From & To Sathish #5 - Page 101

Originally posted by: Sandy_Randy

Shouldnt it be Daksha instead of Gayathri here?

In episode 342 -Sorry reply got posted here

Hi,

Yes! My mistake. I have corrected the error. Thank you for bringing it to my notice.

Avan, Aval, Adhu 344

The moment they heard Ravi mention the name " Madhu ", everyone gasped collectively. But, the collective response stopped with all their gasps of surprise for no matter how close we are and no matter how much we espouse our solidarity for each other and to each other, emotional responses in all individuals vary slightly and in certain situations, vastly.

Five people stood in front of Ravi and all five looked similar in their surprise. But, their thoughts were varied and so were their feelings about what Ravi had just told them.

Rasaathi ammal's surprise dissolved into confusion and her reaction was, ' How is that possible? I mean I was there by your side all the time and left you for a few minutes at the most when I had to go to the bathroom.'

Looking totally confused she said, ' I had requested the doctor to stay by your side until my return and the rude woman did not, and left you on your own ' and then she stopped and looked at Ravi and everyone saw her eyes open wide in realization as her confusion cleared up and she yelled, ' Ippo puriyuthu. Now, I know why that doctor left you on your own. This lady, your friend Madhu must have asked her and somehow convinced her to leave and in those few minutes somehow revived you.'

Dharmalinga Thevar's reaction was one that was full of joy and in a loud and emotionally charged voice, ' Iyaa, Ravi sir. This is great news. This is the best news that I have heard in a long time.'

Throwing his left arm around Ravi's shoulders, ' Not only has this lady friend of yours brought you back to life, maybe now she can bring life and light into your heart as well and stay with you and never leave.'

Inspector Sargunam's reaction was typically in police style but he did not speak out his thoughts that swirled around his head.

' The hospital's CCTV cameras would have surely captured this lady who returned after 25 years to save my master. The first thing I am going to do after leaving here is head to the hospital and check out the footage and finally see who this mysterious woman is that has ruled my master all these years.'

Parthiban's reaction was loud and large as he went ballistic with his emotions.

' She is back. She is really back. But how did she know you were.....' and then he grabbed Ravi and hugged him and kissed both his cheeks and wailed like a child, ' Dei, Dei, Ravi, Madhu has not just saved you and brought you back to life but has brought us all back to life and revived all of us. I am saying that because all our lives are entwined with yours for your joy is our joy and your pain is our pain.'

Wiping his eyes, he asked Ravi in an excited voice, ' Where is she now? when can we meet her? OMG! Madhu is back?'

Daksha folded her hands and stood staring at Ravi, and Partha fell silent as he realized what Ducks was doing, and the rest joined in and all of them stared at her wondering what she had to say about Madhu's return.

Parthiban respected his wife immensely and had implicit faith in her character and thoughts but there was a small catch in that, a flaw that was not exactly a flaw, but rather a trait that sometimes put him and others in a tight spot. The trait was her ability to ask the right but uncomfortable questions regardless of the situation and however ill-opportune the moment appeared to be.

Forgetting the others, he whispered,' Ducks, please, not now ' but Ravi's deep and calm voice interrupted him as he looked at Daksha and said, ' Partha, there is nothing wrong in asking questions, and that too when one is asking the right questions. So, let her be.'

Partha exclaimed his thoughts to both of them, ' Ravi, this is not the moment for a duel between your integrity and her questions. Not now.'

Rasaathi Ammal wondered aloud, ' Not now. Not when his mother, his uncle, and his best friends are here. So, if not now, then when would that good moment be for Daksha to ask her questions?'

Turning to Ravi, ' Do you want us to leave you guys alone and let you finish your talking in private?'

' No, mother. Please stay and hear what Daksha has to say and what your son has to say in return. For that will keep all of us in the loop of what is happening right now.'

He looked at Daksha, ' Please, Ducks. Ask away and I will do my best to answer them to your satisfaction.'

' Satisfactory won't do, master sir. Not for you. Maybe it will work out for the rest of us but satisfactory is not your style. For, we all look up to you in all aspects of life and expect more than that average standard called Satisfaction.'

Ravi smiled, ' Okay, your honor. I will rephrase my reply. I will do my best to answer all the questions honestly and truthfully but only when they are about me and my thoughts. As to Madhu's thoughts, I cannot answer them and you will be better serve when you put your questions to her.'

' Fair enough, my friend.'

She looked at everybody and rested her eyes on Rasaathi Ammal, she slowly returned her eyes to Ravi and asked, ' You remained single and remained with Madhu for more than twenty-five years. But all that changed with Gayatri's arrival. Something about her broke your resolve and broke the walls that you had raised around your heart and soul. What was it, Master sir? What did you see in Gayatri that you did not see in all the women who showed interest in you? What was that you saw in Gayatri that you did not see in Meenakshi?'

Ravi froze in fear and in confusion and everyone saw his state of mind and wondered what was going on in it.

' I am not finished with my questions ' Daksha announced in a calm voice ' but her expert legally eagle eyes had seen Ravi's fear that had flared up in his soul and now she was the one who was left feeling confused and also guilty that she had put Ravi in such a predicament. For more than her own traits, wishes, passions she loved Ravi dearly and had always treated him like a child. Realizing that he would not lie or evade a direct question, she decided that she would do them for him and suddenly cursed and said, ' I am sorry Ravi for bullying you and trying to corner you. Forgive me for sometimes my passion morphs into Ego and arrogance.'

Avan, Aval, Adhu 345

on a mote of dust that we have named Earth, we mites have clung on to it, and on us clings that parasite called, EGO. This parasite of the head and heart, namely thoughts and emotions has been both a good and bad servant and continues to serve and dish out faithfully to this day.

Ravi's relief was subtle but not subtle enough to escape Daksha's eyes told him clearly that she had let him go only for the time being and that eventually, he would have to answer the questions that he had been asked of him.

He nodded and thought to himself, ' Even the piper can be cheated of his payment but not Daksha. Well, if there is one comforting thing about her and her well-directed questions, then it is the answers that she digs out and scrapes out of me.'

His thoughts and relief were shortlived for no sooner had he been thrown a lifeline from Daksha, his own mother slashed at it with her own questions and Ravi once again found himself floundering in deep, dark, and unknown waters.

Rasaathi Ammal's questions shot out from her like bullets from a handgun and each one of them hit home and hit the bullseyes of his heart.

' Where was she all these years and why has she come back at this moment? How did she learn about your situation? What is she doing? Is she married and does she have children?'

Then suddenly she stopped her rapid-fire round of questions and stared hard at Ravi and asked, ' Have you been secretly in touch with her all these years? Is there something going on between both of you?'

Ravi groaned loudly and buried his face in his hands spoke in a muffled voice, ' Mother, Just when I thought Daksha was a hard taskmaster, she let me go and then just when I thought I had escaped with my dignity intact, you seem to be bent on proving me wrong by trying to be even tougher than Ducks here.'

He gently kissed her forehead and looked into her eyes, ' Amma, this is me, Ravi. your own son and only son. I am not some criminal and you are not a cop investigating me. Patience, please. I am but a mere mortal of a human who has just cheated death and has come back to you. Thanks to all of your prayers and thanks to Madhu and to the hundreds of people who prayed for my recovery. But, I need some time to think and work out what I am going to do and have to do.'

Rasaathi Ammal began to sob and she mumbled her fears through her tears, ' You are right, Ravi. You are my only child and you are all that I have in this world. That is why I worry so much about you, Ravi for if anything happens to you then I swear on you that I will kill myself. I don't think I will be able to go on any longer. I have seen you suffer so much that the pain of it will last me for several lifetimes.'

Then, the very same Daksha that had just minutes earlier let him go like a fisherman unhooking a fish that he had caught and let it back in the water, now loudly declared, ' I don't know about all of you but I must say, Master sir is a very lucky person to have so many women in his life. First, it was Meenakshi, then Madhu, then came Gayatri and now Madhu has come back and all the while the shadow that Meenakshi casts over him and all of us seems to be growing larger and deadlier by the day.'

Dharmalinga Thevar's face raged crimson and his eyes bulged in anger as he vented his hatred and pain about his daughter. He looked at everyone and said, ' No, I will not allow it. Do you think I am going to stand by and let one person destroy all our lives and take away our peace? Never. I will happily strangle her to death

with these very hands and rid all of us of this evil that has been haunting us all these years.'

Ravi raised his hand and in a stern voice said, ' Uncle, please. I beg of you. There is no need to talk in that vein.'

' Then what do we do? What will you have us do? ' Dharmalinga Thevar asked in a loud voice, ' Tell me Iyaa. Answer me honestly. Haven't you ever thought of doing what I just said I wanted to do even though she is my only child?'

All of them looked at him and Ravi wearing a sad and desolate look on his face, ' Never. Not once have I thought of hurting Meenakshi. Not even once.'

Daksha shook her head in disbelief, ' You are human, right? You are not some God or some angel. You are just flesh and bone like all of us. So, why are you lying to all of us, Ravi? Be honest and confess your anger and pain and none of us are going to judge you for wanting to hurt Meenakshi. For, we want the same as her own father wants and is ready to do it.'

Taking a deep breath he bent his head and whispered softly, ' I am not lying Ducks. I am sorry if you all find me disappointing but I have never thought of hurting Meenakshi. That is why I chose solitude. I chose to lock myself in my own prison rather than be trapped in her prison. That is how I have been living all these twenty-five years. In my own prison and only with my thoughts for company.'

Daksha clapped her hands and yelled with sarcastic anger and every word was a drop of corrosive acid.

' You deserve your f..king prison. You are not normal for only abnormal people talk like this and think like this.'

Parthiban's voice exploded as his heart exploded in anger seeing Ravi whom he considered his very soul being treated so harshly.

' Daksha, enough. Who the f..k do you think you are to talk to Ravi in this manner? Who gave you the bloody right to judge him so harshly?'

She turned and looked at him, ' Because I love him as much as you do and as much as all of you do. I too want the best for him and I too want him to be happy and live a normal and peaceful life. What do you want Partha? What do you want for your best friend? Go on living this solitary crappy life in fear and worry.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiNkp66ll5c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqVGdccDY30

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VseFE-7cYPs

Avan, Aval, Adhu 346

“I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.” Thomas Paine

Seeing him smile even after hearing her angry outburst, Daksha threw her hands up in the air and exclaimed, ' I will never understand you. I tried and I lost. I don't have anything else left in me with which to counter you.'

' Counter me? ' Ravi asked her and then he looked at his mother and the others and said, ' what is the need to counter me? Do you think I am the master of my destiny and do you think I had any choice in all the things that happened in my life?'

Then in a calm voice and with a serene expression on his face, he looked at all of them and asked them if any of them had any control over whatever happened all through their lives.

' All of you have known me for a long time now and so you know what I am and who I am. You know I am a decent person and go about my life in a quiet and calm way. This is how I have been from the time I was a kid and yet, life happened to me and life played its tricks on me. What did I do? What could I do?'

Sighing loudly, he rubbed his face and took a deep breath, ' I know all of you mean well and have my best intentions in your hearts but have you all thought for a second about what I want to do and about my own needs?'

Pointing to his mother, ' Until a few years back, my mother kept bugging me to get married and she did that for so many years but in subtle ways. But, its true face was emotional blackmail. It did not matter whether I liked the woman or whatever proposal that came my way and was least bothered about the woman's feelings and how miserable her life would turn to be when she married a man who did not like her. All she wanted was to see me settled and see her grandchildren and pass on peacefully.'

He looked at Rasaathi Ammal, ' Mother, have you ever wondered about what would happen to me and to the woman I had gotten married to just to please you? You at least will be dead and in peace. Some sort of unknown peace. But what about me and what about my peace and happiness as I exist in an unhappy marriage?'

Patting his chest. ' Isn't this avatar better than that I would have been if I had succumbed to your and society's pressures and emotional blackmail? Yes, I have lived a solitary life without a wife and family but what about all the love that I get from my own work and my passion to teach? If I had gotten married I might have had one or two kids but today, I have hundreds of kids who love me more than their own parents. I might be single but I am married to my work and to my passion. I may have sacrificed my own needs but it has borne fruit in the end. Hundreds of my students are living great lives and achieving great things all over the world and it is all because I decided to remain single. In the end, what matters is the greater good and not mine alone.'

Rasaathi Ammal wiping her face with the edge of her saree looked at Ravi, ' You are absolutely correct in using the words Emotional blackmail. But, have you stopped and given some thought about why I feel all those emotions and why I feel the need to use them to blackmail you?'

'Amma, What I meant to say was..' Ravi said and was halted by his mother, ' Let me finish, master sir. I accept that you are right, make perfect sense, and that all your decisions are logical and practical and are right in the end. But have you ever given a thought about what I and all those around you have gone through and what we have suffered because of your choices? I agree that you deserve to live your life the way you want to, but what about us who live with you, and for you? What choices do we have other than follow the choices you have made and have decided for all of us?'

She stared at him contemplating him and her and all their lives and said, ' In the end, there is no sacrifice, Ravi, for all of us are selfish in our own ways and in our own needs?'

Dharmalinga Thevar spoke in a sad voice, ' I made a mistake. I should have left Meenakshi to choose what she wanted to do and I should not have forced her into marriage. I foolishly thought that if she was married then things would get better and she would soon forget Ravi and get on with her life. But the exact opposite has happened in all our lives and all in the name of love. Sadly, none of us are happy and like Ravi, all of us are living our own version of solitude in secret and in misery.'

Avan, Aval, Adhu 347

Inspector Sargunam hesitated for a few seconds but then gathering courage from his master's presence, he moved forward towards the very person who had instilled the confidence and courage to speak even when he knew it was not his place to do so.

' Master sir, please forgive me for interrupting you and the others and invading your privacy with my thoughts. I am sorry if I come across as impertinent by speaking out of turn and sharing my thoughts when not called for but I cannot just stand by and not make all of you aware of the obvious threat to your lady friend from Iyaa's daughter.'

Turning quickly to Dharmalinga Thevar he quickly told him about the brief interaction he had had with Meenakshi when she had come to the hospital earlier that day.

Flashback to chapter 288

Inspector Sargunam hesitated unlike Meenakshi who without any qualms said, ' I asked you a very simple question concerning a family member, and rather than answering them you have the audacity to cite department rules and policies.'

She stared at him with eyes that glittered like diamonds and smiled a short-lived smile that died as a newborn baby spoke in a curt and demeaning voice, ' Don't f.ck with me and don't ever dare to play games with me again, junior and don't forget that I am your senior in every way that you can imagine ' and smiling poisonously, ' stop playing your silly games, boy and answer my questions.'

Inspector Sargunam felt fear, a rare emotion that he had felt only on very few occasions but all of that had been before Master sir had come into his life and taught him that fear is a darkness that can be defeated and overcome by the lights of love and faith.

From & To Sathish #5 - Page 110 | Sensational South

Turning to Ravi, Guna said with a tinge of fear in his eyes, ' Master sir, Meenakshi ma'am, knows no boundaries. She does not play by rules or at least the rules set by others. She is capable of anything and I am sorry to say it.'

He stopped and fell silent and after waiting for a few moments Ravi spoke in frustration, ' Finish it, Guna. Finish saying your thoughts. Don't worry about consequences or about how people will judge you for your honesty.'

Placing his right hand on Guna's shoulder, ' Child, I have told you this several times when you were my student and I will tell it again now that you are an adult and my friend. Never let anything come between you and the truth. Seek it. Speak it and always pursue it. Don't stop and don't hold back ever from speaking your mind when it matters for you will regret your silence when things turn sour and bad and you will hurt yourself for having been silent.'

'Master sir, she scares me. Meenakshi ma'am scares me. I felt it when I looked into her eyes and realized that she will not stop for anyone or anything. Ever.'

Ravi's brow furrowed in confusion and also with annoyance that was clearly felt by everyone including Inspector Sargunam.

' Guna, this is nothing new for we all know Meenakshi very well. She scares everyone. That is who she is and that is exactly how she has been all these years. So, stop worrying unnecessarily about her or what she will do or can do. You are a police officer. Behave like one.'

Guna nodded and sighing wearily, looked at Ravi and smiling sadly said, ' Master sir. You are right about me being a police officer and you are right in saying that I have to behave like one. But what do I do or what can even a policeman with all his powers do when their families are targetted by criminals.'

Totally astounded by Guna's words, Ravi stared at him and then before he could think of something to say, Inspector Sargunam spoke again.

' There is only so much protection my own department can provide me with and I doubt if it will help or will be worth it.'

Then he slowly turned to Dharmalinga Thevar and apologized, ' Iyaa, I am sorry for hurting you by talking ill about your daughter. But, I felt that all of you including you should be aware of what your daughter, Meenakshi Ma'am is capable of. Please forgive me if I have hurt your feelings.'

Dharmalinga Thevar raised both his hand tiredly and said, ' Guna, there is no need for any apologies and there is no need for formalities between us. You are like family to us.'

Then suddenly he closed his eyes with his hands and it took everyone just a few seconds to realize that he was crying and that he was trying his best to hide his tears and emotions.

Then just as both Rasaathi Ammal and Ravi tried to console him, he dropped his hands and said, ' I am okay. I am all right.'

Wiping his eyes, he smiled at Guna, ' Inspector of Madurai Police dept, it is not only you that she threatened. But me too.'

Jabbing himself with his right index finger, ' She threatened me today morning on the phone and declared war on me by issuing a warning to me.'

Flashback to chapter 292

Pandyan's phone rang and he answered it and then gave it to Meenakshi, ' It's your dad.'

Meenakshi took it and saying a quick hello, waited, as her dad cleared his throat a couple of times and heard him as he spoke his mind.

' I have taken care of the camera recording. Thanks to Inspector Sargunam and thanks to the Hospital dean who understood my situation very well. Funny, that everyone else in this world understands me and respects me but for my own child.'

He cleared his throat again and then in a softer but deadlier sounding tone told her clearly what he wanted from her.

' Don't step foot into this hospital again. Not until Ravi has been discharged. Don't step foot out of your house until this situation has been sorted out. Do you understand me?'

' I do understand you appa but sadly, it is you who have misunderstood me. Do you really think that I am going to listen to your words and orders?

From & To Sathish #5 - Page 111 | Sensational South

Taking a deep breath, he looked at Ravi, ' I am the ruling party's MLA of Madurai. I am one of the most powerful persons in and around Madurai. So, I am not getting to sit idly and let someone, even my own daughter scare me with her silly threats. I am going to do what had to be done a long time ago. If I had done it, then maybe all our lives and so many others' lives and their families would have lived peacefully and without fear.'

Ravi clutched his uncle's hands, ' What will you do? what are you going to do?'

' Whatever it takes, son. Whatever needs to be done to stop her, I am going to do it, and I am going to do it willingly.'

He looked at Ravi with loving eyes and said, ' Iyaa, do you remember Jimmy?'

' Yes. I do uncle. But why talk about Jimmy, the dog we had when I was just nine or ten years old?'

' There is a reason for my question, Iyaa. When Jimmy suddenly disappeared you and Meena went searching all over the place for him and then finally found the spot where I had buried him.'

' I remember uncle. A wild jasmine tree has grown over his resting place.'

' Correct. At that time, you and Meena asked me the reason why Jimmy had suddenly died and I said that is how it is with dogs who succumb to some unknown disease.'

Then tears began to flow from his eyes and unable to control himself, Ravi too began crying.

' I did not tell you then but I am telling you what happened to Jimmy who was everyone's favorite dog.'

Ravi's voice was hoarse and strained as he haltingly asked the question, ' What happened to Jimmy? How did he die?'

' I shot him. I had to put him down.'

Ravi's eyes opened wide in shock, ' What, you shot him? Why? Why did you have to kill him?'

' Because he went Rabid, my son, and posed a deadly threat to everyone.'

His eyes stopped crying and his heart roared in pain through his lips as he gritted them and said in a grim voice, ' I am going to do the same thing to Meenakshi. I am going to have her put down and extinguish the threat once and for all.'

Avan, Aval, Adhu 348

An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind” – Mahatma Gandhi

' No, uncle. You will not resort to such thoughts and tactics and neither should I or anyone here ' Ravi spoke in a firm and deliberate way. He looked at everyone and shook his head, ' I am sorry but I cannot be a part of such thoughts ' and stopped and looked at Dharmalinga Thevar, ' Not for you uncle, and not even for my worst enemy. There must be other ways that we can pursue rather than think in such diabolical ways.'

Dharmalinga Thevar stared at Ravi and asked him if he had lost his mind. ' Then what do we do, master? Do we just stand by and get mowed down with our eyes closed and with our hands folded and on our own accord? '

Ravi sighed and said helplessly, ' I don't know. Maybe, tomorrow or soon we will be able to think of new ways how to handle Meenakshi.'

He looked at his uncle, ' But before all that, I will go and meet her like I said I would do and I am going to do that tomorrow morning. But until then, please, remain calm and restrain yourself from thinking such violent thoughts.'

Daksha nodded and said, ' All right, Ravi. You have my vote and support for what you have proposed. But what if you fail in this endeavor and in this peace talk of yours.'

She sank into a chair tiredly and said, ' I don't know about you but I am more worried about the consequences of this peace talk that you are proposing with Meenakshi and how she is going to react to you.'

' Why do you say that, Ducks? What if by God's grace, I am able to convince her and make her see the errors of her ways.'

Daksha shrugged her shoulders and said sarcastically, ' What If and I am able to are words that sound nice and have a ring of hope around them but have you stopped and thought of how she will react when you tell her or she finds out that Madhu has returned to Madurai?'

Dharmalinga Thevar exclaimed in a loud and passionate voice, ' Those were my exact thoughts, Ravi sir.'

Rasaathi Ammal smiled, ' Mine too, Ravi ' and asked him, ' What will you do if she goes on a rampage and tries to harm your friend, Madhu?'

' I will walk away. I will leave Kumarapalayam and go away to some unknown place that is far away from here.'

Daksha jumped out of her chair and grabbed Ravi by the shoulders, shook him in anger, and screamed angrily, ' Coward! You mean to say you will run away from here and all of us like a coward.'

Then she suddenly stopped shaking him and letting go of his arms, slowly stepped back as if she wanted to get a better look at him, and asked him, ' Master sir, O wise one who always has a logical answer for any question that is asked of him, please answer to this simple and easy question of mine.'

Parthiban read the danger cues that his wife Daksha was exhibiting and spoke to her in a soft and imploring tone, ' Baby, now is not the time for debates and discussions. Let it rest and we will talk about it tomorrow.'

But before she could say anything, Rasaathi Ammal for her. ' No, Partha. Let Daksha ask her questions for I am curious to hear my son answer them.'

She glanced at Daksha and said, ' Ask him. Ask him that question that is burning a hole in all our souls?'

' Ravi, Everyone here loves you and respects you so much and maybe we do all that more than we do for ourselves. You are our pride, joy, and our source of peace.'

Raising her hand, she pointed in the direction of the blue mountains, ' But, last night you proved beyond doubt how much you care about us and what you are capable of doing when you stepped all alone and took on those men who had obviously come to harm us and who were so obviously sent by none other than Meenakshi herself.'

She stopped and stepping closer to Ravi stood looking at him right in his eyes and asked, ' I saw the dead and the broken bodies that seem to have mysteriously vanished but I saw them, Partha saw them and so too Inspector Guna here.'

Shaking her head in confusion, ' So it is obvious that you will step up, protect and defend, and kill when you deem it is necessary. Then, pray tell all of us why you hesitate to do anything when it comes to Meenakshi knowing fully well that she is a danger and she is the evil behind all our problems.'

She calmly folded her hands across her chest and asked, ' What will it take for you to get angry and upset with Meenakshi? What are you willing to lose before you lose your control when it comes to your cousin?'