*From & To Sathish* - Thread 4 - Page 7

Redemption 243

In the land and times of Azhagan

It was a clear,cloudless sky and the stars looked down on the world below called Earth and winked and twinkled as diamonds and pearls in the black,ever stretching sky.It was a quiet night and the forests surrounding the small village of perumalvaram lay silent as if even the birds and animals respected the young Azhagan's time spent with his mother Avini and maybe they all wanted to hear the young and old soul talk about life and love.

Azhagan lay staring at the night sky,his head on her lap,while she gently ran her fingers through his curly hair.He took her hands and playfully bit them and Avini pinched his ears in return and Buddha the lion who sat next to them,slowly inched forward with gentle growls,begging to be included in the game that mother and son were playing.

Azhagan patted the ground next to him and when the lion willingly sprawled and laid its powerful body next to him,he took Avini's hands and placed them on Buddha and gently held them there.

" Mother,Buddha is not only our best friend but also a part of our family.Touch him with the same love with which you touch me for he loves being cuddled and will willingly lay his life for you and me."

Avini trusted Buddha and trusted her son even more but somehow was a bit wary about being so close to this powerful animal for he belonged to a species that were the top predators in the forest.And even though she was blind,she was not deaf and had heard many a story while growing up about tigers and lions who had turned man eaters.

Gently she laid her hands on the lion who licked them with his rough tongue and then flopped his head to the ground and soon fell asleep snoring loudly and Azhagan chuckled in delight " Mother,he snores more loudly than you and the others in the village,but for the temple priest after he has wiped the leaf clean of all the food his wife makes for him.

Avini gently squeezed his nose " Azhaga,how do you know that the temple priest snores or that even the other villagers snore less or more than me."

Azhagan pulled her head close to his that lay on her lap and secretively " I know because i hear them every night,when me and Buddha go for out night patrols around the village."

Avini went still in shock and fear " You are but just 6 years old and so what is the need for you to be going on such dangerous patrols azhaga and what if something should happen to you my son?"

Azhagan gently patted her cheek " Something happen to me and that too with Buddha beside me.Not that i need this fur ball to watch over me mother,but i promise i am safe and i can look after myself.And,those strange creatures with green lights are always there guarding my every step."


Avini blindly looked around and then asked Azhagan " are they here now? can you see them my son?" and he nodded and pointed to a darkness that lay beyond the temple " they are there mother and even though i sometimes lose sight of them,i never fail to sense them and i can feel them and see them in my head."

Avini's tears fell on his face and wiping them " Mother,why do you cry and why do you always look to the sky and into the darkness of the forest and who are they mother,those creatures with strange lights that hover around our village and always seem to shadow my every movement."

Avini shook her head " i think they are some form of angels or gods Azhaga and it is they who blessed me with you and gifted you to me.For that i am grateful,truly grateful for i think i was born just for you,to see you and spend a little time with you."

The little Azhagan softly touched her cheek " Mother,it is i who is grateful for having been born as your child and i thank those strange men for giving me to you."

Avini cried pitifully and Azhagan worriedly " what is it mother? what is troubling you?"

Avini wiping her tears " you were born to be a great king and to rule the heavens and yet here you are in a small hut with a blind woman as your mother.I wish you had been born as a son to some mighty king like the cholas or pandyas and not have to suffer in a life like this."

Azhagan smiled and quietly looked at the lights that hovered in the darkness of the forest and spoke to them through his mind " Is my mother poor? is there anyway through which i can turn my mother and all the villagers into rich people?"

The leader of the spirits whispered " my lord,you have but to ask and the task will be done.But before that,ask yourself if you really want riches and to live a life of splendour and dwell in great palaces."

Azhagan thought hard and then all around him and his eyes rested on the snoring Buddha and his ears heard the gurglings of the stream Sivatheertham that ran slowly through their village and then looked at his blind mother and shook his head " No,never.I would never trade all this peace,quiet and real beauty that is nature for riches or for a life in a palace.


Russian mafia


The Russian mafia can be traced back to Russia's imperial period, which began in the 1700s, in the form of banditry and thievery. Most of the population were peasants in poverty at the time, and criminals who stole from government entities and divided profits among the people earned Robin Hood-like status, being viewed as protectors of the poor and becoming folk heroes. In time, the Vorovskoy Mir (Thieves' World) emerged as these criminals grouped and started their own code of conduct that was based on strict loyalty with one another and opposition against the government. When the Bolshevik Revolution came around in 1917, the Thieves' World was alive and active. Vladimir Lenin attempted to wipe them out, but failed[clarification needed], and the criminals survived into Joseph Stalin's reign.

During Stalin's reign as ruler, millions of criminals were sent to gulags (Soviet labor camps), where powerful criminals worked their way up to become vory v zakone ("thieves-in-law"). These criminal elite often conveyed their status through complicated tattoos, symbols still used by Russian mobsters.

After Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II, Stalin was recruiting more men to fight for the nation, offering prisoners freedom if they joined the army. Many flocked to help out in the war, but this act betrayed codes of the Thieves' World that one must not ally with the government. Those who refused to fight in the war referred to the traitors as suka ("bitch"), and the traitors landed at the bottom of the "hierarchy". Outcast, the suki separated from the others and formed their own groups and power bases by collaborating with prison officials, eventually gaining the luxury of comfortable positions. Bitterness between the groups erupted into a series of Bitch Wars from 1945 to 1953 with many killed every day. The prison officials encouraged the violence, seeing it as a way to rid the prisons of criminals.

After the death of Stalin, around eight million inmates were released from gulags. Those that survived the imprisonment and Bitch Wars became a new breed of criminal, no longer bound to the laws of the old Thieves' World. They adopted an "every-man-for-himself" attitude that meant cooperating with the government if necessary. This corruption was common during the Brezhnev era, and in the 1970s, small illegal businesses sprang up throughout the country, with the government ignoring them, and the black market thrived.[citation needed] Then, in the 1980s, Mikhail Gorbachev loosened up restrictions on private businesses, allowing them to grow legally, but by then, the Soviet Union was already beginning to collapse.

Also during the 1970s and 1980s, the United States expanded its immigration policies, allowing Soviet Jews, with most settling in a southern Brooklyn area known as Brighton Beach (sometimes nicknamed as "Little Odessa"). Here is where Russian organized crime began in the US. The earliest known case of Russian crime in the area was in the mid-1970s by the "Potato Bag Gang," a group of con artists disguised as merchants that told customers that they were selling antique gold rubles for cheap, but in fact, gave them bags of potatoes when bought in thousands.

When the USSR collapsed and a free market economy emerged, organized criminal groups began to take over Russia's economy, with many ex-KGB soldiers and veterans of the Afghan war offering their skills to the crime bosses. Gangster summit meetings had taken place in hotels and restaurants shortly before the Soviet's dissolution, so that top vory v zakone could agree on who would rule what, and set plans on how to take over the post-Communist state. It was agreed upon that Vyacheslav "Yaponchik" Ivankov would be sent to Brighton Beach in 1992, allegedly because he was killing too many people in Russia and also to take control of Russian organized crime in North America. Within a year, he built an international operation that included, but was not limited to, narcotics, money laundering, and prostitution and made ties with the American Mafia and Colombian drug cartels, eventually extending to Miami, Los Angeles, and Boston. Those who went against him were usually killed.

The worldwide extent of Russian organized crime wasn't realized until Ludwig "Tarzan" Fainberg was arrested in January 1997, primarily because of global arms dealing. In 1990, Fainberg moved from Brighton Beach to Miami and opened up a strip club called Porky's, which soon became a popular hangout for underworld criminals. Fainberg himself gained a reputation as an ambassador among international crime groups, becoming especially close to Juan Almeida, a Colombian cocaine dealer. Planning to expand his cocaine business, Fainberg acted as an intermediary between Almeida and the corrupt Russian military. He helped him get six Russian military helicopters in 1993, and in the following year, helped arrange to buy a submarine for cocaine smuggling. Unfortunately for the two of them, federal agents had been keeping a close eye on Fainberg for months. Alexander Yasevich, an associate of the Russian military contact and an undercover DEA agent, was sent to verify the illegal dealing, and in 1997, Fainberg was finally arrested in Miami. Facing the possibility of life imprisonment, the latter agreed for his testimony against Almeida in exchange for a shorter sentence, which ended up being 33 months.


Around the world, Russian mafia groups have popped up as dominating particular areas: Alec Simchuk and his group ripped off and robbed unsuspecting tourists and businessmen in South Florida, leading to Rick Brodsky of the FBI to say that "Eurasian organised crime is our no. 1 priority"; Russian organized crime has a rather large stronghold in the city of Atlanta where members are distinguished by their tattoos. Russian organized crime was reported to have a stronger grip in the French Riviera region and Spain in 2010; and Russia was branded as a virtual "mafia state" according to the WikiLeaks cables.

In 2009, Russian mafia groups had been said to reach over 50 countries and, in 2010, had up to 300,000 members. According to recordings released in 2015, Alexander Litvinenko, shortly before he was assassinated, claimed that Semion Mogilevich has had a "good relationship" with Vladimir Putin since the 1990s.


Structure of Russian mafia or Bratva


Pakhan also called Boss, Krestniy Otets ("Capo di tutti capi | Godfather") Vor ("Thief"), Papa, or Avtoritet ("Authority"), controls everything. The Pakhan controls four criminal cells in the working unit through an intermediary called a "Brigadier."[35]
Two Spies watch over the action of the brigadiers to ensure loyalty and none become too powerful. They are the Sovietnik ("Support Group") and Obshchak ("Security Group").
Derzhatel obschaka, the bookkeeper, collects money from Brigadiers and bribes the government to Obshchak (money mafia intended for use in the interests of the group). This could be Brigadier, Pakhan, Authoritet.
Brigadier also called Avtoritet ("Authority"), is like a captain in charge of a small group of men, similar to Caporegime in Italian-American Mafia crime families and Sicilian Mafia clans. He gives out jobs to Boyeviks ("warriors") and pays tribute to Pakhan. He runs a crew which is called a Brigade (Bratva). A Brigade is made up of 56 Patsanov or Brodyag.
Bratok - also called Patsan, or Brodyaga works for a Brigadier having a special criminal activity to run, similar to soldiers in Italian-American Mafia crime families and Sicilian Mafia clans. A Boyevik is in charge of finding new guys and paying tribute up to his Brigadier. Boyeviks also make up the main strike force of a brigade (bratva).
Shestyorka is an "associate" to the organization also called the "six", similar to associates in Italian-American Mafia crime families and Sicilian Mafia clans. Is an errand boy for the organization and is the lowest rank in the Russian Mafia. The sixes are assigned to some Avtorityets for support. They also provide an intelligence for the upcoming "delo" or on a certain target. They usually stay out of the main actions, although there might be exceptions, depending on circumstances. During a "delo" Shestyorkas perform security functions standing on the look out (Shukher literally: danger). It is a temporary position and an individual either making it into the Vor-world or being cast aside. As they are earning their respect and trust in Bratva they may be performing roles of the regular Boyeviks or Byki depending on the necessities and patronage of their Brigadier or Avtorityet. Etymology of 'shestyorka' word comes from the lowest rank of 36 playing card deck sixes.

In the Russian Mafia, "Vor" (plural: Vory) (literally, "Thief") is an honorary title denoting a made man. The honor of becoming a Vor is only given when the recruit shows considerable leadership skills, personal ability, intellect and charisma. A Pakhan or another high-ranking member of an organization can decide if the recruit will receive such title. When you become a member of the Vor-world you have to accept the code of the Vor v Zakone ("Thief within the Law").

Although Russian criminal groups vary in their structure, there have been attempts to devise a model of how they work. One such model (possibly outdated by now, as it is based on the old style of Soviet criminal enterprises) works out like this:

Elite group led by a Pakhan who is involved in management, organization and ideology. This is the highest group controls both support group and security group.
Security group is led by one of his spies. His job is to make sure the organization keeps running and also keeps the peace between the organizations and other criminal groups and also paying off the right people. This group works with the Elite group and is equal in power with the Support groups. Is in charge of security and in intelligence.
Support group is led by one of his spies. His job is to watch over the working unit collecting the money while supervising their criminal activities. This group works with the elite group and is equal in power with the Security group. They plan a specific crime for a specialized group or choose who carries out the operation.
Working Unit There are four Brigadiers running a criminal activity in the working unit. Each Brigade is controlled by a Brigadier. This is the lowest group working with only the Support group. The group is involved in burglars, thieves, prostitution, extortion, street gangs and other crimes.


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


Boris Vanya " little" as he was called was funnily not little at all,surely not literally and stood a gigantic 6 ft 10 inches tall and weighed nearly 320 pounds and all of that was mostly bone and muscle and a pound of fat could be thrown in maybe into that mix.

Although he was called little behind his back,that term was used far away from his ears and knowledge and frankly speaking,nobody dared call him that for none lived after that.Only very few knew why he was called little and that made up his family of parents and two younger siblings who now were serving prison sentences in the russian prisons.

But to stress on the word Little and why it was given to a giant,we should travel back to the time when Boris was just 15 years old and even back then he was already above 6 ft and more and after having saved a little bit money,had sneaked into the nearby brothel and ended up with additional new name.

The prostitue who was in her early twenties,looked at the huge teenager and after pocketing his savings,led him into a dingy room that smelled of sex and drugs and then a few minutes later the whole building had heard her drunken laughter and the reason she had erupted into laughter was the sight of the huge teenagers tiny prick,that had remained tiny even after erection and the laughter had chased him all the way to his home where he had cried his heart out.

But boris the little was huge when it came to matters of brain and its functions and maybe that was the point which tipped him over to the dark side and after waiting,lying low for a few weeks,boris had sneaked into the brothel and had then proceeded to murder all the women there and then had set the building on fire.

27 women and three men had died in the fire along with many dogs and cats that had been started by Boris and the police were never able to find the culprit behind the horrible crime although rumors had managed to reach the ears of the local arm of the russian mafia.

Boris had been recruited into the russian mafia and soon rose swiftly through their ranks to become their most scariest enforcer whose torture techniques became legend and his name was soon well known among everyone in the criminal underworld.Many targets of Boris apparently killed themselves rather than suffer at his hands and imagination and so fame became legend and soon there was no distinguishing what real was or what was unreal.

Boris vanya had been sent to america in his mid twenties and through use of money and threats had attained U.S citizenship and thus began a new chapter in the history of Russian mafia and their branch in the United states of america.


It had taken just five years for boris to become the head of the american branch of Bratva that dealt with Drugs,prostitution,Loan sharking,child po*n,Arms,money laundering and lastly Arts and antiques.With the advent of Internet,Boris had taken bratva into the digital age and so his claws reached out into homes all over the world.Music piracy to video piracy to hacking banks and credit card frauds,Boris took russian mafia into everything and yet stayed clean and far away from the clutches of the police and FBI

Boris was in his office of the his antique gallery which was funnily named " Truly yours" when an art expert had called him and had passed on information relating to some rare paintings from india and that lay hidden in a secret chamber whose presence only the expert knew of.

The paintings had been stolen that very same night and the art expert had also been killed that very night and so that was how the paintings of 13th century south india found their way out of the possession of Nazi war criminal Gunther's evil past and now lay in the even more evil hands of Boris vanya.

He had wasted no time and had gotten in touch with Christies auction house and had sent them the photos and videos of the paintings for he wanted it to be sold and disposed off before the NYPD and FBI came tracking them and to his doorstep which would be preety soon for everyone knew that no crime happened in america without the knowledge or approval of Boris vanya.

He sat still like a deadly spider and waited for his web to send signals and only then he moved and his moves always meant death and profit.

Boris vanya had changed cars five times and had finally managed to slip away from the govt who was shadowing him and then mad his way to a secret hideout that lay in the heart of new york city,Manhattan area and descending to the basement,pressed the keys on the pad and entered the calm and eerie area where all stolen and priceless arts and antiques were safely kept.

He walked through three corridors and then came to a halt before the large painting and stared at Azhagan and his lion and smirked " I wish you were real and alive and that both of us had squared off in a no holds barred fight for that would have really pleased me and i would have taken my time killing you."

Switching off the lights and plunging the room into darkness,Boris walked out whispering to himself " just some stupid fantasy paintings by some loser and people are willing to pay millions for them."

Jannal oram 129

"I could not tell you if I loved you the first moment I saw you, or if it was the second or third or fourth. But I remember the first moment I looked at you walking toward me and realized that somehow the rest of the world seemed to vanish when I was with you.

Jeeva tried her best to mask her happiness,pride and the various overwhelming emotions that threatened to jump out of her heart,her mind and leap into the arms of Raman and with immense patience she controlled herself and led him into her cabin and asked him to sit down.

She sat in her chair and her eyes were full of raman and only raman and watched him passionately as his gaze travelled all around her cabin and then returned to her " Ma'am,you leave all this and come over regularly to my poor chambers to have lunch.Maybe,it would be better if i came over and had my lunch with you here in this cabin."

Jeeva nodded her head in agreement " Advocate sir,firstly i never have lunch in my cabin for me,the staff and sometimes the boss himself,if he happens to be in the office,have lunch together in our dining hall which is on the floor above us.Secondly,i come over to your chambers,not to have lunch with you but to be with you,near you,kiss and taste your lips and more importantly breathe you."

Raman with a serious expression " Ma'am,please don't push your luck for your words are motivating me to jump over and across this table and rip off your clothes and make love to you on top of it."

Both looked at each other and realised how passionately they were involved with each other and jeeva shyly and doubtfully " Ram,do all lovers feel the same way,these tsunami kind of emotions that we experience when we are near each other and more when we are away from one another."

Raman sighed and took a deep breath " i guess so sweetie for all of us are made up of the same flesh,blood and hormones.But,the similarity ends there for all of us feel and experience it in our own ways and our own,special ways.Each to his own and i guess they are all the same and yet all so very different.I say this for there is no other soul,no other woman like my jeeva and so vice versa you make me a very special raman and an unique one."

He looked at her seriously and then jeeva saw the naughty boy look entering his eyes and lips,a trait which made him so young and endearing and she heard him say " shahjahan too loved mumtaz and dearly and built a taj mahal for her and here raman is taking jeeva to the marina beach and buying her sundal and jasmine flowers."

A stinging and angry reply bubbled into her lips and calmed herself for her secretary hema popped in and slowly entered the cabin " ma'am,sir has requested you both to come to his cabin " and shyly she turned to raman and showing him her phone " Sir,can i take a selfie with you."

Raman looked at jeeva and then stood up and hema looked up at his height " sir,maybe it will be better if you take the selfie" and gave him her mobile and raman lifted up the phone and clicked a few pics and found it funny that jeeva's secretary was trying hard to snuggle closer and closer to him and stepped away from her and then Jeeva loudly " hema,don't you think those pics are enough for your facebook and whatsapp posts " and Hema nodded and coyly thanked raman and fled her bosses angry eyes.

Getting up from her chair,she came to raman's side " You never told me what you are doing here and why the flowers for we just had lunch a few hours ago."

Raman looked at her " Jeeva,i just wanted to see you and tell you,face to face how much i love you and how much your love and being loved by you means to me.I suddenly felt so lonely and lost without you by my side and very nearly had a panic attack."

Jeeva with a slight sarcasm in her voice " Bro,where was all this and where has it been hiding until today?"

Raman patted his chest " it has always been here baby.Just because i don't say it or maybe i am not gifted enough to phrase it in eloquent words doesn't mean i feel any less or any different from what you feel for me."

Jeeva hurriedly " sorry ram,i was just joking and i didn't mean anything by it.Sorry."

Raman with a hint of seriousness in his tone " Please,don't ever say sorry.I just felt like saying all this to you for i know what you want and how much more you want from me.I will try to be more open and forthcoming but please be gentle and patient with me for i am made this way and have long ways to go to become something similar to you."

Jeeva shook her head " No raman,remain thus for that is you and that is what makes you who you are.This is the biggest mistake lovers and partners do and that is try to change each other to suit their likes and dislikes and in the end,land up hating each other."

She gently patted his heart " raman should be raman and jeeva should remain jeeva for we are all beautiful in our own unique way and have no right to change,manipulate the other to suit one another."

They stood silently gazing into each other's eyes and then together walked slowly towards K.k.Agarwal's cabin.



"Loving someone and having them love you back is the most precious thing in the world.Love is not an equation, it is not a contract, and it is not a happy ending. Love is the slate under the chalk, the ground that buildings rise, and the oxygen in the air. It is the place you come back to, no matter where your headed.

Paul Young - Every time You Go Away

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfk6sCzRTbM

Chris De Burgh - The Lady In Red

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9Jcs45GhxU

Berlin - Take My Breath Away

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx51eegLTY8

Hi,
I wish all our forum members and their families a very Happy Pongal.All the best .

Satish

ANBU ILLAM

If you didn't know it until you read my words and let it make sense to you,then i am glad that you think like me.For it is true that not all great people live great lives or have great stories to tell about themselves.But ordinary people have extra ordinary stories to tell about their rather boring lives for only they know that each day and every moment of that life is a struggle.A struggle to remain sane in an seemingly normal but insane world filled with zombie like people rushing about fighting their daily sustenance.

In the end it comes to down to this equation,3 meals a day,a bath,a dump,sex once in a blue moon and a drink at a party and you hope nobody throws on you and it is back to the grind.

You stood up on two from being on all fours like an animal and in pride you stood up,toddled,walked,ran like a human and yet along with your soul you still are literally on the floor,crawling trying desperately to find a rung to climb the ladder and probably reach light.

For untold and unsung billions,it is always the floor and for many who do climb the ladder to light,sadly their sight had dimmed or they have lost the sight of wisdom.

This is life at is harshest and cruelest best and sadly there is no way out.Unless,Unless you step out of the race and start walking your own race at your own pace.Yes,let the world run its course while we shut out all the needless inputs and wave them goodbye.

Is it possible,can it be really done this magic,this peaceful existence where we can exist as a human and also peacefully.Well,you can if you are buddha,jesus and all the other great saints and souls that we read about and lived thus.

It is possible for there are better souls who are not known and who go about their lives quietly doing their duty and sacrificing their needs for others and still bloom a smile for this is how they are and this is who they have willingly become.



Murthy locked the gates that protected the orphanage called " Anbu illam " and stood watching the dark and deserted street and shook his head in frustration.He decided that he would have a word with Sumathi who ran the orphanage and who had been in charge for many a year now after the passing of its founder Shri.Narayana Gounder.

Four people helped with the administration of the Orphanage and three left by 6.00 pm and Sumathi was the only adult who stayed back in the orphanage and she did it gladly and willingly for she had come there as a orphan herself.

Murthy looked at his watch and it showed 10.00 pm and wrapping the shawl around his neck and shoulders,he slowly went around the compound checking if everything was okay before retiring to his usual place near the door of the orphanage where he would sit all day in the morning and sleep at night and come rain or sun,had been doing so for nearly 25 years.

His duties did not end with him being a watchman but also gardening,painting,plumbing and helped with nearly everything that required his help in the orphanage.He did not ask for anything and was happy with just the food that was given to him and what ever clothes that came his way.

Even in his old age his eyes and ears still functioned decently and he woke up to the sounds of shuffling noises that footsteps made as they moved stealthily in the night.

Watchman murthy looked at Jimmy the orphanages mongrel dog who lay fast asleep and with a shake of his head and a smile,he slowly got up and made his way in the darkness towards the noise and he knew for sure who it was that was making the noise.

He came out of the darkness and the young girl,just sixteen nearly screamed in fright and she stood staring at watchman murthy who looked at her calmly and then turned to the boy who was maybe 21 or 22 and spoke on his characteristic soft whispery voice " I advised you a couple of days ago and no i am going to warn you and this is my first and final warning and after that i will have to report this matter to the authorities.She is still a minor and do you realise that you will be charged with rape and they will not understand that you love her and that she loves you in return.so leave now and i will forget about it or i will call the police."

The young man looked at the girl and just as they had done with his love,raging hormones now did for his anger and he stabbed the old man with a knife that he had kept concealed in his pant and only after delivering that fatal blow did he come to his senses and realising what he had done just jumped the compound wall and ran away into the night,love and lover being abandoned in an instant.

Watchman murthy slowly sank to his knees holding his left side and the blood began to pour out and the girl tried to hold him,but murthy pushed her away " what has been done is done and there is no point in you getting involved with this now.Just make a decent and good life out of the opportunities that god and this orphanage has given you and everything else will work out in the end.Go back to your room and stay quiet and this too will work itself out."

He looked at her with the same kind eyes with which he had seen her from the time she was two years old " If it is true love then it will return and will not be denied.So,stay quiet and calm and let destiny take its path."

The girl disappeared into the night and watchman murthy with great difficulty stood up and went back to his place near the entrance of the orphanage and stopped at the small statue of Narayna gounder,the founder of the orphanage called Anbu Illam and smiled " well my old friend,i guess i will be seeing you soon."

He slowly sank into the mat and taking a last look at the still sleeping jimmy the old dog laid his head and went into a deathly sleep,a sleep from which there is no waking up and his lips mumbled " god,i have never asked for too much and now with my last breath i ask you to watch over this orphanage and protect them with your immense grace."


The orphanage " Anbu illam " was nearly 40 years old and the land and the building had been donated to its founder by someone long ago to its founder Narayana Gounder and the name of the donor had never been revealed to anyone and nobody had cared enough to learn about it.

Sumathi had come to the orphanage as a refugee at the age of three and when the time had come and a choice had been given to her to spread her wings and get married,get a good job and step into the outside world.She had refused it and had shunned it without any remorse and had quietly expressed to the founder,the late Narayana gounder that she preferred to remain in the orphanage and look after the children and its affairs.

Narayana gounder had looked at her and asked her if she had given thought to a life of love,marriage and children of her own and sumathi had smiled and replied " i am married to this orphanage and all the children here are my children and you are my father.What more can i want or need?"

It had been sometime then that Murthy had come looking for food and work to the orphanage and had been rudely told by one of the male administrators that there was no requirement for a watchman since they was nothing valuable to steal on the premises and after been given a decent meal had been turned away.

But then their founder Narayana gounder had stopped the man whose name turned out to be murthy and had brought him back to the orphanage and had given him shelter,food and employment and had told the administrators that murthy rather being a liability was going to be an asset and also informed them that the man had refused any money or salary.

Sumathi remembered very well that things began to slowly and very subtly change for the better after the arrival of Watchman murthy for he also began to teach all of them and he turned out to be an excellent teacher and was skilled in nearly all the subjects that made up the syllabus of the kids that called Anbu illam their home.


Sumathi remembered all of this and more and she stood with tears pouring out of her eyes as she looked down at the dead body of murthy and it was covered with blood and he had left a trail of blood that led her to the gate and not knowing what to do,helplessly called the police who arrived swiftly.

Since it was an orphanage and filled with children ranging from the tender age of three to fifteen,the police handled the case and its investigation with rather surprising kindness and the reason turned out to be that the Inspector was an orphan himself and who had grown up in orphanage in madurai.

The body of murthy had been taken away for post mortem and later that evening,the inspector had returned to meet sumathi and update her on the investigation.

He sat in the small office of Anbu illam and sipping the coffee that had been offered and looked at sumathi " Ma'am,watchman murthy died of a knife wound.From what i have seen i can safely deduce that the old man must have surprised a burglar who stabbed him and ran away and although knowing he was badly injured,the man bravely went back to his place near the door and died there."

Sumathi could not control her grief and began to sob and her body shook in spasms as her mind tried to make sense of what must have taken place the previous night and how murthy had died so valiantly and tragically,serving the orphanage even in his dying and last moments.


The Inspector waited calmly and waited in understanding as sumathi cried her heart out and then asked her " Ma'am,did the watchman have any relatives or someone known who should be informed about his passing."

Sumathi,her eyes swollen red with all the crying looked up at the inspector " What? relatives,no.At least not to my knowledge and moreover he has been with us for nearly 25 years.And in all that years he never spoke about his family,who he was or where he had came from?"

Inspector palani " Sumathi ma'am,that is the story of all of us orphans and i guess it does not matter now that he is gone.For they did not matter when he was alive and will definitely not matter now in his passing."

Getting up from his chair,Palani looked at sumathi " Don't worry about procedures and protocols for i will handle all those police and legal matters and will hand over the body soon and see that the cremation too goes smoothly."

Sumathi folded her hands and thanked him and then suddenly remembering something important " Sir,there is one thing,a rather mysterious request that our late founder asked of me and that was to open a sealed envelope after watchman murthys death.maybe,it will shed some light on who he was before coming to this orphanage."

Inspector palani looked at sumathi " but your founder passed away nearly 25 years ago,am i right."

Sumathi nodded " yes,a few months after watchman murthy's arrival and it was due to cardiac arrest and nothing could be done about it.It was mercifully very quick and hopefully painfree."

Sumathi opened the godrej bureau and opening another locker inside it brought out a small steel box and removed a rather aged envelope and both of them looked at it.

Taking a ball point pen,she used it to cut through the flap and then tore it open and removed two letters.

Sumathi opened the first letter and immediately recognised the beautiful handwriting of her late founder and father figure narayana gounder.

She read the contents

Dear sumathi,

I address this letter to you for i know that you will stay true to your words and vision and that you would never walk away from Anbu illam.My dear child,even though i am dead,i shed tears for i know murthy Iyya is dead and only then you would be reading these words of mine.

Sumathi,Murthy iyaa is just not watchman murthy but his real name Thiru Krishna murthy nayakar and he is a direct descendant of the Ettayapuram zamin.



Stopping,sumathi's eyes read the words again and again and then slowly lifted up to gaze into the eyes of Inspector palani who with an expression of awe " wow,Krishna murthy nayakar,Ettayapuram zamin.This man was of royal blood and yet here he worked as a watchman for nearly 25 years,sleeping in this very place and finally breathing his last in that very spot."


Nee paartha paarvaigal kanavodu pogum
Nee sonna vaarthaigal kaatrodu pogum
Oor paartha unmaigal unakkaaga vaazhum
Unaraamal povorkku udhavaamal pogum
Unaraamal povorkku udhavaamal pogum

Kan pona pokkile kaal pogalaama
Kaal pona pokkile manam pogalaama
Manam pona pokkile manithan pogalaama
Manam pona pokkile manithan pogalaama
Manithan pona paathaiyai maranthu pogalaama
Manithan pona paathaiyai maranthu pogalaama




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BjXwxj6CVY

Kanpona Pokkile - Panam Padaithavan

Jannal oram 130

"A thrilling story can be dull if told badly, but even the most mundane event can be elevated into a tale of epic scale by a good storyteller. ? Johnny Rich

K.K.Agarwal opened the door to his cabin with a wide,happy smile and asked jeeva and raman to sit down and then looked at jeeva " okay,now the picture is beginning to take shape and i like the shape it has taken."

Jeeva confused " sir,what shape are you talking about " and glanced at Raman who sat with a calm smile and Agarwal " well,jeeva.You have been with us for more than eight years now and only off late have you been missing in the canteen during lunch time and sometimes you have taken off earlier than others when the usual practice is that you are always the last person to leave this office."

Looking at Raman,he continued " Mr.Raman,do you know how many times this lady here has worked late into the night and i have had to call up from home and ask her to go home and finish the remaining work the next day.So,now suddenly she goes off for lunches by herself and sometimes takes off early and today you arrive armed with flowers."

Winking at jeeva " that is the picture that has taken shape jeeva and i totally approve and give you both my blessings."

Agarwal asked raman " raman,are you practicing on your own or are you working for some senior advocate?"

" I work for a firm called Rangachari and associates and my boss is senior advocate Mr.krishnasawmy iyer.we handle the cases on our own and he never interferes with our work unless we go to him for advice."

K.K.Agarwal closed his eyes and then after a moment " Rangachari and associates.your offices are near Egmore right and your boss lives on the floor above.Correct raman."

Raman smiled " yes sir.On the mark.Do you know him personally sir?"

K.K nodded " a couple of times here and there at the clubs in which we both are members."

Agarwal looked at both of them and jeeva knowing what was going through his mind " Both our families have met and all that remains now is setting a wedding date and that will come after my sister gets a job and her wedding is over."

K.K raised his hand in a question " But jeeva beta,you are older than her and you are working and you have found the perfect man for you and so why delay your marriage when your sister has a lot of time left for her."

Jeeva looked at raman as if she was uncomfortable with the situation and the questions but he kept quiet indicating that she owed her boss,her mentor a correct and honest answer.

K.k.Agarwal who had kept his eyes on jeeva did notice the subtle exchanges between her and raman and clearing his throat " jeeva,you think i have forgotten anything from that day of your interview that took place here in my office more than eight years ago.I am sorry if you think so but let me remind you again that i never forget anything,especially when it comes to my child,my daughter for that is how i have been treating you all these years."

Jeeva hurriedly " sir,it goes without saying for not only me but all our office staff members know how well you take care of us and our families needs."

K.K in a very gentle voice " Jeeva beta,everyday is a new day and a different day and although our priorities do not change,we need to change how we approach them and handle them.You are not the same jeeva that walked into this office eight years ago for you are not alone anymore and you have Raman by your side and who is now a part of your life.So,all i am doing is not advising you but thinking aloud for sometimes it pays to have another persons perspective into our owns and i am one who you know you can trust."

Raman had known from the instant he had met K.K.Agarwal that he was a wise and kind soul and these words of the older man only increased his respect for him even more and yet he remained quiet,not offering any thought or suggestion to the conversation that was going on before him.

K.k.Agarwal waited for Jeeva to speak and realised that as always it would take a hell of a lot more cajoling and convincing and spoke to her again " i spoke purely because i want you to not waste anymore time on your duties and priorities when clearly it can be dealt with in other ways without you having to do it all alone.So,think about it and i hope you come to a happy decision soon."

The door opened and hema informed K.K that the sweets he had ordered had arrived and jeeva looking at her boss ' what is the occasion sir? anything special?" and he smiled " yes beta,today is indeed special for we have all been introduced to Raman,your raman."

Nearly an hour passed quickly and then saying bye to everybody,Jeeva left with raman and they slowly walked towards the main road and raman turned to her " sweetheart,i am here.Right by your side and i will never let go."

Jeeva gently squeezed his hand and looking into his eyes,thanked him and raman nodded.

They crossed the road and entering the high courts parking lot got into raman's car and slowly headed home.

Jeeva suddenly smiled and raman heard her smiling and saw her blush and went " what? come on ma'am,it is just the two of us here and yet you are the one who is doing the smiling,without sharing the reason for it."

Jeeva looked at him " you stupid,beautiful man.I was thinking about last evening and what your fingers did to me sitting in the car in the beach."

Raman's face took on a thoughtful look " How can i forget that jeeva? It is just that i was thinking of the rollercoaster of a time that we have experienced the past two days.Starting with the wedding that i attende with my family,then the attack on Bharat in the mall,then the hospital encounter,then our rather wild fight today morning and not to forget my encounter with those thugs in the very same mall and my trip to the Fort with vijaya bhaskar to meet his dad and then meeting the police commissioner himself."

Jeeva kept staring at him " OMG,true for when you put it all in order and in sequence,it does seem like a rollercoaster but a scary one."

With a worried look " raman,what are we going to do about all of this?"

Raman turned to her with a smile and gently pinched her ear " we,what do you mean we for i am going to take care of this and make sure that life comes back to a normal routine."

His mobile rang and he pressed the speaker button and the callers tender voice filled the small confines of his car " Mr.raman,this is jeeva,Mr.shreekanths daughter here calling from the hospital.My dad wants to know if it will be okay for you to come and meet him in the hospital for he wants to see you."

Raman looked at jeeva who nodded " yes jeeva.please tell him that i will be there in half an hours times.Bye."

He looked at jeeva " you can wait in the car if you feel like it."

She looked at him " no,i will come and i will go where ever you go and as long as you are next to me."

Jannal oram 131

"A story is like something you wind out of yourself. Like a spider, it is a web you weave, and you love your story like a child.


If Raman felt the tension building up in Jeeva,he did not show it nor acknowledge it and instead his thoughts rested on her boldly agreeing to come along with him to meet shreekanth.Raman knew that if things between jeeva and shreekanth kept being paused,flogged and dragged endlessly,then neither would be at peace with their lives,present and in the future.

Raman's mind raised questions as to why he never felt even a twinge of jealousy or a pang of regret about the fact that jeeva was meeting a person whom she had once loved very much and a love which had broken away not because they did not love each other anymore but sadly because of circumstances and priorities.

Raman's love and respect for jeeva only kept increasing for he kept thinking to that situation where she had made a choice between her love and her family and had sacrificed her own happiness for the sake of looking after her people.Many in her situation would have used love as a pretext or as a tool to move away from their family and their responsibilities and many would have tried hard to balance both love and family and would have probably failed and the failure would have pushed them to anger,hatred and depression a common sight in many of the cases he saw on a daily basis in the courts.

All people really needed was a bit of tolerance,understanding and a wee bit of sacrifices and everyone in this world would be so much happier.

If shreekanth was surprised to see Jeeva with raman,he did not show it and instead greeted her warmly and with proper protocol and tried to sit up and pointing to his jaw,mumbled in barely understandable words " jaw wired,painful.thank you for coming.How are you?"

Jeeva gently took Shreekanth's hand " i am okay.Please dont talk and just rest."

And then she hugged kutty jeeva who hugged her back and planted soft kisses on both her cheeks.jeeva looked at raman " me and this little darling will wait outside while you men talk" and holding kutty jeeva went outside.

Raman could not help noticing shreekanths eyes follow both jeeva's and shreekanth realising his mistake turned away in shame and embarassment and then taking time to compose his feelings,turned to raman " bloody strange situation we both are in."

Raman patting shreekanths shoulder " I could wax and vane about this situation but i will not and instead will just say that i understand what both of you are going through and also that is has no bearing on my relationship with you as your advocate."

Raman thought of telling shreekanth about what had happened in the mall earlier that day but refrained from doing so and also reminded himself that he should request jeeva to not confide to shreekanth about it.For he knew that the situation was not only a volatile one but also a fluid one and he had no idea where the whole thing would end up and the fewr people knew about it,the better.Anything to do with politicians and criminals was a bad and dangerous situation.


Jeeva sat with Kutty jeeva next to her in the metal furniture outside the room and she found it strangely funny and at the same time very endearing that the tiny girl kept staring at her.

Suddenly kutty jeeva grabbed jeevas hand and spoke in her tender but accented american english " Miss jeeva,thank you very much for coming along with MR.raman for it has lifted my dad's spirits and i know it will help him to get better more quickly."

Jeeva did not know how to respond to these words of the tender soul and instead just hugged her to her bosom and kutty jeeva threw her arms and held jeeva tightly and then softly whispered " I feel like this only when my dad hugs me " and then suddenly looking at jeeva " why don't you and Mr.raman come and visit us when we go back home?"

Jeeva nodded " maybe in the future sweetie.Maybe one day when things are more clearer and settled."

Kutty jeeva put out her small palm " Promise" and jeeva covered it with her hands " promise."

"If I didn't know the ending of a story, I wouldn't begin. I always write my last lines, my last paragraph first, and then I go back and work towards it. I know where I'm going. I know what my goal is. And how I get there is God's grace. Katherine Anne Porter

Jannal oram 132


The tender loving care of human beings will never become obsolete.People even more than things have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed and redeemed and redeemed.Never throw out anybody.Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands: one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

Shreekanth looked at Raman " so,did you contact my father-in-law?"

Raman nodded " yes,i spoke to him and i we are meeting up tomorrow morning at his house.I should be able to talk more in detail when i see you tomorrow evening after my meeting with him."

Sheekanth looked down at his hands that he kept clenching and unclenching in nervous tension and then mumbled " he was not always like this for before sudha passed on,he was a real gentleman and always treated me with great respect and kindness.Maybe the loss of his only child has really affected him and my daughter who looks exactly like her mother has only made him more violently obsessive."

Raman calmly assured him " don't worry shreekanth for i will see to it that this problem is solved and that you are not bothered anymore."

Then out of curiosity " but tell me one thing,what was the necessity for you to come all the way back to India and face all this when you could have taken this to the courts there which i am sure any sane judge would have thrown it out for as a parent you have all the rights over your child and your in laws don't stand a chance."

Shreekanth nodded and although his jaw was hurting him,managed a sad smile and spoke " If my father-in-law had been any other person i wouldn't have hesitated to take him to court there but then both of us know that he is not just another person and has money and power behind him and he will stop at nothing."

Raman observed that shreekanth stressed on the word nothing and shreekanth looked into his eyes " Mr.raman,i mean literally nothing for he could have had me killed abroad where i live and yet somehow and strangely the little decency that still remains has what has made him resort to this court case here in chennai.Maybe,he thought that i would buckle and succumb to his threats and his thugs but i will not."

Gently taking raman's hand,Shreekanth looked at him " I don't have anything else,no purpose without my daughter.I live,i exist for her and just for her and i will gladly suffer a hundred broken jaws if it means that she will be my side."

Raman subtly stood up for he did not want his client to work himself up and talk more which would result in more pain and yet shreekanth still held on to his hand and then softly whispered " Mr.raman,this is a rather delicate situation between the three of us and at this time i just want to tell you that Jeeva is an absolutely wonderful human being and a very,very brave soul.I am really glad for both of you for just like her i think you are a really wonderful soul and a very kind man."

Raman bent his head in a nod and acknowledged shreekanths words " Thank you shreekanth.You rest now and let me take care of your problems and i will see you tomorrow evening.If at all you need anything,please don't hesitate to call me.Good night."

Raman came out of the room and saw jeeva holding the young child in her arms and it was obvious that kutty jeeva was fast asleep.

He looked at Jeeva " okay,okay,i will try my best and hope that our first child is a girl" and jeeva shaking her head slowly " what,no way mister.I want a son,just like his father and maybe later we can think of another child and hopefully that too will be a mini replica of his dad."

Shreekanths sister Priya walked towards them and gently took kutty jeeva and thanked jeeva and raman for their help and raman reminded her " ma'am,the two men who have been assigned to guard you will remain and follow you where ever you all go."

Priya smiled " oh,cannot miss them even if i want toor their safari suit and their huge sizes.Thanks raman."

Raman opened the door for priya to carry kutty jeeva in but she glanced at jeeva who understanding the hint went in and said bye to shreekanth and came out and both of them walked out into the cool of the december night.

Priya looked down at her brother in the bed " does it hurt?" and shreekanth sadly " my jaw or my heart?" and turned away as tears flowed from his eyes and memories came back like a raging flood and wiping the tears away and forcing the memories away " I am happy for her for she has found a man,a much better man than me for that Raman is really a special soul and a complete gentleman and he will never leave her or abandon her like i did all those years ago."

"Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely. Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

The same old beach,same old sea
horizon out of reach,me like the sea
same old,same old,bold,cold and untold
yet everyday the silver of the waters
seem to shimmer and glimmer more
and today it lay like a molten lava
of silver on land and silver light in the skies
The sun was up high,climbing,soaring
and the pigeons were done with the grains
and only dust and scraps remained
i had lost the sunrise as i fought for my body
lifting weights repeatedly
and as always the question looms and sinks
fight for your soul or fight for your body
so a silver white sun with a blue sky as its dress
greeted me rather than with the usual pinks,oranges
and then the fast climbing sun hit a thick patch of cloud
and in shadow i stood along with the pigeons
and they took flight in might and in fright
they flocked,they mocked and they turned this way
and dived that way and all around me their feathers
hissed like snakes and fluttered like the wispy hair of babies
I sighed,i breathed deeply and i inhaled life
and whispered " Kal ho na ho"