From & To Sathish #5 - Page 34

Avan, Aval, Adhu 93

Rasaathi Ammal walked slowly holding Gayatri's right hand less for physical support and more for mental support. She stopped at the Thulasi Maadam and looked at Gayatri, ' do you feel the silence?'

' Yes, amma. It is deadly silent and pretty oppressive in nature ' Gayatri replied and then let her eyes slowly gaze all over the garden and then raising her eyes scanned the trees and said, ' I felt it the moment I entered your compound. But, I was not able to put my finger on what felt different from before and why the whole area was unbearably quiet.'

Rasaathi Ammal too raised her eyes and looked at all the trees that stood in and around their compound and shook her head and said in a sad voice, ' All the birds have disappeared. They always do ' and slowly looked at Gayatri and said, ' for now.'

' Amma, what do you mean all the birds have disappeared? Where to and why?'

Rasaathi Ammal looked at Gayatri, ' would you believe it if I tell you that they must have all gone off in search of Ravi?'

' I search of Ravi. But..... he is in Kodai, right?'

' Yes. The birds will tire and return to their roosts by the end of the day. But, they will remain dull and silent until his return.' Smiling sadly, ' Gayatri, There are times when I have wondered about the sanity of my only child and especially during these times when he takes off for a few days or a few weeks at a stretch.'

She slowly leant forward and plucked out a few newborn weeds that seemed to have found a refuge in the shade of the Thulasi plant and stared at them and said, ' sorry but wrong time and wrong place' and flung them away with a force that would have put a younger woman to shame.

Rasaathi Ammal pointed at the houses that lay in sight but about half a km away and said, ' Just think what the people of this small village town will be thinking and how worried they will be without Ravi among them. Imagine their state and all the children who flock around my son. If the birds themselves can feel my son's absence, then imagine the plight of the people, and the children who look up to him for everything and anything.'

' What about you, Amma? Forget the people and the birds and tell me how you are going to cope without Ravi?'

' Like I always do my child. For, I am used to his moods and disappearances. I have coped before and I will cope and carry on until his arrival.'

Gayatri looked at Ravis mother and asked shyly, ' Can I say something to you, woman to woman?'

' Please do, Gayatri. I would appreciate that and my respect for you would only increase for thinking of me as worthy enough to share your frank and honest thoughts.'

Gayatri smiled, ' that's exactly what he would have said and I love you both for it.'

That said, she looked at Rasaathi Ammal, ' Ravi is the man for me. I am going after him and I will try my best to make him see and understand and my love.'

Taking the old lady's hands, Gayatri looked into her eyes and said, ' whatever little doubts and fears I might have had, have vanished now. For I know now why my life and path led me here and that is to see, know and be with your son.'

Slowly she let go of her hands and then suddenly threw her arms around Rasaathi Ammal and hugged her tightly and said softly, ' If it works out, I will come back with your son, together. If not, I don't know when we will meet again.'

Letting go of Rasaathi Ammal, Gayatri ran into the house, through it and slipping into her leather sandals quickly got into the auto and told Ganesan to take her back to the hotel.

' Ganesan, I need you to find me a reliable and trustworthy cab driver who can take me to Kodai immediately. Please inform the driver that they will be needed for a few days or a week or even more. Money is no problem. But, please, no drunkards or an ill-mannered person for I might just murder them. Understood Brahma.'

Brahma Ganesan nodded happily and said, ' Ma'am, I am glad you are going to Kodai to see our master sir. I also know and feel in my heart that it will all work out in the end.

Everything has a beginning and an end. Take the universe itself which is supposed to have had its start in a mighty explosion that is called The Big Bang Theory. But, if we draw closer to our own home, The Solar System, we know for sure that our Earth is nearly 4.5 billion years old and through that, we conclude that our Star, the Sun around which you and I along with the Earth and other planets rotate around to be, give or take the same age or maybe a few hundred million years older.

But, the sun too will one day die away after it has used up all its hydrogen and helium and will slowly shrink and fade into a small dwarf star. A pale shadow of its original self.

This story too, Avan, Aval, Adhu has its beginning and its seeds were planted as I navigated through my role of Gopinath in the tv serial Baakiyalakshmi that airs on Vijay TV. I don't know much about how other actors approach their roles or how they go about tackling the scenes they are given and so, I Limit myself to my own thoughts and my own acting skills.

I honestly have never rated myself as an actor or compared my acting skills with that of others and have just gone about my work based purely on my instinct and my gut feeling as to what will work and what will work.

In that sense, I have to confess here that I set my own personal standards which are pretty high and I work hard at giving my best and nothing less. I am a very harsh and bitter critic when it comes to judging my own performances and never hesitate to raise my hand and say sorry and request the director for another take and another shot at giving my best.

" How do you set high standards for yourself, Satish? " you might think and even ask and my answer is with the performances of my peers as references. I take the standards set by great actors, masters such as Sivaji sir, Kamal sir, Amitabh sir, Aamir etc and use them to learn from. But, not to copy from or imitate in the slightest. Just learn from them and use them to better me and further myself.

For instance, take our own education and for example take a person who is studying to become a doctor, engineer or maybe even a research scientist. The said person or persons cannot start from scratch and develop their own syllabus and have to follow a set of parameters that are already in practice and when I talk about using my peers as reference for my own work, that is exactly what I mean to say and share with you.

A short film can be anywhere from a few minutes to an hour while a feature film can stretch from a little over an hour to a few hours. But, television is different and stories there are told over a few episodes or like in our own Indian mega serials, over 100's of episodes and in rare cases, 1000's of episodes.

Whether in my writing here in our forum, which I have been doing from 2006 ( OMG! Satish, you have been bugging us for so many years.) or in my acting or even during my daily workout, I motivate myself, charge myself to do better and do differently for that keeps me going fully charged. Monotony and cliches drain me and bug the hell out of me and the result is boredom and when I get bored, I lose concentration and end up with pie in my face.

So, as I slipped into the character of Gopinath, a middle-aged man, married and with three children and who happens to meet the girl whom he had loved and wanted to marry after 25 years, it struck me, ' why not write a love story? something different and with a twist' and thus was born this story.

Writing a love story is easy if you want to take the easy and regular path but difficult and frustrating when you try out something different and decide to walk the path that has never been walked before.

In cinema, there is a saying that nearly all stories have been done to death and in the end, it comes down to how the writer and director approach the story and which is called " Treatment ".

Okay, take our own story " Avan, Aval, Adhu" which is a regular love story, and although a triangular one, it is by no means a rare one. But, once you place the characters in different settings, infuse them with different mindsets and yes, a back story, an ordinary story becomes more than just that.

Since I am writing and posting at a very leisurely pace, I am able to work with the characters and yet at the same time, work and play with the smallest details and prolong the moment for a much longer time.

When I was about 10 or 11 years old, my elder cousin sisters who were already well into their teens discovered the world of Mills and Boon and is so happened that I was made Hanuman who hopped streets to the library and back home again with the latest issues of the syrupy love stories.

Oh yes, I did try reading a few and found them very tedious, shallow, monotonous and graduated on to thrillers like James Hadley chase and Ludlum.

But, when I myself fell in love, I discovered myself as being, feeling like I was the title character in Mills and Boon story.

Later on, as I grew older and stepped into my twenties, I began to realize that love and love stories were indeed a beautiful journey and then I stumbled into Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead and sadly I have not been myself since then.

I must have read it a dozen times and yet, it is a new experience each and every time I pick it up. Every page I turn is like undressing a woman I am about to make love to and removing a piece of garment from her body.

I think there must be many who feel reading a book is a beautiful and sensuous experience.

But, the outsider I am and have always been, I asked, ' what is love and why should love exist? Is it meant just to make the reproduction process a better one? Do all people who have sex in love with the person they are having sex with? Is sex, passion, being horny different from love?

Sex is a physical thing and it has to be done physically and Rapes and prostitution affirm and confirm that sex is indeed a purely physical thing.

So, I wonder if sex is just lust and a physical hunger or is there a kind of sex that is born out of love and desire.

What is that called and do only people who are in love entitled to that state of Ecstacy?

All things physical are an outward journey while all things internal and invisible are an inward journey.

This story is sort of my journey that is both in and out and a way for me to learn and realize more about my own thoughts and feelings about love.

So, please, take my hand and walk with me and let us take this journey together.

Vaanathai Pola 401

They went back to their cancerous vice and stood in the chilly night air, puffing away at their cigarettes, waiting for the instructions from the reactions of their respective anchors and stood smoking in the cold darkness with little knowledge of what was going on inside the press meet.

CNN's Mallika Kapur's mobile vibrated and seeing it was her boss Meredith Artley, editor in chief who was calling, she quickly answered it with a hello.

' Mallika, the photos and videos are absolute Dynamite. We are going on air right now and live. Now, listen to me carefully, take the cameraman and go to the ambulance and try to interview this hero Raman. Imagine the impact this live news will have on the world and dare I say on your career and for our ratings?'

' Boss, I am on it right away. I will call you the moment I am in place, and ready and then we can go live.'

' Okay, Mallika. All the best. Get this done and I promise you the chief anchor for the entire Asian region.'

It took all of her strength to restrain herself from screaming her head off in joy and said in a happy and bubbly voice, ' Thank you, boss. I will see you live in a few minutes.'

Calming herself down, she pretended to be bored for she did not want to arouse the suspicions of the other journalists who were gathered there and mumbling falsely, ' What a dull and boring press meet' she slowly slinked away and made her way out of the room and out into the parking lot.

The moment she stepped outside, she quickly called Milind and informed him of what their boss Meredith Artley wanted and told him to come and get her and take her to the ambulance that the mysterious Raman was in and walked quickly towards the parking lot adjoining the runway where all the ambulances were parked.

Milind looked at Shiva,' bro, I am really sorry but looks like my anchor has taken the lead. What do you want me to do now?'

Shiva smiled and said, ' Milind, don't worry about it. Just go for it and get it done. Good luck ' and saying that, slowly walked away to meet his own anchor who was still busy confronting Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

At the same time, computers, Tabs, Ipads began to cough up information about Raman.

Just as Milind spotted her and approached her, Mallika Kapur's phone vibrated and she answered, again, ' boss' and Meredith spoke quickly, ' Mallika, it is him. The man in the ambulance is the man Raman whose name was mentioned by Princess Anne. He used to be a big-time lawyer there in Chennai but now works for R&AW as a consultant.'

Mallika wondered aloud, ' Lawyer, consultant. But boss, it makes no sense' and Meredith Artley, editor in chief of CNN News laughed loudly and said, ' Hold on to your panties and bra girl and it will all make sense once I tell you a bit more about this Raman.'

' Mallika, remember those bomb blasts in Chennai a few months ago and remember the murders of a very famous Politician's son and the daughter of Brigadier Sooryanarayanan...'

' Of course boss, I remember all those incidents very clearly for that famous politician's son who was murdered was none other than Vijay Bhaskar who was rumoured to be on his way to becoming the next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the lady who died along with him was Poornima, the only daughter of Brigadier Sooryanaranayan.'

' Correct Mallika. Now recollect all those incidents and those world-famous Assassins Gulab and Jamun who were behind those bomb blasts and the murders of Vijay and Poornima but who were also behind the death of Minister Vaidyanathan.'

Mallika shook her head confusedly and asked ' but what has all that got to do with this lawyer Raman, ma'am?'

' Everything Mallika. For, Raman is not just a lawyer but something more and he is not just a consultant for R&AW but one of their most promising agents for he is the one who killed both Gulab and Jamun and has taken down a lot of criminals.'

' Boss, if this man did take down those feared assassins, then the hijackers shouldn't have been too much of a problem. Right, ma'am.'

' Yes, Mallika. So, imagine the impact this news scoop will have when we break first and that too live with Raman's face in your camera.'

Mallika Kapur nodded furiously, ' It will be like an atom bomb going off. '

' Okay. Now go get him tiger and let's rock the world with this breaking news.'

Mallika Kapur ended the call and quickly brought Milind up to speed with what was going on and who Raman was and he whistled loudly and whispered, ' Now that is a man. A real man and a real hero in flesh and blood.'

Milind looked at Mallika, ' but our camera and my assistant are inside the press room and how can we go live without our Broadcasting truck which we cannot dare bring here for this is a restricted area.'

Mallika thought for a second and raising her mobile phone, tapped it and with a smile said, ' we will go with my iPhone 13 Pro Max for its live stream HD video is as good as your camera's broadcast quality.'

She looked at him and asked eagerly,' ready' and Milind nodded and taking Mallika's phone, tapped open the Dacast's live streaming platform and chose Larix Broadcaster and said, ' ready to go live.'

' Okay, Milind, let's go find this Raman and let's make him famous' Mallika Kapur whispered happily and then both looked up as all the overhead lights began to flicker in a threatening way.

Some of the lights around them died down plunging them into a sort of semi-darkness and then as both of them began to slowly make their way towards the ambulance in which Raman was in, they both saw a strange shadow move in the darkness.

Milind's camera eyes were much better than Mallika's and he spotted something move in the darkness and he whispered to her, ' strange and creepy.'

' what is strange and creepy, Milind?'

Milind pointed to a patch of darkness that lay between two ambulances just ten feet away from them and said, ' I thought I saw something move in that patch. I am not sure what it was but something did move.'

Mallika giggled like a small girl and said in a hurried voice, ' Must be a stray dog or a cat. Let's get a move on and get this done before others join us and rain on our parade.'

Milind did not move and remained still for his feet felt like they had been cemented to the ground and he slowly looked at Mallika and whispered fearfully, ' look again and tell me if that is a stray dog or a cat.'

Mallika turned and looked and her heart leapt out of her open mouth for the shadow moved and both saw that it was not the shadow of anything but a living thing that was darker than night and blacker than shadows.

It was a dog but it was unlike any other dog they had ever seen in their lives for it looked more like a lion but not golden or tawny in colour. But blackest of black and its eyes were the greenest of green and it was walking towards them with intent. Deadly intent.

https://www.dacast.com/blog/how-to-stream-live-from-iphone/

Avan, Aval, Adhu 94

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope

Gayatri leant forward and tapped on Ganesan's shoulder and said, ' please stop' and pointed to the neem tree island. Ganesan quickly brought the autorickshaw to a halt and said, ' take your time, ma'am. I am in no hurry and have nothing else on my plate right now.'

Gayatri thanked him and both stood looking at each other knowing fully well what the situation was and so even the silence that descended between them was not uncomfortable for they stood in comfort and trust that they had in each other.

He looked at her tentatively wanting to say something which he had been dying to say and then slowly began to relax seeing the warmth in Gayatri's smile.

' Just the two of us here, Brahma. So, at ease young man and speak your piece in peace. I am not one to judge a person by what he or she thinks of others and rarely form an opinion even when their thoughts and opinions are about me.'

She looked at him with kindness, ' In case you need more motivation from me before you speak your mind, let me say this. I trust you and I will go as far as to say that I will trust anyone who is associated with Ravi for those who stand by him are good people and you, child, are like a son to him. That being the case and that said, it should be obvious that I am one of those who will stand by Ravi and it matters not if its heaven or hell. For all that matters is Ravi and being with him.'

Ganesan's eyes opened wide in wonder and in a voice choking with awe and indescribable emotions said, ' I don't think even master sir can better describe a situation or his own thoughts in such a beautiful manner.'

She looked at him patiently, ' Are you going to say what you have been yearning to say and ask that which has been burning you up or will you side-step both like his majesty Ravi Kumar?'

Ganesan looked at her, a shy smile dancing a ballet on his lips and eyes and then she saw his forehead crease in doubt and question and waited for it to flow from him and it did.

' Ma'am, how is this possible? '

' How is what possible, Ganesan?'

' To fall in love with Master sir and feel all that you are so obviously feeling and that too in just three days 'and she saw his eyes look at her earnestly and then she saw him turn away and continue, ' It is not possible for it feels so difficult and appears so different from my side of the fence.'

Gayatri's face softened even more and her voice sounded soothing as it reached Ganesan's ears, ' is this question about me or about you?'

Turning swiftly as if he had been electrocuted, he looked at her with searching eyes and realizing that he had been caught out, nodded shyly, ' both I guess .'

Gayatri smiled and thought to herself, ' Ah! a young soul caught in the throes of his first love' and in a very caring voice asked him, ' Who is this girl you are in love with, Ganesan and how long have you known her?'

He shrugged his young, bony shoulders and looked at her wistfully, ' I have known her for a few years now, ma'am but it is a long story and a bit complicated.' and turning his face away, whispered to the wind that blew through them, ' very complicated.'

She gently grabbed his shoulder and when he turned to face her, she said, ' Love itself is a very complicated emotion, Ganesan. You never know when it will come seeking you and when it comes, there is no asking it why it has come and what it wants with you for it just consumes you with its intensity.'

Smiling sadly, she told him, ' take a look at both of us and the love we are in. You are barely 21 and have just stepped over the threshold from teenage into adulthood and are in love and have been feeling that love for a few years now. While I am in my 40s and I too have fallen head over heels in love but mine is just days old.'

Ganesan looked at her with eyes brimming with happiness and contentment, ' and yet both of us feel the same emotion and are sailing in the same boat.'

Taking a deep breath, he said, ' Ma'am, my love and my life can wait but yours cannot and it should not.'

Wondering why those words sounded so cryptic, she asked, ' why do you say that? What makes you say that?'

' Because I don't want to see my master alone anymore. I cannot stand to see him exist in this self-imposed solitary confinement any longer. It is not just me but his mother too' and looking at Gayatri with hope in his eyes, ' Not anymore and certainly not after your arrival.'

She leant back as if wanting to get a better look at him and try to find some clue in his face that might aid her in understanding his words and asked, ' after my arrival.'

' Yes, ma'am. After your arrival' and his eyes took on a longing look and he continued, ' I came to this village when I was just three years old. I don't remember anything about my parents and only vaguely remember the face of my uncle who brought me along with him during a harvest season. He vanished soon after that, abandoning me, and it was Master sir and Amma who raised me and made me who I am today. So, I speak with the knowledge of having known master sir for all these years and also knowing full well how his mind and mood work.'

Gayatri felt a hole being torn in her soul and she looked at Ganesan dumbstruck with sadness and her head filling itself with thoughts about how a three-year-old boy would have coped with abandonment.'

' I am so sorry Ganesan. I am so sorry that you had to go through all that and that too at such a young age. God only knows what pain you must have suffered and at the same time unable to express it in words that would convey your sorrow to the adults around you.'

She could not control the tears that flowed as she tried to imagine the pain that the child must have suffered and maybe in them were mixed her own pain and guilt for walking away from her house and abandoning her family at a time when her ailing father had needed her the most.

She looked at Ganesan, ' I don't know why God plays all these sad and cruel games in our lives, child. Maybe there is a reason that only he is aware of and maybe there is even a purpose behind all his plans. But, for us, you and I, who are stuck as pawns in his games and totally clueless as to what to do and why we are doing it, it feels like a maze. A maze in which we are supposed to find our way but with eyes blinded, eardrums shattered, lips sewn up, hands cut off and with our knees broken. It is cruel to subject this pain on an adult but to subject a child to the same is unforgivable, Ganesan.'

Ganesan smiled, ' True, ma'am. I agree with every word you just said. But....'

She looked at him with tears brimming in her eyes, ' But.. what?'

' But, he gave me Master sir, ma'am. He gave me master sir, who became my eyes, ears, lips, hands and legs and who also gave me a part of his heart to beat when my own had stopped beating. And now...'

He looked at Gayatri, ' Now I am begging you to do the same for Master sir, ma'am. See for him, speak for him and let your heartbeat for him so that it can speak and rhyme with the music and song of the living and not remember that which left him and went away long ago.'

Gayatri burst out laughing and crying at the same time and said, ' I want to but your master sir might not give me the chance to do that for him.'

' Try ma'am and don't ever give up trying. Think my master as a door that has to somehow be opened and if you don't have the key to unlock it, then, please, break the door down.'

Vaanathai Pola 402

There are certain traits that are hardwired into all members of the human species. The number one in this list is fear of reptiles, importantly snakes. Forget, me having seen it in with my eyes and take my own personal account into consideration. For, the number of times I have wet my pants in fear after mistaking writhing plastic covers in dim light and old rubber tubes are countless. Then to those times, add dogs snarling and charging at me and which has many a time prompted me to morph into a kutty Tarzan and leap into the trees with an agility that would have shamed most primates.

Our human eyes are not very well equipped to see in the dark unlike other mammals and maybe that is why our ancestors hid in caves and sought refuge in trees after the fall of the sun and the rise of the moon and stars. Even today, most parents tell their kids to get back home before dark.

For dark is the realm of fangs and claws and predators. Both, the two-legged and four-legged ones.

The huge black animal that looked like a cross between a Dog and a Lion walked menacingly towards them and just from its posture and walk, Mallika and Milind knew that it meant business and they did what comes naturally for us human species. Run. Flee and CNN's regional anchor for Asia, Mallika Kapur and her cameraman Milind did exactly that and at Olympic speed.

Azhagan stepped out of the darkness with a smile and chided the animal gently, ' Buddha, when are you going learn better and stop doing that? Don't you realize that one of your victims might just die in fright and from a heart attack after seeing you?'

Buddha looked at Azhagan, ' I am sorry but I cannot help myself ' and looked up at his friend and master, ' You should have seen the look on their faces ' and then taking a whiff of the air fell to the ground and began to roll in laughter with its paws sticking in the air.

Azhagan shook his head and asked, ' Okay, I will bite. what's put you on the ground and has you rolling in laughter and that too at your own silly joke?'

Buddha with his huge jaws open in a wide smile, ' I thought that fat man would be the one to crap his pants but the lady in the suit was the one whose bladder could not take my joke.'

Azhagan's sense of smell was as good as that of Buddha and raising his nose slightly, he whiffed the air and with a smile said, ' Cheat, she is menstruating. That is how you knew who had peed between them two.'

Buddha jumped up and standing on his four paws remarked to no one in particular, ' There is a reason why humans evolved in a certain way and why we dogs evolved with different power. How are we supposed to exist on if Aliens like you take over all our stuff?' and sitting down on his furry bum, began to scratch his right ear with his leg.

Azhagan looked at his four-legged friend, ' Am I the only Alien around here? What about you, smart mouth? Do you see any dogs or animals around here that can speak such flawless English and with an impeccable British accent to boot?'

Buddha stretched out his front paws in a very theatrical manner and said, ' Forgive me your highness, majesty, lordship for having a bit of fun while working and command your poor servant to his next menial job.'

Azhagan stared at Buddha for a few moments and then he bent down and scooped him up like a puppy and casually throwing him over his shoulder, walked back into the darkness of the runway with Buddha protesting in his Royal stilted English, ' Put me down, Put me down this instant. This is not fair. I weigh nearly 100 kgs and you weigh just 85 kilos. It is not decent for a dog of my size to be seen carried around like a puppy. Stop flaunting your alien powers and put me down and I promise I will behave.'

Azhagan put him down and Buddha looked at him and said, ' Show off.'

' Maybe but there is one among them that can do what I can do and maybe even better.'

Buddha's eyes opened wide in wonder, ' But, boss, he is just an ordinary human being. Okay, he is physically very fit and well trained but still, he is not like you and me. Is he?'

Azhagan shook his head, ' I don't know, Buddha. But, my heart tells me that he is the one who will be the last man standing and that is why I had to intervene and stop this hijacking.'

Buddha looked at Azhagan, ' Master, this was supposed to look like a hijacking but only both of us know what the ulterior motive behind this was and who is behind this plot.'

Azhagan nodded, ' yes, my friend and it is time we got moving and got this done and be on our way.'

At the same time that they merged into the darkness, disappearing from view, CNN'S news anchor Mallika Kapur and her cameraman Milind stopped to catch their breaths after having run very hard and looked behind them into the distance and then looked at each other wondering about what they both had just seen.

*SOME ANCIENT INDIAN HEALTH TIPS.*

- quotes in Sanskrit

*1. Ajeerne Bhojanam Visham*

_If previously taken Lunch is not digested..taking Dinner will be equivalent to taking Poison. Hunger is one signal that the previous food is digested_

*2. Ardharogahari Nidhraa*

_Proper sleep cures half of the diseases.._

*3. Mudhgadhaali Gadhavyaali*

_Of all the Pulses, Green grams are the best. It boosts Immunity. Other Pulses all have one or the other side effects._

*4. Bagnaasthi Sandhaanakaro Rasonaha*

_Garlic even joins broken Bones.._

*5. Athi Sarvathra Varjayeth*

_Anything consumed in Excess, just because it tastes good, is not good for Health. Be moderate._

*6. Naasthimoolam Anoushadham*

_There is No Vegetable that has no medicinal benefit to the body.._

*7. Na Vaidhyaha Prabhuraayushaha*

_No Doctor is Lord of our Longevity. Doctors have limitations._

*8. Chinthaa Vyaadhi Prakaashaya*

_Worry aggravates ill health.._

*9. Vyayaamascha Sanaihi Sanaihi*

_Do any Exercise slowly. Speedy exercise is not good._

*10. Ajavath charvanam Kuryaath*

_Chew your Food like a Goat..Never Swallow food in a hurry.._

_Saliva aids first in digestion._

*11. Snaanam Naama Manahprasaadhanakaram Dhuswapna Vidhwasanam*

_Bath removes Depression. It drives away Bad Dreams.._

*12. Na Snaanam Aachareth Bhukthvaa*

_Never take Bath immediately after taking Food Digestion is affected_

*13. Naasthi Meghasamam Thoyam*

_No water matches Rainwater in purity.._

*14. Ajeerne Bheshajam Vaari*

_Indigestion can be addressed by taking plain water._

*15. Sarvathra Noothanam Sastham Sevakaanne Puraathanam*

_Always prefer things that are Fresh.._

_Old Rice and Old Servant need to be replaced with new. (Here what it actually means in respect of Servant is: Change his Duties and not terminate.)_

*16. Nithyam Sarvaa Rasaabhyaasaha*

_Take complete Food that has all tastes viz: Salt, Sweet, Bitter, Sour, Astringent and Pungent)._

*17. Jataram Poorayedhardham Annahi*

_Fill your Stomach half with Solids, a quarter with Water and rest leave it empty._

*18. Bhukthvopa Visathasthandraa*

_Never sit idle after taking Food. Walk for at least half an hour._

*19. Kshuth Saadhuthaam Janayathi*

_Hunger increases the taste of food.._

_In other words, eat only when hungry.._

*20. Chinthaa Jaraanaam Manushyaanaam*

_Worrying speeds up ageing.._

*21. Satham Vihaaya Bhokthavyam*

_When it is time for food, keep even 100 jobs aside._

*22. Sarvaa Dharmeshu Madhyamaam*

_Choose always the middle path. Avoid going for extremes in anything.

🙏

I TALK

What? Yes, I talk. But, the I is not me and not in the context where I am talking to all of you and sharing thoughts and comparing notes about life and the distance we have covered but only about me and the inner me.

F..k you Satish! You promised not to bug and ruin our day and here you are already twisting words and thoughts.

Please, calm down and let me finish up and then you can throw words, curses and if in a benevolent mood, love and compliments my way.

Okay then, let me ask you a question.

Do you talk to yourself?

I talk to myself. Yes sir and a lot more than before.

Well, I have been doing that for a long time now and even though the world in large had whispered ' Cuckoo' vis a vis my entrance and exit, I finally have discovered that talking to yourself is a damn good thing to do.

NO, NO!

I am not talking about those situations when a good looking girl, okay, a woman passed me by and I and you went ' Wow! Now that's what you call a shapely arse or....Okay. Stop.

I am not talking about those declarations and exclamations that stem from lecherous observations and horny days but almost all days and which we do without even being aware of it.

So, why am I broaching this rather quick-sand kind of topic that might just suck me under and smother me with all your own four-letter exclamations. Okay, curses.

See, I made you ask and with that, I have dragged you to my story.

I guess almost all of you are aware of my amateurish attempts and my infatuation with writing ( more my vomiting of thoughts and anger about my allergic reactions to the world and its two-legged inhabitants).

So, when in the throes of writing a story or chapters for it, I during my morning walks, talk aloud and discuss the pros and cons of a storyline, the scene and the situations involving the characters and this I have been doing for a very long time.

The funniest part in this ritual of mine is that I have never been mistaken for a mentally challenged person ( But I know I am) and have been operating under that more acceptable view that I was a very busy person who is always on the phone talking, discussing important topics.

Well, this is what I was told by this person who stopped me and then discovered to his horror that I was talking to myself and had been doing that for a very long time.

I have been writing for two stories for the past year and this is a situation that I had long ago promised to myself never to be in and yet the seed of the second story planted itself like a weed and then. And then what, I had to..............

So, lost in my own world of stories and their plots and characters, I was waving my hands, right saying do it and the left expressing don't and well it had to happen and it happened.

The person, the man stopped me and apologizing profusely said, ' Sir. I am so sorry to have disturbed you and that too when you were on what looks like an important phone call. But, I am not able to keep up with your speed and I have been following for the past twenty minutes trying to catch your eye.'

My first thought was, ' WTF is this old man going on. Important phone call and all' and my shallow lips masked those thoughts and with a smile said, ' No problem. How can I help you?'

Holy F..k.

' Sir, Baakiyalakshmi serial is our favourite. We don't miss it and we try to watch the rerun the next morning too. Everyone in my family hates your Gopi Character but we love your acting.............................................'

and then he paused, his mouth gulping for air like a fish who finds itself cast on to solid land and out of its watery home and all the while his eyes were wide open inspecting my earphones and then just like that he stepped back and I who am well versed with body language knew it was a retreat and cautionary move.

But, why and the old man helped me with that question by pointing to my cheap, wired Philips earphones that are sadly out of style and production and said, ' nice headphones. Must be a new model for I don't see a microphone in it. They must have hidden it'

The stupid, honest ( Duck) that I am and have become in my old age, I said no, ' Microphone, this does not have a mic, sir. Catch them putting a mic on this 300 rupees headphone. '

I saw the man's wide smile that reminded me of two animals, A Jackass and Hyena laughing then stayed wide in a false smile but his eyes were now wide open in wonder, realization, shock, fear as his own mind connected the dots that i was not a busy man talking to someone on the mic but I was a loco, cuckoo talking to myself.

Then came a rush of apologies as he backtracked and vanished into thin air.

It is always and has always and will always be you, my fellow voyagers on this trip called Life. We came alone and will return alone and between those two points, the only person you can rely on is yourself.

So, talk to yourself. Really talk it out, work it out in your own head. After all, in the end, only you can come up with answers to your own questions that will satisfy yourself.

How much ever people love you and care for you, they cannot simply be there for you always and at your beck and call and neither can you.

So, trust your mind. Trust your conscience and consciously talk to yourself and yes, my friends, Heal yourself.

Okay. I will stop with this thought.

Good morning. I wish you a beautiful and talkative day. Lots of love and best wishes. Be well.

Avan, Aval, Adhu 95

Gayatri got out of the Autorickshaw and looked at Ganesan, who promptly but politely refused and said he would wait for her in the auto.

' Ma'am, I would have accompanied you but not today.'

' Why not today, Ganesan?'

' Because, today, this moment is special' and gazing on the small neem tree island that housed the small idol of Lord Muruga, he turned to her after a few moments and continued, ' See, there is no one there but him, our God, Kumaran. So, hurry up and go pray to him. Tell him all your needs and share with him all your thoughts.'

Slowly averting his gaze away from her, ' Ma'am, this is your moment. I don't want to come along and distract you from your prayers and thoughts.'

' Don't worry about me, child and I am sure God is more than equipped to handle both our prayers.'

Ganesan looked at her sadly, ' maybe, ma'am. But, my wish is that you go and talk to him and pray to him without any distraction because so much depends on it.'

Sighing heavily, she nodded, ' okay then, young man. I will go on my own but I will not pray for me alone but for you and your future and your dreams.'

Ganesan smiled, ' well, ma'am, that again depends on how well you pray for your wishes to come true for mine are entwined with yours' and having said that, quickly turned away as if realizing that he had spoken too much out of turn and also because he did not want her to see his face and read his soul through his eyes.

It was plainly visible to Gayatri that Ganesan was struggling with his emotions and she gently held his chin and turning it looked at him and said, ' Entwined with my prayers. Child, it will make my praying a lot easier if you explained your thoughts. In a way, it might help lessen your burden if you shared it with me. But, I repeat, only willingly.'

Ganesan nodded and said, ' Ma'am, I don't know how it is going to play out between you and Master sir and there is a chance that it might not work out and that he will refuse you and your love.'

She saw his eyes become bright with tears and heard his voice choke with grief, ' Then, you will go on with your life and Master sir will go on with his life along with this village. He will continue to remain alone and all by himself for one day, Amma, his mother too will leave us and then.....'

Gayatri looked at him, ' and then what, Ganesan? what will happen then?'

' Then, my Master sir will be all alone and I will never let that happen for I will remain by his side until his last breath or until my last breath...'

Stunned by his words, she asked him, ' But, what about your life and that love you kind of vaguely hinted at, child?'

' It will not matter and will never matter for the safety and well-being of my Master sir is more important to me than my own wishes and dreams, ma'am.'

' Why Ganesan? Why is that so?'

' Ma'am, My master has spent almost his entire adult life living for the sake of others. I have grown up in his shadow seeing all the sacrifices he has made for the betterment of thousands of children and for their futures. I have seen him fight for the empowerment of this small town and for the other villages around it.'

He looked at her, ' One day, he will not be young and he will not have the same strength to do all that he wants to do and if I am not there beside him to carry out his orders and to look after him in his old age, then all this life he has blessed me with means nothing.'

Gayatri leant forward and wiping the tears on his cheeks, whispered, ' Child, the love I feel for your master is nothing compared to yours.'

Placing a tender hand on his head, ' God bless you child and let me tell you something right now and I mean every word of it.'

Ganesan looked at her and Gayatri told him, ' You are not alone with your master sir. Think of me as your mother and never forget it. '

Pointing to the Neem tree island, ' I am going to pray for you, for me, for master sir and for the welfare of everybody in this village.'

*For past 21 years, my wife has been complaining about my not putting the cap back on the toothpaste.*

*This anniversary, I decided to change this bad habit and make my wife happy.*

*For a week, I was diligent, always capping the toothpaste.*

*I was expecting my wife to thank me, but she never did it.*

*"Finally, last night, she turned and looked at me and said - "Why have you stopped brushing your teeth ??"*

*Marriage is a difficult relationship, I tell you.*

🤣🤣🤣

1. When the person you stalk stalks you back…

--- Is it called a 'Stalk exchange' ?

2. Did you hear about the kidnapping at school?

--- It's fine, he woke up.

3.Did you hear the rumor about butter?

--- Well I'm not going to spread it.

4. What do you call a priest that becomes a lawyer?

--- A father in law.

5 What do you call an idiot from Oxford ?

--- An oxymoron

6.What do you call a bee that can't make up its mind ?

--- Maybe

7.If you see a robbery at an Apple Store what does that make you ?

—- An iWitness```