*From & To Sathish* - Thread 4 - Page 144

Avan 3

Ravi Kumar turned towards the fields and stared at the dying sun and recollected everything about the first time his eyes had seen her and lost in that memory, he did not hear Watchman Muthappan's wife Kanagam ask him something.

Then realizing that he was caught daydreaming or evening dreaming that was unlike him, he quickly turned and looked at her, ' Sorry, Please forgive me for not hearing you the first time. What was it you asked?'

Muthappan glared at Kanagam for putting Ravi in a spot and worse making him apologize when there was no need to do so. This infuriated him but controlling his anger, he, in turn, apologized for his wife and said, ' Nothing sir. My wife is just a very curious person and is obsessed about wanting to everything including the whys, whats and the reasons behind them.'

Bending his head in a mark of respect that was more reverence, he folded his hands and said, ' sir, please carry on and forgive us for disturbing your peace.'

Ravi Kumar smiled and reached with his right hand and gently pushed Muthappan's folded hands down and said, ' there is nothing to forgive Muthappa' and looked at Kanagam and asked her what her favourite song was.

Kanagam's face bloomed brighter than the drowning sun and her white teeth flashed like pearls against her dark Dravidian skin and she exclaimed, ' Aiyo sir. Romba difficult question sir for there are so many good songs, great songs and it will take me at least a few weeks before I can answer this properly.'

Ravi nodded, ' Please, take your time and we will talk about it some other time.'

He was about to move on when he saw Kanagam hesitatingly raise her right hand in an effort to stop him and he stopped and asked her, ' What is it?'

' No sir, you did not answer the question as to why you stopped today of all days although it is obvious you did so because of this song.'

' Absolutely right. I stopped because I heard this song and although I have heard it a million times, I never get tired of listening to it.'

He smiled and looked at her, ' Can I leave now?'

Muthappan hurriedly, ' Iyaa, sir. Please, don't hurt us with such words. This is your school. This is your land. You are not just a Headmaster for me and the people who live in all the 8 villages around Kumarapalayam but our leader and benefactor.'

Ravi Kumar shook his head and said in a tired voice, ' Muthappa, please stop watching all these Tamil films that glorify the heroes and heroines and make them appear larger than life. I am just an ordinary human being like you and Kanagam.'

Muthappan raised both his hands in a show of protest and indicating that he wanted Ravi to stop speaking and which he did.

' Sir, You can say whatever you want but there is no denying the fact that you are not an ordinary human being for your work, deeds, discipline and dedication speak for itself.'

Ravi Kumar nodded and then looked at Kanagam, ' Don't forget that list of your favourite songs.'

' Iyaa, I will not forget it but you should also make a list of your own favourite songs and share it with us.'

' I promise I will but I fear that my list will be very boring' and with those words, Ravi Kumar walked away towards the gates where his bicycle was parked and as he walked, he thought to himself and laughed, ' But my list has just one song. Her favourite song.Our favourite song.'

He slowly cycled thinking about the song and wondered, ' maybe, I will fill my list of favourite songs by writing the same song name a thousand times.'

Muthappan turned on Kanagam and was about to scream at her but she looked at him and smiled and he looked at her, ' Loosu, What now? what are you thinking?'

' I don't know why but I get this feeling that this particular song from the film " Vaidehi Kathirunthal" holds some deep and hidden meaning for our sir.'

' Aiyo, Kanagam. Please, let the man be.'

Kanagam smiled, ' you men, you will never understand the depths of a woman's soul and what she can do to a man's soul.'

Muthappan looked at her, what do you mean by that?'

She looked at him, ' Sir has lost something. A great tragedy has taken place in his life and I will bet my life and wager that it is about a woman who he loved and continues to love this moment and who he values more than his own life.'

' How the bloody hell did you deduce all that?'

' A woman knows. I know for only a woman knows the value of love, true precious love that transcends time, space and all barriers.'

A Bengali, a Punjabi, a Gujarati and a Keralite were reluctant to take the Covid vaccine.

The doctor called them in one by one.

He told the Bengali, “you must take your vaccine.” The Bengali said “no“. The doctor said “every man of culture and civilisation takes the vaccine.” The Bengali took his vaccine.

Then the Punjabi came in. The doctor said “here is your vaccine. “ The Punjabi said no. The doctor said, “your neighbours have all taken the vaccine “. So the Punjabi took the vaccine.

Then the Gujarati came in. The doctor said “take your vaccine.”The Gujarati said “no”. And the doctor said: “it’s an order from Prime Minister Modi.” The Gujarati took his vaccine.

Finally the Keralite came in. The doctor said “take your vaccine.”The Keralite said “no.” The doctor said “any man of culture and civilisation will take the vaccine.” The Keralite said “go away, no.” The doctor then said “all your neighbours have taken it.”The Keralite replied, “I don’t care.” The doctor, now desperate, said “it’s an order from Prime Minister Modi”. The Keralite replied “Po Mone Modi.”

Finally the doctor asked, “who are you?” The Keralite said, “I am from Kerala.” The doctor said, “oh then you are not entitled to have the vaccine.” The Keralite said “what? Who are you to tell me that I cannot have a vaccine? How dare you deny me my rights! Give me the vaccine or I will conduct a protest outside your clinic!”

The doctor gave in. The Keralite took his vaccine...

( Courtesy : My Kerala friend )

😂😜😉🤭

Vaanathai Pola 291

Inspector Rajarajan, Pigrajan as he was called behind his back got into his Mahindra jeep and grunted his order to the driver constable to head to Global hospitals and waited and watched as his Man Friday, Henchman, Head constable Paraman got into the back seat and turning as much as his obese tummy allowed him to, squealed like a Pig and grunted excitedly.

Head constable Paraman was a corrupt cop and a bad man in many ways but he was good in one thing and that was in the art of sucking. Yes, he had made his way throughout his life by sucking up to people, flattering them, praising them and literally licking their hands and feet.

You might go in your head, ' My pet dog does the same' but you are totally wrong for a pet dog will do the same licking and display its affection out of love and gratitude and with a pure heart. But, head constable Paraman's heart was black and love and gratitude it lacked, totally.

A wide grin stretched from one ear to the other as he enquired in his broken English, ' Sir, very happy. Sir happy, me happy for money coming soon.'

Rajarajan acknowledged enthusiastically, ' Yes Parama. I am confident that by today we will be a lot richer than we are right now.'

Head constable Paraman had heard the Inspector's orders to the constable driver and asked curiously, ' Iyaa, why Global hospitals? Any problem there?'

Pigrajan smiled like one of those bad, overacting villains from the 50s and 60s Indian films and nodded, ' problem yes. But even if it is not a problem, I will make it a problem and which means money. Problems always mean money from one or both parties involved.'

He snarled and grunted like a pig and that is why he was called Pigrajan ( king of pigs, sad pigs) and glared at Paraman and yelled, ' What am I, your f..k..g guide and teacher in the police academy. What were you doing in the station while I was on medical leave?'

Head Constable Paraman got busy with his sucking talents and snivelled, ' Sir, you know Sub-Inspector Baburaj very well and yet you ask me this question. Isn't it obvious that the SI concealed and hid the case from me?'

Inspector Rajarajan looked into HC Paraman's eyes and wondered loudly, ' do you think the SI is running some kind of racket without our knowledge and making money and pretending that he is the current avatar of Mother Teresa?'

The constable who was driving the jeep whispered valiantly, ' sir, please, SI sir is a very good man and he is not doing anything like what you are saying.'

Inspector Pigrajan raised his fat pig hand and slapped the driver on the back of his head and told him in a threatening voice, ' O..A, Unnoda So.th. moodikittu Vandi ottu. Vanthutaan, Periya Ma..ru mathiri advice panrathukku.'

Driver constable Velu could not help it for the tears of shame came bursting out and they fell out not because of the slap on his head by Pigrajan but because of the filthy words that had been used to abuse him.

Seeing the driver's tears only egged Inspector Pigrajan's anger and he did not let go and kept hurling filthy curses at the driver constable elu and did not stop with him and how he had been born but abused all his ancestors too.

Head Constable Paraman feeling pity for the young driver cop, intervened in his own sucky way by saying, ' Sir, forget that dog and tell me why we are going to Global hospitals?

Inspector Pigrajan burped loudly and observed even more loudly, ' Last night's biryani was tasty but the rice was not cooked properly. Stomach bloated with gas. I think I will visit that same hotel today and see if I shake down the hotel manager and make some money using my gas as a problem and complaint.'

Then he slowly explained the case details to Head Constable Paraman who after listening carefully asked, ' Sir, but there is no dead body, how then do we go about investigating this case? '

Then he spoke in fear, ' sir, this is a very big hospital? please be careful when dealing with them?'

Inspector Pigrajan smiled a cheap imitation of Nambiar and said, ' Paraman, you think only you know how to suck up in life and get what you want? '

He smiled a dangerous smile and finished, ' I am Rajarajan, and my name means king of kings and I am a king in the art of sucking up to people and getting what I am after. Just stand by and watch and maybe you can learn something from me.'

Constable driver Velu wiped his eyes and thought in his mind, ' God Muruga, is this what life is all about? The bad and evil win again and again and the good and innocent keep losing again and again. Is there no end for Pigrajan's atrocities?'

Aval -1

Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along.” – Rumi

She stood looking at the ground far below from where she stood in her 5000 sq ft Penthouse suite that was on the 15th floor of the Emerald Residency towers in Malabar hill, Mumbai.

' Will I fly if I jump? Will I be able to glide and reach him before I fall?' she thought and then gently chided herself, ' silly woman. Grow up. More than 30 years have passed since you planted that kiss on his lips before you left him and the tiny village of Kumarapalayam.'

The portion of the penthouse where she stood looking down on Mumbai had huge Glass windows all around but for the entrance to it. It had been described as a jewel in the sky by many leading architecture magazines and one famous writer had even gone to the extent of stating the 1000 sqft of glass ensconced space as a piece of heaven.

She had smiled and replied, ' Maybe, but this space, this room is a shrine meant for my late husband for this is where he spent most of his time in his final days before cancer eventually won out.'

She stood watching as the sun sank down into its own western suite for the night, although it was only rising on another part of the world which was the Eastern horizon.

She turned and smiled at the large photo of her late husband who had passed on a long time ago and spoke to him.

' Premji, you told me to go search and find Ravi even when I was still married to you. That is what broke my resolve and that is why I gave myself to you. I love you so much and miss you so much.'

' Madhu, Don't waste any more time. Go, go now and try and find him' she heard him say and turned in the direction from where prem had spoken to her but found just emptiness.

' You seek me and my words in all corners of this room and of this house when I am inside you as a part of your soul and will reside there as long as you breathe and exist' Prem told her and holding her chest, Madhurima sank into the couch recollecting the final days that Prem had so bravely endured before passing on.

Twenty years had passed since that fateful dawn when the sun had risen on Prem's face for one last time and she remembered the kiss that she had planted on his lips and had whispered ' Goodbye Premji. Godspeed my beautiful angel and I am sure that God will be there at the gates of Heaven waiting with open arms to welcome you back home. Rest in peace now you beautiful soul.'

Writing a love story is an incredible journey. A voyage into your own soul, the memories it treasures and of all things unfulfilled and unsaid.

I read somewhere that a kiss that has never been given is the most beautiful and sweetest kiss. A passage in a page whispered in black to me from its snowy background, ' That love that has never been declared, That love which burns on strongly regardless of hurdles, mental and physical and that unrequited love is the greatest love of all.'

But what about the kiss, the only kiss that was given to your lips before the person you loved went away, far away from you and disappeared altogether.

Old is gold although a bit horny and corny in the way it was told

Istanbul 2461 (also Ni 2461,L.2461) is an ancient Sumerian cuneiform tablet which is believed to contain the oldest love poem ever found. It is on display at the Istanbul Museum of the Ancient Orient (Mesopotamia Hall).

The tablet was unearthed at Nippur, in lower Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq). It was one of several thousand Sumerian tablets found by archaeologists during excavations between 1889 and 1900.[1]

The tablet was identified among 74000 others and translated by Samuel Noah Kramer in 1951, during his years of studies in the Istanbul Museum.[3] Kramer was deciding what works to translate next when he found the tablet in the museum drawer. He describes the moment in his book History Begins at Sumer:[4]

The little tablet numbered 2461 was lying in one of the drawers, surrounded by a number of other pieces. When I first laid eyes on it, its most attractive feature was its state of preservation. I soon realized that I was reading a poem, divided into a number of stanzas, which celebrated beauty and love, a joyous bride and a king named Shu-Sin … As I read it again and yet again, there was no mistaking its content. What I held in my hand was one of the oldest love songs written down by the hand of man.

The table contains a balbale (a kind of Sumerian poem) which is known by the titles "Bridegroom, Spend the Night in Our House Till Dawn" or "A Love Song of Shu-Suen (Shu-Suen B)". Composed of 29 lines,[5] this poem is a monologue directed to king Shu-Sin (ruled 1972-1964 BC, short chronology, or 2037-2029 BC, long chronology[4]). In erotic language, the female speaker in the poem expresses her ardent desires and longings for Shu-Sin, drawing heavily on imagery related to honey and sweetness.

The following is the start of the poem (in Kramer's translation)

Bridegroom, dear to my heart,

Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet,

Lion, dear to my heart,

Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet.

It is believed that the poem is a script for the yearly "sacred marriage", a rite in which the king would symbolically marry the goddess Inanna, mate with her, and ensure fertility and prosperity for the coming year. A priestess would probably represent Inanna, the Sumerian goddess of fertility, and the king Shu-Sin would represent Dumuzi, the god of shepherds, on the eve of their union.

Vaanathai Pola 292

Lady Luck is a westernized expression of the Roman goddess of luck, Fortuna ( Fortuna is nearly identical to the Greek goddess Tyche.) Fortuna was the goddess of fortune and luck in Roman religion. Fortune's decisions in whether to provide good or bad luck in any given situation was a casting of lots. She might bring good or bad luck, who knows except the lot in her hand where it will land?

“Luck is a goddess not to be coerced and forcibly wooed by those who seek her favors. From such masterful spirits she turns away. But it happens sometimes that, if we put our hand in hers with the humble trust of a little child, she will have pity on us, and not fail us in our hour of need.”

Inspector Rajarajan raised his left hand and pointed to a vacant spot and grunted, ' park the jeep there' and constable Velu, the driver looked at the spot and hesitated and looked at Inspector Pigrajan who snarled, ' parking reserved for Handicapped people. So what' and pointing to his large tummy, ' this too is a handicap for me. Just do what I f..k.ng tell you to do.'

Getting out of the Jeep, he stood staring at the hospital and then signaled Head constable Paraman to his side, ' Do exactly what I tell you to do and nothing else' and whispered for a long time and then watched HC Paraman run towards the reception area of the hospital.

Opening the glove compartment of the Jeep, Pigrajan stood looking at the three different mobile phones that had been purchased by people known to him and who were also his informers but who in reality were petty criminals who dabbled in chain snatching, pickpocketing and a little bit of pimping on the side and in sly.

' Red phone cover, today is your turn to rain luck and good fortune on me. I don't want too much, maybe a few lakhs or more and If you want to give me more, then I have no problem with that at all' Inspector Pigrajan whispered and then taking the red coloured phone, he called one of his closest aides who kept him informed about all the criminal stuff going on in the area.

His call was answered almost immediately by Kokku ( crane) ' Iyaa, sir, Gud morning iyaa. sollunga.'

' Dei Kokku, listen to me very carefully and follow my orders as I tell you' Inspector Pigrajan said on the phone and after speaking for a very brief time, ended the call and picking the file related to the case concerning the blood stains without the body, he waddled towards the spot concerned in his own peculiar gait, large tummy notwithstanding.'

He passed two young smart looking nurses who were busy chatting about something and seeing them, ran his tongue over his lips and gave them a thorough inspection with his lecherous eyes.

One of the nurses accidentally caught Pigrajan leching at them and mumbled something and turned away from him and our Man of the moment too mumbled and thought to himself, ' Next time, I am in Goa, I should ask for the girls to be sent to my room dressed in uniforms. Hopefully that will help raise my d..k faster than all the viagra that I am forced to take.'

The nurse who had caught Inspector Pigrajan leching at them told the other nurse that she had a doubt about the Pig that had just passed them dressed as a police officer.

The other nurse asked her what her doubt was about a police officer.

' That guy looks like a pig and his tummy is sticking so far out and it just makes me wonder?'

' Ennadi un problem with that cop?'

' Ille, I just wonder when was the last time?

' Wonder, last time, Aiyo Prameela, stop torturing me and just say what is on your mind.'

Nurse Prameela smiled and looked down at her feet and the other nurse too followed her direction and looked down and then looked up and asked confusedly, ' Podi, you were talking about that fat cop and now you are looking down at your feet.'

That said, she watched Nurse Prameela take deep breaths and try very hard to inflate her tummy and stick it out and totally lost she cursed, ' My bad luck that I have to work with this mad bi..h and that too on a daily basis.'

Nurse Prameela shook her head and said, ' If I really stick my tummy out and then look down, my feet are barely visible.'

' What, feet, visible. What has this got to do with that fat pig cop?'

' No, I am just wondering when was the last time that fat ba.t..d saw his own tiny d..k with such a huge tummy in the way. Maybe, he can only see it in when he stands before a mirror.'

Hearing Nurse Prameela deliver this news with childlike innocence and curiosity, the other nurse burst out laughing and sank to her knees laughing so hard that tears began to stream from her eyes and said haltingly, ' Yendi, why does your mind work in such strange ways and weird ways.'

Wiping her tears, she nodded, ' Yes, you are right. I doubt if he can see his own privates if he looks down for he will only see a mini moon sticking out.'

Author speaks

Many years ago, I was changing clothes and getting into a different costume in the room and one of my co-artistes ( Obviously male) told me something.

' Sir, whenever you happen to step out of the house, always wear good and preferably relatively new underwear.'

I looked at my boxers and thought to myself, ' They are in good nick, no holes and have not faded or anything' and tentatively asked him, ' yenna sir, whats with new undies when going out.'

' No sir, I telling from experience. One day, I fell from the bike and injured my knees, elbows and also scraped my right buttock badly and so took an auto to a nearby clinic. My bad luck that day, I wear old Jatti and my bad luck that the doctor was a female and one with a wicked sense of humour.'

I saw him look at his watch, a Rolex ( Imitation was my first thought) and asked him why he was looking at it.

' Sir, that doctor who treated me said, ' Rolex gold watch on wrist but faded and torn undies inside. Very nice. You can afford a watch that costs upward of 50,000 rupees, yet you cannot buy yourself underwear which might cost you just 150 rupees or a little more.'

I wish you all a good day and a beautiful Monday. Be well.

Vaanathai Pola 293

I have never considered luck a major factor, a benefactor in my life and all that has happened in it. Although, for want of a better word I have used the word " lucky " to describe situations that have gone my way. But, then I realized that there is a better word in English language to describe, explain the good things that happened to me and that word is " Blessings" and which immediately means a higher power is involved in me and in everything that was, is and will be.

Blind faith may be but then again chance, luck are frivolous words to use to describe the good things that happen to a person.

I think most problems that people land themselves in are a result of their own actions and when mired and sinking in quicksand without a rope to pull themselves out, it is not luck that has run out but the blessings of that higher power that had protected them all that time.

I am not privy to that higher power's thought and working process so I will limit my limited understanding of that and stop with the written lines above these two lines.

Sorry, one last lament of my questioning soul and which is, ' If Luck, blessings, fortune favour both the good and bad, who will triumph in the end and who will be the last man standing.'

The Managing director of Global Hospitals, Chennai, Mr Subash Rao went through the photos and then looked up at the hospitals security chief, Jayaprakash worriedly.

' Sir, so much blood but no body' and looking more carefully at some of the photos, he shook his head, ' Something is wrong, really wrong.'

Placing the photos on the table, he looked at Jayaprakash, a former Additional superintendent of Police and said, ' Sir, just from looking at these photos I can say with absolute guarantee that a person could not have survived that much blood loss.'

Mr Subash Rao went back to the photos and then hurriedly asked Jayaprakash, ' are you sure that the blood came from just one person and not two or more persons?'

' No sir. we tested many samples of the blood and they all came up with the same result. The blood is from one person and one person only.'

Mr Subash Rao looked at JP as Jayaprakash was affectionately called, ' JP, what do we do now? How does one and an Hospital like ours handle these kind of situations, sir?'

' Sir, with absolute honesty and with total co-operation and by complying with all the requests from the police department to the fullest.'

The Managing director of Global Hospitals, Chennai, Mr Subash Rao groaned loudly and sank his head in his heads and moaned, ' I am not worried about the police or their investigation. I am more worried about the media and what they all they will do when they get a whiff of this story.'

He looked at Jayaprakash, ' JP Sir, the hospital business is a cut-throat one and it is a dog eat dog world. There are more clinics, nursing homes and mini hospitals than Vinayagar kovils and provision stores in every nook and corner of this city and state. All it takes is one silly mistake and we will suffer an image setback which will take years if not decades to recover from.'

The phone rang and Subash Rao answered in a soft voice but one filled with anger, ' I told you not to disturb me until I am done talking with JP Sir about this matter, Chitra. So, why this call now?'

His personal secretary answered in a meek voice, ' Sorry sir but this could not wait.'

' What is it now Chitra?'

' Sir, A journalist just called wanting to talk to you about something important and I have put him on hold.'

' Why didn't you tell him to call back later? Did he mention anything about what he wanted to talk me about?'

A silence filled the call between them and then his Personal secretary replied, ' Blood, murder.'

Managing director of Global Hospitals, Chennai, Mr Subash Rao nearly suffered a heart attack for the words gave him such a start and he literally jumped out of his seat and screamed, ' Chitra, please repeat word by word what he told you' and then violently shaking his head, he told her, ' Forget it and instead connect the call and let me speak to this journalist personally.'

' Okay sir, connecting right now.'

Jayaprakash, the hospitals security chief sat quietly averting his gaze to a tanjore painting of a Kutty Krishna while his boss finished his call, went on full alert the moment he heard his boss say the word Journalist.

Getting up, he raised a finger to his lips and then pressed the speakerphone on the lan line and quickly took out his mobile phone and pressed the music apps record button.

' Hello, I am Subash Rao speaking, How can I help you.'

' Vanakkam sir. I am Bhadri from "Chennai daily news" and I am calling to verify this news that just reached us that a murder has taken place on your premises but no body has been recovered as of now.'

' Mr Bhadri, the police are already investigating this matter so I cannot talk about this without their permission.'

' Sir, so you are confirming that a crime has indeed taken place in your hospital grounds.'

' Mr Bhadri, I am not confirming anything. I am sorry that I cannot be of more help to you. But, please contact the Inspector for more details.'

Then hurriedly he added, ' Mr Bhadri, if you have any more questions, please come and visit me at the hospital and we can talk more in private' and then he paused and continued, ' but with cameras recording everything that we might discuss. Is that okay with you?'

' Perfect sir. So, when can I come in or rather when will you be free to talk to me, I mean to our paper.'

Jayaprakash, the hospitals security chief signaled with his hand and The Managing director of Global Hospitals, Chennai, Mr Subash Rao understanding what was being signaled answered, ' Mr Bhadri, is it okay if my personal secretary calls you back to confirm when we can meet and sir, please, do not carry any reports until you have seen and heard everything.'

' Okay. But I cannot promise anything right now. Have your secretary call me as soon as possible and it will be better if it is sooner than later.'

Aval-2

Day turned to twilight and twilight soon gave way to complete darkness and Madhurima lifted her head and stood gazing at the night sky. She looked down at Mumbai that was lit up like a christmas tree with its yellow and white neon lights. Advertisement billboards flashed day and night trying hard to outshine the other signs to sell their wares that varied from Infant food formula to adult diapers.

' Infant food, adult diapers' Madhu thought to herself and then feeling a slight ache in both her breasts, wondered if it was time that she went in for a complete medical checkup, importantly to see if she had any lumps in her breast.

' I do not for I raise my arms every day and do a cursory check on my breasts and found no lumps or any discolouration ' Madhu told herself and yet the pain came and went and worryingly its frequency was increasing gradually. Where once the pain had been a rare occurence, it had slowly picked up and now came once or twice every week.

' If it comes to that, I will face that too' Madhurima whispered to the air around her and to the fate that swirled in her life and then raising her voice, ' do you hear me clearly? I am ready and have been ready for a long time. Come, mess with me and you will see for yourself who I am and what I am made of? she challenged fate.

The ache vanished just as it had come and Madhu smiled, ' My fate, destiny, you are anything but scary.'

She picked up her I-PAD and tapped an app that communicated with the board that handled the operations of the curtains and pressed the button that said " Close all" and immediately the large room hummed with a mellow vibration as the motors went to work and closing all the curtains plunged the large space that had been described as a Jewel in the sky to near and total darkness.

The glow from the I-PAD lit her face and Madhu tapped the button that said "Night roof" and looked up as the ceiling above her slowly slid away,revealed a gateway to outer space and a passage to the night sky.

' Hello, Sirius' she greeted the brightest star in the night sky and one that can be seen with a naked eye.

Far away from Mumbai and in the small town called Kumarapalayam, Ravi Kumar stood gazing at the night sky and greeted Sirius with the same warmth and love and with the same name that he had been addressing it for many decades now.

' Hi Madhu. Eppadi irukke? I am fine and today was a good day like any other day. I hope and pray that you are well, happy and living your life to the fullest. I miss you terribly and sometimes the pain is overwhelming and I fear that my chest will explode unable to contain its emotions anymore. But then, I remember your smile and that one kiss that you planted on my lips before going away.'

Ravi touched his lips and his eyes filled with happy and sad tears and he whispered to their star, their symbol of love, ' I am okay for I know now the value of that one kiss that you gifted me. This is enough for me. I am better for having known you and having felt your love and your kiss. Good night, Madhu.'

Vaanathai Pola 294

He who knows others is learned;

He who knows himself is wise. LAO -TZU

Subash Rao stared at the phone and then looked at Jayaprakash, the security chief of the Hospital, ' That was the first call from the press concerning this case and I am sure that it will not be the last before the other vultures and scavengers of his kind start calling me and worse, end up at out gates demanding to know what is going on.'

'The man looks a prime candidate for a sudden heart attack' Jayaprakash thought to himself and then spoke in a calm voice and reassured him that it would all turn out okay in the end.

' Sir, I think it is better we get ahead of this problem right now.'

The Managing director of Global Hospitals, Subash Rao looked at him vaguely, ' JP sir, how do we do that when we don't know the nature of this problem that has landed right in our laps.'

' Sir, you can do that by contacting the HR department and tell them to issue an immediate message to all the employees of this hospital. The message should strictly forbid all our employees from speaking to any newspaper or TV Channel. Next, get in touch with our legal department and update them about the call from this journalist.'

Pointing to his phone, ' I will give them this recording of the call and I will also talk to a few of my colleagues in the department and see if they can help us out in this matter.'

Subash Rao shook his head, ' This is getting out of hand and like you suggested, may be it is better the hospital's legal team handle this issue for that is why we are paying them such big bucks.'

The phone rang again and the ringing startled Subash Rao, MD of Global Hospitals who stared at it as if the phone had suddenly and magically turned into a poisonous serpent and picked it up gingerly and answered it and after listening for a few seconds said, ' It is all right, we will see the Inspector. Just give us a few minutes before you show him in.'

The call ended, he looked across the table at Jayaprakash, ' An Inspector is here to talk to me.'

' I wonder if Sub-Inspector Baburaj is also here along with the Inspector for he looked like a reasonably honest man' Jayaprakash reflected and then with a sad smile added, ' Sorry sir, I hope you know that some police officers are worse than vultures and scavengers for they are fierce predators who will do anything for a quick buck.'

' JP Sir, you are a cop too and an ASP, Crime branch and you have worked with many great men like Walter Dawaram and Vijay Kumar who hunted and killed Veerappan. Surely, you are capable of handling this situation.'

Jayaprakash smiled, ' I am sorry to correct you sir but I was a cop once but not anymore. I am retired now and there is a huge difference between a working cop and a retired one.'

He stood up and smiling calmly reassured his boss, ' I may be retired but I know how the game is played and I am sure that I know it better than this Inspector who is going to walk in right now. Talk to him, answer all his questions honestly and I will take it from there.'

I have been wearing a mask every time I leave home (which I do only if essential) since 24th March. I’m not sure why being considerate to others for the common good is now being mocked by some who are calling it “living in fear”, but it needs to stop!!!... When I wear a mask over my nose and mouth in public and in the stores/Supermarkets/Pharmacies/Offices - I want you to know the following:

🔵 I'm educated enough to know that I could be asymptomatic and still give you the virus.

🔵 No, I don't "live in fear" of the virus; I just want to be part of the solution, not the problem.

🔵 I don't feel like the "government controls me". I feel like I'm an adult contributing to the security in our society and I want to teach others the same.

🔵 If we could all live with the consideration of others in mind, the whole world would be a much better place.

🔵 Wearing a mask doesn't make me weak, scared, stupid or even "controlled". It makes me caring and responsible.

🔵 When you think about your appearance, discomfort, or other people's opinion of you, imagine a loved one - a child, father, mother, grandparent, aunt, uncle or even a stranger - placed on a ventilator, alone without you or any family member allowed at their bedside.....Ask yourself if you could have helped them a little by wearing a mask.

Hi, from a random soul, who is rampantly amusing himself with his muse, and random musings

A companion piece to the new story Avan, Aval

“Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes.” ― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Trauma is the response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope, causes feelings of helplessness, diminishes their sense of self and their ability to feel the full range of emotions and experiences.

While there are no objective criteria to evaluate which events will cause post-trauma symptoms, circumstances typically involve the loss of control, betrayal, abuse of power, helplessness, pain, confusion or loss. Traumatic situations that cause post-trauma symptoms vary quite dramatically from person to person. Indeed, it is very subjective and it is important to bear in mind that it is defined more by its response than its trigger.

On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 also known as MH370, a scheduled international passenger flight operated by Malaysia Airlines disappeared while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to its planned destination, Beijing Capital International Airport.

The search for the missing aeroplane, which became the most expensive in aviation history, focused initially on the South China Sea and Andaman Sea, before analysis of the aircraft's automated communications with an Inmarsat satellite indicated a possible crash site somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean. The lack of official information in the days immediately after the disappearance prompted fierce criticism from the Chinese public, particularly from relatives of the passengers, as most people on board Flight 370 were of Chinese origin. Several pieces of marine debris confirmed to be from the aircraft washed ashore in the western Indian Ocean during 2015 and 2016. After a three-year search across 120,000 square kilometres (46,000 sq mi) of ocean failed to locate the aircraft, the Joint Agency Coordination Centre heading the operation suspended their activities in January 2017. A second search launched in January 2018 by the private contractor Ocean Infinity also ended without success after six months.

The mystery surrounding MH370 has been a focus of continued investigation and a source of sometimes feverish public speculation. The loss devastated families on four continents. The idea that a sophisticated machine, with its modern instruments and redundant communications, could simply vanish seems beyond the realm of possibility. It is hard to permanently delete an email, and living off the grid is nearly unachievable even when the attempt is deliberate. A Boeing 777 is meant to be electronically accessible at all times. The disappearance of the airplane has provoked a host of theories. Many are preposterous. All are given life by the fact that, in this age, commercial airplanes don’t just vanish. This one did, and more than five years later its precise whereabouts remain unknown.

In the cabin of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 were 10 flight attendants, all of them, Malaysian. They had 227 passengers to care for, including five children. Most of the passengers were Chinese; of the rest, 38 were Malaysian, and in descending order the others came from Indonesia, Australia, India, France, the United States, Iran, Ukraine, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Russia, and Taiwan.

Now, Close your eyes and imagine for one second, just imagine for my sake that somebody you loved was on that plane. A person who meant, sorry means everything to you and then they vanish without a trace. Gone, baby gone. Just like that, gone from your life and the worse part, the most painful part is that you don't know what happened to them.

Yes. Correct. Are they alive or are they dead?

"If they are alive, are they well, okay and not in any pain" will be your thoughts day in and day out.

Tell me please, answer my question as to how a person can cope with a loss that has no answer and is only a mystery.

This is what you called trauma and then comes PTSD, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

The longer we live, the more inevitable it is that we will experience trauma, in case you have not already experienced it.

But sadly most of us suffer trauma of varying degrees early on in our childhood through death, divorce and abandonment.

I am sorry to say that children who suffer trauma early in their lives are never normal and whole again and remain scarred forever. In some case, some souls can neither give nor take love and emotions and just pretend and go through the pretences and motions of love.

They are called " Deadman walking." ( A phrase traditionally used in U.S. prisons to announce a condemned prisoner being walked to the place of execution.)

But then again, out of trauma and PTSD afflicted situations, many souls rise again like a phoenix bird, anew and reborn with new perspectives and insights about life and love.

Love, what is love?

Is it fire and cotton coming together and burning brightly but briefly?

Is it water dousing fire leaving behind smoke?

How does one describe the fires and passions of love and its varying degrees in various stages of time?

What I feel, you don't feel and what you feel, I don't feel. So then what is this feeling between us?

I equate Love with the seven Swaras out of which are born a multitude of Ragas. What Raga defines your love story is a ????????

But we all sing it, sing and act out a love raga, be it morning, evening or night and in the end, we drown in the Swaras of love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soyx2Ynuaz8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqNWBnlB_C4