From & To Sathish #5 - Page 109

Avan, Aval, Adhu 367

Azhagan moved and he had moved so quickly that the five men were still staring at the same place where he had stood before them after walking out of the dark of the corridor and into the light of the reception area. By the time their eyes captured and sent a message to their brains and by the time it responded, Azhagan was already there blocking the slap that had been aimed at Kutty's face.

' Don't ' Azhagan whispered and then stepping closer to the thugs, ' I can smell booze on all of you and the reason for your high spirits. Then he raised his right hand, and pointing to the entrance and exit door and to the SUV that stood outside, said, ' Come, lets's discuss this somewhere else or better go and meet the person who sent you here.'

The five thugs looked at each other for they were unsure as to how to proceed with Azhagan and the man himself gave them the solution for their predicament.

' Any violence here will not go unseen. It will be a matter of seconds before people rush here to see what is going on and that means eyewitnesses. You will not be able to bullshit your way through all those witnesses. So, come, let's go for a drive and discuss this matter between us like adults.'

Alcohol suppresses some of the brain functions and in small amounts can make one feel stimulated because it lowers inhibitions. However the more we drink, and the further we block out our nervous tissue functions, we show the classic symptoms of being drunk like slurred speech, unsteady balance, different perceptions, and an inability to react quickly. The way we process information from our senses gets slowed down too, which means after a few drinks we have trouble seeing, smelling, touching, and tasting. As well as this our pain threshold gets higher because we're more cut off from our senses. Drinking too much at a time makes us lose control of our 'normal' social behavior. Our thought processes are affected so we're no longer able to use good judgment or think clearly. That's why people act differently when they are drunk and often make decisions that they later regret.

The five thugs sent by Meenakshi felt fear but their senses had been dulled by the amount of alcohol they had imbibed before arriving at Hotel Kailasam and so not realizing what was happening or what was going to happen, accepted Azhagan's proposal and herded him out of the hotel and all of them got into the vehicle they had arrived in and drove off into the night.

The man who sat in the front passenger seat made a call and said, ' Amma, we have got the guy. What do you want us to do with him?'

He listened for a moment, ' Yes, amma. The woman is still in the room.'

Azhagan watched as the man touched his phone and looked at him and whispered, ' Madam is going to talk. Listen quietly and answer her question or else, we will cut your throat right here inside this vehicle.'

Azhagan nodded and then the vehicle was filled with the commanding but feminine voice of the caller.

' I don't know who you are but have been interfering in my business. I don't know what this woman Gayatri is doing with you and why you are with her but both of you are messing with me and that too in Madurai which happens to be my turf.'

Azhagan remained silent. Meenakshi's voice was chilling in its intent, ' My men are going to take you to a quiet and secret place and they are going to ask you some questions. Answer them properly or else you will be made to suffer a lot before dying. After you are done with him, go back to the hotel and get the woman and make her suffer more than this dog before you kill her.'

She snarled angrily and loudly, ' Understand.'

The five men jumped out of their seats yelling in chorus, ' Yes amma. It will be done.'

' Excuse me. Can I ask you a question before you end the call ?'

Meenakshi without any hesitation replied, ' Just one before I end the call and before my men end your life.'

Azhagan smiled and asked, ' Why? Why all this anger, revenge, and violence? So much pain and suffering and all of this to what end?'

' All of it for a worthy cause. They have to suffer. All those who come near mine will suffer.'

' I am sorry. I was talking about you and the question I asked was meant for you.'

'what? What are you raving about? Why would you ask me that question ?'

' I asked you the very same question that you should have asked yourself a long time ago. You did not. If you had done that then the world would have been a totally different place today.'

' What are you blabbering about? What question should I have asked myself?'

' If all this is worth it. If others have to suffer because you are suffering and because you did not get what you wanted.'

Meenakshi yelled her question loudly, ' What do you know about me? Nothing. You think you know me but you don't.'

' I am sorry to disappoint you but I do know you.'

Meenakshi laughed loudly, ' All those who were killed, hurt, and ruined on my commands tried begging me and pleading for mercy. But, you are different and these questions are a new way of buying time for yourself. ‪Like you just said, I am sorry to disappoint you but you are going to die. Bye.'

' I am okay with dying. But what about the one who went missing 25 years ago? Did he beg for your mercy and did he beg for his life?'

The blood froze in her veins. The shock of his words choked her voice and paralyzed her limbs and she nearly collapsed to the ground. But did not and instead sank to the sofa and croaked her question, ' Who are you? What do you know about what happened 25 years ago?'

' Everything ' Azhagan said and waited for her to say something. She did and what she said made him feel sad and full of regret.

' Dei, All of you f..king dogs. Kill this Ba..ard immediately and the one who cuts of his tongue and brings it to me gets a bonus.''

Avan, Aval, Adhu 368

Madurai was bright and full of life even though it had been several hours since darkness had set in over the land and was living up to her name "Thoonganagaram ", the city that never sleeps. The windows of the vehicle were not tinted and so one could see out clearly and vice versa, people outside could see into the vehicle clearly.

One man asked the man sitting next to the driver, ' Brother, it will take another half an hour before we get out of the city. That is too much time to be spending on this dumbass who willingly came to us and is not willingly going to his death.'

The man in the front passenger seat turned around grimacing in pain and grabbing the right side of his neck, he swore filthily in Tamil and said, ' My neck is cramped. Don't ask silly questions and for god's sake don't try to me give silly ideas.'

Pointing to the outside of the vehicle, ' There are eyes everywhere. Cameras have been placed by the government all over the city in all of the vaguest places and if that was not enough, every kuppan, suppan in Madurai has installed CCTV cameras in his house. It has become a trend to have cameras and they call it Gethu. S..thu.'

The man sitting next to Azhagan spoke up, ' Anna, don't turn. Just answer.'

' Unakkennada problem?'

' Brother, after we have finished with this case, I want to talk to you about installing a CCTV camera in my house. No, outside my house in a tree.'

The man in the front seat swore loudly and grabbing his neck slowly turned and cursed and asked, ' WTF do you need a CCTV camera for and that too on a tree?'

The other three looked at him and the man in the front seat asked again, ' Dei, Kali, unna thaanda. Ethukkuda CCTV?'

Kali quickly turned his face away so that the others would not be able to read his eyes and the thoughts behind them but Azhagan sitting next to him read his thoughts and smiled to himself.

The guy in the front passenger seat glared angrily at him and asked, ' What is so funny?'

Azhagan pointed to Kali and said, ' He, your friend is really funny.'

Kali turned and stared at Azhagan, ' Why do you find me funny? You are the one who is going to die very soon and yet you are laughing at me. Laugh now and cry later as we cut out your tongue while you are still alive. Then we will see who is funny.'

Then he did something that he shouldn't have done. Kali spoke aloud his thoughts and said something that could not be undone.

' Anna, What was that about a woman in the hotel?'

The thug in the front passenger seat replied without turning around, ' This idiot is with a woman. Amma didn't go too much into the details about these two and I didn't bother asking her.'

Kali sneered at Azhagan and said, ' Would have been fun if we had brought her along. It would have been nice to see this dog's reaction as we took turns with her.'

Azhagan wore a cryptic smile and then sighing loudly, looked at Kali and then looked at the other thugs and asked them, ' What, you don't want to know why your friend Kali wants a CCTV?'

The man in the front seat slowly turned and looked at Kali, ' F..k my neck and F..k the pain. Tell me, why you need a Camera outside your house. Moreover, you live in a pretty shabby area.'

The driver who had been silent until then yelled, ' Aiyo, will all of you just shut up and stay quiet for a few minutes ' and pointed ahead, ' Something is wrong. Something is really wrong for suddenly cops are appearing out of nowhere and they are putting up barricades.'

The man in the front seat cursed loudly, ' O..a, what to do now? With just one look they will recognize us and then we have this Ba..ard with us in the vehicle and he is surely going to scream for help and that will be the end.'

The driver staring at the rear-view mirror moaned angrily, ' F..k, can't even back up and reverse because other vehicles have begun to pile up behind us. We are f..ked. Properly f..ked.'

Azhagan's observations boomed like thunder as he pointed to all the cops and said, ' All of them are armed and that means high alert in our department. It also means that the officers have been issued shoot-on-sight orders.'

All of them stared at him and the man in the front seat asked nervously, ' Nee police doga?'

' Yes, and a very good police dog. Apart from that I am also a lot of other things.'

He looked down as he felt the vibration and looked at the man in the front seat and said, ' I need to take this call. It is very important and your future well-being might depend on it.'

The thug nodded and reached down and brought out an evil-looking knife and waved it and said, ' Talk, but softly and make it quick. One wrong word and I swear I will slash your face and throat and I care two hoots about the police dogs.'

' Thank you ' Azhagan said politely and taking out the phone said, ' I told you both to be quiet. There are cops all over Madurai now.'

They all watched him listen as the caller spoke and they heard him answer, ' No point in worrying about it now. Return to Perumalvaram and wait for further instructions. Please, for God's sake don't do anything until I say so. Is that understood?'

Azhagan placing the phone back in his pant pocket, shook his head wearily and complained, ' God, it is difficult to make people do what you want them to do. They just don't listen or understand. Anyway, it is too late now and nothing can be done about it.'

Kali looked at him in confusion, ' What has happened?'

Azhagan smiled sadly and said, ' All hell has broken loose and now I have to do something about it......' and suddenly stopped and looked in front and said, ' Our turn now .'

Their vehicle had reached the barricade and was surrounded by a dozen armed police and then a tough-looking Inspector looked at all of them and tapped the driver's window with a handgun and ordered, ' Lower the windows. All the windows right now.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e63kKTpAmiI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSUHuLw9dVk

Avan, Aval, Adhu 369

The noises of the outside world called Thoonganagaram that had been halted and reduced greatly by the windows of the vehicle now rushed in and filled its interior as all the windows slowly sank into their roots inside the door panels.

The Inspector took one look at all the occupants and then came in for a closer look as he spotted Azhagan sitting in the middle of the backseat. His police eyes were also blessed with criminal eyes for after years of service in the department, he knew from one intense look who was a criminal and who was not.

Inspector Sargunam's eyes bored into the eyes of all of them and he knew something was wrong and yet his eyes were pulled back to the man who stared back at him nonchalantly and with a smile that somehow seemed to tell him that it was okay.

Guna did not even realize what he was doing for he seemed to be somehow captivated by the man's eyes and little did he realize that Azhagan had gone into his head and heart and had learned everything about him.

Realizing that something was going on and heeding the instincts that were telling him to step back, he asked the driver for his license and registration papers and waited, and then the man in the middle spoke out.

' Guna, it is okay, child. I know these men and I am with them for they sought my help with a personal situation. I am in no danger from them. Please, let us through.'

Inspector Sargunam froze in shock and looked at Azhagan with confusion, ' Sir, why did you call me Guna and child?'

The man smiled and Guna watched in amazement as the warmth of it reached his heart and also lit up the interior of the vehicle and heard the man say, ' That is how your master Ravi calls you and that is how I call him or feel about him.'

Inspector Sargunam smiled, ' Oh, you know my master sir?'

' Very well and if you want to confirm it, please go ahead and call him. Tell him my name. Kavin.'

Guna froze hearing the name for it sounded very familiar. He stared at the man and whispered, ' Kavin. A strange and rather uncommon name and yet I think I have heard it before and also your face looks very familiar.

Then he looked directly at Azhagan and asked in a soft and caring voice, ' What does it mean? Your name, what is the meaning of it?'

' Light from the skies ' Azhagan replied and said, ' Please let us through for I need to help these men out, and after that go meet a few people who are waiting for me.'

Inspector Sargunam nodded, and without even realizing that he had said it. raised his hand and ordered his armed men to step back and the vehicle with the five thugs along with Azhagan passed through the police check post and vanished into the night.

None of the men spoke for a few minutes and then the man in the front passenger seat slowly turned and asked Azhagan, ' Why? why didn't you try to escape? You could have done so but you didn't? Why?'

Azhagan shrugged his shoulders and sheepishly raised his right pinky finger and said, ' Let me do it first and then I will answer your question.'

Kali who was sitting next to Azhagan swore happily, ' Anna, there is a small road going into the forest. Why waste time? There are no cameras here to see us kill this dumb Ba..ard. Come, let's go in, finish this dog, and go and collect our money. I want to take my wife to Kodaikanal and spend a few weeks there in peace.'

The guy sitting in the rear seat sarcastically pointed out, ' Dei Kali, you have been wanting to take your wife to Kodai for a year now and she has been refusing the offer. Take her somewhere else. Then maybe she will come with you.'

Azhagan shook his head and said, ' I doubt if she will go to Ooty. In fact, I am sure that she will not step out of the house.'

The and in the front passenger seat looked at Azhagan and smirked, ' Dei, I don't get you at all. First, you said that you know the reason why Kali wants a CCTV camera outside his house, and now here you are once again predicting that his wife will not go out with him anywhere.'

The driver who had taken the small path that led into the forest turned around and yelled, ' WTF is wrong with all of you? Why are we wasting time even talking to this mental case? Let's kill him and cut out his tongue and go get our money.'

All of them got out and stood around Azhagan and then the man who had sat in front and who was obviously their senior by way of his crimes stepped forward and looked at their captive and said, ' I know this is a waste of time but I need to know before he dies why Kali wants a CCTV camera installed near his house and also why his wife refuses to go out with him. Let him answer and then we will kill him. If not, my head will explode asking these questions again and again.'

Kali suddenly looked very distressed and he kept looking at Azhagan warily but before he could protest, the driver stepped forward and growled angrily, ' I care a f..k if your head explodes or if you drop dead right now. You are wasting time and I don't like it.'

The Senior ( It is enough of a name. Why waste a name on him) was completely taken aback by his man's outburst and smirked, ' Dei, Raju, For one who hardly ever speaks, you have spoken a lot, and that too against me. O..A, when did your tiny Ba..s become so big and what has suddenly given you so much courage to speak against me?'

The driver Raju realizing that he had goofed badly began to backtrack and apologized, ' Sorry brother. I am just a bit nervous today. That encounter with the police at the checkpoint totally messed with my head. Sorry.'

Senior sighed and nodded and accepted his apology, ' You are right, I too am a bit nervous, and more than that I am lost for an answer as to why this guy didn't try to escape and have us arrested.'

The sky was dark and the forest around them was dark. The only light came from the headlights of the vehicle and in the middle of it, Azhagan stood with his back against the vehicle and stood facing the five thugs.

He looked at all of them and then halted his gaze on Senior and said, ' Kali wants to install a CCTV camera outside his house because he suspects his wife is cheating on him.'

Kali cursed angrily but Azhagan raised his hand and stopped him and said, ' Kali, sad man. Do you want to die without knowing who has been visiting your house regularly?'

Kali yelled, ' Who? who is it? Tell me right now or I will kill you and I swear that I will go back and kill that woman friend of yours and that little boy you protected in the hotel.'

The moment the words left his lips the lights of the vehicle suddenly died along with the engine that made a horrible churning noise as it came to a grinding and screeching halt.

But, even before Kali thought of saying the words that he eventually said Azhagan closed his eyes and a surge of power from him shortcircuited the car's electricals.

All five of them stood in the dark cursing and Senior yelled, ' What is wrong with the car?'

Another man yelled, ' Use your mobile phone's torch.'

' Good idea' Senior said and then slowly looked at what stood in front of them.

For, in the darkness of the night, stood another darkness, and from deep inside its void, two green eyes flickered open and a voice spoke, ' Kali, who is your best friend? Who often helps you out when you need money? Who accompanies you all the time? Who do you trust the most in this group?'

Kali realized who the man was referring to and screamed at the driver, ' O..A, T..adiya Payale. Drohi. Nee thaana.'

Senior and the others realizing that they were in a scary situation, yelled at Kali and the driver, ' Stop, both of you. You can sort out your sh.t later on. First, let's finish what we have come here for.'

All five calmed down and turned towards the man but he was not there.

Then they heard noises from all around them and felt the forest come alive and before they could even try to make sense of the darkness that was closing in on them, it swallowed them.

Bournvita row: The sugar high and its effects

By Shoba Narayan,

Come on now, be honest. Have you done this as a parent? You want your children to drink a glass of milk but they protest. So you load it up with a couple of spoons of sugar or maybe, Bournvita, in order to get them to drink the healthy “dhoodh” (milk) that gives them calcium for their bones.

Certainly, this is how I grew up. Recently, Revant Himatsingka, a social media influencer, called out Cadbury Bournvita, a “healthy drink” company on a viral video which showed how much sugar and preservatives the packet had. In response, the company issued a legal notice. The influencer took down his video and apologized. But his message stuck and made people look at packaged beverages in a new light. “You can buy a Bournvita packet for Rs. 30 from any shop but after seeing the video, people in my area are returning to homemade sathu-maavu kanji (sprouted pulses mix),” said Geeta Kumaresh who works as a cook in Bangalore.

This chain of events underlines what all of us instinctively know: that packaged food, however well-packaged is bad for us. Says Dr. Gayathri Vasant, a pediatrician at Shishu Clinic in Bangalore, “Inadvertently, the amount of sugar, salt and preservatives that comes into our diet through bread, biscuits and health drinks is enormous and not at all recommended. Even if you as a parent try to be strict and not send these junk foods in your child’s lunch box, you will experience tremendous peer pressure because other children may bring chips, biscuits and snacks to school. So your child will come home and demand the same. The problem is also that these packaged foods are tasty. If you give your child some cash, do you think that they will go out and buy fruit or a packet of kurkure or biscuits– which are high in salt and sugar?”

As Vasant says, the killer combination (quite literally) of easy access, high calorific value and good taste makes it hard for parents and children to resist the temptation. To that end, the Indian Academy of Pediatrics has issued what they call a “JUNCS” guidelines to help parents choose what is right for their children. The foods that are not desirable include J: junk foods, U: ultraprocessed foods, N: nutritionally inappropriate foods, C: carbonated soft drinks and beverages, and S: sugar-sweetened foods and drinks.

As the paper says, the factors favouring the consumption of JUNCS include online deliveries that make it easy for kids to order what they like, double-income families that are both nuclear and busy, therefore nudging us to take nutritional shortcuts, and seductive advertisements that entice children and adults to buy a product.

Says wellness coach and parent, Dr. Sujata Kelkar Shetty, “India has a young demographic which is attracted to the sugar and salt high that packaged foods provide. So on the one hand, we are promoting millets and gluten-free foods but we are also ignoring the health crisis that is looming because of our dependence on packaged foods.”

Obesity is now a global pandemic. In the U.S. in particular, the medical establishment is going hammer and tongs at obesity and all its attendant problems. Popular physician-podcasters such as the Huberman Lab, and Peter Attia talk about how a high-carb diet leads to insulin resistance. Indians are among the most prone population to diabetes. Today, nutritional companies here in India are attacking diabetes and weight loss by severe calorie restriction, micronutrient supplements, weight-training exercises, intermittant fasting and plant-based proteins. But when it comes to children, most parents seem to be blind to the effects of packaged foods, thus inadvertently setting their kids on the road to obesity and its attendant illnesses including Type 2 diabetes. Some part of it is because you assume that kids are so young that their bodies will self-regulate against the ill-effects of junk foods. “After all, they are only kids. If they cannot eat potato chips now, when can they enjoy these things?” is an oft-repeated statement.

After the video, Bournvita issued a statement to reassure its consumers. What is striking is that even the company confesses that each serving of Bournvita has 1.5 teaspoons of sugar, which seems pretty high to me.

So what is the way forward? Chennai-based endocrinologist and diabetologist, Dr. Krishna Seshadri recommends going back to our roots in terms of what we eat. In several videos available on Youtube, Dr. Seshadri talks about how we have “tampered with nature” in our diets and lifestyles thus “inviting” diabetes into our lives.

Says Dr. Seshadri, “These include eating more, more often, at wrong times and the wrong kind of food especially processed. Moving to more regulated timed less processed food aligned to your culture appears to be the least harmful.”

Perhaps the most succinct advise comes from bestselling author, Michael Pollan who says, “Eat food, not a lot, mostly plants.”

The same could apply to children– if we can pull it off. Today, savvy Moms and Dads are working on keeping their children out of the clutches of packaged food companies. It isn’t easy but it is certainly doable. And guess what? Your children may curse you now but they will thank you later for it.

Avan, Aval, Adhu 370

Bridge-a structure carrying a road, path, railway, etc. across a river, road, or other obstacles

Ravi Kumar closed his eyes and let sleep build a bridge that would let him pass from day into night and travel across reality and into the world of dreams and nightmares. If being awake had not been agonizing enough, sleep too became just that. Agony.

For in his dream, he stood staring sadly at Meenakshi who smiled at him and then raised her hands and offered him something bloody and dripping. Deep in his sleep, Ravi yelled in pain and ran to her to see what she had done to herself.

The still-beating heart that lay nestled in her bloody palms looked like a tiny chick that lay twitching, cocooned in the nest that its parents had built for it. He screamed angrily at her and cursed the day that she was born. Then Ravi crying loudly, desperately began searching to see which of his loved ones was missing a heart and finding none turned to Meenakshi and began to scold her.

' Who have you killed now, Meenakshi? Whose life have you taken this time? Why do you keep on persisting in tormenting me like this? ' and grabbing her screamed even more loudly, ' Whose heart have you carved out from their body? Isn't my pain and solitary confinement enough for you? You chased away Madhu and in the process broke both out hearts and then scattered our lives to the four winds. Now, you have stolen someone's heart. You wicked woman, you witch, don't you realize that a person cannot live without a heart and that they will die out in minutes.'

Meenakshi looked at him with her big beautiful fish-shaped eyes and whispered softly and lovingly, ' You love everyone else and you fight for everyone else, but me. Why is that Ravi? What have I done to deserve this from you? I love you more than my own life and yet you hate me and shun me. That is why I tore out that person's heart and am giving it to you as a sacrifice. Take it.'

Ravi slapped her hard and yelled, ' Whose heart have you stolen now you monster? Tell me, for maybe there is a chance that I can save them by placing the heart back in their chest. Tell me whose heart you have taken away.'

Meenakshi stood staring at him and Ravi grabbed the heart that was still warm and still twitching away and yelled into the darkness all around him, ' Please, has anyone lost their heart? Please, tell me for I have it right here in my hands. It is still alive and maybe we can place it back and stitch it back and give back your life.'

Silence. Dead silence. No one answered and no one responded to his painful screams.

Then he froze for he heard the voice of a little girl call out his name. ' Ravi, Ravi, it hurts. It hurts badly. Help me please.'

The voice was familiar and his own heart told him who was calling out to him.

' Meena, Meena ' Ravi whispered and slowly turned and looked at the little girl who stood before him, bleeding and with a gaping hole in her chest.

' Ravi, you looked everywhere but here, at me trying to find who was missing a heart.'

She looked at him with sad eyes and spoke in a faltering voice, ' Ravi, they said that the heart is the most precious organ in the human body, and without it, a person is dead.'

Pointing to the heart that he was holding in his palms, ' That is why I have given it away to you. For you and for its safekeeping. Will you take care of it, please? I don't trust anybody in this world but you.'

" Meena, Meena " Ravi yelled out and opened his eyes and saw his mother, Daksha, and Parthiban sitting next to him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3pzea_qJZ0

Avan, Aval, Adhu 371

Do you know, what truly hurts? Having so much inside you and not having the slightest clue of how to pour it out.

The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much and forgetting that you are special too. There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds. Some old wounds never truly heal, and bleed again at the slightest word.

No matter how many times you say you'll give up with words if your heart still says "love", there's nothing to be done.

He looked at all of them, his eyes full of embarrassment and guilt, and apologized, ' I am sorry for disturbing your sleep ' and turning to his mother asked sadly, ' How bad was it?'

Rasaathi Ammal answered, ' Bad. Worse than before.'

Daksha glanced at Parthiban whose eyes expressed to her quietly that he had no clue what Ravi had his mother were talking about. She looked at Ravi and asked, ' So, this is not new and has happened before.'

His shoulders slumped and with a resigned look on his face, Ravi nodded and said, ' Again, I apologize for disturbing your sleep. Go back to bed and we will talk more tomorrow or when the circumstances are better than what they are right now.'

' Okay, but one question. Answer just the one question that I am going to ask you and I will let you sleep in peace or else....' Daksha said and sat down next to him.

' Ducks, why are you so obsessed with Ravi's life and his thoughts? Just leave him be and we can do this another time and maybe back in our resort. Not now please.'

She smiled at her husband and said, ' Sweetie, my head will explode if I go to sleep with questions still whizzing around my head ' and turning to Ravi, ' God only knows why I am so obsessed in finding answers or in the least reasonable explanations to all my questions. But it is who I am and the way I have been all my life. So, sorry guys.'

' Daksha, I understand you ' Ravi said and sighed heavily and in a crestfallen voice continued, ' But, you also have to understand that in life there are some questions that just don't have answers. Even if there are, they will not be the same for everyone and will not be understood by others.'

' I agree. What you are saying is true and a valid reply. But my question is a logical one and it concerns your illogical behavior.'

Her words had a common effect on all of them and along with Ravi, they looked at Daksha totally perplexed and at the same time wondering what her question was going to be.

Ravi told her in a tired voice to ask her question and Daksha did so.

' Master sir, You woke up screaming and said the same name over and over. My question to you is why is it that you screamed out " Meena, Meena " instead of " Madhu, Madhu " the woman you loved and have loved all these years? Why is it that you dream of Meenakshi rather than Madhu or even Gayatri?'

Her questions plunged all of them into a whirlpool of emotions and the first one to react was Rasaathi Ammal who told Daksha that it had been a long time since he had called out to her.

Daksha shook her head, ' Okay but even call out her name. For crying out loud, she is his nemesis. Our nemesis. Take me, I dream and on the rare occasions I do so, I only dream of my husband and his well-being or maybe I dream of my friends and family members. But, I never wake up screaming the name of the person who is bent on destroying me.'

All three of them looked at Ravi who looked back directly into Daksha's eyes and said, ' This is a quote that I read somewhere a long time ago. "Man cries, his tears dry up and run out. So he becomes a devil, reduced to a monster."'

His eyes remained fixed on Daksha's eyes as he said, ' Even monsters deserve love, they become monsters for a reason, not for the fun of it. They become monsters because they have been broken and their dreams have been shattered. They become monsters because their souls have been ripped open and emptied out and drained of the love and empathy that they once held. The emptiness has then been filled with hate, rage, and revenge.'

He looked at all of them and said, ' I see so many children in our school who remind me of the little Meena that I knew and cared for and also the Meenakshi that the little Meena has transformed into now.'

' Monsters become monsters because they are unable to handle the pain and fight their way out of it.'

His black eyes became soft and sad and glittered with tears as he said, ' The monster that Meena has become is screaming in pain and is screaming to be rescued. All monsters really need is for another to see their pain, understand their pain, and what they really want is to be healed, hear loving and comforting words, and be held by loving arms.'

She did not know she was doing it for she did it unconsciously. Daksha grabbed Ravi and hugged him to herself and said, ' The word master was meant for you. For you alone, Ravi.'

Parthiban smiled happily through his tears and then threw his large arms around both parts of his soul and hugged them.

https://youtu.be/LjvbhUS9T5Q