*From & To Sathish* - Thread 4 - Page 8

" Ek gaon mein ek kisaan raghu thaatha


Only those Tamils who struggled with Hindi as 2nd
language will understand and empathise with these words

10th standard Hindi Exam question goes like this:
Q: Pongal ke baare mein ek upanyaas likho.
Answer:

Pongal Tamil Nadu ka ek pandigai hai. ls pandigai Thai
Maas mein manatha hai. Sab log adhikalai kulichte hain
aur Naya kapda ududutta hai. Vaasal mein bada bada
kolam potutta hai. Color color powder bhi Potutta.
Madhya mein poosanippu veppanga hai. Mathaji
chakkarai Pongal seida hai. Pongum samay sab log
pongalo Pongal bolta. Ammaji vadai bhi aur kootu
curry sambar appalam aur neraiya seida hai. Madhiyam
sabko Surya bhagwan padaitha. Karpuram kaati ke
baad log ukkandhu kaatha hai. Uske baad Nanna kore
kore sotha hai. avulodhaan hai.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VjvWgfXDk8

Indru Poi Naalai Vaa Movie

Jannal oram 133


Every moment seems to be a chain
a link that will bring gain or pain
and which may drive the sane to insane
when do we weigh the net result
of all these moments called life
and what abstracts do we deduce from the
remains of the day



Having entered Mount road from Greamways road,their progress slowed as traffic became heavy and to pass the time and to ease their minds,raman asked jeeva ' do you want to hear any music?' and jeeva looked at him ' no raman,i am okay and honestly i am actually enjoying this silence and you in it.'

She looked at the sea of red tail lights and brake lights in their lane and at the white and yellows of all the headlights in the opposite lane as the vehicles passed them by on their way to where ever it was they called home.

Raman's mobile rang and he gently touched it and also activated the speaker phone and his dads deep and loving voice filled the car,drove away the silence and filled his heart with joy and spirit.

" Iyya ram,We just got back from kanchipuram and we are at mr.Mani's house as his wife requested us to stay back for dinner and we said ok.I am not one to pass on a delicious dinner not when i am going back to trichy in another few days.'

Raman's face was alight with love and happiness for his dad and he enquired about their trip to Kanchipuram ' appa,how was the trip? did you get good darshan?' and his dad replied ' iyaa,there was absolutely no problem for the temple was empty when we went in and all four of us had a great darisanam.We also visited the famous Ekambaraeswarar temple which is supposed to be one of the panchabhoota lingams.'

Then hearing the honks and squeals of the vehicles,he quickly 'Iyaa,sorry i did not realise that you were driving and so i will end the call and please call back when you have time.and by the way i hope your client is okay.I did not have a chance to talk to you for you spent last night in the hospital with him.'

Jeeva shook her head hearing the manners,caution,respect and love that Shaktivel had for his son and gently touched the mobile as if she was touching her future father-in-laws face and looked at raman.

' Appa, my client is doing fine and also it is okay to converse for i am talking to you via the speakerphone and so it is safe to carry on a conversation.'

But shaktivel's concern filled his voice " iyya,no,no.when we drive,our total concentration should be only on that for we should not only worry about our safety but the others who are on the road with us.Anyway,all i wanted to say was that we are here in mani's house and so come over here directly and join us for dinner.okay iyya.'

Raman suddenly ' Dad,i love you so much and thank you for everything.'

If this sudden declaration had surprised shaktivel,his voice did not show it but rather became more tender ' Iyaa,raman.I should be the one to thank you for my life has been made better with you in it.But,thank you for telling me that you love me for it has given me as much as joy as i got when i saw the lord today morning in Kanchipuram.we will talk more when you reach home,so hurry up.'

Both stayed quiet for many a minute and only as raman drove the car over Gemini bridge,jeeva asked him ' raman,are you going to tell your dad about all that happened to shreekanth at the mall last evening and the attack on you today morning and also the involvement of the ruling party minister.'

Raman nodded ' yes jeeva and for two reasons.One is that i have never hidden anything from my parents and secondly they have a right to know about any danger that my cases pose to them.And now i have to include you and your family to that for we are one and together.So,over dinner i will tell them what has taken place and we will take it from there.'

Jeeva suddenly ' what the f**k it that ministers problem? Doesn't he know that his grand daughter is better off with her dad who is such a great person and who will give her a better life in canada where she was born and a place which is familiar with.How did this stupid moron become a minister and a part of the govt which rules us and lords over us.'

Raman with a sarcastic smile " You wish baby.Intelligence,Integrity,Honesty and Kindness have nothing to do with how a person becomes a minister and it is all about money,connections and sucking up to higher ups.And now with money being used in crores to buy votes what is the need for those things which are absolutely essential for a politician and critical for a man who comes to power.'

Jeeva worriedly ' what is this state and country coming to raman? everyday i see a rise in religion based violence and cast based issues.We are being told what to eat and what not to eat.People in the name of religion are dictating how a book should be written,how a movie should be taken and what can be said or not said.'

Raman reached out and gently took her hand and jeeva held it in both her hands and gently kissed it and looked at raman ' thank you for your love and thank you for coming into my life.'

Raman smiled lovingly at her and then softly ' baby,one of these sundays,i am thinking of riding the bus, travelling all around chennai and explore our city and see more of it.Would you be interested in joining me?'

Jeeva nodded excitedly ' i would love to.Tell me when and i will ask my mum to pack us some food and we can have a nice bus picnic.'

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.

Little things,big things,little joys,big happy moments are all cheap and techy terms we humans use to categorize,arrange our mundane lives in neat little shelves so that we can live sanely in a totally insane environment.

A moment is a moment, and life and the grace behind it all, gifts it to you with a open heart and also makes the choice of spending that moment and the momentary existence called life totally yours and so you have it and so do what you like to do with it doing what pleases you.

Jannal oram 134

"Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder. Rumi

Leaving the car in his street,Raman and jeeva slowly walked to her house and raman was not surprised in the least to see shaktivel standing near the gate.Father and son gently hugged each other and then shaktivel hugged jeeva too and hearing the loud blare from the tv,a little more than the usual volume, all three turned to see what was happening inside the house and jeeva with an apologetic look ' sorry gentlemen,old people and old ears and how much ever i tell them,they just don't listen and insist on turning up the volume as loud as possible.Sometimes,i think the volume is so loud that our neighbours don't even bother turning on their tvs for they can clearly hear everything from our house tv.'

Shaktivel smiled ' no jeeva,it was just that some major crime seems to have taken place in the chennai citi center and all the news channels were dropping hints of terrorists and guns.That is why the volume is turned so up so loud for we were all glued to the news reports to find what is going on and if the public are out of danger near that mall.'

Raman looked at jeeva and shaktivel knew from that fleeting glance that things were not all calm as raman's face projected and he looked at his son with concern 'Iyaa,what is going on?' and Raman replied ' appa,i think it is better that we all go in and sit down and then explain what is going on .'

Jeeva went in first and taking the remote,switched of the tv and kamakshi nearly jumped from her seat " Hey jeeva,idiot,your dad,me and valliammai were watching that news report.Please, switch on the tv.'

But jeeva did not and instead gave a glare to her mother and kamakshi immediately understood that something serious was going on and she and mani watched as shaktivel sat down and raman too sat down.Jeeva not worrying too much about protocol, plonked herself next to raman and folding her arms across her chest,gazed calmly at all of them.

Raman looked at his parents and jeeva's parents 'what i am about to tell you is shocking,but i assure you that the situation is under control and there is no need for any of you to worry about what might happen or might not happen.'

Manigandan fearing the worst ' Raman sir,did you and jeeva have a fight? '

Raman calmly ' fight yes sir.But not with jeeva but with a few others and that is what is all the channels are reporting right now.'

Both their parents did not react for many a second for they had no clue as to what raman was talking about and then all four screamed in panic ' what,fight,why.who wanted to hurt you raman?'

Jeeva leaned forward ' please,remember what raman said about not having to worry about him,me or any of us and that the situation was under control.'

Shaktivel ' iyaa,please explain properly for the suspense is killing and i don't think my heart can take all this tension.'

Raman leaned forward and took his dads hand and kissed it and looked at him ' appa,relax please' and then slowly began to explain what had happened in the mall that morning.

' Last night,a client of mine named shreekanth was attacked in chennai citi center and that is why i rushed off to see him and spent the night in the hospital watching over him.Today morning,after filing a police complaint,i went to the mall to talk to the staff members there and to gather information as to what had actually taken place the previous evening and to see if i could find any eye witnesses.But,the very same goondas who had attacked my client were already there and were physically abusing the men and women staff and also threatening them with death if they were not given the security tapes from the CCTV'S.I was left without any option and so i used the only option that was available to me and so i faced them down and the result is all this confusion and news reports.'

Kamakshi trembling in panic and anxiety ' but raman,on the news,we heard that guns were used and shots were fired.'

Raman casually shrugging his shoulders ' yeah,they tried shooting a few times and thankfully they turned out to be very bad shooters and also i realised that i was a very lucky man and escaped unhurt.'

Valliammai began to sob and with tears pouring down ' ram,the police are saying that all six criminals involved in the crime are currently in the govt hospital and will be there for a few weeks.But how did they get hurt and how did you escape from this terrible ordeal and why is that nobody is talking about you?Is the police searching for you?'

Shaktivel kept staring at Raman without anger or reprimand and then calmly enquired ' Iyaa,is this incident somewhat like what happened many years ago while you were in college and came home and stayed back for a quite a long time.Will you come back with us and stay away from chennai for a few months.'

Raman did not know whether to laugh in wonder or feel embarrassed that his father had hit the nail right on the head and taking a deep breath,he slowly locked eyes with his dad ' not just like what happened last time but with the same people again.'

Valliammai by now thoroughly worried and anxious to know the depths of the danger her son was involved in,hurriedly grabbed shaktivel's arm ' shakti,enna,what is going on between father and son? enough of all this bullshit and secrecy for all of us have a right to know what the hell is really happening.'

Jannal oram 135

"If you're reading this...
Congratulations, you're alive.
If that's not something to smile about,
then I don't know what is.? Chad Sugg


Shaktivel turned and faced his wife Valliammai ' valli,patience please,let raman finish what he has to say ' and these words delivered calmly reduced the anxiety of valliammai and also mani and kamakshi's.

Raman looked at all of them and then at his dad ' appa,don't be angry with me and think that i lied to you for it is not so and my crime was only keeping certain facts hidden from you.The situation was thus and it seems that the situation is the same today as it was all those days ago.'

Shaktivel looked at his son 'Iyya,we named you Raman and the reason for that is i knew from the moment i laid my eyes on you that no other name would suit you and also you were gifted to us after we began worshipping at the Lord rama temple.Like that god,i know for certain that you too will always stand for the truth and what is good and will never resort to violence until all avenues of peace has been exhausted.'

Taking raman's hand and gently squeezing it with tenderness and pride ' i know you are right for you can never be wrong and so i will stand by you whatever the situation is.All i and your mother ask of you is that you remain safe and away from harm.'

Raman who had bent his head and was looking at the floor at his feet,nodded and then looked at his dad ' How can one live safely in a world as corrupt as the one we are living in right now? Forget me dad and think of all the lives that are being harassed and trampled with those who have power.That same thing is happening right now and whether i like it or not,i have to stand up and be counted for there comes a point in all our lives when the option of being quiet and safe is not enough anymore and it is time to join the crowd and raise your voices or raise arms and join the fight.'

He looked at all of them ' That is what i did all those years ago in college when some thugs belonging to a political party tried to kill two of my colleagues and on of them was a young woman.And today,thugs belonging to the same man,tried to physically abuse and maybe would even killed a few people in the mall if i had not intervened.'

Valliammai looked at raman ' you mean you were the one who put all those men in hospital single handedly' and when he nodded,she jumped and grabbed his head and hugged him tightly to her bosom and placed several kisses on his head and cheeks ' thank god you are okay.'

Manigandan looked at raman thoughtfully ' Raman,you mentioned that the same person was behind the attacks then and now and that he is involved in politics.So,who is this person?'

Jeeva looked at him ' Finance minister Vaidyanathan.'

The name was well known for it was in the public's eyes and knowledge for more than forty years and both young and old sitting there in a circle knew it pretty damned well and also that he was equal to the chief minister or maybe even more powerful than him and wielded tremendous power and wealth.

Both her parents looked at her and she looked at them and placing a hand on Raman's shoulder ' I knew about all this just a few hours ago and i told this man the same thing that i am telling you ' my place is next to him no matter what and he has my full support.'

shaktivel's mind was raging and racing with a thousand thoughts and then mani voiced the most important one of them all,when he asked raman ' But,how is that the police have not come looking for you,when you have sent so many to the hospital?'

Raman smiled softly ' Minister vaidyanathan i agree is a very powerful person and ranks at the top of the govt but then i too have people who will come to my help if i asked for it.'

Addressing all of them ' but to be more clear and specific,the two students whose lives i saved in college are minister Durai pandi's children and it is to them i turned for help and it is the minister who requested the police commissioner not to arrest me and handle things delicately.'

Kamakshi's voice spewed anger ' And these criminals call themselves our leaders and dare to govern us.No wonder,Tamil nadu ranks so low in everything from industry to agriculture.'

Shaktivel looked at raman ' Iyya,what are you going to do now?'

Raman thoughtfully ' i will know tomorrow after i finish meeting the minister himself.'

All their jaws dropped and manigandan ' raman sir,what? you are meeting the minister? isn't that dangerous?'

Raman shook his head ' sir,we have to give peace a chance before we go to war and before we pick up our weapons.'

Valliammai in a bold and confident voice ' All of you are forgetting one important thing and that my son is not only brave but also very smart and intelligent.'

Raman smiled and shrugged his shoulders ' absolutely correct mum,for this fight cannot be won with just bravery alone but instead with pure cunning and street smarts.'


"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Mann Vasanai

Metropolitan - Large cities which have large population and have numerous opportunities for employment. Metro areas are typically linked to the adjoining cities in socioeconomic terms.
Cosmopolitan - Larger cities where the population is composed of people from various cultural backgrounds. These people co-exist with each other very easily because of their broad mindedness.A city can be both metropolitan and cosmopolitan, both but a metropolitan area may not always be cosmopolitan.

Chennai is obviously a metropolitan city and without doubt also a truly cosmopolitan city for people from all over India live here,make a living here and let me stress here in the same sentence,that most of them live happily.But,i guess that applies for most of the places in our country for we are all covered by one name,Indian and bask in the shadow of one flag of tri-color.

Walk around chennai,anywhere and you will find that black,brown,dusky,wheatish,whitish,pinkish and yellowish mix,mingle and co-exist in harmony.

Honestly,although my honest opinion might not be accepted by a few hopefully or scarily by most,but i will still declare,that this state,our state named Tamil Nadu as and is the most peaceful state and the best state to work,live and die even, in our country.

Nair tea stalls and bakeries.Punjabi dhabas.Gujarati sweet stalls.Jain pawn brokers.Turbaned sikhs,singhs selling vehicle parts on GP road and nepalis watching over large houses and ongoing constructions.Anglo indians in hotels as managers and now in tv serials and movies as junior artists.People from manipur,assam and other north eastern states run parlors and work in hotels and even posh restaurants.

Maybe it is well known but not openly spoken about,but the truth is there are a lot of Bangladeshis that have come,stayed and hope to stay on forever in chennai.But ask them and they will say " Bengali" and not "Bangali."
Paravillai,for it does not matter for Tamil nadu is good for boarding and lodging and we do not differentiate between nations or caste and creed.

My list of best friends are made up of Iyers,Iyengars,christians,muslims,jains and well even a few buddhists.


Today walk into any Saravana bhavan restaurant and you will find men and women descended from oriental race handing over the menu cards and whisper ever so carefully in Tamil and i as many,stare at them in a rather amused and bemused at these now normal faces and also at the prices in the menu card that will surely give most customers Palpitations.

well times are changing but one thing that will never change is the stink of the open sewage waterways so lovingly called cooum river which was earlier known as the Triplicane river.Its source is in a place by the same name 'Cooum' or 'Koovam' in Tiruvallur district adjoining Chennai district.

Once this river was said to have had its origin in Dharmapuri district, but now due to some earth table changes, it has shortened its course to Thiruvallur district.Ancient documents from the nearby temples states about one 'reaching salvation' on having a dip in the Cooum. The Cooum river was then clean and unpolluted.

The ancient documents are right indeed for if even today,one takes a dip in the cooum,then that brave one will surely attain salvation but not instantly but after suffering a lot of skin diseases and other deadly bacterial infections.

Yet,each time i went off to Bengaluru for my summer holidays,i missed madras so much and that the first whiff of the stench of chennai as the train approached Basin bridge junction,my face used to light up and i acknowledged the greetings of this beautiful stinky city.

Sorgame endraalum athu namooru pola varuma.namma chennai,namma cooum.

If one needs to know the true meanings of Metropolitan and cosmopolitan,then one has to walk,drive around during the pongal holidays or any other extended holidays that extend over the weekend.

For amazingly,the city is largely empty and the traffic much lighter but for Koyambedu bus stand and egmore railway station.

This amazing exodus reveals to us as to how many people come from outside Chennai to our city to make a living and rush,flock back home for the holidays to be with their families.

Chennai city and our state, Tamil Nadu are truly great hosts,life givers,protectors and a beacon of our Indian republic and a true tamilan will fight against another Tamilan just to protect and defend a person from another state and get injured and even die in the process.

Like the words of our superstar in the movie " ANNAMALAI"

annai vaari kuduththadhu thaaipaalu
ennai vaazha vaiththadhu tamilpaalu

As for me,my love for all things tamil began long before i came to chennai at the age of five and if someone asks me to name one thing about this great state,then i will say the name " Paari."

The first time i heard this name about a great king " paari or also called as Pari",i was amazed that this great man,powerful king had given up his expensive chariot for a plant,a vine,a tender creeper to attach itself and for it grow on.

How was this possible? who would do such a thing? surely a mad man? or a man who see life and sees gods creation in everything,man,animal and also a plant and there you have it,my readers for now we can gently touch our chest or thump it in gusto and proclaim " Tamilanda."

Jannal oram 136



"You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance. ? Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

Saidapet was founded by the Nawab of the Carnatic in the 18th century AD and was named Sayyid Khan Pettah after Sayyid Khan,a high-ranking 18th-century official of the court of the Nawab of Arcot. The then Nawab of Arcot gifted these parts to Sayyid Shah in 1730. However, Saidapet at that time also included Kotturpuram and Nandanam.

He had come in a smaller car knowing that a large car would be difficult to maneuver in the narrow streets of Saidapet and he had come just with the driver,who got out and after staring at the house,came running back to the car and when the window opened,whispered 'Iyaa,he is not here' and then from inside the car,the occupant replied 'I guess he must be in the other house as he should rightfully be.'

The driver humbly ' iyaa,the car cannot enter that street and one must have to walk the rest of the distance to the house you are going to.'

The occupant of the car replied ' selvam.please get in and drop me at the end of the street and wait for me.And don't worry for a little walk will not harm me and it always feels good to stretch my legs for a bit.'

Selvam,the driver got in and turning to face his boss,spoke anxiously ' Iyaa,you are going in all alone and i hope that you will be safe.'

The car slowly made its way through a few small lanes and people muttered and cursed gently before making way for the car to pass and then it reached the end of the street and the occupant quickly got out and after a knowing glance to the driver,began to walk towards the end of the street,a dead end,where jeeva's house was situated.

He was dressed casually in a dark trouser and a white shirt left untucked and his feet were wrapped in sandals and he put his feet down on the ground and stood up and then stepping away gently closed the door and tapped the drivers window and pointed to his mobile phone and the driver nodded in understanding.

It was nearing 9.00 pm and the city was alive and he felt the tamil heart beat as its pulse throbbed from all the tamil that flowed all around saidapet and for that matter all around Tamil Nadu in forms of tamil channel news,tamil songs and he smiled to himself for many houses had the two popular comedy channels " aditya" and "siripoli" switched on and he thought to himself that the occupants wanted some relief from the day and vadivelu was the answer.

As he walked,he realised for himself the new ground reality that the popularity of sun tv was indeed not as high as it had once been for through the windows and open doors,he saw many people glued to vijay tv,zee tamil,thanthi tv news,puthiya thalaimurai news and also sun tv.

He reached the house and opened the gate and he saw clearly that Raman was the first one to react to the noise of the gate opening and standing up walked towards the front door and then along with him came his father and jeeva.

Raman,Shaktivel,Jeeva,kamakshi,mani and valliammai stood and watched a minister Durai pandi's son Vijay bhaskar stood before them with his folded hands and they listened as his lips moved and formed the word " vanakkam."

Raman with a smile and a bit of worry etched on his face,stepped forward and welcomed him ' vaanga vijay.Please come in' and when vijay was next to him turned and introduced him to mani,kamakshi and jeeva and told him ' vijay,you already met my parents yesterday morning.'


Vijay looked at raman's parents ' please forgive me for placing your son in harm's way for all this started when Raman sir saved me and my sister from certain death.And now he seems to be facing the same villian again and so i blame myself for that.Please forgive me and my sister.'

Valliammai slowly pushed his folded hands down ' iyaa,my son simply did his duty and that was saving his younger brother and sister.There is no need for you to thank us or for us to forgive you since we see you as part of the family.'

Vijay bhaskar was stunned and moved to tears and was lost for words and then raman gently placed his hand around his shoulders and looking at him " vaanga vijay,please come into the house and we will talk more.'

Kamakshi not able to control her excitement that the popular vijay bhaskar who was being groomed to be the next chief minister of the state was in her house,blurted ' sir,you are just in time for dinner.I am making chapattis,thakkali thokku and a salad to go with it.'

Jeeva rolled her eyes and wanted to twist her mothers ears in frustration and embarrassment ' aiyo kamakshi,konjam too mucha ille' and hurriedly turning to vijay bhaskar ' sir,please forgive my mum for even if god comes home she will be talking only about food,pachadis and thokkus.'

Vijay smiled ' that is why she is called Amma for she only thinks about others fulfillment and their needs.'

He bent down and touched the feet of kamakshi and manigandan for their blessings and kamakshi gently whispered ' you are called vijay and i hope your whole life is full of vijay for your name means victory.'

Vijay gratefully acknowledged their blessings and then pointed with both his hands to raman ' vijayan was the name of partha( arjuna) and as it was in history my sarathy,my guide and protector stands nearby as Raman.'

All of them shared looks and smiles but raman did not for he knew that the arrival of vijay meant that things were a lot more dicey and dangerous than he had assumed and he turned away and stared into the darkness of the night that had covered the land and whispered ' strength father,bless me and grant me both strength of mind and body so that i can protect and defend my loved ones and those that come seeking my help.'

From somewhere,from a house where the late MGR lived on in memory and songs,a famous song floated into their ears.

nizhal vendumbothu maram ondru undu
pagai vandhapothu thunai ondru undu,
irul vandhapothu vilakkondru undu
ethirgalam ondru ellorkkum undu,
unmai enbathu endrum ullathu
deivaththin mozhiyaagum,
nanmai enbathu naalai varuvathu
nambikkai oliyaagum,

buddhan yesu gandhi piranthathu boomiyil
etharkkaaga thozhaa yezhai namakkaaga,
gangai yamunai kaviri vaigai
oduvathetharkkaaga,
naalum uzhaiththu thaagam eduththa
thozhargal namakkaaga,
kelvikkuri pol muthugu valainthu
uzhaippadhu edharkkaaga,
maanam ondre perithena enni pizhaikkum
namakkaaga,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMIvSJ7JeAo

Buddan Yesu Gandhi-Chandrodayam

Jannal oram 137

"My path is full of petalsI have swept it for no others.
My thatch gate has been closed but opens now for you.
It's a long way to the market, I can offer you little
Yet here in my cottage there is old wine for our cups.
Tu Fu, 712770


The house of mani and kamakshi was meant for four of their family and the chairs around the dining table reflected the number of the family and with seven now gathered for dinner,kamakshi asked jeeva to pick up the chairs from their room and her room and place it around the table and so they all gathered around and as was usual happening when strangers first encountered the world of kamakshi's food,Vijay just dived into his chapatis that had been slightly dabbed with ghee and wrapping a piece of it around the the tomato thokku,he placed it in his mouth and the moment he tasted it,his eyes opened wide and he looked around all of them with surprise and wonder and nearly screamed 'OMG! This is the most delicious chapati and tomato side dish i have ever tasted in my life' and raman,shaktivel and valliammai exchanged glances with each other and Raman ' That was exactly my reaction and the reaction of anybody who eats her cooking for the first time' and he glanced at kamakshi with pride and turning back to vijay ' and it never stops for it is the same experience every time you eat what she has cooked.'

Four chapatis vanished like that before vijay bhaskar stopped to see that the others were watching him with pride and enjoying his demolishing techniques at the dining table.'

Vijay bhaskar with barely a hint of embarrassment in his smiling face,looked at all of them ' sorry people,i don't know what came over me for although i had a very heavy lunch,my tummy seems to be like a bottomless pit.Honestly,i would be doing a great injustice if i did not demolish the food that is being served here for that is the only way to eat when you are with family and friends.'

Looking at kamakshi ' Amma,we have three people in our house kitchen and for what, just to cook for the four of us and we have two dining tables in our house that can comfortably seat 12 in each set and yet here i am,sitting on a stool and eating out of a mothers hand and it feels like i have died and gone to heaven.for,if there is a heaven then i hope god has a million mothers like you to cook and care for us for otherwise i would prefer to go to hell.'

Kamakshi did not know how to react and scampered into the kitchen to make more chapatis and they all ate quietly and with great joy and raman nudged jeeva and looking at vijay ' listen vijay,i don't mind saving your life again and again but i will not tolerate competition at my mother-in-laws dining table.so,in future please drop in only for coffee or tea and preferably in the evenings.'

Raman said this so seriously for his tummy was rumbling and roaring but all the chapatis were being diverted to vijay's plate.

Vijay burst out laughing and replied ' no problem raman sir,i don't mind losing my life but i am sorry for i just cannot seem to stop eating and although i am ashamed to say it,i know most of you won't mind it.'

Good food,good souls make for time travel and time traveled pretty quickly and it was nearly 11.00 pm when they all sat down in the hall and raman asked the question that was on everybody's mind.

' Vijay,How did you find me and is there a particular reason for you being here tonight,today after what transpired earlier this morning?'

Vijay looked at raman and then glanced subtly at everybody and raman understanding the meaning behind his look ' whatever you have to say,you can go ahead and say it for we are all one and a single unit and there are no secrets between us.'

Vijay bhaskar nodded ' there is no particular reason for me being here other than seeing you and asking you to take care when you meet Vaidyanathan and not to antagonise him unnecessarily for there is not telling how and when he will react.But to answer the first part of your question,then i got your's and jeeva's house address through the police commissioner.'

Tension gripped everybody's body but for raman who looked on at vijay who continued ' My father did not want to show off his friendship but he and the police commissioner go a long way back and honoring my father's request,the commissioner has placed you under secret protection.'

If raman felt any irritation at this unauthorised intrusion into his life,his face was impassive and did not reflect any of that irritation and he looked down at the table and sighed deeply and looking up at all of them ' all this stress and tension because of one man and his needs.'

Shaktivel gently leaned forward and tenderly patted raman's hand ' Iyaa Ram,the most famous Kurukshetra battle in the epic Mahabharata was fought for a single man's greed and selfishness and he was called Duryodhana.'

Raman's hand clenched into a tight fist and in the quiet all of them heard the crack of his knuckles and he looked at his dad 'Appa,that may be the story,but do you remember how many good people were sacrificed for that one king and his selfishness.From karna,drona,bheeshma,abhimanyu and so many thousands of innocent lives just fell on the battlefield to satiate that stupid kings needs for glory and triumph.'

Raman stood up and slowly walked towards the window and looked out at the full moon and after a few moments turned and looked at all of them ' This is not the story of Mahabharata and neither is minister Vaidyanathan another Duryodhana in the making and i am definitely not going to let anything bad happen to my family and friends.'

Then he walked towards them ' I am not Lord Krishna but just an ordinary Raman and like that great warrior i too will not cheat,lie and create illusions to attain victory but i will face the enemy directly like raman faced ravan and i will win and i will defeat vaidyanathan.'

Vijay Bhaskar too stood up and went near Raman ' Raman sir,you may think like that and on those honest and wise principles but i assure you that the monster Vaidyanathan will not and will use every dirty trick that he has up his crooked sleeve.'

Raman threw an arm over Vijay Bhaskar's shoulder ' I know and i understand the situation very well.But,we will know more and the entire situation will becomes crystal clear once we both have placed our cards on the table and have faced each other "mano a mano."


"What is a poet? An unhappy man who hides deep anguish in his heart, but whose lips are so formed that when the sigh and cry pass through them, it sounds like lovely music... And people flock around the poet and say: 'Sing again soon' - that is, 'May new sufferings torment your soul but your lips be fashioned as before, for the cry would only frighten us, but the music, that is blissful. Sren Kierkegaard,