*From & To Sathish* - Thread 4 - Page 128

*கவரிமான்*

Dr. B.R.J. Kannan

சென்னையில் தீவிர சிகிச்சைப் பிரிவில் தன் உடலில் பல இடங்களில் பலதரப்பட்ட கருவிகள் பொருத்தப்பட்டு உறக்கத்தில் இருந்தார் எஸ்பிபி. திடீரென்று முழிப்புத் தட்டியது. தன்னைப் பற்றியும் தற்போதைய நிலைமையைப் பற்றியும் உடனே தெளிவடைந்தார். அந்த சமயத்தில் அவரெதிரே மிகுந்த பிரகாசமான ஓர் உருவம் தோன்றியது. வந்திருப்பது அந்த இறைவனே என்பதை அறிந்தார். கை கூப்பினார். ஒரு சில நிமிடங்கள் அமைதியாகக் கரைந்தன.

“மகனே என்னிடம் ஏதாவது பேசத் தோன்றவில்லையா உனக்கு?”

இல்லை என்று தலையசைத்தார் எஸ்பிபி.

“எனக்கு ஏன் இந்த நிலைமை என்று கேட்பாயோ?”

இல்லை என்று மீண்டும் தலையசைத்தார். “எனக்கு மட்டும் இந்த அளவு குரல்வளம் தந்தாய். கோடிக்கணக்கான ரசிகர்களைத் தந்தாய். பலபேரின் வாழ்க்கையில் மாற்றத்தை உணரவைக்கும் திறமையைத் தந்தாய். இதெல்லாம் எனக்கு மட்டும் ஏன் என்று நான் கேட்டேனா? அதுபோலத்தான் இதையும் நான் ஏற்றுக் கொண்டிருக்கிறேன். ஏதோ என் வினைப்பயன் கழிந்து கொண்டிருப்பதாக நினைத்துக் கொள்கிறேன்”

இறைவன் முகத்தில் புன்னகை. “உன்னை ஏன் எல்லோருக்கும் பிடித்திருக்கிறது தெரியுமா?”

“என் பாடல்கள். அதனை அவ்வளவு அருமையாக வடிவமைத்துக் கொடுத்த இசையமைப்பாளர்களுக்கும் பாடலாசிரியர்களுக்கும் மிக்க நன்றி”

“பாடல்கள் மட்டுமா?”

வேறு என்ன என்பதுபோல் பார்த்தார் எஸ்பிபி.

“நீ உண்மையான மனிதத்துவம் அறிந்த மனிதன். எந்த ஒரு சிறிய ஆத்மாவையும் மதிப்பவன்”

இரு கைகளையும் கூப்பினார் பாலு.

“புகழின் உச்சியை அடைந்தாலும் அது உன் தலைக்கேறாது பார்த்துக்கொண்டாய். உன் நெருங்கிய நண்பன் உன்னைக் காயப்படுத்திய போதும், அடுத்த மேடையிலேயே அவனைப் போற்றியவன் நீ. பெரியவர்களை மதிப்பதிலும் இளையவர்களை ஊக்குவிப்பதிலும் உனக்கு நிகரில்லை”

மீண்டும் இரு கைகளையும் கூப்பினார் பாலு.

“அதனால்தான் எல்லோரும் தங்களில் உன்னைப் பார்க்கிறார்கள் உன்னில் தங்களைப் பார்க்கிறார்கள்”

“போதும் பெருமானே. இதுவெல்லாம் நீ கொடுத்ததன்றோ?”

“அப்படிச் சொல்லிவிட முடியாது, நீ வளர்த்துக் கொண்டது. பலபேர் பாலுவைப்போல் ஆகவேண்டும் என்று கனவு காண்கிறார்கள். எல்லோரும் உன்னைப்போல் பாடி விட முடியுமா என்ன? ஆனால் எல்லோரும் உன் மனித குணங்களைப் பேண முடியும்”

“அந்த வகையில் என் ரசிகர்கள் மனதில் நான் ஒரு சிறு மாற்றத்தைக் கொண்டு வந்திருக்கிறேன் என்றால் எனக்கு மகிழ்ச்சியே. ஐயனே, இன்று நீங்கள் வந்திருக்கும் நோக்கம்?”

“உன் முடிவைத் தீர்மானிக்கும் அதிகாரத்தை உனக்கு அளிக்கவே இங்கு வந்திருக்கிறேன்”

“புரியவில்லையே…”

“இப்பொழுது உன் உடலும் மனமும் எப்படி இருக்கின்றன?”

“மனம் அதே போல் தான். உடல்தான் சுகமில்லை. இதோ இத்தனை கருவிகள் மூலமாக என் உயிர் ஓடிக்கொண்டிருகிறது. முன்னை விடத் தேறி வருவதாக மருத்துவர்கள் கூறியிருக்கிறார்கள்”

இறைவன் புன்னகை மாறாமல் கேட்டுக்கொண்டிருந்தார். எஸ்பிபி தொடரட்டும் என்று காத்திருந்தார்.

“ஒரு சந்தேகம் கேட்கலாமா?”

“கேட்பாயாக”

“என் தொண்டையில் துளையிட்டு சுவாசக்கருவி பொருத்தி இருக்கிறார்கள். நாளை நான் குணமடைந்த பின் மீண்டும் முன்புபோல் பாட இயலுமா?”

“சில மாதங்கள் கழித்து நன்றாகப்பேச முடியும். உன் நுரையீரல் மிகவும் பாதிப்படைந்துள்ளது. முன்புபோல் பாட இயலாது என்பதுதான் உண்மை”

இதைக் கேட்டவுடன் பாலுவின் கண்களில் தாரைதாரையாக்க் கண்ணீர் வழிந்தது. அதை எதிர்பார்த்து இறைவன் அமைதி காத்து இருந்தான். தன்னை ஆசுவாசப்படுத்திக் கொண்ட பாலு பின்னர் கேட்டார், “எனக்கு நுரையீரல் மாற்று அறுவை சிகிச்சை செய்வதற்கு ஏற்பாடு செய்கிறார்கள். அது செய்து முடிந்தால் நான் பாட முடியுமா?”

“அப்பொழுதும் சந்தேகமே. அந்த நுரையீரலைக் காப்பாற்றும் பொருட்டு நிறைய மருந்துகளை உட்கொள்ள வேண்டி வரும். சாதாரணமாக வெளியில் சென்றுவரக் கட்டுப்பாடுகள் இருக்கும்”

“அப்படியானால் நான் முன்புபோல வானம்பாடியாக வாழ முடியாதா?”

“என்னை மன்னித்துகொள் மகனே”

மீண்டும் பாலுவின் கண்களில் கண்ணீர்.

“முடிவு உன் கையில். இருக்க விருப்பமா, இறக்க விருப்பமா?”

“என்னால் பாட முடியாது என்றால் உயிர் வாழ்வதில் அர்த்தமில்லை. என்னை இப்பொழுதே அழைத்துக் கொள்”

இறைவனின் முகத்தில் அதே புன்னகை. “நன்றாக மீண்டுமொருமுறை யோசித்துக் கொள்”

“இதில் யோசிப்பதற்கு ஒன்றுமில்லை. நான் தயார்”

மீண்டும் பாலுவின் கண்கள் கண்ணீர் சிந்தின.

“இப்பொழுது எதை நினைத்து அழுகிறாய் மகனே?”

“என்னுடைய கோடிக்கணக்கான ரசிகர்கள், நான் இறந்துவிட்டேன் என்று அறிந்தால் அதிர்ச்சியடைவார்கள். அந்த வகையில் நான் அவர்களுக்குத் துன்பம் தருகிறேன். அதை நினைத்தால்….”

“நீ திடீரென்று அகால மரணம் அடைந்திருந்தால் பலரும் அதிர்ச்சியில் உயிர் விட்டிருப்பார்கள். அவர்கள் மனதையும் தயார் படுத்தும் பொருட்டுத்தான் கடந்த 40 நாட்களாக நாடகம் நடந்தது. முடிவை யாரும் எளிதாக ஏற்றுக் கொள்ள மாட்டார்கள் என்பது உண்மை. ஆனால் ஓரளவு பக்குவப்பட்டு விட்டார்கள். உன் பூத உடல் தான் இல்லாதிருக்கும். இசையாக நீ நெஞ்சில் என்றும் நிறைந்து இருப்பாய். தமிழ் உள்ளவரை உன் புகழ் இருக்கும்”

கண்ணீர் மல்க மீண்டும் கை கூப்பினார் பாலு. “பல்வேறு இடங்களில், பலதரப்பட்ட மனிதர்களின் முன் நான் பாடியிருக்கிறேன். இப்பொழுது உங்கள் முன் பாடும் வாய்ப்பை வேண்டுகிறேன் இறைவா”

“ஆரம்பிக்கலாம் மகனே உன் இசையை”

கண்கள் மூடி மனம் உருகிப் பாடத் தொடங்கியது அந்தக் குயில். அதை அணைத்தவாறு, அதனை அழைத்துகொண்டு அதன் இசையில் மயங்கியவாறே பயணிக்க ஆரம்பித்தான் இறைவன். சன்னமாக வெகுநேரம் அந்தப் பாட்டு கேட்டுக்கொண்டேயிருந்தது.

‘இந்தத் தேகம் மறைந்தாலும் இசையாய் மலர்வேன்…………’

Shraddhanjali to SPB! 💐🌹🙏

breath, step, life. stop, breathe, live

Crab-like, sideways and never straight

always trying to move but never in a line

were my early movements on my early legs

and all that was fine

straight line, sudden change of directions

always on the move and in great speed

were my later movements and

i always felt the need, the need for speed

like a deer, like a hare, like a hound

i moved with the speed, agility and out of bound

the need for speed, the need to live

before time and life outlived me and outran me

the need, the speed and the many breaths in one

many steps and leaps in one stride

made life a blur and moments that were akin to a train ride

a passenger in my own train

and also the driver of the train

sped along on my own track

on my own need for speed

Express, superfast and all that was

are now passenger trains that stop at all points

point to point buses now

stop, at every stop

and time for me to hop up and out and about

many breaths in one breath

many leaps and out of bounds in every step

many sounds and many frequencies

3d stereo, surround sound stereo

are now back to that beginning

of mono, single track

and that one breath, the first breath

of the one who breathed into mine

slow and steady is my heart and my step

pause, stop, listen, absorb is my track

and now in every breath, there are more breaths

mine, yours and so many others

and in every beat, beat so many others

and my mono channel is really a multi-channel

It is going to be a new dawn of a new day

of a new week and a day called Monday

I wish you one step, one breath and one thought

and in each and every one of it

I wish you a beautiful day filled with peace and light

Today, I am well and I wish you well. Be well.

lots of love and best wishes. Satish

*Our Journey Together Is So Short* : a beautiful message for all of us....

A young lady sat in a bus. At the next stop a loud and grumpy old lady came and sat by her. She squeezed into the seat and bumped her with her numerous bags.

The person sitting on the other side of the young lady got upset, asked her why she did not speak up and say something.

The young lady responded with a smile:

"It is not necessary to be rude or argue over something so insignificant, the journey together is so short. I get off at the next stop."

This response deserves to be written in golden letters:

*"It is not necessary to argue over something so insignificant, our journey together is so short"*

If each one of us realized that our time here is so short; that to darken it with quarrels, futile arguments, not forgiving others, discontentment and a fault finding attitude would be a waste of time and energy.

Did someone break your heart? *Be calm, the journey is so short.*

Did someone betray, bully, cheat or humiliate you? *Be calm, forgive, the journey is so short.*

Whatever troubles anyone brings us, let us remember that *our journey together is so short.*

No one knows the duration of this journey. No one knows when their stop will come. *Our journey together is so short.*

Let us cherish friends and family. Let us be respectful, kind and forgiving to each other. Let us be filled with gratitude and gladness.

If I have ever hurt you, I ask for your forgiveness. If you have ever hurt me, you already have my forgiveness.

After all, *Our Journey Together is so Short!*

Vaanathai pola 220

Deputy Commissioner Karthik, IPS, Madurai crime branch stood rooted like one of the small rocks that lay scattered around them but unlike them, his heart, his eyes, his breath and his capacity for thought were lost in the sudden burst of action by the Blind Babaji who he now knew was Dhanashekara Pandyan, the former Chief Minister who had resigned his post after just a few months and had vanished from the public eye. People had speculated that he was dead, murdered and yet once in a while, rumors had floated around that he had been seen in some of the unlikeliest of places, like near famous Shiva temples, Museums, Ooty and in the hills of Kodai and yet none had been substantiated and once his party had merged with the AIADMK, all news of him had been secretly quashed and never reported.

Yet, here he was in the flesh and before his very eyes, standing tall and swinging his cane and breaking bones and skulls and sending the nearly dozen criminal who had dared to attack them without paying heed to his warning.

DC Karthik watched as the man, the myth, the legend and once considered by the entire nation as a real and true hero move in a blur of activity and then it stopped.

He stood in the middle with his cane resting on his right shoulder and slowly turned around to face him and DC Karthik forgetting his post, his training and forgetting everything that was real, folded his palms and raising it said, ' Iyaa, sir, I am sorry for all the trouble that I have caused you. Please, forgive my rude and arrogant behaviour for I had no idea who you were or to be exact, what you are?'

Dhana stood staring at him and then asked in a stern voice, ' So, if you had known who I was then you would have treated me better and with more respect unlike the respect, you gave all those poor souls that you rounded up in Madurai and tortured before coming for me? Is that right? Is that what you are trying to tell me?'

Deputy Commissioner Karthik shook his head helplessly and in a meek voice, protested, ' sir, please understand the situation that our department was today morning for we were at our wit's end and also running out of time to find out the perpetrators behind the murder of Superintendent Manohar. I agree that mistakes were made but they were made in the heat of the moment and with good reasons.'

Dhana slowly walked towards DC Karthik and standing before him slowly removed the dark glasses he was wearing and looked into his eyes and into the police officer's soul.

' you are a good man but you are in too much of a rush to do things and that too to do them to achieve greatness. All the medals, certificates, praises that you will garner in your career will amount to nothing and will pale when compared to the love and respect of the common man who you have sworn to protect and defend with your will and life.

DC Karthik thought he saw something flare and move in the former Chief Minister's eyes and then saw the man smile like an angel and ask, ' Tell me Karthik, why did you fold your hands and greet me instead of saluting me like most in your position and in uniform would have done?'

Deputy Commissioner Karthik was stumped for an answer and realizing that maybe he had broken some sacred protocol, shook his head sadly and replied, ' I don't know why I did that sir but I felt like doing it for my heart told me to do it.'

' Good, and cryptic though your answer may be, it still is an honest one.'

Dhana handed him his cane and said, ' hold on to that while I call for some help to round up these idiots because they are your witnesses for the case that you will be soon making against the ones who are behind this planned attack on Minister Kavita Duraipandi Arumugam.'

Karthik casually took the cane that was handed to him by Dhana and nearly dropped it for it seemed to weigh more, much more than what he had expected a cane to weigh and looked up at the former Chief Minister, ' sir, this cane must weigh 10 or more kgs and here you were swinging it around like...?'

' Like I lifted you up into the air with one arm... like that?'

Deputy Commissioner Karthik looked Dhana from head to toe and wondered, ' where do you get your strength from sir? '

Dhanashekara Pandyan laughed loudly and his laughter echoed all around the forest and then he said, ' If I told you the truth you would either go crazy or brand me as a mad man and will try to have me locked up.'

Gently patting the cheek of Karthik, Dhana said, ' Maybe one day we will talk child and maybe you will be ready to listen and understand what I tell you.'

He looked at all of them and slowly came to rest on the leader who was staring at him with wide eyes that were full of pain and also fear and asked, ' you will talk and you will answer all my questions honestly and without hesitation, or else?'

The man pushing his fear away screamed, ' or else what?'

Dhanashekara Pandyan nodded and mimicked his answer, ' or else what? correct'

He pointed his left hand towards the tall grass and said, ' or else' and out of the grass came a huge black-maned lion with blood all over its back, legs and mane and opening its jaws wide roared loudly and in the late afternoon sun shone on its large

knife-like fangs.

The man's eyes rolled up and his body shuddered as his bladder broke and let loose in fear and in terror and then slowly regaining consciousness, he whimpered, ' I will tell you everything sir and I will tell you who sent us into the forest.'

Dhana smiled and winked at Buddha whose body was covered with the blood of Radhu whom he had helped carry on his back to the safety of the village of Perumalvaram.

Vaanathai Pola 221

“At first we cannot see beyond the path that leads downward to dark and hateful things but no light or beauty will ever come from the man who cannot bear this sight. Light is always born of darkness, and the sun never yet stood still in heaven to satisfy man's longing or to still his fears.” C.G. Jung, Modern Man in Search of a Soul

Dhana turned to say something to Deputy Commissioner Karthik after the man whose leg he had broken when he had foolishly tried to kick him had agreed to talk and answer all his questions, saw that the brave and arrogant police officer now stood frozen to the ground and with both his eyes and mouth wide open.

DC Karthik was trying to say something but fear had gripped him tightly and its coils had taken hold of all his senses along with his training and brave spirit.

It is perfectly understandable why he was frozen for it is not every day that you come across a huge lion, face to face and that too in the wild and roaming free in its element as it should be as it is so aptly called, the king of the jungle.

Dhana slapped Karthik's back gently and said, ' breathe or you will suffocate.'

DC Karthik gulped lungfuls of air and hiding himself behind Dhana, peeped out like a bird sticking its head from its coop, squeaked in a bird voice, ' Omg! Lion, lion, that is a lion and that too here in this forest. WTF is a lion doing here?'

Dhana smiled and said, ' what kind of question is that officer? This is his forest, his home and he is right where he belongs unlike you and the others who are lying on the ground.'

' Okay, okay, it is home and I am perfectly okay with it but what is it doing here and what does it want?'

His eyes caught sight of all the bloodstains on the back and in the mane of the lion and Karthik was about to faint in fear and in full panic mode, yelled madly, ' it is a killer. It has killed, sir, can't you see that it is covered in the blood of some poor animal that it has hunted or probably it is a man-eater and is now going to kill all of us and eat us too.'

Saying this, he slowly raised his handgun and pointed it towards Buddha and stopped hearing Dhana's voice.

' If I were you, I would not be doing that stupid thing that you are doing right now for my friend does not respond well to threats and has a distaste for Guns and that when they are in the hands of stupid people.'

DC Karthik slowly turned towards Dhana but with his gun still pointed at Buddha, ' what, what did you say sir? that lion is your friend? did you just call that lion a friend?'

' Yes and he is not just a friend but more of a family member and he is here because I called him for help like I have called the others who are going to be here any moment.'

The ground vibrated beneath their feet and moments later DC Karthik's blood pressure hit its peak as he saw marching through the tall grass, eight giants as tall as trees carrying many men and also herding many men in front of them.

Ignoring him, they all went and stood before Dhana and lowering their captives, slowly fell to their knees and touched their foreheads to the ground where his feet were and said, ' Father, our Lord, we have done what you commanded us to do.'

Dhana smiled and gently touched each of them on their shoulders with love and respect and said, ' rise my children. you have done well. Thank you for your service.'

Turning to Karthik, ' Deputy Commissioner, nearly all the men who dared enter this protected forest have been captured' and then his voice went cold in anger as he growled, ' But, for the important ones and the ones who we all have placed our trust and belief in protecting us. '

Deputy Commissioner Karthik raised his hand and was about to speak his thoughts and Dhana seeing him hesitate said,' I know you have to report back to the Commissioner but you don't have to worry too much about that' and turning to the biggest giant, ' Dheeran, I want you and the other brothers to escort all these men back to the place where this officers team is waiting and show them all out to the main gate and hand them over to the Commissioner and stay put while I go and bring back the real traitors who will provide the proof and the evidence that is vital for this honest officer and his department to make their case and arrests.'

He looked at Buddha, ' you too, you fat kitten. Stay put, and keep an eye on all these stupid criminals while I go after those three who must have by now reached the village.'

DC Karthik stood staring in the direction that Dhana had vanished and then slowly turned and looked at Dheeran and wondered if he should ask and then unable to quell his thoughts went ahead and did it.

He stood next to Dheeran who was talking to the other giants in a pure Tamil accent and clearing his throat to get his attention, tried speaking in their own accent ' excuse me, Mr Dheeran, right. I was wondering if you could clear a few doubts that I have?'(Iyanmeer, Siramathukku Mudar Kann Manippu kori Kozhgiren. Sevi Saaithu, ennudaiya vinagalukku Vidai azhikumaaru Thazhmaiyudan Vinaapikiren).

Dheeran and the other seven giants stared at him and then all of them burst out laughing and the sounds of their laughter were as loud as thunder and nearly matched the decibel levels of the roars that the lion had made.

Dheeran towering over Deputy Commissioner Karthik looked down at him and spoke in a pure and convent-educated English,' Mr Karthik, please refrain from doing what you just did, which was trying so pathetically to speak like us in chaste and ancient Tamil accent for some of my brothers nearly died of a hernia that your Tamil gave them.'

One gentle-looking giant whispered, ' brother, maybe we should invite this man whenever we feel blue and moody and ask him to speak pure Tamil and it will make for good entertainment.'

Deputy Commissioner Karthik looked at all of them in awe, ' You tribals speak English too and that too so beautifully.'

Dheeran nodded and said, ' Not only English but we are fluent in a dozen languages and that includes French, German and Spanish.'

Pointing to Karthik, ' but English will suffice will do for now, don't you think, officer?'

Smiling like the sun, he asked, ' what were your questions anyway?'

Deputy Commissioner Karthik pointed in the direction in which Dhanashekara Pandyan had left and asked, ' what is he doing here? what is he and who is really? and how is it that all of you know so many languages?'

Dheeran smiled, ' we know them because they have been taught to us from ancient times by our first father and it has continued from then on to this day' and turning to the direction where Dhana had gone ahead said, ' That is our father, our lord and importantly the God of the mountain.'

Vaanathai pola 222 Prelude

Prelude-something that comes before a more important event or action that introduces or prepares for it

“I had melancholy thoughts...

a strangeness in my mind,

A feeling that I was not for that hour,

Nor for that place.”

? William Wordsworth,

She heard his footsteps and read his mind through the slight urgency that his tiny feet made and with a smile she opened her arms and he flung herself into her and they were again one.

She kissed him softly and enquired, ' so, what has the temple priest put in your head today? more tales about our Lord Shiva and his best friend Lord Krishna.'

The tiny Azhagan nodded and then fell silent and Avini instead of asking him what was going on his mind, remained quiet and let her child form the questions to which she might or might not have an answer.

She thought to herself, ' Maybe it is time that he met his father and the other's who I sense perfectly although I cannot see them with my blind eyes and learn more from them.'

She recollected what the priest had confided in her a couple of days earlier about her son, something that would have left a normal person either overjoyed or reeling in fear and confusion but then there was nothing normal about Azhagan and she had told the priest that.

The priest had whispered in fear ' Avini, you are like my own daughter and Azhagan is the darling of this whole village and we all treat him like our own son. Still, his mental powers seem to be growing at a very fast pace and I am just worried where all this is going to lead up to.'

' why priest? what has he done now?'

' I am in my middle-age now and all of you know that I spent the better part of my adulthood with my Guru and then married his only daughter. It took me nearly twenty years starting from the age of five until twenty-five to master all the Vedas and Upanishads and even then as now, I am still not sure if I know everything. But.... Azhagan.'

' What about Azhagan, priest?'

The priest had mumbled and then mustering courage, had raised his voice and said, ' your son went through everything that it took me twenty-five years to learn in two days and has now begun to ask me questions about them.'

Sighing, the priest had continued, ' forget learning them in two days, he is now correcting and adding texts to them and I don't know what to say or how to react to it.'

That had been two days ago and here was her Azhagan in her lap and she senses him brimming with questions and then he suddenly spoke.

' mother, I know that you are thinking about what the priest told you a couple of days ago about me learning the Vedas and the Upanishads in Two days.'

Avini kissed his head and whispered, ' He is more worried that my beautiful child is correcting him and the Vedas and also adding new texts to them.'

Ruffling his curls, ' But what does your blind mother know about Vedas and Sanskrit for she is but a poor farmers child and a blind one at that. They are meant for the upper class, the Brahmins and the folk who work in the temples and do the poojas and interact with God on a daily basis.'

Suddenly, she felt her son go warm and she felt the energy surge through him and into her and she heard him say, ' Mother, the Vedas by their very word means the root of all knowledge and also means wisdom and a higher plane of existence. But, in a nutshell, Vedas means the way to that which has made all this possible and through that knowledge, one learns to remove the veil of Maya, Illusion that is life and existence.'

Avini's body shivered in excitement and in ecstasy on hearing such wise words from her child and said, ' I know you my son and that is enough for me for that defines my existence and my purpose.'

Azhagan gently kissed her lips and said,

'mother, your light is my light

my sight is your sight

and in my soul and in all my actions

you will burn bright

for my story is mixed with your story

and will be forever inseparable and

the song of Avini will be the song

of Azhagan and all those who come after him

carrying the mark on their bodies

will carry her blood in them

and will forever stand illuminated

and beyond the guiles and traps that Maya will unleash'

Avini asked, ' Maya, what is that Azhaga? '

Azhagan spoke and the word spread and centuries later in the same forest where the ancient trees carried his and her breath and memory in their trunks and roots rejoiced as Dhanashekara Pandyan unleashed Maya into the traitors.

Vaanathai pola 223

Chapter 199

Palam Swamy smiled like an angel ' believe it or not, we are totally safe inside the forest and it is out here that we are most vulnerable and lastly I sense the forest beginning to stir and it is best that we are not here when it begins to act on its instincts.'

Radhu and Kavita followed the old man Palam Swamy through the open gate that the forest department officers kept open and one of them smiled and said, ' Ma'am, nothing to worry in there and trust me when I tell you that no harm will fall on you. '

One of the constables of the six-member security team slowly vanished into the forest after informing his team leader that he needed to pee very badly and the moment he was out of sight, he made a call on the phone given to him and whispered, ' Iyaa, she has just entered the forest of Perumalpuram and it is just her middle-aged personal guard and an old man.'

Chapter 201

The police commando team who were in charge of Minister Kavita's security sat relaxedly under the huge tamarind tree chatting and playing games on their Android mobile phones. They all knew that it would be late in the evening before the minister and her bodyguard returned from their trip to Perumalvaram.

The constable who had supplied information to Jagatratchagan about the Minister's movements and location stared hard at the SMS he had just received from his bank and which had informed him that 10 lakhs had just been deposited into his account.

His face was just one big smile and then another message arrived and it said, ' 1 crore if you kill her.'

He calmed himself down and gingerly tapped the touch screen and sent a reply, ' Okay Iyaa.'

Jagatratchagan looked at the message and then looked at his father Mookaiah Thevar, ' even if she manages to escape the attack in the forest, she will die the moment she steps out of the forest.'

Unknown to the traitor constable, two other members of his team got the same 1 crore message and they too responded ' Okay Iyaa.'

Flashback over and it is back to the forest of Perumalvaram

Mukilan, Kalaiarasan and Mukunthan were the names of the three police constables who had been assigned with three other constables along with one Sub-Inspector to watch over Minister Kavita Duraipandi Arumugam and provide security for the entire duration of her stay in Madurai.

They had slipped away and had entered the forest on their own and each filled with their own agenda which was money first and loyalty a distant second.

They had entered nay slithered like poisonous reptiles tracking their prey and then all of them had stopped and had looked at each other.

Mukilan looked at the other two and then tapped his phone and opening a message, raised his mobile and displayed it to them.

' this is from our Community leader, Jagatratchagan. He has asked me to carry out a job for me and which is...'

His declaration of the real purpose for their entering the forest was stopped when he saw the others raise their phones and display the same message that had been sent to him.

Mukilan nodded with a smile and shook his head, ' either our boss does not trust me to finish the job or is simply using all of us and hoping that at least one of us will get it done.'

Mukunthan was the quiet one and hardly spoke and he spoke now, ' I have no problems with all of us getting the same message, telling us to do the same job but what about getting paid for it and importantly how much we will get paid' and pointing to the other two, ' one crore split among three does not make any sense to risk committing murder and that too when the risk of a lifetime in jail or worse, a death sentence hangs over my head.'

Kalaiarasan nodded and looked at Mukilan who too agreed and he typed a message and sent it.

Behind them, in front of them and all around them, the sentries, the eyes of the forest watched with unblinking eyes and heard everything.

Mukunthan glanced warily at Mukilan's phone and catching his glance, he raised his phone and showed them what he had typed.

' Iyaa, you have sent two others the same message and have given them the same job. What after the killing is done? how much will we get paid?'

Jagatratchagan and his father Mookaiah Thevar sat in deep thought in the house of Thevar Illam when the message from Mukilan entered his mobile phone and the screen flashed and went dark again.

Jagatratchagan grabbed the phone and quickly read the message and then showed it to his father who snarled like a wild beast and said, ' call the dog and tell him we will pay a crore or more for each of them after the minister has been killed.'

Jagatratchagan nodded and called Mukilan.

Behind them, in front of them and all around them, the sentries, the eyes of the forest watched with unblinking eyes and heard everything.

Mukilan's phone vibrated and he and the others saw it was a whatsapp video call and from Jagatratchagan whose face was filled more with desperation than anger.

Mukilan looked at the others who nodded and he swiped the green trembling button from right to the left and God and fate swiped his life from right to extreme left and that usually means a bad end.

Vaanathai pola 224

Behind them, in front of them and all around them, the sentries, the eyes of the forest watched with unblinking eyes and heard everything.

Even though it was only his face that they saw in Mukilan's phone, it was enough to send tremors of fear quaking through their bodies and all three looked at Jagatratchagan with respect tinged with guilt and now began to seriously worry for their own safety for they knew that they had antagonized their Thevar leader by talking money.

Mukilan spoke in a soft tone that was filled with respect and awe, ' Iyaa, Thaliavare, Please do not be angry with us.'

Jagatratchagan smiled a smile that did not appear as a smile to the three constables in the forest and it appeared more like a glittering knife that would descend on their necks sooner than later.

' I am not angry with you. Just tell me what is going on there and why you have called me now?'

Mukilan looked at the others who nodded and conveyed that they were with him and he looked at Jagatratchagan, ' Iyaa, this job that you have given us is not some garden variety crime that can be brushed away. This is murder and that too which means killing the state cabinet minister Kavita who also happens to be the daughter of Minister Durai pandi Arumugam who himself is one of the most powerful men in this state and regardless whether he is in power or not.'

Far away, not very far away, Dhanashekara Pandyan smiled as he saw his red-eyed sentries see and hear everything and importantly convey everything.

Dhana tapped the icon on the control app, amping, racking up the power and the signal went to full green and the quality was crystal clear and in HD standard.

He tapped another icon and one of his red-eyed sentry went closer and closer and aimed its eye on the phone in Mukilans hand and zoomed in on Jagatratchagan's face.

The signal that went out of the forest at the command of Dhanashekara Pandyan rippled like still water in a pond that had been disturbed and spread out in a 36o degree radius.

But the signal was cleverly sent out to particular places and particular people that had been pre-programmed and had been kept on standby.

Madurai Police Commissioner Davidson was the first to notice the large monitors in front of him flicker into life and fill itself with live video and he looked at the Tech department and asked, ' what is this and where is it coming from and why are our men in it?'

All answers and explanations would be for later and redundant for the situation and the video and audio was pretty much

self- explanatory in nature.

The entire police team along with the commissioner saw and heard what was being spoken, loud and clear.

Iyaa, this job that you have given us is not some garden variety crime that can be brushed away. This is murder and that too which means killing the state cabinet minister Kavita who also happens to be the daughter of Minister Durai Pandi Arumugam who himself is one of the most powerful men in this state and regardless whether he is in power or not.

The video split itself into two and everyone there was shocked and angered to see one half of the screen fill up with the powerful Thevar Community leader Jagatratchaggan's face and they heard him speak.

The signal raced away at light speed and entered the studios of almost all the Tamil channels and more importantly reached the head of the state, Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami who sat frozen in shock and fear but also with relief for now on things would be different.

Oblivious of what was happening outside the forest and outside the Thevar Illam, Jagatratchagan continued to speak with the three police constables.

' What do you mean when you say garden variety crime? This too is just another killing, another murder and the only difference is that she is a minister?'

He looked at Mukilan with a smile, ' what about all the murders that you three have done for me over the years? For example, that accident last year involving the Theni MLA who died along with his entire family. Only you and I know that we murdered that pesky ba..ard, and good riddance I say for otherwise, he would have kept asking for more and more money for helping us smuggle all those antiques from namma Meenakshi Amman temple.'

Kalaiarasan spoke now, ' Iyaa, it is not about the minister or anyone else and the issue right now is about money. There are three of us here with one murder to do.'

Jagatratchagan's voice spoke loud and clear, ' F...ing fools, I give you a job to do and I have already transferred 10 lakhs each to your accounts and here you are arguing and bargaining with me for money.''

He looked at angrily at them and then nodded and said, ' check your phones in a few minutes after you are done wasting time talking to me and you will see that 1 crore has been deposited in all three of your accounts. It will take a few minutes for I cannot use my account to do such a large transaction and have to use one of my other offshore accounts that are not known to the Government agencies.'

Mukilan, Kalaiarasan and Mukunthan all smiled and said, ' okay Iyaa, we trust you and I hope you continue to trust us. We will call you after killing the minister.'

Jagatratchagan screamed angrily, ' Not just kill that bitch who was responsible for the death of my only son but I want you to cut off her head and bring it back with you as a trophy.'

Mukunthan's adam' apple bobbed up and down nervously and he asked, ' head you mean? ' and then continued even more nervously, ' Iyaa, please be honest and tell us if you were the one who murdered our senior officer Superintendent Manohar.'

Jagatratchagan stared at him and then surprisingly began to laugh loudly, ' What, why would I do that and why would I kill him and then stick his head on my own gate? are you fu..ing stupid or what you miserable ba..ard?

Manohar was not only a dear friend but my working partner and it was only with his help at the Madurai airport that we were able to smuggle so many valuable antiques that were stolen in and around the Madurai area.'

The door opened loudly and Jagatratchagan stared at the person who had dared disturb him and was shocked to see Mangamma standing there and he yelled, ' Manga, I have warned you so many times and have told you countless times to knock before you enter my room.'

Mangamma reached for the remote and switched it on and the 60-inch television filled itself with the image of the room and also showed Jagatratchaggan's face that now went pale in shock and he asked confusedly, ' what is this? what am I doing on the tv?'

Mangamma's face was full of tears as she spoke, ' you and your father have been live in tv for the past few minutes.'

Jagatratchagan's face slowly drained of blood and it finally reflected his understanding and the hopeless situation that he was in and he looked at his dad who smiled bravely and said, ' it is okay, son. It will be okay.'

The three killers looked at each other for they had no clue as to what was going on at their leader's place and then the calm but scary face of Mookaiah Thevar filled the screen, ' you heard what my son told you, so get going and stop wasting time talking money. Get the job done, get pain and come back with that bitch of a minister's head or I will personally see that every one of your family members head is chopped off and left hanging as an example.'

All three nodded furiously and lifting their machine guns marched towards the village of Perumalvaram.

Behind them, in front of them and all around them, the sentries, the eyes of the forest watched with unblinking eyes and heard everything.

The red eyes of all the cameras in the forest were the first layer of security and formed the first sentries and they had done their duty without a fault.

The state of Tamilnadu would never be the same again.

A police commando team consisting of nearly 200 men were rushed to the location of the Thevar Illam and the doors were broken down.

Vaanathai pola 225

The conversation between Thevar Community leader Jagatratchagan, his father Mookaiah Thevar and the three policemen in charge of Minister Kavita Duraipandi Arumugams security during her stay in Madurai went viral and with such overwhelming evidence and proof, there was no need to play cat and mouse games between good and bad and the orders went out and with explicit instructions from the Chief Minister himself.

An emergency meeting was arranged in the conference room and he spoke directly to all the department heads and also at the same time addressed all those who were not present there via video conferencing.

The Chief Minister EPS flashed his trademark wide smile and then his face seemed to tighten and the smile slowly shortened in its length and the remnants of it disappeared from his eyes and only anger and disappointment now reigned in them.

' I am placing the state under a curfew for 24 hours and will extend it for another 24 hours until the state's security is guaranteed. I want all the culprits involved in this scandal arrested and punished and I am not going to stop there. I will be calling the Prime Minister himself and requesting this case be handled by the CBI and other agencies.'

Ajay Rana, IAS, Collector, Trichy district raised his hand, ' sir, Please give our own Departments some time to look into this case before the CBI is brought in.'

Chief Minister EPS shook his head and replied, ' I thought about it Collector sir and decided on this course and I have my reasons for it and which I am going to share with all of you.'

Taking a sip of water from the bottle, he cleared his throat softly and continued,' I have immense faith in all of you and in all the various department. But this is a very sticky and dangerous situation and is not the time to dilly dally for the ripples of the video that has brought us here in this emergency is travelling as we spoke. It is not just your department's honour and abilities that are being questioned but the very fabric of Tamil culture and consciousness that now hangs in balance.

If I let our own state machinery to handle this case, two problems will arise immediately. One is public perception and the other is the question and a very important one at that. How will the police investigate its own department and that too without showing partiality and lenience?

I am sorry to say this but there is a lot of deeprooted rot in this government and in all its departments and I am also fully aware of the fact that however hard we try, we cannot erase it and it will continue to exist.

But this is different and huge and also an opportunity to tackle that rot and destroy it.

The teams from Delhi will go about their business swiftly and properly for they have no connections or vested interests here in our state, so we can trust that they will do a decent job.

This will increase the faith and belief that the people of Tamil Nadu have in all of us and it will go a long way in raising the morale of all those who call themselves Tamil and citizens of Tamil Nadu.

Chief Minister EPS took another sip of water and then his voice changed tack and tone and his eyes went hard and glittered with anger, ' I expect total co-operation from all of you and also demand that you work hard and long with the teams from Delhi and solve this case as soon as possible.'

His hard and angry expression softened and he smiled and said, ' the elections are around the corner but that is not what I am thinking. I am thinking that I and my Government have very little time before we face the elections and that too without our leader Amma. I am not scared of losing this election but I am scared that I will leave this office which I inherited from Amma without finishing what she started.

So, it is imperative that we all work together and handle this situation.'

Standing up, he folded his hands and said, ' Anna naamam Vaazhga, Puratchi Thalaivar Naamam Vaazgha, Puratchi Thalaivi Amma naamam vaazhga.'

Vaanathai pola 226

Like all of us in this storm between birth and death, I can wreak no great changes on the world, only small changes for the better, I hope, in the lives of those I love. Dean Koontz

Over the years, I have seen many litters of puppies and always, always the runts, the weakest of them die away as soon as they are born. Some still, some fighting one last fight with frail breaths and underdeveloped bodies.

Death is eventual and death comes to all in the end and it is something that some prepare for well in advance while most of us turn a blind eye or turn our backs thinking it will pass us by. But, we are all marked for death as soon as we are born and just as we have been marked for life by an unseen and unknown force.

But there are those who invite death with open arms and without even knowing it and they are the ones who have slammed shut the doors and windows of their souls and conscience and turn a blind eye to the consequences of their evil actions and turn their backs on the hell they have unleashed on innocent people.

Father and son looked at each other and in their final few moments realized the magnitude of their sins and together came to the same conclusion.

Jagatratchagan looked at his wife and said just one word and that one word was 'Sorry' and pushed her out of the room and locked the door behind him.

Mangamma at first did not realize what was going on and realized it only when the door was slammed shut on her face and her feeble protests and along with it her own fate slammed the door shut on her marriage status and separated her from her husband, reducing her status from wife to widow.

The police team found her outside the door that was locked from inside and with no other alternative broke it upon and found both father and son lying on the floor with guns in their hands and gaping holes in their faces.

A heart-broken Mangamma with a flood of tears flowing from her eyes and with a tsunami of pain and sorrow in her heart wailed, ' They have done so much evil and have killed so many people and in the end, they killed themselves with their own hands.I don't know what to call it, Heroic, tragic or cowardly but my husband is gone and will never return.

Thevar Illam ceased instantly to be the centre of the Thevar Community and death and deathly silence fell over it. The police teams and other government agencies would conduct many raids and carry out many investigations over the coming days but it would all lead to a dead-end and it would take a master to arrive and pick up the trail of the dead leads and begin hunting again.

For more than anything else, all the investigating teams come to the same conclusion. Jagatratchagan and his father Mookaiah Thevar were just the bottom rung of a ladder that led up and away to someone who was the brain behind the whole antique art smuggling.