From & To Sathish #5 - Page 22

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

*உண்மையில் வர்ணாஸ்ரமம் சொல்வது என்ன??*

பிராமணன் தலையில் பிறந்தான்..

ஷத்ரியன் தோளில் பிறந்தான்..

வைசியன் தொடையில் பிறந்தான்..

சூத்திரன் பாதத்தில் பிறந்தான்..

என்று சமஸ்கிருதம் தெரியாத நாத்திகர்கள் வேதங்களை தூற்றுகின்றனர்.. பொய்யை பலமுறை சொல்லிச் சொல்லி அதை உண்மை போல் உளருகிறார்கள்...

ஆனால் உண்மை என்ன..??

புருஷ சூக்தத்தில் வரும் ஸ்லோகம் சொல்வது இதுதான்..

பிராமணஸ்ய முகமாஸீத், பாஹூ ராஜன்ய: க்ருத: ஊரு ததஸ்ய யத்வைஸ்ய:, பத்ப்யாகும் சூத்ரோ அஜாயத

இந்த வரிகளுக்கு அர்த்தம் யாதெனில்..

பிராமணணுக்கு முகமே பலம்..

வேதம் ஓதும் பிராமணன் முக லக்ஷணத்தோடு விளங்கவேண்டும். மேலும் தன் வாயால் நல்லாசி வழங்கவும். நல் உபதேசம் செய்யவும், நல் மந்திரம் உச்சாடனம் செய்யவும் முகமே துணை...

இதனால் பிராமணணுக்கு முக பலம் தேவை. எனவே, பிராமணன் முகத்தில் பிறந்தான் என்பது தவறு..

ஷத்திரியனுக்கு தோள் பலம் தேவை..

ஷத்திரியன் வாள் கொண்டு எதிரிகளிடம் இருந்து மக்களை காப்பாற்றவும், பாதுகாக்கவும், வறியவர்களுக்கு கொடை அளித்து ஆதரிக்கவும் ..தோள் பலம் கொண்ட கரங்கள் தேவை.. எனவே, ஷத்திரியன் தோளில் பிறந்தான் என்பது தவறு...

வைசியன் உட்கார்ந்த நிலையில் வியாபாரம் செய்பவன்... எனவே வியாபாரம் செய்யவும், கணக்கு வழக்குகளை பார்க்கவும் வைசியனுக்கு தொடை பலம் மிக்கதாக விளங்க வேண்டும்.

எனவே வைசியன் இடுப்பில் பிறந்தான் என்பது தவறு...

சூத்திரன் உழவு செய்பவன்... உழவு செய்பவனுக்கு கால் பலம் தேவை. கால்கள் பலமாக இருந்தால் தான் பயிரிடவும் விவசாயத்தை பராமரிக்கவும் முடியும்... எனவே சூத்திரன் காலில் பிறந்தான் என்பது தவறு..

மேலே குறிப்பிட்ட ரிக் வேதத்தின் புருஷ சூக்தத்தில் ஜாதி என்பதே எங்குமே வரவில்லை..என்பதே உண்மை..

இதில் பிறப்பு என்ற சொல் எங்கே வந்தது? பிறப்பினால் யாரும் எதையும் அடைய முடியாது..

வாய்க்கு வந்ததை சொல்லிவிட்டு.. தமக்கு தோன்றியதை அர்த்தம் புகட்டிவிட்டு... முட்டாள் மாணவனாக இருந்து விட்டு ஆசிரியரை குறை சொல்லி என்ன பயன்...

பிறப்பால் வர்ணங்கள் இல்லை – என்றே சொல்கிறது மனு தர்மம்:

ஆனாக இந்த பொய்யர்கள் மனு தர்மம் தவறாக சொல்கிறது என்று பொய்யாக விமர்சிக்கிறார்கள்..

மனுதர்ம ஸ்லோகம் சொல்வது என்ன...

ஜன்மனா ஜாயதே சூத்ர: கர்மணா த்விஜ ஜாயதே

அதாவது பிறப்பால் அனைவரும் சூத்திரர்களே...

தொழிலினால் தான் இரு பிறப்பாளராகின்றனர் (துவீஜம்).

இரு பிறப்பாளர் என்பது வேத காலத்தில், முதல் மூன்று வர்ணங்களைக் குறித்தது...

இங்கே தான் பிறப்பு என்ற சொல் வருகிறது..

ஜன்மனா – பிறப்பால்;

ஜாயதே – பிறந்த அனைவரும்;

சூத்ர – சூத்திரரே;

கர்மணா – தான் மேற்கொண்ட பணிக்குட்பட்டு;

த்விஜ – இருபிறப்பாளனாக;

ஜாயதே – பிறப்பாளன் ஆகிறான்.

செய்யும் தொழில் தான் ஒருவரை அடையாளம் காண்கிறது... பிறப்பு எப்படி வேண்டுமானாலும் இருக்கலாம்

இதையே திருவள்ளுவர் சொல்கிறார்..

பிறப்பொக்கும் எல்லா உயிர்க்கும் சிறப்பொவ்வா

செய்தொழில் வேற்றுமை யான்

இதன் பொருள்: எல்லா உயிர்க்கும் பிறப்பு ஒருத்தன்மையானதே, அவரவர் செய்கின்ற தொழில்களின் அடிப்படையில் ..தொழில்களின் வேறுபாடுகளால்.. சிறப்பியல்பான குணம்/character/வர்ணம்) ஒத்திருப்பதில்லை...

இரண்டு வரிகளுள்ள திருக்குறளையே சரியாகப் படித்து, பொருள் கூற இயலாதவர்கள்.., சமஸ்கிருத ஸ்லோகங்களுக்கு தங்கள் விருப்பப்படி, பொருள் கூறி, தானும் குழம்பி... பிறரையும் குழப்புகின்றனர்...

நாத்திகவாதிகளால் காலம் காலமாக வர்ணாஸ்ரமம் திரித்து சொல்லப்பட்டு வருவதை நினைவில் நாம் கொள்ள வேண்டும்...

உண்மைகளை எளிதில் மறைத்துவிட முடியாது...

காலகாலமாக செய்து வரும் செய்தொழில் அடிப்படையில் உண்டானதே அர்ச்சகர், ஆசாரி, கொல்லர், குயவர் மீனவர் ..

இவை நாட்பட்ட காலங்களில் மருவி பல ஜாதிகள் இதன் அடிப்படையில் உருவானது...

இப்படி உருவான ஜாதிகள் ஏன் எதற்கு எப்படி உண்டானவை என்பதை நாம் சரியாக புரிந்து கொள்ள முயற்சிக்காமல் விட்டு விட்டதே... இந்த சனாதனத்தை திரித்து பேசும் எதிரிகளுக்கு வாய்ப்பாக அமைந்து விட்டது..

சனாதன அடிப்படை தாத்பரியத்தை தெளிவாக புரிந்து கொண்டால் நமக்குள் இருக்கும் வேறுபாடுகள் உணரப்பட்டு களையப்பட்டு ஒற்றுமை உண்டாகும்....

*சனாதன தர்மம் என்று அழைக்கப்படும் அர்த்தமும் இதுவே.. பாரபட்சம் தர்மத்தில் இருக்க முடியுமா.. சிந்தித்து செயலாற்றுவோம்...*

Avan, Aval, Adhu 67

People have become very difficult to talk to and wondering why that was, I asked myself the question, and yes, I got the answer and they were ugly, to say the least. Not even " borderline ugly but downright ugly" and the reasons were my own intolerance, impatience, inability, impertinence and all of it bordered with Impudence and collectively best described in one word "EGO."

Having come face to face with this reality about myself I decided that I would henceforth keep shut my Ego and its tool ( mouth) and would use the other sense more, mind and its tool( hearing).

F..k, I scared myself silly when I saw for myself that the others of my bipedal tribe were a lot worse than me in the EGO department and now that I spoke less and tried to hear more and understand more, I found my ears bleeding from all the verbal assault of inane conversations with inane people.

So, EGO, I Go or You Go. If that didn't make sense, sorry I will try to explain it in a simpler way and that is " Keep all the senses shut and wear a stupid and dumb smile." Always and especially when among people and peers.

A simple conversation over a simple matter, you find much to your horror soon descends into a " Neeya, naana, Oru kai paathurdlaa" kind of debate, argument and fight and that too among close friends. Not anymore and just because a point made, or an opinion openly declared or a position about politics and its status revealed and in the sanctity of trust and faith.

Ravi Kumar followed her into the room and Gayatri asked him, ' What are you doing sitting outside and why did you leave?'

' To give you privacy' Ravi replied casually and she looked at him, ' For what' and slightly bewildered by the question, he hesitated and replied, ' I don't know. For everything I guess.'

Her face was still damp after she had washed it and the smell of toothpaste was heavy and she blew at him, ' Boss, I went to the loo to brush my teeth and wash my face...'

Lost and totally clueless he stared at her and she stared at him for a few moments and then asked, ' You are not getting it, Right?'

He shook his head and repeated her, ' Right' and added, ' I did the right thing, right. I always do that and even at home when amma goes to the bathroom.'

She looked at him as if he was an alien and said deliberately, ' Hence the door' and pointing to the bathroom door, ' that door, I mean the doors that separate in and out and offering privacy.'

Ravi smiled brightly and said, ' okay. I get you but do you get me.'

Gayatri put her hands on her hips and looked at him and asked, ' what, get what. what am I supposed to get from you?'

' Exactly the same what I am supposed to get from you, Gayatri.'

She looked and he looked back and finally, she backed down and asked, ' Please, make your point clearly so that I get it.'

Ravi nodded shyly, ' I think when a person goes to the loo, it is better to give them privacy to do their thing. I learnt this when I was very young and decided that very moment that I would do that and have been doing that.'

She threw her hands up in the air, ' do what and been doing what?'

Ravi whispered, ' It is just that when a person goes to a loo, it could mean many things and it is better to give them a wide berth and also do their thing in peace, just in case' and he looked at her uncomfortably and said, ' just in case they need to take a dump.'

' whaatt? Dump what?'

Ravi by unable to hold back his laughter, ' I don't mean you, I mean it is not about you but my dad who would f..t loudly while in the loo and I found that unbearable.'

He gave her a pathetic look and said, ' Only if I am there will I be forced to hear them. So.....' pointing to the door, ' I left.'

She folded her hands across her chest and stepped closer to him and asked him threateningly, ' so, you mean to say that I f..t loudly and hence you gave me a wide berth.'

' I didn't say that' Ravi hurriedly protested and then seeing the twinkle in her eyes smiled and she joined him bursting out and both laughed and laughed their hearts out.

Wiping the tears from her eyes and still laughing, ' Man, you are the most polite human being I have ever met. I have never heard a person give such a reason or excuse for their action before this moment.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS_dFPW0HPA

Vaanathai Pola 372

The call with his boss V.k.singh over, Raman looked at Kavita's parents Minister Duraipandi Arumugam and Sharadha Arumugam that he had to leave and that the discussion about Radha Krishnan and Kavita would have to wait for another day.

Chennai Commissioner Vishwanathan knew the situation was grave and he looked at Raman whose face had turned grim with worry and also anger and asked him what was going on.

Raman looked at him and Kavita's parents and said, ' A plane has been hijacked and it is heading to our airport' and pointing to his phone, ' that was my boss V.k who ordered me to rush to the airport immediately and take over this new assignment.'

He looked at them again, ' I am sorry but I have to leave now. I bet both of you will be soon appraised about this new situation soon enough. But until then, keep it yourselves.'

Saying bye, Raman rushed to his car and his convoy sped towards the airport.

Minister Duraipandi Arumugam looked at the Commissioner and asked him if he would be getting involved in the situation concerning the hijacked plane.

Commissioner Vishwanathan shook his head, ' it is up to Delhi and the Airport Authority of India and the South zone airport security police chief and that means DIG Sam Selvakumar, IPS.'

Turning to Kavita's parents, he smiled, ' at least Raman cleared one problem and the doubts we had about this stranger Radha Krishnan and assured us that he is a person who could be trusted and poses no danger to either Kavita and you both. So, that is one problem of the table.'

' Sir, I wish I could stay longer but with this new situation in the airport, I am sure I will be called in to lend a helping hand and I better leave and get ready for it.'

Sharadha Arumugam looked at both men and spoke worriedly, ' Paavam, Raman. He just landed in Chennai to spend time with his wife and babies and already he has been summoned away with this new problem and that too a hijacking.'

' Commissioner sir, hijackers are usually bad people and dangerous criminals illiya?'

Commissioner Vishwanathan did not answer and just nodded and left them to worry on their own for he now had his city of Chennai to worry about and he had a good reason for that.

That reason was the September 11 attacks, often referred to as 9/11, which were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the militant Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda against the United States of America on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. and which were still fresh in everyone's minds.

He came out of the Minister's house and nearly jumped a few feet in the air as a plane roared overhead towards the not too distant Menambakkam airport.

' God have mercy on us for only he can save us from such a disaster happening in our city' he thought to himself and getting into his vehicle asked the driver to use the beacon and get to the police headquarters as fast as possible.

Meanwhile, Raman made two calls, one to his team and major Param and informed them of the hijacked plane coming towards Chennai and asked them to be ready to rush to the airport if needed and the next call was to Jeeva.

Jeeva answered and asked him if he was on his way back home and Raman replied he was not.

' Why, are you still stuck in your army base?

' No, Jeeva, I am on my way to the airport.'

' Airport. Why? Are you flying out, leaving again?'

' No. Something else. A new problem concerning a hijacked plane.'

He thought he heard her whimper in fear and he quickly added, ' baby, please keep it to yourself. I told you so that you will understand the reason for me not coming home tonight or... But, don't share it with our parents for it will be an unnecessary burden for them.'

' Ram, please, be careful, baby. I love you. I love you so much. We all love you so much. Please remember that and come back safely.'

' I will Jeeva and I love you too. Bye.'

Vaanathai Pola 373

“Due to the monstrous activity of a handful of extremists, the majority of the human society has been conditioned to believe that the term 'musalman' is somehow synonymous with terrorism. But the reality is, the term 'musalman' refers to someone with 'musallam iman,' which means, a pure conscience. Thus any individual whose conscience is pure and clear, is a musalman or Muslim, regardless of socio-religious background. Likewise, any human being who loves his or her neighbour is a Christian. Hence, scriptures can't define your religion, only your actions with other people do.” ― Abhijit Naskar

In the twenty minutes, it took Raman's convoy to reach the entrance of Anna International airport terminal 3 meant for arrivals it seemed to him that the word might have gotten out that the city was in some kind of imminent danger. Traffic began to lighten up from the Guindy bridge and the reason for that was that they were being diverted into other arterial roads of Chennai Raman saw and this helped his convoy of vehicles to race towards the airport at great speed.

Just as they reached the airport, Raman saw that the whole area was now swamped with men from the various law enforcement agencies and almost all of them were armed with machine guns. His vehicle was stopped and after a quick word with someone, the man in the rank of an Assistant Commissioner saluted him and whispered, ' They are waiting for you, sir.'

Raman nodded and then it just took seconds for his vehicle to race towards Terminal 3 and saw a short, stout man dressed in a blue blazer, blue shirt and grey pants run towards him with his hand out.

Raman took it and shook it and the man introduced himself, ' Sir, I am Sharad Kumar, the director of this Airport. Sanjeev saab informed me that you will be heading this situation and has ordered me to provide you all the assistance that you will need.'

' Thank you, Mr Sharad' and pointing to his mobile, said ' just a moment please' and slowly walked away to a secluded spot and spoke to his boss who answered immediately

' Raman, have you reached the airport?'

' Yes sir. I am here.'

' Okay son, all the best.'

' Sir, I feel that all aircraft have to be grounded immediately until this situation is over and resolved in the proper manner.'

V.k.Singh gasped, ' what do you mean by those words? do you really mean that? But why such an extreme measure without even knowing fully well what your situation is?'

' Sir, do you want to be the one left holding the pan after the s..t has hit the ceiling?'

V.K.Singh tried hard to find the right words and finally said, ' quickly and briefly.'

Raman laid out the situation very quickly and briefly.

' Sir, Sept 11, 2001, twin tower attacks. But they were not the only planes to crash into America. Have you forgotten that other two passenger jets, one which crashed into Langley, headquarters of CIA while the other crashed just outside Washington and that too because of the brave passengers on board who fought valiantly with the four terrorists and tried to take back control but lost the fight and crashed in a field outside New Jersey? Imagine that flight and think about the consequences if it had flown on towards its destination, the White house.'

V.k.Singh cursed again and again and then said, ' Raman, find a secure spot for I am going to call in a few minutes and you will have to explain all this to him, the man himself.

Raman said okay and quickly walked towards The Airport director Sharad Kumar and said, ' ground all flights and divert all those who are coming in to other airports nearby.'

Chennai Airport director Sharad Kumar stood stunned on hearing this command from Raman and he mumbled, ' But that is impossible, Raman.'

Raman shook his head and asked him for a totally secure room with video conferencing capabilities and Sharad Kumar nodded and asking him to follow, led Raman to his office and through it to a small room which was dominated by a large led screen and huge speakers.

The screen flickered into light and at the same time, the door opened and DIG Sam Selvan walked in and joined both of them.

Raman had thought for a moment that it would be Sanjeev Kumar, IAS, Director General of Civil Aviation who he would be dealing with but he thought wrong and so did the other two.

The screen came to light and into life as The Prime Minister Of India, Shri Narendra Modi's face filled it and the room and he greeted Raman, ' Raman sir. Namaste. So, we meet again in a difficult situation and as always you are at the head of the class.'

Raman saluted and the other two followed quickly and Prime Minister Modi wished the other two and his eyes bored in on Raman.

' Raman sir, What are you thinking? Please, don't mince anything and tell me what you are thinking right now?'

Vaanathai Pola 374

Raman turned and requested both the Airport director Sharad Kumar and DIG Sam Selvakumar to wait outside and when both hesitated, Prime minister Modi himself told them in a grim voice, ' leave the room as Raman as asked you to do and also please remember to do whatever he tells you to do and that is a direct order from me. Am I making myself clear?'

Both the men fled the room leaving Raman staring at Prime minister Modi who smiled encouragingly, ' relax young man. All is not lost. You are right there in the middle of this problem and that gives me great confidence that you will resolve the matter as soon as possible.'

Raman thanked him and then plunged right into the situation. ' Sir, this Qantas flight is going to reach our shores any moment. We don't have time to think, plan and execute but only time to protect, defend and err on the side of caution. The first course of action on your part is to launch our fighter jets immediately and surround the plane and also ask all our border forces to go to level one.'

' Why, Raman? Why are you suggesting this extreme course of action?'

' Sir, like I said it is better to err on the side of caution and be safe. Sir, do you want to wait and watch and make moves as the situation develops or do you want to be ready for any eventualities. What if this is not just one plane heading towards our nation and what if there are other planes heading towards other targets like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkota? What if each of them is carrying bombs and I am stopping myself from speculating any further than that.'

Prime Minister Modi closed his eyes for a second and then opened them and appeared to press a button in front of him and he spoke clearly but very briefly.

' You heard the man. Raise our security level to Category one and start intense patrolling on all our borders both by our fighter jets and our troops on the ground. All naval forces should go on high alert and be ready for any eventualities.'

He looked at Raman, ' that was easily done but now tell me what you are really thinking.'

' Sir, this flight took from Canberra and made just one stop in Singapore and then took off for its non-stop flight to London. But something happened and what that is we have no clue as of now because the plane is in complete radio silence. My bet is that it has been hijacked and I think I may know who might be behind this evil act.'

Prime Minister Modi appeared startled but asked in a calm voice, ' Who Raman?'

' Who else, sir but Al-queda and their Southeast Asian partners? Either Abu Sayyaf or Jemaah Islamiyah and both are as bad as Al-queda and ISIl.'

Prime Minister Modi who had been largely quiet until then now asked Raman the most important question pertaining to the situation.

' Raman, if the plane has indeed been hijacked but Muslim Terrorists, then why are they not heading towards a country that would be convenient for them and which might in fact welcome them with open arms. Why not fly on to either Iran, Somalia, Syria or Iraq and why are they heading towards us, Chennai?'

Days on end with little sleep and after having spent nearly the whole day racking his brains with the case of the missing Brigadier Prakash Malhotra, fatigue finally began to lay its hands on Raman who sighed tiredly and replied to the Prime Minister.

' I really don't know sir. I am sorry but that is the truth. I don't know and the best part is we know nothing about what is going on in that plane right now and all we can do is prepare and do our best.'

Prime Minister Modi smiled, ' That is all I ask of you and the others who work for our nation. Give your best and the results will happen by themselves.'

Removing his glasses, he wiped his eyes and said, ' I will be in touch. Don't worry about our borders for I am sure that they will be well protected. The aviation minister has already issued an order to all flight operators to get in touch with their planes and report back ASAP. So, you see, things are being taken care of as you have requested and now it is my request that you take it easy and do your best. Jai Hind.

Raman saluted him and said, ' Jai Hind.'

Prime Minister's majestic face disappeared from the screen and the very next moment there was a knock on the door and Airport director Sharad Kumar entered and was followed by a tall white male in a grey suit.

Raman took one look at the man and his expensively tailored suit and knew that he must be the British Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai, representing the UK in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

The man stepped forward and introduced himself, ' I am Oliver Ballhatchet.'

Raman shook his hand and said, ' I am Raman from Raw (Research and Analysis Wing).'

Deputy High Commissioner Oliver Ballhatchet tried flashing a warm smile and failing miserably, said, ' I don't know about Mr Raman but I am really scared and worried. I just got off the phone with Prime Minister Boris Johnson who himself had just gotten off the phone with the Queen herself.'

Wringing his hands desperately, he mumbled, ' Christ have mercy on us.'

Airport director Sharad Kumar's mobile phone screamed its ringtone, a hit song from the 1970s and the song was from a popular Hindi film "Hum Kisi Se Kam Nahin."

Bachna ae haseeno lo main aa gaya

Hey bachna ae haseeno lo main aa gaya

Husn ka aashiq, husn ka dushman

Apni adaa hai yaaron se judaa hey ho!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsjLQOco35U

Avan, Aval, Adhu 68

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” Rumi

barrier- an object that keeps people or things separate or prevents them from moving from one place to another. The word has its origins from an from Old French barriere which also meant "obstacle, gatekeeper."

We all have barriers. Hidden and out in the open. Subtle and some in your face. But what about those hidden barriers between friends, family and yes, lovers, partners. It is true and they are there. We all have barriers, mostly invisible ones that we put up to protect ourselves.

Me, in the beginning, because of my low self-esteem and other complexes that I developed during my childhood. Some have been broken down by my own hands and others by them, others who cared enough to take time to break down my barriers with patience and tolerance.

But, I am sorry to say that barriers between souls and minds will always be there, hidden, invisible and sometimes the gatekeeper does not realize that he or she needs to open the gates to let help, to let love flood in. Easier said than done for the known world sometimes is more bearable than an unknown world.

Gayatri pointed to the paper that Ravi was holding, ' Did I hear you right when you mentioned, about someone getting into the papers?'

Ravi Kumar smiled happily and pointed to her and Gayatri stared at him and he explained, ' You, you have made it in the " Madurai Talk" newspaper and I am sure that soon there will be more newspapers lining up to talk to you.'

Gayatri's stare that had reflected confusion now slowly froze with fear and her eyes filled with dread and her lips moved and said, ' No, Ravi. I don't want to be interviewed and I don't want my name or face in the paper.'

She hurriedly grabbed his hands and began to plead. ' Ravi, I don't know what you are going to do it or how you are going to manage it but you will do it. You will put an end to this news from spreading anymore.'

Ravi looked at her for a few seconds and said, ' Okay, sure. If that's what you want. But, the news has already spread and there is little that I can do to stop it now.'

She looked at him angrily but Ravi smiled placatingly, ' You are a journalist yourself. So, you should know better how news works and how it spreads. I have not spoken about it to anyone other than my mother. But, I cannot say the same when it comes to all the children who were there when you nearly died rescuing the two kids and in whose eyes you are a hero now. A real hero, not a reel one.'

Ravi saw that his pacifying explanation did not appear to have the effect that he had intended it to have on her and so, he told her, ' I will do my best to stop this news from spreading and I have some friends in the media who might help me out in this matter.'

Placing a gentle hand on her head, ' Please, stop worrying and stressing yourself about this anymore. I will take care of it. Promise.'

Gayatri smiled and slowly circled him with her arms and laid her head on his chest and stayed there and after a few seconds whispered, ' I don't know why but I feel comfortable, protected when you are around and I get this feeling of going back home, to those times, good old times before my mother passed away.'

Ravi stood in silence and together they stood in quiet and with barriers between themselves.

After a few moments, Gayatri stepped back and sitting on the bed looked at him with admiration, ' see, this is why I like you and respect you so much and also why I find you so incredible.'

Ravi looked at her with a curious expression, ' why?'

' I told you that I wanted the news about me saving the kids not to be spread anymore and I said that pretty angrily knowing very well that you would not have had anything to do with it appearing in the paper today.'

She looked at him and her voice softened, ' yet, you said nothing. Showed no reaction and simply agreed to do what I wanted and all of that with your usual grace and kindness.'

Ravi Kumar looked at her and tried to say something but Gayatri stopped him, ' But more than anything, you are such a kind and decent man that you did not ask even one question or show any interest as to why I did not want this news to spread anymore. Most people, including me, if they happened to be in your position would have immediately protested and asked me the reason behind my anger and discomfort about my name or any news appearing in the paper. They and I would have been justified if they had asked why for it is only perfectly natural and yet you didn't.'

Ravi looked at her and winked naughtily and asked, ' so, you mean I am an unnatural person? An Abnormal person?'

Gayatri did not smile and replied in a serious tone, ' neither for you are a supernatural person.'

Ravi frowned and made a sad expression, ' I would have preferred abnormal and unnatural to supernatural for that means I am some sort of spirit, ghost, alien or worse a witch.'

' No, Ravi. Check your dictionary for the word supernatural also means divine and Godly.'

Vaanathai Pola 375

Raman along with Airport director Sharad Kumar raced towards the Air traffic control tower which would give them a vantage point to observe the plane in great detail.

Chennai is the home to India's biggest air traffic control (ATC) centre. The ATC tower is located at the Air Traffic Services Complex. There are two radars in Chennai—the mono-pulse secondary surveillance radar at Porur and the Chennai Westing House (terminal) radar. Advanced surface movement guidance and control system has been introduced in the ATC tower.

Chennai is among the four flight information centres in the country besides Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, and the Chennai ATC has Hyderabad, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram and Bangalore under its control. Besides the two radars in Chennai, radar systems in Mangaluru, Bangalore, Bangalore HAL, Shamshabad (Hyderabad), Bellary and Thiruvananthapuram are included in the new system. With the advanced integrated radar technology, ATC in Chennai now has the entire South Indian region on its radar screens, mainly

co-ordinating flight movements above 26,000 to 46,000 ft.

Chennai airport has two runways—the 3,662 m (12,014 ft) long primary runway No 07/25 (North-east – South-west orientation) and the 2,925 m (9,596 ft) long secondary runway No 12/30 (North-west – South-east orientation). Approach lights include CAT-1 category at runway 07 and CAT-1 type at runway 25 for 510 m. Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI)-type landing aids are available in all the runways.

The moment the elevator doors opened into the control tower, Raman yelled loudly as he entered, ' current course and heading.'

The nerdy-looking young man adjusted his reading glasses and answered, ' Same. No course correction and heading straight towards us.'

' F..K' Raman cursed loudly and then all of them gasped in shock as the speakers in the control tower came to life and a voice came through it and it was heard by all of them loudly and clearly.

' Good evening, Chennai tower. Landing Instructions please.'

Everybody looked at Raman who gestured quietly to the nerdy looking guy to proceed as usual and he did.

' Qantas flight 32, please land at your discretion on runway No 07/25 (North-east – South-west orientation). The PAPI (Precision Approach Path Indicator) lights are on and they should be visible to you right now.'

The person in the plane spoke, ' Thank you. I see them.'

Raman bent over the man's shoulder in an attempt to speak to the man who was flying the massive plan but he was beaten to it as the man himself spoke.

' I am going to say this just once for I hate repeating myself. No one will approach or make any foolhardy attempts to approach the plane for that will put all of us in danger and you will only yourself to blame for the consequences of your own actions. The plane will land and will remain parked on the runway so that it can give us a clear view in all directions.'

The speakers fell quiet and then they crackled with static and the same person spoke again, ' I hope I have made myself clear. I will get in touch after putting the plane down and we will take it from there. Over and out.'

Everybody in the control room turned to their head and stared at him for directions and were not disappointed for Raman's brain had already processed the voice and the information that he could glean from it.

He clapped his hands loudly, ' Get that voice recording sent to RAW immediately and ask them to process it as quickly as possible.'

Taking his mobile phone out, he called his boss V.K.Singh and informed him that he was e-mailing the voice of the hijacker and wanted their best man on it the moment it reached him.

V.K.Singh sighed, ' done, but I am sure that you have made some assumptions by now. Tell me about them, Raman.'

' Sir, male of unknown origin. Age between 30 and 40. Highly educated from the way he spoke English fluently. Calm, cool and methodical and sadly totally in control. I found no wavering in his voice and that means the hijackers are well set and have a game plan in play.'

' In a nutshell, Raman.'

Raman smiled, ' Not someone we want to f..k around and definitely not our garden variety terrorists. Sorry sir but this is going to be a very tricky and difficult crisis and they have the lead and all we can do is follow.'

' Okay, Raman. Keep me updated.'

' will do sir. I think the action will start after the plane has landed.'

' I trust you Raman and I know that you are the best man we have for this crisis. All the best, son.'

Placing the mobile phone on a table nearby, Raman turned to the Airport director Sharad Kumar and asked him if all the security arrangements were in place.

' Yes sir. The entire CISF team ( Central Industrial Security Force) along with three dog squads have formed a perimeter around the airport. More commando team will be arriving any moments.'

Raman thanked him and then all of their eyes stared at the gigantic Qantas32 A380 plane with total concentration as it began its descent into Chennai and onto long primary runway No 07/25.

The Boeing 737 is your most common and popular commercial plane in the world right now. So, I bet you that it is in that you would have flown the most across cities and countries. This model can seat between 120 to 215 passengers comfortably.

Now with that thought in mind, think again when you see an A380 flight live and in real-time. 215 passengers vs 800 passengers. Twin jet engines vs four jet engines. 737's maximum takeoff weight is about 79 tonnes while the A380's is 575 tonnes.

Raman and the others gasped in awe as the giant Qantas A380 plane slowly descended and began to grow and grow in size and soon it filled their eyes and Airport director Sharad Kumar observed loudly, ' This airport was not built to handle such large Code F planes.'

Raman quickly glanced at him, ' what do you mean by that?'

' Planes as large as this model A380 and a variant of Boeing 747 that the Chinese President Xi Jinping and his delegation arrived here back in 2019 make life miserable for us due to their large wingspans. The Chinese premier's flight was given special arrangements but that was only for him.'

Pointing to the plane that stood like a mountain in the middle of the runway, ' look at the wingspan of that plan and see how it juts out into the taxiway where commonly you will have planes lining up one after another to take off and with that monster out there, entire schedules will have to be changed and most airports and airlines prefer that.'

Raman stood absorbing all the information that Airport director Sharad Kumar had just given him and pushing it aside, pointed to the runway and asked, ' Mr Sharad, how long is that runway and how much runway does that large plane require to land?'

The airport director Sharad Kumar whistled loudly, ' Bravo, boss. You are eyes and your brain are really something. Here I was seeing all that you saw and missed that.'

Raising a binoculars to his eyes, he shook his head, ' that guy in the cockpit must be some sort of an ace in flying. A genius even' and saying that he looked at Raman, ' Sir, the pilot landed that plane using the same amount of Runway that a smaller Boeing 737 uses and he appears to have done it rather beautifully.'

Raman picked up his mobile and called V.K.Singh, ' sir, the plane is down and parked on the runway.'

' But that is not the reason you called, is it?'

' No, it isn't. Sir, the pilot is good and maybe the best in the business. That is rather a rare find in the terrorist groups we know of and have been dealing with.'

' what is on your mind, Raman?'

' Sir, what is there is somebody else behind all this, some country with an agenda and who stand to gain by this hijacking?'

' Maybe or maybe not. What if it is just a rogue, a traitor who has joined hands with the terrorists or someone who is just doing it for money?'

' Money sir' Raman exclaimed and added, ' you think money is the motive here?'

' Raman, the plane is full of rich and powerful people and not to forget the family members of the British monarchy who are on board. So, there is no problem when it comes to money if that is what it boils down to in the end. Patience please and we will know more as the situation develops.'

He coughed loudly and for a long time and then with laboured breathing, said ' oh, one more thing. I and the defence minister are flying down and we will be there in a couple of hours.'

' sir, you are not well. I know it and so do everyone in our department. Then why...?'

V.K.Singh chuckled, ' “Once more into the fray, into the last good fight I’ll ever know. Live and die on this day, live and die on this day.”

The speakers crackled into life and the voice spoke again and Raman hurriedly told his boss V.K.Singh to hang on and turned his full attention to the voice.

' Good evening. Hello again. This message is to the gentleman who is there in the Air traffic control tower right now and whose name is Raman. We know that you are the lead in this situation and we would like to talk to you directly. Face to face. Please come to the plane immediately. Alone and unarmed. Bye.'

https://simpleflying.com/airbus-a380-vs-boeing-737/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdls9UUlCPc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK5atir8_Uc

Avan, Aval, Adhu 69

I think a lot. Mostly, a blank state, slates even to fill up with meaning. About life and how it happened and then how it diversified. A few around me, who I have to say are much happier and content than me, tell me, ' O..A, Don't you have a better job to do other than sit around thinking about F..king useless things.'

I don't answer anymore. I stopped answering a long time ago. Now, it is just a nod of acknowledgement that works both ways. Nod as if to say okay and satisfy their need to tell me what is right for me and what wrong I am doing. A nod that tells me not to stop and keep on keeping on.

Life started on this planet many billions of years ago and started as a single cell. God cell I call that and maybe even the Eden cell. All was well in one cell and then Eden decided that it wanted variety, action and so split into two. If you have guessed Adam and Eve, you go to the top of the class. Well, Eden cell, God cell wanted to watch po.n action I guess and so Adam cell and Eve cell went at it and soon all their sex and reproduction led to more and more cells and they in turn split up, diversified and then a Human happened.

Not that humans today are not thinking about action, po.n, adam and eve or eves even. But something happened along the way, people. Something happened after they got bored of banging each other and they felt the tug, the whisper of the God cell and the call to Eden.

' Home. Come back home.'

Have you felt it? I felt it, feel it and will continue to feel it. What? The split. The split that took place and that urge to be complete again and be rejoined in one piece. I can best describe it using one English word. Yearning.

Yearning is a feeling of intense longing for something.

“I know I am but summer to your heart,

And not the full four seasons of the year;

And you must welcome from another part

Such noble moods as are not mine, my dear.

No gracious weight of golden fruits to sell

Have I, nor any wise and wintry thing;

And I have loved you all too long and well

To carry still the high sweet breast of Spring.

Wherefore I say: O love, as summer goes,

I must be gone, steal forth with silent drums,

That you may hail anew the bird and rose

When I come back to you, as summer comes.

Else will you seek, at some not distant time,

Even your summer in another clime.”

― Edna St. Vincent Millay, Collected Poems

Their conversation was broken by the sudden opening of the door and both were surprised to see the chief nurse Sarojini Anandhan enter with a tray in her hand. The tray held just two ceramic cups and saucers and a large flask of coffee.

Ravi stepped back from the bed allowing her more space to place the tray on the table near the bed Gayatri was sitting in and after she had done that, Gayatri asked her why she had troubled herself over such a trivial task when there were others to do it.

' There is nothing trivial about this and not when it concerns you both' and with that said, she turned and looked at Ravi with new eyes.

' Look at you, all humble and peaceful and standing there with your hands folded across your chest as if you are a nobody.'

She wagged her finger at him and then told Gayatri, ' this simple and humble man who is standing before us has single-handedly over the past ten to fifteen years created more than 52 doctors and none of them is from the field of medicine. Although dozens of them who are doctors and engineers are students who passed out from his school and who bloomed under his guidance.'

' Holy Christ' Saro said and then quickly crossed herself and prayed, ' Christ have mercy on the blasphemous soul an forgive me for using your name in vain.'

Gayatri looked at Ravi, ' That is why they call you master sir where ever you go?'

Ravi smiled casually, ' I still call the remaining members of all my faculty members, Teacher and Master. Once a teacher always a teacher.'

Gayatri asked Head nurse Saro as to how she had suddenly found out so much about Ravi and Saro told her that she had accidentally overheard a few nurses and duty doctors discussing him and his numerous achievements.

Saro looked at Ravi, ' master sir, then we have our lady here who is pretending that she is a nobody when she, in fact, is a somebody and that too world-famous when it comes to photography and articles concerning India's vanishing heritage.'

Ravi looked at Gayatri who shyly averting her gaze whispered, ' please, my work is nothing compared to what master has done and is still doing. No comparsion at all.'

' You mean to say that winning a Rolex award in 2015 for your work in Assam about vanishing tribes and their traditions is nothing' Saro exclaimed loudly and Gayatri nodded.

' yes, nothing when compared to what this man has done and is doing. Which is Educating children and through that precious act, gifting knowledge and the power of freedom for every child to think and act and become what their hearts desire.'

Saro nodded and then both women put their hands together and clapped and said, ' Happy Teachers day, master sir.'