From & To Sathish #5 - Page 91

Avan, Aval Adhu 297

Gayatri looked up and straining her ears heard the announcement clearly.

" Good morning.Your kind attention, please. All passengers traveling to Mumbai please proceed to gate NO.6."

Slinging her handbag around her neck she got up tiredly and still in two minds about leaving Ravi in the state that he was in. She knew that she was the one running away from a situation rather than facing it and smiling sadly, she told herself, ' But then you have been running away all your life, Gayatri. So what is new now? Nothing.'

Lost in her thoughts she slowly walked towards Gate No.6 thinking, ' In the past, I destroyed my father's life by tormenting Madhu and then in my own way destroyed my ex-husband Siddharth's life, and now in the present because of my anger and my own personal demons, I have cut down a giant and have laid him down in the ICU.'

Wiping the tears, she turned her face away from the people who were walking past her, and at the same time destiny turned her life away from her stepmother Madhu who walked past her.

Two lives, Two worlds, passed each other separated by just ten or twelve feet and Old stepped into the present and new stepped into the past, and time and lives would never be the same again.

The circle that was broken and might have just stayed broken circled on to complete its journey and return back to where it started and from where it had left nearly 25 years ago. Both entrance and exit were one and they were Home.

She and her parents had fled in the middle of the night and had ridden a bus to Chennai and from there had boarded a train to Kolkotta. But, a few months later, her mother had finally succumbed to her heart disease, and Madhu and her dad had shifted to Mumbai where her father too had finally given up his will and in the process abandoned both spirit and life.

Walking out of the airport, she removed her large coolers and her mask and closing her eyes inhaled Madurai deep into her lungs and into her soul.

' Taxi Madam. Kahaan jaana hai ' a man nearly yelled into her ears, and Madhu opening her eyes smiled and greeted him in Tamil by saying ' Vanakkam' and then mentioned the hotel that she was staying in and the cab driver smiled warmly, ' I know ma'am. Hotel very near to the Govt hospital.'

Getting out of the cab that had taken just 20 minutes to reach the hotel, Madhu paid the driver his fare and added 20 rs as a tip and thanked him in Tamil ' Mikka nandri ' and picked up her single piece of luggage and looked up at the hotel signboard that loomed large over all entrants.

" Hotel Kailasam," Madhu said the words and thought, ' Not just here in this hotel, but everyone from all walks of life, in the end, has to enter some version of Kailasam and meet their maker.'

An old man sat behind the counter and Madhu knew that it must be the owner and greeted him and said her name and informed him that a booking had already been done via their website.

The owner opening the register, quickly scanned the names and looking up at her said her name doubtfully, ' Mrs. Premnath. Correcta amma?'

He smiled hesitantly and looked at her and said, ' One sir calling and booking a room for you for one week. Fully paid advance.'

Madhu smiled and waited and the owner decided that it was best to say what he had to say, said it, nervously looking at the register, ' Sorry, but I want ID proof. Police rules and formality. Sorry.'

Madhurima cursed but with a smile and just as she was wondering if it was okay to give her own Id, the phone rang and the owner was on it like a cat on a mouse and put on a loud show.

' Hello. Hotel Kailasam. Owner talking ' he boomed and looked at Madhu with a huge smile full of pride that was less about his hotel and more about his English skills that he was parading loudly before her.

But all that vanished the moment he heard the caller's voice and nodded his head like a leaf nodding as a stiff breeze blows past it. Then he gave the phone to her and quickly took it back, wiped it with a cloth that was on the counter, and said, ' Sir, talk to you.'

Placing her mask back on her nose and mouth, Madhu took the phone and after greeting the person listened to what he had to say and after a few moments, thanked him and placed the phone back in its cradle.

She smiled and nodded and the man introduced himself, ' My name Shivaraman ' and pointed to the place, ' My hotel madam. 35 years old and doing good. You any wantings, problems, you complaint to me. I am helping always here' and pointing to a room behind him. ' My own room. I always here.'

Madhu thanked him in Tamil but did nothing to correct him or request him to speak in Tamil and instead courteously waited as the Owner rang the bell and a small boy came running and was told to carry her luggage to her room.

' 1st floor. Room 106 da. All ready.'

The boy rapped out ' Okay iyaa ' and picking up Madhu's luggage with his left hand looked at her and saluted her with his right hand and with a bright smile and said softly, ' Please amma, this way.'

The boy was neither dark nor brown but a chocolaty blend of both and she saw his skinny but strong legs race up the stairs and with that elevated her to old memories. She slipped back to the times when she, and Ravi had been the same age as the boy who was working in the hotel. Something tugged at her heart and also tingled deep in her womb and Madhu smiled wryly and whispered, ' Mother nature, Maternal instinct, and Biological clock.'

She walked the stairs chiding herself gently, ' You are 42 and will soon be turning 43 and on the cusp of entering middle age and here you are feeling all motherly and stuff.'

The boy stood outside the door that he had opened for her and entered only after she did and asked her gently, ' Madam, luggage keeping where?'

Madhu surveyed the room that was smaller than her walk-in wardrobe cupboard and pointed to a small metal stand and told him to place it on top of it.

The boy did what she told him to and catching sight of her staring out of the window told her enthusiastically, ' Big hospital madam. Always traffic but more traffic from last night.'

Madhu looked at him and the boy assuming that she wanted him to continue, continued, ' Great man come to hospital. Accident. ICU.'

Her eyes shone with pride and joy as she asked him, ' Great man or powerful man?'

The boy quickly corrected her, ' great madam. Powerful no. that bad. But this man is great and he is a teacher. Vaathiyar.'

Madhu looked at him with the eyes of a mother and asked him how he knew the person was great and the boy smiled and pointed to her eyes and said, ' because all the people outside the hospital gates have the same eyes as yours. Same look and same love. That means great respect and great love and that means the person is great. Okay.'

https://youtu.be/GO5FwsblpT8

A Pale Blue Dot

The following excerpt from Carl Sagan's book Pale Blue Dot was inspired by an image taken, at Sagan's suggestion, by Voyager 1 on 14 February 1990. As the spacecraft was departing our planetary neighborhood for the fringes of the solar system, it turned it around for one last look at its home planet.

Voyager 1 was about 6.4 billion kilometers (4 billion miles) away, and approximately 32 degrees above the ecliptic plane, when it captured this portrait of our world. Caught in the center of scattered light rays (a result of taking the picture so close to the Sun), Earth appears as a tiny point of light, a crescent only 0.12 pixel in size.

Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.

It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.

— Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994

Avan, Aval Adhu 298

I can see a God-made world, not a manmade world." "The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision." "There is no better way to thank God

for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark." "Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."

' Madam, you calling me when you want any help. I here always ' the boy informed her cheerfully and just as he was about to leave, Madhu called out to him and

he stopped and looked at her.

Madhu opened her handbag and taking out a 100 rs note offered it to him and thanked him for his help.

The boy looked at the 100 rs note and Madhu saw that the joy and excitement that had been dancing on his face, suddenly vanish leaving in their wake, a sad, and serious-looking child. The change was similar to the rains that come unannounced during the scorching days of peak summer months and vanish after a

few brief seconds leaving behind land and all its creatures sad and disappointed.'

He shook his head and slowly retreated back saying, ' No money, please. No money. My father angry, and make trouble.'

Suddenly, he smiled brilliantly and Madhu felt the joy and the power of his smile deep in her heart and she asked, ' Okay no money. But, you have something

else on your mind. Say it.'

The boy's face turned contemplative as his eyes looked achingly into her heart through her eyes and then after a few heavy moments, ' No money. But, you buy me new uniform for school.'

Then hearing the hotel owner Shivaraman loudly calling out his name, he waved bye to her and said ' Iyaa angry. I talk later.'

' Hey, wait. What is your name? How do I call you?'

The boy opened the door completely thus enabling sound waves to enter the room without hindrance and Madhu heard the owner call the boy's name one more time clearly.

" Dei, Kutty. Inga vaa."

The boy smiled and said, ' My name Kutty. You call Kutty, Kutty ' and raising his thin hand, flashed his fingers, ' Two or three times and I am running coming.'

The door closed leaving Madhu standing there staring at its cheap laminated skin and she sighed and whispered, ' Please watch over Kutty, my lord and watch

over all of us.'

She turned and stared at the Madurai Govt hospital through the window and waited for her moment and a few minutes later, the moment arrived with a knock on

the door.

Madhu opened the door and looked at the man who stood there with a parcel in his hand.

In a deep masculine voice, the man handed over the parcel and said, ' Our mutual friend has requested me to stay, watch and intervene if the situation turns nasty

or if you so want me to.'

Madhu thanked him and said, ' Okay ' and looked at him doubtfully.

The man smiled and said, ' No need to worry ma'am for I have been informed of your situation and also about the situation inside the hospital.'

Relieved, Madhu nodded and the man looked at her, ' Don't worry ma'am, it is all going to turn out okay' and pointing to the parcel that he had handed over to

her, he said with a glimmer in his eyes, ' I too have my own parcel. See you inside, ma'am.'

Madhurima opened the parcel and taking out its contents spread them on the bed and looked at the hospital and whispered to Ravi, ' Twenty minutes, Jaanu and I will be there to watch over you until you are totally recovered. After that, I guess we just have to wait and see where our lives take us.'

Hotel Kailasam's owner, Shivaraman looked at the lady coming down the stairs and immediately stood up and greeted her with great respect and warmth.

' Ma'am, you not telling that you are a doctor ' and pointing to the hospital, ' Namma hospital. Good ma'am. You helping people. Good. So, I help you and cutting you.'

Madhu stared at him silently and the old owner of the old hotel blinked and realising his mistake, ' Bill ma'am. I am cutting your bill, little.'

Madhu sighed, ' you mean, Discount? Vendaam. Nandri.'

Shivaraman realizing his gaffe and his silly attempts to impress her with his English were going nowhere switched to Tamil and said, ' Aamanga. Adhe thaan.'

Madhu adjusted her mask and through her new reading glasses, searched around the area. Seeing her do that, Shivaraman informed her that Kutty was on the second floor sweeping the rooms.

Her heart felt like a punctured balloon and her soul deflated instantly, and she looked at him and then heard Ravi's voice whisper to her, and nodding her head she walked out of the lodge and towards the hospital.

" Madhu, timing is everything. There is a time when you need to move and act on your instincts. Trying to achieve something when it is neither the right time nor conducive to your situation will not help and even if it does so, your efforts will be at best diluted or temporary.'

Madhu walked with a voice whispering wisdom from the past as it had always done so and headed towards its origins and the man who lay waiting for her and had been waiting for nearly 25 years.

A short man with a pot belly that was barely covered by his Lab coat came towards her and greeted her warmly and with great respect.

' Dr. Sathya Deepak. Welcome to our hospital, ma'am. I have been told to co-operate with you and assist you. I promise to do that. But, this is the ICU that we are talking about here. So..'

Dr. Sathya's smile was soft and gentle in its bloom and she whispered something conspiratorially, and the Dean Dr. Muthukumar nearly suffered a heart attack hearing her words and then enthusiastically said, ' You go ma'am, and do what you want. I will take care of everything.'

Pointing to the hospital with his right arm, ' Please come ma'am and I will accompany you to the ICU and that itself will solve all problems and hindrances however minor they may be.'

Madhu entered the hospital and in the corner of her eye saw smart looking Inspector saluting her friend who had delivered the costume that she was wearing at the moment and masquerading as Dr. Sathya Deepak, and as she walked past him she wondered which department he belong to and what his ranking was.

Avan, Aval Adhu 299

Karma in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called the principle of karma, wherein the intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect). Good intent and good deeds contribute to good karma and happier rebirths, while bad intent and bad deeds contribute to bad karma and bad rebirths. As per some scripture, there is no link of rebirths with karma.

This moment, these times right now in the 22nd year of the 21st century is a wonderful time to be living in if you are in the business of knowledge and thirst to know more. Know, not just learn. Learning is an acquisition, something that is often lost shortly after. Knowing is complete awareness that can't be taken away or lost.

Sometimes, I, am asked questions that stump me and I stare dumbfounded at the person who asked me the question. One question above all never fails to rouse my own thoughts and question myself with that question that was put to me.

" You read so much. What is the use of all this reading?'

I used to shrug my shoulders and raise an eyebrow and reply, ' Stories. I love stories and in the process of reading them, I spend my time enrichening my mind and in the process my life.'

Yes, I also used to snarl and growl my answer by saying, ' My reading is better than your obsession with your mobile and all those tik tok and insta videos.'

Well, there have been times when I have gotten a reply that felt like a kick to my nuts. " If reading books is enrichening your life then all these videos do the same to me."

Books, reading, and knowledge have and continue to do a whole lot of good for my mind and life for they have helped me not with the answers that I have been seeking all my life but instead in a weird way have helped me frame better questions to put to that Entity called God when and if I happen to meet him.

WHAT WAS THAT, SATISH?

I know it sounds weird and wacky but hey, that's me and you know me well. So, go easy on me.

Let's take for example that I am standing before God who is the sitting judge in its supreme court and sadly I happen to be both the defendant and accused and am being placed on either side at the same time and am asked to defend myself. What would I do or what would you do if God kept striking your questions down by yelling " Objection Overruled " to all your meticulously prepared questions?

So, I read, listen, hear, and ponder my case history and prepare my questions for both my cases. Defendant and accused, and hope that God will finally yell in awe and in defeat, " Objection Sustained."

God help us all or would it sound better if I say " Purpose help us " or " Motive help us " for there has to be a purpose, motive, or a valid reason why we exist and a damn good reason why I exist and why I torment you all with these meandering thoughts of mine.

When a crime of varying degrees ( Theft to brutal murder) has been committed, the cops first look for a motive behind the crime meaning who benefits from that action, that crime, and then snoop around to find the person who had both motive and opportunity to do the crime.

My life is a crime and I am my own investigating cop, Sherlock, and yes, sadly my own Watson too, and I am investigating my life.

So far, God, that entity is the only suspect and also suspect NO.1 for it has both motive and opportunity but has been elusive and hard to find.

Crime. Life of pi. Sorry, Life of I.

Motive- Another Test specimen for its laboratory.

Dr.Muthukumar, Dean of Madurai medical college and the head of Madurai Rajaji Govt hospital chivalrously held open the door that opened into the corridor that ended with the twin glass doors of the ICU for Dr. Sathya Deepak and let her enter before him and closing it shut said, ' It is very rare for the Health Minister to send someone from his own department to make an assessment and that too in disguise.'

Madhu stopped and looked pointedly at the two constables that they had just passed and Dean Dr. Muthukumar noticing this informed her of the situation.

' We have a person in the ICU in a critical condition after having been stabbed by a poisoned knife ' and then his voice dropped to a mere whisper, ' Ma'am, the whole police department is all over this case and is treating as a high priority case and to top that we have our ruling party MLA Mr. Dharmalinga Thevar who happens to be the uncle of the patient.'

Madhu looked at Dean Muthukumar, ' Who is the patient and why is so much importance being given to him?'

Dean Muthukumar smiled, ' The patient's name is Ravi Kumar and he is just a teacher or a headmaster in a school outside Madurai. I am from Chennai and just got posted to this hospital a few months ago. So, I am not very sure why this person is getting all this treatment and all this attention from everybody.'

Madhu dressed as Dr. Sathya Deepak nodded and smiled gently behind her mask, ' All this attention?'

' Yes ma'am. The people around him treat him like he is some holy person and practically worship him.'

Shaking his head in amazement, ' Ma'am, the MLA who is the patient's uncle addresses him with respect and uses " Iyaa " and then you have that Inspector who is supposed to have been his student. That man practically looks at the patient like his God and creator.'

He looked at Madhu, ' ma'am, we just about managed to clear the crowd that had gathered outside the hospital entrance about an hour ago. But to their credit, the crowd was well behaved and posed no threat and conducted themselves in a very disciplined manner.'

Madhu turned her face away for her eyes had become moist with tears. Pride, pain, and love, filled her eyes, and turning her face away she informed Dean Muthukumar that she wanted to see the patient and turned to face him, ' I want to see who this man is for myself and also the treatment being given to him.'

Adjusting her glasses, ' Please do not divulge any information about me to anyone without my permission. Just introduce me as a doctor and I will take it from there, and looking towards the ICU, ' Who is with the patient right now?'

Dean Dr. Muthukumar shook his head and said ' I have no idea ' and then spotting a nurse coming out of the ICU raised his hand and beckoned her, and the nurse seeing it was the Dean who was calling her ran towards him huffing and puffing for air.

Dean Muthukumar shot a baleful look at the nurse who must have been 24 or 25 years of age and snarled, ' Please, don't do it for me but do it for yourself. Run up and down this corridor a few dozen times and it will improve your stamina and help reduce your weight. Please do this or else you will soon be lying in the ICU yourself with heart problems.'

Pointing to the ICU, ' Who is with the patient right now?'

' Only his mother, sir. MLA sir left a few minutes ago.'

The Nurse fled for safety and Dean Muthukumar sniggered, ' Most of the staff here are in very poor condition and health, and in my opinion, some of them should not even be alive or worse be working here.'

Madhu smiled and pointed to the Dean's potbelly that looked like the moon accompanying the earth, ' what about that, and what about you, dr?'

The dean blushed and looked down and stared at his tummy and cursed, ' My wife is an excellent cook and every day is a feast in our house.'

Looking at Madhu, ' Ma'am, I am nearly 60 years old and have just 5 years left in service. I should have retired at 58 but the central govt revised the retirement age for senior doctors from 58 to 60 and now to 65. Both my daughters are married and settled in Canada. So I and my tummy are not important and won't be around for long.'

Madhu suddenly put out her hand and said, ' Dean, I will take it from here. It is best I take a look at this hospital and assess how well it is doing by myself. I will finish up and come and meet you in an hour's time. How does that sound?'

Dean Dr. Muthukumar took her hand and shook it and said, ' Sounds good ma'am. But please make your report favorably and if there are any small problems, please do bring it to my notice.'

Dr. Sathya Deepak nodded and waited and once the dean was out of sight, she turned and stared at the ICU doors and then took a tentative step toward them.

Madhu's heart which had been quiet and beating normally until then woke up and suddenly picked up its pace and began to beat at a higher speed. Her thoughts filled with memories of his face, his kiss, his bravery, his intelligence, and his arms as they had held her in them, gently and with immense power. But most importantly, her mind swirled with memories of his immense kindness, patience, and empathy with which he viewed and approached the world.

25 YEARS AGO

" Teacher in our school! " Madhu exclaimed in one word both her confusion and question and looked at Ravi who smiled, ' Yes. Why not our school?' and pointing to the book," Diary of a young girl ", ' this girl's story has opened my mind and has helped me gain a new perspective about life and what one should do with his time in this world.'

' Wow, Ravi! Very philosophical but I am sure that you have a valid reason for your thoughts and why you have suddenly decided on becoming a teacher.'

' Madhu, there is a saying in my Tamil world. " Ayinthil valayathathu Aimbathil valayathu."

' The proverb's literal meaning is that which cannot be bent at five cannot be bent at fifty. The real meaning is, if a person cannot be educated, taught, and molded at an early age it is difficult to do the same when they are adults and above 50 years of age.'

Looking at the school with pride and love, Ravi declared, ' I am going to become a teacher and then I am going to come back to this very school and do my best to not only teach but also uplift the quality of all my people who live in Kumarapalayam.'

Present moment, ICU

Madhu opened the door of the ICU and entered and her eyes immediately were drawn towards the bed in which Ravi was lying in. But her sight was blocked by the form of his mother who sat next to him on his left side and on hearing the door open and close turned and looked at her and smiled sadly.

Madhu smiled and walked towards the machines that were monitoring Ravi's vital signs and pretended as if she was reading them and then heard Rasaathi ammal speak to her.

' You look like a very great doctor. Please madam, save my son and bring him back to me and to all those who are waiting for his return.'

Her words felt like needles puncturing her heart and taking a deep breath, slowly turned and faced her and faced Ravi and nothing would be the same again.

The boy whom she had last seen 25 years ago now lay like a full-grown adult lion on the bed. His body was covered by a blue sheet and only his neck and face were visible to her.

She smiled and said in an encouraging and consoling voice, ' Don't worry ma'am. Your son is going to be all right. He is in safe hands now.'

Rasaathi Ammal shook her head, ' Thank you. But all the other doctors seem lost with his condition and even that old man who came at the right time and helped stop the mysterious poison that was spreading in my son's body had no clue as to how to revive him.'

' Don't worry ma'am, the shock of the wound and poison must have been too much to bear and maybe that is the reason he is unconscious.'

Ravis' mother Rasaathi Ammal shook her head, ' No. The old man who helped us that it was Ravi himself who did this and on purpose and that only one person can save him and revive him.'

Madhu dressed as Dr. Sathya Deepak asked confusedly, ' I am sorry but since I have just come in to work, I have not been fully briefed about the patient's condition. Could you please explain what is going on?'

' I don't know doctor for it all sounds miraculous and wonderful to my ears. Apparently, my son who is versed in Varmakalai and certain other lost arts of defense put himself in this condition, and from what the old man told us, only the person who knows this art can use it to bring him back by unlocking certain nerve centers.'

Madhu's voice was a gasp as her body shook in as if it had been electrified and she gasped, ' Was anything specifically mentioned about this Varmakalai art?'

Ravi's mother nodded and shook her head, ' It might sound weird and spooky but I confess that my son is a bit spooky in his ways and by nature.'

Looking at Ravi who lay in a coma, ' I think you will be able to understand what I am saying if you see for yourself ' and slowly pulled down the blue sheet that covered Ravi and pointed to his fingers that were clenched in a strange and twisted manner.

' His fingers are supposed to be in some mudra. The old man told us that it was the Sanjeevani Mudra and that he had no idea how to unlock it.'

With large scared eyes full of tears, ' He told us that there were only one or two who knew this art and he also said that he had doubts if we could find them in time. But, if Ravi has imposed this on himself then there must be a reason and a purpose behind it for my son never does anything without planning ahead.'

Madhu watched as Ravi's mother gently caressed his clenched fingers and heard her say, ' My son is waiting for his heart, his soul, and his love to come and wake him from his coma. If that does not happen then there is no saying what will happen to him. My son has done this out of choice. Either wake up to that woman or slip away from the coma and into death.'

She slowly got up and came towards Madhu and said, ' Please, can you do me a favor? Will you stay here until I come back? I need to use the bathroom urgently.'

Madhu nodded and said she would stay and wait for her to come back and watched as Rasaathi Ammal went out of the ICU and then looked at Ravi and said, ' Jaanu, I have come. You have called and I am here now.'

Removing her glasses, Madhu placed them in her coat pocket and then slowly lowered her mask and let it slip down her neck and then stood over him with a smiled and whispered, ' That day, when you taught me the mudra and kissed me and told me that your life was in my hands, I laughed and told you that it was my life in your hands. I see now that our life is one and has always been one.'

Folding her hands, Madhu closed her eyes and invoked Lord Hanuman by chanting a sacred and powerful mantra.

" Om Aim Bhreem Hanumate,Shree Raam Dootaay Namah "

Madhu chanted it five times and then her memory filled itself and she remembered how Ravi had taught her to clench her fingers in the proper way and she remembered his words.

" Jaanu, chant the mantra five times and place both your hands in this mudra and gently tap stab on the person's chest and they will recover immediately.'

She bent over him with the fingers of both her hands in the mudra and chanted the mantra again and then lowered her lips to his and breathed into his and said, ' Baby, My sun, my light, my love, rise and shine for all of us for without we are nothing but dead moons.'

She stabbed at his chest with both her hands and as she was doing this bent over him, hot tears fell from her eyes and into his, and then she heard a loud gasp bursting from his mouth and saw his eyes open wide but totally unfocused.

Madhu panicked and stepped away from him not knowing what to do slowly opened the door and quickly walked away from the ICU.

At that very moment, a burst of electricity seemed to overload all the hospital circuits for a few moments but then everything returned to normalcy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rAwIMvA_uY

Avan, Aval Adhu 300 -1

The writer speaks in the language of hearts and a tone that is a melody of love and hate

The saying "Love is blind " has been done to death from ancient times. It was supposedly first said by Plato nearly 2400 years ago and then by Geoffrey Chaucer in 1400 and later by The Bard William Shakespeare himself.

Plato wrote, “The lover is blinded about the beloved, and prefers his own interests to truth and right.”

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote in one of the stories that appear in The Canterbury's tales, “For loue is blynd alday and may nat see.”

William Shakespeare in the tale " A Midsummer Night's Dream " wrote, “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.”

The word 'love' was once '*leubh', a word used by the Proto-Indo-Europeans approximately five thousand years ago to describe care and desire. When 'love' was incorporated into Old English as 'lufu', it had turned into both a noun to describe, 'deep affection' and its offspring verb, 'to be very fond of'.

Synonym means one of two or more words or expressions of the same language that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses.

I googled the word " Love " and found that it has more than 173 synonyms and antonyms. But the word Love is the one most used to describe a person's state of mind and thought.

It is true that Love is blind and that it does not see the other's follies and mistakes and more importantly, love is blind when it comes to looks and all things physical. I am talking about real love which is all about how the person you love makes you feel. If love was only about sex, then the practice of Marriage wouldn't have lasted all these thousands of years and everyone would be bonking everyone, and I seriously doubt if our human species would have even evolved to what it is in today's 21st century.

Love goes beyond all borders starting from the eyes, the skin, languages, caste, creed, race, status, and all things man-made.

Love is love and it can also be hate and evil.

Love can bring life and it can end in death for one or more.

Love can raise the dead and revive the weak and helpless.

Jesus out of pure love stood outside the cave in which the dead body of Lazarus of Bethany had been placed and called out to him. " Lazarus, In the name of the Prophet, In the name of Jeremiah and my father, In the name of the most holy God I call you here " and that which was dead for three days and had lain in the darkness, death, and decomposition, came out alive and well.'

It was not just the Sanjeevani Mudra that raised Ravi from his coma and his self-induced state of unconsciousness but it was Madhu's kiss of pure love that she placed on his lips and the breath from her soul that revived him. Love is not only about bodies but more about souls and their power to transcend boundaries.

All of us can be like Christ and raise and revive people who have fallen into darkness through love and kindness and all of us can also be the ones who have slipped into the abyss of pain and grief and are lost in the maze of hatred and evil.

“You’re a storyteller. Dream up something wild and improbable," she pleaded. "Something beautiful and full of monsters."

“Beautiful and full of monsters?"

“All the best stories are.” Laini Taylor, Strange the Dreamer

All things are probable and at the same time, improbable. It is love if you feel it is that and it can instantly turn into hate if you want it to and will it to. God can be your solace and the repository of all your faith, devotion, love, and sorrow. But in hate and in arrogance, love for God can be twisted and made your servant, pet, and slave by just rearranging the word God into DOG.

That is what we do in the name of love. We take it for granted and treat those we love like our pets and Dogs. Folly. Follies in the name of Love that is but hate wearing a mask and masquerading as Love.

Love to me is freedom. Freedom to be what one desires and Freedom to do what one desires without being manipulated and dominated in the name of love. Folly in the name of all that is Holy. Love and devotion.

“The caged bird sings with a fearful trill,

of things unknown, but longed for still,

and his tune is heard on the distant hill,

for the caged bird sings of freedom.” Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

All of us are caged birds. Most are caged by their own chains and a lot more by bondage to others and in the name of love and protection.

" Don't do that. Don't do this. Don't wear that. Don't walk like that. Don't see that. Don't talk with them."

They are all around us, those Don'ts in human forms doing their follies in their subtle ways and sadly they are blind to their own hatred and importantly blind to their own blindness.

Love is blind. Hate too is blind for it suffers from the blindness of the mind and heart, which are blighted by selfishness and self-preservation.

Self. I. Mine. Me. Ego.

Avan, Aval Adhu 300 - 2

In 2019, three patients in the Critical Care Unit ( CCU) of the Madurai Rajaji Government Hospital died during a sudden power failure. The entire Madurai city briefly came to a standstill due to unexpected thundershowers accompanied by strong gales and winds. This resulted in a power shutdown across many places in the city for at least an hour.

Four days after three patients died in the Government Rajaji Medical College, government hospitals across the state have done safety audits of their generators and battery back-ups for their ventilators. They have hurriedly started installing UPS (uninterrupted power supply) systems allotted to them by the state government. These UPS gadgets were lying around in the hospitals without being installed though they were supplied two weeks ago.

The present Dean of the Madurai Rajaji Government Hospital, Dr. Muthukumar nearly died of shock and fear when the lights in the elevator began to flicker furiously, and his first thoughts were about God and he instinctively threw up a prayer to the Lord Muruga and chanted his name furiously.

The events that had taken place in 2019 in the hospital before he had taken up its leadership along with the 2017 Gorakhpur Hospital deaths were fresh wounds in his mind and would never heal for he feared that it would make him and the other staff members complacent.

The lights flickered for a few seconds but soon returned to normalcy and sighing in relief, he stepped out of the elevator and called the Maintenance department man and enquired as to what had caused the lights to flicker and worriedly asked if the backup generators were all in working order.

' Check them properly and report to me today evening. We must be prepared for any eventualities.'

Just as he ended his call, he turned and caught sight of Dr.Sathya Deepak walking towards him and smiled and asked her if she was okay and if she would like to have a cup of coffee in his cabin.

Madhu realizing that at that moment the dean's office was the best place to be until things calmed down, smiled and said, ' Why not, sir? Thank you for the offer.'

Rasaathi Ammal entered the ICU and hearing the loud beeping noises the EEG (Electroencephalogram) was making immediately alerted the duty nurses who ran into the ICU and began to read the monitor signals.

One of them told the other to inform the duty doctor and the ones supervising the patient while she checked how he was doing.

Rasaathi Ammal fearing the worst began to sob like a child and they matured and increased in volume as she began to wail, and stopped hearing her son growl like an adult lion, ' Amma, why are you crying?'

She looked at Ravi whose eyes were wide open with her own wide-open eyes in confusion and disbelief and croaked, ' Ravi, saami.'

The nurse went into full panic mode on seeing a comatose patient regain consciousness and then do the unthinkable act of trying to get up and out of the bed.

She screamed loudly, ' Sir, please, lie down. Stay still and please don't move until the doctors are here.'

Ravi ignoring the nurse looked around the room confusedly and asked Rasaathi ammal, ' amma, what am I doing here in a..........................?' and stopped in mid-sentence and gasped loudly in fear and yelled, ' Where is Gayatri? Where are my friends? Are they all right?' and again he stopped and stared at his naked chest and ran his fingers around the bandaged wound and whispered, ' Paliyan. Paliyan.'

Then he slowly raised his hands and looked at his fingers and clenched them and unclenched them and through the gaps in the fingers, he stared hard at his mother, ' Where is Madhu? '

Rasaathi Ammal shook her head and then slowly walked towards her son and hugged him to herself and began to cry. She cried as she had never cried in all her life and feeling the intensity of her pain, Ravi hugged her back and said, ' It's okay amma. I am okay now.'

Then the ICU doors were flung open and several doctors came rushing in and requested Rasaathi Ammal to wait outside until they were done with the patient.

Ravi smiled agitatedly and told them, ' I am sorry doctors but my mother will stay right by my side and forgive me for disappointing you but I am not a patient anymore.'

Dr.Faizal Ahmed, the duty cardiologist spoke in an imposing voice and in a clinical manner. ' Mr.Ravi Kumar, we are all happy and relieved to see you like this but just a couple of hours ago you were brought here in a critical condition and I confess that all of us here had given up hope of saving you. But then a miracle happened in the form of an old man who told us what the poison was and then helped to stop it from spreading further. So, please, stay calm and help us do our duty.'

Dr. Sumathi, the resident Neurologist joined in and informed Ravi that he had been unconscious for several hours and so it was necessary to thoroughly check all his vital signs and also run a few tests before he could be discharged from the hospital.

Smiling, Ravi thanked all of them and said, ' I firmly believe in the concept of duty and that everyone should carry out their duties diligently and in a disciplined manner.'

Lying down, he looked at all of them and said, ' I am ready for your tests. Please begin for I have very little time to waste here.'

Dr. Sumathi, the neurologist looked at Rasaathi Ammal, ' What happened here? ' and then she slowly lifted Ravi's hand and looked at his unclenched fingers and exchanged curious looks with her colleagues.

Placing the earpieces into his ears, Dr. Faizal Ahmed sat down on the bed and placed his stethoscope on Ravi's chest, asked him to breathe deeply, and after a few moments slowly removed the earpieces and sat staring at his patient.

' In my 25 years of service in this field of medicine, I have seen with my own eyes several miracles and countless tragedies. But, this recovery of yours and the way this case has unfolded is going to the top of the list.'

Getting up, he informed Ravi that the nurses would be drawing some blood to run a few tests and shaking his head left the ICU.

Ravi looked up at Dr. Sumathi, the neurologist who understanding that her patient was waiting for her to say something, smiled, ' I think you are good to go but my advice is that you remain in the hospital for a few days just to be on the same side. I need to run a thorough check on all your reflexes and ...' then a smile flared on her face but was instantly replaced by a stunned look.

She stood stunned and stared at Ravi's right hand, which held her torch pen that is used by doctors, and loudly observed, ' I would have been very happy if you had just opened your palm and nabbed the torch pen that I deliberately dropped but you moved and raised your hand the moment you caught sight of the pen torch slipping out of my hands. That is one hell of a hand-eye coordination speed that you possess.'

She too shook her head in awe and confusion and walked away saying, ' Sir, I think the best place for you to be is in a sports arena and not this hospital bed.'

She opened the door and turned and said, ' You are good to go, Mr.Ravi Kumar ' and walked away.

The nurses quickly went about their work of drawing blood and then they too exited the ICU leaving Ravi and Rasaathi Ammal on their own and to their thoughts.

He patted the bed next to him and Rasaathi Ammal sat down and looked at her son with both happiness and sadness filling her eyes and soul. Happiness that her son had recovered completely and Sadness that he had to suffer a stab wound to his heart that was already torn and broken.

She touched his chest and asked, ' Does it hurt, Ravi? '

' No, amma ' and placing his hand on hers that was placed on his chest, ' It hurts. My soul hurts. My head feels heavy with guilt and remorse.'

Rasaathi Ammal looked at him, ' Why? What happened up there in Kodai? Did somebody hurt you?'

' No. But I hurt somebody and I want them to forgive me.'

She shook her head furiously, ' I don't believe you for you are not capable of doing that' and then her voice turned angry and spiteful as she said, ' If so, if you have indeed hurt somebody then I am sure that they deserved it.'

Ravi lifted her hand and kissed it tenderly, ' I am talking about us and the last time we saw each other and the way I fought with you and yelled at you before leaving you behind.'

Placing her hand on his mouth, ' Please son, let's not talk about that for I feel ashamed and embarrassed with myself. I should learn to respect your privacy and see you as an adult rather than see you as my little boy.'

Ravi pulled her and held her to herself and whispered softly, ' I will always be your little boy, amma. Always.'

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/madurai-hospital-horror-dean-says-3-deaths-in-icu-in-an-hour-was-a-coincidence/articleshow/69243940.cms

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/up-30-dead-in-48-hours-due-to-disruption-of-oxygen-supply-in-gorakhpur-hospital/story-TwMrMJxhAZzIkn3pXcZEMN.html