From & To Sathish #5 - Page 56

Avan Aval Adhu 171

Gayatri was a brave woman. Bold and fearless. Along with those traits was also that trait called recklessness. I had worked and worked spectacularly well all through her life but on those few rare occasions when they had failed, they had failed miserably. The time she had thrown herself into an affair with her ex-husband just to spite her dying father and then left home to spite her newly widowed stepmother were but a few moments of that reckless streak. But, that same streak had been the one that had given her wings and lungs instead of gills to jump into the lake and save the two kids. That same streak, reckless and bold and unfearing spirit had been the ones that had helped her swing the camera and smash the face of the criminals who had tried to stab and kill both of them while making a getaway with the statue that they had stolen from the Sadaya Perumal temple.

But staring into Beedi man's eyes she saw and recognized that same unknown quantity that has no rational explanation and which she had seen on many occasions during her travels. But, only the words of that dirty and smelly beggar who had haunted the streets near her workplace in Mumbai came to mind and she recollected them loud and clear.

" People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar."

Beedi man filled his lungs with a huge pull from his beedi and throwing the stub away was about to light another one, when Gayatri said, ' Please stop. For God's sake stop, man. Your beedi smoke is probably why Kodai is all so fogged up.'

Beedi man coughed, laughed, roared and then looked at her with kind and gentle eyes and went about lighting his beedi.

Gayatri slightly irritated with his smoking, ' Looks like Kodai's Nostradamus lost his tongue and skills.'

Devathoothan's smile never left its position and remained glued in place as he spoke to Gayatri.

' I am not as dirty or smelly as my friend in Mumbai but I agree that one has to let go to go on.'

' Let go to go on? What if you one let's go and drop down into an abyss, Mr Smokie?'

Beedi man's laughter burst out sounding like the squeaks of a faulty tap and seeing her expression, ' Lost a lot when I got hit and burnt by that lightning strike. But, I also gained a bit ' and tapping his head, ' gained this' and pointing to both of them, ' Gained this connection.'

' I have let go and I am trying to let go of more. But....'

' He too is trying to let go. The poor man is not as strong as you are.'

Shocked and confused, she stepped back a few paces and asked, ' Who are you talking about?'

' You know who I am talking about. The homeless one for whom you have opened your soul.'

Gayatri stepped forward, closer, almost within touching distance, ' Ravi. You mean Master.'

' Yes. One and only, who has filled your heart like the sun fills the world with its light.'

' What about him?'

Beedi man looked away into the distance and smiled, ' It has begun ' and then he turned to Gayatri, ' Child, be true to yourself. Don't ever lose that. But, be patient for only patience, tolerance and understanding can help him let go.'

He took a look at the beedi packet and smiled at the remaining three and whispered, ' That will do. That will do just fine for now.'

Lighting one, he looked at Gayatri, ' You will be, fine, child. Just remember not to push him and not push and force time and life. For there are certain things in life that need to come to you and when pushed they will push back or you will push yourself away and far away.'

His eyes seemed to moisten and Gayatri seeing them asked him what was troubling him and he looked at her, ' I thought of my wife and the child that we lost all those years ago. I wish I had been a better man back then.'

Gayatri placed her hand on his arm and said, ' All of us f..k up but we also are given chances to mend, forgive and be forgiven.'

Beedi man nodded, ' That is exactly what I am going to do.'

' Good for you Beedi sir.'

' Mister smokie first, and Beedi sir, now? '

Gayatri laughed, ' both of them do full justice to your persona.'

He put out his hand and said, ' I am Devathoothan ' and taking it, she said, ' I am Gayatri.'

He looked at her, ' It will be difficult but she will protect you. They will protect you. Always.'

Gayatri quizzed him sarcastically, ' A little truth spiced with a whole load of Bullshit. Way to pollution man.'

' another name ' Beedi man gasped and began to laugh his squeaky laughs and said, ' You will see and you will come in search of me and tell me that I was right after all in the end ' and turned and walked away into the fog but in the opposite direction to where Ravi had headed off a short while ago.

Gayatri feeling vague and unnerved yelled after him, ' All bullshit right.'

From the dark and dense Fog came the reply, ' You will see ' and it echoed far away, ' you will see. you will see. you will see.'

Whether it was a working day or not, I dwell for a few minutes on the days passing and how I and time along with others times passed through it as I fall asleep. Somedays, I am so tired that my hyperactive hormones refuse to put me to sleep and grant me relief from the tired body and even more tired mind.

The day according to the movement of the earth around the sun along with the moon might be over but I have slowly untangled myself with those man-made shifts, that tell one, when to sleep, how much to sleep and when to wake and when to be awake, totally.

The current project that I am working in titled Baakiyalakshmi has kept me on my actor's toes constantly, and from the time it began in 2020.

Some may know of it, some may not but I was branded " Adhiga Prasangi " by my elders when I was a kid and it stuck with me right through until my late teens and then, well it stopped. Rather, the pointed looks and threats of verbal and physical kinds, that my look promised in abundance helped me a little bit in losing that title.

Then I stopped asking and slowly faded from that role of " Adhiga Prasangi " and I instead sought them from my own self and from books. Books covered with mould and books with pages of ancient food stains, and with the husks of dead insects crucified and splattered between them and sometimes books that have retained their paper and press smell in spite of being on the shelf for many weeks and months. Untouched and unblemished.

Much to my surprise, I discovered that my elders who loved to call me " Adhiga Prasangi " not out of love but more out of sarcasm themselves were totally clueless as to what their favourite title bestowed on me meant.

Please, let me. I have to.

Prasangam means to preach and prasangi means preacher and adhigam means more, a lot. So, Adhiga Prasangi means .....

Every question has an answer

One idiot can ask more questions than ten wise men can answer

One who is afraid of asking questions is ashamed of learning

The wise man asks questions of himself; the fool questions others.

No one is without knowledge except he who asks no questions

The above sayings from great minds from all over this world best describe shortly and sweetly the stages of my life.

These days, a part of my childhood brand remains. The first part Adhigam remains and will remain until I remain no more. For, I try my best to learn, understand and realise more.

That childhood brand Adhiga prasangi has seeped even into my acting skill sets for I question ( Myself, your honour. Only myself ) the scene, the lines and then strive to do my best and then try to do it differently

In the first 70 episodes of Baakiyalakshmi, I acted out the rules Ramanujan, army man, kind of persona that my role demanded and then sneakingly I let loose my funny bones, yup, that hidden, goofy sad sack, Chaplin traits that only a few of my closest know I am capable of and well, it worked.

I stood on the beach and the sun was just coming up and I began to walk back to the car, when a familiar person yelled out, ' Satish sir, the sun is going to rise any moment. It is going to be a good one and you of all people are walking away.'

I wanted to, should have but I said, ' Sorry. work calls.'

I don't know if anybody saw the sight but I did. For my adhiga Prasangi eyes and mind, the lone horse, with its raised back left leg spoke to me of pain and injury. To my soul, the lone fisherman in his boat, if you can even call it that, for was just a few long pieces of wood, bound together seemed more interesting than the sunrise. I realised then that more than the sun, the light and the sights that it reveals made for great pics.

I have no aspirations and have no basic clue about photos and photography and I still spend, have spent a lot of time staring at the sea, sun, plants, green and not so green and at other sights while I walk.

They sing to me, they call out to me, those moments, and I look at them, not through my eyes but rather listen to them with my soul.

Well, I won't be surprised if some of you sigh and say... Otha Adhiga Prasangi. All is well. All is well.

Avan Aval Adhu 172

Even, Ravi, who was familiar with Whispering rocks and the weather, found it a bit hard to navigate through the thick grey fog that lay all around him and wondered if the hills of Kodai were unable to bear the fog's blinding and oppressive hug for too long, had tried to shrug them off but failed miserably.

' This is no ordinary fog ' Ravi whispered with fog around him and fog on his face and mouth as he opened his lips to speak out his thought and stood thinking, ' this is rather weird for even Kodai's temperamental year-end weather ' and looked to his right to see the sun and East and found only fog.

The fog was getting thicker and thicker and was beginning to feel like a wall and a maze and then the lightning-struck cedar tree loomed out of the fog, just like a lighthouse looms tall like a guiding beacon for sailors and their ships.

Ravi smiled and stood gazing at the half-dead cedar and then touched it with gentle hands and whispered, ' I see you. I feel you and maybe even understand what it must have felt like when you got struck by that hot bolt from the clouds and how much pain you must have felt and endured. But, endured you have, tree, and even though you carry the scars of near-death and pain, you have healed and alive, and flourishing.'

He did not know when his eyelids had parted, and tears had departed from them and did not realize it and by that time, he had bathed both the thick black and burnt bark and the side which was brown and alive with his tears.

He slowly backed away a few steps and saw clearly the large damp patch that ensconced both sides that looked like the damp sweaty patches around an elephant's ears and went, ' Uh.uh.'

' Did I cry for you, tree or did I cry for me to be free? Like your dead and burnt bark is my soul too carrying dead and gone scars that are festering painfully.'

He yelled out into the dark, grey fog, ' What should I do? Please tell me, what am I supposed to do? I don't know what will happen to me and how I will cope if I let go of Madhu.'

Placing both his hands on the tree, he slowly slipped them around its trunk and whispered, ' Tree, your roots go deep and strong into this earth and even if you want, you cannot move away. I too am like that, for Madhu's roots are deep in the soil of my soul. Unlike that lightning bolt that hit you and nearly killed you, Madhu gave me life, happiness and a purpose. She gave me vision and strength and she continues to do that even now and after all these years and after going away.

He opened his eyes and spoke to himself, ' How will I manage if I let her go? How did you manage when a part of you was killed?'

The rustling noises from above reached his ears and just as he lifted his head to see what bird or animal had made that noise, several drops of water fell on his upturned face.

Ravi stared at the green leaves and then saw a flicker of red among the green and smiled as he identified the red beaks of the two parrots perched on the tender stalks of the branches and his smile became larger and purer realizing the water drops had been dew drops that had departed their leaf mothers and had dropped down to earth, their real and original mother.

The rustling noises became louder as a gust of wind began to steadily blow and Ravi felt the trees were all singing and rustling in a chorus, and then the wind settled down to a gentle but strong pace and cleared the fog away and at the same time, a dull orange circle winked its eye open through the dark grey fog and he knew which was east and which was west and in his soul he knew what he had to do.

' All right, tree. I will do like you have done. I promise to live and give my best and the rest is up to........'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBumgq5yVrA&list=PLR8zgCuNIFtG0XSj73-VNzpCzAk1bp1n2&index=2

Well, you only need the light when it's burning low

Only miss the sun when it starts to snow

Only know you love her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low

Only hate the road when you're missing home

Only know you love her when you let her go

And you let her go

Staring at the bottom of your glass

Hoping one day you'll make a dream last

But dreams come slow, and they go so fast

You see her when you close your eyes

Maybe one day, you'll understand why

Everything you touch surely dies

But you only need the light when it's burning low

Only miss the sun when it starts to snow

Only know you love her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low

Only hate the road when you're missing home

Only know you love her when you let her go

Staring at the ceiling in the dark

Same old empty feeling in your heart

'Cause love comes slow, and it goes so fast

Well, you see her when you fall asleep

But never to touch and never to keep

'Cause you loved her too much, and you dived too deep

Well, you only need the light when it's burning low

Only miss the sun when it starts to snow

Only know you love her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low

Only hate the road when you're missing home

Only know you love her when you let her go

And you let her go

Oh, oh, mm, oh

And you let her go

Oh, oh, uh, uh

Well, you let her go

'Cause you only need the light when it's burning low

Only miss the sun when it starts to snow

Only know you love her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low

Only hate the road when you're missing home

Only know you love her when you let her go

'Cause you only need the light when it's burning low

Only miss the sun when it starts to snow

Only know you love her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low

Only hate the road when you're missing home

Only know you love her when you let her go

And you let her go

Let us Understand 2022 World's *Best Medicines*

*1. Detoxification* is a medicine

*2. Quitting Junk Food* is a medicine

*3. Exercise* is a medicine.

*4. Fasting* is a medicine.

*5. Nature* is a medicine.

*6. Laughter* is a medicine.

*7 & 8. Vegetables and Fruits* are medicines

*9. Sleep* is a medicine.

*10. Sunlight* is a medicine

*11 & 12. Gratitude & Love* are medicines

*13. Friends* are medicines.

*14. Meditation* is a Medicine.

*15. Being Fearless* is a Medicine

*16. Postive Attitude* is a Medicine

*17. Unconditional Love towards all living beings* is a medicine

*18 Listening* is a medicine

*19 & 20. Speaking up & Sharing* are medicines.

*21. Acceptance*

is a medicine.

*..&….*

*22. Staying in*

*PRESENT MOMENT and observing Silence*

is the *Medicine*

*23. Peaceful mind in the piecemeal world* is a Medicine

*24. Positive Thinking* is a Medicine

*25. Remaining Active* is a Medicine

*26. Walking* is a Medicine

*27. Stair Climbing* is a Medicine

*28. Breathing Fresh Air* is a Medicine

*29. Early Morning Sunlight* is a Medicine

*30. Being Hygeininc* is a Medicine

*31. Being with Nature* is a Medicine

*32. Music* is a Medicine

Avan Aval Adhu 173

Thamarai's eyes were glued on her only remaining child as she watched the one who should have gone but remained come into the kitchen through the rear entrance of the house. Any normal person would have found it a bit vague if a person uses the rear entrance to enter instead of the front door. But, when it came to Meenakshi, nothing was weird or vague for no rules applied to her and many wondered if even the laws of the universe bent themselves when they approached her.

It was obvious from the way the staff who worked outside in the garden and inside the house suddenly vanished from sight. The arrival of Meenakshi into the compound had been like the firing of the starter gun that sets the athletes racing away.

Thamarai had wondered at the beginning about her daughter's irrational behaviour that had become unbearable from the age of 13 and on and had even broached the subject a few times to her husband and then, their only son had gone missing. As any mother would know in her soul and in her womb, Thamarai had immediately known and felt that her son had not gone missing but had left life and them forever.

That night, that fateful night when her son, Senthoora Pandi had disappeared was etched in her memory and she would never forget it. She could recollect with accurate details the happenings of that night and deep in her soul, she knew that her daughter was somehow involved in her son's disappearance. But, her husband had requested her to never speak about it again and erase it from her mind.

Meenakshi entered the house through the rear door and in pin-drop silence, asked her mother where her father was.

' He is in the front room waiting for someone important.'

' Today. On a day when we sit as one and have breakfast. Strange.'

Thamarai's face reflected the repulsion she felt and they echoed in her words.

' Listen, you are an adult and so you know better how to go about leading your life. But, this is my house and today is Friday.'

Meenakshi looked away and said, ' Your eyes see everything.'

' Yes, and my nose can smell the pollution and corruption that is coming of you. Don't you have any decency?'

Meenakshi turned and glared at her, ' The body wants what it wants and we wanted it in the car. My body, my husband and my car.'

' and this is my house' Thamarai replied in a soft but steel-filled tone.

' Okay. That is why I used the rear entrance. So, I can go to your bedroom and wash up and look all prim and proper.'

She moved and then pausing whispered, ' My mother, please tell dad that I am in the loo and that my tummy is off.'

Thamarai nodded, ' Exactly for I wonder what his reaction would be if I told him that his daughter has arrived fresh from a romping session in the car ' and pointing to the saree, ' His eyes will not miss those stains that are all over your saree.'

Meenakshi for a change kept quiet as she realized that she was in the wrong and nodded in casual rudeness, ' I am going to borrow one of your sarees.'

' Take a new one from the small cupboard for I don't want any problems when your dad asks why you are wearing my saree.'

After she had left, Thamarai stared at the temple tower in the distance and prayed for Meenakshi to Meenakshi.

' what is wrong with her? Why is she like this? She was aggressive, rude and overbearing even when she was a little child but all that changed and changed for the worse from the time she came of age.'

She stood under the shower, and washed her vagina, again and again trying to rid herself of her husband's fluids and in the water from the shower, her tears flowed as she sobbed uncontrollably.

' I am sorry Ravi. I am really sorry for cheating on you. But, I did it for you. For us and I did it with only you in my soul.'

Her beautiful face that usually lay buried by the ugliness of her anger, and hatred for everything now glowed with a strange light as she smiled at the thought of the death and destruction that was going to be unleashed here and there.

' Nobody. Nobody can have you but me. Death to all those who not only try but even think of trying to come near you.'

Avan Aval Adhu 174

Life is made up of a collection of moments that are not ours to keep. The pain we encounter throughout our days spent on this earth comes from the illusion that some moments can be held onto. Clinging to people and experiences that were never ours in the first place is what causes us to miss out on the beauty of the miracle that is the now. All of this is yours, yet none of it is. How could it be? Look around you. Everything is fleeting. To love and let go, love and let go, love and let go...it's the single most important thing we can learn in this lifetime.”

IG Asra Garg exhaled noisily making a whoof noise and shaking his head sadly, stared at the case files and said,

' Mr Sargunam, what I find difficult to understand is the need which is better explained in one word " Greed " of these people who commit all these crimes. They will look ordinary and just like you and I do and yet will be plotting some dastardly crime against the state or against its citizens.

Tapping the file reports spread out in front of them, ' The case might be spread out like a web in front of you and you might be at the outside edge holding on to a single strand of evidence that might help or might not and in all probability end up as a dead end. But.....' and slowly made a whirlpool with his hands and Inspector Sargunam seeing the motion, realized what IG Garg was getting at.

' Yes sir. There is always a spider, a mastermind sitting in the centre of the web, watching, feeling and waiting to make its moves when we make our moves.'

' Exactly, young man' IG Garg yelled enthusiastically and slammed the table with force and repeated, ' Exactly.'

He looked squarely into Guna's black eyes and asked, ' Are you sure you can handle this on your own?'

' I am sir ' and with an apologetic face, ' forgive my impertinence sir but I will be reporting to you directly. So, I am not going to be on my own for I will have your eyes along with mine to read this case properly.'

IG Garg, ' Of course. I will be there when you need my counsel. But, I have faith in you, Mr Sargunam and I am confident that you will sort this case out sooner than later.'

Getting up to his feet, he rotated his shoulders and then stretched his arms wide in a christ-like pose and asked, ' So, Inspector, where will you start from?'

Inspector Sargunam placing his cap on his head saluted IG Asra Garg and replied, ' my first port of call is to Mr Dharmalinga Thevar.'

' Isn't he the sitting MLA of the ruling DMK party?'

' He is sir and he was forced to stand for last year's elections by CM Stalin himself who visited him at his house personally and stayed with Mr Thevar for a few days.'

IG Garg's expression revealed his confusion and astonishment, ' A politician who refuses posts and power? Remarkable and strange, indeed.'

' what is even stranger is him refusing a cabinet post and instead electing to stay back in Madurai and look after his own constituency.'

IG Garg smiled, ' I like this man already, Mr Sargunam.'

' Everybody does, sir and he also happens to be my master sir's uncle, benefactor and guardian.'

IG Garg put out his hand and announced, ' I think I am going to enjoy my stay in Madurai. Only wish my stay is pleasant and without such distasteful cases.'

Then with a bright smile, ' All the best young man and I will see you here later this evening.'

' Okay, sir. Thank you for trusting me with this case sir. Good day sir.'

Alone. Impossible. By day, you have light inside your house or your choice of shelter. By night, in the absence of light, you still have stars outside twinkling or blinking and inside you have your lights, twisted CFC stuff. Yellow or white and ready to shine bright.

Alone. Even if you close your eyes, there is that light and energy of your sight and the thoughts and the memories and the dreams and the yearnings. I used the word and................. to denote that there is no alone or real silence.

Unless, you learn to go in deep into your mind and either hypnotize yourself or learn to exist in a trance-like state for the time you desire and yet something consciously unconscious, flickers, shimmers and reminds you of its presence.

If our life is a train on a track then the compartments are other lives with which we share our journey on. You might not be physically present there at that moment and yet, things, words, and actions will be about you and that which will affect you or really impact you.

In my head then, this is how a story unfolds. Many lives on their own paths like many trains on their own tracks all journey towards one junction and they might pass each other, narrowly missing each other or collide with each other with deadly consequences.

Avan Aval Adhu 175

Dharmalinga Thevar glanced at the huge Grandfather clock that his father had purchased from a rich colonial master who was getting ready to flee India after it had attained its Independence and saw the time was nearly 9.00 am and slammed the newspaper on the table, turned to see his wife Thamarai hovering nervously at his right shoulder.

' She is here.'

' Why wasn't I told about their arrival? and then stared at his wife and asked, ' She, you mean that he is not here?'

Thamarai nodded, ' your daughter told me that he is away on some important work.'

Dharmalinga Thevar nodded, ' Work is good. I am glad that our useless parasite of a son-in-law is doing something. My only concern is about the nature of his work.'

He smiled a slight but tight smile and asked his wife, ' I can never understand why you insist on addressing Meenakshi as my daughter and not as our daughter.'

Thamarai looked at her Dharmalingam on whose face the bud of the slight smile slowly withered and disappeared and he answered his own question.

' I know ma. I see and hear everything and I understand where you are coming from. Sometimes, no, many a time, I have wished....' and unable to continue fell silent and stared at his feet.

Thamarai laid a soft and protective hand on his shoulder and whispered, ' Karma. Sins of our past lives or sins of our ancestors.'

' Maybe, Thamarai but maybe from the sins from my side of the family. For you and your family are angels and who the whole world knows, have not a single evil vein in your bodies.'

Both of them looked up towards the distant gate and saw a police vehicle enter their compound and this prompted, Dharmalinga Thevar to declare, ' This is a surprise and a good and pleasant surprise, indeed.'

He stood up smiling happily and watched as Inspector Sargunam leapt out of the front seat and rush towards him and hurriedly bend and touch his feet for his blessings.

Dharmalinga Thevar smiled and blessed him and standing him, held him by his shoulders and said, ' Guna, Iyaa, You are a police officer now and you have come in your uniform which means you are on duty. So, please, in future, don't touch my feet when you are in uniform.'

Inspector Sargunam folded his hands and said, ' Iyaa, I touched your feet like a son would touch his father's feet and like a young man would touch an older and elder person's feet. This uniform is of no consequence to me. You and your blessings and wishes are more important than that and my duty.'

Then he bent and gently touched Thamarai's feet and took her blessings and standing before both of them said, ' When you bless me, I also imagine that my master is blessing me through you.'

Thamarai's eyes moistened as her heart thought, ' Why didn't God bless me with children like this boy and like Ravi and why did he have to curse me with such evil spawn as the one which is alive and which shouldn't be?'

Dharmalinga Thevar put his arm around Sargunam and asked if he had finished his breakfast.

' Illa iyaa. I took part in an important meeting in the IG'S office and I am coming straight from there.'

Thamarai said, ' Good. I will go set the table, Guna. We can eat together.'

Sargunam nodded, ' Thank you amma ' and taking his mobile out, said, ' Master sir called but I could not talk to him for the meeting was about to begin. So, I am going to return his call. Will it be okay if I join you after a few minutes?'

Dharmalinga thevar nodded, ' Of course. In my book like yours, work and Ravi will always take first priority. Go ahead son and talk to master sir and we will wait for you to join us inside.'

Once both had gone inside, Inspector Sargunam called Ravi who was high up in the Kodai Hills.

Dharmalinga Thevar and Thamarai went into the dining hall and saw Meenakshi seated there and heard her say, ' Three leaves will do. It's just me and appa and amma.'

' No. Three will not be enough for we have a guest at our table today. So, set out four leaves, ' Thamarai ordered and Meenakshi turned and glared at him and said, ' Appa, this is my time with you and mother. This is our family time.'

Dharmalinga Thevar replied with a straight face that he reserved for her. ' Yes. The guest today is also like our family member and maybe more than family even.'

Why are Grandfather clocks called Grandfather clocks?

At first glance, the answer seems obvious. Think about it- when was the last time you saw a grandfather clock in the house of anyone under the age of 70?

Yes, this may seem logical and obvious, but the real reason these timekeeping devices (technically called “Longcase clocks”) picked up the grandfatherly nickname has nothing to do with grandparents per se.

So how did grandfather clocks get this name? Here’s the scoop…

In 1875, an American songwriter named Henry Clay Work was visiting England. While there, he checked in to the George Hotel in North Yorkshire.

In the hotel’s lobby was a large pendulum clock. The clock had stopped long ago and just sat in the lobby, serving no apparent purpose. This unmoving clock fascinated Work and he asked about its history.

He was told a story by the proprietors, whether true or not (probably not) isn’t important to how grandfather clocks got their name. The story was that the clock had belonged to the inn’s previous two owners, the Jenkins brothers, both deceased. It seems the clock had kept perfect time during their lives, but when the first Jenkins brother died, the clock started becoming less accurate.

After this, the story went that the clock stopped completely dead- to the minute and second Jenkins brother had died. Maybe because it was his job to wind it and nobody else wanted the task, you say? 😉 According to the story Work was told, it was actually because it broke. Despite the best efforts of a host of repairmen supposedly hired by the new owners of the inn, they couldn’t get the clock going again.

Now, of course, what probably actually happened was the clock died and was prohibitively expensive to fix, but looked nice, so the new owners of the hotel came up with a great story for the clock to hide the fact that they maybe just didn’t want to pay to get it fixed nor have it hauled off.

Whatever the case, the bemused Work thought it was a great story. Being a song writer, he then wrote a song about the incident. The song was called “My Grandfather’s Clock”, released in 1876.

The lyrics were as follows:

1. My grandfather’s clock was too large for the shelf, So it stood ninety years on the floor;

It was taller by half than the old man himself, Though it weighed not a pennyweight more.

It was bought on the morn of the day that he was born, And was always his treasure and pride;

But it stopp’d short – never to go again – When the old man died.

CHORUS

Ninety years without slumbering (tick, tick, tick, tick),

His life seconds numbering (tick, tick, tick, tick),

It stopp’d short – never to go again – When the old man died.

2. In watching its pendulum swing to and fro, Many hours had he spent while a boy;

And in childhood and manhood the clock seemed to know And to share both his grief and his joy.

For it struck twenty-four when he entered at the door, With a blooming and beautiful bride;

But it stopp’d short – never to go again – When the old man died.

(CHORUS)

3. My grandfather said that of those he could hire, Not a servant so faithful he found;

For it wasted no time, and had but one desire – At the close of each week to be wound.

And it kept in its place – not a frown upon its face, And the hands never hung by its side;

But it stopp’d short – never to go again – When the old man died.

(CHORUS)

4. It rang an alarm in the dead of the night – An alarm that for years had been dumb;

And we knew that his spirit was pluming for flight – That his hour of departure had come.

Still the clock kept the time, with a soft and muffled chime, As we silently stood by his side;

But it stopp’d short – never to go again – When the old man died.

The public went crazy over the song. “My Grandfather’s Clock” went on to sell over a million copies in sheet music, which was fairly unprecedented for the day (Work had previously set that precedent selling over a million copies of the song Marching Through Georgia, which is still commonly played by marching bands today).

The previous term for “grandfather clock”, the rather un-catchy “longcase clock”, was dropped almost immediately by the public in favor of the new moniker for the clocks.

With the advent of digital technology and atomic clocks, some clock lovers worry that the old pendulum-swinging grandfather clocks may not be long for the current timekeeping world. However, despite its inanity, H.C. Work’s song lives on. It was recorded multiple times in the 20th century, and as recently as 2004 by the R & B act Boys II Men. It’s a song that, like grandfather clocks, keeps on ticking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su7IECXoKLg

Avan Aval Adhu 176

In the cloyingly thick dark fog, Ravi's mobile rang sounding like the distant toll of a bell. Ravi glanced at the screen and his face lit up brighter than the screen itself seeing Guna was the one who was calling.

' About time ' Ravi thought and answered it and as always lost out to his student who slipped in a quick, ' Master, sorry. My meeting with the IG went on for a longer time than it normally does and then, surprisingly, he sat me down for a one-on-one chat and that is the reason why I am returning your call after more than an hour. Please forgive me, Master.'

' Guna, Please. You were doing your duty. There is no need to apologize for doing your duty. Work and in this case your duty to your job and the state takes first priority. Nothing should come before that, child. Promise me that.'

Guna whispered a slow and feeble, ' I promise ' but thought, ' Never, sir. You will always be my first priority. For, no you, no me.'

' Master, please, tell me, how can I be of service to you?'

Ravi hearing Guna's words, thought, ' He could have used the word help but he did not and instead used the word service ' and his heart swelled with pride and with humility at the love and respect that was being given to him.

' Guna, this is a slightly tricky subject and very delicate in nature for it involves your case. So....'

' Master, you want to know the status report about the crime and attack which took place in Sadaya Perumal temple.'

' Yes, Guna. I am sorry that I am talking to you about an active and ongoing case.'

' Master, no problem at all. In fact, I was meaning to drive up to meet you and Gayatri later in the evening but then the IG has scheduled another meeting at the same time. So, I thought I would meet up with you all tomorrow morning. Will that be all right, Master?'

' Perfectly all right, Guna.'

Inspector Sargunam knew his master very well and was quite familiar with his tones and his moods.

So, he asked in a soft voice, ' Master, I sense something in your voice. Something that is troubling you. Please, master, talk to me and I will do my best to help you.'

Ravi decided that it was best to come clean at least with Guna who was in charge of the case, ' Guna, I am worried about Gayatri's safety. She is an eye-witness to this case and has seen both the assailants and must have given an accurate description of them to you. '

Inspector Sargunam smiled, ' Master, I understand your fears. You don't need to worry for it has already been taken care of.'

' How, Guna?'

' I have sent two patrol jeeps to monitor the two roads that lead up to Whispering Rocks. The main one that most of us and the public use and the other one behind the mountain that is mostly used by the tea-estate workers on their two-wheelers.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Ravi thanked him and then heard Guna say the same words.

' Master sir, I am really sorry but I have to go now. I have come to meet Dharmalinga Iyaa and he is waiting for me. I will see you tomorrow morning and will call and talk to you in more detail tonight. The patrol jeeps should be in position by evening and that should take care of the security of the resort.'

' Okay, Guna. Thank you. I will wait for your call. Bye.'

Saying bye to his master, Inspector Sargunam stood wondering if the interest in his friend Gayatri was just that or if it ran deeper.

Shaking his head, ' Fat chance of that happening. Although, there is no doubt they would make a great couple. But, getting through and getting into master's soul will be an Mt Everest to climb up ' and thinking that, Sargunam walked into the house of Dharmalinga Thevar.

Avan Aval Adhu 177

" The lies we tell, and let ourselves believe, in the name of love. The first thing you should know is that everyone lies. The second thing is that it matters.”

It did not matter that he was her father and maybe it had never mattered at all. It had broken. Been broken and had never been put together again and nobody had even attempted to.

Meenakshi's eyes danced with frustration on hearing that an outsider was joining them at the breakfast table and they sparkled in naked anger on hearing the intruder being compared to family.

' Appa, there is only you, amma, I, Adi and my husband. Just the five of us. Please don't insult me by comparing someone else and that too with the word family.'

Thamarai's heart quickened and she felt a dull pain in her chest as she saw her dear husband's fingers clench the chair. The brown, grizzled fingers went pale cream as they were clenched and then she saw the dull dark red colour return to them and knew that he had let go as he always let go of his anger.

She saw him look at their daughter, ' I am sorry that you feel insulted on being compared to someone else and I apologize for that. The truth is that any other person would feel insulted to be compared to a person like you and who just happens to be my daughter.'

Both of them knew very well what Meenakshi was capable of when she became angry. Things would fly away from her as they were launched at the object of her anger or they would fly and smash against the walls nearby. She had done it a thousand times and constantly did it in her own house.

' Don't do anything silly, Meena or else I will be forced to react and I don't think you would want me to. I have and will tolerate your bullshit behaviour and your tantrums patiently as I have done for all these years. But I will not tolerate it when it comes to Ravi or anything even remotely connected to him. The person joining us is none other than Inspector Sargunam, a child of our town and importantly a student of the person who I think of as my own child.'

Meenakshi's reaction to the name was clearly visible to both her parent's eyes and they each had their own reactions in their heads. In private and each a different interpretation.

Father and mother looked at their only daughter with interpretations based on old and so had no clue and were in the dark as to what was going on in her head at that very moment and the interpretation that she had made on hearing Ravi's name.

Thamarai felt a headache coming on for she knew very well what her daughter was capable of and had full knowledge of her unhealthy and creepy obsession with Ravi.

Dharmalinga thevar felt his over-burdened heart ready to explode in anger. It felt the way a dam must feel like billions of litres of water exert pressure against every single inch of its concrete walls.

He locked eyes with Meenakshi and whispered, ' Please, don't do and say anything silly that you might regret later and that I too might regret later. I hope you remember the conversation that we had all those years ago. So, either stay and behave or leave through the backdoor through which you arrived.'

Meenakshi's smile was beautiful and bewitching to behold as it slowly spread across her shapely pink mouth and its beauty reminded her parents of a deadly cobra spreading its hood as it took aim to strike unerringly and sink its poisonous fangs into its quarry.

Both saw her smile and felt a twinge of nervous fear and panic grip their bodies and thoughts. Dharmalinga thevar felt it more than his wife for he knew very well just how dangerous his only child was but the poor man did not know that Thamarai too knew her daughter very well as she had witnessed it with her own eyes all those years ago.

Inspector Sargunam smiled seeing Meenakshi and folding his hands greeted her with respect and said, ' Amma, vanakkam.'

Respect, yes. But nothing else.

She greeted him with a smile that shone as bright as the sun and said, ' Guna, it's been a long time. Please sit down and let's chat and catch up with what's going on with you.'

Inspector Sargunam sat down and smiled back but he sat down not just as a police officer but as the student of Ravi Kumar who was not only his master but guide, mentor, guardian and his own living God.

There exists a powerful bond called Bloodlines that makeup family.

But, there is another bond that supersedes family and bloodlines.

Lovelines. Heartlines. Inspector Sargunam apart from being Ravi's student was also a police officer and a bloody good one at that and he knew with just a cursory glance, what threat a snake, like Meenakshi posed.

“When you begin a journey of revenge, start by digging two graves: one for your enemy, and one for yourself.”

The English word "ego" is the Latin word for “I.” Literally translated, ego means “I.” If you were writing “I love you” in Latin, you'd write ego amo te.

Many a year ago, I dipped my fingers into non-fiction reading about God, religion and spirituality. It took me a few months to turn my back on them, non-fiction books, but not on my own faith and devotion to a higher power.

I am from a family that believes in both Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva and their families. Not Shiva per se but his wife and children. Convenient and practical. Leave the head and the main man for he is supposedly a bit of a tough nut to crack and a person who spends most of this time with the dead and nearly dying and yes, the undead. Anything to do with the Burial ground God who is actually in my opinion the nicest, sanest and safest person to talk to. WTF ( In my head. Got it).

Maybe, that first book kind of turned me off and the author was Jiddu himself. F..k. Starting from the first line and then on and on, he was all about letting go of Ego. That thing called I. Yes, that word that is beaten on your head by Grammarly when you type " Me " and your error is highlighted in red and are told, requested to turn it to I. Else, they will be added to that count below and proceed to rub it in your face. Wait face or ego.'

Forget, modern age crimes and the need for Forensic sciences that help solve most of them through DNA testing and

fingerprint testing and ask yourself why Mother Nature needed a different copy in every new creation of human beings.

Okay, mommy gave one and daddy gave one while doing it and hence the difference.

But, identical twins who have the same DNA sequence and tend to share a very similar appearance have slightly different fingerprints. That's because fingerprints are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors during development in the womb.

See, so Mother Nature herself wants us all to be unique and different in some way at least. Yeah okay.

Humans are 99.9% identical. and what makes us unique is a measly 0.1% of our genome. This may seem insignificant. But what these declarations fail to point out is that the human genome is made up of three billion base pairs—which means 0.1% is still equal to three million base pairs.

In those, three million differences lie the changes that give you red hair instead of blonde, or green eyes instead of blue. You can find changes that increase your risk of obesity or others that decrease your risk of heart disease; differences that make you taller or lactose intolerant, or allow you to run faster.

Chimpanzees are the closest living relatives of humans and share nearly 99 per cent of our DNA. One per cent difference and it is either be a chimp or .......

Hold on now, now I realize why I jumped up and down so much and loved trees when I was a kid and still love trees and green in my old age. Forget climbing and hanging of branches. One, I might fall and break something or I am too heavy and might end up breaking one or more branches of the tiny tree that I try to conquer.

Mother nature herself over billions of years has done all the calculations needed for evolution in her womb called earth and has created life. Just 0.1 per cent difference in our DNA and yet so many variations. Subtle and most not so subtle.

So, it looks like, life itself wants you to be unique and celebrate it. So, why not be happy and proud about it. Why not celebrate the I and me and why kill in one broad stroke that vital emotion called " Ego " when it is the one that sustains us through this myth, temporary illusion called life?

When does Ego become over-confidence from self-confidence?

I googled EGO and typed in synonyms and my eyeballs fell out of their sockets.

Every word suited me to a T and, also did not.......

I asked me, ' Sat bro, are you narcissistic by nature? and the pesky, weak sat inside my head, whispered, nay, squeaked, ' No. You just seek attention and more importantly acceptance from the ones you share your videos and messages with. ( Of F..k. I said it.)

I am Gemini. I am Janus. I am the two sides of the coin. Just that sometimes the tail wags more than the dead asleep head.

' Acceptance, attention. Why? To what ends and to what purpose?'

' To be loved. To feel more love and to get more love and all that and more from like-minded friends.

Is that Ego?

Is that my I and Me talking out, sneaking out?

Hell no. I am but a human and just an animal in the end. All I like many others just need to be told, ' Good dog, Good dog. That will do rather well for now. Good dog.'

Good morning. I wish you a beautiful day.