*From & To Sathish* - Thread 4 - Page 23

Jannal oram 198


"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." ...

Kamakshi was torn between her grief for Suja and happiness for jeeva and burying her sorrow with great difficulty deep into her soul,she looked at Raman who caught her looking at him and realising that she wanted to say something to him,told jeeva he would be back and came to kamakshi's side and meanwhile Manigandan also slowly made his way to them both.

Raman looked at them both and apologised ' I am sorry that this wedding took place so simply and without any major celebrations.I am sorry that i could not give jeeva the wedding she deserved.Please forgive me for that and all that has happened.'

Kamakshi placed a hand on raman's lips ' ram,no.Please don't ever repeat what you just told us.Me and mani just wanted to catch you and thank you in privacy for all that you have done for us and our children.I doubt if we can repay all this love and kindness even if we both are reborn a hundred times.'

Manignadan was kind of shaky on his painful knees and raman held him and gently seated him in a chair and mani looking at him ' Ram sir,i always used to crib and torture my wife that she did not give me a son who could have been our friend and company in our old age.But,now with you by our side,i really feel that we have lost a daughter to gain a son.'

Taking a small folder out of the cloth bag that was hanging on his shoulder,he handed it over to raman ' ram sir,this is the documents and deeds for our house and i have also made out a cheque from my Provident fund and i want you to take it and do whatever you please with it.I have no other possessions in this world to give you Ram sir.'

Raman knelt by his side ' Sir,my first request to you is to stop addressing me by this word sir.secondly,you forget that you have given me your greatest possession and treasure to be me with me my whole life.What can be more valuable than Jeeva in this world or even in heaven.'

Gently placing the folder back in mani's hands ' you are not just like my father by law but like my father by my heart and soul that beats for all of you now.So,please don't torture yourself with these things for you know me and that is i am a very simple person by nature.'

Kamkashi sat by his side and Raman threw both his mighty arms and enveloped them into them and into his soul and jeeva,shaktivel,valli and krishnaswamy iyer looked at each other and the great and wise advocate whispered to jeeva ' my child,ram is really one of his kind and even in all my years,i have yet to see someone so pure of heart,words and actions.'

Jeeva wiped the tear of joy,pride that fell on her cheeks and smiling happily she looked krishnaswamy iyer ' one of a kind and he is mine now.Really all mine now.'

She kept looking at raman who was holding her parents and said it again and again ' my raman,my raman.It is true.It really is true and raman is mine now and nobody can tear us apart now.'

Raman got up and holding mani he slowly walked back to jeeva who kept staring at him and he looked at her lifted an eyebrow in a question and she shook her head ' nothing.Just that i realised how much you mean to me and that feeling was so scary and powerful.'

It was nearly 6.30 pm and kamakshi looked at all of them ' well,now the only thing left is dinner and it will be at our house.Is that okay or do you all want to go out and celebrate?'

Howls of despair rose instantly from raman,krishnaswamy iyer and shaktivel and they all agreed that even stale food from kamakshi's kitchen would taste much better than food from a five star kitchen.

They all returned and krishnaswamy iyer took leave after dropping them back home saying that he would go shower,change and return by 9.00 pm for dinner.

jeeva and her parents came back home and daughter looked at mother ' Kamakshi,i am joining you in the kitchen because i want to make something special for my husband.so,don't act tough when i enter your domain.'

kamakshi ' Idiot,there were so many times when i asked you to make me a cup of coffee because i was either watching tv or tired and you would scold me and ask me to get off my big bum and get it for myself.And here you are,all ready to cook for your new husband.'

Manigandan looked at both the women and now the only women in his life and clapped loudly ' shabash,sariyana poti.But the real winners will be me and the others who will eat well,really well.'

Naan kanda,rasitha Ilayaraja


We all have loved and yet each one of our love stories is our own story and just like our unique finger prints and DNA,our love and emotions that arise from it are ours and ours alone.Everything we do,feel,enjoy,taste and touch is unique to our souls and belongs to us only.

Even the kiss we share as we lock our lips against that of our lovers will feel different and evoke different sentiments and thoughts if we do dare ask about it.

Music and that too the music of His Highness Ilayaraja is just like love,a great kiss,a great feast and so much more and everyone will describe their experience differently and confess that it brings back memories.old,new,sad,happy,lost,lonely and many a time all powerful.


My destiny with Ilayaraja started with his first composition for the film Annakili with my grand mom and her small portable radio.Until i was sent of to hostel,every night was spent with ilayaraja and his music from 1975 to 1982 as he lulled me and my grand mom to sleep and she used to sleep thinking of her lost son and i used to sleep thinking of the same man,my dad and my mother and ilayaraja was there with his music and gently rocked me to sleep.

I sat there with ilayaraja watching Oliyum,ozhiyum and listening to him on ' All India Radio vin Vividh bharati' and then on the first tape and car stereo as kamal and sri priya romanced with the song ' ore naal' and rajini and sri devi romanced with the song ' aagaya gangai' in dharma yudham.

I cried with kamal in moondram pirai,cried with revathi in mouna raagam,cried many time with kamal in punnagai mannan,salangai oli and nayagan.

I cried out of sadness and also sheer happiness and i sometimes wish so badly that the world spins back to that times,before mobile phones,before internet and computers,before face book and whats app.Back to just radio,oliyum ozhiyum and matinee shows.

Back to my times with ilayaraja and his god given talents to make music.

Ilayaraja through his music has been my friend,my guide and so much more.Thank you,you beauty of a creator and yes i see god through music and more importantly i feel love through your music and songs.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnCge4x-df0

Annakili Unna Theduthe | Annakili | S.Janaki | Ilaiyaraaja

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GNXi6UgZEo

Kannan Oru Kai Kulanthai K J Jesudas, P Susheela Ilaiyaraja Bhadrakali

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w24ilXwGfWM

Kuyile Kavi Kuyile Song - Kavikkuyil | -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDWzxR0N8Sk

Sendura Poove - 16 Vayathinile Tamil Song - Sridevi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl1IbJwXVro

Kanden Engum from Kaatrinile Varum Geetham | S.Janaki

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f448_EqundE

En kanmani En kadhali From Movie Chittukuruvi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMAOPsp5EB0

En Iniya Pon Nilave HD Improvised version Moodu Pani Ilayaraja, K J Yesudas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBU2gLLmmRs

Azhage raja parvai

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crO9G1iUzGI

Poonthalir Aada - Panneer Pushpangal Tamil Song

And to top it all,One of the best BGM piece from Mouna raagam

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

Mouna Ragam - the BGM

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

Jannal oram 199

"We all die. The goal isn't to live forever; the goal is to create something that will. Chuck Palahniuk

The bedroom was wide open for the doors kicked open and broken by shaktivel in a failed attempt to rescue suja had been removed.Where the doors once stood,allowing and also denying entrance into their world was now open and it looked like an arch,inviting and granting immediate access to anyone that so wished to enter it.

Jeeva had told her mum that she would change into something more comfortable for she did not want to dirty or ruin her wedding saree which had been gifted to her by her sister for her previous years birthday.

Jeeva stood outside the room and suja ran towards her and she lifted her arms and held them wide open and stood dazed,saddened as many suja's ran towards from inside the room.

The kutty suja who has used the nail cutter for the first time when she had been six and had cut into her skin and had come howling to jeeva,holding her bleeding hand.

The kutty suja who had her wild hair loose came running to jeeva and begged her to do it up for mum was busy in the kitchen.

Suja came running towards her with her plus two board exam results and she came running,jumping,leaping into jeeva's arms showing off her seat allotment for medicine and jeeva had held her and kissed her cheeks in great joy.

Suja had looked up into her eyes ' jeeva,don't worry,soon i will become a great doctor and i will make tons of money and get you married in a grand way.Promise.'

Jeeva had thanked her and replied ' podi,i don't have any dreams or desire to get married.Just promise that you will become a great doctor and make all of us proud of you and your achievements.That is enough for and for my whole life.'

She slowly entered the room and glanced all over it and her eyes stopped on the large mirror and she began to cry as she saw the many bindis stuck on it and she heard her own voice as she had yelled her head off at suja for sticking them on the mirror and her kutty sis had whine ' po jeeva,it is so convinient for me.'

Jeeva had pulled the pillow from under sujas head and had whacked her nicely with it and suja had covered herself with the thick quilt and had stuck her bum up ' whack all you want you harsh and cruel dictator.'

Jeeva had dropped the pillow and had taken the large comb and had soundly whacked her sisters bum and suja had yelled in pain and jeeva realising that she might have really hurt her,had hugged her tightly.

The bed was still unmade and remained the same as suja had left it and Jeeva sat at the feet of her dead sister and slowly touched and felt the quilt that suja used to cover herself and then she felt her mothers gentle touch on her shoulders and she looked up and both women stared at each other in grief so great that they knew that there would never be an end to it,not until they themselves joined suja after her death.

Manigandan slowly shuffled his way into the room and jeeva helped him to sit down beside her.Mani looked at his eldest daughter ' jeeva,you don't have to sleep here and can sleep in our room.It will be just for a few days and then we will be most probably moving to the house that krishnaswamy sir is renting out for us.'

Jeeva looked at him ' illepa,i am going to sleep in the same bed where me and suja slept all these years.I cannot leave her alone now appa for she might be lost and lonely and will be searching for us,searching for me.'

Manigandan sadly ' okayma,then in that case we will all sleep here with suja in this room and we will keep her company.'

Not sure if she would agree to it,mani ' you don't mind us both being here in your room right jeeva? cos suja would scream her head off about privacy and her space and stuff like that.'

Jeeva gently patted her fathers cheek ' appa,why would i mind you both being here when it will be all the more better for my suja.'

Kamakshi looked at both of them ' both of you keep talking for i have a lot of work in the kitchen and time is running out.'

Jeeva nodded ' okay amma,just two minutes and i will be there with you.'

Raman was buttoning his half hand shirt over simple and comfortable cotton pants when shaktivel came to his side and son looked at the questions that filled the eyes of his father 'ennappa,don't hesitate and just ask me what you want to ask?'

Shaktivel ' iyaa,ram.no questions.I just wanted to tell you that i am very proud of you and also greatly appreciate the decision that you want both the families to live as one in one house.i don't think there are many people who make such decisions and as always you prove yourself as an exception and exceptional in all matters.'

Raman turned to his father ' appa,it was the right decision and the perfect decision in the given situation.Any sane and loving person would make that very same decision but seldom do for they place their own needs and desires before the desires of their own families.But honestly,for me it was a very easy decision to make since all the people involved are great and loving souls.'

His mother valliammai joined them ' ram,you said it so easily and casually but the reality is very different and only a person with a kind heart such as yours can do such a beautiful thing.'

She gently leaned against shaktivel ' i think all the goodness comes from your father for i know pretty well that i am not as kind or patient as him.'

Shaktivel threw his arm around his wife ' valli,sorry my love.But i think all that has been bestowed on raman comes from the god we worship and definitely not from me.'

Raman looked at both of them ' appa,amma,i love you both and i thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me your complete support and that too without a single question.'

valliammai looked at her son ' ram,i have been meaning to ask you about something for i cannot take the suspense anymore.'

Raman smiled ' amma,you will have the answer very soon,so please wait for another ten or twenty minutes.okay.Now let me go get someone to help me.'

They watched their son leave and both looked at each other and valli,pinching her husbands hand ' shakti,what do you think is in there?'

Half an hour later,Mani and kamakshi greeted shaktivel and valliammai and informed them that jeeva had just gone in for her bath and would be out shortly.

Raman helped the two men with the small but expensive looking wooden cupboard and at the same time,jeeva came out of her parents room dressed in a simple tee and leggings and raman forgot everything and just stared at her and in mock anger ' how can you dress like this? we have been on many dates but not once have you dressed like this? Not fair ma'am.'

Jeeva folded her hands on her chest and stared at raman 'dates,what dates are you talking about mister? you pick me up from work and then it is back to the house.have you ever taken me to a film,temple,park or for a long drive so that i could dress up like this,casually.'

The two old couples stood staring at the newly married couple and then one of the two men who had come along with raman to help and who were still holding the small cupboard ' ram sir,jeeva amma,neenga parku ponga,beach ponga,superstar padam paarunga,nobody will stop you.But first decide where you want this cupboard placed,please.For it is quite heavy.Adhu mattum ille,vani rani serial start ayidumu.'


Raman looked at jeeva and told the men to take the cupboard into her bedroom and then gave a few hundred rupees each to the men who looked at him and politely refused it and putting vanakkams left the new family of six that stood as one under the same roof.

Jeeva looked at raman and at the small cupboard and he nodded in the direction of the bedroom and just as both were about to enter the room,raman's mobile phone rang and everyone looked at him and clearly saw his face change into a frown as he was the unknown number and with a snarl,answered the phone and at the same time put the call on speakerphone.

The powerful and scary voice of Minister vaidyanathan filled the house as the man spoke ' Hello raman.Congralutions to you and your wife.I am not going to keep you away from your family and i will say what i want to say and finish quickly.'

Raman saw a movement at the corner of his eye and saw his boss,krishnaswamy iyer enter the house and freeze in shock for he too had recognised the voice.

'Raman,come meet me tomorrow morning and let us try to talk and settle this problem once for all.'

Raman snarled ' i met you once and nothing but bad things happened and i doubt if anything better or good will come out of our meeting again.'

' raman,you know pretty well that we cannot talk about what i did or what you have done on the phone without both of us getting into serious trouble.'

' Mr.Vaidyanathan,i am still not sure what you had to do with the tragedy that has fallen on my family.But,once i confirm facts then the real games will start.'

' ram,dei thambi,what do you think you can do to me or what can you really do to me my young man? Nothing.I have seen and faced and have come out victorious out of far worse problems than this.So,i am not worried and am the least scared of you or what you can do?'

' Mr.Vaidyanathan,the world is different today,vastly different today than you think and know.Sitting there in your cozy govt quarters and in a post of power you think you can do whatever you want or wish.But,you are mistaken for soon,you will loose your power,your post and will face the music of all the sins you have committed.'

' Ram,let us not get so far ahead of ourselves.come and meet me tomorrow and then we will fight and see who is stronger.Please convey my best wishes and blessings to Jeeva.Good night.'

Jannal oram 200

The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea. Isak Dinesen

krishnaswamy iyer's voice even spoken softly still boomed as he asked raman ' ram,was that who i think it was on the phone with you just now?'

Raman looked at him and krishnaswamy iyer looked back ' so,the simple case about a widower and a child was not that simple after all.'

Raman laughed loudly and it was a strange kind of laughter for none there had ever heard him laugh with anger,frustration and sadness mixed as one emotion,not even his parents.

' Sir,how can a case involving a politician be simple and that too when the man will not stop at anything or let anyone stop him from getting possession of his grand child.'

Krishnaswamy iyer in his years of experience had seen many complicated and tough cases and yet had found some common ground to win or at least settle it out of court with both parties in mutual agreement.But,from the conversation that he had just overheard between raman and vaidyanathan,he knew that this was going to be a very messy affair and pretty dangerous one.

krishnaswamy iyer looked at raman ' ram,this looks very complicated and dangerous and i think we should talk to bharat about it.'

' no sir,that time has come and gone and i don't like to be bullied or pushed around and that includes my clients too.'

Looking at his boss ' sir,we will talk about that later or tomorrow morning, for right now i need a few minutes with my wife.'

Taking jeeva's right hand,raman led her into the room and both stood quietly and then he looked at her and glanced towards the brand new and expensive looking rosewood cupboard.

Jeeva smiled and made a funny face and looking at the cupboard ' wow,thank you husband for the cupboard.looks awesome.'

Raman took out a small steel key and gave it to her and jeeva took it knowing pretty well that it was for the cupboard and going to it,opened it and stood watching it for the five shelves were filled with clothes,slippers,a few pieces of jewellery but also many perfumes,stoles and then she looked at the top shelf for there lay a folder with a few documents and she turned back to raman ' what or rather when did you buy all this?'

Raman gently threw an arm around her shoulders ' from the moment both our eyes met in the bus,three years ago.I knew that very instant that you were the one for me.I am not usually wrong anything and i knew from your eyes that you just needed time and also that you liked me for your eyes lingered on mine and they kept searching for me that day and everyday until you offered me a seat next to you and in your heart.'

Jeeva gently leaned into his arms ' ram,i have been searching for you all my life and everyday i used to see you in the bus i wanted so badly to talk to you and kept cursing you for not making the move and introducing yourself to me.'

She looked up at him ' there were so many times on the bus,when i used to see young girls and even older women ogling at you,making passes at you and i used to feel like clawing their eyeballs out from their sockets.But,you just brushed them off with a courteous smile and with dignity and that only increased my respect for you.'

She threw her arms around his slim waist ' ram,physical attraction,sex and all that is good but real love is respect and trust and in the end it is the only emotion that keeps a relationship strong and alive forever.You are very good looking but more than anything it is how you carry yourself and how your heart melts and beats for everyone which makes you even more good looking and which appeals to me the most.'

Raman reached into the cupboard and took out a slim gold chain with small ganesha pendant hanging on it and gently placed it around her neck.Then he made her sit down on the bed and took out a set of gold anklets with semi precious stones in it and kneeling at her feet gently hooked it around her slim ankles.

Feeling the hot tears drop on his hands he looked up and saw jeeva crying and then she leaned forward and cupping his face kissed him deeply and forgetting where they were,he kissed her back.

Hearing his mother clear her throat,both moved away and valli looking at the cupboard and all the items it held turned to jeeva ' jeeva,i have been torturing my child for the past two years about this cupboard and did not get a peep out of him and the only response was a naughty wink.But now,we can see clearly what he has been storing all this while?'

Jeeva was still seated in the bed and raman was still on his knees by her feet and was hooking the other anklet and soon all the others joined them and whether it was a gust of wind that did it or something else would always be debated for the windows suddenly opened wide and a cool,fragrant breeze blew in and caressed everyone and jeeva saw the orange saree that she had hung near the mirror lift and flutter in the breeze and she thought she saw suja standing there holding up the orange saree and telling her it suited her very well.

Raman suddenly whispered ' suja,i will look after them and love them as much as you did and wanted to.I promise you this and i also promise you that i will not stop until i am finished with what i have started.But for now,rest in peace and also please bless all of us.'

Just as he finished saying this,through the open windows came the ringing of the bells from the amman kovil that was a few streets away and the breeze came again dancing around the room and then the air outside and inside fell silent and life was what it was and as it will be.



WHY WE CRY


The worst type of crying wasn't the kind everyone could see,the wailing on street corners, the tearing at clothes. No, the worst kind happened when your soul wept and no matter what you did, there was no way to comfort it. A section withered and became a scar on the part of your soul that survived.

There was a time when i was very young,6 or 7 when i used to sit alone and cry in fear and panic,missing my parents,brothers and the tears would not stop flowing and then i stopped it,willed myself to stop it,turned the tap off and told myself that i would never cry,never again and if i did then it would be behind my mind,behind my eyes and hidden deep in my soul.I still have no idea how the tears of a soul look or taste.But then,the tears came,they came from some deep spring and they came for Chaarukesh AKA senthil who i knew very well and they came when i took his father in my arms and as he cried his tear into my bosom and it entered my hardened soul.

He looked at me ' your classic hindi and tamil songs were the only ones he used to listen to every night during dinner after coming back from shooting.And he used to proudly say ' appa,satish semma gentlemanpa.Enna kettalum eduthu kuduthduvaru.Paatu nalla irukkuinu summa sonnen.next day,Pathu cd record panni gifta kudathaaru.'

Chaaru as we called called him worked with me in Both Roja and Aanandham serial and for reasons unknown and very personal jumped before a train near his house near Nanganallur just a week before the tsunami hit the world in Dec 2004.

I stood,i went,i was there and i scattered a little bit of ash into the Besant nagar sea.

And sometimes when i take of my shoes and stand in the waves of the cool Bengal sea,i think,i imagine Charakesh swimming as angel in the waters of the sea and in the peace of heaven.They come,they burn my eyes with their salt and i touch them now as i touched them when i was a kid and look at the glittering tears and smile sadly
' sati,not bad dude,there is still some thing alive among all the scar tissues.'

Yes,i have cried a few times after that,a few times apart from charakesh but then they are very few and also they are stories by themselves and for a later date.

Jannal oram 201


Krishnaswamy iyer looked at jeeva across the table ' jeeva,Me and most of us who work with ram knew the day that he fell in love and also the day that both your paths joined and together you started walking on one path.'

Shaktivel looked at his son ' since we live in Trichy,we had no clue as to all of this and only came to know about jeeva and her family when we joined them for dinner a few moths ago.'

Valliammai pausing her attack that she had launched on her plate ' we might not have learnt about raman's feelings and state of mind earlier but his dad knew that something was amiss and mentioned it to me a couple of times and i just brushed it off saying that he was imagining things.'

Krishnaswamy iyer looked at raman ' but ram,why did you have to wait and waste three years before reaching out to her? for it is not like you to wait on something that is dear and precious to you and in this case it really is.'

Raman was about to reply but jeeva jumped in ' sir,in the end it was me who reached out to raman and made the first move.'

' so,you tell me jeeva why it took so much time to talk to raman?'

Jeeva looked at him and at all of them ' well,the truth is my heart was broken once and i don't think i had the strength to bear another break and failure.But there was something about this man here and i knew that he would never hurt me,never and i have seen that for myself.'

Krishnaswamy iyer fearing that he might have stepped on jeeva's toes ' i am sorry ma.Please forgive my carelessness and intrusion into your privacy.'

Jeeva ' sir,please don't such big words and honestly there is nothing to forgive for it all happened many years ago.But,thanks to you i happened to meet the person again and so has raman.'

krishnaswamy iyer with a look of surprise ' wow,that does sound like a story from the films or worse tv serials' and quickly looking at raman ' ram,who is jeeva talking about?'

' Bharat sir whose other name is shreekant.'

' what, bharat,you mean my family friend's son bharat and who is the son-in-law of the minister with whom you just spoke on the phone?

He looked at jeeva and raman watched as his mentor quickly assembled the facts of the matter and was visibly moved and then spoke ' jeeva,about eight years ago,bharat came to me and confessed that he was in love and yet the girl was not ready to get married because she had too many responsibilities and family to take care of.He cried and also spoke greatly about you and how you wanted to look after your ailing father who was about to retire very soon.'

Reaching across the table,he clasped jeevas hand ' wow.so that was you and no wonder he named his daughter jeeva too.Omg! how is that i missed the whole thing?'

Jeeva smiled ' sir,the wows and omg's should all go to the man,the hero and my husband sitting next to me for he knowing everything about me and bharat still took the case and is ready to fight for father and daughter and against the most powerful person in this state.'

She gently reached and leaned in raman ' sir,a few moments ago,you mentioned about film and tv serials but you are wrong for people like raman come very rarely and are far greater than of these actors who are just acting while he is the real deal.'

Raman spoke softly ' i am sorry ma'am but i disagree for i think what you did back then and that is throwing away love,marriage and a beautiful future and instead gave up all the dreams of a young woman and went to work and have worked non stop for nearly eight years.Now that is what a real hero is and someone who i will look up to and put on a pedestal and probably pray to for guidance and motivation.'

Jeeva ' ram,we talk about sacrifices and giving up and all such major talk.But honestly,all that did not matter at all for what mattered was my dad and mum and my suja.What really matters in the end is not sacrifices and all those made up words but duty and responsibilities and regardless of the people and the situation we are in.'

Krishnaswamy iyer began to thump the table with his left hand and everyone joined in and he stood up and bowed and in a deep voice,complimented jeeva ' Bravo my child,well said.'

Manigandan began to sob and jeeva looked at him ' vendaam,i have told you many times not to watch shivaji ganesans movies,esp " paar magale paar" and here you are crying like a baby.'

Manigandan smiling ' chee.Naa enge,shivaji saar enge.No,i was just crying out of happiness for i see the most perfect couple in front of me and which reminds me of the lord rama and sita themselves.So perfectly matched in all ways and most importantly in their thoughts and actions.'

Krishnaswamy iyer sighed sadly ' i wish i had a glass of scotch in my hand so i could toast all you beautiful people that are one big family and now i am part of it too.'

Jeeva looked at kamakshi ' no problem sir,i got my dad a bottle a few months back and i think most of it is still left.'

Kamakshi hurried in and came back with glasses and placed it around the table and valliammai immediately looked at shaktivel ' shakti,you better stop with two rounds or you will have to face my wrath for the whole week.'

Shaktivel looked at raman ' iyaa,please help.'

Raman threw up his hands ' no,dad,no.i am sorry for all three of us know what happens when you get drunk and the command has just been issued from you commander and i don't get involved in family politics.'

Jeeva asked valliammai ' amma,enna,what does he do when he gets drunk?'

Shaktivel lowered his head as his wife revealed his antics to everyone ' this man becomes unbearable when he his high and since he is a major fan of Mgr and TMS,he will start singing and dancing like his hero and that too his favourite song from padagoti ' thottal poo malarum' and he will spend the whole night thinking that he is mgr and i am saroja devi.'

Krishnaswamy iyers laughter was so loud that it shook the building and jeeva not able to control her laughter joined him and all the while shaktivel kept looking at the scotch bottle in anticipation.

The single malt whisky had lightened and loosened the tongues and spirits of all the bodies that it now had in its possession and coupled with its golden alcohol spirit all seven sat in total relaxation and ease.

Krishnaswamy iyer looked at raman ' ram,is there no way for peace and for sanity in this case? Have you tried talking sense to him and also explaining the situation that no family court in this world will separate a child from its father and that he should instead try to make peace with his son-in-law?'

' i have tried sir and i am sorry to say that it is all too late and honestly even if he backs down and wants peace,i will not back down sir,for he has to answer for suja.'

But for jeeva,all the others were shocked and amazed that suja was being mentioned in the case that involved raman and the minister and krishnaswamy iyer placing his glass on the table ' what do you mean suja? how is suja involved in this case ram? and you still haven't told me what you were doing in villupuram yesterday?'

Raman remained still and it was jeeva who broke the silence ' raman suspects that the minister was behind suja's death?'

Krishnaswamy iyer in confusion ' but suja hung herself jeeva and the police have submitted the report and have also closed the file and importantly she has been cremated and it is all over.'

Raman's voice changed into a lethal sounding growl and it alerted everybody to his anger that was raging in him and he spoked in a very hard and cruel voice ' sir,suja did commit suicide and she did hang herself in the room behind us.But,i stress on the word but for the question is,why,what prompted her and when did she decide to kill herself? And that is why i went to villupuram to find the answers for that is the last place suja smiled and was happy before everything changed and ended in tragedy.'


Kamakshi amma began to cry and manigandan hugged her and tried to console her and krishnaswamy iyer looked at raman ' so,what happened in villupuram? did you manage to find the answers ram?'

Raman turned and looked at jeeva and then looked pointedly at both mani and Kamakshi ' i have the answers but my question to you is do you want to know what happened in Villupuram?'

Mother,father,sister who was more of a mother all felt a sharp pain in the chest region as if some giant hand was squeezing the life and air out of their lungs and as always it was jeeva who spoke ' tell us ram,tell us what happened in the place where suja last smiled in happiness? But before that,tell everyone here and tell me to once again what you did to those who destroyed my sister's life?'

Raman in a grim voice ' That actually is very easy to tell for it does not hurt at all.'

He looked at all of them ' I killed all four of them and i killed them slowly,breaking one bone at a time and i killed the strongest one first.All four of them are dead and nothing of them remains for they are scattered in all four directions.'

Jeeva placed a smack on his cheek and krishnaswamy iyer in a rather trembling and nervous voice ' ram,dead,really dead and all four of them.'

' sir,tell me how much you love Rohini,your only child?'

Krishnaswamy iyer had no reply for that and raman continued ' sir,what if rohini was kidnapped by four men,stripped and videos taken of her naked body? what would you do sir?'

krishnaswamy iyer snarled ' i would have done worse to them than just kill them.'

' exactly sir.And that is what i did and am going to do to all those who were behind this evil act.'

Jannal oram 202

"You don't go into battle because you're sure of victory. You go into battle because it's the right thing to do. C.J. Redwine


The question that had been posed to Krishnaswamy iyer had been answered but the question still loomed,lingered in all th others hearts and kamakshi looked at raman ' ram,why this question and why this particular type of question?'

Raman looked at kamakshi ' does it matter now that suja herself is gone and never to return.There is not point in talking and dwelling on her final moment for it will only increase our pain and make things more unbearable.'

kamakshi got up so suddenly that her knee hit the table and luckily raman and shaktivel caught the glasses before they fell and she came and sat next to raman,on the ground near his legs and raman looked at her ' amma,please get up and sit next to me.'

Kamakshi kept staring at him ' ram,when someone informs you that one of their family members or someone close to them passed away,you express your grief and condolences and then enquire as to what happened and how they had died.When they tell you that it was a massive heart attack or a cardiac arrest and that death was pretty quick,you look at them as tell them that at least the person had not suffered too much before dying.'

She grabbed his hand with strength that he did not think that she had and she shook him ' don't we do that ram,don't you do that?'

Raman sadly nodded for he knew where they were headed and the pain and anger erupted in his eyes and yet he kept looking into her eyes and kamakshi continued ' everyday in this so called great nation of ours,hundreds of women,girls,babies get molested and most of them go unreported and only a few gruesome ones become headlines and breaking news.Remember,that poor girl Nirbhaya who was gang raped and then stabbed in her genitals and thrown out of a moving vehicle and she hung to life for a few days before succumbing to her injuries.'

She began to cry and jeeva held her tightly ' amma,let it go ma.It is all over ma.Please let it go.'

Kamakshi roughly pushed her away and looking at raman ' the reason i asked and spoke all this because as a mother who has just lost her daughter,i want to know that she did not suffer terribly before she took that decision to kill herself.'

Krishnaswamy iyer looked at raman and the others ' i wonder why she didn't talk about it or at least reach out to one of you?'

Jeeva wiping her tears ' maybe because she didn't want her family to know what horrors she had experienced and probably she did not want to be around when in case the video of her humiliation was released on all social networks.'

Raman looked at her ' yes,that is the only logical conclusion i can come to and sadly we might never learn anything more for mohan himself is in the hospital and in a critical condition.'

' but raman,what has suja got to do with minister vaidyanathan and his problem with bharat and his daughter?'

Raman looked at krishnaswamy iyer ' everything sir.it was he who sent those four men after suja and it was on his orders that everything took place and which in the end led to suja dying and mohan lying in a coma.'

Shaktivel looked at his son ' iyaa,what are we going to do now? and what if those four dead are traced back to you?'

' no pa,i guarantee you that there is no chance of that ever happening for the person handling that is just too good to make any kind of mistakes.'

Manigandan in a pleading voice ' ram sir,suja is gone and nothing will bring her back.but,i don't want to lose you too now or anyone else from our family.Don't you think that it is better to let go of all this and act as if it never happened.What can people like us do against such powerful monsters? This has been the case and norm that is suffered by all poor and weak people and will continue to go on.'

Raman thought for a few moments ' maybe sir and then again maybe not.But i am involved now and i am sorry to say that i cannot step back and turn away now,not until it is finished.'

krishnaswamy iyer ' what then ram? another villain will come along and maybe far worse than this minister and are you going to kill them all?'

Raman laughed quietly to himself ' sir,if the Mahatma had thought like that then we would still be under British rule.But an old man,bent and with a single piece of cloth around his waist and with just a stick to help him walk went against the mighty England and her queen and finally got freedom for this country.If an old man can do so much then i think i too can do a bit to help.'

He looked at manigandan ' sir,i bet that my actions will not change anything or bring about more awareness in people.But i am sure that the world will be much better off with one monster gone.maybe,another person will step up and continue the fight and maybe more will join the ranks and ultimately tip the scales that is right now weighing heavily on the side of evil men such as vaidyanathan.

I am sorry for i cannot sit still,doing nothing and that too after knowing what has happened.I don't think god gave me all this strength,knowledge to sit still and enjoy my life.I think all of us have a purpose and my purpose is to fight back or in the least be a stumbling block to evil and its crimes.'

' what are you going to do ram? how are you going to go about it?'

Raman stood up ' we will talk about it sir,soon but right now it is getting late and i think we should all call it a day.i don't know about you but i am really tired after a rather funny and fantastic,roller coaster of a day.'

Raman looked at jeeva ' good night my sweet and beautiful angel' and jeeva with a sad smile ' bro,if i am an angel then you are the god that i serve.'

Krishnaswamy iyer looked at both of them ' i give you my love and blessings and i promise that i am there for all of you.'good night everyone.'

All of them slowly walked towards the front door and raman and jeeva lingered back and raman looked at her ' i guess we must be the only couple who are separating on the eve of their first night.'

Jeeva pulled his head down and kissed him and they stayed kissing and she whispered ' all that is for ordinary people who live out ordinary lives and their rules don't apply to us anymore,at least starting from suja's passing.Our time will come and we will live happily ever after.'

Jannal oram 203

Hotel ratings are often used to classify hotels according to their quality. From the initial purpose of informing travellers on basic facilities that can be expected, the objectives of hotel rating has expanded into a focus on the hotel experience as a whole.Today the terms 'grading', 'rating', and 'classification' are used to generally refer to the same concept, that is to categorize hotels.

There is a wide variety of rating schemes used by different organizations around the world. Many have a system involving stars, with a greater number of stars indicating greater luxury. Forbes Travel Guide, formerly Mobil Travel Guide, launched its star rating system in 1958. The AAA and their affiliated bodies use diamonds instead of stars to express hotel and restaurant ratings levels.In recent years hotel rating systems have also been criticised by some who argue that the rating criteria for such systems are overly complex and difficult for laypersons to understand.

The Trump International in Toronto gets five stars from Forbes but four diamonds from the Canadian Automobile Association. If you believe Expedia.ca, there are six five-star hotels in Toronto, four in Vancouver and two in Montreal. If you believe Forbes, there are only five in all of Canada.As if the battlefield wasn't muddied enough, there's an increasing trend for hotels to rate themselves up to seven stars, including the Burj Al Arab in Dubai and a promised new resort in Orlando.

The ITC Grand Chola is the only seven star rated luxury hotel in Chennai, India and why it calls itself a seven star when a five star will do is best answered by the marketing group of the hotel itself.. It is the third largest hotel in India after Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel and Grand Hyatt, both in Mumbai. It is located in Guindy, opposite SPIC building and along the same row of buildings as Ashok Leyland Towers. The building, designed by Singapore-based SRSS Architects, is of mixed-use development with three separate wings and is themed after traditional Tamilian Architecture of the Chola Dynasty. The hotel is the ninth "Luxury Collection" hotel of the Starwood Hotels group. The hotel, built on over 1,600,000 sq ft, is dubbed the largest stand-alone hotel in the country built with an investment of ? 12,000 million and has the largest convention centre in the country built on 100,000 sq ft with a 30,000-sq ft pillar-less ballroom.


Raman drove his old santro that still rode beautifully belying its age and pulled into the Itc grand chola entrance and a valet popped out of nowhere and raman gave him the keys and walked into the hotel but not before experiencing the same check ups like in an airport and placing his wallet,keys and mobile in the tray walked through the metal detector.

He calmly collected his items and looked at the watch and it was 5 minutes to 12.30 pm and he knew that it would take him that much time to reach Madras Pavilion for that was where he was supposed to meet Minister Vaidyanathan.

Raman had never been to this part of the ITC Grand chola and stood for a few moments enjoying the decor and was awed by its grandeur.Huge tables, comfortable seating, soothing creams, beige and brown dominated the interiors and were placed in a lotus theme.

'mr.raman' and raman looked to his left and saw a man dressed in an expensive suit and nodded and the man whispered softly ' this way sir' and led him to the corner of the pavilion and in the deep,cream,leathered comfort sat the coiled serpent in a human form.

Vaidyanathan waved a hand to the opposite seat and snarled a comman ' sit' which raman knew meant ' sit dog' and sitting quietly smiled and kept looking at the incredible decor.

Vaidyanathan stared daggers at him ' what are you smiling about? you find something funny?'

Raman ' yes,even seated in this grand and expensive hotel you still show yourself as an uncouth brute and a man totally devoid of class and manners.Sad,and after all these years in power and earning thousands of crores,you still havent managed to learn some basic skills in the human dept.'

' enna,should i have got up and requested ' please sit sir' and then waited until you were seated.Why should i do that when both of us know better and least of all why do you expect anything from me?'

Raman chuckled and brought both his hands and clapped noiselessly ' Now that is a perfect and the true answer.why should i or anyone expect anything from you?'

Both looked at each other and the snake called vaidyanathan looked at raman who appeared as if he was a giant eagle diving with its talons wide open for the final kill.

Vaidyanathan finally spoke ' do you want to eat anything?' and raman shook his head and said no.

' you should for the food in this place is really good.'

Raman ' maybe,but i will do so someday when i come here with my family or friends.But not with you for that would be like eating out of sewage and maybe even sewage will taste better than your hospitality.'

Vaidyanathan face took on an ugly scowl and he leaned into the table ' dei,chinna payale.I can flick my fingers like this and you and all of your family will be gone,just dust in the wind.'

Raman leaned forward ' Dei,Th...a payaa.O..a,nee fingersa flick pannuve.And you think i will be sucking my fingers until then.It will just take me a second to reach out and break your neck but that will be like mercy killing and you don't deserve a tiny bit of mercy for all the shit you have done to people. '

Vaidyanathan nearly blew his top ' what did you call me?'

'Th...a payaa.I repeat,i called you a Th...a payan.In case you don't the meaning it means a B...d.'But i am sure you are well used to all those names and meanings for it is with those kind of people that you work with and also employ to destroy other people's lives.'

Vaidyanathan leaned back with a wicked smile ' i came here to apologise and also pay my condolences for the death of your wife's younger sister.But no,for now that we are way past all those niceties i too will come directly to the matter.Stop now and back off and i mean really back off and i will spare you your life and the lives that you care so much about.or else face the consequences.'

Raman raised his hand ' un vaiyayum,un s...m moodu.Mooditu intha videovai paaru.'

Saying this,he placed his mobile phone on the table and pressed play.

The video showed all four men talking to a fifth man and the minute vaidyanathan saw the fifth man,he froze in shock and raman leant forward and stopped the video and looked at the minister.

' the video goes on for many minutes and your man,the thug who handles all your dirty work and also the one who was involved in the attack on bharat is in it telling the four to follow the given orders and so they ended up doing what they did,which is your dirty work.'

Raman placed both his hands on the table ' you stupid bas***d,you and your man did not even know that the leader of those four had placed a phone in a vantage position and recorded everything and there is also recording of many other such similar criminal things and of which i prefer not to talk about right now.But trust me,he spoke and spoke for a long time and cried his guts out before the end.'

vaidyanathan ' they don't matter for there are more like them at my beck and call.But,just to satisfy my curiosity,what did you do to them? are they alive and stashed somewhere or have you killed them all.'

Raman laughed ' wouldn't you like to know.But trust me,all the men you send after me and my family will suffer the same fate and when i get to you,i will think of something special,really special to suit you and your nature.'

Vaidyanathan shrugged 'that remains to be seen and coming to the videos how am i supposed to know what the hell one of my employees does in his own private time.I have no control what each and every man does.so,go ahead and try doing something about it and see where it will get you.'

Raman smiled ' dei,naaye.You are just a f...g politician and a common thug.But me,i am a smartie.Honestly,i am a real smart guy who stood first in the bar exams and who knows the in and out and all the nooks and crannies of all the sections and that too the criminal ones.You think that i will go and file a case and try to send you to jail.Stupid idiot,i am not going to do that and rather i am going to strip you of all that you hold dear and important and one by one and that too in public and humiliate you in such a way that your fate will be far worse than my suja and you will wish,curse and beg that you had not done what you had done.'

Both men,one whose soul lay in darkness and evil and the other who stood for light and all that is good stared and it was the older man who broke the silence first ' looks like i underestimated you and i promise that i will not repeat that mistake again.'

Raman stood up ' is there anything else apart from these empty and cowardly threats because unlike you i have a lot of work to do and clients to attend.'

vaidyanathan too stood up ' listen raman,whatever i am doing,i am doing for my wifes sake and she doesn't have much time left and i want her to spend that little time with our grand daughter.'

Raman stepped closer ' you know what minister,rather than all these threats and use of force,you could explained the situation to bharat and things might have worked out in your favor.'

He looked at his watch ' anyway since you brought up the topic of your wife,i think you will be pleasantly surprised to know that bahrat and kutty jeeva are right now at your house talking to your wife and telling her what all her husband has been up to.And your son-in-law will be also be showing what your men did to suja.'

He stepped even closer ' now i wonder what a woman,a good woman like your wife will think and also how she will react to all this news about you.But,please keep me posted.'

Tamil nadu states home minister stood watching raman leave and hurriedly called home and one of the staff member picked it up and answered ' hello,sir,i don't know what is going on sir.But amma just packed her bags and left with bharat sir and your grand daughter.She asked me to tell you to contact her on her mobile.'

Vaidyanathan felt his world turning upside down and slowly sank back into the chair.

He sat still for many minutes and then reached for his mobile and made call and when the person answered ' dei,find out where periakaruppan is right now and just follow him and when the time is right,kill him.Yes,kill him and i want it done today.Call me back with the news and if you don't call me back then it means that you have disobeyed me and you know what happens to people who disobey me.'

Raman was driving to egmore when his mobile rang and tapping the blue tooth ear piece,he greeted his sensei ' sir,good morning sir.'

Devarajan warmly wished him for getting married and then told raman ' the trap is sprung and the bait has been taken.Do you want him to be rescued ram?'

' no sir,no point and moreover his murder will be more useful to us than him being alive for then we can implicate the men who are about to kill him and through them reach the minister.'

Jannal oram 204

Periya karuppan was born in a small village outside madurai in the year 1960 and had joined the AIADMK party in 1979 and had come to Chennai,then called Madras holding,MLA Madhusoodhanan's tail and had settled permanently in the city forgetting his past and parents back home.But,in the few years he had been with the MLA he was just used to buy,booze,cigarettes,food and sometimes arrange women for his boss and the parties he threw and it was in such a party that he caught Vaidyanathan's eye and jumped ship.

In a matter of a few months,he rose from the status of being just an unknown card carrying party member to a low level leader and assumed the title of Vatta seyalalar with the help of his new boss and then became a permanent fixture of the minister who began to use him for all his shady money making deals and other serious crimes.

It was periya karuppan who had attacked vijay and kavita with his thugs and had been beaten by raman.Everyone in the party knew that vaidyanathan wished,thought,hissed and periya karuppan acted and was the action that had been ordered.

Periya karuppan stood nearly 6 foot 1 and was a rather imposing figure,heavily built and with a huge handle bar meesai like kamal sported in the film Virumaandi.All of minister vaidyanathan's problems were solved the moment periya karuppan stepped into the scene and even top level party members quaked in their shoes if periya karuppan came calling and immediately agreed to whatever was requested or commanded of them.

Periya karuppan had never married because he had decided very early on that he would never have a family that could become a liability to him and just visited a few regular sex workers when the drive became unable to bear.But all his thoughts and energies were now concentrated on becoming an MLA as his Employer had promised and gaining respect and commanding real political power.

For the past few years,periya karuppan had been regularly visiting a woman who was in her early 30's and it was in her house and in her bed that he was lying in when the woman's five year old son came running in and standing near the bed gently patted periya karuppan and called him ' appa,appa,see,i have stood first in my class in english and science.'

The hardened and evil heart of periya karuppan melted like butter and sitting up,he removed the gold chain that lay around his neck and placed it around the young childs neck.

' Nalla padinga thambi.periya padippu padinga.I am only 6th std fail.No money,so i working from your age.But you study well and i will sponsor all your expenses.'

The boy ran away happily screaming ' amma,amma,appa has gifted me a gold chain.'

A few minutes later,sandhya came in with the gold chain and placed it on the table near the cot and looked at him ' Please,you are doing enough and we are comfortable and so all this gifts are not necessary.'

periya karuppan looked at sandhya whom he had rescued from a prostitution case many years ago and in turn had visited her once or twice although offlate he had been regularly visiting her and more than sex he just lay in her arms and snored peacefully and unknown to each other,both had somehow fallen into a strange and weird kind of love.Love is love right, and it was there between them and both knew that it was a dangerous thing to have in their lives and in their profession.

Periya karuppan wiped his eyes and sandhya sat next to him ' i am sorry karuppu but how much ever i tell him to stop calling you as Appa,he just refuses to listen to me and is convinced that you are his father.please don't be angry and hurt me or him and i will try to change him slowly.'

Karuppan looked at her ' sandhya,you know who i am and what i do and yet this tender and innocent soul is calling me as his appa.Instead of being angry or irritated it only feels as if the govt has bestowed on me the great padma bhushan award for that is how i feel when he calls me appa.'

Sandhya smiled ' karuppu,then why don't you give up this dangerous work and let us go somewhere and get married and settle down and live a quiet life.'

Periya karuppan smiled and lay back on the bed and lighting a cigarette blew smoke aimed at the ceiling.

Sandhya sadly ' that is right for why would you want to get married to a known prostitute and her bas***d child when you can have any woman you want.'

periya karuppan blew smoke rings into her face ' loosu.don't talk melodramatically like they do in tv serials and films.You bloody well know who i work for and what work i do for him and the party.If something should happen to me then you and the boy might face the same fate.That is why i smiled and it was out of sadness and frustration.'

He sat up and gently hugged her and whispered in her ears ' i have come after nearly a week and i am hungry for the food that you make and also hungry for your body.'

Sandhya pulled a handful of hair that covered his chest and karuppan wailed in pain and she got up ' give me ten minutes and lunch will be ready.'

Periya karuppan poured a large measure of vodka into his glass and gulped it hungrily and spoke aloud ' dei karuppa,un moonjiku love vera venuma.'

His samsung galaxy mobile rang and he saw it was the minister calling and he answered ' iyaa,sollunga iyya.'

' Karuppa,where are you? Listen i am meeting somebody at this location today evening and i want you to go there and check the place out before i reach the spot.'

Minister vaidyanathan told him the location and then growled ' dei,karuppa.be careful and check the place properly and call me back once it is clear.okay.'

Periya karuppan looked at the wall clock and saw it was just 2.00 pm and since he had to be at the location at 7.00 pm,that gave him enough time to have his lunch peacefully and maybe spend some time in sandhya's arms.

His mobile phone rang and he saw it was an unknown number and at first he thought of not answering it but something in his instinct told him that it was a very important call and he answered it ' hello.'

' periya karuppan.This is Advocate Raman speaking.Please don't disconnect the call and listen to me very carefully and then reply if you feel like it or just hang up and we will forget that we ever spoke.Okay.'

Periya karuppan's heart started beating quickly for he was talking to his leaders sworn enemy and yet he felt that in the given rather surprising situation something could be salvaged from the conversation,even if it was a small advantage or a piece of information which would only increase his stature in the minister's eyes.

Raman spoke to karuppan ' you are going to die today or soon,maybe in the next few days.So listen to me very carefully.'

karuppan snarled ' dei lawyer,all your tricks might work in the court and with others but not with me.If anybody is going to die then it is going to be you.Even you cannot keep escaping from your destiny and i promise you will die at my hands.'

Raman calmly ' periya karuppa,okay,i accept what you just said.But will you please stay quiet for a few moments and listen to me while i say what i want to say.'

Periya karuppan calmed down and listened to what raman had to say and then snarled again ' impossible but then we will see right.But if what you just said was false then i swear on my leader that i will not rest until i have finished you.'

He cut the call and lay back wondering about what raman had just confided in him and looked at sandhya who came in and told him that lunch was ready.

' Sandhya,i want you to do something for me and that is pack and pack right now and leave chennai and go somewhere,someplace and don't even tell me.Call me after two days and we will take it from there.'

Sandhya's eyes opened wide ' karuppa,will you be all right?'

Periya karuppan ' i have seen worse but what is important right now is the safety of you and our child.So listen to what i said and please follow them carefully.'

Sandhya looked at him in surprise ' you said our child.Do you really mean that karuppu?'

Periya karuppan hugged her with a tenderness that she had never experienced before ' yes,i meant it and we will talk more after a few days.Now lets finish lunch and i will leave and you wait until dark and then disappear as i have told you to do.'

Jannal oram 205

Periya karuppan was not a fool and knew that life throwing up sudden twists and unexpected turns was a very normal phenomenon and to be expected in his line of work and he also knew that he was nothing special to life and that a similar fate could fall on him.But after being with Minister vaidyanathan for nearly 34 years,he had implicit faith in his leaders judgement and trusted him totally.

And yet the call from Raman had stirred some doubts in his mind and rather than taking unnecessary risks,he went to the place that his boss had asked him to check out and he did not go alone and took two of his most trusted men who worked mostly with him and rarely met the minister.Both men came from the same village that he belonged to and were kind of distant relations and together they had helped him in dozens of criminal acts and even murders.

The place was off red hills and a rather desolate place filled with mangroves.After thoroughly checking the place and finding nothing suspicious,periya karuppan made the call and informed the minister that the place was safe to conduct his secret meeting that he did many a time in a month and it was mostly with real estate people and also with very large business empires who wanted his help to clear certain files.

He looked at both his men Rangan and pandiyan and told them to check out the whole place once more for the minister was on his way.Once they were out of sight,Periya karuppan did something strange and out of the ordinary and that was simply because he somehow trusted raman who he knew was an honorable man.

Ten minutes later,they saw a black innova speed through the mangrove and all three knew that it was the minister's car although it was not registered to him and was in no way connected to him and he used it only for travelling to and fro to the places where he conducted his shady deals.

Without glancing at his men by his side,he ordered them ' dei,Sir vanthaachu.Go sit in my car until he leaves.If he has arrived then the party who he is meeting will not be far away.Keep your eyes peeled and pay attention and watch out for any suspicious movement.If you find anyone creeping around,kill them without hesitation for their lives are nothing compared to our ministers life and power.Now leave.'

He heard his men walking away and then the Black innova came to a halt about ten feet away from him,throwing sand and dust into the air and periya karuppan waved the dust away and closed his eyes to protect it from the dirt and cursed the driver for braking so hard.

The door opened and periya karuppan ran towards the vehicle to greet the minister and was surprised to see Manohar get out of the car and that too from the back seat and three other men got out from the innova and periya karuppan's instinct told him that what the advocate raman had warned him was coming true.

He smiled wickedly ' manohar,just you and the other three.Do you think you can take me on you f**king dogs? I might have gotten old but i think i can still break all your necks like twigs.Come,come into my arms and let me squeeze the life out of your treacherous souls.'

Manohar stared at him ' Karuppanne,forgive me for i am under orders to kill you and honestly i have no clue as to why the order has been given.'

Saying this,he and the other four drew long wicked looking knives and advanced towards periya karuppan and then they stopped for like a red rose blooming in its full glory,the white shirt of periya karuppan bloomed with blood as a knife suddenly appeared from inside his chest and his eyes opened wide and then he felt the strike on his back and he knew both the blows were fatal and that he had just moments to live and he turned around and there stood his trusted men and who were also related to him in a distant way.

Periya karuppan opened his mouth and said ' Ranga' and rangan shoved his knife deep into his companions chest and karuppan fell to the ground holding the knife and rangan reached into karuppan's pocket and drew out his mobile and then removed his chain and the many rings that adorned his fingers and two were of the party colors and had faces of Mgr and Amma,both late and all of them left periya karuppan to die alone in the dark.

With the last vestige of life left,periya karuppan saw through his dimming eyes the vehicles speed away into the night and uttering his village goddess pachaiamma's name,a version of kali he got to his feet and stumbled and came to the tree and with his white shirt and dhoti completely red with his blood looked into the lens ' advocate,you got what you wanted.Now protect my sandhya and our son.You have promised and i know you will stick to it for in all my life,i have not met a more honorable and brave man like you.'

He walked back to the same place where they has stabbed him and lay down on the ground and died.

Manohar checked periya karuppans mobile and saw that just after he had received a call from their leader,he had spoken to someone else but who was not listed in his contacts.Wondering what to do about it,he made a call to the minister but got a busy tone and rather than call and irritate him,he thought he would wait for the man himself to call back when he was ready to do so.

Both the vehicles stopped at a Tasmac booze shop and they were drinking cold beers although they all were pretty silent and a bit disturbed about the whole incident.

Rangan looked at Manohar ' anna,romba paina irukku.karuppanna's eyes keep coming into my mind and staring at me in anger and accusing me of betrayal.'

Manohar swigged his cold beer ' what do you think i am feeling? the same damn shit that all of you are going through.But the boss said that periya karuppan was doing some shady deals with some other political party members and that he had waited for hard proof before issuing the kill orders.'

Pandiyan looked at all of them ' i don't know about you guys but this beer shit is not working out for me and i am going to go and pick up some rum.'

They sat in their vehicles and it was nearly an hour before the minister called back and manohar told him about the last unknown call that periya karuppan had received on his mobile.

vaidyanathan's senses screamed warnings and he yelled into the mobile ' manohar,all of you return back to the place where you killed karuppan and thoroughly check the places for any cameras or any other suspicious looking electronic equipment.Move your stupid butts right now and report to me once you have checked the place properly.

manohar and the others reversed their vehicles and nearly caused a major accident because of their rash and fast driving and in about twenty minutes reached the mangrove and got out of their vehicles.

All six of them saw periya karuppan's body lying their in death and yet a smile seemed to have lifted his lips a bit and Rangan and pandyan turned away feeling guilty about killing their own blood.

Then from the shadows came a darker shadow and at first they thought the beer was playing tricks on their eyes and they stared at the creepy shadow that now lengthened as it strode boldly forward and from the darkness and shadows emerged light.

I know that you will smile and lean back and say ' there we go,light and dark again' and sometimes i wonder about it myself but for a boy who spent a lot of time in the darkness and who only slowly crawled his way towards light and stood up as a man,i feel the need that at least some of the characters in my stories should be more bolder and stronger than me.

I know i am a dummy piece but at least my heroes and heroines are powerful and they come bearing light to save those that are in darkness.

Lifethaan darka,kashtama irukku.konjam,namma kathaiyileavathu velichamum,veeramum irukattume.

We are just ordinary mortals,temporary beings but let us at least read and enjoy and dream of gods,goddesses and angels.