From & To Sathish #5 - Page 20

Vaanathai Pola 368

Raman stood up to greet Commissioner Vishwanathan and said, ' Good evening sir. This is indeed a pleasant surprise.'

' Pleasant, yes but not a surprise, Raman' and saying that, gently hugged him and Raman reciprocated his hug and both men then sat down next to each other.

' What did you mean by saying that it is not a surprise' Raman asked and Commissioner Vishwanathan looked at Durai Pandi who too was wearing a surprising look on his face.

Realizing that something was going on between the two older men, Raman declared, ' So, I have been ambushed by both of you.'

Minister Durai Pandi immediately protested, ' No, no, I did not plan this and I had no prior clue that he was joining our personal meeting' and glared at the Commissioner and asked, ' Enna, police sir, keeping tabs on my house ?'

Commissioner Vishwanathan's face went beet red in embarrassment and he hung his face like a boy who has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

' I had no other choice but to request my department man to call me the moment Raman arrived here to meet you.'

Raman unable to understand the commissioner's sudden arrival, looked at him curiously, ' sir, I thought we were meeting up tomorrow morning.'

Then worriedly, he enquired, ' Is everything okay, sir? If you are here and that to unannounced then it means something important. What is it, sir?'

' The same reason you are here, Ram and which is the matter concerning Kavita' Sharadha Arumugam said and looked at both her husband and the commissioner.

Commissioner Vishwanathan smiled wryly, ' Raman, I was here a few hours earlier after my presence had been requested by sir and during our discussion, a certain situation concerning Kavita and her new friend came up and we needed your help.'

He smiled uncomfortably, ' That is why I called you and we decided to meet up tomorrow. I am sorry to have barged in unannounced into your private meeting but I could not help it for it is not about Kavita but her new friend who might pose some security threats for us and for you.'

Raman raised his right hand and said softly, ' please, give me a few moments' and closing his eyes mulled over the situation. He opened his eyes, which suddenly seemed to have cleared itself of its fatigue and doubts and smiled looked at Kavita's parents and Commissioner Vishwanathan and said, ' So, this is indeed about Mr Radha Krishnan?'

His words seemingly were more like a small explosion for it shocked all three of them and Minister Durai Pandi enquired hurriedly, ' Raman, you met this man, this Radha Krishnan. But, where, how?'

Raman shook his head, ' sorry sir, I will answer that question eventually along with whatever questions you might have but first please tell me how you happened to meet this person Radha Krishnan

' Kavita brought him home to introduce him to us' Durai Pandi said and Raman shrugged his shoulders, ' That is the right thing to have done and which shows that Kavita respects this man a lot. So, what is the problem, sir and why is the commissioner himself involved in this?'

Commissioner Vishwanathan looked at Raman, ' I met this guy while he was being treated in Apollo after being stabbed by a poisonous knife. The person who stabbed him was Selvam, son of Jagatratchagan, and the head of the powerful Mukkulathor Thevar Community.'

He added, ' Thankfully both are dead and they died at their own hands.'

Raman nodded, ' I think I heard about this case but only vaguely and so I am in the dark about all the details concerning it.'

He looked at Minister Durai Pandi and Commissioner Vishwanathan, ' I ask you again, why am I here and what is your problem concerning this Radha Krishnan.'

Sharadha Arumugam spoke and did not mince her words, ' We know nothing about him, Ram. All we know about his is his name and that too is doubtful because we think he is a Muslim.'

Commissioner Vishwanathan waded in, ' There is too many contradictions about him. Why would a person belonging to Islam call himself Radha Krishnan?'

Raman looked at him with an expression that declared, ' You have to have more than that before you accuse someone of something.'

Commissioner Vishwanathan grasping it added, ' He seems like a well-trained man. He took down six people in that hotel without blinking an eye. Only a person belonging to some elite squad can do that and possess such deadly skills.'

' What about me, sir? Do I belong to an elite squad?' Raman asked innocently and his answer seemed to stump Commissioner Vishwanathan but not Durai Pandi who looked at Raman, ' This is about my only remaining child, Ram. This concerns our Kavita who you saved so many times and do you want to take this lightly and treat our concerns so casually.'

Raman knew it was time to put an end to their unnecessary worries and he had found a way to do so and so he did it.

He looked at all three of them and asked them if they trusted him and if they trusted his judgement.

All three nodded and Minister Durai Pandi Arumugam added, ' we trust you implicitly, Raman and we trust you more than we trust out own minds.'

' Good, Then trust me now when I tell you that Radha Krishnan poses no danger to either Kavita or to this nation's security. In fact, I think he is going to be very good for your daughter and for all of us.

He looked at all three of them and asked, ' will my word do or do you want more?'

Sharadha Arumugam's face still displayed a bit of worry and doubt and Raman seeing it, said, ' Just because he called his mother Ammi does not mean anything and what if he is a Muslim? Is that so terrible?'

Raman smiled appeasingly, ' I know Kavita very well. You know Kavita very well. Do you really think she will make a mistake in choosing the right man for herself?'

Commissioner Vishwanathan looked at Raman, 'Are you sure Ram? Are you really sure about him and who he is or what he is?'

Minister Durai Pandi Arumugam looked at Raman, ' Son, what are you hiding about this Radha Krishnan? Why do I get this feeling that you are hiding something about this man?'

Raman nodded and smiled, ' I am sorry sir but I cannot answer that question right now for all of you don't have security clearance for that kind of information.'

Commissioner Vishwanathan's face revealed his frustration and anger and controlling both of them, he told Raman, ' I happen to be an IPS officer, the commissioner of this city' and Minister Durai Pandi Arumugam joined in, ' and I happen to be the

highest ranked cabinet minister after the chief minister and you are telling us that we don't have security clearance.'

Raman nodded seriously, ' yes, and I work and report directly to the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister and not to you both or to this state.'

Seeing their faces, he smiled cheerfully, ' I thought you trusted me so why doubt me now.'

He looked at the Commissioner, ' sir, is our meeting on for tomorrow?'

Vishwanathan shook his head, ' Not anymore for you have cleared my doubts and answered my worries.'

Raman's eyes sought both Durai Pandi's and Sharadha Arumugam's, ' I might not be in your boots but I too am a father now and a parent. My daughter is called Suja and my son is named after your son. Trust me, it is going to be okay. I promise.'

He threw both his mighty arms around them and held them close and whispered into their ears, ' I will watch over Kavita and if anyone or anything should threaten her they will have to answer to me.'

Raman's mobile phone beeped and he knew it was a national emergency code that all RAW Agents were familiar with and it usually meant the imminent threat of death and mass destruction.

Raman quickly excused himself and read the message and then called General V.K.Singh, his boss and the head of Raw.

' Sir, what is going on?'

' Raman, we think a Qantas flight inbound to Chennai from Australia has been hijacked. All we heard was one single " Mayday" from the cockpit and then complete radio silence.'

' Where is the plane now?'

' Thirty minutes away from your city.'

One question, the most important question popped up in his head and he asked it, ' Sir, is it a passenger plane or a cargo plane?'

' Passenger flight, Raman and not your regular one. It is an A380.'

Raman cursed softly and before he could ask the question, his boss V.k.Singh whispered the answer, ' Full occupancy.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j-EEcYa1bY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN_XlvQri3o

Avan, Aval, Adhu 62

One talks to another, they call it words

they say it is language

what is the language that speaks without words?

sees nobody, speaks to nobody but still feels

What is the language of love, emotion?

Roses are red, violets are blue

what is the colour of love?

my love, do you have any clue?

where is that path, that door you will open and enter?

where is that road, that gateway that I will exit?

and is it that path where we meet as one and leave as one?

She had very nearly jumped out of her bed to reach him before he left for good. For, the door closing separating him from her felt like that she was being separated from the very world he lived in and that she was being cast out into another dimension altogether.

' Silly, middle-aged cow. Maybe it is time you laid yourself on the couch and probed and dissected to find out as to what is going on in your head' she chided herself and did what most of us secretly do. Talk to ourselves. Talk to the other, the one stuck in our head and who constantly whispers to us. Most of it nonsense and the rest too gibberish to understand and fathom its depths.

' You have fallen for him, dumbo.'

' Fallen as in love or as in crush, infatuation.'

' Does it matter, really? What matters is that you have found someone that you like, respect and trust.'

' Like I get but what do you mean by respect and trust?'

' You should ask yourself that you stupid bimbo? flirting, kissing, and coming on strong to Ravi. Have you for a moment stopped and wondered as to what he must think of you and the moves you are making on him?'

' You called me a bimbo? Why a bimbo?'

' Because of your frivolous and girlish manners. You think, flirting with him, coming on to him, throwing yourself on to him is going to make him fall for you. Think again, B..ch. Sorry, stupid B..ch.'

Gayatri used her hands to squeeze shut her ears tightly but the voice, the words were being spoken in her own mind and by her own alter ego.

Her eyes filled with tears, ' I cannot help it. I just can't stop myself from behaving like that when he is around for he makes me feel so free and comfortable. He sees me and accepts me and without any judgements or preconceived notions. Isn't that what every woman aches for, yearns for in a man. A person who will let you be yourself and still like you for who you are.'

Her mind spoke again, ' Correct. But, is this the way to go about winning his heart or earning his trust. Might have worked with other men but not with him for he is different and that too on many levels.'

Gayatri whispered to herself, ' I know I am old and I know that I am not as smart as him but I am a woman and he is a man. In the end it is all about that, isn't it, Gayatri.'

Gayatri spoke to Gayatri and both questioned and answered each other.

' Is it only about a man and woman thing? Is it only about sex and physical attraction? Is that what you want, really want and in the end is that what your idea of love is all about?'

' No' Gayatri whimpered in fear and terror for she remembered how the man she had loved and married had abused her, physically, mentally and had left her broken and shattered. Both in body and soul.

It had been her mother who had come to her rescue who and saved her from certain death by suicide. The very mother, the very woman whom she had hurt wantonly, disrespected and that too before her father and worse, towards the end in his final days.

' Oh s..t., you fu..ed up Gayatri and you did that just because you were going through a low phase and you had only yourself to blame and nobody else. Yet, you lashed out at your own mother, the only person who stood by you even when your father decided to disown you and asked you to get out of the house. You did all that because you are a fu..ed up person and now here you are far away from home and ready to screw up another person's life once again.'

She could not hold back the tears anymore and she let them loose and they flowed away like twin waterfalls. Sobbing, she reached for her mobile and called her mother who picked it up on the second ring and answered in a way only she could answer for only she called her that.

' Gaya, sweetheart. Is it you? Is it really you, sweetheart?'

' Yes, it is me.'

' Gaya, baby. Are you okay? Why does your voice sound so choked and frail? What is going on? Please talk to me?'

' I am okay. I just wanted to get some stuff of my heart. That is why I called.'

' Okay, baby. But, please, tell me where you are and if you need anything.'

' No, I am okay. I am fine. It's just that I wanted to tell you that I was sorry for hurting you and behaving like an evil Bi..h.'

' Gaya, that is all in the past. Water under the bridge that has flown far, far away from us. All that remains is for you to come back home and take your father's place.'

' I will. I promise you. I will come home but not now and not until I have finished healing myself.'

' I got to go now. I am tired. Honestly, I am fine and I called just to apologise to you for all the evil that I dished out to you.'

Her mother remained silent. So, Gayatri whispered softly, ' I am sorry, Madhu. I am really sorry for hurting you. Please forgive me.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbjZPFBD6JU

Come away with me in the night

Come away with me

And I will write you a song

Come away with me on a bus

Come away where they can't tempt us, with their lies

And I want to walk with you

On a cloudy day

In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high

So won't you try to come

Come away with me and we'll kiss

On a mountaintop

Come away with me

And I'll never stop loving you

And I want to wake up with the rain

Falling on a tin roof

While I'm safe there in your arms

So all I ask is for you

To come away with me in the night

Come away with me

Avan, Aval, Adhu 63

“Laugh, even when you feel too sick or too worn out or tired.

Smile, even when you're trying not to cry and the tears are blurring your vision.

Sing, even when people stare at you and tell you your voice is crappy.

Trust, even when your heart begs you not to.

Twirl, even when your mind makes no sense of what you see.

Frolick, even when you are made fun of. Kiss, even when others are watching. Sleep, even when you're afraid of what the dreams might bring.

Run, even when it feels like you can't run anymore.

And, always, remember, even when the memories pinch your heart. Because the pain of all your experience is what makes you the person you are now. And without your experience, you are an empty page, a blank notebook, a missing lyric. What makes you brave is your willingness to live through your terrible life and hold your head up high the next day. So don't live life in fear. Because you are stronger now, after all the crap has happened than you ever were back before it started.”― Alysha Speer

She lay her head on the soft sky blue pillow and stared at the blue wall and whispered to the room, ' Are you blue because I am blue? or just blue from always seeing sick people come and go. But, not me, for I will be gone tomorrow to come again some other day.'

Gayatri had assumed that apologizing to her mother would lessen her pain, the weight that she had felt bearing down on her chest but it had not. Loneliness. The feeling of being alone with nobody to hold or hold you back was that anchor that was constricting her life, her breath, her thoughts and though she had fought against it valiantly for many a year, it had suddenly pounced on her when she had least been expecting it.

' Ravi, it is you. It is the feeling of comfort, protection, trust and more than anything respect that you dish out that has left me feeling like this. I would have gone on with life as always and in my usual ways if I had not met you and if you had not breathed into me but I cannot, not now. How can I exist when I know that a piece of my soul is in you and how can I pretend that you don't exist?'

' Home, Home is not a house. It was never about a building, walls, beautiful paintings and sofas but all about the souls that live in them. A house becomes a home because of the love that is propagated by the people who dwell in its confines. I want that too. I want to love and be loved and live in a home full of love' Gayatri told herself as she spoke to herself and then she heard the door open and in walked a lady in blue uniform.

' Blue pillows, sheets, blue walls and now a nurse in blue. F..k blue' Gayatri cursed and the nurse replied immediately, ' Right, F..k blue, I say.'

Seeing Gayatri's face, ' No need to be shocked, little one. I am Saroja Ananadan but call me Saro. I am the chief nurse for the evening shift and I am at your beck and call until tomorrow morning' and saying that she pointed to the nurse call button, ' press that and I will appear like the genie from Ali Baba's lamp although I am a lot prettier than that demon.

Gayatri looked at Saro, the chief nurse and smirked, ' you are funny' and Saro countered, ' and you are a crybaby.'

' I did not cry. I am not crying. what do you mean by calling me a crybaby?' Gayatri fumed and Saro coming closer said in a soft and motherly voice, ' It is okay to cry. I cry, in fact, I am known to bawl my lungs out' she joked.

Both women looked at each other and Saro said, ' From what I heard, you seemed to have had a rather hectic and heroic day. Maybe it will do you good to eat something and take a pill and fall asleep. Nothing like a good sleep.'

Gayatri nodded and Saro flashed her a smile and left the room.

She went through the delicious chicken sandwich in seconds and meekly swallowed the pills that were handed to her and said, ' Thank you and Good night, Saro.'

' Good night, Gayatri' and pointing to the door, ' my table is just outside your door and I am right there. Sleep well for tomorrow is another day and another chance.'

She did not know when she had drifted away into a deep sleep but she remembered a woman standing in front of Ravi. Gayatri's heart began to race and she went forward to see the woman and instead saw Ravi rip his chest open and take his heart out and scream in pain.

The last words she whispered as she fell into another world was, ' let him go, let go of his heart and leave him in peace. Please, let him go.'

Vaanathai Pola 369

' Sir, have you seen the passenger manifest?'

' Yes and that is why I called you Raman.'

A sense of foreboding began to slowly clasp his heart and he asked in a thick voice, ' Anybody important sir?'

The silence of V.k.Singh's was foreboding and Raman knew instantly that the plane was carrying a lot of important people apart from Civilians.

' 6 members from the British Royal Monarchy and then you have a few ministers of the cabinet and several other high-level United nations dignitaries belonging to France, Germany and Spain '

' Oh f..k. this is bad sir' and then suddenly remembering something, he hurriedly asked, ' Sir, if my memory serves you right and if your passenger manifest is correct, then this flight must be a direct one from either Sydney or Canberra to London. So, why is it heading towards Chennai?'

V.k.Singh coughing heavily, ' That is the million-dollar question, Raman. We are in the dark literally and we will know more as the situation progresses.'

' Sir, how can I help?' Raman asked his boss, V.K.Singh, head of Raw who replied, ' What you always do, Ram? Take charge and see it through as best as possible.'

' But, sir, if it is a hijacking situation then there will be negotiations and I am not well versed in that field and tactics.'

' That is good for our usual negotiators might be a wee bit too rigid and might not use out of the box thinking as you do. The situation is dark and fluid and I know of no other person better suited for just this kind of situation than you. But, we have assembled a team of negotiators and they will reach Chennai along with your old friend.

' My old friend sir?'

' Yes, literally your old friend and you have already worked with him.'

V.k.Singh put Raman out of his misery and said the name, Brigadier Sooryanarayanan and heard nothing from his prodigy's side.

' Sorry, Ram. But, he and his units have been training just for this kind of situation for a few years now and are desperate for action. Brigadier Sooryanarayanan will be joining you with two of our elite HRT( Hostage rescue team) units. Their plane is in the air and should reach Chennai in an hour or so.'

' Sir, you mentioned members of the royal monarchy, then surely their people will be joining us.'

' Yes, but that is going to take time but meanwhile, the deputy high commissioner of the British High Commission will be joining you at the airport. Bye, Raman. Lots to do. All the best, son.'

Far, Far away, Alpha, the head of " Sons of Gaia " pressed a button on his laptop and the large screen in front of him filled itself with the faces of the other six members of their secret group.

' It is in motion and in a matter of few days, the world as we know today will begin to change and for the better' Alpha declared and then he looked at each of them carefully and asked, ' Have you all taken the necessary precautions?'

' Yes, Alpha' all of them chorused in unison.

Alpha nodded, ' brothers, it has taken us twenty years to reach this point and there is no looking back now. We came together with one purpose and with one thought in our hearts. Earth first.'

' Earth first' all of them roared and cheered and clapped.

Avan, Aval, Adhu 64

It is not what you said, say or will say but what you did and are doing. For, actions speak louder than words. It is not just about saying " I love you " to someone but following it up with your actions. Love is an expression, true. But, expressing it through mere words will not suffice and one should never compare their love with that of others and what they feel or do with the love they have in their own lives.

Madhu aka Mrs Madhurima Prem stared at her mobile phone with intense and interest. ' Something is definitely wrong with Gayatri for she sounded sad but at the same time very different from the person I spoke to the last time.'

Madhu recollected her last conversation with Gayatri in vivid detail although nearly eight years had passed on and in all those years there had been but the brief exchanges of Birthday wishes and New year greetings through SMS and in recent years via WhatsApp.

Nearly 10 years had gone by since her husband Prem Malhotra had succumbed to cancer but not a day had gone by when she had not remembered the oath she had sworn to him as he had taken his last breath.

' I will take good care of her. I will watch over her, no matter what the circumstance' she had promised him and Prem had smiled and whispered, ' I know you will sweetheart. Maybe that is the reason God brought us both together in this life.'

Madhurima stood in front of her late Husband Prem's photo and smiled at him, ' Premji, Gayatri called me and she is doing fine.'

Madhu slowly sank into the luxury of the sofa and her thoughts went back to the day her father had pleaded desperately and pathetically for her to get married to Prem and she had agreed and she had done so to save her father from bankruptcy and a possible jail term.

She had pushed Ravi and her love away into a secret and deep abyss part of her soul and had gotten married to Gayatri's father, Prem Malhotra who was old enough to be her father and in fact just a few years younger than her own dad.

Gayatri had been just a couple of years younger at 16 years of age when Madhurima had become her stepmother and things had gone badly from day one.

Gayatri had hated her on sight and had verbally abused her the moment she had entered her new home and had not even spared her own father for getting married to a girl who was just a few years older than his own child.

But, thankfully Prem had warned her about his daughter and had begged Madhu to remain calm and silent and had told her that she would finally see reason and become more understanding of their relationship.

In those early years, it had been Ravi and their love that had seen her through many difficult moments and also because of her husband Prem's gentle behaviour.

Prem had been the perfect gentleman and the perfect husband to her and in the end, had won her over through his love and kindness.

Maybe it was loneliness or maybe it had been a purely physical need that had brought them together but he had treated her gently and she had decided that since she was married to him, she would now be faithful to him and.....

She had told him everything that had taken place between Ravi and her and he had much to her great surprise had said, ' Why didn't you tell me this before? I would have helped you both to be together. Now, you are saddled for life with me, a middle-aged man who is nearly 30 years older than you.'

' No, Premji, I see you not just as my husband, lover but my guardian and my personal Angel.'

' But, what about Ravi, the poor man, God knows what he must be going through?'

In Kumarapalayam, Ravi as always stood in the fields and watched as the sun wore his night pyjamas of darkness and went to sleep plunging the world into black.

He whispered into the twilight, ' I am here, Madhu as always and I wish you well. I hope you are leading a happy life being a mother to lots of beautiful children. I am a father too in my own way for all the children of my village think of me as such.'

Avan is Ravi. Aval is Madhu and Adhu is Gayatri. But, that is up for debate.

There are no real winners or losers in life and in love.

All that matters is that you have a spring of good emotions welling up in your soul. You don't need two souls to love for one, your own will do. It does not matter if you are loved in return for all that matters is that you love, feel love and keep on loving. No matter what.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCuMwJohnW8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmKAn8rNbKg