*From & To Sathish* - Thread 4 - Page 91

Good morning. I wish you a beautiful day. All the best.

I, an actor by profession prefer reaching the place of work, the location for the day much earlier than specified and it has been thus for the past 25 years. Even though, the traffic was much lesser in volume in the 90s, back in the 20th century than it is now, certain conditions prevail even in the 21st century working atmosphere and conditions.

I mean, traffic is still light and nearly empty at 7.00 am and so I make light of the distance from Home to work. Although one thing has changed about traffic and that is the volume of it after 6.00 pm. For a guy who drove a two-wheeler in the mid-80s and a car in the late 90s, seeing late night or rather early wee hours traffic still manages to raise my eye brows and all the way to the rear of my skull as, you did not see people waiting patiently at the red light and that too at 2.00 am or 3.00 am for back in the 90s, even ghosts and their kind went to bed early and maybe wound up their hauntings by at the most 11.00 ish, methinks.

I smirk and chuckle to myself when sometimes we wind up work at 2.30 am and people bid me goodnight and I bid them good morning.

The only people I find when I arrive in the location at that time are the production people ( the ones who serve us food) and soon after, the other sections of the unit begin to roll in.

There are some belonging to my profession of actors who are totally unprofessional and have their own sense of time and face a constant and daily barrage of glares, questions and sniggers.

Trust me, I would prefer death than facing that kind of examination that they face every day.

9.00 am to 9.00 pm is typically a call sheet for aa TV actor and if one is lucky, sometimes they are let off early and if one is really lucky, then they go home much earlier after having done just one scene.

9.00 am call sheet and so that means be at the location by 8.00 am or at least by 8.15 am for that gives one enough time to get their make-up done, clothes done, eat, chat and also if possible, look at the scenes and understand the concept of the scenes and prepare well in advance.

Since I wake up very early I find it easy to get most of my work done and according to schedule.

2.00 to 2.30 am rise. Boil milk, fill water bottles, prepare coffee decoction and then seat myself before the computer. Browse for a bit and then it is down to writing for my blog or writing to torture my friends, although my soulmate Shant has only the choicest of curses for me when he sees my Whatsapp message for the day and laments ' Everybody just wishes good morning but your wishes are as long as a f..k..g epic.'

5.00 am shave, bathe, run and hit the gym. 6.30 hit the beach and see if the lazy sun is up and about and shoot some pics to share with my friends and also find time to feed my four-legged pals and then it is back home and another bath and lugging my luggage it is time to hit the road and head off towards the shooting location.

My fellow actors ask me pointedly ' Don't you have a life?' ( what they actually mean is, get a life you loser)

Hey, I have got a life and my life is beautiful in its own weird and twisted way.

When people do press me for an answer to my daily activities, I tell them that " I will sleep when I am dead but until then I want to spend most of my time, awake and alive and dream within this dream called life.'

Lots of love and best wishes.

What Is The Basis To Call ‘Periyar’ E V Ramasamy A Great Leader, Asks SC Community Leader,

The First To Question His Contributionby M R Subramani, Swarajya, February 05, 2020

How can a man who actually disliked Dalits, did nothing for women’s rights, and who called the Tamil language ‘barbaric’ and the Thirukkural ‘human refuse’, be consdered great, that too in Tamil Nadu? Somewhere, we have all been fooled, says author Ma Venkatesan.

“Periyar” E V Ramasamy (EVR), the icon of the over 100-year-old Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu, has come under increased scrutiny of late.

In particular, Tamil film actor Rajinikanth’s mention of his 1971 “anti-Hindu rally” at Salem at the golden jubilee function of Tamil fortnightly Tughlaq has resulted in a critical look at “Periyar”.

It also brings into focus Ma Venkatesan, who was among the first to write a book “Periyarin Marupakkam” (The other side of Periyar) questioning the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) contribution to social justice, women rights, and promotion of Tamil.

Swarajya caught up with Venkatesan, who heads the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tamil Nadu Scheduled Caste Morcha as its president since 2013, to get more of his views that have rattled DK, its cadre and various leaders of the Dravidian movement.

Brought up at the Ice House locality in the heart of Chennai, an area where the Dravidian influence runs deep, Venkatesan was exposed to Dravidian culture early in his life when he went for tuition, where discussions on Dravidianism was common.

Things changed when he was studying in the fourth standard when an RSS Shakha was set up in his residential area. “It made me realise how we had been, until then, misled about RSS and Brahmins by the Dravidian leaders and cadre,” he says, pointing out that youth in his area began to study beyond the tenth standard only after the RSS influence in his area.

“Before the Shakha was set up, our students would directly go for a job whether they completed the tenth standard, successfully or unsuccessfully,” says Venkatesan, explaining the roots of his admiration for RSS and the reason why he began to scrutinise the teachings of “Periyar”.

Initially, he thought EVR had slogged for the Tamil language, did a great service for the Dalits, voiced for the rights of women, never misled, and never been a hypocrite besides being a rationalist.

These thoughts had encouraged him to read a lot about “Periyar”, completing almost 90 books written on EVR. He also read books on his critics such as senior Congress leader M P Sivagnanam, P Jeevanandam, T P Meenakshi Sundaram, Muthuramalinga Thevar, K A P Viswanathan, and C N Annadurai.

All these along with the impression he had gained from moving with the RSS Shakha, he decided to pen “Periyarin Marupakkam”. It was in 2004 when no one dared to question the DK icon’s credentials.

The release of the book faced protests and the venue was changed, thanks to the threats made by DK cadre. “We had initially decided to release the book at a hotel in Madurai. A day before the release, DK cadre went to the hotel and threatened the owner and staff,” says Venkatesan.

The venue was then shifted to a hall at the foothills of Thiruparankundram, one of the six abodes of Lord Skanda that is 10 km away from Madurai. “An amusing development took place after the book release. The Tamil Nadu Crime Branch CID police began to enquire about me since they thought I could be some sort of Tamil terrorist,” he says.

The CB-CID police conducted enquiries at his residential area and Vivekananda College, Chennai, where he completed his Masters in philosophy. “My book was opposed by leaders such as Vaiko (founder of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) and M Natarajan, husband of the late Jayalalithaa’s aide Sasikala,” the BJP leader says.

Warming up to explain his findings on “Periyar”, Venkatesan wonders on what basis is EVR being considered a great leader by DK, its cadre, and Dravidian movement leaders.

He starts by demolishing EVR and DK’s claim of “Periyar” being an atheist and rationalist from the beginning. “At least until the age of 46, EVR believed in God,” Venkatesan says, referring to the inaugural issue editorial of Tamil journal “Kudiyarasu” (Republic) on 2 May 1925 invoking the blessings of God for his efforts (to run the journal).

Many people in Tamil Nadu interpret that EVR had opposed Hindi for the cause of Tamil language. But the BJP youth leader says “Periyar” opposed Hindi to promote English and not to protect Tamil.

“EVR had asked the people to talk to their children, family members and even servants in English. He termed Tamil a barbaric language and wrote in the book that he had been terming it so for 40 years. He asked people what would they lose by ignoring Tamil and learning another language (English),” says Venkatesan.

“Periyar” had opposed the Tamil anthem, which is now being sung at the start of all Tamil Nadu Government functions, while he compared the Tamil classic text Thirukkural to excreta.

“When this is the truth, how do Tamil Nadu Dravidian leaders say EVR made a contribution to Tamil? What is his contribution to Tamil literature that these people are glorifying him?” wonders Venkatesan.

Pointing out to Dravidian leaders portraying EVR as “Vaikom warrior”, he says “Periyar” was just one of the 100 persons who took part in the protests at Vaikom seeking entry of Dalits. “This is being done to deny credit to others, especially T K Madhavan, who launched it on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi,” the BJP leader says.

EVR was invited only to join the protest, he says, wondering why an agitation was launched in Tamil Nadu for the entry of Dalits into temples. “Some argue that the DK had held such an agitation. Even if we accept it, why didn’t ‘Periyar’ lead such an agitation?” asks Venkatesan.

Also, “Periyar” did not take up the cases of Dalits seriously. He quotes at least two examples where EVR failed to fight for their rights.

One was the cause of farmworkers in Thanjavur. “Many DK men owned land in Thanjavur,” says Venkatesan. The atrocities committed on the farmworkers in Thanjavur was that whenever they rebelled or committed anything wrong, cow dung (gobar) mixed with water was thrust in their mouth.

“Or they were tied to a post or tree and whipped. EVR or DK never fought against this or took up the issue,” says Venkatesan. The other was the massacre of 44 Scheduled Caste people, including women and children, at Keezhvenmani in Nagapattinam district.

The victims were herded into a hut and set afire on 25 December 1968. “Their crime was that they asked for an extra measure of rice, which cost 50 paise then, from their landlord. EVR, commenting on the incident then, said Dalits should learn to live with what they get and not revolt,” laments the BJP youth leader.

“Again when freedom fighter Immanuel Sekaran was murdered by a group from the Thevar community on 11 September 1957 in Ramanathapuram, EVR did not voice concern. He only said he would not want to intervene in a fight between two hoodlums,” points out Venkatesan.

There is nothing worth writing about the contribution of the DK and Dravidian movement in the uplift of Dalits or social justice.

“Let me give you another example. Until 1927, no Dalit was allowed to enter the Pachaiyappa’s College in Chennai. Justice Party leader P T Thiagarajan and EVR were trustees of the college. Why did they not fight against this?” he wonders.

Dravidian movement leaders and DK people talk about reservation as social justice. “Now, why hasn’t even one Dalit leader been picked as DK leader? Nor has any Dalit become the chief of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) or All India Anna DMK, both offshoots of DK,” argues Venkatesan.

“The Dravidian parties deride Brahmins and the Kanchipuram Sankaracharya Math for following the varna system. But what stopped them from making a Dalit the chief of their respective organisations?” he wonders.

“Even the two-tumbler system is more prevalent in the regions around Erode, the base for EVR and his DK movement,” he points out, fearing the system might never come to an end. The two-tumbler system is in inhuman practice in which Dalits are asked to pick a tumbler or mug kept outside tea shops to drink tea or coffee.

“Periyar” even criticised the reservation policy that was implemented after valiant efforts by Dr B R Ambedkar. “EVR said that Ambedkar has been convinced by Congress. He said Dalits were given reservation since Brahmins were confident that the former cannot overtake them. What does such a statement mean? Isn’t it reflecting poorly on Dalits?” wonders Venkatesan.

“Periyar” was not one who championed women rights. In fact, he never did anything to earn them the right to properties, he says.

“If you scrutinise his life and actions, it is clear that he, at the most, championed the cause of the Backward Class and not Dalit,” adds Venkatesan, who wonders why Dravidian leaders celebrate “Periyar” for nothing.

M.R. Subramani is Executive Editor, Swarajya

Vaanathai Pola 42

The reason for their sudden trip to Israel to meet with Mossad was brought up on a large screen Dr.Otto, General V.K.Singh and Raman stood watching the slides and the faces that they displayed with interest.

Raman slowly moved forward towards the large screen and then raised his hand and turning asked Dr.Otto if he could interact with the man who was at the helm of the computer and the Mossad chief said he could and turning to V.K.Singh whispered softly, ' you are right for I see why you think of this new prodigy as special and one who needs to be groomed and nurtured for the long run ahead.'

Then with worried and concerned eyes, he asked in a soft voice, ' how much time, do you have, V.K?'

General V.K.Singh replied casually, ' a few months at the best, my friend. Not very far now.'

' You can still give it a shot. Stay back and let us try to help you beat it, my friend.'

' Sorry Otto, too late now for I got the latest report just a few days ago. It has spread and has taken root in my pancreas and liver.'

Dr.Otto felt his heart panic in shock and grief and nodding his head in Raman's direction, ' does he know how bad it is?'

V.K.singh, ' yes. Although, he like the rest of my team dare not face the fact that there is a large elephant in the room and that its name is cancer.'

Both watched with fatherly pride at Raman giving some instructions to the man who was handling the computer and Dr.Otto looked at V.K.Singh, ' he looks pretty fit and if what you said is true then he can be trained to become one of the best in the business.'

General V.K.Singh smiled,' is that a hint of doubt in your voice, Otto. Why don't you invite him to one of your Dojos and try him out.'

Dr.Otto nodded and gave a thumbs-up sign and whispered, ' I think I will test him myself personally tomorrow and see if what you said is true.'

V.K.Singh shook his head and stared at the grizzled Mossad veteran, ' Otto, my friend. Don't do it. let someone younger than yourself handle him or else you might just end up losing face before your men.'

Dr.Otto Hauptmann replied,' Are you forgetting the fact that I am still the best in business and that I was the Champion for ten years running?'

Both fell silent as they saw Raman approaching them.

Raman looked at V.K.Singh, ' sir, I had my doubts but they have been confirmed.'

Pointing to three faces that were featured in large size on the screen, he said, ' gentlemen, let me introduce you to Khalid, Omar and Qasim.'

Dr.Otto Hauptmann pointed to the first pic of the oldest among the three and said, ' I think I recognise that face although it must be many years since I have seen it.'

Raman smiled, ' that is Khalid and if you have seen him then it must have been decades ago for he went underground and has been operating in India and from India for a long time now, Dr.Otto.'

Both came close to Raman and together all three went close to the screen and stared at the face of Khalid and then Dr.Otto said, ' I know that I have seen him somewhere, but where?'

Raman tapped the shoulder of the man at the computer console and said, ' Aaron, bring up the photos please and one at a time and hold each for a minute while I introduce them.'

A very old black and white photo came up on the screen and seeing the face of the man, both the veteran spies nearly jumped out of their skins in excitement and panic and V.K.Singh spluttered, ' that is Abu Nidal. But, he died in 2002, shot dead by Iraqi commandos.'

Grabbing Raman's arm, he asked, ' Ram. What is the meaning of this and importantly where are you leading this to?'

Raman whispered, ' Aaron, the next pic, please' and the next pic filled the screen and there clearly stood two men talking with their head close to each other and one was the late Abu Nidal and the other was clearly Khalid.

Dr.Otto took out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to General V.K.Singh who happily took it and both men lit up and blew blue smoke around them.

Dr.Otto Hauptmann's face had turned serious and staring at Raman intensely, said, ' Raman, do you realise that you have opened a can of worms? and his words prompted V.K.Singh to wave his hand in protest,' sorry Otto, a can of snakes is more of an appropriate word to describe this moment.'

Raman looked at both of them and said, ' gentlemen, Abu Nidal is no more but Khalid is .'

General V.k.Singh felt a twinge of pain in his chest for he knew that something terrible was going to be said by Raman and clenched his jaws and waited as Raman spoke.

Good morning. I wish you a beautiful day. All the best.

“To photograph: it is to put on the same line of sight the head, the eye and the heart.” ― Henri Cartier-Bresson

Thursday, yesterday was a free day and after three days spent lifting weights, I thought let's take a break and so headed towards the Marina. The day wore on towards evening and I thought I would go to the temple and see how the men in black were doing and so I went.

The sun over the Marina and the setting sun over the Murugan Temple towers.

To encapsulate my dawn and dusk in one word is difficult and yet I give you the word " Sight."

If someone asks me now what is the most important sense according to me, I would say sight and say it again and again.

Hearing, f..k it for I have heard enough of the world and importantly myself.

Talk, f..k it for I have spoken and bawled enough to last a few lifetimes.

Taste, Damn it for food now is the least of my worries and it is just a means for my body to survive.

Touch.. well it nearly trounces sight for a hug from my loved ones is a miracle indeed but ...

Sight. yes, selfishly so for there is so much to see and see and even the sea that I see every day is new in look and sound.

Maybe, a few years or a decade from now, even sight will lose its allure and if then you should ask me what or which sense I covet and value the most, I would and am sure of it and my answer would be " Faith."

Faith, my beautiful friends.

Lots of love and best wishes.

Vaanathai Pola 43

The Abu Nidal Organization (ANO) is the most common name for the Palestinian nationalist militant group Fatah – The Revolutionary Council (Fatah al-Majles al-Thawry). The ANO is named after its founder Abu Nidal. It was created by a split from Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction of the PLO in 1974. At the height of its power in the 1970s and 1980s, the ANO was widely regarded as the most ruthless of the Palestinian groups.

Abu Nidal ("father of struggle")formed the Abu Nidal Organization (ANO) in October 1974 after a split from Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Acting as a freelance contractor, Abu Nidal is believed to have ordered attacks in 20 countries, killing over 300 and injuring over 650. The group's operations included the Rome and Vienna airport attacks on 27 December 1985, when gunmen opened fire on passengers in simultaneous shootings at El Al ticket counters, killing 20. Patrick Seale, Abu Nidal's biographer, wrote of the shootings that their "random cruelty marked them as typical Abu Nidal operations".

Abu Nidal died after a shooting in his Baghdad apartment in August 2002. Palestinian sources believed he was killed on the orders of Saddam Hussein, while Iraqi officials insisted he had committed suicide during an interrogation.

A pall of silence covered both the veterans and with gloomy faces they stared at Raman who stood like a ray of light and stood with a casual smile playing on his lips.

He raised a finger and in a very soft and measured tone, said ' I am sorry but this is just the beginning and it only gets worse after this.'

Mossad chief Dr.Otto nodded and folding his arms across his chest, growled, ' hit us with your best shot young man for we have seen worse than this over the years.'

Raman hurriedly raised both his hands in protest and said, ' Hold on Dr.Otto for I am on your side and I am not here as some doomsayer and to rattle your bones and scare the daylights out of you both. I am just presenting what I managed to dig up as I was going through the files back in Chennai.'

Dr.otto smiled and apologised, ' Sorry Raman but this information that a man called Khalid exists and that he has existed for so long without coming to our attention is scary enough. But...'

General V.k.Singh sniggered, ' But, now, you an advocate and with just a few months into this business have made between dots and plots and that which is nearly impossible.'

His face took on a strange expression and a realization dawned on his face, ' so, this is what you have been up to. You have been investigating this Khalid on your own.'

Raman stood still and quiet and his silence was answer enough.

Mossad chief Dr.Otto Hauptmann scratching his large beaky nose said, ' Okay Raman. you have not only our attention but the entire Mossad's attention for when it comes to matters of Israel's security, we don't wait and watch but attack first and then ask questions. Preemptive action has served my nation very well and it will once you tell me more about these three men, starting with the man called Khalid.'

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend" Raman quoted and his quote prompted Dr.Otto to say, ' Okay okay, we have all heard that English proverb young man.'

Raman smiled,' sorry Dr.Otto, but that so-called English proverb was created by an Indian and in Sanskrit and his name is Kautilya or popularly known by his other name, Chanakya.'

Dr.Otto glanced at Raman and asked, ' how did you manage to isolate these suspects among the many hundreds of pictures that you have in your intelligence department?'

Raman smiled shyly and replied, ' Gentlemen, I am way out of your league and am well aware of the fact that I am in the presence of some of the best minds in this business and frankly have been feeling a bit like a fish out of water.'

V.K.Singh frowned at this sudden display of humility from Raman who seeing this shrugged and continued, ' my boss thinks way too much of me and my skills and frowns in irritation when I confess the same.'

Dr.Otto Hauptmann shook his head, ' he does think too much of you Raman and the reason is the way you handled yourself and the skills that you displayed in that case concerning the Assassins Gulab and Jamun.'

Bending down, he whispered to the man who was in front of the keyboard and the man quickly typed in commands and three faces filled the large screen and pointing to them, Dr.Otto asked, ' now, coming back to the questions as to why these three and how did you manage to isolate these three?'

Raman looked at both his peers and then opened a file that he had refused to show his boss V.K.Singh himself and placed it on the table nearby and waving a hand towards it, ' gentlemen.'

Both, Otto and V.K took turns at looking at the photos in the files and V.K.Singh looked sharply at Raman and asked, ' Ram, what is the meaning of these pics? They are secret and confidential files concerning the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, our former prime minister at Sriperumbudur.'

Dr.Otto Hauptmann lifted his shoulders questioningly, ' Raman, this case was investigated and all those who were involved in it have been in jail for more than 28 years.'

Even terrorism is a crime, a mystery and more so a deep and dark web of connections in the 21st century. So, hold on to your skirts and pants while I bring more connections to our story and then connect Raman and Radhu together.

Vaanathai Pola 44

Steaming coffee was served and Raman eagerly picked up his cup and sipping it sighed happily and said, ' just the boost that I needed for my rather tired nerves.'

Placing the cup back on the tray, he looked at his boss, General V.K.Singh, ' sir, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991 and the people responsible are either dead or behind bars. The reason that I am touching on that sad topic is because of LTTE and where they got their funding from.'

Mossad head, Dr.Otto could not take the suspense any longer and asked, ' Mr.Raman, please, what has this man Khalid got to do with the death of your former Prime minister and why is it relevant now?'

' Because Khalid was one of the persons who was funding the LTTE and also supplying them with weapons.'

V.K.Singh a bit lost now, spoke up, ' But, this photo of Khalid clearly shows him with Abu Nidal and if that being the case, then what was a Syrian terrorist outfit such as the Abu Nidal organization doing with LTTE?'

' The answer is that Khalid was not part of Abu Nidal but belonged to our closest neighbour and the only neighbour who has been fostering terrorists and funding their crimes against us.'

V.K.Singh angrily, ' Pakistan. But, Ram, how is that possible when Pakistan was helping Sri Lanka in their fight against the LTTE.'

Raman nodded, ' that is the million-dollar question and to add to the confusion, let me now show you both why I have been tracking this person called " Khalid" and these two men.'

He took out his mobile and tapped on it and then handed it to V.K.Singh and said, ' for your eyes only, sir and if you are going to share it with Dr.Otto then please do so at your own discretion.'

V.K.Singh turned his head to look at Dr.Otto and both stared at each other and began to laugh and V.K told Raman, ' Young man, if you are going to solve this case then you better begin to start trusting this nearly bald eagle here for, believe me, you will not find a better friend for India than this old man called Otto.'

Both the veterans looked at the photos in the phone and cursed in unison, one in Hebrew and the other in Hindi for there was their person of interest, Khalid, dressed in white and white congress colours standing in the background of the very spot where the mangled body of Rajiv Gandhi lay dead in Sriperumbudur.

Raman looked at both of them, ' Gentlemen, I think this Khalid started off with Abu Nidal and realizing what a brute his mentor was, slowly faded away into the background and then vanished completely from the public. This one rather grainy pic of him with Abu Nidal back in the 1970s and again another blurry image of him at Sriperumbudur is all we have of him right now.'

V.k.Singh's voice took a mixture of awe and panic, ' Ram, you know what this means right? Please, I know for sure and can see it clearly that you are holding back on divulging more information. If, you are hesitating because Otto is here, then let us go out and talk more for this information is vital and we have to act on it right now.'

' Sir, I have no qualms of telling you everything that I know and have gathered over the past month. I am hesitating to tell more for the simple reason that I have only seen the tip of the iceberg and have no idea how deep it goes and I fear the worst. I trust Dr.Otto and it is clear that you trust him too and let us not forget that both Mossad and Raw are united in fighting Islamic Terrorism.'

Both the veterans in the intelligence business stood watching him angrily and also wondering if the anger was against themselves or their failure to connect the dots that a novice had done.'

Raman smiled, ' I see everything. I see what others fail to see. I see things in a different way and that is one of the reasons for me being a good lawyer.'

V.K.Singh tiredly, ' Please, tell us.'

Raman walked up to them and facing them said, ' Lots of information is wasted. Be it photos or whispers of conspiracies. This Khalid vanished in the 70s and surfaced in India. Why? How? Who or what prompted him to come there?

Now, to get to him, we have to go back and dig up old files from both sides and see if we can trace and track this Mysterious Khalid and also see what he is up to now?'

Dr.Otto gently turned Raman and making him face the screen asked, ' Who are these two men called Qasim and Omar?'

Raman smiled, ' Both of them are lawyers working for the upliftment of Muslims in India and also fight for the rights of poor Muslims and importantly criminals who are facing the death sentence or life imprisonments.'

V.K.Singh, ' good for them and very honourable of them too to help out those who do need help.'

Raman whispered softly and then showed them some more pics from his phone and V.k.Singh swore venomously and Dr.Otto taking the phone asked ' What do these pics mean?'

Raman's face turned dark and serious, ' these pics are of both Omar and Qasim appearing as legal counsel for many of the accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.'

V.K.Singh finished the connection, ' Khalid was present at the place of assassination and these two then went on to defend those accused of the killing. This is not a coincidence.'

Dr.Otto Hauptmann in a grave voice, ' V.K. there are no f..k..g co-incidences in our line of work and even so every clue, link and thread of coincidence have to be checked and re-checked before letting it go.'

Good morning. I wish you a beautiful day. All the best.

Yesterday morning, I was working. The Master shots were canned and the closeup shots were next and mine came first. The first few closeup shots went off without a hitch and were okayed.

An important close-up shot and I acted and said my lines and the director yelled, " Cut, shot okay."

I looked at him and said, ' Sir, one more take polama, please.'

' why-? Take was okay' and he looked at the cameraman who said, ' Enakku okay, sir.'

I insisted and since it was the first day of my new project for Vijay tv, both agreed and so we went for another take and again he yelled " Cut" and then looked at me and asked, ' where did this come from?"

I smiled shyly, ' sorry sir. Very first day of a new project and so I am a bit nervous and immediately fell back on what I, Satish as an actor know and will do, predictably so. But, what is important is what the character, Gopinath will do and how he will react in that take.'

Nerves, fear, anger in any given situation makes us react wrongly and say the wrong things and which results in a bad take before the camera in Reel life but what about the same in Real life.

Same rule applies here too my fellow souls. swallow the pride, ego and ask for a better take, I mean apologise and say sorry and that simple second take works miracles, magic and saves so much pain and heartache.

I know I am connecting dots that lie in polar opposites but that is how my mind works and makes sense to me.

No, as always I say with humility that I am not preaching but just sharing my window views and experiences in this voyage called life.

Lots of love and best wishes.

Vaanathai Pola 45

Dr.Otto Hauptmann took a deep breath and slowly paced around the room, gathering his thoughts although V.K.Singh knowing him pretty well knew that the Mossad Veteran was planning a course of action.

Raman remained calm and continued to sip his coffee and sensing that Dr.Otto was now ready with his plan of action, slowly placed the cup on the table and looked at him with a smile.

Dr.Otto Hauptmann pointed a finger at him and looking at General V.k.Singh whispered, ' you are right and you do have a winner on your hands and who will serve your nation well, long after you are gone, my friend.'

Clapping loudly, he rubbed his palms and asked Raman, ' Okay, I see that we have to grant you access to our most secretly kept files and I am sure that is your agenda and the point of travelling all the way here to see me.'

Raman nodded, ' yes sir. That is the agenda and that is the only way forward.'

V.K.Singh spread his hands in question, ' why, Ram? why can't we handle this right now by arresting everyone involved and who we least suspect and take them in for questioning? Grill them and eventually, they will spill the beans.'

Raman stood up from the table he had been leaning against and said, ' No, boss. We need time and we need more proof and we need to prepare a solid case before we take them down and then produce them before the law.'

V.K.Singh scoffed, ' Raman, we have made thousands of arrests before and on petty and flimsy grounds and surely none as serious as this. So, let's stop wasting time and head back to India and scoop up everyone involved.'

Raman shook his head and folding his hands replied, ' I am sorry Mr.V.K.Singh but I cannot and will not agree to that course of action. Not until we have a proper case and legitimate reasons to make our arrests.'

V.k.Singh nearly blew his fuse, ' What the F..k are you going on about when our country's security is involved? What if these people are right now planning something terrible and that which could kill hundreds if not thousands of our innocent citizens?'

Raman smiled sarcastically, ' Okay. We make the arrests right now as you say and then what if some of them who have escaped carry out their plans and god knows what they have planned for now or the future. How will you stop them and what answers will you have when Prime Minister Modi asks you what I am asking you right now?'

V.k.Singh in a desperate voice, ' so what do you want to do now?'

' Learn everything there is to learn about Khalid and his connections to the terrorist outfits that are operating here in the middle-east and also confirm where he got his funding from and still gets it to this day.'

Mossad's head, Dr.Otto Hauptmann looked at Raman curiously, ' You are playing it so cool and that leads me to think that you know where this Khalid is hiding out. Am I right?'

V.k.Singh grabbed Raman's arm and asked, ' Ram, you know where this Khalid is hiding out?'

Raman nodded, ' yes boss but he is not hiding out as Khalid and in fact, is out in plain sight and lives a very normal life.'

' Where, Raman? Where does he stay?'

' Sir, Khalid is not Khalid anymore and instead goes by the name of professor Syed Moosa Ali and is right now the head of Jamia Islamia Abu Bakher University in Bengaluru.'

V.K.Singh in a desperate voice, ' what do we do now?'

' I don't know about you gentlemen but I am taking a break for I need to talk to my wife and see how she is doing this morning. Although it must be lunchtime there at home back in Chennai.'

Vaanathai Pola 46

Jeeva sat by the window of their ground floor bedroom, her back comfortably leaning against the luxuriously cushioned sofa that was aptly named " Lazy boy recliner." The colour of the sofa was neither red or orange and at best "reddish-orange" Raman had said, trying hard to describe it

Raman had gifted her this sofa for her to do what exactly she was doing right then, sit comfortably and rest while their babies grew in peace. She remembered the evening the lazy boy had been delivered to her room and blushed for there had been nothing lazy about the way she had mounted him and had made love to him, more to herself, coming to think of it.

'Rest, Ram The body can rest but when and where does the mind, soul and love rest' thought Jeeva to herself and looking out at the window saw two familiar crows who always sat there on the lowest branch, huddled close to each other and taking turns pecking lovingly at each other.

Tears threatened to spill out for all she could do was think of him with every breath that she took and with every move that she made and with every beat her heart made.

She looked at her legs and feet that were stretched before her on the sofas footrest and saw her wine red toenails shimmering and closing her eyes, she whispered, ' Suja, Suja, where have you gone off to, leaving us all behind?'

Jeeva remembered the hundreds of times when, Suja used to force her to sit still while she lovingly cut and brushed clean her toenails and then proceeded to paint them in bright colours and say ' Akka, if any man who is interested in you happens to look at your feet and the state your toenails are in, I am sure that is the last time he will think of you and vanish forever.'

But, ever since they had gotten married and had begun to live together, Raman had cut her toenails many a time and had then done the same thing her Kutty Suja had done and that was to apply nail polish although his taste in the choice of the colours was much better than Suja's.

She lovingly patted her huge tummy and said ' Baby, not soon now for you and your brother to come out and into our arms and lives. I called you my baby from the time you came as my younger sister and carried you around and now that is going to come true.'

Her thoughts were broken by the ringing of her mobile she saw it was Kavita calling and answered it with a bright and warm hello.

' Hi, Jeeva. How are you all doing? I am sorry if I called you at the wrong time and disturbed you in case you had been resting. You must be due any moment now, right Jeeva?'

' Yes, in a few weeks time and hopefully it will all go well for there is always a bit of a worry when it comes to twins.'

' Don't worry Jeeva for it is going to be perfect and I cannot wait to see both of them. I am saying this because there cannot be two nicer and kinder people than you both and who are were made for each other.'

Jeeva had expected a hint of emotion in Kavita's voice for both knew that she had been and most probably was still in love with Raman.

But, surprisingly, her voice was clear, genuine and open in its purity. So, Jeeva responded with equal emotion,'Thank you Kavita. So, How have you been? I guess now that you are part of the cabinet you must be finding it difficult to spend time for yourself.'

' I am doing okay and maybe I am okay for dad's health is much better now and he is slowly moving about doing his thing. Although it will be a few more months before he gets back to active work. That was my biggest worry and with that off my back, everything else is pretty easy. They are treating me with a lot of care and respect and are not burdening me with too may party responsibilities and are letting me take my time to get into my groove.'

' Good for you Kavita. All of us are hoping that one day you become the chief minister of this state and take it forward and realize the dream that the late Amma had envisioned.'

Kavita laughed, ' I seriously doubt that Jeeva for I am beginning to wonder very seriously about quitting politics and doing something else for a change. It was okay when Vijay was around but now with him gone, I feel all my drive and motivation has gone too.'

Then, Jeeva was shocked to hear Kavita say, ' Actually, I blame your husband Raman for this mess that I am in right now.'

Jeeva froze and went numb for she thought that Kavita was blaming Raman for her brother's death and Kavita realizing that her words might convey a different meaning hurriedly said, ' What I meant was me becoming a minister and a part of the ruling party's cabinet.'

' But, what has Ram got to do with you and politics and you becoming a minister, Kavita?'

' So, he hid it from you too?'

' Hid what, Kavita?'

' Your husband was the one who made me a minister and he personally made a request to the chief minister. But, that is telling a story in two lines. For, the chief minister himself told me about the whole incident that took place between him and Ram and how Raman had asked for two things and both were not for himself. One was to make a memorial for Vijay and the other to make me a minister and induct me into the cabinet.'

The silence was filled with tears of joy on both sides although one was tinged with a wee bit of sadness.

Kavita whispered softly, ' I loved Raman, Jeeva and I still love him more than ever. But, that love is out of respect, friendship and also gratitude.'

' Kavita, you don't have to say anything sweetheart for I know you and your pure soul very well. Honestly, I have never, ever felt threatened or angry by you and your feelings for Ram for I know both of you very well.'

Kavita sighed happily and said, ' Thank you for this and for your love and support.'

Clearing her throat, Kavita said, ' Jeeva, the reason for me calling you was to invite you, Raman and all your family members to a small book launch tomorrow afternoon at the Park Sheraton.'

' Book launch, Kavita. Who is the author and what is it about?'

Kavita replied in a sad voice, ' I am the author and the book is about my brother, Vijay.'