From & To Sathish #5 - Page 13

Avan, aval, adhu 36

The red tractor was old but appeared to be in good shape from the way the engine sounded. Gayatri sat next to Ravi on the bench of a seat and under the canvas roof that offered meager protection for the driver and the passenger. Turning to the trolley that was attached to the trailer, she waved enthusiastically and said a big hi to all the children inside it and in return was rewarded with thunderous hi's that was so loud that she hurriedly covered her ears and told Ravi, ' I think I just ruptured my eardrums.'

The tractor was surprisingly a smooth ride and soon they were reaching the edge of Kumarapalayam. In the entrance and near the gates of every house stood mothers, grandmothers, and a few grandfathers waving to Ravi and the children although Gayatri noted the relief on all their faces.

Leaning closer she whispered in Ravis' left ear, ' The parents and family members of the children seem to be happier than the kids themselves. Strange indeed.'

' Gayatri, all these kids are sweet, angels cherubs, but, they can also turn into demons when provoked and since they are baby demons, they are always up to some prank or other, and not having to face them for a few hours is why all their families look so relieved.'

' Angels, demons and cherubs. A catchy title, Ravi sir.'

' Sorry, ma'am. Angels and demons are Dan Brown's territory.'

Gayatri made a face as if she had bitten on something sour and it was so funny that Ravi laughed and the moment he laughed all the kids joined and mimicked her sour face expression.

' What was that expression and that too at the mention of, Dan Brown?. I thought his " Da Vinci Code " was okay' and added, " Uh, just about okay."

' Ravi, please. The man used Jesus Christ, used religion, the bible to sell his book.'

Her sour look now seemed to change into one that was of disgust and Ravi nodded immediately, ' I know and I agree with you totally. As I said, the book was just about okay.

Gayatri was about to pop off another question but stopped for Ravi had brought the tractor to a halt by the side of the road and under the cover, shade, and shadows of a small island of neem trees that surprisingly looked circular in shape.

Since she had no clue as to why Ravi had stopped, she turned and looked at the kids and some of them placing a finger, hand on their mouths, shook their heads, and whispered, ' Silence. Master is going to pray.'

Gayatri watched Ravi walk towards a small mound-like construction and only then it struck her that it was in fact a place of worship.

Ravi stood with his hands folded together and with eyes closed in prayer and she saw that only his lips moved gently as he spoke to the God that was there.

He stood in prayer for a brief minute or so and then quickly returned to the tractor and in one smooth cat-like movement, jumped up and got into the driver's seat, and ignited the engine by turning the key.

' Ravi' and pointing to the place basking in the shadows of the giant neem trees, ' It was obvious that you were praying. Is that like a regular temple and who is the god or goddess residing there?'

' Kumaran' and seeing that she was not familiar with the name, Ravi explained it to her. ' I am sure you must have heard the name Skanda or Kartikeya.'

' Oh, Lord shiva's youngest son. Yes, he is present in almost all Shiva temples.'

' Down south, we worship him with many names but the most common ones are Muruga, Kanda, Kumara, Velava, Subramaniam, etc.'

Pointing to the small mound that housed the young God, ' Here he resides as Kumaran and hence..'

Gayatri excitedly yelled, ' I get it, i get it. Kumaran and hence Kumarapalayam.'

Avan, aval, adhu 37


' What is the meaning of Kumaran and why is your village named after him?'

It was obvious to Ravi and all the kids behind them that their guest Gayatri was not going to give her curiosity and questioning a rest and that his answer would lead to other questions and more would follow.


The kids looked at each other and slowly gathered closer to both the adults. They knew him very well and since they all loved him just as much as they loved their own family members and in some cases, more than them. They knew his every expression and had learnt to read his subtle body movements for each of them meant a certain mood or at least various degrees of it.In all their years, only a handful of kids there had ever seen their Master lose his cool and his usual calmcomposure. Even then, his worst reaction was to walk away with a bent head.


They all saw him turn towards the God basking in the shadows of the large neem trees and just from the slight movement of his shoulders, they realized that a class was in session and their favourite master was present. They all liked him more than the other teachers because his way of teaching was unique and resembled a story session in which all of them took part and discussed the subject on hand, debating its good and bad points. Even the most difficult points were easily understood for he explained it in such an interesting and captivating manner.When we love something, we become them or rather they become us. A state that leads to greater understanding and bonding. Every child in the village loved and respected Ravi and felt totally comfortable in his presence. Be it in school or outside of it.




' Kumaran in general means young and youthful. So, Lord Muruga is worshipped here in that form by all of us, Gayatri and is a very popular and favourite avatar of most of his devotees' Ravi answered but with his eyes and sight still lingering on the God while her own eyes lingered on him. On his ears, his sideburns, his long nose and the thrust of his strong jaw.


He slowly turned and stared at her as if he was searching for the right words in her eyes. Instead, he saw her left eye wink naughtily and saw her left eye brow raise itself in a question mark and heard her thoughts.
' so, nobody wants to get old and would prefer to remain youthful until their end.'

' I don't know about others and their preferences. But, if you ask me then my answer would be an yes. Yes but for my own reasons.'

She looked at him with even more naughtiness in her eyes and Ravi seeing the child woman in the mischievous twinkling of her eyes, ' I see you are blessed with the same youth that seems to be missing in most of the people around us.'

This unexpected reply threw her completely off guard and suddenly she seemed stuck for an answer and looked at him with wide open eyes for an explanation.

Ravi nodded as if he understood her surprise and then instead of expanding on it turned around and asked the kids, ' who do you all want to be when you all grow up?'

'We want to be like you, master sir?' was the reply in unison and in one voice.

Ravi glared at all of them in mock anger and shaking his head in frustration turned to Gayatri, ' drama. My kids have been watching to many tamil films.' He smiled shyly, ' please believe me and trust me when i tell you that i havent trained my students to answer this way.'

Gayatri fluttered her eye lashes innocently and said, ' no, no master sir. I believe you.'

Ravi shrugged his shoulders and sighing turned and stared at all the kids and then pointing to all the girls, ' please, will you ladies kindly explain how you expect to be like me when you all grow up.'

Vaanathai Pola 349

Radha Krishnan began narrating in meticulous detail to his mother Shinogai as to what all had taken place from the moment they had stepped into the protected forest of Perumalvaram.

' Ammi, the moment I walked into that forest I heard a whisper, a rush of something strange pass through me, leaving me with a sense of Deja Vu.'

He looked at his mother, ' Does it make sense to you why I felt that way as if I knew it very well.

' No, Ayan. It makes no sense to me at all for we have never been on a holiday to such a place. But, maybe you have, on one of your assignments and probably have forgotten about it and that memory probably resurfaced in that forest and made you think that had experienced it all before.'

' No. I don't think so, mother. You know very well what soldiers in my line of work have to experience and all the training that we are forced to go through before we are accepted and given entry into the elite world of " Sparta." Moreover, I was put through a more gruelling training regimen than the others and probably because I was your son.'

Leaning forward, he whispered to his mother, ' I found the training of my mind to be more difficult than the physical training. It is armed with that above-average mind that has been trained to operate at the highest level that I tell you with absolute certainty that I had never been to a place like that forest. It is not just about the place Ammi for everything feels different in there. The very air smells and tastes different.'

He chuckled and mumbled, ' For a second, I felt like I was on an alien planet and that I had somehow floated and up and away into a different universe.'

His eyes saw hers and his mind read hers and he blurted, ' what did you say, I mean what did you just think?'

Shinogai cursed under her breath and said, ' Maybe it is an alien world. A world that exists in secret inside our world.'

Radhu's eyes bored into hers but he only encountered blank walls and soon he felt like he was lost in a maze of tunnels.

He looked at his mother with surprise, ' Ammi, how did you manage to shield your mind and stop me from reading your thoughts?'

Shinogai smiled and said, ' Oh that. Well, baby, I too have a few tricks up my sleeve for I too underwent the same mental training that you were put through and in that time, we were taught a few techniques by a Buddhist monk from Japan as to how to mask one's thoughts and stop it being read by others and also by machines.'

' Ammi, I too went through the same training and so I am aware of "The Mind Palace technique." But, what you did with your thoughts and how quickly you covered them up is beyond me and certainly beyond my own training.'

He looked at her and she nodded, ' well, child. I am still your boss and how am I to do my duties if I am not better than you. At the very least, I am expected to be a little better than you in some fields and so I hold a few hidden aces under my sleeve.'

Radhu snarled like a cub at his lioness mother and cursed her affectionately, ' you devious woman. You know of all these new techniques and yet you have not trained me in them. Leave alone update me about them even being present.'

' Ayan, it is no big deal and it is the reverse of what the great thinkers used back in the Roman and Greek times.'

' Method of loci.'

' Yes. the very same that has been made so popular by the British Tv series " Sherlock" where it called Mind palace. But, we at Sparta have gone beyond the " Method of Loci and the Mind palace" and also perfected it in an imperfect way.'

Radhu unsure of what he was hearing stared at her in confusion.

' Ayan, we just reverse-engineered the Method of Loci and instead of opening various doors in the mind to store information, we trained to close doors on our captors and interrogators and lead them astray into a maze of tunnels where we feed them with a lot of false information.'

It was obvious to Shinogai that her son was a bit cross with her and Sparta for not having updated his training with all these new techniques that concerned the mind for that was the most crucial part of their arsenal.

She reached out and took his hand in hers and kissed it softly and said, ' Ayan, how long were you working undercover in the Al-Queda?'

' Nearly six years, Ammi.'

' Six years is a huge amount of time and time means change and constantly moving forward with all our training methods. This method was perfected when we trained our soldiers and agents while they were undergoing a Narcoanalysis test.'

She kissed his hands again and said, ' We will talk more about that after we are done here ' and with a smile added, ' but you might not need that at all for you have changed from the experience you had in the forest.'

Radha Krishnan aka Ayan Ahmadi aka Adam Connors smiled and taking his mother's hands in his, kissed them tenderly and asked, ' Who is Malcolm Chambers and what is his role in SETI?'

For more information about Malcolm Chambers, please click on these links that will take you back to Redemption and Rudran and a few years ago.

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/sensational-south/4919631/from-and-to-sathish-thread-4?pn=19

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/sensational-south/4919631/from-and-to-sathish-thread-4?pn=20

Vaanathai Pola 350

Shinogai looked up sharply at her son with wonder, ' You heard that. I mean you read that thought. How, Ayan?'

' Ammi. This new training technique for your mind was created with other humans in mind. Humans will stare at the screen, reading the wave patterns that will tell them if they are on the right path or not. But, their skills stop there.'

Both Spartan agents stared at each other. Radhu continued, ' Mother, all this training and mind Palace techniques will work only to a certain extent in misleading the captors if a spy like you and me is captured. But, eventually, they will sift through all the information and hit upon the right path and begin to ask the right questions.'

Shinogai understood immediately where her son was leading up to and said, ' Those techniques are for men and machines with their questions and answers. But, not for you and the same rules and laws don't apply for you seem to be able to read my thoughts even though I am applying the mind palace techniques.'

' No mother. You closed your mind and shut its doors to my mind but this name seemed to linger somehow and I just happened to hear it.'

He looked at Shinogai and asked her who Malcolm Chambers was and waited for her to answer.

' Mother, the reason I am asking who this person is simply because you thought of that name and no other name while I was telling you about Perumalvaram, the strange and magical forest and how I was saved by a miracle.'

He looked at her, ' Why this name and why SETI?'

It suddenly hit him and he looked at her and exclaimed in a ghostly whisper, ' WTF. Aliens. You mean like x-files' and pointing his finger towards the ceiling and towards the skies, ' WTF is going on here. What have we gotten ourselves into, mother?'

Shinogai shook her head and said, ' I have no clue, baby. I only heard that name being whispered a couple of times and that too when it was spoken up about in a very hushed and secretive manner.'

' Mother, you are the head of Sparta and you are privy to almost everything about the country and all its secret departments.I am sure that you know more about America than the president himself. So, how is this possible? How can an organization exist and work alongside you in Langley and without you knowing more about it?'

Shinogai looked at Radhu, ' Baby, from what you said just now, isn't it clear to you that there are other secret groups like our own and who happens to be working right under our noses on our own soil. Only the President of America has access to that kind of knowledge but he rarely ever uses it for his hands are full of problems of the domestic and foreign nature and hardly has time to look into stuff that involves space and aliens.'

Radhu saw her close her eyes and knew what his mother was doing. It was a technique that lay somewhere in between " Eidetic memory and Photographic memory " and was for want of a better term called " the military thing".

Everyone has use of eidetic memory to a degree. Eidetic memory is the ability to see an object soon after you look away. For most people, the image lasts mere seconds or less than one second. To get an idea of how well your brain makes use of eidetic memory, look at an object and close your eyes, and see how long you can still see the object in your mind's eye.

Eidetic memory is controlled primarily by the posterior parietal cortex of the parietal lobe of the brain. This is the part of the brain through which visual stimuli are processed, and images retained. For most people, these images are only retained for a few short seconds before being discarded, or information relayed to the short-term memory.

Photogenic memory works much differently. With a photographic memory, the image of the object is preserved in short-term or long-term memory. The person who has a photographic memory can close their eyes and see the object in their mind's eye just as clearly as if they had taken a photograph, even days or weeks after they saw the object. This type of memory is very rare, and difficult to prove.

The Military Method

The military uses this method to train operatives to have a photographic memory.

Before starting the military method, you must commit yourself completely to the exercise. This process will take about a month to complete, and you must do it every day for it to work. If you miss even one day of practice, it can set you back at least a week in trying to make the progress you are looking for.

To use this method, you will need a room that is completely dark and free from distractions. You will also need a bright lamp or light that can be turned on or off. A windowless bathroom or closet with a ceiling light is a good option.

Get a piece of paper and cut a hole in it about the size of a paragraph on a page of whatever book or document you are trying to memorize. This way you should be able to place the paper on the book or document and only be able to see one paragraph at a time.

Sit comfortably in the small windowless room you have chosen. You should be able to turn the light on and off easily without getting up or moving around too much. Adjust the book or document so that you can see it easily and the words jump into focus when you glance at it without difficulty. This distance may vary from person to person based on eyesight and eyewear.

Place the paper over what you are trying to memorize to display just one paragraph. Turn the light off and let your eyes adjust to the dark. Then, flip the light on for a split second, look at the paragraph, and flip the light off again. You should have a visual imprint of the image in front of you, or be able to see it in your mind's eye. When the image dissipates, repeat the process.

You will repeat this process until you remember every word incorrect order of the paragraph. Doing this exercise for about fifteen minutes per day every day for a month should help you improve your photographic memory. If you are unable to remember the entire paragraph after a month, you should have at least managed to memorize a portion of it and improve your general memory.

Shinogai closing her eyes, travelled back into the past and to a certain event. She stayed there for a few minutes and then slowly her breathing pattern changed as her inhalation and exhalation became more pronounced than usual.

A few minutes passed before she opened her eyes and looked at Radhu, ' Ayan, have you heard of this person called Rudran while you were in the middle-east?'

Radhu's memory was as good or even better than his mother's and with what had been gifted to him along with his life, his recollection was instantaneous and as was his answer.

' I have heard it being mentioned a couple of times by the top brass of Al Queda in connection with Mossad and Dr.otto Hauptmann. Nothing more and that is all I know.'

He looked at her as if he thought of her question a bit strange and unconnected to their present crisis. Shinogai had not been blessed by the powers of Perumalvaram but she was blessed by Mother Nature with great sight and with an even greater mind. But, she did not them both to come to her aid and tell her what her son was thinking.

' Rudran. I will tell you more about him after I tell you about what happened on American soil while you were away in Syria.'

' Ayan, do you remember that strange and still unexplained incident that took place in New York about a year ago, when all the animals escaped from their enclosures from the Five Burroughs Zoos and ran amok in the streets, causing a huge scare and traffic jam that lasted more than 10 hours?'

' Yes, Ammi. I remember that very well for I saw that live on the Al Jazeera tv Channel. Some of the Al-Queda men thought it was an act of Allah and that he was punishing us Americans for our sins.'

' Allah had nothing to do with that incident, Ayan, for I happened to be in the White House at that time and it was total chaos. But...' raising a finger, she leaned closer to her son and spoke in a mere whisper, ' There was this soft-spoken man who was autistic and whose name was Malcolm Chambers and he was the person in charge and he was the one who was doing all the talking and reporting and The President just sat there quietly listening and nothing more.'

Radhu's eyes lit up and his brain tried to make the connections between all those who they were talking about and came up empty.

' Ayan, I was as confused as you are right now and still am for even now I am at a loss to explain to myself and understand what was said there by Malcolm Chambers to our boss, The President of the United States.'

She looked at her son, ' I am going to repeat word by word of the conversation that took place in the Oval Office and I will let you decide what you make of it. Okay.'

Radhu nodded and Shinogai continued,

Excerpts from Redemption chapter 302

President Donald Trump walked in with a bunch of papers in his hand and he looked at all of them and then asked Malcolm " What is going on young man? What were animals doing out on the streets of New York?"

Malcolm Chambers stepped a bit closer to the president " sir, it was them, of that we have no doubt. It was them that helped the animals escape from the zoos."

President Donald Trump folded his hands across his chest and with a sarcastic smile " Them, you mean the aliens Malcolm. Okay, but could you please tell me what or why they did that? For god's sake explain and make me understand as to why aliens would mess around with zoos and animals and cause traffic jams in our city of New York."

He picked up a paper that screamed its headlines " Trump cannot keep his animals or his mouth under lock and key. We wish him the best in his efforts to build a wall to keep the Mexicans out of Texas."

" I am the joker here and I am the one who is taking the flak from everyone here."

Slamming the paper down, he screamed, " So you better have a proper answer that explains what the F..k is going in my country."

Malcolm Chambers remained unmoved and replied in a calm voice " They came and they came for him sir and I think they came to help him do something or achieve some secret goal."

Paul Miki Nakasone, Director of NSA " Malcolm, who are you talking about? These aliens came for who and why?"

" They came for this Indian called Rudran and it is they who protected his private jet from a missile attack and it was they who caused this mayhem in New York."

He looked at the President " But I have no idea as to what those reasons are sir?"

President Donald trump deep in thought slowly walked around the large table and seating himself in his chair looked at Paul Miki Nakasone, Director of NSA " Paul, I want you to get this person, Rudran and I want you to get this done as quickly as possible. I don't know what or how you are going to do it, but you are going to do it and in a week's time."

Malcolm Chambers boldly raised his voice and spoke " That would be really a very stupid move on our part sir and a huge blunder. If this person Rudran is somehow connected to these Aliens, then won't they come to his rescue if they feel he is in danger."

President Donald trump drowned his face in his palms and mumbled, " I guess so."

Then lifting his face, he looked at Malcolm and his team members " Well, that means this meeting is over. I thank all you young men for stepping up to do your duty for your nation. I will see to it that you are all properly rewarded and given the jobs that you deserve. Bye for now."

After they had all left, The President of The United States of America looked at his NSA Director " Find him and bring him here for I want to look at this man who is supposedly friends with these Aliens."

*From & To Sathish* - Thread 4 - Page 58 | Sensational South

Avan, aval, adhu 38

The moment, Ravi asked the girls how they expected to be like him when they all grew up, ripples of laughter coursed through the boys and most of them closed their mouths and laughed into their palms and some very decently turned away in an attempt to hide their reactions.

The tiny girls looked up at the older girls and all of them slowly looked at their oldest friend who must have been just 12 or 13 years old. Gayatri remembered her from the house as the one called Mekalai who had boldly announced that Ravi was not just their chaperone but their favourite person in the world and had then added the cherry on top by going on to declare that Favourite trounced Chaperone any day.

' Oh, oh' Gayatri thought to herself and glanced at Ravi who smiled and addressed Mekalai, ' Meka, please, come closer and speak your mind' and then looked at the remaining girls and shook his head and said, ' Looks like things are not going to change in a hurry and so it falls on you to speak for them and their minds.'

A tiny tot of a girl slowly raised her hand and squeaked, ' Master sir, master sir, I want to be like you and I don't know why.' Immediately, she was joined by a few other girls, ' we too, we too want to be like you. Nice, kind and always in command.'

Mekalai smiled and then raised her hand and immediately all the girls fell silent and turning to Ravi began to speak.

' Master, Please forgive me if I happen to cross a line with my thoughts.'

' No Meka kannu. There is no line when it comes to expressing one's thoughts or feelings but for that invisible line of decency' and saying that he turned and looked at all of them and said, ' Please, remember that you should feel scared to speak your mind but only if it is right and only if you feel it will be wrong to remain silent? your thoughts and expressions are like the five elements of this world and without them, life as we know it would not exist. So, regardless of whatever situation you might find yourself in, speak the truth and do always do the right thing.'

He looked at Mekalai who nodded and spoke her mind as to why the girls wanted to be like Ravi when they grew up.

' Master, I and the others know very well that this is just another way of yours to develop our skills in speech and freedom of thought. So, I speak knowing very well that what I am about to speak has been already spoken in your mind.'

Gayatri could not believe her ears and could not believe her eyes for here stood a girl who was speaking and she was just 12 or 13 years old and yet she was speaking with the wit and talent of a much older and importantly wiser woman.

She turned to Ravi, ' what does she mean that her words have been spoken already in your mind?'

Ravi raised his hand and pointing to the young girl, said, ' that too will be answered by my child Mekalai' who smiling with the radiance of the shining sun, said, ' When we said that we want to be like Master sir when we grow up, it did not mean that we all want to become men or even become a master but something far more important than all of that.'

She turned and using her hands, pointed to all the other children including the boys too and said, ' All of us, boys and girls want to be like master sir in spirit and in thought and in the way he leads his life.'

Then she suddenly stopped and looked at Ravi who nodded his head a couple of times and Gayatri realized that Mekalai had just sought permission from Ravi and he had given it.

The girl now trained her sight on Gayatri and said, ' ma'am, you asked master sir as to why we and others worship Lord Muruga in the form of a youthful God. I could wax and vane eloquently about God and youth but I will just use a quote by the late Robert Kennedy, brother of the assassinated president of the united states to best describe my thoughts. "This world demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the life of ease."

So you see ma'am that being youthful is not about age but more about the hunger and will to learn and better oneself. The God here signifies and stands for that quality that we all pray for as we get older and as our bodies get weaker in strength and that sometimes makes us obstinate, arrogant and rigid and refuses us to learn new things and instead rely on old beliefs and old mindsets.'

Ravi stood up clapping and the other children joined him and Gayatri did the same thing. Turning to Ravi, ' that is a miracle right there and you have done a fantastic job with them. Unbelievable.'

Mekalai shook her head and said, ' ma'am, me and the other miracles standing with me are just a product of the original miracle that is standing next to you.'

Ravi could not help his eyes that failed to hold back the tears that sprang out of them and he did not stop them and let them fall down and they fell and rested as stains on his white shirt.

Turning to Gayatri, ' Our Lord Muruga has another name called " Thagappan Swami" and there is a story about how he got that name.

When Skanda was a young child, His father, Lord Shiva asked him to go and study and receive education from Lord Brahma. So Kartikeya went to Lord Brahma and asked him, ‘Please tell me the meaning of Om.’ Lord Brahma said, ‘First learn the alphabets. You are directly asking for the meaning of Omkara.’ Skanda said, ‘No, I want to know the highest knowledge first – Om.’ Skanda said to Lord Brahma, ‘You do not know the meaning of Om, how will you teach me? I will not study under you.’

Skanda was not satisfied, but Lord Brahma felt that being a little boy, He was probably not able to comprehend the meaning of his explanation of the intrinsic truth most difficult to understand even by the most advanced divine beings.

Sensing the vanity in Lord Brahma, little Murugan declared that Brahma was unfit to carry on with his ordained duty of creation and put him behind bars. Skanda made Brahmadeva contemplate and find the true meaning all by Himself. The prison itself was the primordial sound Omkara from which emerge Sriman Narayana floating on an Ashwatha leaf from whose navel had sprung Brahmadeva.

Shocked to know that Brahma was being held captive by Skanda, devas and the celestial Rishis approached Shiva for help. Shiva was amused at how a young boy could imprison the great creator god but agreed to help the gods. Skanda went back to his father, Lord Shiva asked Skanda what happened. The boy replied that he did not get a satisfactory explanation from Lord Brahma on the meaning of Pranava / Om.

Lord Shiva asked his son whether he knew the meaning as it would not be possible to judge someone or something without first having knowledge of the subject. Lord Subrahmanya replied that he knew the meaning of Pranava. Lord Shiva asked Kumara to explain to him and all the Ganas, devas assembled in Kailasa, the meaning of the ultimate truth Omkara, but Skanda declined saying that the meaning of Pranava can be explained only by a guru to his sishya and if Lord Parameswara wished to know the meaning of Omkara, he should approach him as a guru and seek the explanation.

No Mantra may be learnt or explained unless through a guru. Lord Shiva was no exception and Muruga made the Supreme Lord Himself as an example to establish this. When approaching a guru, there shall be no ego in the mind of the student. Even if the student had some glimpse of what the Guru would explain or even if he had full knowledge of the subject, he should never show off and approach the guru with a clean mind. Lord Parameshwara, who is none other than Pranava took the mantle of the disciple and reverentially requested His own son Skanda to explain the meaning of the Pranava / Omkara.

Skanda explained the meaning of the absolute truth, the essence of Pranava to his Father, Shiva, who received the Upadesha in all humility as a disciple. This teaching is also known as the Pranava Veda.

Skanda Imparts, “The motionless root factor prakriti wih three cardinal characters, rajoguna, thamoguna and satvaguna was in equilibrium. The induction of force, i.e. shakti into the motionless prakriti caused primary movement altering the state of equilibrium. That initial sound thus born is called Om.

Om is the root cause of all powers or energies of the cosmos. It is incomparable and all that is immortal had been born from this Om only.

Life is an eternal riddle right from the day of creation. Life has got different meaning to different people in different walks of life.

The Trinity – Lord Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are contained in Om. Om means that everything is love – unbroken and unshakable love is Om. This is the essence and also the secret of Om that Lord Skanda narrated to Lord Shiva.

Brahma was imprisoned by Skanda in Omkara and came out to resume understanding the meaning of Pranava and resumed His work of creation with more vigour.

Upon hearing this, Goddess Parvati (Mother of Lord Skanda, and an incarnation of the Mother Divine) was elated and overcome with joy. She said, ‘You have become a Guru (Swami) to my Lord (Natha)!’ Saying this she addressed her son as Swaminatha, and ever since Lord Skanda also came to be known as Swaminatha.

Subrahmanaya Himself being a part of Shiva-Shakti and hence Pranava / Omkara, gave the upadesha to His own father and hence earned the name ‘Swaminatha’, one who is the god to the Supreme. Swami means that which master and Natha means Lord or Protector and the term Swaminatha means one who is the master (guru) to the supreme Lord (Shiva). There is another meaning when we consider the term Swami Nada. Nada means sound and Swami Nada means the Master of Sound. As all sound emanates from the Omkara, Swaminada means Omkara itself. The difference is only in Samskrit and in Tamil, the two words are written in the same way.

So in this way, Lord Skanda assumed the position of the Guru and explained the meaning of Om to Lord Shiva by sitting on his shoulder. '

Ravi wiping his tears, pointed to Mekalai, ' Gayatri, this child is a Thagappan swami too along with the other children and I want them to be like Lord Muruga himself.'

He looked at all the kids, ' I don't want you to become like me but I want you to do better than me, a lot better than me.'

Avan, aval, adhu 39

"When a woman is talking to you, listen to what she says with her eyes." Victor Hugo

Ravi looked at Gayatri and seeing that she had no further questions lingering in her eyes, turned the ignition key of the tractor and they were off once again. The road was narrow but smooth and well maintained and even though the tractor had not much by way of suspension, it was nevertheless a smooth ride and this helped Gayatri to get on with shooting some pics with her camera. She clicked and then checked the pic on the screen and then clicked again to get a better shot of the scenery.

Turning to Ravi, ' Please, if you don't mind can you fill me in about your village and the other villages surrounding it' and then placed a slim device that looked like a tv remote but which in fact was a microphone.

Ravi nodded hesitantly and it was obvious to Gayatri just from the subtle and nearly invisible change in his eyes that it was a touchy topic and when he turned his face away and began to speak it only confirmed what she had felt.

' Along with Kumarapalayam, there are four other similar size villages around here. Soorapalayam, Thirupalayam, Shaktipalayam and pillayarpalayam.'

He turned to her, ' around here, this area on which the five villages are in is called Pandavar Bhoomi.'

' Oh! because they number five. How cliched, Ravi?'

' No, Gayatri. They were called Pandavar Bhoomi for a reason but then the people became unreasonable and broke the covenant that they had made with the land and it too soon turned its back on them.'

Sighing wearily, he looked at her, ' It is the same. Always the same. Then and now, people remain the same and make unreasonable demands on the land to meet and satiate their unreasonable needs that stem from greed.'

Pointing north, ' Gayatri, can you see traffic moving in the distance in the direction I am pointing in? That is the national highway and the way to Madurai.'

Gayatri stood up and seeing the highway in the distance, nodded and asked him, ' Are we heading in that direction?'

' No. The same highway will curve and come towards us in another ten km and we will be passing under it, beneath an overbridge and then it is just a few km to our destination.'

The roar and yells of joy from all the kids were eardrum shattering and it caused all the hundreds of birds feeding on seeds and insects on the fields on both sides of the road to take to the air fearing an attack by some new type of predator.

Their joy was captured and the moment frozen in time through the lens of her camera and as she saw them all through the view-finder and Gayatri knew that there was a story here. Tragic, beautiful and yet it was a story that had to be told through her and through him.

She slowly turned and caught him in her lens and clicked his profile and thought, ' he is the heart of this land and these kids are his beats, the pulse of his soul.'

He turned and saw her, through the lens and she could see his gentle spirit reveal itself as a ghost of a smile spread across his lips.

He saw her. She saw him and thought, ' I wish, I really wish I could wave a wand and make it so that every moment of your life is a happy and peaceful one.'

He thought, ' I have nothing to give you. I am a broken man. I wish you well but this house is empty for the soul is not here and has flown away. She took it with her, and so it remains in her safekeeping.'

Vaanathai Pola 351

Her jade green eyes struggled to make sense of the answer even now, long after the incidents had taken place and so she looked at her son, ' Baby, it is a fact that both of us are intelligent and that our IQ'S are way above the average person. Our skill-sets with mind and body are exceptional and our longevity in the field is proof enough of it.'

She shook her head and raised both her hands in a manner of prayer to Allah and said, ' and yet, my mind just cannot make sense of what went on in the Oval office and what that Malcolm Chambers meant when he said, ' They came for him. To protect him and most probably it was them that opened all the zoos in the five Burroughs of New York and letting loose the animals that eventually created a huge traffic jam.'

Radhu stayed silent, not knowing how to respond to his mother's thoughts and so Shinogai continued on. ' Ayan, forget the zoo, the animals and Malcolm Chambers but not Rudran for he is the key behind the whole mysterious incident.'

She leaned back and bending her head as if in introspection, she continued, ' I am not sure if you heard about the other incidents that took place just before the New York Zoo incident.'

Radhu shook his head twice, ' Mother, I was deep and undercover as an Al-Queda terrorist and had my hands full with trying to save my arse from getting shot at by both our own men and Iraq's army. So, obviously, I was not in the loop about world news but for vital information about my own operation.'

' Ayan, this Indian Rudran entered our country for a brief three day period and in that time, he wiped out nearly a quarter of New york's Black Mafia and nearly the entire top brass of the Russian Mafia including " Boris Vanya aka Boris the little."

' What Ammi? Who? You, mean that ruthless giant B..tard,? How?'

Shinogai looked at him with eyes full of confusion that slowly dissolved and rose again to fill her beautiful eyes with apprehension, ' one blow.'

He had seen death many a time and had visited death on many, dozens of times. Having dealt in the killing business for a long time now, Radhu was familiar with it and had no fear of it and so there was little that could scare him or shock him and yet this news of Boris the little being taken down with one blow was enough to make him whistle and bring his hands together to clap softly and whisper, ' Bravo. whoever you are, MrRudran, Bravo.'

He looked at his mother, ' how was that blow delivered? With a sledgehammer or was it some metal pipe?'

' No. Fist. One blow with his fist.'

' One blow. You mean just one blow? Rudran hit him just once?'

' Yes, Ayan. One blow and it shattered his rib cage and sent them plunging into his lungs and heart.'

Radhu looked at Shinogai, ' but mother, that B..tard Boris must have weighed at least 300 pounds?'

' 330 pounds and mostly muscle.'

Shinogai leaned forward and Radhu did the same and she looked at him and winked her eyes, ' The Police commissioner is a friend of mine and it was she who mailed me some of the pics along with the autopsy report that frankly I am still trying to wrap my mind around.'

' Why mother? what did the report state?'

' Apart from the single blow to the deceased's chest that was instantly fatal, the only other injuries to his body were fingerprints around his neck.'

Radhu smiled and saw that his mother was not and then she smiled and said, ' I know what you are thinking, son. You think that after delivering that lucky blow to Boris the Giant's chest, this person, Rudran must have strangled him to death.Right.'

Radhu nodded but Shinogai shook her head and said, ' Wrong. There was only one set of fingerprints that revealed that the owner of it was right-handed' and raising a finger, ' there is more, Ayan. But this was pure conjecture on the doctor's part and was written down on a separate report that only a handful has seen to this date.'

' What was written down and why was it conjecture, Ammi? Killing a man and that too such a large and powerfully built man with one blow is a feat that falls in the realm of fiction and supernatural and so what else can be said that is conjecture?'

' The nearly 6ft 8 inches tall Boris Vanya who weighed nearly 330 pounds was lifted off his feet by this Rudran and held aloft in his right hand and then flung away like a piece of paper!'

Radhu's jaw dropped in shock and amazement and he looked at his mother, ' That is just impossible, Ammi. The man must be some kind of Superman to have done that.'

' or someone with powers beyond that of us Humans.'

For reference and to remind yourself what transpired between Rudran and Boris, please follow this link to chapters 289 from Redemption.

Boris Vanya had never been really hit before and had never been hit with such force and he and the stranger both heard the ribs break with a loud crack and it took all his immense strength to stay on his feet and he grabbed his right side groaning in pain and he asked the stranger " Who are you? who are you really?"

The stranger looked at him with a smile " I am the legend. I am that magic that you passed off as a silly story that your mother told you and in me flows that same blood that flowed in my father as he stood and killed those giants in the paintings that you have stolen from us.

Boris Vanya watched frozen in awe and fear as in the dimly lit basement, the stranger's eyes suddenly flared Green and he stepped forward and effortlessly lifted him and held him there with his feet not touching the expensive marble floor.

I am Rudran and I am your Redemption.

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/sensational-south/4919631/from-and-to-sathish-thread-4?pn=52

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49D3BLWkTB0

Avan, aval, adhu 40

Have you ever stopped to stare at the clock on the wall and thought, " that is my life. That is all I am."

Time moves the same way for all of us humans. Humans, yes for, other creatures great and small don't work with this thing called time and clock. They exist and function in something called life.

The clock moved from morning six and it is now evening six. The light has given way to darkness but has it brought about any change in you. Has it brought light to battle your darkness or has darkness triumphed in the face of receding light.

Time. Is it your lifespan, counted and accounted for in years, achievements, legacy or those that you have left behind? Who knows for many are remembered by the pain they caused in others lives.

Time of you is gone but lingers on as memories of your time in another's time and life.

The day begins and ends with the rise and fall of the sun from the east into the west. But, the sun remains in the same position and it is the earth along with other planets that spin around it. The Sun, the eye in the sky. A fixed and unblinking single burning eye that sees all and says nothing.

Time, day, sun, dawn and it is the same for all of us, including all other creatures of creation and children of Mother Nature. Some rise in the arms of a loved one and some rise next to an enemy. Some rise slowly drifting away from sleep and dreams and wake up to a pleasant dawn and some scream awake their nightmares and welcome the light and the release from the shadows that stalked them in the darkness. Dark of their minds.

Under the unblinking eye, the star, our sun, life plays out its game of life and death. Happiness and sorrow. In the end, there is a time and life set even for our star, our very own Sun. Four to five billion years from now, it will destroy itself and soon become a pale shadow of itself. A star that lived and died after ten billion years of existence.

I and you, well that is another story.

Welcome to existence and I hope you exist well.

Gayatri saw the distant highway slowly begin to approach them as they neared it travelling on the narrow road and soon the loud honks of heavy-duty trucks began to reach their ears and Ravi pointed to the highway' That is national highway 85, Gayatri. Always busy, noisy and more so after dark.'

' Ravi, where does that highway end up finally?'

' In the city of Kochi and right up to the shores of the Arabian sea.' He smiled and added, ' a beautiful route to travel for it passes through some of the most beautiful places like Theni and Bodi before entering into the land of coconuts and fish curry and Munnar.'

The road slowly curved and the tractor turned and entered a stretch of road that was nearly devoid of trees and had only fields in various colours as its companions on either side.

A lone Toyota Fortuner was parked on the side of the road and both of them caught sight of a woman standing there looking down at the rear tyre of the vehicle and Gayatri immediately turned to Ravi ' Must be a flat tyre, Ravi. Poor woman looks she might need our help.'

Ravi looked at her and without saying anything, slowed the tractor and brought it to a halt behind the stricken vehicle and then again looked at her and said, ' I will go and see what I can do to help.'

Gayatri realizing that something was amiss, opened her mouth to ask him if he is okay, but it was a second too late for Ravi had already jumped out of the tractor and was walking towards the woman who instead of acknowledging him for stopping to help, strangely turned her sight towards the tractor and staring at her.

' Weird situation' Gayatri thought to herself and slowly got down from the tractor and went up to join Ravi and the woman.

She heard the woman say, ' It is okay. Don't trouble yourself. I have called for help and they should be here in 20 to 30 minutes.'

' Weird again' Gayatri thought for it is not what the woman said but the way she said it. She said it in a very rude and dismissive manner and yet Ravi strangely persisted and asked her to open the boot so that he could remove the spare wheel from inside and removing his milk-white shirt, handed it over to Gayatri and requested her to place it in the driver's seat.

Gayatri took the shirt and walked towards the tractor but unable to resist the temptation, pressed it against her face, and inhaled deeply his fragrance, his musky manly smell that sent shivers down her entire body and she nearly collapsed with the orgasm that erupted at the same time in her soul and in her Va..na.

Meanwhile, Ravi had asked all the children to come and watch and learn how to remove a flat tyre and place the spare tyre into the wheel mounts and was going about doing the same.

The children all gathered around him with great enthusiasm and as this was going on, the lady walked up to Gayatri and asked her in a rather rude and crude manner, ' Who are you?'

Only now, with just a few feet separating them, did Gayatri realize how beautiful the woman really was. She was not as fair as Gayatri but was blessed with beautiful features and if that was not enough, everything about her screamed " Money and filthy rich."

If it had been any other place and if Ravi and the children had not been present at that moment, Gayatri's reply would have been, ' Forget who I am, who the f..k are you?'

But that was just a thought and holding it, pausing it, Gayatri politely replied, ' I am Gayatri and you are?'

Her reply, her introduction seemed to have fallen on deaf ears for the woman ignoring them instead was staring daggers at the shirt that Gayatri was holding in her hands and slowly she looked up and asked, ' Gayatri, who?'

Gayatri chose this very moment to ignore the woman and turning her back on her, carefully placed Ravi's shirt on the seat and turning, faced her and said, ' I have already answered your question, politely.'

She stepped closer to the woman and taking her time to read her eyes, ' it only now remains as to who you are although I am not too keen in knowing that ' and saying that walked towards Ravi who had already removed the flat tyre and was getting ready to place the spare tyre into the wheel mounts.'

Sitting on her haunches, she asked Ravi, ' I thought all these vehicles come with tubeless tyres that can handle a flat and keep running until you reach a mechanic shop or someplace where it can be worked on?'

' You are right but not if the tyre has a deep slash or if it is underinflated like this vehicle's tyres are' and pointed subtly at the front tyre and Gayatri nodded her understanding.

' If the tyres are underinflated and your vehicle happens to hit a pothole then the chances are that you will suffer a blowout las this tyre has experienced.'

He looked at her, ' it is done Gayatri. Come, let's be on our way' and slowly got to his feet and found the woman standing there with a bottle of water and a clean towel, which she offered to him and which he took quietly with a soft thank you.

' Amiss, something is really amiss and out of sync' Gayatri thought and only then it struck her as to how quiet all the children were and also on their best behaviour.

She threw a glance at all of the kids and realized that they all were very calm but in an eerie manner and she glanced at Ravi who handed the towel back to the woman and walked towards the tractor without a single word.

' Weird, definitely weird and there must be some sort of explanation for this. But let him be for now' Gayatri thought and got into the tractor and sitting next to Ravi slowly threw a glance at the woman as they passed her and her vehicle.

Gayatri's eyes and thoughts were fixed on her and that is how she caught sight of the woman slowly raising the towel and burying her face into it in the tractor's large rear-view mirror.

*Whom to Salute*???

*APJ or Manekshaw*...

Read interesting one...

*FIRST PART*

When Dr.Abdul Kalam was the President, he visited Coonoor. On reaching, he came to know that Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw was in the Military Hospital there. Dr.Kalam wanted to visit Sam, which was unscheduled. Arrangements were made. At the bedside, Kalam spent abt 15 minutes talking to Sam & enquiring abt his health.

Just before leaving Kalam asked Sam "Are you comfortable? Is there anything I could do? Do you have any Grievance ? or any requirement that would make you more comfortable?"

*SECOND PART*

Sam said "Yes Your Excellency, I have one grievance". Shocked with concern & anguish, Kalam asked him what it was.

Sam replied" Sir, my grievance is that I am not able to get up & Salute my most respected President of my beloved country". Kalam held Sam's hand as both were in tears.

*THIRD PART*

But the remaining part of the tale with regarding this meeting is that Sam did tell APJ that he was not paid the pension of the Field Marshall’s rank till then, for nearly twenty years.

*FOURTH PART*

An aghast President went to Delhi and passed the pension with arrears within a week and sent the cheque of nearly Rs.1.25 crores through the Defence Secretary by a special plane to Wellington, Ooty, where Sam was ailing.

That is the greatness of APJ.

*FIFTH PART*

But then Sam received the cheque and promptly donated it to the Army Relief fund.

*Whom will you salute now?*

Indeed those real *Heroes* are Missing Today.

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏