From & To Sathish #5 - Page 54

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

Avan Aval Adhu 161

All they could do was stare at their friend in disbelief and then Parthiban wondering if he had heard correctly, repeated Ravi's words as if he was trying to get a handle on it,' Danger, and that too here on our estate from outsiders. That is impossible, Ravi ' and pointing at the thick fog ' that is East and you know the sheer drop on that side and it is the same on the western side and then you have the remaining two sides whose boundaries are well protected by fencing and by our estate workers who live all around it.'

Daksha added, ' They are workers only in name but in reality, they own the land they live in.'

Ravi looked at Daksha and then with a proud smile turned to Partha, ' So, you did it. You actually gave the land the workers have been living on and made them rightful and deserving owners of those parcels of property.'

' Yes, we have about 150 people living in their own houses and who have their own full-fledged co-operative society.'

Ravi clapped his hands loudly, ' Bravo. Well done people. Well done.'

' All the people who work and reside here are like our own family and I doubt if they will sit idle and watch outsiders trespass on our property' Partha said and then added, ' yet, I think it will be wise to be prepared and not throw caution to the wind.'

Daksha wondered aloud, ' Ravi, are you sure you heard the man correctly?'

' I did, Ducks and I have repeated his words correctly, leaving nothing unsaid.'

Partha looked at Ravi, ' Have you crossed swords with anyone recently?'

' No. No way man. It's just me, the school and my children and back home to mother.'

Daksha nodded and added, ' and then there is his guardian and protector Dharmalinga Thevar and I doubt if anyone in their right minds would want to take him on.'

Ravi smiled uneasily, ' two possibilities came to my mind although I am not sure which is more dangerous right now.'

Partha looked at Ravi and saw clearly his friend's uneasiness even though it was masked with worry and said, ' Dei, I am sorry for saying it but if there is something on your mind that is bugging you, then please say it. Forget please, you bloody well will share it with us and at the same time stamp out any notion of handling this problem all on your own.'

Ravi looked at Partha with surprise and Daksha waded into the conversation saying, ' Master, Partha is right in demanding that you tell us what is bugging you and has you worried but wrong in being slightly rude about it. Sorry.'

' Daksha, that is the least of my worries right now and believe me, this is nothing compared to what he has subjected me to when totally drunk.'

He looked at both of them and began to talk and explain what he was thinking.

Pointing to his mobile, ' I called Guna, Inspector Sargunam who handles the crime branch here in Kodai and other parts around it but he was late for a meeting with the Madurai IG and told me that he would call me back once he was done.'

Partha nodded, ' Good thinking but that does not tell us anything and in fact, it only makes me feel more agitated and frustrated with you and why you of all people, our best friend, the only friend whom I trust more than my wife even is dilly-dallying with me instead of coming right to the point.'

Ravi nodded and said, ' you are right da. But my only fear is that you might kill me or worse never forgive me for having hidden it from you ' and then looking at Daksha, said, ' both of you.'

' My immediate concern is about Gayatri and her tangling with those two criminals who tried stealing from the temple down below at the foothills of Kodai ' and then his face turned graver and grimmer and when he was about to lapse once more into his silent mode, Partha was forced to ask, ' Okay, what is the other concern?'

Ravi held their eyes with his and said in a very soft and timid voice, ' Meenakshi.'

Daksha's eyes went wide in surprise and she looked at Partha, ' Meenakshi. Isn't that Ravi's cousin's name? The daughter of Dharmalinga Thevar?'

' Yes, baby. The one and only woman who boldly proposed to him and in spite of both his and her family's best efforts to get them both married failed miserably and all because of our Master sir here who said a resounding no and then said that in front of both their families.'

Partha smiled and told Daksha, ' She was always after our man here. I remember those high school days when Meenakshi used to come and wait outside our classroom every evening just to say bye to our Romeo here.'

Chuckling as he recollected old memories, Partha continued, ' the one good thing about those days were all those snacks Meenakshi used to bring as gifts for Ravi and all of which landed in our tummies.'

' Why Ravi, why did you reject her?' and asked Partha, ' was she ugly or deformed in any way?'

Partha smiled, ' On the contrary, she was as beautiful as our Madurai Meenakshi Amman and way more good-looking than even our man's girlfriend, Madhurima.'

' You are wrong, Partha' Ravi said angrily and both looked at him with surprise and heard him say, ' Meenakshi's beauty was shallow and skin dep while deep inside, her soul was full of deadly poison and acid ' and staring at his friend, ' Madhu was not as beautiful as Meenakshi but then she did not need that for she was full of love and kindness and my heart recognized that from the very first moment that my eyes fell on her. Her beauty came from deep within her soul and threw an aura around her and that is what made her a true angel and the real goddess.'

Daksha spoke aloud expressing her thoughts, ' I think we are getting diverted from the crux of the matter and are travelling back in time. So, let's get back on track and let's ....'

' Hold on, baby. Our man here was talking exactly about that crux and then the topic of Meenakshi came up. So let him talk and explain to us clearly why he brought her name up and what that has got to do with Devathoothan's words.'

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA3pyRphaew&t=63s

Ravi, Partha and Daksha are in the kitchen discussing the possibility of the danger they might have to face at Whispering Rocks. Not very far away from their cottage, Gayatri is in her own cottage, in bed, lying on her side and staring at the portion of the bed where Ravi had slept in the previous night. At about this moment, Inspector Sargunam, Crime Branch was entering the large air-conditioned conference hall that was situated next to the office of Madurai's new Inspector General of Police, Shri Asra Garg, IPS. As the various scenes were unfolding all over the place, Meenakshi and her husband Pandiyan arrived at Dharmalinga Thevar's large palatial ancestral house and the moment the car came to a halt, she told the driver to leave the car and go ahead and inform her mother Chellammal, that they would be joining them for breakfast shortly after she was done with an important call.

In just six lines of the above paragraph, I have mentioned 10 people along with their names from my current story Avan, Aval Adhu. But, forget about them for a moment and come into my head and try to make sense of my bemusement and amazement when I try to wrap my brain about two significant facts that are happening right now and all around you and all over this vast planet.

At this very moment, in this second that is passing by, two people have died. Make that two, four, six, eight, ten.........................f..k lost track.

At this very moment, in this second that is passing by, four new souls have been born. Make that four, eight, twelve.....................c..p, me and my numbers.

Every day of shooting, I prepare my costume bag after checking the photos and messages sent by one of the Assistant Directors of Baakiyalakshmi who is in charge of costume and its continuity.

I go, ' fresh tees. Check. Fresh formal shirts. Check. Trousers and dhotis. Check. Makeup kit. Check. Shaving kit, face wash, deodorant roll on and mouthwash. ( very important).'

Then once I am in the car, I check the fuel and oil levels of the vehicle and then slowly slip away from my house and journey towards the location. While driving, I constantly check my rear view mirror and check if my safety belt is tight against my chest and then finally reach my destination.

What about preparing for the Final Destination? I mean ( no f..king around or beating around that eternal eventuality) death, dying and all that. What checklist do I look at? What do I pack for that location?'

Looks like, it is not about coming and going. Not about birth and death. Not about leaving one shore for the other. Looks like it is all about the journey, the travelling between these two magical and unknown destinations called the beginning and the end. No one knows where we boarded and no one will ever know when and where we are getting off.

So, there you have it and are reading it like I am seeing it and feeling it every moment. I am going to do a slinky, slimy escaping thing right now by leaving you with quotes from the Kungfu Panda film series to go on.

Po: Maybe I should just quit and go back to making noodles.

Oogway: Quit, don't quit? Noodles, don't noodles? You are too concerned about what was and what will be. There is a saying: yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the "present.

Your story may not have such a happy beginning but that does not make you who you are, it is the rest of it- who you choose to be

Yes, I did, once believe in God and Religion. But, I am a little, a wee bit wiser now and believe in preparing for what is to come and how am I doing that. Well, living my life to its fullest and celebrating every moment of it with child-like wonder and innocence.

I don't know about God and religion but I do know that I had confused them with that emotion called Spirituality. I like many others confused religion with spirituality as we do with peace and happiness when in reality both are opposites and extremes.

I feel happy sharing my thoughts with you when in fact, I should have kept my Gob of a mind shut and thus remained in peace.

WTF satish. Happiness external. Peace internal. Religion external. Spirituality and the real entity internal. Lust, passion, desire External. Love, prayers, sacrifice and all of them in quiet. Internal.

Holy Christ. I wrote all this. Sorry, you mad f..ker. You didn't. Life's experience wrote all that. Then me. What about I and me and being original and all? Keep dreaming Sad sack.

Good morning. I wish all of you a beautiful day. I leave you with this scary and creepy declaration that I am preparing for my destination by spending my free time tormenting other souls with my delusions and confusions. Be well.

https://youtu.be/7HuUj-A9Da4

Stealing a moment from Mr. Time

He rocks in his chair like a shiny dime

But it's all for show, all for show.

Wearing your name and a number or two

When the minute's up, so are you

But everybody knows, everybody knows.

Watching the hour from the light in his eyes,

He waits for your soul to come in from the sky

But it's lost below, lost below.

Turning the Wheel of your destiny round,

When the motion stops - no more sound,

Does anybody care, anybody care.

Where's the man, where's the child

Wrapped together side by side.

Who can tell you what to do,

When Mr. Time has come for you.

See the truth, hear the lies,

Can there be no compromise

And who can tell you what they knew,

When Mr. Time has come for you.

Is it a feeling of deja vu?

When he points his finger calling you

Is it illusion? Just an illusion

Picking up seconds that fall to his feet

He blows them away as rocks on his seat,

Cool as his smile, his smile.

Where's the man, where's the child

Wrapped together side by side.

Who can tell you what to do,

When Mr. Time has come for you

See the truth, hear the lies,

Can there be no compromise

And who can tell you what they knew,

When Mr. Time has come for you.

Avan Aval Adhu 162

Partha repeated his question to Ravi, ' Meenakshi. Why and what has she got to do with Devathoothan's words?' and looked pointedly at Daksha and said, ' baby, has there ever been an instance where Ravi has said more than needs to be said or used words that made no sense to a conversation.'

' No. Never ' and now joined her husband in asking the same question that he had asked. Twice. ' Ravi, I am sorry for invading your mind space and forgive me if I am speaking out of turn but it is not about just now but a feeling that I have had for a long time now.'

Turning to Partha who nodded his head and said, ' Dei, Ravi. You have yourself said so many times that I voice your thoughts and that you feel that I sense your thoughts before you sense them yourself. Please, correct me if I am wrong?'

Daksha's eyes frowned in thought as she observed Ravi's face and hands behave in a strange manner and she quickly whispered, ' Partha, let it go, darling. It's obvious that the mere mention of this woman Meenakshi evokes strange and strong reactions in Ravi. So, let it rest for now.'

' Rest. What's wrong with you, Ducks? I have no urge to know what's going on in that head of our friend here but simply want to know what threats or danger we are facing and why that strangely involves his cousin Meenakshi ' Partha declared and then addressed Ravi, ' Big boss. Leave out all the details that you want to and just tell us why Meenakshi poses a danger and to whom and to why?'

Ravi inhaled deeply and then turned and walked away as if he was not comfortable seeing them when speaking to them and exhaled loudly his pent up breath and emotions.

' Like Partha just said, I am not going to go into the what's and whys but will talk about who and by whom' and slowly turned his face to look at them. Right now I am more worried about Gayatri's safety than mine for my heart and instinct tell me that danger is coming towards her in the form of a two-pronged attack.'

Raising his right hand, he put one finger and said, ' the most obvious and immediate threat is from those criminals who attacked her and the cab driver and escaped' and then he slowly added another finger to the one and said, ' the second threat is from Meenakshi and that is the one that scares me silly.'

' Dei, I don't understand why Meenakshi is a threat to Gayatri. One is from Mumbai and a journalist while the other is a housewife and from Madurai. Both their paths run away from each other and are like the north and south. How then.....'

Partha was stopped from completing his question by Daksha's raised right hand and just from the way she had raised it and was holding it, stiffly, he knew she knew something and he also that it was time to shut up.

Ravi looked into Daksha's eyes and knew she knew and quickly looked away.

Daksha turned to Partha, ' their paths might be opposites but they have crossed and have become tangled at this junction' and saying that raised her hand and pointed to Ravi.

Partha looked at Ravi who she was pointing to and muttered, ' F..k me. I am confused now. Really confused.'

Daksha smiled and said, ' Partha, my hubby. See, this is why it is proclaimed that women are better and deeper thinkers than men.'

She stepped on his metal foot and said, ' You bloody dodo, your friend Ravi is the reason why Meenakshi poses a danger to Gayatri.'

The meaning and the depth of her words dawned on Partha and he went ' Oh, oh. Oh no. F..k.' and he desperately looked at Ravi and asked, ' machaan, does she still have feelings for you?'

Ravi nodded and said in a soft and scared voice, ' I won't say feelings for it is more a curse, an obsession and a malady even.'

Daksha went to Ravi and throwing her arms around him said, ' Baby, we are here for you and we will take care of you and Gayatri. So, stop worrying sweetie.'

Ravi's eyes were wide open in fear and hatred, ' You guys will understand only if I tell you the whole story but I cannot do that right now for I think we don't have time for all that ' and glancing towards the cottage where Gayatri was in, ' she will be joining us any moment and I don't want to scare her in any way. Poor thing, she has already suffered enough after coming here and before coming here.'

Taking another uncharacteristic deep breath forone who they knew remained calm and stoic in any given situation, they heard him and after hearing him, felt the same fear that was plaguing him.

' I had no choice but to attend the wedding with my parents. I did my best to stay far away and out of sight and nearly succeeded. But, then she sent a message through her friend and I had no choice but to go see her.'

Ravi hung his head and in a barely audible voice, ' the thali ceremony was all done and she had gone up to her room to change. That is where I had been told to meet her.'

Partha yelled angrily, ' Stupid f..ker. You should have just walked away. Who the hell asked you to do what she wanted?'

Ravi looked at him sadly, ' I had no choice for she threatened to kill herself if I did not go and meet her.'

' Wtf is wrong with this woman. Must be totally bonkers and a bonafide nutjob' Partha declared and Daksha smiled and said, ' or else she was in love. Madly and deeply in love with our hero here.'

Partha snarled and grimaced in disgust, ' that is not love but an obsession.'

Daksha smiled and nodded, ' like our man's love for someone who he knew and lost 25 years ago?'

Both men looked at her and at each other and Ravi said in a sad voice, ' True. Very true, Ducks. When it comes to love there is no easy way to distinguish between faith, devotion and obsession. Both are nearly the same and it's just the point of view of each person.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rMlsCUBXHQ

Avan Aval Adhu 163

They watched their friend who they had always wondered as to how he managed to look cool as a cucumber and as strong and solid as a mountain regardless of the given situation. Yet here he stood before them with head bent and his fingers gently squeezing both sides of it as if he was either trying hard to recollect time or trying desperately to delete some harmful memories.

With his head still bent, he began to speak. ' In a way, our own families are to blame for what happened between both me and Meenakshi and it all started a long time ago when her dad and my dad decided they would get us married when we grew up and thus bringing our families even closer than ever.'

Ravi looked up, his face blank of any emotion but for his eyes that appeared to be searching for some answer or clue to the present riddle and continued.

' I was just six years old and she was about four, but I remember that ceremony in which our marriage was solemnized. I did not know why it was done or what was the urgency for that ceremony to have taken place but many years later, my late father told me that it was Meenakshi's father who had insisted on it.'

' Why? ' Daksha asked and Ravi's smile revealed both bitterness and happiness as he replied to her.

' I did ask him that question a long time ago and all he had to say was, " I see something special in you. I sense greatness in you and more than that I see a son that God deprived me of. So, if not my son, I wanted you as my son-in-law and keep you close to me and my family."

Parthiban looked at Ravi and asked, ' Dei, correct me if I am wrong but from what I and the rest of the world saw of Meenakshi, she always came across as a very intelligent and bold woman' and turning to Daksha, ' she used to beat the crap out of anyone who dared to cross her or speak ill of her or our man here. Include in that list, even senior boys who were much bigger than her and yet that never stopped her.'

Chuckling, he looked at Ravi, ' Machaan, do you remember that thin, creepy science teacher who slapped you for no fault of yours when in fact it was me who had made those bird noises.'

' Why, what did Meenakshi do to him?' Daksha asked and Ravi answered her, ' She waited for him after school and stoned him and nearly killed him and if I had not intervened and stopped her then I am sure she would have done him in.'

' Baby, I and a few other friends tried to grab the stones but failed and she finally stopped hitting him only after Ravi yelled out her name.'

Daksha looked at both of them and said, ' Sounds like a real tigress and a gutsy woman ' and asked Ravi, ' But, when did she change or rather what changed in you that has brought us to this present moment?'

' Many factors but her being expelled from our school and the arrival of Madhu the next year was the main reason in my opinion and it changed everything ' Ravi said and looked at Daksha, ' There is not enough time to tell you everything in detail. So, I will tell you about what happened on her marriage day when I was told to go and meet her in her room.'

Ravi again did something that was totally uncharacteristic of him. Both watched as he turned away and stared out of the window preferring to face and stare at the fog outside rather than face his two best friends. In silence, both stood realizing the same truth in their minds. They now understood that the mere mention of Meenakshi was agitating and painful to their friend and they knew in their hearts that there was more than what Ravi had told them and was going to tell them.

' This was Madurai Gateway Hotel and the first five-star hotel in our city, and her room was on the tenth-floor suite, and I followed her best friend Janaki who knocked and informed Meenakshi that I was there outside her room and then quietly left.'

Ravi cursed softly at himself, ' I should have known better. I should have refused and not have gone and maybe the world would have been a better place today without her.'

Tears of anger, frustration and hatred filled his eyes as he turned around and growled, ' How could I have not gone after knowing that she threatened to kill herself and what choice did I have when I knew in my heart that she would have gone through and carried out her threat? Imagine my situation and what all my parents would have been subjected to? I doubt if even my mentor and guardian, Meenakshi's dad would have forgiven me, leave alone the village and town elders and I am sure we would have been ostracized and excluded from everyone.'

Daksha reached up and tenderly wiped his eyes and said, ' Darling, why did she want to meet with you when her marriage was over? You rejected her and then she got married to someone else and that's it. End of the matter.'

Ravi's eyes unable to hold on to the tear diamonds that seemed to poke and prod them let go of them as he himself let go of the burden that he had carried on his own for so many years.

He looked at Daksha and Partha, ' I heard her say, come in Ravi, and I went in and there she stood completely naked and with the just tied thali in her hands.'

' WTF ' both husband and wife exclaimed and stared in shock and awe and at the same time eager to know more.

' Yeah, right. That was my same reaction although.......'

' although what ' Partha asked and Daksha shook her head and said, ' Not now, baby. Let him finish up.'

' She crossed me and went and locked the door and then came to me and placed the thali in my hands and asked me to tie it around her neck or else.....'

' or else?' Daksha asked and Partha jumped in,' or else she would jump to her death from the floor they were in and mind you it was the 10th and top floor.'

Daksha cursed several times using the word F..k and hurriedly and worriedly asked, ' Master, what happened then and how did you manage to survive that moment?'

' She demanded that I tie the thali, marry her and consummate our bond before she went on to live a fake life and a fake marriage.'

Partha's eyes went wide in wonder and he mumbled, ' Holy christ. What a woman? Imagine doing all this for the man she loves.'

Daksha stared daggers at him and asked, ' You dare call that love. You pervert.'

Then placing a finger on her lips, she issued a threat if he dared to speak and looked at Ravi and said, ' So, how did you wriggle out of that situation.'

Ravi smiled sadly and said, ' By going to the window and stepping out of it and telling her that I would do exactly what she was threatening to do.'

' Oh F..k! You did that, da ' Partha asked and Ravi nodded, ' at that moment I was ready to end it all for it was getting too much and I was still in a state of deep depression from losing Madhu.'

' So, how did it end?' Daksha asked him and Ravi said, ' with a kiss and a promise.'

Partha gasped, ' Promise? Who promised who?'

' She said that I was her man, her only love, her God and that she could not bear if anything happened to me ' and smiling miserably, ' she promised to live out her life and her false marriage on one condition. That I stay single and a bachelor for life. She also swore to kill and destroy any woman who dared enter my life until either her death or my death. She said, that if I went first then she would end her life the very moment the news reached her ears.'

Daksha cursed even more loudly and said, ' Who is this creature? ' and grabbing Ravi's hands, asked in wonder, ' is this the reason why you have been alone all these years?'

' Yes and no. No, because I have not loved anyone other than Madhu and yes because I know in my heart that Meenakshi will carry out what she swore all those years ago.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-BrIiq8FJE