From & To Sathish #5 - Page 29

Some of the songs that I am listening to right now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDAMyv1hbCo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkK5fwk5uRU

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCxumqSYaw4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zczCSWDn9Q8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h9_BZEjXJ0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jTe9yeNpyE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS6xcEsCkZM

Avan, Aval, Adhu 86

There is a saying, rather a quote from the world of boxing and it goes like this. " Everybody has a plan until they get hit ." This is popularly attributed to Mike Tyson who got knocked out by an underdog when he was the undisputed heavyweight champion and on top of the world.

Life too is like the boxing ring, people. You tell yourself " All is well" like Aamir does in the hit film " 3 idiots" and yet sometimes things don't go well, well in the way you liked or in the way you wanted it.

A lot of things in life that cause pain and separation are about EGO and its kith and kin stuff like anger and retaliation. But, there are a few things in life that are not about Ego. Yours or the others and it comes down to matters concerning the heart.

Gayatri's mind was full with the thoughts about Ravi and the kiss that they had shared between their lips and yet she knew that something was off with Ganesan. The Auto had already entered Kumarapalayam and sighting the familiar green neem Island that housed the small shrine dedicated to Skanda as he was known in North India, she yelled, ' Brahma, stop, stop near that Lord Muruga temple. I want to pay my respects to God and also ask him to grant my wishes.'

She looked at him all happy and cheerful and seeing him sullen and quiet, she punched his shoulder playfully and asked, ' Young man, what's with your silences and long faces today?

Ganesan perked up slightly and did his best with his false smiles and false cheer and said, ' Nothing ma'am. Just the usual stuff.'

' Okay. Promise me you will tell me all about it after I return from my prayers' and saying that, Gayatri walked, ran towards the small shrine of Lord Kumaran and stood with her eyes closed and then unable to keep them closed and unable to close the lid to her heart, burst out with her thoughts.

' God or should I call you Lord Muruga.' Smiling, she stood staring at him and then realizing that it would be better if she sat down, fell to her knees and said, ' See, now I can see you and that too, eye to eye. Tomorrow, you will not be able to get away from me by making silly excuses like " Gayatri, you were standing, so I could not see you for I was looking somewhere else."

She fell quiet and felt a strange calm and serene feeling slowly envelop her mind and she sat staring at the small idol of Lord Muruga.

' Boss, I know I am a new person for you. But, ask your elder brother, Mr Ganesh for I am his devotee and a huge fan. He is the only God that I have ever prayed to and have done that from my childhood. So, you being his younger brother and me being his fan and devotee should surely amount to something.Right.'

A steady breeze blew across the land and brought with it fragrances of green fields and flowers that were in full bloom. The breeze wafted through the trees and sang a whistling tune and danced merrily among the branches and in the process tossed the treetops here and there.

A single beam of light suddenly pierced through the canopy of Neem and rocketed like a laser beam and reached Gayatri.

For a second, Brahma Ganesan thought that Gayatri had been set on fire for the beam was so bright in its glory and it stood raining light from the heavens for nearly a full minute, bathing her, willing her and he knew and felt it in his heart, that it was a sign. A sign that bad days will come and bad days will pass, giving way to good days and good times.

Gayatri got into the auto and Ganesan started the engine and slowly headed towards Headmaster Ravi's house feeling a lot better than he had earlier.

The autorickshaw entered the compound and the moment he stopped it, Gayatri leapt out and opened her handbag, and taking out a 2000 rupee note, offered it to him and said, Thank you for the ride, Ganesan.'

Ganesan looked at the 2000 rupee note but did not take it and instead looked at her and said, ' Ma'am, I don't want any money right now. Master sir has already paid me enough. Maybe later, when things are......' and not knowing how to finish his thought looked at her and said, ' Ma'am, is it okay if I tell you something?'

She smiled and nodded, ' Tell away, young man. It will be good for you to talk out what has been weighing on you like an anchor.'

Only her physical eyes were on Ganesan but every cell of her body was on Ravi's house and on seeing him and being with him and Ganesan seeing this decided that it was not his place to say anything for the matter concerned adults and all the problems adult age brings with it.

' Nothing specific or important. Just that I wanted to thank you for saving the kids from the lake yesterday, knowing fully well that you were putting your own life at risk.'

Gayatri smiled, ' I was just doing my duty, Ganesan. I did not even think, blink and just dived in.'

Ganesan smiled, ' I hope you remain blessed with the same drive, strength and willpower.'

' Thank you, young man and I wish you the same.' and began to move away and then stopped and asked, ' Are you staying or leaving?'

Ganesan smiled, ' I am at your beck and call, ma'am. I will stay for you might need me to run some errands or pop into your hotel to get your things.'

' Right you are. Okay, bro. I need to go and see your master sir' and then stopped and looked at him and said, ' He is my master too. Master of my heart and all that I am and will be.'

Ganesan felt like someone had punched him in the gut and at the same time kneed him in his balls and unable to hold back his tears, let them out gently and as luck would have it, it was read but misread by the woman who was in love.

She saw the tears shine in their wetness and she nodded and smiled, ' I see your happiness. Thank you ' and with that turned and went towards Ravi's house and entered it and found it strangely empty.

Ganesan stood near his autorickshaw and thought, ' Oh, my beautiful queen. I cry not tears of happiness but tears of sadness. I cry for you and for one who will not cry and who will not bend and yield and one who will never give in to his heart. I cry for this empty house and I cry for all of us.'

https://youtu.be/cLo5XveaLww

Vaanathai Pola 390

Just as they were about the climb the final few steps and into the plane, RAW ( Research and Analysis Wing) Chief General V.K.Singh whispered to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh not to immediately inform Raman about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video call in which he had mentioned that the White House was interested in talking to him and that too immediately.

' Just imagine the kind of situation Raman is in right now. We know that he hasn't eaten or slept properly in many days and just when he had his hands full with the case concerning the disappearance of Brigadier Prakash Malhotra, our leading scientist in the field of Genetic mutation and Biological weapons, he was taken from there and rushed to this hijacking scenario. So spare a thought and spare him this latest tension regarding the call from the White House.'

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh looked at him and nodded, ' You know the drill and you damn well know that it must be a pretty serious matter for Modiji himself to call and inform us about it.'

Both men entered the plane, one a senior in war and espionage and the other a senior politician and both stood stunned as they saw with their own eyes the strange and scary sight of all the comatose passengers.

Raman stood tiredly near the door with his arms folded and the dark circles under his eyes seemed to have finally gotten themselves a permanent residence.

He waved his hands and said, ' Please go on and you will see for yourself that every person on board this plane is fast asleep but for one dead pilot.'

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was a battle-scarred veteran in the power struggles that were a constant in the sleazy and greedy world of Delhi and yet that world seemed so far away from the world he was in right now and he began to panic and he clutched at V.K.Singh, ' How do we know that they are asleep and not dead? What are we going to do now, V.K?'

Raman's voice was a little deep in its tone and in the way he used it to speak his mind.

' Minister sir, I have been on this airplane for nearly two hours and so I speak with clarification' and pointing to all the passengers, ' I have checked all their pulses and they are all fine and beating strongly.'

V.K.Singh knew Raman was tired and was not in the mood to preach and please and so he laid a calming hand on his shoulder, ' Okay, agreed that all the passengers are just asleep. But where are the hijackers?'

Raman realising his mistake in raising his voice apologized to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and led them up to the upper deck and just as they were crossing the middle portion, he stopped to check on the baby that somehow seemed to recognize him and began to coo and gurgle and put its tiny arms out, saying it wanted to be lifted up from its seat and carried around.

Raman unstrapped the child and gently lifted him up and nestled him in his arms and told the baby, ' I have got two babies just like you back in my house. But, they are not as big as you and just days old.'

The baby looked at Raman and went to work and began to chew on his shirt pocket.

Raman placed a soft kiss on its head and said, ' I am glad you are fine and have come out of this ordeal safe and sound, little one.'

Then he felt a slight hum, a vibration run through him and he saw that the little baby too had felt it for it let go of his shirt and looked up at Raman with eyes full of fear and doubt.

Then, one by one all the lights in the plane began to shine and darkness fled in its presence.

They stood in the belly of the plane looking at each other and wondering as to what was happening and V.K.Singh hurriedly asked Raman, ' is this our pilot's work?'

Raman shook his head, ' no, he left the plane the moment the doors opened. Apart from the original passengers, we are the only ones on this plane right now.'

If the bright lights that had switched on had left them in fear and wonder, what happened next was far worse for one by one all the passengers who had been fast asleep began to wake up from the stupor they had lain in for the past few hours.

It was like being in a scene from the twilight zone in which the dead returned to the land of the living.

Then things got really confusing and chaotic as one of the passengers pointed to Raman and said, ' You, You' and ran towards him and before he could put the baby down and defend himself, the passenger much to their surprise, hugged him tightly and said, ' Thank you for saving us.'

Raman looked at the passenger with confusion and then looked at V.K.Singh and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and shook his head and said, ' I have no clue as to what this gentleman means.'

Avan, Aval, Adhu 87

“The truth is life is full of joy and full of great sorrow, but you can't have one without the other.” Andre Dubus III, House of Sand and Fog

It is widely believed that a couple who have been married for a long time, begin to resemble each other. Maybe there is a bit of truth in it. But then just because one imitates superstar Rajinikanth, he does not transform into the original. Just because one wears dark glasses and a Ruskie woollen cap, one does not become MGR.

But, something else is going on with a long-married couple and I think that something is happening in their minds. Husband and wife generally fall into the roles that they are going to live out for the rest of their married lives and boundaries are drawn, lines are memorized and characters well practised. Good or bad, happy or sad, this is the story of most married people. Then, once the script has been ready and the actors in character, a change begins to take place in their minds as each is in perfect tune with the other's thoughts, dialogues and reactions. One takes the cue and the other follows suit and the drama goes on without the actors themselves not knowing about it.

Be it in the West End theatre in London, the Broadway Theater in New York or namma Sabhas in Chennai, all their hit stage shows have a successful run and sometimes hit multiple centuries. Actors in these hit shows are well entrenched in their roles and feed of each other and come up with impromptu displays improvisations and spontaneous lines of wit and yet members of the cast go on and fill in their replies and answers without lag and without even blinking their eyes. For they are so well set in their roles and are so in tune with the roles their fellow actors are playing.

This is what I have been leading up to when I said that couples who have stayed married for a long time begin to look like each other and that begins when they start thinking for each other and yes, thinking like each other. One begins and the other ends. ( Finishes) This then slowly seeps out and extends to their mannerisms and in other aspects of their daily lives.

Houses too are like people and slowly take on the characteristics of the people that dwell in it and inside its womb of brick and cement.

' Something is wrong and feels different' Gayatri told herself as she removed her sandals outside the door and just as she was about to put her foot in and enter the house, she stopped realizing what was off.

Gayatri was a professional photographer and an equally good writer and this combo made her a damn good journalist. Her skill as a writer shone through first and then her expert eye for detail helped her career blaze through to the forefront of Photojournalism after she had been forced by her editor to publish her photos along with her thoughts about the lives of the tribal women from the Thar desert.

The photos that she had shot had been taken on one of her many holidays that she constantly took to keep away from Mumbai and her past life. For Gayatri, each escape was a new discovery about her India and she was well known for saying aloud, ' Just to see India in all its glory would mean to be born several times. I would rather see more of the villages and small towns of this ancient land than stand in Paris gawking at the Eiffel tower that is just a piece of metal with a few hundred years of history.'

She stood recollecting that moment when dozens of children had invaded the house and all the cheerful and happy sounds that had filled it.

' That was then, a house of joy but today it feels strangely cold and silent like a Grave' Gayatri thought to herself as she entered and called ' Ravi, Master sir' and getting no response called out for his mother.

' Amma, Amma' and getting no response hurriedly walked out and glanced at Ganesan who stood leaning against his autorickshaw with his back turned against her and was looking in the direction of the hills that surrounded Madurai.

'Ganesh, Ganesh' she yelled loudly to him and after he came close to her, ' Where is Ravi? I tried calling him but got no response. Has he gone out on some work?'

Turning, she looked at the empty house, ' Ganesh, what about Ravi's mother? Where is she? I called out her name but got no response.'

Her questions slowly died away as her eyes fell on Ganesan who stood staring at the ground and coming down the steps, she grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him roughly in anger.

' Young man, enough of this frigging long face and sad-sack mood. I just asked you not one but several questions and I am getting nothing from you.'

Ganesan looked at her with a sad face, ' I have nothing for you, ma'am. No answers. But I can tell you where you can find Master sir's mother.'

' Where?'

' You will find her in the garden most probably sitting near the Thulasi Maadam which Master sir's father built with his own hands or near Master sir's own private nursery.'

Gayatri heard all that was said but it did not make any sense and saying nothing ran into the house and out of the backdoor and into the garden and found the Thulasi Maadam just on her right side but did not find Ravi's mother.

Then in the farthest corner of the rather large garden that was much bigger than the house, she spotted Rasaathi Ammal sitting with her back against a mango tree and staring at a huge creeper plant that was ablaze with red and pink flowers and then a sudden gust of wind blew into her carrying the fragrance of the flowers and she smiled for she had seen such a plant being tended carefully and lovingly by her late father.

' What's with this plant for it looks like my dad is following me after he has reincarnated as one?'

Getting no response from Ravi's mother as she approached her, Gayatri knew that something was wrong and she hurriedly fell to her knees opposite her and gently taking Rasaathi Ammal's hands in hers enquired in a soft voice, ' Amma, what are you doing here sitting all alone in this garden? Where is Ravi?'

' He is gone.'

It was not the words but the way they were said that filled her heart with dread and she tentatively asked, ' Gone, Gone where? on some work or ...? Surely must be for a day or two?' and looked at Ravi's mother who began to cry and through the tears, she managed a reply.

' The last time when he went away, he did not return for nearly three weeks.'

' Three weeks ' Gayatri repeated and then her dread now slowly morphing to a full-blown panic attack, she asked, ' Last time, you said last time. Why? what about this time? what happened, Amma?'

' This time it might be months or this time he might just not come back to this place.'

What is a house and what defines a house? Is there another word for house and is it home? But why then do they use the word home for the old. Home for the mentally ill and home for destitute? Why home and why not call it a house? What is the difference between a house and a home?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27eClHQxXls

n that big big house, there are fifty doors

And one of them leads to your heart

In the time of spring I passed your gate

And tried to make a startAll I knew was the scent of sea and dew

But I've been in love before, how about you?

There's a time for the good in life

A time to kill the pain in life

Dream about the sun

You queen of rain

In that big old house there are fifty beds

And one of them leads to your soul

It's a bed of fear, a bed of threats

Regrets and sheets so cold

All I knew your eyes so velvet blue

I've been in love before, how about you?

There's a time for the good in life

A time to kill the pain in life

Dream about the sun

You queen of rain

It's time to place your bets in life

I've played the loser's game of life

Dream about the sun

You queen of rain

(Instrumen)

Time went by as I wrote your name in the sky

Fly fly away, bye bye

It's time to place your bets in life

I've played the loser's game of life

Dream about the sun

You queen of rain

Dream about the sun

You queen of rain

Dream about the sun

You queen of rain

https://youshouldlisten.com/home/home-vs-house-whats-the-difference-between-home-and-house/

Avan, Aval, Adhu 88

Rasaathi Ammal had expected Gayatri's panic to crumble and breakdown into sorrow and tears. But, that did not happen. As she watched her through the window blinds that were her tears covering her eyes, she saw Gayatri slowly sink into a sitting position and shake her head, smile to herself and maybe she even spoke to herself.

Rasaathi Ammal did not know what to say and how to console her lady guest who she had secretly thought would make a great daughter-in-law. She had not given too much thought about Gayatri being a divorcee for she had come too far with her son and had travelled a great distance with him on the path called life and liberty. Once, she had been a bit conservative and orthodox in many matters but all that had been slowly bushed away by learning and reading with her son as he himself walked the path of solitary confinement and had lost interest in the world at large and had drowned himself in education and the upliftment of their village and its people.

Slowly reaching out and touching the top of Gayatri's head with her hand as both an act of blessing and appeasement, Rasaathi apologized, ' I am sorry child. I think I blundered badly and in a way only old fools know how to do.'

Gayatri looked at her and Rasaathi Ammal saw a flicker of smile play on her lips and it flickered both ways. Smirk of sarcasm and a smile of assurance.

' You are not going to ask me what I did that drove away my son?'

The smile widened as Gayatri shook her head and replied, ' No, I am not going to.'

If the calm manner of Gayatri had left her a bit confused, her reply left Rasaathi Ammal's head reeling in even greater confusion and she asked again, ' Don't you want to know what transpired between me and Ravi?'

' No, you don't have to tell me for I already know what must have taken place between both of you. It is pretty obvious, isn't it.'

Rasaathi Ammal looked at her and Gayatri continued. ' You are a very intelligent woman. But, you are more than that for you are also a very devoted and loving mother. So, you must have seen how comfortable Ravi and I were with each other and decided to play matchmaker.'

Rasaathi Ammal did not know what to make of Gayatri's words and was about to say something and then deciding that she could not say it face to face to Gayatri, turned her face instead and said, ' I saw you both kiss yesterday morning.'

Gayatri smiled, ' Wrong. It was I who kissed your son. It was I who leant forward and placed a tender peck on his lips and to which he did nothing but stay still without reciprocating.'

Rasaathi Ammal could not hold back her angry tears and began to cry. ' I assumed too much. My old eyes read too much into your friendship. I should not have confronted him and I most certainly should not have cornered him for he had no way to go but run away.'

Gently brushing away the tears from Rasaathi Ammal's eyes and cheeks, Gayatri consoled her.

' It's okay. It is not your fault. As a matter of fact it is not anyone's fault. It's simply the way life is.'

Taking a deep breath and sighing it out, Gayatri asked Rasaathi Ammal, ' Right now, I need to know just one thing and I need an honest answer from you.'

Rasaathi Ammal looked at her, ' What do you need to know, Gayatri? Ask me anything and I promise to answer it honestly.'

' Do you believe that your son feels something for me that is worth fighting for? ' and asking that, she looked at Ravi's mother who did not hesitate to weigh the question and answered immediately, ' Yes. I think my son likes you but that is all I can say about that, for even to me, his own mother, my son's mind is a closed vault.'

Gayatri smiled and said , ' Don't worry about that, mother ' and turning away, said in a soft and sad voice, ' life is just not about marriage, children and future. It is not even about how long or how many years you have been married to each other. It is all about how two souls feel about each other, even when they are separated by oceans and great distances or even when death separates them.'

Her words only seemed to increase the distress of Rasaathi Ammal who asked her, ' But, child, you have known him just for a few days. How? How can you know?'

Gayatri smiled and cupping Ravi's mother's sad face with her hands said, ' I am sorry but I am going to use a borrowed quote here from my favourite writer and whose own words best describes her own life's travails and discoveries. Sadly, he is no more and passed away in 2014.'

Gayatri looked into Rasaathi Ammal's eyes and connecting with her soul whispered the quote.

' Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. Your son,Ravi takes my breath away, and every moment that I am with him, physically and mentally, he makes me feel, alive, more alive than before.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3XGynvy_V4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx51eegLTY8

Vaanathai Pola 391

Raman's surprise and feeble protests went unheard by the passenger who then asked him, ' Where are we? We seem to have landed safely' and looking around the plane and the passengers who were by now wide awake and were getting out of the seats all excited and scared, turned back to Raman and asked, ' Mister, I don't know how you did it and how you took down the six hijackers single-handedly. But, God bless you, my man. Thank you for saving my life and all our lives.'

Then all of them heard a woman scream in a loud and panicked voice, ' My baby. My baby is gone. Please, help me find my baby' and Raman, V.K.Singh and India's Defence Minister Shri. Rajnath Singh all turned and looked at the woman.

The woman catching sight of her baby safely in Raman's hands, came running towards him and then screeching to a halt looked at him in awe and admiration and said, ' You are the man who took those Indonesian hijackers down and saved my baby and all of us.'

She hugged Raman tightly and began to cry and he looked at V.K and Rajnath Singh and shrugged his shoulders and shook his head helplessly as if to indicate to them that he had no clue to what both the man and the mother of the baby were going on about.

'The mother, a Caucasian woman of European descent, is most probably from the Nordic region and from either Denmark or Sweden' Raman concluded from her English accent and then before he could hand over the baby to her, she pulled his head down and planted a kiss on his lips and a pretty deep and intimate one at that.

Overcoming his surprise, Ramangently pushed her away and stood blushing like a boy who had been kissed on his first date and looked sheepishly at both his superiors and then all hell broke loose and it was total pandemonium for everyone began to move towards Raman and V.K.Singh knew it was time to act and take control, bellowed as loud as his stage four cancer-ridden lungs would allow and yelled, ' Silence please and stay in your seats' and having said that few words, began to cough loudly and even though he was quick enough to cover his mouth with his handkerchief, both Raman and Minister Rajnath Singh clearly saw the white kerchief turn crimson with the bright oxygenated blood from the lungs

Raman deciding that it was safer if they exited the plane before the passengers became excited and uncontrollable, spoke in a loud and clear voice.

' My dear friends, you have all come out safely and totally unharmed from a highly traumatic experience. But, we the authorities are still not sure if the situation is totally safe and in control.'

He glanced at Minister Rajnath Singh who nodded understanding Raman's train of thought and so he continued.

' The plane has landed safely in Chennai's International Airport and at this moment there is nothing to worry about. But, the authorities have to do a complete security check of the entire plane before it can take off again to its original destination ' and pointing to Shri Rajnath Singh, ' This is India's Defence Minister and he is here in person to take care of the situation. There is nothing to worry about for all the Hijackers have been captured and will be shortly removed from the plane. So, please, I request you to remain seated and co-operate with us while we do our duty.'

A loud rumble exploded throughout the entire plane as all the passengers began to clap and yell, ' Hero, Hero. Our hero ' in chorus and in one voice.'

Raman did not react for he had no idea as to what was going on and why all the passengers were mistaking him for someone else and then it hit him like a high-velocity bullet and he whispered the name, ' Azhagan. Azhagan' and looked at V.K.Singh who shook his head and whispered, ' later and when we are alone. I know it was not you.'

A Monk of the Ramakrishna Mission was being interviewed by a journalist from NY. The journalist started

interviewing the Monk as planned earlier.

Journalist - "Sir, in your last lecture, you told us about "Contact" and "Connection." It's really confusing. Can you explain?"

The Monk smiled and apparently deviating from the question asked the journalist:

"Are you from New York?"

Journalist: "Yeah..."

Monk: "Who are there at home?"

The Journalist felt that the Monk was trying to avoid answering his question since this was a very personal and unwarranted question. Yet the journalist said: "Mother expired. Father is there. Three brothers and one sister. All married..."

The Monk, with a smile on his face, asked again: "Do you talk to your father?"

The journalist looked visibly annoyed...

The Monk: "When did you talk to him last?"

The journalist, supressing his annoyance said: "May be a month ago."

The Monk: "Do you brothers and sisters meet often? When did you meet last as a family gathering?"

At this point, sweat appeared on the forehead of the journalist.

It seemed that the Monk was interviewing the Journalist.

With a sigh, the Journalist said: "We met last at Christmas two years ago."

The Monk: "How many days did you all stay together?"

The Journalist (wiping the sweat on his brow) said: "Three days..."

Monk: "How much time did you spend with your Father, sitting right beside him?"

The journalist looking perplexed and embarassed and started scribbling something on a paper...

The Monk: "Did you have breakfast, lunch or dinner together? Did you ask how he was? Did you ask how his days are passing after your mother's death?"

Drops of tears started to flow from the eyes of the journalist.

The Monk held the hand of the journalist and said: "Don't be embrassed, upset or sad. I am sorry if I have hurt you unknowingly... But this is basically the answer to your question about "Contact and Connection ." You have 'Contact' with your father but you don't have 'Connection' with him. You are not connected to him. Connection is between heart and heart...

Sitting together, sharing meals and caring for each other, touching, shaking hands, having eye contact, spending some time together... All your brothers and sisters have 'Contact' but no 'Connection' with each other..."

The journalist wiped his eyes and said : "Thanks for teaching me a fine and unforgettable lesson."

This is the reality today.

Whether at home or in the society everybody has lots of contacts but there is no connection. Everybody is busy in his or her own world. ...

Let us not maintain just "Contacts" but let us remain "Connected." Caring, Sharing and Spending time with all our dear ones.

*****

The Monk was none other than Swami Vivekananda.

=============

Avan, Aval, Adhu 89

' Quotes, stories etc are all good to hear Gayatri but are of little help in real life' Rasaathi Ammal said in a very despondent manner.

' But, almost all stories, poems and great works of literature are born from the experiences of their creators' Gayatri replied and unable to hold back, Rasaathi Ammal began to cry more out of anger and frustration than grief.

' Stories are all good to read, child. But, they rarely ever come true. It is all an illusion and a mak- believe emotion and best left to daydreams and wild imaginations' Rasaathi said and wiping her tears using the pallu of her saree,smiled sadly and looked at Gayatri and continued.

' You have seen Ravi over the past two days. What do you make of him?'

Gayatri momentarily taken aback with surprise by this vague but direct question from Rasaathi Ammal asked her, ' How does it matter what I make out of him when you have known him all his life?'

Ravi's mother smiling sarcastically, ' hence the question, Gayatri. Just answer the question, please.'

' I think he is a wonderful man. A perfect gentleman. A great human being and everyone seems to love him and respect him. You can judge a person not by their reflections in a mirror but in their reflection in others eyes and they say eyes are the windows to the souls.'

' That is all true Gayatri but what the outside world see is but the mask my son wears for the role he has taken upon himself. Take away that mask, remove his makeup and you will see not a happy, brave gentleman but a sad and broken clown barely clinging to life.'

Gayatri unable to comprehend Rasaathi's words about her son, protested, ' no, no. You are wrong, mother. Ravi is nothing like that. He is a brave man. A leader born to lead and a fighter.'

Rasaathi nodded her head, ' I totally agree with your statement but he is a brave man, a leader and a fighter who fights for everyone else but not for himself.'

' what do you mean by saying that? If he is all that for everyone else then what is he for himself?'

' He is a coward. A broken man living a sad and lonely life.'

Gayatri's eyes revealed to Rasaathi Ammal the depth of her pain that she felt as she said, ' Please, don't say that. Please, anything else but not that about Ravi for it is not only love that I feel for him but respect, trust, faith and devotion. The love and all that I feel for him comes from all those emotions that I feel when I am with him and even when he is far away from me.'

' You have known him for two days and you feel so much for him' Rasaathi Ammal said and yelled sadly, ' I am his mother who has known her son for 43 years. Imagine what I feel for him.'

She looked at Gayatri, ' I am not just his mother, child. I am his friend, protector, guardian and everything. After his father passed away, it is just me and Ravi. So, I know him pretty damn well than everyone else and surely I know my son better than you.'

Gayatri buried her face in her hands and began to cry and the grief erupted in her soul was like an earthquake and the shudders of sorrow that racked her body were like the waves spreading from the quake's epicenter.

' What do I do now? What do you want me to do now?' Gayatri asked through her tears and Rasaathi Ammal replied softly.

' Leave right away. Leave this graveyard that is haunted by dead souls and and erase all memories of it and Ravi and get on with your life.'