*From & To Sathish* - Thread 4 - Page 58

Good morning. I wish you a beautiful day.

“I don't know when we'll see each other again or what the world will be like when we do. We may both have seen many horrible things. But I will think of you every time I need to be reminded that there is beauty and goodness in the world.” Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha

Why is life and the lives of others thus? is a question that can best be answered by the one or one's who made all of this possible. I honestly think God is a capitalist and am very sure he is not a communist. For, see the diversity in everything and every being and more so in our own species.

Each and every one who has come and gone, ever been, and is right now and will be one day in the future has a different fingerprint, DNA to set him or her apart from the other.

Evolution, survival of the fittest, theories all aside, it is utterly remarkable that all of us are so different. Sadly, it is this difference, diversity, a need for Mother nature to create a better model,updated version of each and every life that she creates that also brings so much chaos.

Imagine all of us as the same in every detail and down to the most minute makeup and imagine that world. Now, you see why I think God is a capitalist and not a communist.

All that plagues this mad, mad world comes from the basic five senses ( Nonsense) and not from the most important sense ( conscience) that has somehow been gifted to us human species, deliberately or by accident.

Needs such as food, water, sex and the need for one group to triumph over the others is what that is driving this beautiful and rare planet in the universe towards its hasty death.

I wonder, just wonder how many experiments such as earth has been conducted across the vast cosmos by God.

So many questions and so little answers in such a short span of life.

I give you all my wishes and prayers. Be well.

Jannal oram 296

Raman watched Jeeva drift back to sleep and his eyes drifted over her gently and came to rest on the gentle swell of her tummy from where new life would emerge and was letting the world outside know that it was here and waiting for it's time.

Raman slowly brushed his teeth and then tip-toed across the room and careful not to awaken his queen, gently let himself out of the room and walked towards the kitchen. The smell of fresh filter coffee hit his senses and quickened his heartbeat and like a drug addict aching for a fix, hurried towards the kitchen and saw that it was empty but for two large flasks that had coffee tears sliding down their bodies.

' Kamakshi amma has made the coffee, but who was here after that' wondered Raman and pouring himself a large mug of coffee came out and seeing the front door open walked towards it and came out of the house.

He saw his dad serving hot, steaming coffee in mugs along with biscuits to the two private security men that belonged to his sensei, ex-dgp Devarajan and also the two cops who had been designated for their security.

Shaktivel saw Raman, and both slowly walked towards each other, and father asked his son ' why so early Iyaa? You could have slept a little while longer for god only knows how tired you must be, both in body and soul?'

' Those days of innocence and happier times seems to have deserted me appa. Days, when I could lay my head on the pillow and would instantly fall into a deep, dreamless and refreshing sleep.'

Raman took a sip of coffee and suddenly smiled to himself and Shaktivel looked at this strange smile on his son's face and asked ' Iyaa, what does this smile of yours mean?'

' Appa, I just remembered a story from Ramayana when we spoke about sleep and how it has abandoned all of us.'

' Which one Iyaa?' and Raman replied ' the one that concerns laxman and his sleep'.

Shaktivel shrugged and shook his head ' Iyaa Ram, we named you after Lord Rama and the only Ramayana that I know well is the story of my own son Raman and that is enough for me.'

Raman smiled ' I know appa and I know it and will never forget it.'

Taking another sip and gently letting the coffee warm his throat and letting it slide down into his belly, past his frozen heart, Raman looked into the distance and began narrating ' When Rama and Sita began preparing to leave for their 14 years of exile, Laxman decided to follow his elder brother to serve him and his wife Sita, who was not like a mother to him. But Lord Rama refused and finally agreed only when Laxman threatened to kill himself.

Hearing that her husband Laxman had decided to go to the forest to serve his brother and his queen, his wife urmila too wanted to go with him. But, Laxman convinced her to stay and looks after their mothers and family members.

On the very first day, Lord Laxman stood watch over Rama and Sita, when the goddess of sleep, Nidra Devi came to him. Laxman fell to his knees and begged her for a wish and when the goddess granted him, he wished that she would not affect him with sleep for the next 14 years of exile and come to him only when they returned back To Ayodhya and Rama was crowned king.

Nidra devi smiled and granted him his wish but said that the 14 years of sleep that he was going to sleep had to borne by someone else, and Laxman whispered to his wife Urmila in his soul and hearing his wish and need back in Ayodhya willingly took on 14 years of sleep, so that her beloved husband could carry out his duty of serving and protecting his Rama and Sita.'

Tears ran down raman's face and Shaktivel gently wiped them away and hugged his son fiercely.

Raman spoke softly ' Vijay was laxman for me dad and now this raman is alone. Now, this Raman has to stay awake forever until the exile is over'.

Shaktivel confused ' what exile iyaa? who has exiled us?'

' Appa, we have been exiled by life itself into sadness and tragedy. If both the brothers faced terrible demons in the forest and finally vanquished Ravana in battle, it seems we are facing far worse demons in the city.'

Smiling sadly ' they were gods appa, and there was lord Hanuman who brought back Laxman to life by bringing the sanjeevini herb. But, we are alone and with no gods to save us and there is just no bringing back Vijay to life from death'.

Wiping his tears, ' appa, Kavita called and informed me that Vijay was going to be cremated later in the evening. Jeeva and me have decided that we would all stop at Vijay's house and pay our respects before going to the hospital to see Mohan'.

Shaktivel nodded sadly ' okay, then there is no point in wasting time iyaa. We should go to Vijay's house as quickly as possible'.

Looking at the old HMT watch on his right wrist, Shaktivel said ' Iyaa, the time is about 6.00 am and we should all be ready to leave by 7.30 am. Is that okay for you?'

Raman sat for a few more moments waiting for the sun to crest the wave of trees that hid it like clouds in the skies did and it did crest and blazed down brightly on Raman's face and soul.

' You are the one true witness and one who sees all and misses none, good and bad. Stay with us through the coming darkness and carry us safely though the coming war for war it is'.

Jannal oram 297

Raman and the others came out of the house to get into the cab that they had been provided for them and that to had been due to the security team that was now around them like a protective bubble.

Raman paused at the gate and looked up at the dark, cloudy sky and seeing that, Jeeva asked him ' what is it Ram?'.

He looked at her, ' the sun came out bright and shining fine and now it seems to be lost among the clouds, Jeeva'.

He looked at her as she looked at the topic, the dark and dull sky and he repeated ' Just before you got up, I was here talking to it and the sun was all fine and there was no cloud in the blue sky and yet here it is now all gloomy'.

' Baby, the same sun, that shone for you has now drowned itself in the darkness of the clouds for maybe it too,like you, is sad and depressed at the loss of Vijay. Maybe, just maybe, it is paying its final respects to a fallen son by staying away at this particular moment'.

The large Toyota cab slowly slipped away with a police patrol car carrying armed commandos closely following them and although Greamways road was just a few kms away,it took them a crawling pace of 35 minutes. minutes. It took them all that time because of the massive crowds of rulings party members who themselves had come for their favorite son, who was now no more.

Raman and the others realized why the traffic was so jammed up at such an early hour when they came to the barricades that had been placed at the entrance of Greamways road and was now manned by many armed police teams who stood along with many high-ranking police officials.

Since, they were in a private cab, their vehicle was halted and was asked to divert into the right lane that would lead them into T.T.K road, and into Alwarpet, and then into the heart of the city.

Raman turned to see if the police patrol team would do the needful and saw that the vehicle was caught up in traffic and was too far behind them.

The knock on the drivers side window was by a Assistant commissioner who nearly barked at them and ordered them to take a right immediately since they were jamming up the traffic behind them.

Raman nodded and was about to request the others to get down and then they would walk it from there but stopped on seeing Mani, Jeeva's dad for whom it would be just impossible to walk that long a distance with his Arthritic condition.

Understanding their predicament, Mani said ' you carry on from here while I remain in the vehicle and we will park somewhere and wait for you to return.'

Raman smiled and then made a call and looked at the Assistant Commissioner and pointed to his large handset which squeaked loudly and the voice of the Commissioner of Chennai city police came through loud and clear ' Allow them immediately and see to it that their protection group is with them. If not, go with them and see to their protection.'

The Ac hurriedly whispered ' sorry Mr. Raman, we had no clue about you and your family's arrival and hence this misunderstanding'.

Raman shook his head ' sir, please don't apologise for doing your duty. I am sorry for I should have informed my security team about our plans and they in turn would have taken the permission and also informed you about it'.

Their armed escort team arrived and the Sub-inspector came running towards them carrying a few garlands and Raman knew why they had fallen back and smiled in gratitude.

The SI said ' Raman sir, we knew you would be safe once you entered this zone and that is why we stopped to pick up these garlands so that you and your family could lay them on namma Vijay sir'.

The sun that had itself inside the darkness of the gloomy clouds now slipped out of its wispy confines and burst out with its morning light and Raman looked up and thought sadly ' There is hope still and maybe Vijay is up there with the sun telling me, whispering to me that there is hope still and that good will triumph in the end.

Jannal oram 298

“We do not have control over many things in life and death but we do have control over the meaning we give it.”

― Nathalie Himmelrich

Something was not right, and felt strange and eerie and Raman realized what it was when Manigandan, Jeeva's dad said it ' bloody quiet and too composed for a funeral and that too of a popular minister's son who was probably more popular than his father himself '.

They had gotten out of the cab which had been parked in a large make-shift parking and which was obviously meant for VVIPS and now after hearing Mani's observation, all of them looked around and saw how calm the whole funeral affair was although armed police commandos stood guard and on high alert.

The crowds that were making all the noise were far away on the road and here where the reason for all the crowds and noises was absolutely still and silent.

Raman looked at them ' maybe this is how it is out in the sea. calm, peaceful while the shore is full of noises'.

The minister's enclave on Greamways road is like a haven for trees and all lives that depend on trees and the shelter they provide and they stood under the shade that the immense trees were providing and absorbed the quiet of the place and then slowly shuffled forward as one.

Raman subtly grabbed Jeeva's left arm and she looked at him and lifted her head questioningly and seeing his obvious discomfort in his eyes and expression, she softly squeezed his arm and smiled understandingly.

Shaktivel who was holding Manigandan and helping him to slowly walk behind the others saw what had taken place between Raman and Jeeva and wondered what it was all about and then pushed it away for a later time.

Raman, jeeva, valliammai and kamakshi waited for shaktivel and mani to join them, when an elderly man hurried towards them and introduced himself as Kanakasabhai, Minister Duraipandi Arumugam's PA.

Raman enquired as to the state of the Minister's health and Kanakasabhai sadly ' still in the ICU and under sedation. Kavita amma thought that is was better that way for he was conscious, Iyaa would have insisted on being present for Chinnaiyaa oda funeral.'

He then took both of Raman's hands and said, ' sir, they are all alone now without Vijay and they have only you as their support. Please take care of them sir.'

Raman began to speak and the PA letting go of his hands ' I know what you are going to say. All of you are here along with other family members and what is it that I can do.'

He looked at Raman and the others, ' I have been a PA for namma minister for three consecutive terms and before that I worked as a PA for a central cabinet minister and have seen enough of both good and bad to last me a hundred lifetimes.'

Raising both his hands and pointing them towards the house, he continued ' Only in this house, only with this minister have I seen good things happen and also have been able to wash off all the sins that I had gathered while being in the service of the previous corrupt govts and it is with that clear knowledge, I tell you that they have you, only you..'

He folded his hands ' Iyaa, you are practically worshipped here as a god for having saved both kavita amma's and vijay iyaa's life all those years ago and it is the way you did it and without a care for your own life or the many criminals who came that day that has made them feel for you in such a way. That is why I said, that they have only you and it is simply because they have only you that they can trust in such a critical condition.'

Raman gently hugged the PA and said ' I know the police commissioner very well and I trust that he will do all that is needed to protect this family'.

PA Kanakasabhai smiled ' Iyaa, paavam iyaa antha commissioner. If the bad ones come to power, they will either get him transferred or they might even get him killed. Nothing is beyond the criminals who have power in this ruling govt and now our dead chinnaiyaa is proof enough.'

Raman looked at Kanakasabhai ' I will do my best and I will be there for this family, trust me.'

Then, stepping closer, he whispered to the Minister's PA, ' I cannot do this alone not singehandedly and I will need all the help that I can get'.

PA Kanakasabhai wiped his eyes and smiled brightly ' whatever you need sir and whatever it takes?'

Then, he led them into the house and Mani who was lagging behind with Shaktivel for support said ' shakti, Raman is special.Truly special, and I am beginning to realize the truth that all of us come along with different but specific purpose in this world which has been determined by God'.

Speed thrills but kills way too often

Now in my middle age, I have learnt the basic rules and laws that govern traffic and how you drive on the roads.

Go fast if it is only possible to go fast.Go slow when you have to go slow.

Going fast when you should really be going slow is what the real cause of accidents and mostly fatal when it concerns a two-wheeler.

A two-wheeler is first and foremost a mode of transport that will transport you from Point A to Point B and whether you reach B or H ( HEAVEN or Hell) is finally up to you and only you the rider holding the the handle bars.

But, a two wheeler is more than just a transport and becomes a journey of freedom and a voyage of exploration when you are out on the highway.

Imagine yourself, picture yourself with headphones buried under the protection of a high quality helmet and you alone or with your favorite soul as your passenger along with other like minded riders and cruising the highway, taking in the sights and sounds away from the city.

That is the purest and immediate sensation and joy that a two wheeler rider feels when out riding and breezing along.

Not when, zig-zagging dangerously between other vehicles on a busy city road.

But, we have to maybe understand the youngsters who are right now doing those terrible and risky driving and it is with certainity that I tell you that some of them won't be alive come Monday.

Before, I blame the rash driving of youngsters who are not taught or know better apart from the thrill of owning a high speed bike, I blame all the two wheeler manfacturers who places these dangerous ads which shows riders driving on the track and in a controlled environment but also pulling dangerous looking stunts.

Honestly, has or have any one of todays two wheeler manfacturers taken out an ad in the paper telling people, educating them about the dangers involved in riding rashly and that too inside the city.

No, not one and sadly they all put out ads showing off the speed and the power of their products.

Every day, in every other street, you can see for yourself, young men, boys even smiling innocently out of posters that inform you that they are no more and have left this Realm.

Who am I to say or even talk about this? Well, I am a victim too for I lost my parents long ago in an accident and I too nearly lost my own life driving fast and importantly rashly.

But, I sobered up and realized the joys of riding a two-wheeler and have spent many a journey on the highway.

The many chennai to bangalore trips with my favorite soul Shant, a few trips with my other favorite souls Kirrik Kishore, murugesh and seeni ( konai) and countless such trips on my own.

I remember my trip from chennai to Goa and back in 1995 and treasure it to this day.

Two wheeler manfacturers have to become more pro-active and aggressive when it comes to educating their buyers about riding rashly and that too inside the city.

All the manfacturers display with pride the number of bikes sold but will they display the number of souls who lost their lives driving their bikes.

If they did that then I think the number of fatalities will begin to drop, hopefully and hope is all that I have now.

Jannal oram 299

“Memories saturate my heart and the story of you spills from my eyes.­Grace Andren”

Kanakasabhai, Minister Arumugams PA led them into the hall, and Vijay was the first sight to greet all of them them even in death and as he lay in the freezer box.He lay in the center of the large hall and but for the large brass lamp that flickered brightly next to him, only two women sat near the box that held him and they were his mother and sister.

Raman blanked out everything and the only sight his soul saw through his eyes were the three members, one dead and two alive in sorrow.

Kavita stood up and looked at all of them, totally lost and broken and if Raman had worried about something, then he need not have worried for Jeeva was the one who stepped forward and took kavita into her arms and held her there for a long time.

Kamakshi and Valliammai both joined Jeeva and consoled Kavita and then PA kanakasabhai brought a chair for Manigandan to sit down, which Mani accepted gratefully.

Raman laid the garlands on Vijay and then went and knelt down before the heart broken mother who was pining for her son. Vijay'a mother looked at him ' why Ram? why my child? why has god taken away all that is good and honest in this world?'

She tried to get up but could not and Raman gently lifted her up to her feet and stood holding her.

She looked at him and after finding the strength to walk, slowly led Raman towards vijay and pointed to his face ' I am not able to see his face for I was told that it was badly damaged from the bullet wound. My handsome son, the future of this state and nation and here he lies in death and in ruin.'

Kavita looked at her mother and knew that she was losing it and coming near her, hushed her ' Amma, not now. we have all the time in the world for our tears. But now, it is time to give viji a great farewell.'

Vijay's mother smiled through her tears ' My son is gone and I am sure that his father will not last too long now and once he goes, I too will follow him quickly and that means she will be left all alone.'

Raman took her hands and looked straight into her eyes ' No, not going to happen for there has been enough death and talk of death in all our lives. You are going to live on and live on for your husband and daughter and we will all live on for the memory of my friend Vijay.'

Vijay's mother sank into his arms and Raman held her tightly to his chest, consoling her and then opened his right arm and looked at Kavita and she too came into his arms.

Raman held them tenderly and then spoke in a low tone so the words could be heard only by them.

' Vijay might be gone but I am here in place of him and I will be here whenever you need me by your side.'

This sad moment was broken by hushed voices, mutterings and soft curses all around them and Raman, Kavita and her mother turned and looked at the entrance and were shocked by the people who stood there.

Jannal oram 300

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”? Anonymous

You members know me very well for my moods, eccentricities and weird habits. But, what I am about to put down is not part of any of what I have stated but may still sound vague.

More than happiness, my best writings have come from sadness and from Introspection rather than happiness or success. I always make it a point to attend funerals, show solidarity to persons in grief and somehow always find myself giving a skip to marriages, functions and parties of celebrations.

Well, that is it and that is that and we will leave it at that.

If Kavita and her mother Sharadha were worried, nervous and stressed about unwanted visitors, then their worst fear had come true for there at the door stood Mallika Vaidyanathan, their sworn enemy's wife along with a young man who held an angel by his side.

It was the angel who ran screaming happily ' Jeeva amma, Jeeva amma ' and when Jeeva bent down, the young girl launched herself into her arms and planted a few kisses on her face.

Kutty Jeeva looked at Jeeva accusingly ' amma, why haven't you come to see me and Appa? I have missed you so badly. But, I am glad that we met here for Me and Appa and Grandma are flying off to USA tomorrow evening.'

Jeeva not knowing what to do or how to respond, smiled gently ' very good ma. we will talk more later, but not now for this is not the place.'

Kutty Jeeva's face turned sad ' I know Jeeva amma for Appa told me that a very kind and gentle soul had passed away and that his name was Vijay.'

Pointing to the freezer box that held vijay in death, Kutty Jeeva reached out and took a garland that Bharat was holding and told Jeeva ' Jeeva amma, I am too short to reach and place this garland on Mr.Vijay, so can you please carry me and hold me while I place it on him.'

Jeeva smiled ' sure da chellam' and carried her towards Vijay and helped Kutty Jeeva place the garland on him.

Then suddenly she spoke and prayed in a loud voice ' Mr. Vijay, My father told me about you and what a great and gentle soul you are. And, I googled you and learnt more about you and it was all true. I am sorry that we could not meet before this. But don't worry for in heaven you can meet my mother, Mrs. Sudha shreekanth Bharat who also left us at a very young age.'

Kavita looked at Bharat who nodded and then took Kutty jeeva into her arms and hugged her gently.

Mallika Vaidyanathan stood before both Sharadha Arumugam and Kavita and spoke to them, ' There is so much that I can say and have to say but I will say it in just one word and that is sorry. My husband has done many terrible things and has committed countless evil crimes and only now I realize that my daughter was taken as a punishment for all his sins and for me for staying quiet.'

She turned to Raman ' sir, I have decided to set right the things that have been broken and ruined by my husband and Hopefully I can achieve a little bit before I leave with Bharat and Jeeva '.

Wiping her eyes with the edge of her sari she looked at all of them ' we need to talk and we need a private room for that for I fear my husband has eyes and ears everywhere and I will not be surprised if his spies are here too and right now, this very moment'.

Kavita looked at her mother, ' Amma, take them to appa's study and I will join you in a moment'.

Only she and Raman remained and then she looked at him ' kutty jeeva. The angels name is Jeeva'.

Raman nodded ' a story but one that belongs to the past and has no relevance as to now. Kavita, i think the tide is beginning to turn in our favor and maybe this is the beginning of the end.The end of Mr.Vaidyanathan.'

I wish you all a beautiful day and hope and hope and pray that there is always light and love in your lives.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” ― Plato

This simple truth was thought and written down nearly 2300 years ago and yet how many battles have been fought and how many millions, billions of lives have been lost from that day and sadly, the killing continues to this day.

Do you ever ask yourself

Is there a Heaven in the sky

Why can't we get it right

Cause we all live under the same sun

We all walk under the same moon

Then why, why can't we live as one

From the song " under the same sun" by the Scorpions.

Whenever possible, I am there when the sun is coming up over the solitude that is the monument on the beach and it is mostly at that time, a few men belonging the the Jain community come carrying sacks of grain and feed for the Pigeons and crows.

Up the tiny incline they trudge and lowering the 25 to 30 kg sacks, scatter the feed for the birds and the sun comes up on this kindness of those few humans and as a star witness to dharma and Karma.

I sit with a smile and witness this everyday and tell myself ' there is hope still for the human race and I hope it is not too late and that God does not pass judgement just yet '.

Jannal oram 301

“You think of yourself as an "individual person", with a unique and separate mind. You think you are born and you think you die. All your life you feel separate and alone. Sometimes desperately so. You fear death because you fear the loss of individuality. All this is an illusion. You, he, she, those things around you living or not, the stars and galaxies, the empty space in between- these are not distinct, separate objects. All is fundamentally entangled.” ? Douglas Preston

Bharat looked at Kavita and her mother Sharadha, and conveyed his deepest condolences, and then hesitatingly told them ' please forgive me for my timing but I have something to say to Raman and Jeeva, and I hope you do not misunderstand me for breaking protocol and for saying it in this sad and painful moment.'

He looked at Kavita and Sharadha, ' I am saying this because we will not be seeing them again, for god knows how long a time.'

Kavita replied ' Bharat, you are among family and trusted souls. Nobody here is going to misunderstand you or your words for we know you are a perfect gentleman.So, please say what you want to say.'

Bharat looked at both Raman and Jeeva ' Congratulations both of you. I wish we were there when you got married.'

Raman hurriedly replied, ' Aiyo, sorry Bharat. It all happened very quickly, and was decided only at the last moment and to top it all,the wedding day was a chaos filled one that started with me getting arrested, and being taken to court.Honestly, none of us held any hopes of me and Jeeva getting married. If the marriage did take place, then all the credit goes to my boss and your friend who came in the nick of time and saved me.'

Mallika vaidyanathan wished both Raman and Jeeva and gave her blessings and spoke to Raman, ' Sir, The moment I met you that day when you came home to meet my husband, I knew that you are not an ordinary person and someone who has been blessed by the gods themselves. I am saying this because, otherwise it would not be possible to take on such a man as my husband for only a superhuman or God can do that.'

Her kind and sweet words brought tears to the eyes of Raman's parents and filled them all with pride and joy.'

Bharat looked at Raman, ' sir, good things always happen to good people and god never forsakes them. Maybe, he will test them and push them to their limits, but will never forsake them.'

Jeeva looked at him ' How are you feeling now Bharat? Are you totally recovered from your injury?'

Bharat flexed his lower jaw slowly ' I am okay Jeeva, just a sharp twinge here and there when I chew my food, but which the doctors say will vanish over time.'

Turning to Raman, ' Ram, I don't know if I will ever meet two perfect people like you both, and who were meant for each other and to be with each other. Since, I could not gift you anything for your wedding, let me do that now.'

Looking at both of them ' I know that in all these chaos and troubled times, both of you have yet to go on your honeymoon.so, I gift you both a fully paid trip to USA with Boarding and lodging taken care of.'

Kutty Jeeva jumped up yelling in her american accent ' hey, way to go dad. Good one'.

Grabbing Jeevas's right hand ' Jeeva amma,please say yes. please, I am begging you, say yes.'

Jeeva lifted her up and holding her tenderly, said ' Yes. Yes sweetheart. But, not before we sort out some issues that are pending, and need to be taken care of. Then, after that, we will all fly out to see you and your dad and spend time with you. Promise.'

Raman with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes ' Oh, does that mean I am not going to get paid for handling your case?'

Bharat protested ' No, no. That is totally different and you will get paid.'

Everybody found a seat for themselves and kutty jeeva found her on Jeeva's lap and laying her head slowly began to drift into a deep sleep.'

Kavita looked pointedly at Mallika Vaidyanathan ' amma, I have known you from the time I was a child and I know that you are a kind and gentle soul and yet here we are with both our families facing each other as bitter enemies.'

Mallika Vaidyanathan smiled sadly, ' Thappu kavita. you are mistaken when you say our families are bitter enemies for none in my family think of you as that except my husband. And likewise, I have known your family and both your parents from the time I came to Chennai after my wedding and so I know what a kind and gentle person your father is.'

Although she was speaking calmly, everybody knew very well the immense strain she was in and wondered about her courage that she must have summoned from her soul.

Mallika Vaidyanathan continued' There is only one enemy, one problem and one root cause for all our problems and that is my husband. If you are all thinking, that I must be an incredibly strong, and brave person, for talking openly about this issue, then you are wrong for it has taken more from my soul, and spirit to have kept silent all these years, while good was being trampled upon in the name of power and politics.

But all that ends today, and now, for it does not matter anymore, who I am or who my husband is, and what matters is the truth.'

Kavita, her eyes filled with liquid diamonds, spoke angrily ' Why, why now, and why not before this Mallika amma?'

' Because of Vijay, kavita. And enough is enough.'

Raman surprised by this last sentence ' Vijay, but ma'am what has Vijay got to do with this sudden change of heart?'

Mallika smiled and then her eyes blazed with anger ' Because in my heart, I know for sure, that the cause for Vijay's death in Delhi, must have surely been my husband.'

Jannal oram 302

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Every single person in the small study in which they were all seated had lost that which they considered more precious than their own lives and that which could not be gotten back, ever.

Mallika vaidyanathan looked at all of them, and asked, ' I have just a little to say, and I know that you all realize how difficult it must be for me and I respect that. But, before I say it, am i right in assuming that Mr.Raman is the one to whom you all turn to for counsel and for decisions.'

All of them looked at each other and although taken aback with this sudden revelation, maybe even a confession, they unconsciously nodded their agreement with Mallika Vaidyanathan's statement.

Raman held up his hand in a form of protest, ' Ma'am, I am a lawyer. But, that does not mean that I decide what is right or wrong or even the course of action in this situation. I am but a symbol of a decision taken collectively and in total agreement with all that are gathered here.'

Mallika vaidyanathan smiled, ' Raman sir, that is why I said what I said and what is in the minds of all those who are around you and who look up to you with love, trust and respect.'

Sharadha arumugam looked at Raman, ' Ram, I might have lost a son but I have gained one in you and have also gained a whole family in the process. If, my husband and my Vijay were here, they would acknowledge the words of Mallika akka.'

Mallika vaidyanathan gathered herself and continued ' If my husband has to be stopped, then his branches have to be cut down and only after that, do you go after the root.

I think I am correct when I say that the branches have already been cut down by my husband himself with the death of his trusted confidante Periyakaruppan and so that leaves us, with his one important contact in the capital.'

She looked at all of them ' I don't know who that is, but I know for certain that he is someone very powerful and highly connected with all the parties in Delhi.'

Turning to Raman, ' I am very sure that with your contacts and skills, you can find out for sure who this mysterious person is. I have heard my husband speaking to him and just once, only once did I happen to hear his name.'

If she was expecting one of them to eagerly jump up and ask who it was, then it did not happen and so she tried to say the name and feeling a bit embarrassed about it for she was not sure if she had heard the name right, she looked at all of them and said ' Please forgive this old woman for I am not exactly sure if I heard the name right.'

Raman's voice reflected his pain but it seemed to reflect his anger even more when he spoke ' Santoshi Bhanwari Lal. Is that the name you heard ma'am?'

Mallika's face reflected the shock she felt an hearing Raman say the name that she had thought was a secret known only to her and a knowledge that she had kept from her husband and everyone else.

' Yes. But, how is that you know the name? I heard my husband address him with respect and he always called him as Bhai, Santoshi Bhai.'

Kavita's voice sounded broken for it was trying to convey pain, anger and sarcasm at the same time and ended up instead as a plea, a confession ' they did this together. They both plotted and had my brother killed.'

Bharat looked at Kavita, and then at Raman, ' Ram, the news channels are reporting that he was accidentally killed and that the reason was because he happened to be with this lady whose dad is a high ranking army official and whose aunt happens to be the Defence minister too.'

Mallika could not control her emotions and asked Raman ' what is the truth Raman sir and how is that you know for certain that my husband was involved in this murder.'

Raman looked at Kavita who nodded and turning to Mallika Vaidyanathan ' I know for certain because Vijay called me to inform me about seeing both your husband and his friend Santoshi Lal in a vehicle.'

Confused with this new information, Mallika in a pathetic voice ' but what has that got to do with Vijay, and that girl being murdered.'

' Everything Ma'am. Everything for they followed the vehicle in which your husband and Santoshi Lal were travelling and that is when they were killed.'

Their privacy was broken by the arrival of Kanakasabhai, PA to Kavita's father and going to her, he whispered something and left quietly.

Kavita waited for the door to be shut and standing up said ' Minister Vaidyanathan is here and I believe he has come here to pay his respects to my brother's body.'