rudran sat still " proceed but with caution.leave no dead bodies" and wondered how it was possible when the wolves where already on his trail hunting him.

Then Rudran put in action,one of the techniques used to flush out people who were watching him and it is one of the oldest counter surveillance techniques and that was a sudden change of pace.

Casually placing the cup of coffee on the table,Rudran got up at lightning speed and rushed towards the bathroom and as expected subjects moved towards him.Rudran kept racing towards the bathroom holding his stomach and people around him would have thought " Poor man,bad stomach.airline food,what else."

Just as Rudran reached the bathroom door,he halted and suddenly turned around and everyone who were hunting him were caught in the glare of his radar and in a split second,rudran added three more to the original number of five who he suspected were following him.

Rudran entered the bathroom and washed his face and noted in the bathroom mirror that a few who he suspected were in there with him,looking all flustered and embarrassed and very worried that they might have been noticed.But Rudran remained calm and wiping his face with the soft napkins exited the bathroom and proceeded to board the flight to Pattani.

Hi all,

I have been busy the past week,flying in and out of Kochi for a couple of corporate films.One was for a new brand of Plywood called Canply and the other was for Malabar builders.

I have been setting up the story a bit slowly but i hope which is interesting by adding notes and information on subjects and places where Rudran is going to.

I hope and will try to keep the story interesting and i hope you will enjoy the voyage we are taking along with our hero whose ancestors came from the skies.

But then we all forget who we are and where we are.We are living on a planet that is currently spinning at the speed of 1000 miles on its own axis and also spinning at 63,000 miles an hour around the sun,our father,our star in whose grasp we all exist in.

Yes,we are in space,spinning,floating in space and floating with billions,trillions of stars.How is that for a check on reality.

REDEMPTION -137


Rudran had flashed his smile and the charm worked on the woman behind the counter and blushing she gave him his ticket and the seat he requested 32C,last row aisle.And as is the practice,the Thai flight to Pattani announced boarding of the last rows first and Rudran boarded and quickly got to his seat.He had deliberately chosen the last row seat for from that vantage position,he could see everyone and their movements.

He sat and went through all the information that was available to him.There were people following him and it could be the Americans keeping tabs and watching his moves,ready to take action when and where he found Murky who was seen with the Indonesian terrorists and members of the same group who had been with the Japanese doctor.There was also a strong possibility that Murky and his new found terrorist friends had been alerted to his presence and were willing to attack him before he found them.And then,there was the unknown factor which was always a pain in the neck for there was just no preparing for it and would have to be dealt with when and where he faced it.

Faced with these odds,most men involved in the game of spying would normally call for back up or retreat and fall back to assess the problems or create a diversion and go into hiding.But Rudran was not most men and he did not and just could not fall back at this point for the threat level was very high and also time was very short.He had decided that he would take each foe at its merit and face the coming danger head on and see where it would take him.

He quickly typed " Boarded flight to Pattani.some company.will do what is required.Any thoughts or ideas on who is on my trail?" and sent it to his boss Gen.veer singh.


Back in delhi,Gen.veer singh had quickly called the prime minister,who in turn had gotten in touch with the American ambassador and had told him calmly but strictly to lay off his man or it would be taken as breach of trust. " You come to us with this global threat and you come to us seeking our help and yet here you are following and placing your agents on my man's trail."

The American ambassador had promised to find out what was happening and told the prime minister that he would get badk to him by evening.He immediately called up the CIA station chief " I just got off the phone after talking to the prime minister and he tells me that our men are following their man Rudran who is in Thailand in search of that Indian who was in the photo.Please don't tell me that you had such stupid amateurs who could be spotted so easily by their agent."

The station chief cursed under his breath " Damn him,he is really as good as they told me he would be.But sir,we have no other option other than following him for this virus attack threat is too dangerous to ignore.I will talk to my team and see what best we can do."


Inside the Thai flight to Pattani,take off was commencing and the petite Thai air hostesses began their instructions on flight safety,requesting passengers to straighten their seats,buckle up,switch off their phones and so on.

Rudran's mobile vibrated " message conveyed through your guardian.Should work.The other factors in play are unknown and i doubt if the leak is from our side.All the best."

Rudran smiled when he read the word guardian for he knew that his boss was alluding to their big boss,the prime minister who treated Rudran like his own son and worried for his safety.

The plane taxied down the runway and after turning around started its run to reach the speed at which the pilot would lift it and give the metal bird wings to fly and soar in the clouds.


In one of the offices of the Delhi CIA station,Oliver Matthews quietly typed a message " Subject aware of us and so it should be taken that he is also aware of your men.We are being told to back down.so you are on your own.I will try to send as much updates as possible but once the plane lands in Pattani,you might be on your own."


Oliver matthews,who had been with the CIA for nearly twenty years had lost his wife recently to cancer but had bravely kept working drawing admiration from his department.But he had lost faith in god and his religion and had converted to the faith of ISLAM.Oliver matthews was now Azam Ali,the faithful one.

Jesus the son of god had been replaced by Mohammed the prophet.Islam had brought peace to a lost christian soul.But then there was one god who he would one day face and answer to.He is the god of death and he is called Rudran.

REDEMPTION -138

"We're all ghosts. We all carry, inside us, people who came before us." ? Liam Callanan, The Cloud Atlas



The birth of Azhagan was supposed to have been just another experiment by The Ancients as they seeded their life into humans who wanted it,needed it and lastly and most importantly a womb who deserved it.The Ancients had seeded many humans and most of them had gone on to acheive great success and were revolutionaries and leaders of their times.But some did turn out to be great villains and The Ancients learnt that there was something inherently wrong with the Human Gene for it had some kind of destruction code written into it.The Ancients had seeded many a world like they had done to the rock called Earth and yet no life giving planet had turned out species that acted and behaved like the Homosapiens.But then the seeding of Avini and the birth of Azhagan was like a bolt out of the blue.He was the first human to be born with powers that exceeded and far surpassed their own but more importantly their capacity for wisdom and knowledge.Feared the fact that he held unlimited power that would be wasted in the planet called Earth they carried him away.But they could not carry away the legend he had become or erase the memories of his mighty feats and deeds from the people who had been with him and seen his feats.


Long ago in a time when the mighty AZHAGAN walked the earth


The mighty chola empire stood as if caught in a trance for they had just seen Maravaraman pandyan chop of their king Rajendra cholans head.Then they saw the gods decend from the skies in their fire breathing vehicles and the mighty warrior Azhagan and the mountain queen Malar get into it and fly away into space carrying the new born child of Thenmozhi.

Many weeped in sorrow for they had by now come to think of AZHAGAN as their leader and it had all started when Azhagan had stood before their late king,the mighty chola emperor Kulothunga cholan.

Flashback chapter 73,74-The boy who went into the dark

Hallowed halls of Gangaikonda cholapuram

Kulothungan cholan,the mighty emperor stood in silence before the huge linga of his god and he stood in contemplation.He had been doing this from the time he had been a small boy who had toddled and tottered holding his father's hand and had entered the temple.Everyday after his bath,he walked to the temple and worshipped the god alone and since this was his own private temple,he could sing and talk his soul to the presiding shiva.

" Father,my lord i am getting old now and i know that i do not have much time left in this world.I have committed knowingly and unknowingly many sins and have taken many lives in the name of war and in the need of expanding my kingdom and with the selfish thought of bringing more fame to my dynasty.But all that were follies of my youth and now in my old age i realise my mistakes that the madness of young age led me to commit.Age has tempered all that and now wisdom fills my mind and i pray to you and beg you to forgive me for my sins.I beg you for peace and redemption."

His instincts although deep in prayer and in conversation with his god sill alerted him to someone behind him and kulothungan turned and was shocked and thrilled to see azhagan standing there.He did not know why but tears of happiness filled his eyes and getting up he came and hugged azhagan who stood calmly without an expression in his eyes or lips.

Kulothungan " child,i was preparing to come and see you in madurai and here you are.what a pleasant surprise.come,come now for my soul and heart feel lighter and brighter with you by my side.The years of my old age have been filled with lot of disappointments and mistakes that i now know i have to rectify for that will at least bring me some peace as i close my eyes."

Azhagan " Mighty king,mighty lord i need justice,i need answers for what has been done to me and to my village."

Seeing the mighty warrior tremble with pain and loss broke kulothungans heart and he softly whispered " please,tell me how i can help you for i am at your service and i will do whatever that is necessary to bring peace to your mind."

Azhagan nodded " i will tell you everything that has happened in your court with everyone present.And i mean everyone."

A sense of foreboding clutched the kings mind and he knew something bad had happened and something even more terrible was going to happen.

He gently folded his hands in reverence and whispered " whatever happens,will you respect me and not let things get out of hand and will you please be patient until everyone has had their say."

Azhagan smiled and nodded his acceptance.


The entire court was filled within hours and kulothungan cholan sat on his throne and looked at everybody,his minsters,his generals and his son rajendra cholan sitting near him.He then signaled his most trusted minister to go fetch the guest who was waiting for his call to the court.Everyone murmured in surprise and in wonder and whispered about who the mysterious visitor who was going to make his appearance.

The man came slowly and behind him Azhagan entered the long hall of the chola court and to everyones amazement,kulothungan cholan came down from his throne and walked to meet azhagan and proclaimed in a loud voice " welcome brave and mighty warrior,welcome the slayer of moorkan and let your arrival bring peace and prosperity to this land and to the land of pandyas."

A hush fell over the court as for the first time everyone saw the man who had killed moorkan in a matter of seconds.the tale had been whispered and everyone had heard bits and pieces of it and yet had found it hard to believe that a single person could have brought down the terrible giant moorkan and now when they saw azhagan before them,they did not what to make of him or believe for he looked so young and yet he threw off an aura of great and invincible strength.

Rajendra cholan nearly collapsed in shock and confusion and now fear clutched his heart for only he knew and understood why azhagan was here in the court and he knew that the assassins had failed in their mission.He caught the eyes of azhagan and both stared at each other and rajendra cholan knew that destiny was going to be changed and a new course was going to be made.

Azhagan bowed in gratitude and then bent and touched the kings feet and asked him to be seated on his throne while he explained why he had come.

The king sat on his throne and everyone's eyes were on azhagan and he spoke.He told them who he was,how he had killed moorkan and rescued thenmozhi and her father.Azhagan then told the king and everyone how a group of master assassins had killed his mother and dozens of old people including the temple priest.

Azhagan stopped and everyone's hearts saddened as they saw his tears and his pain " I want to ask you my king and i want to ask the people of this country as to why my poor blind mother was killed and what threat she posed to anyone.I want you all to answer me and explain to me the kind of men who would kill old people to achieve their purpose.I stand here before you for the trail of deceit and death led me here for it started from here and touched perumalvaram."

A shiver ran through the king kulothungan for he now knew and had started to realise the gravity of the situation.

Taking a deep breath he composed himself and " Azhagan,i don't know how but i promise you before my people here that i will give you justice and i will bring peace to your heart."

Kulothungan cholan thundered " rajendra cholan,i call your name now in this hall and you shall stand before me not as my son and the prince but as a common citizen of this land.Come,stand before me and answer the charges brought before you for i and many of the wise people here know that only you are capable of this evil act."

Rajendra cholan's shoulders drooped but his spirit did not waver nod did his pride.He stood majestically and stood before the king and faced him bravely.

Kulothungan knew at once that his son was the one behind this evil plot and the murderer of innocent people including a helpless and blind woman.His eyes spat fire as he stared at his son and the mighty king rose and spoke " I,you and our forefathers and this dynasty of cholas are the descendants of the great MANUNEETHI CHOLAN.He was the one who sacrificed his only son when the prince ran over a calf.To deliver justice to the mother cow he ordered his son to be run over by the very chariot with which he had run over the calf.If that great king and my ancestor could sacrifice his only son for the sake of a cow then how do or what do i sacrifice to bring justice to this young man who has lost his mother and to all the innocent villagers you plotted and killed.I have warned you not once but many times and yet you have not changed your ways and now the entire chola kingdom stands with its dignity lost and honor thrown to the winds."

There was pin drop silence in the hall and everyone watched as the mighty king slowly came down to azhagan and knelt before him " i beg your forgiveness for what had been done to you and your village."

The king rose and stared at his son and then at azhagan " Listen to my judgement and listen to this kings declaration.My sons life is forfeit and i place his life in the hands of this man here.The prince's life is his to do whatever he feels like.Let this be written down in history that kulothungan delivered justice and delivered it fairly."

Saying this he drew his mighty sword and handed it to azhagan " please take it and cut this snakes head off and give us back our honor.kill this evil spawn of mine and let me and my people walk in grace and dignity again."

The king and the people watched and waited for azhagan to take the sword and behead rajendra cholan but azhagan did not.

Azhagan closed his eyes and stood in contemplation for a second " My mother is dead,my village is in ruin and whatever i do will not bring back them alive.no, i will not choose life for life but only in fair combat and man to man or even thousands against me.the prince here is no match for me and so there is nothing more to be said.i take leave of you and i hope there is peace in your heart and in your land."

Azhagan turned and slowly walked away and out of the palace and out of gangaikonda cholapuram.

Kulothungan cholan and the people assembled stood in stunned silence at this development and then the king looked at the sword and at his son rajendra cholan and spoke calmly and gently " that is the son i should have had,that is the man that should be ruling this land.not you,you villain.i hope you find peace in your lifetime and i hope you make peace with whatever god you worship to."

Kulothungan took the sword and in one swift move plunged it into his chest.this sudden action took everyone by surprise and before anyone could even move the great king Kulothungan cholan fell to the ground dead and as he life slipped out of his body everyone could hear his lip whisper " azhagan,azhagan my son.forgive me and grant me peace."

Three days had passed since Azhagan had returned to Perumalvaram and had requested the villagers to be ready to leave to adurai and for all that time he sat on the hill outside the temple without taking any food or water.But on the evening of the third day.Azhagan opened his eyes and looked down to see thousands of people standing at the foot of the hill.He slowly stood up and came down and was surprised to see that many of the people looked familiar and recognised them as the ministers and other high ranking officers of the Chola court.

One of the oldest looking man bowed his head to Azhagan " Mighty warrior,we have come following your footsteps with pain in our heart and a body on our shoulders.The body belongs to Kulothunga cholan and it was his request that you do his funeral rites for he considered you as the son he never had and should have had.He wanted you to do this in your village where your mother's blood was spilt and murdered and where many innocent lives were lost.He wanted this to be done so that there will be peace in his soul and as well as yours.So me and many of us have followed your footsteps and have left the land of cholas and have decided to live in your village of Perumalvaram."

Azhagan's heart broke on hearing the death of the great man and then he asked them to bring his body to him.

Azhagan stood quietly near the dead body of kulothungan cholan and whispered " i am your son.you are my father.Even if we are not of this body,we are one within our souls.Be at peace my king,for you are the chola dynasty and you are the last of the great emperors."

Everyone watched in shock and wonder as the aura that burst out of Azhagan leapt out as flames and covered the body of the dead king.The people gathered there had to shut their eyes for the light from Azhagan suddenly brightened and in seconds there was nothing left of the king and the murmuring breeze swept away the ashes in all directions and they blew away whispering " thank you,thank you.I am in peace now."


Azhagan turned to everybody and they all fell to their knees and bowed to him.In one voice they thundered " you are the king.you are the true king and we will follow you where ever you go and ask us to go."

Azhagan " I welcome all of you to this land of Perumalvaram and i ask all of you to live in peace and harmony.Here in this land, all of you are equal and are one and there will be no divisions of caste or creed or Pandyas and Cholas.Each and everyone of you is the king and queen of this land."


Back to the story of the cholas on the battlefield

It was from this moment that the star of the Pandyas ascended and the star of the mighty chola dynasty descended and scattered to the four corners of the earth.But what had been achieved by the great emperors of the chola empire before it was brought down by the evil acts of Rajendra cholan stood the test of time,although they faded into near invisibility.The Temples made of rock stood the test of time.The Legacy of the kings and their ancestry stood the test of time.But what happened to the chola empire after the death of Rajendra cholan was lost to the winds and sands of time.Yet,some floated,enduring their loss of love and life and were cast adrift on a raft of sorrow and clinging to it they flowed in darkness wondering,reminiscing on what could have been and should have been.

Thenmozhi lost her child,lost her love,lost her kingdom and lost her sanity.

"We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories. Some take us forward, they're called dreams."

REDEMPTION -139

"I see that you are heartlessly clever.
For you know how to Love,
but not Forever.

You still return to me in flashes,
so strong it clouds my Mind.
The fire has turned to ashes,
and yet, you're not behind."
Meraaqi, Divine Trouble

She had come to life sharing his stardust.She had come to being with his half of love.She had come as the other half of the broken circle to join and complete the magic with him.She knew not who or what he was but she sensed him in her soul.She stood every morning greeting the sun for she saw his face in its light.She saw his tall,strong body running from the dark into her light and she had always known her arms were for holding him,loving him and fighting for him.But just as many before her,Thenmozhi's mind betrayed her and went against all that her people stood for and they had stood for a long time.They were The Ancients.

She stood watching as her love carried her love child into the skies and she crumbled to the ground as the Chola crumbled to the ground as did the head of Rajendra cholan when Maravarman pandyan cut it off from its body.

Nikantan,Thenmozhi's father gently lifted her into his arms " child,you have fallen and you now lie in darkness.You have lost the grace and respect of not only me but the mighty king Kulashekaran pandyan who thought of you as his own child and brought you up as his next heir.But you have betrayed his trust and lost everything and most importantly you have lost Azhagan for whose very love you sacrificed so much and also made so many stupid and evil mistakes.But i am here for you are my child and i will never abandon you.I will stand by you until my last breath."

Thenmozhi was too heartbroken to say anything and looking into her fathers eyes " Take me away father.Take me so far away that i will not be reminded of him."

Nikantan gently wiped her tears with the cloth that covered his upper torso " Thenmozhi,no matter where you go or run and hide,you will not be able to forget all that has happened for all that is locked in your mind as memories.But you can do one thing and that is seek Redemption."

Thenmozhi's body shivered as if it had been struck by lightning and her eye's took on a strange glow " Redemption,yes i will seek redemption for my actions.I will rise from the darkness that i have fallen in and reach for the stars."


"We are what we remember. If we lose our memory, we lose our identity and our identity is the accumulation of our experiences. When we walk down the memory lane, it can be unconsciously, willingly, selectively, impetuously or sometimes grudgingly. By following our stream of consciousness we look for lost time and things past. Some reminiscences become anchor points that can take another scope with the wisdom of hindsight. ("Walking down the memory lane" )" Erik Pevernagie


"The Power Of Love"

The whispers in the morning
Of lovers sleeping tight
Are rolling by like thunder now
As I look in your eyes
I hold on to your body
And feel each move you make
Your voice is warm and tender
A love that I could not forsake

'Cause I am your lady
And you are my man
Whenever you reach for me
I'll do all that I can

Even though there may be times
It seems I'm far away
Never wonder where I am
'Cause I am always by your side

'Cause I am your lady
And you are my man
Whenever you reach for me
I'll do all that I can

Jennifer rush