*From & To Sathish* - Thread 4 - Page 61

Jannal Oram 312

The senior nurse quickly checked Mohan's vitals and as she was doing that, Raman asked her to also check his arms for any puncture wounds.

The nurse did a thorough check on both of Mohan's hands and then for good measure checked his toes and feet and finding no puncture marks, looked up at Raman, ' nothing sir.'

Raman thanked her and then Mohan's dad and mum came rushing in and in full panic mode.

Thulasi yelled,' what is wrong with the AC? Why is the room so freezingly cold?'

The duty nurse replied,' central ac ma'am. It is in the same setting as it is in all rooms on all the floors.'

Pointing to the small pad that flashed 25, she said.' the temperature has been set at 25 and it has been the same since your son has been in the room for it was your request to not set the temperature very cold as he does not like it.'

Raman ran his eyes and then told Venu, Mohan's dad,' Sir, we are all stepping out now. I want you and ma'am to stay inside and to keep the door locked until we inform you that the danger has passed.'

Mohan's dad totally confused, ' danger. what danger Raman? what can anybody do to my son who is already at death's door and only his body is being kept alive and that too only with the help of all these equipment.'

' I am sorry sir. Give me a little time while we make sure that the threat has passed. Lock the door and stay inside.'

Leaving them inside, he walked out with AC Damodaran following him and towards the two men who lay still on the ground.

The loud, authoritarian voice combined with the words, ' Police, Police ' was enough to scatter the few people that had begun to gather around the two bodies and almost all of them were the staff nurses and duty doctors.

But, hearing the word Police and also taking in the large knives that lay in the men's hands was enough for all around to know that it was now a criminal case.

The offensive launched had been subtle yet deadly, but the defense in reply had been even more subtle and far deadlier. So quick, that no one had seen Raman unleash the two bombs that had killed both men instantly.

Assistant Commissioner Damodaran crouched and checked both the men for any pulse and then requested the lady doctor who stood nearby to check on the men.

The lady doctor felt for pulse beat in both the men's throats and shook her head and said ' Both are dead sir.'

Assistant Commissioner Damodaran looked at Raman with fear, respect and then looked at everybody else, ' did anyone see anything? any witness to this crime? two men are dead and someone must have seen something?'

Witness, death, police were enough of words to put the fear of not only God but the devil himself in all the people around them and one by one, they replied, ' I did not see anything. I was not even here. I was in the room. I just got here.'

AC Damodaran nodded, ' okay, all right. in that case, I want all of you to leave the place immediately for it is now a criminal case and I will be cordoning this area.'

Turning to the senior nurse, ' Ma'am, can you please call for the hospital security to come up and stand guard over each end of the corridors until the Police team arrives.'

Raman looked at AC Damodaran, ' I can do better' and made a call and spoke, ' all of you come up and please bring my family with you. Please be alert.'

Looking at AC Damodaran, ' just until your team arrives. Is that okay?'

The slim, petite pretty doctor who had been watching the two dead men trying to break into Mohan's room, slowly removed her coat and slipped away unnoticed and made her way downstairs.

Both the elevators were busy and the stairs were jammed with panic-stricken people trying to go down and a dozen hospital security men trying to come up.

She slowly made her way and walked calmly and unerringly towards her destination which was in the Basement and as she descended the stairs, she put on her coat again and then reached the room that had a nameplate announcing itself as the ' security room '. She knocked gently and the door was opened by a man who was obviously a veteran of either the police force or the army.

He looked at her and his instincts took over and he said, ' Doctor, this area is off limits to everybody. So, what are you doing here?'

The petite woman began to cry, ' I saw the men dying. I saw them being killed.'

The security man did not know what to say or how to react at this show of emotion and turned to pick up a tissue from the table to offer the petite and pretty doctor and that was the last function he did for he died instantly as the knife was pushed into neck by the same doctor.

Showing tremendous strength that belied her slight and petite frame, she held the huge man and gently lowered him to the ground and then quickly went over the computers and the screens.

She knew she did not have time to remove the hard disk for that would mean dismantling the computer and that would take time, at least ten to fifteen minutes.

She slipped in a flash drive and her fingers flew over the keypads and brought up the footage of the past one hour and transferred it into her drive and then deleted the file and then for good measure smiled an evil smile and deleted all the data in all the drives and quietly left.

No one took notice of the petite doctor as she got into her car and slowly slipped out and made her getaway.

She parked the car in a quiet spot and left behind her coat, glasses and her stethoscope and now wore a grey wig and thick glasses and getting out of the car, shuffled away to another car that had been placed there the previous night.

Safe and out of any danger, she tapped her mobile and spoke into the earphones,' Jamun, I am out and safe.'

' Gulab, I am not in the least worried about you. Is it done?'

' Sorry, Jaan. Raman killed both of them.'

The moments passed silently with no word from her partner and only the occasional honking disturbed the silence and then Jamun, the assassin spoke,' tell me everything and how this could have happened for you are talking about the Sharma brothers, who between them had killed nearly 80 people.'

Not getting any response from Gulab, he yelled, ' okay they are dead and it is of no consequence. What I want to know now is, did they at least manage to injure this Raman before dying?'

' No.'

' what do you mean no?'

' It means exactly that Jamun.'

' Gulab, you are testing my patience and I know how you like to play your evil and twisted mind games. But, please keep that for your victims and not for me.'

She replied,' I am not playing any mind games baby. I am just scared and for the right reasons. For the very first time in my life I am tasting fear, and a taste which has left me rather melancholic and moody.'

' what happened in the hospital Gulab?'

' Two strikes. Just two strikes and both were dead and died before they even fell to the ground.'

Jannal Oram 313

While they stood waiting, for the arrival of Raman's police protection team, Assistant Commissioner Damodaran made two calls and the first one was to the nearby Vadapalini Police station, R8 and informed the Duty Inspector about the incident in Vijaya hospital and then called the Deputy Commissioner Muthuvel Rayar his immediate senior, who warned him to keep everything under wraps until the Commissioner had been told about this who then would take the news either to the DGP or the chief secretary to the chief minister.

AC Damodaran looked at Raman, ' what happened?'

' Look at the knives that are still in their hands. That is what happened.'

' Please Mr. Raman, this is not time to be joking for both the men are dead. Dead sir.'

Raman glared at AC Damodaran, ' Oh I see. you mean to say that it would have better if it had been me lying dead on the ground, stabbed many times by these criminals. Tell me, is that what you mean by your question?'

AC Damodaran in frustration, ' I did not mean that. Just that they are dead and maybe you could have reacted in a different way.'

Raman laughed loudly and then in a sarcastic voice, ' Your department goes around killing innocent people every month and under the pretext of encounters. When in fact, most of the dead killed by your dept are minors, juveniles who could have been given a better life and rehabilitated into the society.'

Raman stepped closer, ' Yes sir, you and your dept know that half the crimes in this city and most of the crimes in the state and country are done with the blessings of the politicians in power along with the help of your men in uniform. One rule for you, and one rule for the public. nalla irukku.'

AC Damodaran in a worried voice, ' MR. Raman, please believe me when I say I am on your side and more or less agree to your actions and also reactions. But, this involves two dead men and they are most probably going to arrest you and place you in judicial custody.'

Raman smiled, ' AC Sir, Let me first enlighten you about IPC Section 96 to 106 of the penal code which states the law relating to the right of private defense of person and property.

More clearly, what it means is that these sections give authority to a man to use necessary force against an assailant or wrong-doer for the purpose of protecting one’s own body and property as also another’s body and property when immediate aid from the state machinery is not readily available and in so doing he is not answerable in law for his deeds.'

Raman pointed to the CCTV Camera on both ends of the corridor, ' That is evidence and that is something you should be collecting right at this moment. That is enough to prove that these men tried to attack me and I only defended myself. Podhungula AC sir.'

His eyes blazing with fire, ' I can handle myself and also look after myself and also those that depend on me. In battle and in the courts.'

The sudden commotion and noise alerted them both and they turned to the right and saw Jeeva and both their parents coming towards them with their security team right behind them.

Raman looked at AC Damodaran, ' Can I go now? I am going to Mohan's room and if you need me, please meet me there.'

Jeeva, Shaktivel, Valliammai, Kamakshi and Manigandan all looked at Raman and then all their eyes went to the men who lay on the ground and Jeeva asked, ' Baby, what happened? are you okay sweetie?'

' I am okay.'

Valli looked at her son and then back again at the men lying dead in the corridors and then her eyes shifted to the wicked and deadly knives that glittered under the lights and she slowly touched Raman to check and see if he was hurt in any way.

' Amma, I am okay. No injuries.'

Shaktivel looked at Raman, ' Enna aachunga Iyaa, who were they?'

' Hired killers and they came for Mohan.'

Kamakshi gasped in fear and shock, ' Mohan. But that poor child is in a coma. What can he do or what possible danger can he pose to anybody?'

Manigandan angrily said, ' who else but that evil man, Vaidyanathan. Only, he is capable of such extreme and cruel acts.'

Raman shook his head thoughtfully, ' No, I don't think so. I think these were sent by someone else and I am sure of who it is.'

Jeeva looked at him, ' you mean that fixer from Delhi. How and why?'

Raman looked away,' that is the million dollar question for now. But, I am sure that this was planned much before today and was already in place and it is just their bad luck and our good luck that I got there at the right time.'

Shaktivel, ' Iyaa, how did you know this was going to happen?'

Raman froze and then he slowly recollected all the moments that led to this moment right here. He looked at them and smiled, and Jeeva seeing his smile and sensing something in it, ' dei ram. Romba torture panre. Enna, manasula punnagai mannan kamal nenappa.'

Raman smiled even more, ' ille but Kalyana raman scene.'

All of them went, ' ennathu, what? enna solre?'

Raman sighed and taking a deep breath replied, ' I was on the ground floor just about to enter the restaurant with Mohan's parents when I first felt it and then I heard the voice crying for help.'

Jeeva in a relieved voice, ' thank god you heard the persons voice from above calling for help. that person must really have a loud voice to yell and for you to hear it all the way down there on the ground floor.'

Raman did not reply and instead stared at her and Valliammai totally confused, ' if that person had, in fact, yelled so loudly then it would have been heard by everyone here on this floor.'

Kamakshi understanding Valliammai's thoughts, ' correct Valli. If they had heard, then they would have been the first to respond and if they had done that then they would have been many dead here for it would have taken much more and many more people to have taken down these two criminals. But, nothing like that happened.'

Raman sadly, ' Not bad. There is still some hope of both of you becoming amateur detectives or worse, advocates.'

Jeeva looked at Raman,' How ram? how did you manage to hear the cry of help and who was it that called you?'

Raman looked at all of them and smiled, ' Suja. I think, no, I am very sure that it was Suja's voice that called me and it was her presence that I felt in my mind.'

Hearing his words, they all stood as if a million volts of electricity had passed through them, and one by one each one of them began to cry and smile at the same time.

Jeeva hugged Raman and then placed a soft kiss on his lips, ' You heard my kutty baby's voice. You felt my child's presence. Is she here now, Ram? Is she around?'

Raman smiled and nodded,' I think she is here, at least something of her is here and has been since she died.'

Kamakshi touching Raman's shoulder, ' Where? Where is she now Raman? where is my beautiful child?'

Pointing to Mohan's room that was shut, ' I think she is in there and has been there by his side for his protection and I think it is she who is keeping him alive although his time is over.'

Shaktivel in a sad, scared and quivering voice, ' keeping him alive. Why?'

' Revenge Appa. To get her rightfully deserved vengeance for what has been done to her and Mohan.'

Any comments? Any thoughts? Any reviews? Any faults?

Anything at all.

Okay then. I wish you all a Good day.

“Some think love can be measured, by the amount, of butterflies in their tummy. Others think love can be measured in bunches of flowers, or by using the words ‘forever.' But, love can only truly be measured by actions. It can be a small thing, such as peeling an orange for a person you love because you know they don't like doing it.”— Marian Keyes

Jannal Oram 314

The depth of the love of parents for their children cannot be measured. It is like no other relationship. It exceeds concern for life itself. The love of a parent for a child is continuous and transcends heartbreak and disappointment. James E. Faust

All six souls, the three pairs, two sets of parents and one in the making stood in a circle, huddle and yet they all looked at Raman as their center of orbit and as their sun.

Raman looked down at his feet as if he was hoping to find an answer on the ground, and then controlling his emotions that threatened to blow him away like a tsunami, looked at Kamakshi, ' Amma, I only felt Suja in my heart and only heard her in my mind. But, I did not see her physically or in the way that we knew her and in the way that she left us. So, forgive me if...'.

Manigandan grabbed his arm with a strength that belied his frail stature and condition and in a pleading voice, ' No, Raman. Vendaam, please edhuvum solla vendaam'.

Raman and the others looked at Mani, wondering about the reason for this sudden outburst and the man himself continued, ' Ram, does it matter, this body and looks? No, I think not and we all know what really matters and that is how we feel about one another. God itself is truly felt only in one's mind, so it is okay what you felt.'

Smiling, he looked at Raman, ' we cremated her and so her body is gone, ashes to ashes and dust to dust. So, it is only logical and practical for Suja to reach out through our hearts and importantly she reached out to you and you alone. For she knows that only through you she can get her revenge and in the end her peace.'

Raman gently put his arms around Mani and hugged him tightly and looked at everybody, ' Mohan's parents are inside and God only knows what mental condition they are in. So, I will not divulge any details unless it is necessary.'

Jeeva looked at Raman totally worried and in panic, ' Ram, they have stooped so low as to kill a person who lies in a deep coma, and my worry now is that they might even try to harm his parents too.'

Raman nodded, ' I know Jeeva but we will come to that in a bit. But first, we will get this meeting out of the way for I don't have much time before the cops come calling for me and I will have to go to the station to give a detailed report and also probably answer all their questions again and again.'

Then, he flashed a bright smile, ' But, it shouldn't be too much of a problem either way for I have AC Damodaran as a witness and add to that the CCTV footage that will be proof enough.'

Saying that he turned and knocked on the door and it opened slowly, revealing the frightened faces of Venu and Thulasi peeping from behind the door and from the entrance they all saw Mohan lying on the bed facing them but with vacant eyes that were lost in a Coma.

Venu looked at Raman and with relief filling his face said worriedly, ' come in Ram. I don't know what I should be more scared about, the criminals or this bloody Air Conditioner which is freezing us to death.'

Raman looked at Venu and then at Thulasi, ' I think that can be sorted out' and then looked at Jeeva and Kamakshi and in a soft voice, ' Both you mothers go in first and the others will follow you.'

Venu and Thulasi stepped back and watched the strangers, the two women who began to cry softly and at the same time smiled in a strange play of expressions and looked into the room as if they were searching for something.

Venu, Mohan's dad asked in a puzzled voice, ' Mr.Raman, who are these ladies and what are they searching for in my son's room?'

Raman looked at him, ' Sir, they are looking for Sujatha, their child, our child.'

Thulasi's face shone with a realization, ' Sujatha. You mean Suja. But, why here in this room ?'

Raman turned to his dad, ' Appa close the door please.'

All of them felt the freezing temperature hitting their bones and then Raman spoke softly but loud enough for all of them to hear his voice as clear and as loud as thunder, ' Suja, we are here. We are all here. Mohan is safe. It is, okay child.'

It took a few moments but everyone present there felt the temperature begin to rise and soon it became normal and everybody stopped shivering and instead felt a strange glow in their bodies.

Venu, face full of a million questions and mumbling lips, ' what is going on Raman? who is this Suja and what is she to all of you and more importantly what is she to my son and to us?

Raman looked at him, ' Suja was Sujatha once' and pointing to Mani and Kamakshi, ' their second child ' and then pointing to Jeeva, ' her younger sister.'

Thulasi, ' Sir, you said, you used the word was Sujatha. Why the word was?'

' Because she is no more. She left us a month ago.'

Venu, ' you mean she is dead. But, why does my Mohan keep saying her name?'

Raman replied, ' because they were in love and had been planning to come and ask your permission for their marriage.'

Venu's face went blank and he turned and looked at his wife with confusion, ' Thulasi, what is happening here?'

Thulasi gently patted him and slowly made him sit down on the bed by Mohan's side and then asked Raman, ' If this Suja is dead, why are you here and why is my son chanting her name and your name?'

' Because she is still alive and we all think that she is still watching over your son Mohan.'

The blood seemed to drain from Venu and Thulasi's face's for they went pale and Venu tentatively, ' All this sudden freezing temperature's in the room and the sensors and monitors going haywire and beeping madly, you mean it is because of Suja.'

He slowly got up from the bed and facing Raman, asked, ' how did my daughter-in-law die?'

' She hung herself to death'.

Thulasi could not take it anymore,' oh the poor child, poor child. Why, what made her do that and why is she still around my child?'

Raman in a very soft and calm voice, ' she wants revenge for what has been done to her and your son and also I think that they both are trying to tell me something very important that can be of help in avenging them.'

Suddenly, Mohan's lips moved and he spoke in a loud and clear voice, ' Raman, phone, phone.'

Venu and Thulasi rushed to his side and bent over him to see if their son had come back from his coma but stared at his vacant eyes and both looked up at the others and asked Raman.' He spoke. He spoke, and all of you just heard my son speaking. Then, why is he not waking up? Why are his eyes still so distant and vacant?'

Many a time, I have sat at the edge of small ponds with murky water and hiding dark and deep depths. In sheer fascination and totally absorbed in watching the ripples travel away from the epicenter and from the point where many a small leaf kept falling from above, disturbing the tranquil surface it, ruffling its still and calm layer.

I watched the top layer of the water surface getting shaken up again and again and then thought of it as a mind, a soul, and all the words, opinions and insults that torment it as the falling leaves.

I dropped a small pebble and it made a plonking noise but sank down immediately and not lingering around like the leaves that kept floating, rotting and sullying the contents of the small pond and in the end depriving it of air and light by totally smothering it with is presence and decomposition.

Judging and in the end misjudging are a part and parcel of today's life and as are knee-jerk reactions to all that we see and hear.

We seem to have, want and crave to place each and every inflow of information, person we meet neatly in a container and safely and visibly on the shelf.

A is a pain.

B is not trustworthy

C thinks too much of himself

S satish thinks he is a cool and wise cat when in truth he is just a mangy dog scavenging.

Well, the last bit I tend to agree with.

Puns and jokes aside, we do tend to slot and seem to love categorizing each and every person we know in a certain bracket.

I have a very bad and filthy habit in which I totally shun, run and vanish when I see certain individuals and I react in such a way only with people who evoke fear in me and also the fear that I might retaliate in a very bad and sad manner.

Broken bottles with jagged edges sticking out and each one trying to find its broken other half or at least another half which will fit somewhat and make both whole and complete.

Enge mudiyuthu. Impossible, at least nearly Impossible.

Even, if the jagged edges fit neatly, fine crack let seep water and air and all that they hold in them leaving behind emptiness.

why fear the jagged edges? why do all broken need to fit perfectly and be complete? why not just remain broken and jagged and importantly why not take the pain of the others jagged and sharp edges when they surely seem to be taking yours.

Well, over the years, decades, my sharp and broken edges have been blunted down and made safer by a few other whole and slightly defected souls, containers.

Fit, unfit, broken, unbroken, jagged, smooth and half and quarter, no matter.

Even a broken bulb, nastily holds water and becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes, pests but still lives and gods creations.

Bulbs that once gave light now give shelter to life.

Read between the lines for there-in lie my true thoughts and edges.

Kintsukuroi is the Japanese art of repaired pottery, but the concept goes much deeper than just pottery.

Consider that a handmade object, like a bowl or cup, is revered for the care it took to make it, its beauty, and its purpose. But broken, the object is demoted and loses its honor, so to speak. Repaired, however, the object can be given a whole new level of appreciation.

There is a Japanese story dating back to the mid-1500s, that goes like this. A great military leader (with a supposedly hot temper) was given a beautiful bowl for an important tea ceremony. Someone dropped the bowl, which broke into five pieces. One of the guests spoke up with an improvised poem cleverly linking the name of the giver of the bowl, the style of the bowl, and the five broken pieces, making them all laugh and avoiding the wrath of the hot-headed leader. This specific bowl has since become quite famous, and is considered now an “Important Cultural Property.”

So we might say, that instead of the break “…diminishing [the bowl’s] appeal, a new sense of its vitality and resilience raised appreciation to even greater heights.” The bowl has become more beautiful for having been broken. The true life of the bowl “…began the moment it was dropped…”

In other words, the proof of its fragility and its resilience is what makes it beautiful.

We might say this about people as well, that we are all fragile and sometimes we get broken. But, when we are mended again the experience can make us better than we were before- an interesting and inspiring thought.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CKBdVP6TXw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9qvklcNTY

Jannal Oram 315

“No matter where we come from, there is one language we can all speak and understand from birth, the language of the heart, love.” Imania Margria

All eight souls, six of them, parents, two of them on the way to becoming one stood in the small room not knowing what other two were with them, souls or ghosts.

Raman looked at Venu and Thulasi with immense grace and tenderness in his eyes and the shake of his head was imperceptible and yet the questioning parents understood his confusion and his emptiness to the questions about their son and why his lips moved to form words but his eyes were still and fully dilated.

' I am as much as in the dark about all this as you are, and like you, I too have only questions and very few answers.'

He looked first at Venu and then changing his mind, turned to Thulasi, ' Amma, has Mohan's cell phone been returned to you.'

She nodded, ' Yes, AC Damodaran returned it yesterday. But, why do you ask this question?'

Raman smiled, ' some questions have to be asked and even at the most difficult times for they are the ones who sometimes give up answers that solve the trickiest riddles and puzzles of our lives.

Venu opened a small bag and took out a mobile phone and handed it to Raman who examined it very briefly and then returned it and thought to himself,' AC Damodaran is a very good cop and an honest one at that. So, he must have gotten the phone checked thoroughly for any clues via pics or videos to this case and would have returned it back only when he had no further use for it. If that is the case then what was Suja through Mohan trying to tell me?'

He looked at Thulasi, ' Amma, did Mohan have any other phone apart from this?'

Thulasi nodded and then slowly looked down feeling very guilty and her husband Venu noticed this and asked her,' Enna, why this silence? '

Raman ' The silence is out of respect and the guilt is out of fear of your wrath sir'.

' Why, why should my own wife fear me and what reason do I have to be angry with her Raman?'

' I am scared because I am guilty of keeping information from you. But, I was not sure about it myself.'

Venu's voice rose slightly more in frustration than anger when he replied. ' What are you going on about and what did you keep from me?'

' I kind of new that our son was seeing somebody and in all probability in love with this person. For, many a time, I heard him whispering to someone on the phone, and I knew that he was going steady with someone. But, I did not want to intrude on his personal and private affairs and since he had never hidden anything from us, I thought it would be better to wait for him to come to us and talk openly and frankly about his love.'

Venu Srinivasan threw a gentle and loving arm around his wife and looked at everybody and then spoke to Raman, ' see, see how innocent and naive my darling wife is. See how she tortures herself for no fault of hers and for something that my son's fate has dictated?'

Looking at his wife, ' why would you think that I would be angry or upset with you for no fault of yours and for our son falling in love?'

Thulasi smiled shyly and then told Raman, ' yes, he had another mobile phone that had a kind of red cover at the back.It is not here with his belongings and maybe it was either lost or stolen from the accident site.'

Raman immediately replied, ' No, I don't think it was lost or stolen and I am sure it is waiting for me at the place where all this started and that is what I think I was being told.'

Raman closed his eyes and his mind filled itself with images and videos of Gingee fort and to the tragedy that had unfolded at that place and how it had ended in even more tragedy and sorrow the next day for two young

lives and that which had led to two more deaths in Delhi.

The moment, Raman thought of Gingee fort, the room became eerily silent and everybody felt a strange glow in their hearts and thoughts and all of them nearly jumped out of their bodies for Mohan's right arm suddenly twitched and moved a few inches.

Thulasi and Venu rushed to their son's side and began to say his name, ' Mohan, Mohan. Appa and amma are here. please get up Kanna.'

Mohan's pupils which had been fully dilated suddenly shrunk and dilated again and shrunk again as if it was adjusting itself and then it slowly came to normal size and his lips moved slowly and formed words which everybody heard,' Appa, amma' and then they relaxed and spread itself into a slight smile and froze.

The Sensors sensed correctly and did their duty and began to beep and send out distress signals and immediately the door opened and nurses and the duty doctor came rushing in.

All of them were asked politely to leave, but Venu refused and yelled, ' No, we are not leaving. We know that our child has left us finally and is now at peace.'

He pushed them away and slowly bent over Mohan's face and kissed him on both his cheeks and on his forehead and then placing his face on his son's face began to cry and the tears finally came and he was not alone in his pain and sorrow for Jeeva, Raman, Mani, Kamakshi, Valli, and Shaktivel stood there crying for they too kind of understood that maybe Suja too had left them forever.

Down and on the ground floor, AC Damodaran after handing over the crime scene to the local jurisdiction and after telling them what had taken place was now heading in the direction of the CCTV room with two constables and all three of them froze in their track seeing the door open and a small stream of blood drying at the entrance.

One of the constables gingerly opened the door after a cursory glance inside reported to AC Damodaran, ' Sir, dead sir. Only one dead person sir'.

Assistant Commissioner Damodaran's eyes searched all around to see if any person was hanging around but finding none knew that the two, lying dead upstairs had not been alone and had someone to back them up and that meant that same person had been there with them at the time of the attack on Raman.

Two known and lethal killers and that meant that someone had sent them to do the killing, and that meant, that someone had also killed and made off with the security footage and that again scarily meant more lethal killers and masterminds.

Jannal Oram 316

Yesudas was the crime Inspector from the local Vadapalani station and so he was currently the lead cop in the investigation and the only lead he had was Raman. And to add to his already rising acid levels in his gut, the man was a lawyer, which itself was a huge headache for the police department.

He thought to himself, ' Jesus help me, I can handle anybody but advocates who know the law very well. Better to start slowly and take it from there.'

He gestured to his Sub-Inspector Anandan and said, ' What to do now?'

SI Anandan was himself totally lost and out of his depth for the whole situation was a logistical nightmare and his reply was, ' Sir, one step at a time and we will assess everything after talking to this advocate Raman.'

But, the problem was that Raman and his family were under police protection which had been provided by the Commissioner himself and that meant protocols and more importantly meant that one had to tread slowly, very slowly and carefully.

Shaking his head in frustration, he mumbled and cursed, ' Innum breakfast mudiyala. Ippo thaan shiftu start aachu. Athuku munnadi ippadi oru case. Sethom.'

His heart felt a bit relieved on seeing his senior AC Damodaran coming towards him and walked quickly to meet him and discuss protocols.

' Sir, How do we talk to Raman? Do we take him into custody or ....?'

AC Damodaran, ' Apuuram, for we have another crime scene down in the security room where the CCTV Monitors and computers are kept.'

Inspector Yesudas went, ' whaaat? one more crime scenea? Enna saar?'

' The security head of this hospital has been murdered and I know him for he is an ex-cop and a former DSP from Madurai.'

Inspector Yesudas knew everyone who was in the security business and who operated in his jurisdiction and so he blurted,' Not Mr.Ezhumazhai.'

AC Damodaran nodded, ' It is him. we checked his Id. I have left two constables to guard the crime scene.'

Inspector Yesudas in full panic mode, ' Sir, we cannot delay any longer and we have to talk to Raman now for he might be able to help us out with some information as to what is going on here and who is behind all this?'

Assistant Commissioner Damodaran cursed angrily, ' Theriyum Inspector. I know the protocols very well and am familiar with its methods. But, this is no ordinary case and I think we better consult the Commissioner as to how to handle this mess before making any moves or arrests.'

SI Anandan tentatively, ' Sir, one of our men, even though he is an ex-cop has been murdered. Surely, we can break protocols and other related stuff. Lets, take him into custody and talk to him in the station and after that maybe we can proceed armed with more information than we have now.'

He called the police commissioner and walked away to talk to his boss in privacy leaving both the Inspector and Sub-Inspector waiting for further instructions and after a few moments, Additional Director-General of Police A.K. Viswanathan, Chennai's commissioner of police came online.

Having been informed by his personal secretary about who was calling him, ADGP Viswanathan answered, ' yes AC, sollunga.'

' Sir, sorry to disturb you. But, we have a crime situation here in Vijaya hospitals.'

' okay. what is the nature of the crime and why don't you handle it through the local police station for it falls into their jurisdiction.'

AC Damodaran hurriedly, ' murders sir, three men are dead and one of them is an ex-DSP from Madurai, one Mr.Ezhumazahi.'

The commissioner swore angrily, ' sad, very sad. I have met him a couple of times through former DGP Devarajan to whose batch he belonged to and it was through DGP sir that he went into private security business himself.'

Taking time to process the information, the commissioner asked the next and most logical question, ' have you arrested anyone? any witnesses? what about their security cameras?'

Slowly, very slowly AC Damodaran replied, ' Sir, the footage is gone and the security room is where we found Mr.Ezhumazhai's dead body.'

' what about the other two dead persons? who are they and who killed them AC?'

AC Damodaran, ' sir, both are wanted men and hired killers sir. We have just one person of interest and we don't know what to do with him sir or how to approach him Sir?'

' What nonsense? enna comedy time? just arrest this person and question him instead of wasting my time?'

Realizing that an Assistant Commissioner and that too a very diligent and honest officer such as Damodaran would have done that immediately rather than dilly dally and call him for instructions, Commissioner Viswanathan calmed down but in a tensed tone asked, ' who is this person of interest Damodaran?'

' Mr.Raman sir and I know that he is very close to you and Cabinet Minister Durai Pandi Arumugam.'

Total silence and then the Commissioner spoke, ' Is he okay? he is not hurt or anything, right?'

' He is okay sir and I doubt if anything can hurt him. Sir, pardon me but the man scares the daylights out of me sir.'

Commissioner Viswanathan chuckled merrily, ' che, che. He is a gem of a person Damodaran and if he is involved, then the men surely deserved what they got.'

Hearing a bit of commotion, AC Damodaran said, ' Sir, can you please hold for a moment for there seems to be some tension happening here' and looked in the direction of the corridor and saw two men walking in his direction and both the Inspector and Sub-Inspector and constables running behind them.

Even as they neared him, AC Damodaran knew that these men were very important and highly placed and greeted them with the respect that they seemed to demand and also expect,' Gentlemen, I am Assistant Commissioner Damodaran. How can I help you?'

One man was dressed in casual clothes but he knew that they were some kind of uniform while the other was in casual clothes and could have passed himself off as a bank cashier or as nondescript Govt employee, one among millions.

But, the moment AC Damodaran looked into his eyes, he knew that this was one tough, deadly and scary old bird and far more lethal than the scary looking army man next to him.

The man with a smile put out his hand and said, ' your phone, please. Let me, talk to your boss.'

Without even a moment hesitation, AC Damodaran handed over his mobile phone and then wondered to himself, ' What did I just do? Why did I hand over my phone to this man?'

As he wondered, the man spoke into the phone,' Good morning commissioner. Let me introduce myself to you and your officers here. I am General V.K.Singh, Additional secretary, office of the joint operation, RAW and by my side is Brigadier general Sooryanarayanan.'

Good morning. I wish you a beautiful day.

To feel the love of people whom we love is a fire that feeds our life. Pablo Neruda

One of the most beautiful and important aspect, that you learn about God at the very beginning of your friendship is that you realize that God is always silent and a very good listener. Well, as a member of the human species, I like that, I really dig that virtue of my God keeping quiet and lending all his ears and attention to me.

It has been many decades now since my favorite form of God, Lord Shiva and I became close and good friends and although his ears are bleeding from hearing all my ravings and rantings, he true to his form and character remains a quiet and constant companion and an avid listener.

All of us have our own favorite God and I chose Shiva as mine and maybe since I unconsciously craved for a father and just like that he became one and sometimes doubles as a mother too.

Appearing in his Arthanareeshwarar form, he signals that he is both, Mother and Father and a true parent.

Pillaikku thanthai oruvan, nam ellorukkum thanthai iraivan

Nee oruvanai nambi vanthayo, illai iraivanai nambi vanthayo

Thaayaarai thanthai maranthaalum, thanthai thaanenru sollaatha poathum

Yaenendru kaetkaamal varuvaan

My personal favorite form of Lord Shiva is when he transforms into Nataraja, lord of dance and the eternal cosmic dancer.

In this single pose, he signals, creation, destruction, and salvation.

But, the fire he holds aloft is one of his most endearing virtue and also a constant source of pain for me.

Since the pooja room in our house is on two shelves, I light two lamps so as not to be confronted with one of the avatars and be accused of favoritism.

The somberi that I am, I light the top lamp and then try to light the other one with the same matchstick and only light up and burn my fingertips and then I will squeal in pain and do my own cosmic dance ( more like a tribal dance).

Enna koduma saravana.

Fire, coming back to fire and to our own star, our Sun in the day and all the other stars in the night sky. They literally are fires, nuclear fires, burning for billions of years and sometimes trillions of years.

Not forgetting for a moment that our own star, the sun is an average middle-aged joe, it still puts out mind-boggling amounts of energy.

The Earth receives the equivalent energy of all our existing nuclear weapons, combined, from the Sun every 20 seconds; and the Sun emits the equivalent energy of all our nuclear weapons, combined roughly every 9 picoseconds.

Fire and even this version of our so-called Known and observable Universe began with a BIG BANG and who or what was the fire that started it all is not known.

But, I would love to think that the cosmic dancer was at the center and on stage doing his dancing bit.

There is a film scene, one of my favorites that I would like to share with you here and it has everything to do with Fire and the fire dancer.

In the fourth part of the now famous and cult classic series ' CBI DIARY KURIPPU' which is called ' Nerariyan CBI', the hero of the film, Mamukka who plays the role of Sethurama Iyer, CBI is confronted by a powerful Tantric which again was played by another titan of acting, the late " Thilakan".

Thilakan asks him which is the purest and most revered Element in the five elements that we know better as " Pancha bhootangal".

Sethurama Iyer thinks and then with a smile replies, ' Fire' and goes on to explain why it is so.

water gets polluted. Air gets polluted. Earth gets polluted and so to does the Ether otherwise called Agasam but not fire.

For, a fire burns everything to ash and energy. It takes in everything and burns and burns, giving out energy.

Fritzof Capra in his article “The Dance of Shiva: The Hindu View of Matter in the Light of Modern Physics,” and later, in The Tao of Physics beautifully relates Nataraja’s dance with modern physics. He says that “every subatomic particle not only performs an energy dance but also is an energy dance; a pulsating process of creation and destruction…without end…For the modern physicists, then Shiva’s dance is the dance of subatomic matter. As in Hindu mythology, it is a continual dance of creation and destruction involving the whole cosmos; the basis of all existence and of all natural phenomena.”

The symbolism and meaning of the Nataraja Idol

The upper right hand Shiva holds a small drum shaped like an hourglass. It symbolizes the sound that originates creation and perpetuates the universe. The upper left hand contains fire, which signifies final destruction, the dissolution of form, out of which a new world will arise. The below right hand: The second right-hand shows the Abhaya mudra (fearlessness gesture), giving freedom from fear and bestowing protection from both evil and ignorance. The below-left hand: The second left-hand points towards the raised foot which signifies upliftment and salvation. It also follows the form of an elephant trunk, alluding to wisdom.

The Dwarf on which Shiva Dances: The dwarf on which Nataraja dances is the demon Apasmara, symbolizing Shiva’s victory over ignorance, which can never be completely eliminated, but it can be overcome. The surrounding flames represent the manifest Universe. The snake swirling around his waist is kundalini, the Shakti or divine force thought to reside within everything. His dance is so vigorous that his hair, usually in matted locks piled on his head, becomes loose and flies about him. Seated within his hair is the diminutive figure of Mother Ganga, the river goddess, with her hands folded. When the river descended from heaven to earth, Shiva broke its fall with his hair, thereby keeping the earth from being crushed by its force. As he dances the world in and out of existence, Shiva maintains a stoic face, representing his neutrality of being in complete balance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poT6NfxH93k

Jannal Oram 317

A.K. Viswanathan, Chennai's commissioner of police knew and was well versed in Protocol, Hierarchy, and pedigree and so, confined his thoughts to a warm and welcoming tone, ' Good morning sir. Welcome to Chennai. Please, convey my wishes and greetings to The Brigadier' and softening his voice even more, ' Importantly, convey my condolences to a grieving father'.

V.K.Singh replied, ' will do Commissioner and very kind and thoughtful of you'.

The greetings, done and dusted it was now time for what had to be done and what had to be spoken out clearly, and so, Chennai's commissioner of police, A.K. Viswanathan went for the first strike, ' Sir, we have been appraised by the Central Intelligence Bureau about the case that you are handling and I was also personally informed by DGP Tripathi and the chief secretary. All help will be given and without hesitation or conditions.'

' Thank you, Commissioner. We appreciate the kind words and offer and it really makes my job that easier for otherwise, I will be made to run from Pillar to post, and from one department to another department.'

A.K. Viswanathan now came directly to the point, ' Sir, I am sorry if my questions sound rude and trust me that is not my intent and it is due to the time frame that makes me ask this.'

' Ask away Commissioner and I will answer away'.

' Sir, what are you and the Brigadier doing in the hospital ?'

General V.K.Singh, Additional secretary, RAW smiled and the sounds carried clearly through the phone, conveying his thought and then his words conveyed the message,' Raman, my dear Commissioner. We, are here for Mr. Raman'.

Commissioner Viswanathan sighed in frustration and taking great care as to not reveal his frustration,' I know that Raman is helping you out in your case and that he has a personal stake in it. But, my question is why now and what you are you doing in the hospital, sir?'

' Why because an attempt has been made on my main witness and obviously we want to see he is okay and also because this has now become very relevant to out case'.

Commissioner Viswanathan in a slightly bewildered voice, ' This case sir. But, it is only minutes old and ....'

As realization struck him, he continued, ' Either you have Raman carrying a wire willingly or you have secretly tapped his mobile and are somehow monitoring all his activities and conversations. But, sir..'.

' But, what. Not ethical. What will he do if he finds out, is that it?'

Commissioner Viswanathan shook his head in disagreement and rejection, ' Sir, I will not waste both our precious time for we know that the minutes after a crime has been committed are the most vital moments of any investigation. I will come straight to the point, and that point is, Raman, is at the moment an important witness and right in the center of a crime in which three people are dead. One of them is a former DSP and who I know rather well. Information, as to who the other two are, and what they were doing there, and who killed our EX-DSP is important and Raman has to be questioned and that has to be done right now and before it is too late'.

General V.K.Singh, Additional secretary, RAW, replied in a cheerful voice, ' Fantastic. I concur with you, and I also recognize that this is your city and so we will just sit back and listen to your men question Raman and maybe if you allow it, ask a few of our own questions and only if you give the go ahead'.

A.K. Viswanathan, Chennai's commissioner of police was an IPS top ranking cadet and one of the brightest minds in the police department and it struck him like a bolt of lightning, ' sir, you are there not only for Raman for if that was the case then you could have stayed put in whatever vehicle your agents are in and snooped in on all his actions and words. Yet, you both are here and that means that you are after some other person or persons'.

V.K.Singh, Additional secretary, RAW, chuckled, ' Very good and I am really impressed. Yes, the answer to your question is yes and we are after a couple of persons who I think are operating as a team and we have no idea as to who they are. But, we know their call signs, codenames that they go by and they are " Gulab and Jamun".

She entered the parking lot of a gateway community parking the car expertly got down and opening the back door, took out a few cloth bags full of fruits and vegetables. To, all eyes, she appeared as a typical North Indian girl, petite, Good-natured and with a pleasant smile always lighting her polite and calm face.

From the sixth floor, Malik stood looking down,watching her and smiled as she greeted an old couple with a respectful namaste sir and cursed,' God knows what that couple will think and how they will react if they know that the pleasant North-Indian girl that greeted them murdered an ex-cop an hour ago and can kill them both in a blink of an eye'.

' Gulab, Gulab' he whispered and thought to himself, ' Gulab is such an apt word for a girl named Sharmilee' and he had named her thus for his favorite song was ' Khilte Hain Gul Yahan ' from the film Sharmilee.

He had called her Gulab and she had instantly responded by calling him Jamun and the moment their eyes had met they knew that they were one and that they had been seeking each other out all their lives and maybe many births.