*From & To Sathish* - Thread 4 - Page 3

Redemption 228

Kandaswamy took his hands away and not knowing what to make of what he had just seen,witnessed tried to move away for he knew that he was out of his depth and his human nature was not allowing him to comprehend what had just been revealed.The cushions of the sofa held him back and he watched in fear as his daughter Renuka sat next to him and comforted him " Dad,relax for there is nothing to be scared about or worry for all of us are safe and okay."

Kandaswamy his eyes fixated on her,unblinking " what was that? i mean whate were those visions and how is it possible that i was able to see it so clearly and why do my hands feels as if they are on fire and yet they don't hurt a bit."

Renuka threw her hands up in the air and looking up turned to her dad " god only knows dad or should i say only Rudran knows."

" But renuma,what has your child have to do with all of this and why did i see all that through your womb?"

Renuka gently stroked her belly " dad,whatever is happening and whatever will happen is happening for a reason and that reason is right here inside my womb.But other than that fact,i know only of a few other things for certain and that is Rudran is no mere mortal and he comes from a very ancient race of life and how ancient is something that i have yet to understand or realise and i doubt if poor Rudy himself understands"

Renu's voice trailed off and kandaswamy " renuma,beginning from the time i first met Rudran to this point,everything that has happened seems mysterious and far fetched and yet they have happened.For instance take our former chief minister Dhana shekara pandyan coming to save us and killing all those people single handedly and then the brother and sister duo of Arul and Jothi coming to protect you and the prime minister himself constantly in touch with us regarding Rudran and his secret mission to thailand.Nothing seems right and yet nothing seems wrong.I am just totally confused about this whole matter and sometimes worry a lot about you both."

Renuka stood up " it is nearly 12.00 pm dad and we will get only a few hours sleep before we leave to delhi tomorrow morning and maybe it is time to hit the sack."

Kandaswamy nodded and looking up at her " i don't know about you but i doubt if i will get any sleep at least not until i know rudran is okay and doing fine."

Buddha,their guardian dog whined and both looked at him and he gazed at both of them with eyes that were green when they should have been black and both looked at each other and kandaswamy with a smile " i guess we forgot this souls story and the mysteries he carries in those eyes of his for sometimes i think he is no dog at all and some form of angel sent here to guard rudran and us."

Buddha stood up on all fours and a gentle growl erupted like thunder in his throat and trotted away majestically like a lion to do his rounds around the house and watch over them as they all slept.

Thousands of miles away,in the capital of delhi and in the secret army base,the two belonging to Chakravyuh sat drowning their grief by downing aged spirits to lift their own tired and also aged spirits and exhaling loudly and wiping the sudden tears that spilt from his eyes,Gen.Veer singh looked at major.Param

Jannal oram 119

"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss in life is what dies inside us while we live. Norma Cousin

Additional Director-General of Police A.K. Viswanathan,the current chennai police commissioner replaced Karan Singha who was made the Police Commissioner by the Election Commission ahead of the R.K. Nagar by-poll, which was cancelled following allegations of distribution of cash for votes.

Dr. Viswanathan is a third-generation police officer in the family and his wife, Seema Agarwal, is an ADGP rank officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre.He has a Ph.D in Criminal law from Madras University and was the recipient of the President's Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2006.Mr. Viswanathan's father P. Aiyasamy joined the Police department as a sub-inspector and rose to the rank of a Superintendent of Police and his grandfather R. Perumal retired as a Head Constable.

Dr. Viswanathan is a third-generation police officer in the family and his wife, Seema Agarwal, is an ADGP rank officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre.

Standing outside the chennai citi center mall,Commissioner Viswanathan was talking to the chief minister himself and the man popularly called ' EPS' short for Edappadi Palanisamy spoke softly but with grit that belied his rather ordinary look and he requested commissioner Viswanathan " sir,please resolve this as quickly as possible.I have enough on my plate and with the coming bye-election in R.K nagar hanging like a knife over my head,i don't need the opposition to arm themselves with another bullet to aim at me and my party.Thank you."

Commissioner Viswanathan promised him that he would resolve the issue as quickly as possible and ending the call handed the wireless back to the Inspector and turned to face the four Assistant commissioners standing before him " any thoughts gentlemen" and one of them spoke " sir,it is right now a very fluid situation and of unknown nature.We only have reports that shots of gun fire were heard and it has now been confirmed that it came from the second floor and from the landmark bookstore."

Commissioner Viswanathan cursed and muttered " shot fired in a bookstore and that too with half the shops yet to open.God knows what the heck is happening?"

The wireless beeped and the inspector handed the phone to Commissioner Viswanathan who listened and then barked " whaaat? are you sure?okay stand down for i am coming in? no,no i want to see the scene myself.Please keep the civilians out of the camera glares and no pictures or videos should be taken and if i hear of anything like that then it means immediate suspension.I hope i am clear on that."

Commissioner Viswanathan strapped his handgun to his right hip and then slipped into the bullet proof vest and with a smile looked at his team of assistant commissioners " guess what boys,the bookstore manager stepped out and from his words,there is no terrorist attack or such but just some robbery or gang war gone wrong.We will know more after we talk with the staff there."

Looking at AC Ramakrishnan " Mr.Ram,there seems to be many injured in the store and the minute i call you,i want you to rush the medics in and all of them have to be taken with full protection and to a secure ward in the govt hospital.I want the best commandos guarding that wards every moment and please no slip ups."

His hands on his hips,Commissioner Viswanathan looked at Assistant commissioner Abdul shakir,cyber crimes division " Mr.Abdul,Seize all the security footage starting from today morning from the mall and from the store itself and i want a report on what you have seen by today evening.Okay."

A huge cry rose from the gathered tv crews and journalists who were broadcasting the scene live and also wildly speculating about what had happened and what was going to happen and commissioner viswanathan shaking his head looked at his commandos " god,i wonder,just wonder what the world will be without television and their news reporters."

One of the commandos boldly quipped " sir,please.my marriage survives because my wife is glued to the tv and does not torture me when i go home."

Another commando spoke softly " sir,the peace in my house is solely due to the two tvs,one for my mother and another for my wife and thank god for they both sit in separate rooms like the two poles and watch separate programmes."

Commissioner Viswanathan laughing his guts out " okay,okay but what about your fathers? what do they do or watch?"

Both the commandos looked at each other " sir,my dad goes to the temple at 5.30 and does not return until dinner" and the other commando " sir,my dad sits near the door and reads the paper again and again and if he runs out of reading material,then he goes back to reading last weeks newspapers."

Commissioner Viswanathan laughing and holding his tummy " stop it please for my gut is going to explode if i laugh anymore.God,even we cops are not spared the regular cliched lives of civilians."

One commando who had stayed silent,bitterly cursed " sir,i am a cop only when i am in this uniform but at home in my normal mufti clothes my wife treats me like a petty criminal and a juvenile criminal.She asks me " where have you been? why so late? have you had anything to drink? how much did you spend? who did you meet?"

Commissioner Viswanathan with tears of laughter pouring from his eyes " thank god for your confessions for i am more or less in the same boat.Crap.morning to evening it is torture from the govt and ruling party and then from evening to morning it is torture at home and their politics."

Ten police commandos fully armed stood at the entrance of Landmark bookstore and they saluted the commissioner who nodded and entered the store and stood shocked on seeing six people lying on the ground,screaming in pain and crying for help.

He walked around looking down at all the injured lying on the floor and looking up at his team " what is going on? all these bas***ds look like hardened criminals.who shot them and beat them up and why are there no injured civilians?"

Quickly striding up to the staff members of the store,he looked at all of them and they all looked back in fear and shock and then the manager stepped up and Commissioner Viswanathan looked at him " your name" and the manager replied " ashwin sir."

" Mr.ashwin,what is going on? who are all these people who are on the ground and where are the people who beat them up?"

Ashwin,landmark bookstore's manager smiled and with blood pouring from his cheek and forehead " No people sir,just one person sir."


The sleek Audi braked without a sound and Vijay got out and opening the door,looked at raman " please sir,get in before anyone sees us and recognises us."

Raman got into the luxurious car and let out a sigh of pleasure as he sank into the leather bound,soft backseat of the car and vijay told the driver to move and the automatic gears shifted like knife cutting through butter and the vehicle sped on Marina beach road and soon crossed napier bridge and headed north.

Raman looked at Vijay " where are we going vijay?" and vijay with a smile " kottai sir and to meet my dad who will then take us to meet the chief minister."

Seeing raman's apprehension " don't worry raman sir,i already made the calls and so just relax.Everything will be taken care of."


Far away,the old man cursed everyone and everybody around him " again and again,it is that same bloody guy who comes in my way.Is it my bad luck or his bad luck.God,now what am i going to do?"

I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams.

Redemption 229

"People reject what they do not understand because it makes them feel small. They would rather believe in some other reality, even if it is only an illusion, so long as it makes them feel bigger. Suzy Kassem


A few years ago

Gen.Veer singh and Rudran were busy discussing the Bombings that had taken place in Patna during the election rally and how the prime minister had narrowly escaped with his life.But nearly six people had died in a series of blasts although no one has claimed responsibility for the explosions though subsequent investigations suggested That the terrorist group calling themselves Indian Mujahideen were responsible.

The green phone rang and leaning forward,Gen.veer picked up the handset and said " hello" and on the other side,DGP Shubash goel greeted him with a " hello" and both spoke for a few minutes.

Gen.veer singh with worry adding more lines to his already lined forehead,sighed tiredly " Shubash,i can only try and if you have failed,then what chance do i have with the boss."

Then looking up at Rudran " or maybe there is a slim chance.I will give it a shot and i will get back to you in half an hour.Bye."

Gen.veer looked at rudran who true to his character sat still like a japanese monk,whereas if it had been any other human in his place,would have immediately jumped up and asked if everything was okay or what the problem was.But not rudran.

Gen.Veer looked at Rudran " Rudy boy,we have a problem and only you can help us.Come,we are going to meet your friend and our boss."

Rudran smiled " okay,you want me to bite and i will bite.What's going on? I know something is going on otherwise,the head of SPG(SPECIAL PROTECTION GROUP) DGP Shubash goel will not be calling you.He handles the prime ministers security and we are now going to meet him and so it is obviously about him.Must be some impromptu trip or meeting otherwise,you will not be using me for emotional blackmail."

Gen.veer smiled with pride and thought to himself " he is going to outlive,outshine everybody in this dept and will make a lasting name for himself.Although he is not my son,at least i have been blessed to work with him and that too,real closely.Thank god for that and thank god that the enemies are not blessed with someone like him."

Just as they were nearing the Prime ministers office,he looked at Rudran " He wants to attend a function of a close friend in Mussoorie and that too, today evening.DGP shubash tried to tell him that it was too dangerous and would pose a lot of security issues but he is not listening and so here we are trying to convince him not to attend the function or should i put it like this and that is we,the dept need you to convince him not to go."

Rudran gave a look to his boss and that which conveyed " So,i am supposed to bell the cat or should i put it in a more dramatic way,i am the lamb being sent for the slaughter."

Gen.veer with a wicked smile " i know rudy and you know what.I will confess that i know of a few members who held this esteemed post of prime minister and who i would have been very happy if they made sudden plans like this and went blind into danger.But,not this gentleman for he is truly a decent and honorable man.so,please do what you need to do."

They sat for a few minutes waiting to meet the prime minister and they they were ushered in and walking into his office,they found him standing with a smile,ready to greet them both,although,Gen.veer knew that the smile and warmth was for rudran and not for him."

The prime minister pointed to the chairs " please be seated gentleman" and looking at rudran " Beta,how are you doing? How is your mum doing? Any improvement in her condition?"

Rudran with a composed face " she is okay sir but sadly is showing no improvement and the doctors have given up trying for it is rather late in the day to help her condition and the truth is,there is very little that can be done for a condition that is Alzheimers."

Prime minister Jaganath mishra " my best wishes for your family rudran" and then turning to face Gen.Veer singh " boliye janaab,mujhe pata hai tum donon yahaan kyon ho ( tell me sir although i know why you both are here)"

Gen.veer singh " sir,there is very little time to make any kind of security arrangements for your trip to Mussoorie.So,we think it is best to avoid going there today and that too in the dark."

Prime minister Jaganath mishra leaned back " i decided to attend this function just minutes ago.So,how can anybody plan something that quickly or get into position.It does not make sense.I will take the chopper and be there in about two hours,finish it and return back before anyone knows it.Simple.the function is at 6.00 pm.so leave by 4.00 pm or so.In anycase,the entire SPG team will be flying with me."

Rudran intervened " sir,if i may suggest something" and the prime minister with a flicker of irritation " no rudran,i am going.This function if the naming ceremony of my childhood friend's grandson and the way i look at it,my friends are more important than my security and my post."

Rudran with a smile " sir,i am sorry but i was not going to request you not to go.But,rather request your permission for me to come along with you.And only if it okay with you sir."

Prime minister Jaganath mishra looked at him and then at Gen.veer singh " now that is a good suggestion and it will also give me and rudy to catch up on some chatting time."

Gen.veer singh sighed but also secretly cheered up for he knew that with rudran by the side of the prime minister,the chances of him coming to harm were virtually nil.

"COMING FORTH INTO THE LIGHT

I was born the day
I thought:
What is?
What was?
And
What if?

I was transformed the day
My ego shattered,
And all the superficial, material
Things that mattered
To me before,
Suddenly ceased
To matter.

I really came into being
The day I no longer cared about
What the world thought of me,
Only on my thoughts for
Changing the world.

Suzy Kassem,

Jannal oram 120

To a father growing old, nothing is dearer than a daughter.Euripides

Sometimes we can jump to conclusions as to why people do the things they do and we shouldn't judge them. Who knows why people don't return your call, maybe they are dealing with a crisis and not because they don't think your important. Why people don't say hello, maybe they preoccupied with stress. Why they cancelled plans with you, maybe because they are having trouble at home and they are too proud to tell the truth or they are private people. We often take things personally but often it has nothing to do with us. People make choices everyday but we should never jump to conclusions as to why they make them. If their choices affect your life, clear the air and ask because assumptions are the termites of relationships and friendships.


Madurai Vaidyanathan,Cabinet minister in the Tamil nadu government stood staring at the face of Sudha his late daughter whose life had been cruelly taken away in an accident and although five years had passed on,the pain refused to go away or even ebb a bit so that he could be able to breathe and live life normally.Time and the hands of the clock that measured it and told time for man's comprehension seemed to have stopped or remain stuck at the moment vaidyanathan got the news of her demise.

When his son-in-law shreekanth had called with the tragic news,he had been sitting along with a few other ministers,including his arch rival Durai pandi arumugam in the august presence of the late chief mnister J.Jayalalitha " Amma" and were discussing the affairs of the state and also the coming general elections.

Hearing the words,hearing shreekanth sobbing that sudha was gone,had punched a hole in his soul and the heart problems that had been lurking in the shadows for many a year now had reared its head for all matters of the soul quicken or deaden the beats of a heart.Sudha gone was like a part of him dying and the heart attack did kill a part of him and yet he survived.But the dead heart and dead soul and the tragedy of his dead daughter kindled not love but hate.Hate towards god,hate towards life and other lives and small issues became major problems and the evil that he had been born with soon subdued his goodness and kindness and rose and took total dominion.Reasoning and wisdom sprouted wings and flew away from the nest it had built in his soul and in the emptiness and vaccum,darkness whispered and filled the void.

Vaidyanathan stood staring into the soft black eyes of his daughter and the photo of her that dominated the wall of the drawing room in his house.The photo had been taken during her marriage engagement and she was wearing her favourite red color silk saree.

He remembered her words as she hugged him and thanked him for finding shreekanth as her husband and he had replied " En chellam,you are not just my daughter but equal to my mother and the very goddess shakti that i worship.Making you happy is my only purpose and that is all i have and need and i want for nothing more."

Hearing a sound behind him,he turned and looked at his right hand man karuppan who looked after his personal and private affairs and also the violent ones.

Karuppan looked at him with worry " Iyya,our man has been caught along with the ones from orissa.But thank god,mayilsamy will not open his mouth and reveal who is behind all this and those useless idiots have no clue who hired them for they have only seen mayilsamy and me.So,you are safe and nothing will come back to you."

Madurai Vaidyanathan nodded " Who is handling the case?" and seeing Karuppans hesitation,he immediately realised and smiled " Commissioner vishwanathana?"

Looking at his man " Karuppu,call all the cops who are loyal to me and get all the information and come and meet me in my office in the fort.I should be free later in the afternoon.Okay."

Vijaya bhaskars entered the fort and halted at the security check point and he lowered the glass and the Inspectors immediately smiled and saluted and then looked at Raman and Vijaya bhaskar " he is with me and please see to it that a visitors pass is arranged quickly."

The driver parked the car and both of them got out and vijay looked at raman and marvelled at the man's calm and relaxed state,even when they were entering the corridors of power and money.

Hi forum members,

These are some of the pics of the launch of the film MGR by the chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

https://moviegalleri.net/2017/11/mgr-movie-pooja-stills.html?pid=1273632

Redemption 230

"Our bodies have five senses: touch, smell, taste, sight, hearing. But not to be overlooked are the senses of our souls: intuition, peace, foresight, trust, empathy. The differences between people lie in their use of these senses; most people don't know anything about the inner senses while a few people rely on them just as they rely on their physical senses, and in fact probably even more.
? C. JoyBell C.




Air India One

Air India One (also referred to as AI-1 or AIC001) is the call sign of any aircraft with the Prime Minister or President of India on board. Air India is the national airline of India. The aircraft is operated as VIP flight by the Indian Air Force (IAF).The IAF's Air Headquarters Communication Squadron, based at Indira Gandhi International Airport (formerly Palam Air Force Base) in New Delhi, is in charge of operating these aircraft.
The President is designated VIP 1, The Vice President, VIP 2, and The Prime Minister, VIP 3.

Apart from the Boeing 747-400 owned by Air India and used on international state visits, the IAF currently owns four 14 seater Embraer 135, four 20 seater Embraer 145 and three customised 46 seater Boeing Business Jets (BBJ) that have a VIP cabin and are used for VIP movement. Of these the Boeing 747s are used by either the Prime Minister, President or Vice President when on official overseas visits.

Each Embraer 135 is equipped with missile-deflecting systems, modern flight management system including global positioning system, as well as category II instrument landing system. These aircraft cost the IAF ?14 billion (US$220 million) each. The Three BBJs, named Rajdoot, Rajhans and Rajkamal cost the IAF ?93.4 billion (US$1.5 billion) each (?73.4 billion (US$1.1 billion) for the actual aircraft plus an additional ?20 billion (US$310 million) for Self Protection Suites). Self-protection suites include radar warning receivers, it also has highly trained commandos to protect the president/vice/prime minister, missile-approach warning and counter-measure systems. The aircraft has the capability to shoot chaff and flares to deviate radar-guided and heat-seeking missiles off their track along with other security tools.The other security instruments are undisclosed by the Indian Air Force.

The onboard electronics include about 238 miles of wiring (twice the amount found in a normal 747). Heavy shielding is tough enough to protect the wiring and crucial electronics from the electromagnetic pulse associated with a nuclear blast.

Mi-17 V5

When in India and to fly around locally,the Prime minister uses the Mi-17 V5 helicopter produced by Kazan Helicopters, a subsidiary of Russian Helicopters.Designed to transport cargo inside the cabin and on an external sling, the Mi-17V-5 is one of the world's most advanced helicopters. It can also be deployed in troop and arms transport, fire support, convoy escort, patrol, and search-and-rescue (SAR) missions.

The Mi-17V-5 medium-lifter was designed based on the Mi-8 airframe. The helicopter retains the outstanding performance characteristics of its predecessors and can fly in tropical and maritime climates,and desert conditions.

The large cabin of the helicopter offers a floor area of 12.5m and an effective space of 23m. The standard portside door and ramp at rear allow for the quick ingress and egress of troops and cargo. The helicopter can be fitted with an extended starboard sliding door, rappelling and parachute equipment, searchlight, FLIR system, and emergency flotation system.

The helicopter has a maximum takeoff weight of 13,000kg. It can transport either 36 armed soldiers internally or 4,500kg of load on a sling.The Mi-17V-5 has a maximum speed of 250km/h, and a standard range of 580km, which can be extended to 1,065km when fitted with two auxiliary fuel tanks. It can fly at a maximum altitude of 6,000m.


Special Protection Group (SPG)

The Special Protection Group (SPG) is "an armed force of the Union for providing proximate security to the Prime Minister of India and former Prime Minister of India and members of their immediate families wherever they are." It was formed in 1988 by an act of the Parliament of India.

Before 1981, the security of the Prime Minister of India at the Prime Minister's residence was the responsibility of the Special Security District of the Delhi Police under the charge of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). In October 1981, a Special Task Force (STF) was raised by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to provide ring-round and escort to the Prime Minister in and out of New Delhi.

After the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in October 1984, a review was undertaken by a Committee of Secretaries and it was decided to entrust security of the Prime Minister to a Special Group under unitary and direct control of a designated Officer and the STF to provide immediate security cover both in New Delhi and outside. These decisions were taken as short-term measures.

The SPG came into being on 8 April 1985 when S. Subramaniam, then Joint Director (VIP Security) in the Intelligence Bureau assumed office. Creation of the SPG required an elaborate exercise in order to clearly delineate responsibility of various agencies concerned with the security of the Prime Minister. The provisions contained in the Blue Book, which lays down security guidelines for the protection of the Prime Minister, had to be harmoniously blended with this new concept of proximate security.


The SPG was constituted and trained specially to provide protection to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in view of the threats to him from several sources. But, the organization created for the proximate security of Prime Minister Gandhi, did not contemplate provision of protection to him when he ceased to be Prime Minister, and faced magnified threats. SPG cover for Rajiv Gandhi was withdrawn once he ceased to be Prime Minister. After the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991, the SPG Act was amended in 1991 to provide security to former Prime Ministers and their immediate families for a period of 10 years from the date on which the former Prime Minister ceased to hold office.

The "general superintendence, direction and control" of the SPG is exercised by, the Central Government. The head of the force, called a Director, who is responsible for "the command and supervision" of the force. The director of the SPG since its inception has been an officer from the Indian Police service.Personnel of the Special Protection Group are drawn from Central Armed Police Forces and Railway Protection Force, but the officers are from the IPS or officers of the RPF.



A few years ago-flashback continues

Prime minister Jaganath mishra looked up to see Rudran enter the small cabin that was carved out in the space of the helicopter to give privacy to the occupant and that usually was either the president or the prime minister.

" Rudy beta,why are you in full battle gear?". Rudran dressed in total combat gear,complete with kevlar bullet proof vest,knee pads,elbow pads and with a glock 19 handgun hanging in his right hip,while his hands held the Heckler & Koch MP5 machine gun lightly with the safety off,smiled and answered seriously " Sir,from your point of view this dress and all this security might look too much of an overkill.But to us who are charged with protecting you,even this amount of security feels rather less and leaves us feeling unprepared."

Prime minister Jaganath mishra with an indulgent smile " come on rudran,this trip is so sudden that even my enemies surely will not have time to react and prepare for some nasty surprise for me in Mussoorie."

Rudran shaking his head " i am not worried about the known but am mortally scared of the unknowns and untangibles."

Leaning forward and staring into the eyes of the prime minister " Sir,in todays advanced world of technology anything is possible and an attack can be mounted at any given time.How much ever we prepare,there is some unknown threat lurking,lying in wait for the perfect situation to pounce and kill.There are cameras and other optical gadgets that constantly monitor your whereabouts and the movements of your vehicles,be it land or air."

Prime minister Jaganath mishra " well beta,if something has to happen,it will happen and if i should meet death then i will gladly and boldy embrace it for the well being of the nation."

Rudran " not on my watch sir and surely not when i am right besides you and if it comes to that,i will die before i let any harm come to you."

Prime minister Jaganath mishra gently took rudrans hand " Thank you rudy beta.I appreciate that and i am in your debt and in the debt of all the people in uniform and who stand guard protecting me and all our citizens."

Then hearing noises of other helicopters,Prime minister Jaganath mishra looked out of the window and saw three other similar make helicopters take off and fly off in different directions and looked at Rudran who smiled evilly " More options for the enemies to track and get confused and hopefully the diversions work."

Their own helicopter slowly rose and then moved forwards towards mussoorie gathering speed and headed in the westerly direction towards the setting sun.

Prime minister Jaganath mishra looked at Rudran " beta,i have been wanting to ask this for sometime now but have always resisted in fear of offending you or worse hurting your sentiments."

" sir,i trust you and respect you immensely and am willing to lay my life down for yours and so i am in your service.So,please ask whatever it is you want to ask and i will answer it honestly and to the best of my abilities."

Prime minister Jaganath mishra " you are one of the strongest men i have met in my life and yet i always see a hint of sadness lurking behind your eyes and smile.I sense a heavy burden on your shoulders and yet you step forward carrying it day in and day out.What is it? what is this burden of sadness you appear to be carrying? I ask you this because if you allow me,then i will carry it with you too and hopefully lessen your burden."

Rudran looked out of the window,down below,into the clouds and into the universe above and beyond,as if he was searching for an answer to the question his commander had just asked and Prime minister Jaganath mishra suddenly feeling a bit ashamed for asking such a delicate question and also intruding into another person's privacy " I am sorry Rudran for putting you in a rather tricky situation.Trust me for my intentions were good and come from the love and respect i feel for you."

Rudran turning back and facing him " No sir,there is no need for you to apologise.I was just wondering how best to answer a question that i myself have been asking for so many years."

Sighing sadly,he looked at the prime minister " It is a very old story and concerns my twin brother who i lost when i was just five."

Prime minister Jaganath mishra " What was his name rudran?" and rudran replied " Bhairav sir.His name was bhairav and if he had been alive,then he alone would have been enought to protect you for he was that bold,strong and intelligent.I am nothing compared to what he was sir."

Prime minister Jaganath mishra thought to himself " Nothing compared to him he says and he surely knows what he means and then one has to wonder how great his brother would have turned out if he had remained alive."

Looking at rudran with a kind and fatherly expression " Rudran beta,tell me about bhairav."

Rudran with great enthusiasm " Oh,he was a fighter sir.Never one to give up and always there one step ahead of me to protect me and watch over me.And sometimes i feel him,hear him and wonder if he is still around as a ghost,as an angel and as an avenging god."

I take the liberty to dwell on length on the workings of the characters that are in this story and that is why i give so much detail and information on the situations and also how everything works.

Jannal oram 121

Fort,St.george,Chennai

Raman stood breathing the air around the Fort.st.george and chuckled and Vijay seeing his friend and hero " Raman sir,i guess your laughter is a natural reaction on seeing this building which houses all the cabinet ministers dept and other important govt offices and the situation that seems to be hovering over us right now.But,i assure you that things will get better and the situation more clearer."

Raman placing a hand on Vijay " no,the reason for my laughter was different and that was i just remembered the new secretariat that was built on Mount road after spending 1200 crores and yet today only a part of it is being used as a super specaility hospital and a medical college.I laughed because,the late chief minister Jayalalitha triumphed over Karunanidhi's dream and also over him in the latest elections and passed away just a few months later.I wonder what would have happened if she had died before the elections and who would be holding the power and fate of Tamil nadu in their hands today and walking and talking in these corridors deciding the future of all of us citizens."

Vijaya bhaskar shrugged and smiled silently for he too recognised and also understood that the egos and arrogance of many of the top politicians had pushed the state down in all depts and now facing a rather bleak future in terms of water,food and employment."

They entered the building and raman turned to see if he could see the Bengal sea and to see for himself what the place must have looked like those days with just the building housing the englishmen and the few hutments of the workers and fishermen spread around it.But the walls and other constructions of the Madras port trust denied him that view and he quietly followed Vijay and after walking,crossing a few corridors manned by armed guards and each door had the name plaque of the dept and the minister who was heading it.

Both stopped at the entrance of the destination that they had reached and Raman saw the name " Durai pandi arumugan,Finance minister,Tamil nadu" written in green and in bold tamil letters and entered the large air conditioned room.

Minister Durai pandi was talking to a few govt officials and there were a couple of party men standing next to his table when raman followed his son Vijaya bhaskar into the room and looking up,father glanced at his only son and in a deep voice and in beautiful tamil " Ivar thaan ramana?" and vijay replied " Yes dad" and immediately minister durai pandi stood up and folding his hands said " Vanakkam " and raman greeted him in a similar fashion.

Still standing,he requested everyone for a few minutes of privacy and told them that they could resume the discussions later that day.After waiting and seeing off everyone,Durai pandi slowly came around the table and taking raman's hands " Thambi,i have waited many years to thank you for saving my two children from those criminals.I am glad that i can be of some help to you finally and i am honored that you have come to me for help.Tell me raman,how can i help you."

Raman quickly explained the situation about shreekanth and the trouble he was having with his father-in-law,minister Vaidyanathan and the moment he said it,minister durai pandi cursed " That bloody bas***d and he is up to his tricks again."

Raman confusedly looked at vijay and then at his dad " Sir,is there something i should know for your reaction speaks volumes about the relationship between you and minister Vaidyanathan."

Minister Durai pandi looked at Raman " Thambi,who do you think was behind the attack on my children and family?"

Raman listened and then quickly turned to vijay with total understanding " God help me for it looks like i have crossed paths and swords with the same man again and this time it is a lot more worse than before."


Additional Director-General of Police A.K. Viswanathan,the current chennai police commissioner walked quickly towards the cyber crime wing for Assistant commissioner Abdul shakir had called him in a great hurry and had asked him to come over to see the security camera footage that they had seized from landmark bookstore the scene of the crime.

An armed constable whacked a stiff salute to his boss and pressed the security code on the key pad and the doors beeped open and chennai police commissioner A.K. Viswanathan entered and stood facing the dozens of large tv screens all flashing information from all over chennai.

Assistant commissioner Abdul shakir quickly tapped a few buttons on his key board and all the screens went blank but for the large screen in the center and then pressed a button and the scene unfolded before their eyes.

All the men in uniforms saw six criminals physically abusing,threatening the staff members of the bookstore and then in the farthest corner of the footage they saw a man dressed in a white shirt and black pant slowly advance towards them,growing larger and larger and then all of them saw his face clearly and police commissioner A.K. Viswanathan spoke loudly " That man looks like he is an advocate" and then all of them watched in mute and rapt attention as the advocate moved forward and took on all of them and it was over in a few moments."

Police commissioner A.K. Viswanathan whistled loudly and clapped and turning to his team " Who is that guy? Was i imagining it or did he actually take on all of them and that too bare handed and put all of them down in seconds.? What is going on and seriously is this possible?"

Assistant commissioner Abdul shakir shook his head and looked sadly at his growing paunch " Maybe by our elite commandos and that too i stress on maybe.But this gentleman is special and surely he must be good at what he does."

Looking confused,he turned to commissioner A.K. Viswanathan " sir,i know this person and he is the most kindest and most honorable man that i have had the privilege to have met and call my friend."

Police commissioner A.K. Viswanathan looked at his subordinate " What is his name Mr.abdul? " and Assistant commissioner Abdul shakir,without any hesitation " Raman sir and he works for one of the best law firms in the city."

commissioner A.K. Viswanathan was going to ask where the law firm was and where they could meet raman when his mobile rang and he answered it " commissioner Viswanathan speaking" and from the other side,finance minister durai pandi spoke " commissioner sir,please come to the fort immediately for it is an emergency."

Police commissioner A.K. Viswanathan calmly and with total respect " sir,i am sorry but i cannot come there right now for i am in the middle of this situation that happened at landmark.I will drop in a few hours later,if that is okay with you."

On the other end,finance minister durai pandi,calmly replied " This emergency is regarding the very case you are talking and investigating.so,please come immediately and please do not divulge anything to anyone about my call to you.Don't worry about protocol for the chief minister himself will clear you and ask you to co-operate with me."

Police commissioner A.K. Viswanathan said okay and then wondering loudly " okay now the plot thickens and gets more murky than before."

He turned to Assistant commissioner Abdul shakir " i want a total blanket thrown on this case and all its details and no leaks for it will mean my head and all your heads.So keep it quiet and if asked,lie and say that the camera feed was corrupt or better that the cameras did not function properly."

Fort st.george,chennai- A companion piece and a brief history


Fort St George (or historically, White Town) is the name of the first English (later British) fortress in India, founded in 1644 at the coastal city of Madras, the modern city of Chennai. The construction of the fort provided the impetus for further settlements and trading activity, in what was originally an uninhabited land. Thus, it is a feasible contention to say that the city evolved around the fortress.The fort currently houses the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly and other official buildings. The fort is one of the 163 notified areas (megalithic sites) in the state of Tamil Nadu.

August 22nd 2015 marked the 375th anniversary of the land grant to the East India Company where today's Fort had its beginnings. After several visits to the site from the time of the grant, Andrew Cogan and Francis Day arrived on February 20, 1640 with about 100 or so men to lay the foundations for a settlement neighbouring a fishing village or two. The party included two factors, Humphrey Tompkins and John Browne, two writers, a surgeon, a gunner (at the time considered an all-round engineer of sorts), Lt. Jermin and Sergeant Bradford in charge of 25 aged soldiers, sundry carpenters, blacksmiths and coopers, and some domestic staff, all English. There were also a few Portuguese merchants and the only Indian appears to have been Nagabatthan, a gunpowder-maker. They landed from the Eagle and the Unity, both 100-tonners and each with a crew of 25 Europeans who pitched in with the early work, which comprised building temporary accommodation with local wood and palmyra thatch. Work began on March 1st to a plan drawn up by Cogan, Day and the gunner.

On April 23rd, 375 years ago this year, the construction underway was dedicated to the patron saint of England, whose Day it was, and named Fort St. George. The plan was for an almost square enclosure, with walls about 100 yards on each side, bastions in each corner and a central building diagonal to the square. All this was to be built without any foundations. By the end of 1640, the southeast bastion was completed. Work was far from complete when Cogan decided to transfer the seat of Agency from Masulipatnam to Fort St. George on September 24, 1641 and Madras became the chief factory of the Company on the east coast of India.

With delays for one reason or another no doubt the example followed to this day when Government construction or restoration is involved the final wall, the sea wall linking the eastern bastions, was put in place in 1653. The centre of the Fort at that time was 190 yards from the Bay of Bengal on the east and 110 yards from the North River, which in time was to become the Buckingham Canal, on the west. This fort, with what was called The Castle' in the centre, survived till 1714.

The completion of what later became known as the Inner Fort was during the Agency of Henry Greenhill. During his second Agency he built the far better defence-oriented outer walls round the Inner Fort, the work being completed in 1657. In an aside it may be said that Greenhill who succeeded to Day's mistress in San Thom completed what Day had started when the first sods for Fort St. George were turned. Within these walls lived the Europeans of early Madras, the Indian settlers outside them, in Chennapatnam.

n the year 1611, Machilipatnam became the first British trading centre in the Bay of Bengal. However due to the growing rivalry with the Dutch and the native ruler, the English looked for a secured place to carry on trade. The English not merely wanted a perfect place for a trade centre but beyond it a place which they could fortify. There was no chance of getting such a land in the territory of the Mughals. So basically they needed a place which would provide good anchorage for the ships, protection against raiding enemy armies, and it had to be within the profitable market region. The English found all these scopes in a place of land along the shore, a mile broad and six miles in length. It was certainly not the best place to be in, here there was brackish sea water quite unfit for irrigation and nasty smell of rotten seaweeds all along the coast. The terrain probably was inhospitable but scenic beauty of this place overrides all other seemingly unpleasant factors. The wide open sky above and the gorgeous sea below with all its turbulent and noisy waves was a treat for the eye. So inspite of all the difficulties and limitations the English finally made up their mind to settle on this land. On first of March 1639 they negotiated and signed a deal with the Raja of Chandragheri, the ruler of that place and the entire agreement was drawn upon a plate of gold. According to the agreement the English were to pay twelve hundred pagodas or six hundred pound sterling a year to the Raja. It was preserved carefully for over a century by the English until 1746 when they lost Fort St. George to the French, in which time the gold plate disappeared. The fortifications of the fort had began and by 1644 2294 pounds was spent over it still the company was falling short of 2000 pounds which would provide a garrison of 100 soldiers.



However in between victory and defeat are number of things to be said and told. That part of Madras was gradually becoming cosmopolitan. There were number of Portuguese, Indo-Portuguese born here in India, acting as interpreters to the Europeans and the native businessmen. They sort of acted as a middlemen between the "English buyer and the Hindu producer. Gradually the Portuguese also built their houses inside Fort St. George virtually under the shelter of English guns. A Governor's house was already established where all the company's servants took dinner. Some of them were older folks living in separate houses with their wives. But, when it was dinner all of them gathered in the central dining hall. It was a thriving business and officers were deployed in various sections to oversee everything. There was a council consisting of the Governor, Book keeper, Warehouse keeper, and of course the Custom. All these officers, member of council met every Monday and Tuesday at eight o'clock for the transaction of the business. The secretary would meticulously record the discussions of the meetings and a copy of the record book was sent to England once in a year. The Court of Directors sitting in England carefully went through the entire document and sent their reply. However the salary was too low for the employees. The Governor would only get 300 hundred pounds a year, the second in council drew 100, the third drew 70 and the fourth only fifty. Writers received ten pounds and apprentices only five pounds. The accommodation and food was free for all. In addition to these people there was a priest who prayed every day and preached on the Sunday. There was school teacher at fifty pounds a year, who taught the Portuguese and the native children. So from these account perhaps you can understand that the English community was gradually growing and so was the periphery of the fort.


In 1652 the agent and council of Madras were raised to the rank of a Presidency. And with the growing sphere of British influence all sorts of problems were coming up in early 18th century. In 1701 there was a fear among the English that the natives would bribe the Arab fleets to attack the fort. In 1702 Daud Khan one of Aurangzeb's general was tormenting John Pitt the Governor of the fort. In 1708 the native employees fought over precedence; the right side caste demanded more authority from the left side caste and vice versa. However in spite of all these unique problems the revenue collection in 1709 touched 8,00,000 pagodas.


The English suffered the most in 1744 when the fort was besieged by the French from Mauritius under M. De la Bourdonnais, at that time the inhabitant in and around the fort were 2,50,000 souls. The English only numbered 300, out of which 200 were soldiers, on the 7th of September the assault kicked off and ended on the 10th. The French gained control of the fort and in 1749 they had to evacuateit under the treaty of Aix la Chapelle. The treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle was result of the war of Austrian Succession in Europe by which France gave away Fort St George but regained Cape Breton Island. The French returned again in 1768 under Lally (Thomas Arthur, comte de Lally,) with 3500 French soldiers, 2000 sepoys, and 2000 native and European cavalry. It was a desperate attack to pull down the English fort defended by 1758 Europeans and 2220 native sepoys. During the siege the French fired 26554 shots from the canons, 7502 shells from the mortars, hurled 1990 hand grenades, and spent 2,00,000 cartridges! This battle was extension of the war going on in Europe, the seven year's war, from 1756-63, where France and Britain were belligerents. In those times whatever was happening in Europe, either war or peace was reciprocated in India as well. Nevertheless after just when the French had succeeded in making a breach in the walls a fleet carrying 600 Englishmen landed on the coast. Lally seeing the reinforcements wasted no time in lifting the siege and on the next day the French army retreated. The lessons learnt by the English from this siege was enormous, they immediately went on offensive and attacked the French strongholds of Wandiwash and Pondicherry, which was lost in no time. This was a very significant episode in the colonial history since by this move the English virtually checkmated the French. Rest will be only the British history in India!

Apart from the political lesson another technical lesson was learnt by the English which actually influenced the re-planning of the English establishments. During the siege the English had taken notice of the importance of an open field on the not-sea-facing side of the fort. Thus in 1760 they decided to "create an open esplanade extending 400 yards northwards from the walls of the fort to provide a clear line of fire. Wherever there is a fort there must be an open area to maximize the benefits of cannon shot. Calcutta too has its own esplanade surrounding Fort William but this is how Chennai got its own Esplanade!


Inside the fort there is a lovely church- St. Mary's church. During the governorship of Streynsham Master (1677-82) the initiative to build a church started, eventually it was designed and built in 1680 by Edward Fowle. Mr. Fowle was the master gunner of the fort which actually meant-chief engineer however in those times engineers and gunners were all the same. Initially it was a small stone and brick edifice with a rounded roof. The present tower that we see now is not the original one. In 1759 during the siege, the French under Lally fired so many shots that it collapsed the tower. The repair work was wanted and eventually after some delay for want of funds it was finally rebuilt and obtained the shape that we see now. The present tower is taller than the older. It was in this Church that Job Charnock's children were baptised, when he came down to the Fort St. George. There is an entry in the baptismal register book of this church which reads-"August 19th, 1689, Charnock, Mary, Elizabeth, Katherine, daughters of Job Charnock, baptised by J. Evans. Francis Ellis Godfather, Anne Seaton and Margery Heathfield, Godmothers. It is to note that it doesn't contain the mother's name which was not the usual custom. Could it be because Job Charnock and his Hindu wife were never really married, they just lived together? Whatever be their relation it is a fact that Mr. Charnock loved his wife very much, and even when she was dead and buried, he used to visit her grave in her every death anniversary and sacrificed a cock!



Another man whose career in India began from Fort St. George needs a mention. He is of course none other than Robert Clive, when he was still seven his uncle mentions his temper as fierce and, "out of measure addicted to fighting. He left England in 1743 for India, which turned out to be most difficult journey as his ship was driven out of its course and landed in Brazil. He stayed couple of months there, utilised his time by learning Portuguese which turned very useful while commanding his Indo-Portuguese troops in India. He landed near Fort St. George after this long tiresome journey, once near the gate the sentry showed him his room. On the next day he was informed of his clerical job, a job he never found worth doing. Partly because of this and due to his hot temper he developed a quarrel with his immediate senior it turned into a fight and the matter was escalated up to the Governor. The Governor asked him to apologise because of his insubordination, and Clive did what was asked. His boss being a gentleman and understanding the boy's loneliness invited him for a dinner. Clive refused the invitation outright by saying, "the Governor did not command me to dine with you! It was in the Writer's building of the fort where Clive attempted a suicide. He triggered a loaded pistol in his own forehead, twice he fired and on both occasions it misfired. Clive jumped up exclaiming, "I am reserved for something. Inside this fort in 1752 he was married to Miss Margaret Maskelyn and soon after his marriage his health declined to such extent that he had sail back home. He came back in July 1755 and as the news of the English disaster at Calcutta reached Madras, he was despatched in early December 1756 to retake all that was lost. His forces arrived, attacked and won the fort at Budge Budge by 29th December 1756. Rest is all well known history, and Clive actually achieved more than what he was sent for; he not only snatched Calcutta but laid the foundations of the British Empire in India. He was perhaps destined to achieve this incredible task.



St Mary's Church is the oldest Anglican church in India. It was built between 1678 and 1680 on the orders of the then Agent of Madras Streynsham Master. The tombstones in its graveyard are the oldest English or British tombstones in India. This ancient prayer house solemnised the marriages of Robert Clive and Governor Elihu Yale, who later became the first benefactor of Yale University in the United States.


The Fort Museum exhibits many items of the period of English and later British rule. This building was completed in 1795 and first housed the office of the Madras Bank. The hall upstairs was the Public Exchange Hall and served as a place for public meetings, lottery draws and occasional entertainment. These relics are reminders of British rule in India. The objects on display in the museum are the weapons, coins, medals, uniforms and other artefacts from England, Scotland, France and India dating back to the colonial period. Original letters written by Clive and Cornwallis make fascinating reading. One set of quaint period uniforms is displayed for viewing, as well. However, the piece de resistance is a large statue of Lord Cornwallis.

The National Flag of India was designed by Pingali Venkayya and adopted in its present form during the meeting of Constituent Assembly held on the 22 July 1947, a few days before India's independence from the British on 15 August 1947. The first ever flown flag after the independence is stored in 3rd floor of the museum. Public are allowed to see but not to touch or take photographs.

The flag staff at the fort is one of the tallest in the country. Made of teakwood, it is 150 feet (46 m) high.


The entire complex is administered by the Department of Defence. The fort building is a three-storeyed one housing the offices of the chief minister and other ministers, the chief secretary, home ministry, treasury, etc. The remaining offices are housed in the 10-storeyed Namakkal Kavingyar Maaligai, which houses more than 30 departments.

Fort St George complex housed the administrative buildings of the Government of Tamil Nadu till March 2010. The Legislature of Tamil Nadu and the secretariat (with headquarters of various government departments) was situated in the fort. The fort itself was open to the public however only to a certain area. The main building or the secretariat was open only to government officials and the police. The cannons and the moat which guarded this old building have been left untouched. In 2010 the legislature and the secretariat moved to a new location and the old assembly complex was converted into a library for the Central Institute of Classical Tamil.Following the 2011 assembly elections and the return of J Jayalalithaa as the Chief Minister of the State, the Tamil Nadu Assembly and the Secretariat have been restored to Fort St George.