*From & To Sathish* - Thread 4 - Page 37

Jannal oram 255


"However much we describe and explain love, when we fall in love we are ashamed of our words. Rumi

Raman waved as Jeeva left with the whole family and watched as a car followed them with security guards that belonged to his sensei Devarajan's security agency.

" What next ram?" and Raman looked at him tiredly " Next,that can be answered only by Kavita and when she wakes up sir."

" The question was to you and not about kavita or vijay.What are you going to do next ram?"

Raman looked up at the full moon that shone brightly in the night sky,shining through even among the glare and light pollution of the city " I have an inkling sir but how it will pan out and play out eventually depends on what happens in the capital."

" Raman,what does delhi have to do with this situation?" and waited for an answer which was slow in coming.

Raman looked up and saw a sudden flurry of vehicles and a few of the tv channels broadcasting vans carrying their dishes on their tops like large Mexican sombreros pulling up near the entrance of the hospital and answered " Everything sensei and it is where everything might play out in the end.Let's wait and see and hope for the best."

Pointing to the entrance " The tv crews are here and i think it is best that both of us stay out of sight."

Raman paused " sir,forgive me for not being very forthcoming at this moment for my mind and heart are both all clouded up with the loss of vijay and that too coming so quickly after losing Suja.I will talk to you later and in detail sir.But i am going in now and maybe you should go home too and take rest.It has been a long,dark night for all of us."

Raman came to the room that Kavita was in and entering it saw that her mother Rajammal was curled up in the large cushion chair and seeing only a plastic chair available in the room,he quietly pushed it against the wall and resting his head on it closed his eyes and drifted away.


Kavita's eyes flickered open and wondering where she was,slowly sat up and realised that she was in a hospital bed and then saw Raman in the chair fast asleep.

She remembered stumbling and nearly falling down and then raman caught her and lifted her up into the safety of his arms and she now remembered the sound of his steady heartbeat as he carried her safely and then she remembered nothing.

Picking up her mobile phone she the time was 5.00 am and stopping to think for a second,she checked the timings of the available flights to delhi and saw that there was a jet airways plane leaving in three hours time.

She called her travels guy and told him " Gopi,two tickets to delhi on the 8.00 am jet airways.One in my name and the other on in Mr.raman.His full name is Gothanda Raman.Age 32.Thank you gopi and send me the PNR details immediately."

Raman who had woken up hearing her voice,got up and came and sat by her side and both stared at each other.

He took her hands " kavita,you need to be strong now,not only for your folks but for all of us.I know how close you and Vijay were and nothing i say can heal the pain and suffering you are experiencing right now."

The very mention of her brother broke her again and she fell into his arms and raman held her tightly " it will be all right,i promise you."

" Raman,i have booked tickets for both of us on the 8.00 am flight and i need to go home and pack some clothes for i am sure we are going to be in delhi for a few days."

Rajammal who had woken up told her daughter that she would go and bring back what kavita needed and left.

It was nearly 6.00 am when kavita,her mother along with raman came out of the hospital and were immediately bombarded by questions and camera flashes from the press.

The police dept had ensured that there was a safety perimeter around kavita and her family and barricades had been placed as a safety precaution.

Kavita asked raman to wait and then slowly made her way towards the press and looked at them sadly and wished them " Good morning,i am sure that all of you have heard the news of my brother's death in delhi and my father suffering a heart attack upon hearing the news.I don't have anything to add to what you already know but for a request.

My brother Vijay was a kind and compassionate man and very honorable soul.I request you all to honor his memory and also personally request all of you to spare my family at this moment for we are all truly heartbroken and destroyed."

Wiping her tears with the edge of the white saree bordered with AIADMK colors,she folded her hands and smiling boldly continued " I am going to delhi and will return with my brother's body" and then suddenly and rudely,a female screamed a question " Ma'am,why was vijay killed? Why? why would someone want to murder such a nice and kind person?"

Raman swore under his breath and prayed that kavita would reply as he had told her to and breathed a sigh of relief hearing her say " I don't know but i am sure that delhi govt will do their best to bring those criminals to justice.I am sorry for that is all i know and also that is also the time i have right now for i have a flight to catch."

Folding her hands she whispered softly " Anna naamam vazgha,Puratchi thalaivar naamam vazgha,Amma naamam Vazhga.Vazgha Tamilagam."

Mouna Raagam-2


It had been a week since their accidental meeting at the Escape mall and Mahalakshmi sat with Reynolds dancing blue and white in her fingers wondering " Should i call or should i wait for him to call? But then,it was he broached the subject of dinner and i guess it is better that he makes the first move or god knows what he will think of me."

And on cue,her mobile rang and placing the Reynolds pen on the table,she picked it up and her heart skipped beats for it was him,karthik and the very person who she had been thinking about and clearing her throat and taking a deep breath she answered in a very busy sounding tone " Hello,yes" and he replied " Hi,karthik here.Are you by chance free this evening for dinner?"

Maha tried to answer and only a squeak of a parrot came out of her lips and karthik chuckling " Was that an yes or no for that sounded neither and more like a bird near your window ?" and Maha did the best thing and that to escape with a lie " karthik,sorry,my head is spinning with work stuff.Is it okay if i call you back in half an hour's time."

Holding the mobile in her right hand,she used it to gently hammer her forehead and all the while cursing for behaving so childishly " Whats wrong with you? why are you behaving in such a silly manner? It was just a call about dinner and you couldn't answer with a simple yes or no."

It took her several minutes to calm down and call him back " Hi,okay.where do meet up?"

" Your choice.I am in my office in Nungambakkam and you.I am asking in case you want me to pick you up from your place of work."

Maha hurriedly " No,not necessary for i will take a cab.I am in Alwarpet so i guess Ranjith's opal inn would be a nice place to meet up.Unless,you have some other place in mind."

" Opal inn sounds good and i like the place and have not been there in a long time.So,what time should i be there?"

Maha looked at her watch " 7.30 for i get off only at about 6.30 pm.That will give me just enough time to wrap up my work and meet you there.Bye."

But it was 7.45 p.m when she stepped out of the Uber cab and paying him looked up hearing a Hi and saw it was karthik and Maha looked inside the parking lot of the Hotel and down the stretch of the lane they were in and asked him " Where is your car?" and karthik replied " Parked in my office.It is just ten minutes away and so i thought i would stretch my legs and walk instead of driving for that itself would have taken me ten or more minutes."

The usher opened the door and wished them a pleasant good evening and went back to sweating in his suit that would have made some rajput prince proud while the people he ushered in, dined in the air conditioned interiors of the hotel.

Maha caught him staring at the usher and enquired " Why are you looking at him? Did he say or do something offensive?"

" Nothing like that.Poor guy,i was just wondering instead of those ridiculous costume that he is wearing,they could have given him something more comfortable and which would better suit our humid climate."


That topic dispensed,man and woman looked at each other and realised that despite being seated across a dinner table in a hotel,they were practically strangers and Maha hurriedly looked away and began to wonder if she had made a mistake in meeting karthik.

Hearing him say sorry,she looked at him " sorry,for what".

" Sorry for not calling earlier than this.It has been seven days since we met and i took your number but honestly it took me all these seven days to muster up courage to call you."


The steward knock kneed and wrapped in the latest trend of slim fit pants that appeared to both of them like he had born with them like Karna had been born with his Kavachas and Kundalas,tried walking and nearly succeeded and managed instead something that vaguely resembled walking and handed them the menu cards.

They thanked him and karthik informed him that they would five minutes to make up their minds and maha glancing at the menu card answered " So why did you call anyway? Why not wait another seven days more or longer?"

A smile gently bloomed in his lips but froze and then broke for he replied " Don't know is my answer for both of your questions and yet here you are and here i am and that makes two of us."

Both ordered chinese food of soup for starters and rice and spicy chicken for the main course and karthik asked the steward for cold beer.

Then hurriedly he turned to her " Sorry,you don't mind if i have a bottle of beer,right" and she shrugged " why should i mind,go ahead."

Time passed slowly,dinner came,empty plates went back and polite enquiries were made of each other by one another and both knew that time was building up to an eventuality,which was not touched upon by him and she dived in as was her nature and she asked him " What are we doing here Karthik? Could you be bold enough to explain it?"

He looked at her,right and straight into her eyes,unwavering and answered " only if you tell me what you are doing here?"

" Having dinner after having been asked out by you obviously."

" Well,i am doing the exact same thing after asking you out and after you agreed to it."

She smiled " Nice and i walked into it."

Karthik Leaned forward " Would you like some dessert? The ice cream is damn good here i have heard."

" Okay,but only a small serving please."

karthik asked for two small servings of Vanilla ice cream and that done,bill paid and done,usher tipped and done,they stood outside again nearly two hours later since that moment when they had been ushered in.

Karthik pointed to her mobile " Please,book your cab and i will wait until i comes."

Before she could control it,a gentle burp escaped her lips and she froze and apologised and he quoted the line from the film Shrek " Better out than in i say" and both had a good laugh about it."

She told him " I think i will back with you to your car and take a cab from there.Looks like the dinner was a bit heavy and a nice walk will do me good."

Karthik smiled " Okay" and she looked at him strangely " You know something,i might be wrong but i have to say it" and karthik " say what" and she said " I don't think i have heard you say my name even once."

It threw him off balance " Whaat,no way.why would that be?" and maha confronted him " Exactly,why would that be? unless you don't know how to call me?"

Karthik thought for a second " Actually,i think you are right" and she pounced on his acceptance " So,say it.say my name."

" Mahalakshmi.There i said it" smiled Karthik triumphantly and folding her hands she glowered at him and he wilted " What,why the glare like my maths teacher?"

" Because nobody calls me by full name and call me either as Maha or lakshmi."

" Well,i will call you using both and your full name,Mahalakshmi."

They began to walk,talking,sharing and both felt in their hearts that they were moments to be treasured and held on to.

Redemption 281

The whole world was tuned into CNN,BBC and a few other English News channels as the twin towers that rose proudly into the sky over New york were brought down by Muslim terrorists,as they rammed one after the other into the proud symbols of new york and the united states as a whole.And as it is with most news,people then tuned out of it and went back to their daily and normal lives,saying a prayer for all the dead and for the innocent souls who had perished.

But one scary,gut wrenching moment has stayed put,frozen in place in many of those viewer's minds,at least it has in my mind.And that moment is,when a man, unable to face the advancing fire on the 120th floor,leaped away and fell to his death.

That man whose identity remains unknown was made instantly famous by a photograph that was taken by Associated Press photographer Richard Drew and it appeared the next day in New york Times and the man became world famous by his title " The falling man",apt even though he sadly fell to his death.

Why i have broached this particular man and his death is because,it took nearly 10 to 11 seconds for the man to reach his death on the ground below and i wonder,what the poor man must have been thinking in those final seconds as he plunged to his death.

Stop,hold that thought and put yourself in his place and imagine you falling from the 120th floor and tell me what or who will flash before your soul and what bye's or prayers can you say in just 10 seconds.

Maybe,i might just whisper " forgive my sins and watch over my loved ones."

If i,a stranger sitting in chennai can feel all that,imagine what the American public must have felt and more importantly what the Govt under Bush jr.must have felt.

Anger,revenge,vengeance would most certainly have been the immediate thoughts and feelings and so it began the total restructuring of american defense against all forms of terrorism.

I will leave this topic here and just give you a piece of information before we return to East harlem and to Redemption.

The amount of money spent by the United states in their fight against terrorism since 9/11,2001 to 2017 was 2.8 Trillion dollars.Yes,2.8 Trillion and not 2.8 Billion.

But,since 9/11, only 100 people have been killed by Muslim extremists or jihadists inside the United States, while more than 20,000 drug related (opioid) deaths occurred in the year 2016 alone.


A dozen and more,gang related deaths in one night is just about okay and acceptable by the Authorities but nearly a dozen more dead bodies is a huge worry for it puts the spotlight directly on the govt and their inability to police the city and safe guard it against threats of deadly intent.

Two consecutive nights filled with dead bodies of various gangs that operated in the city and more importantly with no one having the slightest clue as to who was behind the killings was enough for the big and top brass to make a personal appearance on the scene.

New york police commissioner James P. O'Neill stood with William F. Sweeney, Jr.,Assistant Director in Charge of the New york field office and looked at their respective subordinates who looked everywhere but in the direction of their bosses.

PC James knew that a soft approach was better than a harsh one for Kathleen Walsh,the Commanding Officer of the 19th Precinct had an exemplary record and had also served valiantly in the Iraq war and he knew that she was one of the best police officers in the city,if not the country.

He looked at her and asked her point blank " Kathleen,what are you saying? For i am not able to comprehend or wrap my mind around your words."

Kathleen walsh spread her hands helplessly " Sir,you heard me right and i repeat it.We have no idea as to what is going on and why this is going on and who are doing the killings?"

She looked at both the senior officers " I feel ashamed and embarrassed to admit that but i think that at this moment,it is better to face up to the facts and investigate this case on its merits and evidence."

William F. Sweeney, Jr.,Assistant Director in Charge of the New york field office smiled " But Kathleen,we have jack shit and then how do you propose we proceed to track down the killers or killer,which frankly speaking i think is a load of crap assumption."

Special agent john kelly looked his boss right in his eye " Sir,trust me for it is no crap and we just told you what the evidence has told us."

" And what is that john,that someone carried an adult man on his shoulders and jumped over a twenty foot wall in one leap.Believe me that is a load of crap and the FBI director will tell that to you himself and pretty soon if we don't find these killers soon."

William F. Sweeney, Jr.,Assistant Director turned to New york police commissioner James P. O'Neill " Jimmy,what do you suggest that we do now?"

But before he could reply,they heard the swat team shout out loudly " coming through" and all of them turned to see the familiar figure of James Gannalo,NYPD'S ballistic expert on firearms come striding towards them which prompted,New york police commissioner James P. O'Neill to announce loudly " Well,gannalo is here and i am sure his report will tell the truth and then we can see who is full of crap or not."

James Gannalo saluted Commissioner james and handed him the report from the crime scene of the previous night and smiled at Kathleen walsh who nodded and held back her smile.

New york police commissioner James P. O'Neill quickly read the report and stared at James gannalo and then read the final synopsis and shaking his head handed it William,FBI and questioned the expert " James,are you sure,absolutely sure about this?"

James Gannalo,NYPD'S ballistic expert on firearms,nodded " Commissioner,all the russians in that manhattan building were killed by the same gun which means that the gun was obviously used by one man and one man alone."

Both Kathleen and john kelly folded their hands across their chests and looked at their bosses and stared at them defiantly,daring them to question their assumptions now.

New york police commissioner James P. O'Neill cursed loudly and said " One man,just one man and he killed all those russians single handedly."

Kathleen Walsh,the Commanding Officer of the 19th Precinct,NYPD,in a soft voice " Sir,let us not forget the latin's in the park and i will bet you my pension that these three russian's and blacks were killed by the same man."


New york police commissioner James P. O'Neill announced it,the thought which was running in their minds " that means we have one killer,a vigilante operating on his own."


James Gannalo smiling " Yes boss and this man must surely have big and bold balls to take on all of these scary criminals all on his own.Not someone i would like to meet in my lifetime.No thanks."

And at that very moment,the very man whose balls they were talking about was standing before "The National September 11 Memorial & Museum" and thinking of " The falling man" and before he realised it,tears flowed down his cheeks as he thought and wondered about those final ten seconds of the man as he fell to his death.

An old lady who was standing there,staring at the memorial caught sight of the tall,Asian man who was crying and taking out a soft napkin,offered it to him.

He took it and said " Thank you ma'am."

The old lady looked at him " You lost someone here,son" and he nodded " No ma'am,but yet it feels like all those innocent people who died were my kith and kin."

The old lady looked at the crying man " I lost both my sons,who were firefighters and they were twins,identical twins and both went together to their death."

The tall man gently threw his left arm around the frail old lady's shoulder " Ma'am,i am sorry,really for you loss."

The old lady smiled with gratitude " Thank you son.What is your name?"

" My name is Rudran ma'am" and the old lady went " Rudran,strange name.What does it mean son?"

She looked at him and thought she saw some strange fire dance in his eyes as he replied " It means the god of death who dances to destroy and also dances to create.And he is also called Bhairav."


The boy who went into the dark and came back with light.

Hole or soul( Just a thought)


Sam liked people calling him by that moniker, rather than " Shambashivam" which made him cringe, as it had done from his school days. Many of his friends had tried pushing him towards a name change but he had resisted and thwarted all that for many years, for deep in his soul, he was a true Iyer.

Shambashivam was his inner core, while Sam was the outer crust and he knew from life's lessons that the shallow world in which he lived in largely never saw past his crust and so he had carried on being Sam and Shambashivam.

Mikey placed sam's usual spirit fix, a vodka martini and looked at his customer of nearly 12 years and enquired with care " Sam, any change?"

" No Mikey, the divorce is coming through and i think i have to get on with my life without Priya in it anymore." Taking a sip of the vodka and sighing with pleasure,Sam looked at Mikey,who sensed a change in his favourite customer's face and realised it was his eyes and waited " Mikey, my worries and concerns are all about my two children for both of them are in their late teens and god knows what this divorce is going to do to them both."

Mike ,the bartender at 10 Downing street ,T.nagar leaned forward and told Sam " Hang in there brother and don't lose hope , not now and not ever" and moved on to the other customers who were looking at him for their daily fixes.

Shambashivam nodded to himself and to no one " Yup, hope, and that is all i have for myself and an empty flat to go home to."

Shambashivam lived just down North Boag road, the road adjacent to his regular watering hole and so he came there daily at 8.00 pm and left at about 9.30 pm after three large vodka martini's followed by a chicken sandwich and walked it back home.

Sam and Priya had been married for exactly 21 years and just a week before their wedding anniversary, Priya had told him that she was seeing someone and that she wanted a divorce.

His first reaction to this sudden and shocking declaration had been " What? are you serious?" and the second had been confusion, panic and then anger, righteous anger which he had not exhibited to its fullest.

His final question to her had been the right one although the answer felt all wrong to him.

" Why Priya? what have i done wrong?" and she had looked at him sadly " Sam, it is not you but me.I have met someone " and Sam had stopped her holding up both his hands and said " No, stop. Please, don't say anything else."

He had been on his way out for an important office meeting , when Priya had made this declaration and so he had calmly told her " One month and then we will talk about this."

A month had passed and it had passed, filled with a frigid, uneasy ghostly silence that had both his daughters spooked and concerned.

It was dinner time and both their daughters were pleasantly surprised and also a bit wary for it had been a long time since they all sat together as one family.

Megha's eyebrows shot up and over her forehead and she looked at her elder sister Ramya,whose eyebrows bridged their gap in an angry frown,telling megha to shut up and not do or say something silly.

Sam looked at priya from across the table " Priya,if you are willing then we can have that conversation that was put on hold" and priya silently had held his stare,and both who knew each very well, knew and recognised the sadness that lay in each other's souls.

Priya turning to face her two daughters ,had started the talk " Girls,i have asked your dad for a divorce and we both thought that we would tell you this news together."

Sam was about to lash out for it was not his idea,but held his anger in check with a new found resignation and self-pity and forked the chicken noodles into the hole that was his mouth.

Ramya,the quiet one,the thinker and philosopher looked at her mother and then at her father and asked " Why?" and then asked the next word,the most important word " Who?" and priya answered " Me,i have met someone else."

Ramya looked at her mother and then expressed her philosophy and thoughts about the declaration with one expression " wh**e" and sam slammed his hands on the table " Ramya,you will apologise to your mother at once" and his eldest daughter looked at him " That is what people are going to call her behind her back and i hope she knows it."

Megha's eyebrows froze on her forehead and then she dropped a thermonuclear bomb equivalent observation " Mum,is it your Zumba instructor?" and priya looked at her startled and face full of panic " how did you guess that?"

Ramya launched her selfish,selfless philosophical thoughts at her mother " Selfish wh**e,home breaker wh**e" and she would have continued but the slap stopped her in her tracks and by then it was too late.

Megha stood up and pulled her elder sister into her arms and looked at her mother " Mum,i just want to know one thing and that is,what makes this new man a better man that your husband? Is it better sex,more sex,what is it?"

Shambashivam in a soft voice full of defeat " Megha,please stop being crude and also cruel for it is your mother you are talking to."

Looking at his wife " Priya,this talk is not going anywhere.I want you to know that i wish you the best and will give you the divorce that you seek."


That had been nearly a year ago and also nearly a year since he had left his house and had moved back to his late parents flat on North boag road.

The sweet and not so subtle fragrance announced the beautiful Swaroopa's arrival at the proximity of his left elbow and Sam did not do anything to acknowledge the woman who then proceeded to slide into the bar stool next to him and whispered a sexy " Hi sam" and sam raised his glass of martini that was crying drops of water, reflecting his soul and returned a " Hi " and went back to staring at the now empty glass,the last of his quota of three drinks.

" Sam,allow me to buy you a drink so you can keep me company while i start on mine" and sam politely " No thanks, swaroopa. Three is my limit and i want to stick to it."

" Come on sam, don't limit yourself anymore for you are alone and free and have been for a long time now."

Mikey, was about to step in to save his best customer but stopped for his best customer looked like he could handle himself for sam looked at Swaroopa " Alone, me. why do you say that? I might not be living with Priya anymore but that does not mean she is not in my soul.She might have found someone else, but for me, it was always her and will remain thus."

Swaroopa dabbed her lips daintily " That maybe, but your bed is empty sam."

Sam stood up " bed, is that all love is about, filling the bed.Sorry Swaroopa , for i think, love is a much better and more beautiful a state than that."

Swaroopa snapped in disgust " Keep on fooling yourself you f**king idiot" and sam chuckling " Yes, but at least i am not being a c**t about it."

She raised her voice " what did you call me, you loser?"

" You heard me right the first time.So, i repeat my question,is it all about filling your hole or filling your soul.As for me, i would like to think i am a loser and a f**king idiot but, i rather be that than a wh**e."

Swaroopa examined her expensively manicured and Pink colored finger nails " That would be your wife who was an wh**e but is now a loser too" and looked at sam who stared at her and then slowly managed " what now, my wife too?" and she tossed her colored mane over her shoulder " sorry,i thought you might have heard that her Zumba instructor is now instructing somebody else."

Sam leaned closer and said " And add gossip monger to what i just called you" and it was heard by everyone there and he did not stop there " If this guy,this Zumba instructor has abandoned my wife then it is his loss not hers for she deserves better.A better man than him and also a better man then me."

Removing his wallet,he placed the cash on the table and hollered " Mike,that is for my bill and for this lady's drink too.Good night."

He steadied himself and turned to see Priya standing just a few feet away from him and not knowing what to say, managed a " Hi."

Jannal oram 256


The best teachers have showed me that things have to be done bit by bit. Nothing that means anything happens quickly. we only think it does. The motion of drawing back a bow and sending an arrow straight into a target takes only a split second, but it is a skill many years in the making. So it is with a life, anyone's life. I may list things that might be described as my accomplishments in these few pages, but they are only shadows of the larger truth, fragments separated from the whole cycle of becoming. And if I can tell an old-time story now about a man who is walking about,it is because I spent many years walking about myself, listening to voices that came not just from the people but from animals and trees and stones.? Joseph Bruchac

Most members of the press that had been present outside the hospital, now followed them to the Airport, hoping in vain for more words,information and pics from Kavita.

Raman to his astonishment, saw that there was already a huge gathering of the press, waiting for Kavita and the moment she got out, the flashes of the cameras put on an early diwali celebration like exhibition.

Kavita calmly folded her hands and greeted all of them and turned to reach for her small suitcase and found that Raman was already standing there, carrying both their luggages and waiting for her to join him at the entrance.

Many members of the Airport security were waiting for her and they quickly escorted them through all the checks and seated them in a room meant for VIPS and VVIPS.

A top ranking, Jet airways employee knocked and entered and greeted them both and addressed Kavita " Ma'am, i am sorry to inform you that the flight is delayed by 30 minutes.This is because of the delay in the incoming flight from Bengaluru. Please accept our sincere apologies.

Ma'am, we have arranged for breakfast for both of you and have also upgraded both your economy seats to first class seats."

Kavita thanked him and waited for him to leave and then turned to Raman " Sir, thank you so much for being here and thank you for everything."

" Please Kavita, i beg of you, no more sir's when you address me. It is just Raman or Ram."

" Okay, Ram it is. I thank you for everything that you are doing for us and i don't know how we are going to repay our debts to you, ever."

" Kavita, Vijay, you and your parents are like my own family. So, relax and stop thanking me for doing my duty to the people who i love and care about."

Getting up, he took out his mobile and said " It's time i reported back home" and called Jeeva " Baby, how are all of you holding up? Me, well we are in the airport waiting for the boarding to begin. Don't worry, they served us breakfast here in the VIP lounge and i ate enough to last me until dinner."

Jeeva's voice was full of concern " Ram, please, for god's sake take care and be on high alert for you are entering the enemies territory and they have already murdered Vijay and that poor lady Poornima who just so happens to be the niece of the defence minister herself."

" Don't worry sweetie, i will take care and promise to be on total alert.Please, pass the phone to appa."

Raman spoke to both his parents and also spoke a few words with Mani and Kamakshi and saying bye, ended the call.

A soft knock on the door and the Jet airways employee returned and informed them that the boarding had begun and requested both kavita and Raman to follow him.

As both of them walked towards the gate for departure, Raman's alert eyes spotted a couple of men keeping tabs on them and with a glance absorbed their clothes and bearing and smiled to himself.

Kavita saw this brief flicker of the smile on his face and after having settled down in their first class seats, turned to him and asked him the reason behind the smile.

Raman thought for a second and told her " The game is afoot and it is well and truly on."

Mouna raagam-3

Love always begins with attraction. Attraction always starts with the senses. You begin love with a glance, a touch or a sound. You will either see someone and feel attraction, or have the experience of physical contact, or connect through hearing your loved one's voice, when they happen to laugh, talk or say something.

For Karthik, it had been her attitude,her bold words that had made his soul aware of her. But, being a very practical person, he knew that attitude and words alone were not enough and would not suffice in matters of love and life.

Although most people called him a pessimist, Karthik knew he was definitely not that and was only being pragmatic when it came to making or taking important decisions, in work and in life.

" Okay my heart, i hear you in mind whispering her name. But,think carefully, for if things happen to go wrong, then you will be the one to take a beating or worse, stop beating all together.

His cabin door opened and his best friend and also one of the company's director, Murali came in and hugged him from the back and yelled " Karthi, your mother has transferred 50 lakhs into our company account and all that is left to do now is for us to go ahead and start negotiations with the bank for the loan, since their criterias will have been met, now that we have nearly 1.5 crores as capital."

Karthik smiled and turned and then the rest of the gang came in and joined them.

Meera,Gokul and Charles all began to jump up and down excitedly and karthik and murali joined them, although his thoughts were on Mahalakshmi.

One look, one vision of hers haunted him day and night and that was from the dinner that had happened nearly ten days ago and it was from that moment when she had picked up a spoon full of fried rice and had wrapped her lips around it, while her hair fell over the right side of her face and Karthik knew then that she had captured his soul and now lived there controlling his every breath and thought.

But, he thought " What is she feels differently than what i am feeling? What is she looks at me only as a good friend and a companion? "

If you have known someone for a very long time, then their thoughts and moods become visible to you through their every body movement, word and look.

Meera, Murali, Charles and Gokul all fell quiet and just stared at their best friend Karthik and knew that something was wrong and they circled him and in unison stood with their hands behind their back and all their eyes glaring at him, accusingly.

Gokul tentatively " I think Karthi is not here and maybe the reason for that is, that he is not comfortable with the idea of taking his mother's money, which sadly he has yet to realise is all his and will eventually come to him."

Karthik's face went dark with anger first and then softened with sadness and replied to Gokul " Please for f**k's sake don't ever say such things for it really hurts and i mean it."

Gokul nodded " Idiot, my intention was not to hurt you, you fool. I am feeling guilty," and looking at all the others, " We are all feeling guilty about the fact that your mum set conditions which you were not comfortable with before transferring the money to our account."

Charles, was a man of very few words, but he was the brains of their company when it came to number crunching and marketing tactics told Karthik " Dei, none of this matters.This company, our futures, none matter and none are more important than our friendship. You know that and that is what, the stupid Gokul meant, although he expressed it wrongly."

Murali and Meera remained quiet and then she looked at all of them, who with one look knew that she had hit upon the reason for Karthik's mood and waited eagerly and Meera looked at her best friend whom she loved dearly and even her husband had resigned to the fact that her friends came first and he and their two year old son came second, a very distant second.

" It is not about the money,nothing to do with his mum's conditions and has everything to do with the girl he met that night. Right karthi."

This brought loud cheers and more excitement from all four of them and they now jumped up and down exhibiting more energy than they had shown just moments ago, after getting the news from the bank that, karthik's mum had transferred the money to their company account.

All four of them hugged him, whispering congrats bro, good job da and Karthik with an expression " what the f**k is wrong with you people?" and looked at them impatiently.

" Finished, have you all finished and can i get in a word now? "

He arranged all of them in a line, so as to not repeat his words again and again and spoke to them " Yes, my thoughts are about this woman i met, and her name is Mahalakshmi. And, we went out for dinner about a week ago."

Before he could say anymore, they pounced on him and hugged him, slapped him on his back, pinched him, kissed him,ruffled his hair and Karthik shook his head sadly " And i call all you stupid Neanderthal species, my best friends."

Murali pinching his cheek " poda dei, dinner over na. Appuram enna. Next, wedding thaan Mapillai."

Karthik yelled " one dinner and that's it. Does that mean that we both are suited for each other and that we can now happily get married. No f**king way guys. I know nothing about her and most importantly, i have no clue as to what she thinks of me or views me as. At this moment, i know she looks chinese food and long evening walks and also know that she is very bold and outspoken and if it just so happens that we get married, then there will be a world war in my house, every single day.I promise you that."


"Falling in love is very real, but I used to shake my head when people talked about soul mates, poor deluded individuals grasping at some supernatural ideal not intended for mortals but sounded pretty in a poetry book. Then, we met, and everything changed, the cynic has become the converted, the sceptic, an ardent zealot.
E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly,

Jannal Oram 257


The fasten seatbelt sign came on and a Flight attendant came into the first class cabin and made sure that all the passengers had their seatbelt fastened and seats in an upright position.

Kavita wanted to talk to Raman and ask him the reason for the vague smile and also the meaning behind those cryptic words, that he had told her as soon as they had boarded the flight. But, she saw that he was staring straight ahead, lost in some heavy thoughts and she decided to wait for him to touch that topic and leaning back in the comfort of the large seat, she looked out at the ground below, now fast disappearing as they and the plane carrying all of them, rose majestically into the clouds above.

As they kept climbing, to the jet's cruising altitude of about 10 to 12 kms, Kavita saw that they had even risen above the white, water-laden clouds that spread like a cotton ball carpet under them and she felt a piercing pain in her soul and body and whimpered sadly and the next moment, she was pulled gently and enveloped by Raman who held her close to his chest and murmured a poem

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message 'He is Dead'.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.


Kavita waited a few moments that hung heavy like years over them and looked at him " Ram, that poem is very familiar. A beautiful one and I think I have heard it in some romantic film. Right no."

Raman gently released her and it was now that she saw the tears that had stained his face with tracks on his cheeks and she wiped them and looking at her, he said " That beautiful, stark and fitting poem for the funeral of a loved one was created by W.H. Auden and it was used in the film " Four Weddings and a funeral."

His face suddenly went grim with pain and anger and then controlling himself " But, in our case, it might just be four funerals and one wedding. Two loved ones are gone and I just wonder who is next."

" Ram, why that cryptic smile as we were boarding the flight?" she asked him and he answered, " I am sure that we were being watched, followed the entire time until we got on the flight and until its take off."

Kavita panicking " Vaidyanathan, Is there no end to his reach and power?"

" No, I don't think it was his men for even he does not have that kind of power that transcends airport security and not in this given situation when he will prefer to lie low like the coward he is, before launching the next attack."

She looked at him " Then who were the men watching us and which group do they belong to."

" Central govt, I think and that then means the men were from either the CBI or in this case from our premier Intelligence dept, RAW."



Nearly, 2000 kms away, General V.K.Singh, Additional secretary, office of joint operation, RAW answered the call and asked one question to his man in Chennai " Forget the sister and confirm the fact that Mr.Raman has boarded the flight to Delhi?"

" Okay, thank you Sirish.Good job. Now, quietly go about finding every piece of information that you can about this person and mail them, as and when you find them. Remember Sirish, that I am reporting directly to the Prime minister himself who wants to bring the culprits behind this gruesome murder to book and has told me that, he is going to seek the death penalty for the accused when they are arrested."


Kavita looked at Raman " does that mean trouble for us, more trouble?" and he shook his head and smiled " Trouble maybe, for me. Not for you or for your family."

" Why you Raman? What have you done wrong? You are our savior and guardian?" and Raman softly " And I will always be there for you and for your family? Always."

Leaning back, he closed his eyes and told Kavita, " We have another two hours of flying before we land in Delhi. I suggest you take a nap and charge your batteries for god only knows when we are going to sleep peacefully again."

She waited for him to fall asleep and then gently rested her head on his shoulder and fell asleep breathing his air and strength and whispered to her god " Take all that is good in me and give it this man.Take all my lives and strength and bless this soul with it.All i want now is revenge and justice for my brother and for my family."

ME TOO MUSINGS


I find it wickedly amusing, when people from all walks of life come up to me, chat with me, wish me better luck and then, finally snap a selfie with me. There have been many a time, when men and women while taking a selfie have asked me throw an arm around their shoulders and i have indulged them, even though i was not comfortable with it.

Yesterday, i stood watching the pigeons being fed on the beach and tried to shoot some pics but with the sun playing truant and taking a much deserved rest behind the dark, Monsoon clouds, i managed but a few.

Hearing " sir ", i turned and saw a couple of women in their mid or late thirties and with just an hint of a smile, and said " Hello" and when they raised their phones that looked like small grenade launcher,i hurriedly pocketed my own mobile that looks as weathered as me and then folding my hands tight across my chest, posed for the pics.

Be it man or woman, no more holding, for god only knows what or when a pic or selfie can come back and bite your arse, and when you least expect it.

Me too, yes, these two words have had a drastic effect on the psyches of most men today and have put them on their best behavior around the fairer sex.

Extreme, but i think after what womankind have suffered and endured with men, it is justified and perfectly. As for me, the case of that one tragic soul called Nirbhaya, is enough to make me think, that a movement like Me Too is welcome and it is visible to all and sundry that, it is having an effect and i hope and pray, a lasting effect.

Finally, women are standing up for themselves and fighting for themselves and i give them all my prayers,best wishes and sincerely hope, that finally a lasting change really happens to all members of the womankind.