*From & To Sathish* - Thread 4 - Page 35

Redemption 279

"And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human historymoney, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slaverythe long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy." C.S. Lewis

As then,thousands of years ago,As then many more thousands of years before then,it is the same even today.Beginning with the Middle east conflicts,Terrorism,drone wars,ISIS,Al-queda,Taliban and to end it the most scary problem that is facing all humanity,Global warming,nothing much has changed with human beings and from killing each other in hundreds,then thousands,we have now since the advent of the 20th century begun killing others in millions and maybe the number Billion is not far away and that will be taken care of by global warming,the side effects of being a 21st century modern man.

You drive a car,i drive a car,many probably drive two wheelers and still many more own several cars,one for each of the family members.It is October 16th 2018 today and the heat and humidity feels as bad as it was back during the months of April to July and i wonder when the brief cold and pleasant months will come to soothe and please us chennaites.

I think back to just a few years ago when october used to be chilly cold and out came the quilts and thick blankets and my nightwear moved away from just boxer shorts to cotton tees and tracks for even the day time used to be that cold that it required a change from the normal.

But the word normal now seems to have lost its meaning for the new normal is this warm,sticky and unusual October weather.Lets face it,the writing is on the wall and all things regarding weather is going to be a total chaos and mayhem followed by destruction of property and loss of lives in huge numbers.

But this is for you and me and for us city dwellers for there still exist in africa and other continents,humans who live in harmony with Mother earth and sustain themselves by listening to her and also respecting the lives of other species.

Take the millions of african tribals who live a simple life of farming,goat and cow herding and what do we humans who drive cars,pollute the atmosphere with our modern,tech filled lives in the cities have to say when they ask us what have we done to mother earth.For Global warming and its effects hurt,maim and ruin everyone and leaves no one behind and that includes guilty and the innocents.Think about it and how cruel it all is.

O sinnerman where will you run to
Sinnerman where will you run to
Sinnerman where will you run to
All on that day
Run to the mountain
The mountain won't hide you
Run to the sea
The sea will not have you
And run to your grave
Your grave will not hold you

Sinnerman,song by Bob Marley & the Wailers


Rudran chose to drive into Harlem with his two dead russian and one soon to be dead russian,all three who were piled safely in the boot, because it was nearby and also because he would be able to talk to the still alive russian mobster in private and not have to worry about security issues for Harlem was a predominantly African-American neighbourhood and importantly Rudran was heading into the dangerous area of East harlem which had one of the highest crime rates in the united states.

Rudran cruised slowly through East Harlems main business areas of Lexington ave,Madison ave,Park Ave and then went on high alert as he accelerated the car through the dangerous 125th,124th and 123rd streets and then finally entered a dark street that served as the boundary for the Thomas Jefferson park and slowly came to a halt and quickly got out and opened the boot of the car.

If Peter the russian mobster and right hand of Boris vanya thought he could surprise his captor by kicking out at him when the boot was opened,he thought wrong for Rudran had stepped to the side anticipating this exact attack on him and swung the handgun in a perfect arc and it made the desired contact on the russian's left knee and broke it into many pieces.Just as his right hand delivered the knee breaking blow,his left hand immediately reached and smothered the scream of pain that was about to erupt into the night.

Peter stared at the face that loomed over the toyota coralla's boot and all he could discern were the whites of the man who had killed his men and was soon going to take snatch his life too and resigned himself to his fate.

The man smiled over him " Peter,that is good,jolly good that you have resigned to what is coming to you.I usually turn a blind eye to petty crimes and prperty thefts.But,i cannot stand by and watch women and that too young girls and boys being forced into prostitution and just to serve and cater to the needs of vicious sexual predators.If they are bad,then your crimes of serving them is far worse in my books."

The broken knee was radiating wave after wave of intense pain and Peter thought he was going to faint but then his captor tenderly used his right hand and broke both the thumb and the first finger of his right hand and the pain was so intense and horrible that peter wished he was dead.

The man looked at him and growled " One squeak,just one squeal and i will break your neck and leaving you still alive and will walk away after setting the car on fire and leaving you to die a most horrible death."

Rudran removed his hand that was smothering peters mouth and smiled " Believe me when i tell you that death by fire and death by being roasted alive is the most scary way to go meet your maker."

Peter barely able to control his pain from his broken knee and broken fingers " What do you want man? Please just ask me and i will tell you whatever it is you want to know."

" Thank you very much.My one and only question to you is,where is Boris hiding those paintings that has just been placed on auction at Christies?"

Then the quiet of the night was broken by the ringing of peter's mobile and then the mobile phones of the two dead men began to ring and Rudran ignoring it looked at peter who suddenly seemed to have found new strength and courage and muttered " Go to hell,you bas***d."

Rudran looked at him sadly and shook his head " All right,fair enough.It is obvious your men are looking for you and you think that they will reach here by tracking the GPS in this car and also by tracking all your mobile phones.Is that it? Are these the only reasons for your survival instincts.Sad and very pathetic."

Hearing the man speak made him shiver in fear and he now knew for sure that he was not going to last for long and the man smiled " yes sir,you most definitely are not going to last very long.So,lets go before your troops arrive and i will bet a dollar that it will take them at least 20 to 30 minutes to reach this place and that i fear will be too late for you,i am afraid for you will be dead and i will be long gone."

Peter wailed in fear and then he saw the glitter of the long shiny knife that his captor brought out and waved it in front of him like a wizard waves his wand and whispered " Imagine you dead and with your balls stuffed in your mouth.Just imagine what that sight will be and how long your comrades will talk about finding you with your balls stuffed in your dead mouth."

Rudran slowly brought the knife down " And yes,you will be alive while your balls being cut off and will be alive as you slowly suffocate to death with them in your gob."

" Brighton 3rd street,near ocean view cafe.Boris has a luxury three floor apartment complex and it is in that Building's basement that he keeps his art collection."

Rudran stared at peter and then Bhairav whispered " Rudy,you are running out of time.Finish it and leave right now."

Rudran nodded and then took out the large I-phone from peter's pocket and showed the last missed call and peter nodded " That is Boris.That is his private number and he uses it only for a few of us."

Rudran heard the words and placed it inside his coat pocket and flashed his knife across peter's throat and quietly moved away,a shadow hugging the shadows of the night and headed towards Brighton beach.But not before he had picked up the handguns from their holsters of the dead men.

Just moments passed as he closed the boot of the car that now held the bodies of three dead russian mafia men when two garish colored SUV'S screamed into the street and towards the black toyota corolla and Rudran who was back in the disguise of the old Rajagopalan stopped and looked tiredly at the cars that were laden with half a dozen or more african american criminals and all of them carried guns and he remembered the latin man perez's words who he had killed in central park,that the Russian mafia supplied the black gangsters with the latest guns and weapons and that they worked together in many areas of crime.

Rudran turned and tracked the cars with his eyes and Bhairav spoke " Okay,if you are going to do it,then just get on with it and be done with it and don't waste too much time thinking about it."

Rudran smiled " Thanks Bhairav.This is a great and golden opportunity to reduce crime and also throw a spanner in the works.Just imagine the heat that this is going to bring on all criminals in and around New york and no one will ever know who did this,never ever."

Bhairav whispered back " Yes rudy and also Boris will not be expecting this sudden attack and while they come to terms with it,we can reach Brighton beach and do what we came to do in New york.

From the lands of Kulashekara pandyan to East Harlem,the blood that flowed in Avini and from whose womb had risen the mighty Azhagan now stepped up and went to war in the form of the twins,Bhairav and Rudran.

The Eight east harlem hoodlums did not notice the old man who shuffled towards them and before they could react,the handguns that the old man held raised in both hands spat fire and bullets and which gun rudy held and which gun bhairav controlled only they brothers knew for the hunted as one and as a team and in a split second all eight mobsters were dead with their foreheads sporting the Red,Big Bindi of Goddess Kali and also looked like the third eye of the god that takes of death,Lord Shiva.


The boys who went into the dark and came as one light now bring heaven and hell to New york.They are two and they sing as one and cast one shadow and they are Janus,two sides of one coin.

Jannal oram 247


Major Jagdish sharma was in the front passenger seat of the Army's trusted vehicle,the legendary Maruti Gypsy sitting next to Lance naik Hardeep rana who was driving the vehicle,while in the back seat his family lay fast asleep.Jagdish sharma's family was four,him and his wife Madhu and his two sons Jatin sharma and Tapas sharma.Jatin was 5 and Tapas was 3.


Jagdish had been stationed in the Jaipur army base for nearly four years and he had just been promoted from the post of Captain to major and had been transferred to the delhi army base and he was supposed to report bright and early the next day at 7.00 AM to his superior officer Colonel Tejas Reddy in the defence headquarters that was in New delhi.

He and his family had left Jaipur at 5.00 pm and had stopped for dinner at a dhaba in Kotputli and after a few cups of tea had slowly made their way towards delhi and to his new posting.

Major jagdish's eyes were heavy with sleep and he looked at the time and saw it was nearly 12.30 am and stretching his hands in front of him,he also rotated his shoulders and opened his eyes wide in a poor attempt to chase away the sleep that was hovering around him.

Taking a deep breath,he looked at Lance naik Hardeep " Do you want me to drive now Hardeep,so you can rest for a little time."

Hardeep smiled and with humility " Bade saab,no thanks.I can manage and delhi is just another hour and half distance away.But if you don't mind,i would like to stop for a second and attend to nature's call for i don't think i can hold it any longer."

Major jagdish laughed " Hardeep,i am glad that you said it for i have been controlling it for a few hours now.Stop and park in a spot that is safe and out of reach of all these high speed trucks and lorries."

The bright,white halogen headlights lit up the highway that stretched before them and they found a small wayside off the highway and slowly lance naik hardeep turned into it and brought the jeep to a halt.

Major jagdish patted hardeep " You go first hardeep while i wait here for i don't trust these highways even for a second."

Lance naik hardeep nodded and hurried of into the bushes and began to relieve himself while Major jagdish slowly got out and stretched his body and limbs and kept a watchful eye on the road and all around him.

At first,he nearly turned away after seeing the car that was parked in the shadows in the opposite lane of the highway for it was pretty obvious that the couple inside were getting it on for their faces were close to each other.

But the passing lights of the vehicles on both sides of the highway kept showing him glimpses of the interior of the car and the couple inside and a sense of fear and dread began to fill his soul and he hurriedly and in a hushed tone called out to Lance naik Hardeep who came rushing to his side.

" Hardeep,bring me my handgun and quickly " and taking it,looked at his subordinate " Get inside the vehicle,close all the windows and keep the engine running.If anybody other than me approaches our vehicle,just take off and don't stop for me.Understand."

Lance naik Hardeep rana nodded and ran into the vehicle and winding all the windows,started the vehicle and left it running,all the while keeping his eyes on his boss who had quickly run across the highway and was now approaching a small car that was parked in the shadows of a tree on the opposite side of the highway 48.

Major Jagdish left the hard tarmac of the highway and his shoes touched soil and grass and he cautiously approached the vehicle from the front and was shocked to see blood all over the faces of the couple inside the car and even from outside the stillness of both man and woman alerted jagdish to the fact that they were dead and gone.

His eyes slowly scanned the vehicle and his heart skipped a beat as it began to race for the vehicle's registration had an arrow in it and everyone in India knows that any vehicle which has its registration number starting with an Arrow meant that it belonged to the defence sector and Major jagdish knew instantly that whoever lay dead in the car belonged to his family,The Indian army.

Going closer,he saw clearly that the faces of the couple were ruined badly and coming to the side he saw the exits holes of the bullets that had killed them and after circling the car he knew that many bullets had been fired into both sides of the car and they were done so purely to ensure that no one remained alive.

The vehicle's army registration gave him the permission and authority to enter the crime scene and to check if hopefully any of the two were still clinging to life or if life was clinging to them,not wanting to leave them behind.

Major Jagdish carefully felt for a pulse and found none and also from the ebbing warmth of the bodies knew that they had been killed just a short while ago.

Seeing the woman behind the wheel,Major jagdish came to the conclusion that she must be the owner and surely belonged to an army family or was related to someone in the army and reaching inside her handbag brought out her licence and checked out her ID and realised her name was Poornima Soorya Narayanan.

" Soorya Narayanan.No,cannot be.Could it be the Soorya narayanan.Shit,crap,what the hell " whispered Major Jagdish to himself and knew that if this was the daughter of Brigadier Genaral Soorya Narayanan,then this proverbial shit would hit the ceiling for the man was not only the highest ranking army officer but also related to Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Major Jadish knew that the deaths were now out of his league and in the league of the stratosphere and would take on really sinister tones for it could just be a terrorist killing by the enemies of Mother india.

He knew instantly that this was no time to dilly dally and the best thing to do was inform his immediate superior and officer.

Just as he was reaching for his mobile,a ringtone sang in tamil and from the music itself,jagdish could make out that it was a very popular song of a very popular tamil hero and reaching into the handbag brought out the galaxy notebook phone and in the screen on a whats app video call was the man,the legend Brigadier Soorya narayanan calling his child,trying to reach his now dead child,his only daughter.


Unakenna venum sollu
Ulagaththai kaatta sollu
Pudhu idam pudhu megam
Thaedi povomey.

Pidiththadhai vaanga sollu
Veruppadhai neenga sollu
Pudhu vellam pudhu aaru
Neendhi paarpomey.

Iruvarin pagal iravu
Oru veyil oru nilavu.
Therindhadhu theriyadhadhu
Paarkkaporomey.

Ulagennum paramapadham
Vilundha pin uyarvu varum
Ninaiththadhu ninaiyaadhadhu
Serkkaporomey.

Yennai Arindhaal - Unakkenna Venum Sollu

Jannal oram 248




"It is not sufficient just to remain calm in the event of catastrophe or emergency. When challenged by adversity, charge onwards with courage and jubilation. This is rising to a higher level. It is like the saying, "The more water there is, the higher the boat rises. Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure: The Secret Wisdom of the Samurai

Well,well readers,here we are with the one character who has been and is still a constant in all my stories and one who is all pervasive and always willing and ready to play his part,no matter where the story currently is and this character's name is " Death ". There have been many instances where this final experience called Death is given a male aura but i think like the other one on the other end of the spectrum who goes by the name of " God ",it too is just an entity and has no defined sex and both appear and cater as wished by the arriving or the departing.

Life,loss,the biggest and most complicated illusions cooked up by the master wizard who goes by the title " God and his twin brother " Death".


Without any hesitation,Major Jagdish answered the whats app video call that a loving father was making to his only daughter and in the little light,Brigadier General soorya narayanan could see that the person who had answered was not his daughter Poornima and without a flicker of emotion on his face or in his voice,he politely enquired " Good evening,who are you sir? and where is my child?"

Many years ago,Major jagdish had stood before his parents to inform them that their second son, Mahesh,his younger brother had died in a skirmish at the pakistan border and that experience had been the most painful and brutal moments in his life.Seeing them collapse in shock and pain had been traumatic and that feeling that he had dreaded now slowly began to creep into his soul and he stared back at his superior.

Major Jagdish heard the Brigadier General speak " Excuse me sir.I just asked you who you are and more importantly where my daughter is.I am her dad and i need to talk to her " and even though the words were delivered politely,the strength in them brought him out of his stupor and he replied " Good evening sir,this is major jagdish here sir.Sir,please,could you just hold for a moment."


Lance naik hardeep saw his major waving to him from across the road and putting the jeep in gear got back on to the highway and after speeding just a 100 metres,he saw an u-turn and quickly turned right and into the opposite side of the highway and in the direction from where they had left many hours ago.

Major jagdish ran towards his jeep and directed him towards the Hyundai car and told Lance naik hardeep not to switch off the head lights.

Then he slowly went and stood in the full glare of the jeeps light and with his face well and brightly illuminated,he brought poornima's phone up towards his face with his left hand and delivered a salute with his right hand " Major Jagdish sharma here sir,previously of the Jaipur base and will be reporting to the Army headquarters in delhi,tommorrow morning sir."

Brigadier General soorya naryanan saluted him back " Major,good to see you.Can i speak to my daughter now,please."

Major Jagdish saw the army veteran's eyes scanning the little detail that was available to him in the whats app video call and also observing the on and off lights that were placing the major in light and darkness and definitely hearing the sudden whoosh and blaring horns of the passing heavy vehicles on the nearby highway,remarked " Major,are you on some kind of highway? Right then,please,i need to speak to my daughter right now and i mean right away officer or i am going to get irritated."

" Sir,i am extremely sorry sir but something terrible has happened sir and i am really sorry to say that your daughter Poornima is no more."

The only hint of the devastation that the news he had just delivered was the sudden shine in the Brigadier General's eyes and the subtle biting of his lower lip as he obviously was trying to control and restrain himself,while inside he must have been wailing his soul out.

" Major jagdish,start from the beginning and please don't hide any detail.Okay."

" Sir,i am as much in the blind as you sir."

Major Jagdish slowly moved the phone and showed his jeep with his family fast asleep and with lance naik standing by the jeep " Sir,i was just on my way to delhi where i am supposed to report for duty tomorrow and we stopped to pee and it was just pure luck and accident that i happened to see your daughter's car parked here and upon inspecting found your daughter and a young man here,dead and it seems that they have been shot by a handgun many times."


On the large screen of the Samsung galaxy tab,Jagdish saw the Brigadier generals flick side to side as the news that his child had been murdered hit him and hit him hard and the tears that were just a shimmer came pouring down " Murdered,i thought,i thought she had met with an accident.Shot many times."


" Sir,permission to speak out sir" and the old father crying " Go on major,please no more formalities,not now."

" Sir,in context of your post and your family ties to the defence minister,this murder takes on a very scary and dangerous color.I think it is best if this case is handed over to RAW(Research and Analysis Wing) for only they have the technical skill and unlimited access to all the information they will need to conduct this investigation."

Brigadier General Soorya Narayanan wiping his tears,looked at jagdish " Major,are you sure that it is a murder and not murder suicide."

" No sir,it is obvious from the scene that nearly a dozen bullets have been shot into the car and almost all of them would have been fatal."

Taking deep breaths and with immense self control,Brigadier soorya narayan composed himself " Major,show me my daughter for i will not be able to reach delhi until tomorrow as i am right now in Shanghai,china with the Prime minister on an important meeting with the chinese premier.I will be able to get away and reach home only late in the afternoon.So,i need to see my child now and say goodbye to her while her spirit still lingers there."

Major Jagdish could not hold back his emotions and began to cry softly and mumbled " Sir, i advise you not to see your daughter now for her face is badly damaged sir."

Brigadier Soorya narayanan smiled sadly " Officer,do you know how many soldiers i have held in my arms as they died in battle during the kargil war.All those young men were someone's children,loved ones and yet they were like my sons and i held them and spoke to them as my own children as life ran out of them.

I agree that seeing my only child, dead,murdered is going to be hard but trust me soldier that i am ready and prepared and will think of my child as another soldier who died fighting the good fight and maybe she just did,who knows."

Major jagdish hesitated " Sir,she has been shot through the face,both have been sir.No sir,i advise you not to sir."

" Major jagdish sharma" and jagdish felt the force of the bark and the bite in the voice of his superior officer " You mistake me major for i am not requesting you but commanding you to show me my daughter.This is a direct order from a higher ranking officer of the Indian army.So,get to it and right now major."

Major jagdish " Yes sir,right away sir" and slowly took the phone closer to the car and then into it and Brigadier soorya narayanan whimpered in fear and pain as any normal dad would do if they saw their child murdered so cruelly and also undeservedly.

" Major jagdish,my poornima and that young man seemed to have been sharing a very close and intimate moment and it is obviously then that they were attacked and killed.Any idea who the young man is."

Jagdish reached into the man's back pocket of his jeans and bringing out his wallet,pulled out the mans licence and informed the Brigadier general that the dead man's name was Vijay Bhaskar and then removed a visiting card that read " AIADMK,Youth wing secretary."

Brigadier general soorya narayanan thought aloud " Vijay bhaskar,why does the name sound so damned familiar.Major,i think that young man is connected and connected to some top political man."

Clearing his throat " i am going to make some calls and i will get back to you shortly.I order you to seize the crime scene and protect it until a team of investigators arrive to take over.If any problem should arise,call me immediately."

Pausing for a second " I am sorry to have ruined your night and your posting major.Please accept my apologies and the apologies on my child's behalf."


Major jagdish waved to Lance naik Hardeep and explained to him the situation that they were in and the poor soldier's heart broke " Bade saab ka beta,Kya sir,kya hora hai is desh mein.Bahut dookhi ki baat hai sir."

Then,both of them heard the ringtones of another mobile and Major jagdish knew it must be the young mans's phone and bent inside the car and removing it from the mans shirt pocket,saw the name displayed and it was a lady " Kavita " and her number had been saved under the group family.

Major jagdish did not know what to do and then the phone went silent and in the silence of the dark,highway night,they stood next to two silent and dead bodies.

Jagdish saw that vijay's phone had nearly 12 missed calls and inspecting the log saw that six were from the lady Kavita and the other six from a person called Raman,whose name was also under the Family prefix.

" Must be the brother and sister of this poor man" thought major jagdish and he couldn't have been more right for it was more or less as he had judged for Raman was like a brother to Vijay.

And his death would not go unavenged , for soon his brother Raman would come calling to New delhi and along with Kavita and others would decide the fate of Tamil nadu and change its political scene forever.



"Human life is truly a short affair. It is better to live doing the things that you like. It is foolish to live within this dream of a world seeing unpleasantness and doing only things that you do not like.
Tsunetomo Yamamoto, Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai

Jannal oram 249


"Death, so called, is a thing which makes men weep: And yet a third of Life is passed in sleep.Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night."

Humans spend nearly a third of their lives asleep. Going without sleep will literally make you psychotic and, eventually, kill you. But no one knows what sleep actually does.We're vulnerable when we're asleep, so whatever sleep does, it must be worth the risk of the brain taking itself mostly offline.

It was 1.30 am in the morning and Raman after trying hard to fall asleep slowly and silently got out of the bed and picking up his mobile,came out to the hall after carefully shutting the door behind him,taking care not to wake up jeeva.

At 11.30 pm,jeeva had enquired as to the reasons for his agitated and tense state but Raman brushed it off for he did not want to burden her with his tensions and worries about Vijay who might be in no danger at all and then in the end all the worrying would have been worth it.

But,deep in his soul,Raman knew that from the time of Suja's death,a dark and evil force seemed to have cast a pall over all of them and their lives and he had known it then and he knew it now that the trouble between him and Minister Vaidyanathan would surely come to a violent and bitter end.

He tried calling Vijay's mobile again and again and after trying in vain for six times,Raman decided that he would sit in the hall and would go to sleep only after vijay and called him and assured him that he was safe and well.

Raman could not shake away the sense of dread he was feeling and pondered if he should call vijay's sister Kavita,but then it was too late and then again there was no point in worrying them with his fears and dread.

Raman stood with his hands folded in front of his chest and stared out at into the darkness of the night and whispered " God,please,let vijay be safe.He is like a brother to me and ask of me anything and i will give it to you but please let him be safe and let him live a long and happy life."

The time was 1.40 am and his mobile phone rang and with a sigh of relief,he picked up his mobile and felt sad and that sense of dread now reared up,revealing itself and Raman knew that something was wrong,for otherwise his sensei,EX-DGP Devarajan would not be calling him at that moment.Thinking and praying to himself that it should not be about Vijay, Raman answered with a voice that his teacher knew was full of panic and stress " Raman,you are awake."

" Yes sir,No rest for the weary and for the wicked too."

" Raman,i am sorry but it is bad."

Raman slowly sat down and his voice went husky with grief " Vijay,it is about vijay right."

Devarajan " yes,but how do you know that? Has his sister or father called you and informed you already?"

" No sir,i just assumed it for i have been trying to contact him for the past few hours and it just keeps ringing."

" sensei,how bad is it?"

Devarajan replied in a sad voice " Bad,really bad Raman for Vijay is gone.I am really sorry for he is no more."

Raman tried to control his tears,but could not and crying " Thank you sir for informing me."

" What are you going to do son?"

" What else sir but go to his house and pay my respects and be there if they need me.What else can we do against these insurmountable odds that evil people and god himself has stacked against us?"

" Raman,listen to me.Please for god's sake don't go with your guns loaded an firing son.Lets wait and find out what really happened and then we will decide what to do."

" Sir,i am just an ordinary human being and not Lord Rama of Ramayana.He was a god sir and funnily he himself had a tough time before he got back his wife after she was kidnapped by Ravan."

" okay ram,i will meet you there at vijay's house."


How can you sleep when the one you love and live for cannot sleep and is struggling with problems?

Jeeva got up and finding the empty bed where raman should have been,anxiously came out of the room and found him crying with his face buried in his hands.

The ring tone of raman's mobile when devarajan had called had alerted his dad Shaktivel and he too got up worried why or with raman was talking at such and unearthly hour.

Shaktivel got up and valli soon followed suit and asked him " Shakti,enna? " and he replied " Not sure,but i heard raman's mobile ringing down in the hall and thought i would go see if everything is okay."

Shaktivel and valli came out and looked down to see jeeva approaching raman and then they heard his desperate cries that sent shock and pain through their own heart and both quickly ran down the stairs in panic and sick with worry.

Hearing them running down,alerted kamakshi and Mani and they too slowly came down and joined the others.

Jeeva sat down next to raman and tried to touch him but his angry voice rejected it " please i beg you,please leave me alone for a few minutes."

Leave alone jeeva,even his parents had never seen raman exhibit such anger and sadness at the same time and not knowing what to do,they sat around him and then Jeeva's father asked raman " Thambi,ennappa,what is wrong?"

Raman looked up and they all saw his eyes red with tears of sadness " Vijay is no more.He was killed in delhi a few hours ago."

Hearing him say that was like being hit by a million volt,bolt of lightning and hearing it crack with thunder at the same time.

The blood drained from all their faces and shaktivel totally lost " Killed,you mean someone killed him.But who or why would somebody do that iyaa?"

Raman stood up and wiping his tears away,looked grimly at all of them " I don't know who killed him or why they killed him but i am absolutely sure of the evil behind this murder of my friend and brother."

He turned to leave and valli asked him " Ram,where are you going ?"

" To be with his family for they will need all the strength,love and support they can get at this tragic moment and they will not get that from the politicians who will come with their sweet words and colorful garlands and from the thousands of press people who will ask them why,who and also ask them what they are feeling right now.I know what they are feeling right now for vijay was more than blood to me and so i have to be with them at this moment when they are lost,lonely and vulnerable."

Jeeva stood up " I am coming too" and then both their parents stood up " right,we are all coming with you."

Raman nodded " Okay,be ready for we leave in ten minutes."

Jannal oram 250


When Brigadier Soorya narayanan had informed Major Jagdish that he would be making few calls,he really meant it and just a few calls were enough to set a Juggernaut of an investigation rolling and that which would be conducted by the best minds of " RAW" and the Delhi Police force.

Brigadier general soorya narayanan ended the call and went up to the suite that Prime minister Narendra modi was in and he was shown in after a few minutes.

PM Modi took one look at the Brigadier general with whom he had become very close over the past few years and asked him with concern " Brigadier saab,Kya hua.Kyun itni parishaan mein hain aap( what happened/ why do you look so troubled?)

Brigadier general soorya narayanan told modi what had taken place outside delhi and how his daughter had been shot and murdered.

" Sir,but she was not alone for there was an young man with her and he too has been killed in the shooting."

Prime minister Modi " Forget about that young man brigadier for his death will be looked into by the dept.But your daughter,why has she been killed?"

" Sir,honestly,the young man is of more importance right now for he happens to be the son of the Tamil Nadu state Finance minister durai murugan."

Prime minister Modi looked shocked and his face filled with despair " You mean young vijay bhaskar.OMG! Such a promising life and a real gentleman.I had the pleasure of meeting him and his father recently when i was in chennai for the International defence Exhibition outside chennai."


From then,things and communications accelerated and the next call was to defence minister nirmala sitharaman and to the police DGP of delhi and orders were given that the investigation was of the highest priority and that all information regarding it would be only a need to know basis and that "RAW" would be the lead investigation team in the case and everyone else would have to follow their orders and requests or else look for other areas of employment.


It had been just 25 minutes since the major has spoken to Brigadier general soorya narayanan and then he heard and looked up to see two helicopters racing towards them.

The first helicopter hovered over a clearing nearby and out come sliding twenty elite commandos who too sentry points around the highway and then the other helicopter,a military ambulance chopper that was used to evacuate seriously injured soldiers slowly settled down and an army medical team of five members got out with stretchers and ran towards the car in which lay still in death,poornima and vijay.

Major Jagdish wondered who was going to take over the charge of the investigation and then he stopped wondering for an old man stepped out of the helicopter and lit a cigarette and then turned to the chopper pilot and waved his hand across the neck,saying " Kill the engines" and the rotors died out slowly and then the old man walked towards Major Jagdish who immediately saluted the higher ranking officer for he had been a general once and that too a bloody famous one.

The man saluted and then shook hands " Major jagdish,i am General V.K.Singh,Additional secretary,office of joint operation,RAW.How are you officer?"

Major Jagdish felt like he was in the presence of God himself for here in front of him was the mastermind behind many a famous operations that had been conducted inside the lands of Pakistan,Afghanistan and China.Not much was know of him or his family but that he was the brains behind RAW and all its current operation."

He looked at Major Jagdish " Don't worry about reporting on time tomorrow for you have been temporarily shifted and loaned to RAW and will be with us until the investigation has been concluded."

Throwing the cigarette away " Bloody filthy habit.Just like my second wife.Not able to live happily with her and at the same time not able to divorce her.All i can do is suffer her and flee the house on pretext of work and duty."

General V.K.Singh's eyes then caught sight of the major's family that had been rudely awakened by the arrival of the helicopters all though both his sons were jumping up and down in excitement on seeing the choppers at such close proximity.

" Okay major.Start from the beginning and walk me through the whole point from the time you saw the vehicle until you talk with Brigadier Soorya narayanan."

The silence was deafening and Major Jagdish looked at the highway and General V.K.Singh with a twinkle in his eyes " No traffic for both sides of the highway have been blocked for a few hours and also being diverted away via other smaller roads.So,it is just us and our investigation."

Jannal oram 251

Jeeva followed raman who took out a small blue bag from the top shelf of the cupboard and going into the bathroom, began placed in it his shaving kit,toothbrush and a small bottle of liquid soap and a bottle of shampoo.

Raman came out and watched as Jeeva placed a few shirts and pants and underwear into a small suitcase and she caught him looking at her and coming to her,gently took her in his arms and both stood still for a moment and then without a word,he walked out carrying the suitcase and both his parents and jeevas parents saw the suitcase and understood quietly that he would be flying out to delhi with vijay's family.

Raman looked at all of them,realising he owed them an explanation " It is a murder and there is surely bound to be an investigation and that means at least a few days before the body is released into the custody of his family and hence this small suitcase,just in case i stay back for more than a few days."

Raman did not utter a word and the others too remained silent for like him they too had been devastated and shocked by the news of vijay's death.But more than that,they knew exactly Raman was feeling although his silence and the anger that raged and danced in his eyes filled them with a sense of foreboding and unable to stop himself,Shaktivel spoke to his son " Iyaa,please take care for you are going to be in a different city and help will not come as easily as it comes to you here in chennai."

" I know dad and i assure i will not make any mistakes or take any risks with my life.I promise all of you that i will come back safely."


The news of vijay's death was obviously not made public as yet for they could see that the street leading up to the house of Minister Durai murugan was filled with the presence of police force numbering 50 or more.

Raman whispered to the others " Devarajan sir was the one who informed me about vijay and i guess most of the public are still in the dark about this tragedy."

A Sub Inspector stopped their car from entering and raman pulled to the side and parking it got out and then they all saw Ex-DGP Devarajan walking quickly towards them and the SI immediately stepped back and saluted the former cop and let raman and his family enter the street.

Devarajan looked at raman " Ram,how are you doing? " and raman replied " It feels like i am dead and gone for i feel strangely empty and lost."

Devarajan hugged him and then greeted jeeva and the others and looking at raman " You and jeeva lead us in for i am not that familiar with the minister.We will just follow you or better still,i will stay back while all of you go in and pay your condolences."

The news that the former dgp was with raman and his family meant that no one tried to stop them from entering the house and into a large hall that was drowning sadness and tears.

Raman stood in the doorway framed by jeeva on his right side and his father shaktivel on his left and stared at the scene inside.

Mininster Durai murugan was a pale self of himself and was sitting,leaning forward staring desolately at the ground,as if praying and begging mother earth to give back his son,that he loved so much.

To his right on the large three seater cream colored leather sofa sat Kavita consoling her mother and Raman stood in the doorway wondering what he was going to say or what good or relief it would bring them,those who had just lost someone dear and someone who they had all loved more than they had loved themselves.


"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope


Raman looked at jeeva and his dad and both nodded and alone he stepped over the threshold of the house that death had come suddenly calling and he crossed over swearing " If it even means my own life,i will sacrifice it but i will not stop until suja and vijay have been avenged."

The sudden change in the air,the sudden hush,hush whispers of the other family members and the sudden silence that fell all around them first alerted Minister durai murugan and just as he looked up,his eyes fell on Raman's bare feet and then he looked up and into the eyes of his only son's best friend,brother,savior,mentor and protector and struggling to get up did manage to do that and a bereaved father looked at a bereaved brother and friend and Raman gently took the crying father into his arms and brought him peace with his light and love and the floor now ran mixing both their tears,pain and despair.

Raman looked at Kavita who stood up and who looked absolutely lost,devastated and on the verge of a complete collapse and raman opened his arms and took her into and they stood their holding each other and sharing the grief that death had brought with it.

Durai murugan looked at ramam " Thambi,who,how did you know?"

" Dgp Devarajan sir."

Kavita looked at raman " I spoke to him just a couple of hours ago before going on stage and after finishing my speech i tried calling him but he did not pick up.He was with a lady he had just met and they were having dinner together."

Raman looked at kavita " Was she too" and unable to finish the question looked at her and she answered " yes,both were killed and that is all we know as of now because even our own police dept and chief secretary are in the dark and clueless about what is going on there in delhi."

Raman looked at kavita and durai murugan " sir,if you don't mind,i would like to go with you to delhi tomorrow."

Minister durai murugan " I was about to request you the same thing and you spoke my thoughts out."

Holding raman's hands in his " please,please come and please be with us during this terrible time for i don't think i can manage this on my own for i am old and neither have the will nor the strength to face this ordeal and tragedy."

Kavita whispered softly " I don't understand what could have led to this or why anyone would have wanted to murder my brother and the lady with him? and that too in delhi with so much security around.What is our country coming to raman?"

Father and daughter looked at raman who looked at them and all the while struggling to make up his mind whether to tell them about what really happened and who was involved in it and durai murugan,a wise and astute old man gripped his hands and stared at him " Raman,what is it? I can sense you want to say something.what is it son?"

Raman looked at both of them and flicked his head towards the small study that belonged to the minister and whispered " In private."

Redemption 280

"When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.? Arthur Conan Doyle, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes


East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or El Barrio, is a neighborhood to which Police services are divided between the 23rd and the 25th Precincts.East Harlem has historically suffered from many social issues, such as the highest jobless rate in New York City, teenage pregnancy, AIDS, drug abuse, homelessness, and an asthma rate five times the national average.It has the second highest concentration of public housing in the United States, closely following Brownsville, Brooklyn.

All these factors contribute to a very high crime rate and also to a state where constant police presence and patrolling is carried out in the most dangerous and volatile streets.

The reports of multiple shots being fired flooded the 911 number and in a matter of minutes the street where the gunfire was reported from was cordoned off on all sides and all exits sealed.

But that apart,the regular patrol police exercise high levels of caution and usually request SWAT team to back them up and for them to arrive took another ten minutes and was more than enough for Rudran to slip away and stopping at a big mac bought himself a huge burger to go along with a huge cup of cold coffee which prompted the service woman to raise an eyebrow and question " Old man,you must be in great health if you can put away all this food.But please don't die on me with a massive coronary for all this meat will surely clog up your pipes brother."

Rudran smiled " Sister,i have to eat for two and i have always done that.This is nothing but a snack before dinner."

Taking a huge bite of the burger,rurdran spoke with his mouth full of meat and bun " You should see me do dinner for you might actually get a coronary seeing me put away the food that is spread before me."

The elderly lady looked at him with a naughty smile " Is it only food that you put away or do you do other things in the same large way."

Rudran blushed " Ma'am,i am married and my wife would skin me alive if she found out that i am out flirting with another woman."

He looked innocently at all the police cars whizzing past them and asked the big mac lady who looked like a big mac herself" Ma'am,what's up with all the cops and the sirens?"

" Brother,i will bet you a dollar that all of them are heading towards East harlem for that is where the shit usually hits the sky and hits it regularly."

Then both of them looked up to see a helicopter with " SWAT" emblazoned on its sides heading towards the hot spot and Rudran stood up hurriedly " Ma'am,i will get going before my missus starts to worry about this old fart that is me."

Seeing rudran shuffle quickly away,the big mac lady whistled " Old fart my arse,that brother has more speed in him than my old car and my old fart of an husband.And he is gotta nice rump too."


The SWAT chopper hovered over the street and men in black and body armor rappelled down the rope and immediately raised their machine guns and stared with deadly intent in all directions and entered the street with their muzzles pointed straight ahead and on high alert.

NYPD SWAT team leader Darrel holmes was the lead man as he had been the previous night in the attack on the russian mafia's high end brothel.

But his thoughts were not about that for that was upper end of Manhattan and this was East harlem,where the poorest of poorest lived and got by on drugs,crime and murder.On the streets of east harlem,a blow job went for sometimes as low as 5 dollars and a quick poke whether in the front or the back went for 10 dollars.So,this was a far cry form upper manhattan where a poke went for 2,000 dollars and more.

" Crap,that is nearly what most hardworking middle class americans make every month" thought NYPD SWAT team leader Darrel holmes and then from a distance,he saw men lying on the ground,apparently dead and spoke into his ear piece " Alpha one to bravo,shine the light on the scene please" and the darkness of the streets were ripped apart as light poured down from the SWAT chopper and illuminated the whole crime scene and nearby areas.


From far away,Rudran stopped to see the chopper hovering,shining down its brilliant light and whispered

" In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, and it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. "

Jannal oram 252


Minister Durai murugan shut the door behind him and looked at Raman anxiously " Ram,what is it? I know that you know something about my son being murdered in cold blood and so please,tell me what you know."

Raman looked at both of them and asked kavita " When was the last time you spoke to vijay?"

" Just before getting out of the car at Krishnagiri.He told me about poornima who he had met at the airport and then introduced her to me via a whats app video call.She looked like a very nice person and vijay looked so happy and it was his first date. ."

Crying,she shook her head " i am not able to absorb or come to terms to this news that my brother is gone."

She looked at him with tears pouring from her bloodshot eyes " Raman,he was a very kind and generous person and would have made a great leader for our party and now death has snatched him away from us."

Durai murugan looked at Raman " If kavita spoke to him before the function,then my call must have been the last one for he was still in the restaurant when i called him and told him to check out you tube and see what his sister was up to in Krishnagiri."

Raman looked at both of them and turning away,thought for a few moments before telling them " That means,his last call was to me and i was the last person who he spoke to before..." and his voice trailed off.

Kavita looked at raman " What time did he call raman?" and raman answered " Must have been 11.30 p.m or so."

" But why did my brother call you at such a late hour?'

Durai murugan took raman's hands and shook it with force " What are you not telling us? Please i want to know and understand why my son is dead.My heart is already broken and please don't break it anymore with all this suspense."

Raman gently force minister durai murugan to sit down and asked kavita too,to sit down while he leaned against the study table and he told them.

" I think vijay saw someone that he shouldn't have seen and it is sheer bad luck and tragedy that he and this lady happened to see these people together."

He looked at them and added cautiously " I am not sure of the facts or what happened but my heart tells me that Minister Vaidyanathan is behind this."



Nearly 2,500 kms away,the man they were talking about was lying in bed wondering how best to tackle the situation,when his mobile rang and it was Santosh bhanwari lal .

" Bhaiya,both are dead but there is a slight complication for the woman who was with that vijay was the daughter of a very high ranking army officer and also is related to a cabinet minister."

Minister Vaidyanathan's heart froze in fear and panic " Shit,shit,god,this is the last thing i needed and it has happened and now the heat and glare will be all the more on this case."

Santosh bhanwari lal in a slightly trembling voice " Not just more bhaiya but it will be as bright and hot as the sun for the girl in the car with vijay was Brigadier general Soorya narayanan's only child and who also happens to be defence minister Nirmala sithraman's niece."

Silence fell between them like the silence that exists in a burial ground and Santosh bhanwari lal spoke with renewed courage " We are not connected to this in any way and the person who has done this has already left and has gone underground.Luckily,we turned around and came back to delhi and you were back in your room before anyone could even notice it."

Minister Vaidyanathan knew better " Santosh bhai,i am not worried about anyone but for one man.My biggest worry is that he should not know who vijay was following for then he will not let it go and will pursue you and me until our end or his end."

Santosh bhanwari lal laughed loudly " Bhaiyaa,bhool do,forget about this raman and forget about what happened tonight for i will take care of it as it is now my problem and i have many means and many men to finish the job."

Vaidyanathan thanked Santosh bhanwari lal " okay,i am going to get some sleep and be ready for tomorrow morning i have to act like our famous actor,Nadigar thilagam shivaji ganesan."

He must have dozed for an hour or so before his mobile rang again and it was the deputy chief minister Panneer selvam,who sadly informed him about vijay's death and vaidyanathan in a sad voice " Aiyo,what a sad and shocking news.we have lost a great and possibly the future leader of our party.God is so cruel sometimes.His father,namma durai murugan must be devastated with this news,Paavam,romba paavam."

False tears,false praises,false statements from a false man.