From & To Sathish #6 - Page 10

Avan, Aval Adhu 465

Everyone had fallen quiet and all of them stood looking at each other exchanging polite smiles as they waited for Ravi and Madhurima to return with the new and unexpected guests whose names had just been nervously announced by the burly army Major.

Rasaathi Ammal looked at the benevolent Goddess and lamented loudly, ' Why is my son's life so strange in all matters of life? Forget his abnormal love story ' and pointing to the entrance, ' Even the people who have arrived for this unexpected wedding are ones with strange names ' and turned and beckoned Inspector Sargunam, ' Guna, do you know anything about these guests?'

' No, mother. I am only familiar with the name for I learned about it long ago in history class ' and smiling with pride, ' Not in school but in Master sir's special weekend classes.'

Rasaathi Ammal looked at all of them, ' Correct, I remember those classes and you attending them regularly. Even when it rained cats and dogs.'

Dharmalinga Thevar smiled in approval and said, ' Guna showed great promise from the time he came under Master Iyaa's protection.'

' That is true ' Rasaathi Ammal nodded and then added, ' But, I think the real reason was the food that I provided for all the kids. Especially, Guna for his appetite was more than mine and Ravi's put together.'

Parthiban turned with his eyes bursting with laughter and Guna confessed loudly, ' What choice did a kid like me have when such delicious and tasty food is placed before him?'

' Amma, if I had not gotten married, I would have got posted right here in Kumarapalayam and would have stayed right next door to you both ' and with a pained expression, ' The only complaint and problem with your food is that it has spoilt me rotten. My wife is a good cook when compared with normal people but her food is bad, horrible when compared with you.'

Turning to Daksha and Partha, ' I have managed to survive all this while only because of all the Vatha kozhambu, Thokkus, and pickles that Amma sends me every other week.'

Suddenly, collectively they all felt a strange vibration around them, and in unison, their eyes were pulled by an invisible force that entered through the front entrance, and all of them looked at the guest who was called Spartan, and his wife and all of them reacted in their own ways to the tall man who had just entered their lives.

Inspector Sargunam recognized him immediately for he had seen him a few hours earlier in Madurai while stopping and checking vehicles at the barricades.

He informed the others about it and they all stood watching and wondering about the man called Spartan and why Ravi had not mentioned anything about him. But, one emotion and one thought shone through all their minds, and which was, ' This stranger was a friend and the kind of friend that everyone would love to have by their side, when in danger.

Rasaathi Ammal looked at all of them and announced, ' All of you know how much I love my son but this one time I am going to say it and I am sure you will all agree with me.'

All of them looked at her and she said with a motherly smile, ' That man Spartan is a special soul. There is a kind of aura and the way in which our Ravi carries himself, but I his own mother confess that even he pales next to this man.'

Dharmalinga Thevar spoke his mind, ' I don't know why but somehow I feel I know him very well and that I have met him several times before this.'

Daksha's advocate brain and thoughts made her say, ' Uncle, I don't know why but my heart tells me that he knows us way better than we know him, and by that, I mean everything that is there to know about us.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvZW5fsOcPk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1ZLBnVJQFY

Avan, Aval Adhu 466

Evidence suggests that marriage is around 4,350 years old and the first recorded marriage was in 2350 B.C. Marriage became a popular institution across ancient Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans. Arranged marriages are believed to have initially risen to prominence in the Indian subcontinent when the historical Vedic religion gradually gave way to classical Hinduism (the c. 500 BCE period), substantially displacing other alternatives that were once more prominent.

The Genesis creation account tells the story of when God instituted marriage. This took place after the creation of the first woman, Eve, from Adam, the first man. Genesis 2:18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” God is a funny entity and he must be watching this Famous TV serial called Baakiyalakshmi that airs on Vijay Tv.

The Vedic wedding ceremony is the traditional Indian Hindu wedding that includes Vedic yajna – rituals around Agni, particularly the seven vows before the fire, with hymns from the Vedas. The roots of this tradition are found in hymn 10.85 of the Rigveda, which is also called the "Rigvedic wedding hymn".

A Hindu wedding, also known as Vivaha, Lagna, Kalyanam, Maduve, Pelli is the traditional wedding ceremony for Hindus. The Hindu wedding ceremony at its core is essentially a Vedic yajna ritual and three key rituals are almost universal: Kanyadana, Panigrahana, and Saptapadi, which are respectively, giving away of his daughter by the father, voluntarily holding hands near the fire to signify union, and taking seven steps.

The primary witness of a Hindu marriage is the fire-deity (or the Sacred Fire) Agni, in the presence of family and friends The ceremony is traditionally conducted entirely or at least partially in Sanskrit, considered by Hindus as the language of holy ceremonies. The local language of the bride and groom may also be used. The rituals are prescribed in the Gruhya sutra composed by various rishis such as Apastamba, Baudhayana, and Ashvalayana.

According to the Veda, marriage is a union between a masculine and feminine entity with commitments to pursue Dharma (duty), Artha (earning money and other possessions), Kama (physical and other desires), and Moksha (the eternal liberation) in unison. Scripturally, it is viewed as a celebration of sensual pleasure, progress, prosperity, and joy as it is also a pyramid of elevation to the next level of one's Karmic experience. Society recognizes this and puts in place quality controls since it influences the social and cultural growth of society.

The Kanyadana ceremony is performed by the bride's father. If the father has died, a guardian of the bride's choosing performs the ritual. The father brings the daughter, then takes the bride's hand and places it in the groom's. This marks the beginning of the ceremony of giving away the bride. The groom accepts the bride's hand, while the kama-sukta (hymn to love) is pronounced, in the presence of the father, the bride and the groom. The Kamasukta verse is:

Who offered this maiden? to whom is she offered?

Kama (the god of love) gave her to me, that I may love her

Love is the giver, love is the acceptor

Enter thou, the bride, the ocean of love

With love then, I receive thee

May she remain thine, thine own, O God of love

Verily, thou art, prosperity itself

May the heaven bestow thee, may the earth receive thee

The priest requested both Ravi and Madhu to wear the garlands that Parthiban was holding in a tray and once that was done, he broke a coconut and placed the two halves on the glittering Copper pooja tray that was in front of their Deity. Then, picking up the bottle that held camphor pieces, he emptied a few onto the tray and lit it, and showing the arthi to all the Gods and Goddesses, he came out of the pooja room and raising the tray asked Rasaathi Ammal to place the Thali ( Mangalsutra) in it.

Rasaathi Ammal gently opened the cotton bag she was holding in her hands and everyone saw that the cream colored bag was heavily stained with both the yellow of turmeric and the red of Kungumam and took out a yellow string and placed it in the tray.

The priest stared hard at the small pendant that the sacred Thali string carried and looked at Rasaathi Ammal and remarked that it was a strange-looking piece and taking another good look at it said, ' It looks like a Yantra design ' and taking a closer look, ' but I could be wrong for my eye-sight is not that good. Even when wearing glasses.'

A deep voice vibrated as the owner of that voice spoke and explained what the pendant and the Yantra signified.

' It is indeed a Yantra but a very rare one and it also happens to be far away from where it was made' Spartan said and Daksha true to her Inquisitive self that had made her a criminal lawyer jumped in and asked Spartan what he meant by his words.

' Far from home? ' and looked at Rasaathi Ammal and Ravi and asked them if what their guest was saying was true.

Rasaathi Ammal smiled and nodded, ' True words, Daksha. Although how our young guest knows about this is beyond my comprehension.'

Ravi nodded and told Daksha that both the sacred thread and the pendant had come from a far-off place, specifically from the ancient sacred city of Kashi.

' Mother and I went to Kashi to complete some funeral rituals a long time ago and it is there we were given this Sacred thread as a gift.'

' Gift?' Daksha asked totally nonplussed and Ravi smiled, ' Yes. A north Indian couple were being bullied by a few drunk rowdies and I kind of gently intervened and sent them on their way. The couple too were tourists and from some other state and then we kept bumping into them over the next two days and became good friends. Then those thugs returned with a few more people and well...'

Pausing, he looked at his mother who proudly narrated the rest of the story. ' Ravi kicked their backsides black and blue and taught them all a lesson that I am sure they will never ever forget in this life and in all the other lives they might be born in.'

Rasaathi Ammal sighed sadly and continued, ' The husband and wife asked me jokingly if I would gift them Ravi, so they could adopt him. It was then that they gave this small bag containing this Sacred Thali and pendant and said, that even though they had saved it as a gift for their daughter, they now wished to pass it on to Ravi for they had been advised to do so.'

Ravi smiled and casting a quick glance at all of them, said, ' It is a fantastic story but that is exactly how it happened, people.'

Parthiban clapped his hands and exclaimed loudly, ' Dei, machaa, when it comes to you, nothing you do is either simple or normal.'

Daksha unable to hold back her thoughts asked Rasaathi Ammal if she had shown it to anybody else and verified its meaning and origin.

Rasaathi Ammal shook her head, ' We didn't for once we returned back home, we soon forgot about it and it has been inside his cupboard all this while '.

Then before she could complete her sentence, Spartan completed it for her.

' Waiting. Waiting all this while for the person it was meant for and since that person is here right now, the waiting is over.'

https://youtu.be/LVsA2Rbo0W8?si=bH5KmhVk0-HS84Hq

A writer's thoughts

I am sure most of you remember that old fable we were taught in school about a goose that laid golden eggs.

Once upon a time, there used to be a farmer and his wife who dwelt in a town. The farmer and his family were very poor. The farmer used to grow vegetables. He would then go to the town to sell those vegetables and earn a living. One day the farmer decided to save some money, and slowly as the day went by, the farmer saved a small sum of money. With the money that he saved, he bought a goose. The farmer and his wife hoped that the goose would lay eggs that they could use for breakfast and also sell in the town. He took the goose home and built it a nest in which it could lay eggs. When he went to check for eggs the next morning, he lifted the goose, and to his surprise, the goose had laid a golden egg. The farmer informed his wife, they were surprised by the golden egg. They woke up the next day to find another golden egg laid by the goose. The farmer decided to sell the golden eggs laid by the goose. Happy with the golden eggs, the farmer slowly became wealthy.

One day, the farmer’s wife said that the golden goose lays only one egg a day, what if there could be a way to collect all the eggs at once? This would mean that they can become richer quickly. The farmer agreed to this, and they both decided to cut open the goose to collect all the eggs at once.

They cut the goose but to their surprise, there were no golden eggs inside the goose. The farmer and his wife cried as they realized that they killed the golden goose and now there would not be any golden eggs. They became poor again and regretted their actions.

The Golden Goose story teaches us that greed can lead to great loss. If the farmer and his wife were not greedy and had not killed the goose, they would have received several golden eggs and could have lived happily.

There is a reason why I am sharing this kid's story here in our blog in our forum. For my brain similar to the goose, lays a golden story every day and I have no clue as to what to do with them. Sometimes, I take an egg of a story and go with it, and other times, I take too many eggs and splatter them all over and make a mess.

I, your writer am just an amateur and one whose growth is an ongoing process. So, bear with me when the chapters get a bit complicated and too much to handle.

Yes, I would love it, if all of you shared your thoughts, comments, and importantly criticisms about my writing. It will only give more impetus for me to do better.

*The Year was 1959, the place was Amritsar. Some Indian Army Officers and their wives went to Railway Station to see off one of their colleagues. Some goons made lewd remarks against the women and tried to molest them. The Army Officers chased the goons who took shelter in a nearby Cinema Theatre.*

_The matter had been reported to Commanding Officer Col Jyothi Mohan Sen. On learning about the incident, the Col ordered the Cinema Hall to be surrounded by troops. All the goons were dragged out and the leader of the goons was so heady and drunk with power; who was none other than the son of Chief Minister of Punjab, Pratap Singh Kairon, the close associate of the then Prime Minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru._

_All the goons were stripped to their underwear's, paraded in the streets of Amritsar and later interned in the Cantonment. Next day, the Chief Minister became furious and tried to release his son from Indian Army's incarceration._

You know what happened ?

*_His vehicle was not allowed to go in to the Cantonment as VIP Vehicle, he was compelled to walk all the way to meet the Colonel. The infuriated Chief Minister, Kairon complained about the whole affair to Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru._*

Those days were different, democracy was in nascent stage, leaders though powerful had some qualms and ethics.

_The perplexed, the so called Bharat Ratna Prime Minister Nehru instead of questioning his confidante Pratap Singh Kairon, sought explanation from the Army Chief General Thimmayya for the conduct of his Officers._

You know what * replied?*

*"If we can not defend the honour of our women, how can you expect us to defend the honour of our Country ?"*

Nehru was dumbfounded. That was the Story of a brave Soldier who defied the Prime Minister.

*This article was contributed by Maj. Gen. Dhruv C Katoch in the magazine "Salute to the Indian soldier."* this needs to be shared 👌

Jai Hind.

Avan, Aval Adhu 467

waiting to stay in a particular place, and not doing anything until somebody or something arrives or until something happens.

There comes a time in life for all adults when they begin to approach life armed with a greater understanding of its mysterious workings. Soon almost all adults come to a realization and understanding that life is beyond their comprehension and control and that an unseen force is at work. Each and every human mortal experiences a profound moment of realization that he or she is but tiny nuts and bolts in a large and complicated machine that is being ridden by an entity called God.

Hearing the words spoken by Spartan, all of them experienced an amazing moment that they would later describe as magical and mysterious but in the present they all stared at their tall guest for a plausible answer that could be easily understood by all of them.

Daksha sniggered loudly, ' Christ have mercy on all of us. It looks like everyone wants to become as famous as Devathoothan.'

The moment she spoke her mind, Daksha regretted it badly. Ravi glared at her but the message from his eyes was late by a second for suddenly the whole room seemed to hum and vibrate and all of them looked at their guests in fear.

Spartan did not speak but his wife Malar spoke a warning. ' Child, be careful with that tongue of yours for you could lose it if you continue with this trait of yours.'

Parthiban quickly apologized, ' Please forgive her, Mr. and Mrs. Spartan, for she really does not mean any harm by them words. She is just frank and outspoken.'

Spartan smiled and said, ' It's okay, Parthiban. No harm done ' and glancing at Daksha with twinkling eyes, he said, ' You are wrong child for I have no desire to become another Devathoothan. It is a rare gift that has been bestowed on him from higher powers and from the heavens above. I confess that I don't possess such powers of prediction but..'

Azhagan went into Daksha's mind and whispered, ' Later, child. I promise. There will be time to play your games with me later but not now.'

Turning to face all of them, Spartan aka Azhagan let his eyes travel on each of them before returning and resting on the pooja tray that the priest was holding in both his hands.

' But, I think I know that Yantra very well ' and turning to Madhu, ' Ma'am, you know it very well and far better than even me.'

Madhurima smiled, ' Spartan, how could I possibly know anything about this sacred thread and yantra that was gifted to Ravi and to his mother by someone they met in Kashi and that too so many years ago? I was in Mumbai at that point in time along with my parents.'

' Are you sure about that, Ma'am?'

Spartan asked the question with such certainty that all of them looked at Madhu who with a calm and smiling face, replied assuredly, ' I am certain about it. Hundred percent sure about it.'

All of them now looked at Spartan with great expectations to see what his reply was going to be and unlike us humans, he did not disappoint them and dropped a bombshell of a question.

' I did not ask about you being at Kashi, ma'am but what about those who are a part of your family.'

Madhurima stared at Spartan her eye revealing her confusion with the question and then all of them saw her take a deep breath and close her eyes and only Ravi and obviously Azhagan and Malar knew what that meant.

Ravi whispered, ' She is meditating and at the same time recollecting old memories.'

All of them stood watching Madhu with bated breath and after a few moments, she opened her eyes which were full of wonder and memory, and stared hard at Spartan, ' My Parents. I remember it now. They went to Kashi to do the rituals for my grandfather who had passed away a few years ago. We could not do it then because of all the problems that we were facing then and had to leave Kolkotta in a hurry and migrate to Mumbai.'

Madhu said the words and then the full impact of her own recollection hit her like someone had slapped her awake and she began to cry overwrought with her own emotions.

Pointing to the pooja tray, she asked Spartan, ' Does that mean it was my parents who gave this mangalsutra to Ravi?'

' No, ma'am.'

Madhurima shook her head in confusion and asked sadly, ' Then who.... who was it?'

Spartan smiled and said, ' Your Dada. Your late grandfather was the one who gave it to your parents for safekeeping and with specific orders.'

Madhu nearly collapsed to the ground hearing her dada being mentioned but Ravi threw her arm around her and held her close to himself.

Spartan pointed to the Yantra and said, ' That specific design is for a specific Goddess. All major Hindu Gods and Goddesses have their own yantras and mantras.'

All their eyes turned to the pooja tray and all of them stared at the mysterious Yantra pendant and all of them heard Spartan's voice loud and clear.

' This yantra belongs to the mighty Goddess whose temple is known all over the world as Dakshineshwar Kali temple that is in Kolkotta.'

Madhurima gasped in shock and Spartan smiled at her lovingly and said, ' Madhu, beta, you remember all those times when your Dada took you to pray at that temple? Well, his prayers were not in vain for it is that very same Goddess Kali otherwise worshipped in that temple as Bhavatarini Kali who has come to be with you and to protect you.'

Azhagan smiled and looked at Ravi, ' Master sir, it is this powerful Yantra that has been protecting you all this while.'

Smiling like a God himself, ' So, you see, Madhu has been protecting you and watching over you all these years through that talisman and through her Dada.'

The circle that had been broken now closed itself and would remain forever unbroken and unblemished. The time has come now for the weak and broken to stand strong as one and take on all that is dark and wrong in their lives.

Only when we step into the darkness do we see what light, hope, and faith really mean?

The souls who went into the dark and came back as light bearers armed with love and devotion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakshineswar_Kali_Temple

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IVW9Ddq_Z8

On a basic level, maybe all of us on the path were the same; perhaps we were all looking for something. Looking back, looking forward, or just looking for something that was missing. Drawn to the edge, a strip of wilderness where we could be free to let the answers come, or not, to find a way of accepting life, our life, whatever that was. Were we searching this narrow margin between the land and sea for another way of being, becoming edgelanders along the way? Stuck between one world and the next. Walking a thin line between tame and wild, lost and found, life and death. At the edge of existence. Raynor Winn. The salt path.

The prose is not prose but poetry. The poetry is not just poetry but life and its trespassers. I think it captures everything a mortal human experiences in one brief journey. A cosmic moment in an eternal eternity of its existence. To fathom the unfathomable.