*From & To Sathish* - Thread 4 - Page 142

Vaanathai Pola 285

No one thought to stop the person called Radha Krishnan as he entered the hospital and made his way to the elevators even though visiting hours were over for the morning as it was well known by everybody in the hospital that he and the beautiful lady in the room of the patient called Rajashekar Varman were guests of Dr Girija Padmanabhan and were there to assist her and that meant he and Shinogai were exempt from almost all the rules that were laid down for those who were visiting the hospital.

Radhu entered the room and Shinogai nearly leaped up like a cat from the bed on which she had been sitting in and quickly hugged him and kissed him softly on both his cheeks and then slowly pushed him away and keeping him at her arms length, stood gazing at him.

' Ayan, what is going on? what is this change in you?'

' lots and some very bad and some good and some a bit out of my own understanding.'

He pecked both her cheeks tenderly and then went to his aunt, Dr Girija who too hugged him and stood hugging him, refusing to let go.

Her head resting on his chest, she said, ' Radhu, the more I see of you, the more I see my Raja in you. From those subtle mannerisms, the way you cock your head when thinking and even the tone and sound of your voice, reminds me so much of my little brother.'

Holding her tightly to himself, Radhu looked at his biological father and asked his aunt, ' Girima, how is he doing? Any improvement?'

' Yes and no. Raja's condition is better today than before and yet it will be sometime before he is really back' and looking at him, asked, ' have you eaten anything?'

' No but that can wait until I have finished hearing what you have tell me about my father.'

Dr Girija Padmanabhan picked up the phone and quickly rapped out a breakfast request and a large flask of black coffee and then quickly sat down in the chair next to Shinogai and then watched Radhu as he sat next to his father gently kissed his forehead and gently brushed away the locks of wavy hair that had falled on his forehead.

Shinogai explained to Radhu how Rajashekar had suddenly started mumbling the words and had kept repeating them again and again before slipping back into silence.

Before he could stop it, his mind heard his mother's thoughts along with his aunt's thoughts and he heard his father's words in them.

' Traitor, Mother, Danger' and Radhu looked away as his brain began to make the connections between the words of his father and the name, Shekar, the peon had told them before he had been killed by the shadow they called The Old Man.

' Brigadier Prakash Malhotra ' Radhu said it softly but was heard loud and clear by both his mother and aunt and by the one who lay in a coma.

The ICP (Intracranial Pressure Monitor) began to fluctuate wildly and all three stared hard at it and Radhu realizing that his father was responding to the name he had just said, repeated it again.

' Brigadier Prakash Malhotra' and then all three heard the words, ' Traitor, Traitor, Mother, danger' being uttered by Rajashekar Varman.'

Radhu smiled and began to speak to his father, ' Dad, it is okay. Don't worry for I am here now along with Ammi, your Shinogai, and we will take care of you and those that dare attack you and reduce you to this state.'

Radhu was disappointed for he had thought that mentioning the name Shinogai would evoke a response from his father but he had not and kept mumbling the words, ' traitor, mother, danger' and then fell silent.

Shinogai consoled him, ' Ayan, I know you are disappointed from not getting any visible reaction from him after mentioning my name but that just goes to show who he really is and what his heart is really made of. It beats for one mother, for one woman and that is his country, his motherland India. Even in a deep state of Coma, his heart is beating for his nation and he is desperately trying to warn us and others who can hear that something bad is going to happen.'

Radhu got to his feet and looked at Shinogai, ' Ammi, that means there is no more time to be lost.'

Going closer to his aunt, he asked her, ' Girima, how well do you know this Prakash Malhotra?'

' Prakash is a good man and a perfect gentleman and I can personally vouch for that Radhu as I have known him for more than twenty years now. Raja treated him like his own son.'

Girija shook her head and said, ' something is wrong here' and then she quickly grabbed Radhu's arms and asked him in a panic stricken voice, ' why? what made you say Brigadier Prakash Malhotra and why did Raja's ICP ( Intracranial Pressure Monitor) fluctuate wildly when that name was uttered by you?'

' I don't know Girima, honestly. But, I know one thing and that is this Prakash Malhotra is the key to this situation and has all the answers to our questions.'

Radhu looked at Shinogai, ' Ammi, I am going to find this man and confront him and if I find out that he was the cause behind my fathers attack....'

' Kill him Ayan. Kill him and leave him to rot in the open.'

Dr Girija Padmanabhan looked at both of them and then she spoke to Raman, ' My little brother, your father is a hero. A genuinely good man and the kindest soul that ever walked this earth. If Prakash was behind this, then yes, kill him and kill all those who stand with him and don't spare them and don't show them kindness and mercy for they did not show it to my brother who is still fighting for his nation even when he lies lost in a state of coma.'

Far away, the man called Brigadier Prakash Malhotra lay still in paralysis and watched only with his eyes as they began the experiment.

His Senior said, ' Junior, I know you can hear me clearly. Don't feel that you are being punished and instead rejoice, for your body is not being wasted and instead is being used as a test subject. This is better than being shot and left to rot in a deep hole or cremated. But, now you too will contribute to the worthy cause that we the " Sons of Gaia" are pursuing and soon pass on with that worthy thought as your last breath.'

Avan-1

Ravi stood in the dimming light of the twilight sun at the far edge of the school compound wall. He did this without fail every day after the school was shut and no one else remained inside the compound but for the watchman and his wife who lived in a small one-bedroom cottage exactly on the opposite side of the ground where he was standing right then.

The watchman Muthappan along with his wife Kanagam too stood watching not the setting sun but at their headmaster Ravi as he stood a forlorn figure in the remaining golden light gazing out into the distance.

Kanagam looked at her husband, ' Yenga, Namma headmaster does this without fail in the morning and in the evening and has been doing this for as long we have been here. Unable to control my curiosity, I asked around as to what this habit of his meant and received no proper answer that would explain his actions.'

Watchman Muthappan looked at her with irritation, ' Kanagam, it is none of yours or anyone's business as to the whys and whats of our Headmaster's actions. Stop this stupidity of yours right now and just concentrate on your work.'

Kanagam shook her head, ' I wish I could but we have been here for nearly twenty years now and there he is every morning and every evening standing in that place staring into the distance.'

' So what. How does it matter or why even is it even a topic of conversation what our Headmaster sir does with his spare time and that too stand and stare at something?'

Kanagam was a typical village woman, intelligent, street smart but still a woman and she mumbled, ' A man stands at the same spot every day, morning and evening and stares into the distance which is covered by fields until the horizon and you don't want to know why.'

Watchman Muthappan deciding that enough was enough said, ' okay dee, I am going to inform Ravi sir about what has been bugging you all these years and how you have been bugging with that all these years and let us see what he has to say about it.'

Kanagam's eyes opened wide and it reminded Muthappan of the Munda Kanni Amman statue at the edge of their village and stepped out of the house pretending that he was going to actually do what he had just said.

The reaction of Kanagam was exactly what he thought was gonna be and which was her pleading like a child pleading with its parent on the very first day of school.

' Aiyo, aiyo, Muthappa, vendaam saami. I promise I will not talk about Sir anymore.'

Watchman Muthappan smiled for they had been enacting the same scene for many years now and he knew that they would continue to do that for many years to come.

He too had wondered about the reason as to why Headmaster Ravi stood there once in the morning and then in the evening until the sun slipped away and he always had this strange rapturous expression on his face.

Muthappan sat outside the house and whispered to Kanagam, ' When you become curious again, maybe it is best that you instantly remember what we and our family owe that one man and the debt neither this generation or the future generations can ever repay for his help has no price.'

Kanagam came out of the house holding a steel bowl in her hands and then slowly sank next to her husband and taking a carrot out it began peeling it with a knife. Muthappan stopped her and took the carrot and knife began to do the job of peeling the vegetable.

He looked at her and Kanagam understanding the look switched on the radio for it was exactly 5.30 pm in the evening and that meant that the next one hour in and around Madurai, their favourite All India Radio station would play hit after hit of the man popularly called Raaga Devan and Isaignani but who they called " Namma Raja Sir."

The radio did not disappoint them and the thousands who had surely tuned in for that particular programme which was dedicated to the maestro Ilayaraja and the very first song was a hit song although a sad song. A song meant for lovers who are lost and hearts that are broken and can never heal and the radio slowly began to flow and reached Ravi's ears.

Ravi Kumar absorbed the pathos and the tragedy of the song and whispered, ' Where ever you are I hope you are happy, safe and living a beautiful life. I don't know if you still remember me but I remember you and I will wait for you right here in this very spot and will wait until my final breath runs out and then it will matter not. For, I will as a spirit come searching for you.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLlWrQCCHv0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n76DwumTdcw

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

Vaanathai Pola 286

Raman saw that the automatic boom barrier gate was being raised in a hurry and he turned his face slightly and gave a knowing glance at Major Param who acknowledged both his meaningful glance and the raising of the boom gate that was at the entrance of the defence colony's premier and restricted zone and said, ' Comes with the job Raman. Not for me or you but for who we stand for.'

Raman agreed, ' true, but is it also true that the very presence of Army CID personnel makes grown-up men and top-ranking officers shake in their boots.'

' Only if they have committed a crime or have been an accessory to a crime and conveniently forgotten to report about it.'

Raman thought for a second and asked Param, ' Crimes. What sorts of crimes?'

' Mostly concerning the loss of small handguns and rations meant for the canteen.'

This reply of Param seemed to suddenly evoke a funny response in Raman whose body gently shook as he laughed and then he hurriedly apologised, ' Major, I am sorry for forgetting my manners but you mentioning the words canteen and rations made me recall a client of mine who once gifted me a carton of Jhonny walker black label whiskey and an LCD TV which left me absolutely stunned. Only later did I find out that he had someone inside the army canteen and was involved in selling stuff meant for the army in the black market.'

Major Param stared at Raman who calmly replied, ' you are wrong in your assumption for I called him over the next day and returned everything to him.'

' Boss, you should have enjoyed yourself and had a good time rather than return all that stuff. It was a gift and so you were not at fault or part of any crime when there was no crime reported in the first place.'

The vehicle came to a gentle halt outside a large Bungalow and Raman opened the door and then stopped and looking at Major Param, ' I agree that it was a gift but then it becomes a crime which would then include me if I had held on to it even after knowing that they were stolen, contraband and gotten illegally.'

Major Param shook his head and said, ' not everything is black and white Raman sir' and then using his head to indicate the house of Prakash Malhotra, ' How we do this?'

' You take the lead Major and ask the questions for you are from the army and Mrs Malhotra will be more comfortable talking to you than with me, an officer from Raw. Just introduce me as a person from the legal counsel of the army and do your thing. we will compare notes once done, later and in private.'

Both of them got out and headed towards the gate and saw a smart and well-groomed lady coming towards them and from the worry in her eyes, it was obvious that she was the wife of the missing Brigadier Prakash Malhotra.

ஆஷா மிஸ் அடிச்சுட்டாங்க..!

ஆஷா மிஸ் - இதுதான் பள்ளியில் எல்லோரும் அவரை அன்புடன் அழைக்கும் பெயர். வயது இருபத்தி சொச்சத்தில் இருக்கும். மகனின் கிளாஸ் டீச்சர். அவரை முதன் முதலில் சந்தித்த நாள் இன்னும் என் நினைவில் உள்ளது. அன்று அவர் ஒரு ஊதா நிற சேலை அணிந்திருந்தார். "ஆ. விஜயராகவன்" என்ற என் மகனின் பெயரை ஆவி ஜெயராகவன் என்று தப்பாக வாசித்தபோது அவரிடம் "தப்பா எழுதியிருக்கீங்க, அது ஆ. விஜயராகவன்" என்றேன். உங்க பேர் "ஆவி தானே சார்?" என்றார். "ஆமா, ஆனா என் பையன் பேர் விஜயராகவன், ஜெயராகவன் இல்லே" என்றதும் தான் செய்த தவறை புரிந்து திருத்திக் கொண்டார்.

மகனை பள்ளியில் கொண்டு போய் விடுவது மட்டுமே என்னால் சாத்தியம். மற்றபடி அவன் படிப்பை கவனித்துக் 'கொள்வதெல்லாம்' என் மனைவியின் வேலை. என்றைக்காவது விடுப்பிருந்தால் மாலையிலும் அவனை பள்ளியிலிருந்து அழைத்து வருவேன். பள்ளி விடுவதற்கு ஒரு மணி நேரம் முன்னதாகவே சென்று விடுவேன். அந்த நேரத்தில் என்னையே சில கண்கள் குறுகுறுவென்று பார்க்கும். (அல்லது பார்ப்பதாக எனக்கு தோன்றும்). ஒரு நாள் அவர்கள் பேசுவது எனக்கு கேட்டுவிட்டது. "ஏய், இவர் தாண்டி நஸ்ரியாவோட வீட்டுக்காரர்." "அப்படியா நான்கூட யாரோன்னு நினைச்சேன்". "அது சரி, நாலு மணிக்கு விடப்போற ஸ்கூலுக்கு ரெண்டு மணிக்கு வந்து நிக்கறாரு" என்று கூறிவிட்டு அவர்களுக்குள்ளாகவே ஒரு சிரிப்பு.

சரி ஓவர் டூ ஆஷா மிஸ். கடந்த வெள்ளிக்கிழமை என்று நினைவு (ரெண்டு நாளைக்கு முன்னால நடந்ததுன்னு சொன்னாப் போறாதான்னு உங்க மைண்ட் வாய்ஸ் கேக்கறது புரியுது. ஒரு கதை சொல்ல ஆரம்பிக்கும்போது இப்படித்தான் பில்டப் கொடுக்கணும்). அலுவலகத்திலிருந்து வந்ததும் என் மகன் ஓடிவந்து "அப்பா, என்னை அந்த ஆஷா மிஸ் அடிச்சுட்டாங்க." என்றான். எனக்கோ கடும் கோபம். "ஏன் அடிச்சாங்க?" என்றேன். என் மனைவியோ "இவன் என்ன செஞ்சான்னு கேளுங்க" என்றாள். "என்ன செஞ்சே?" என்றேன். "கிளாஸ்ல இடம் மாறி உட்கார்தேம்பா, அதுக்கு அடிச்சுட்டாங்க." என்றான்.

இடம் மாறி உட்கார்ந்ததற்காகவா அடித்தார்கள்? இதெல்லாம் ஒரு காரணமா? என் மகன் பிறந்ததிலிருந்து எவ்வளவோ சேட்டைகள் செய்திருக்கிறான். ஊர் வம்பை விலைக்கு வாங்கியும் இருக்கிறான். ஒரு நாள்கூட அவனை கை நீட்டி அடித்ததில்லை. இந்த ஸ்கூல் மிஸ்சுக்கு அவ்வளவு தைரியமா? இதை தட்டிக் கேட்காவிட்டால் என் மகனுக்கு என் மேல் இருக்கும் மதிப்பு என்னாகும். இதை நான் யோசித்துக் கொண்டிருக்கும்போதே என் மனைவி என் உள்ளக் கொதிப்பை புரிந்து கொண்டு "லேசாதான் அடிச்சாங்களாம்" என்றாள். "நீ மிஸ் கிட்ட கேக்கலையா?" என்றேன். "விடுங்க இந்த விஷயத்த பெருசு பண்ணாதீங்க" என்றாள். எனக்கு ஆறவில்லை. இன்னும் டென்ஷன் தலைக்கேறியது. "அதெப்படி விட முடியும். நாளைக்கு நான் போய் கேக்குறேன்" என்றேன்.

உறக்கமில்லா அந்த இரவை அவசர அவசரமாக கடந்துவிட்டு அடுத்த நாள் பாகுபலியின் நெஞ்சுரத்தோடு போருக்குத் தயாரானேன். ஆம் போர்தான். பள்ளியில் மாணவர்களை அடிக்கும் ஆசிரியர்களுக்கு எதிரான போர். அடுத்த நாள் பள்ளிக்கு எட்டரை மணிக்கெல்லாம் சென்றுவிட்டேன். மகனையும் உடன் அழைத்துக் கொண்டு போயிருந்தேன். அவன் கன்னங்களில் நேற்று அடித்ததற்கான கைகளின் தடம் இன்னும் மெல்லிசாய் படிந்திருந்தது. அவன் கைகளைப் பற்றியபடி டீச்சர்ஸ் ரூமுக்கு சென்றேன். எதிரே வந்த ஆசிரியர் ஒருவரிடம் "ஆஷா மிஸ்" என்றேன். "ஆஷா மிஸ் உங்கள பார்க்க யாரோ வந்திருக்காங்க" என்று கூறிவிட்டு அகன்றார். உள்ளிருந்து ஆஷா மிஸ் வெளியே வந்தார்.

அவர் அழகு என்னை ஒரு நிமிடம் நிலைதடுமாறச் செய்த போதும் என் உள்ளே ஸ்லீப்பிங் மோடில் இருந்த கோபக் குட்டிச்சாத்தான்களை கட்டவிழ்த்து விட்டேன். "பையன போட்டு இப்படித்தான் அடிக்கறதா? அவன் கன்னத்துல இன்னும் வரிகள் இருக்கு பாருங்க. இடம் மாறி உட்கார்ந்ததுக்கெல்லாம் அடிக்கிறதா? அதுவும் காட்டுமிராண்டித்தனமா? இதுதான் உங்க டீச்சர்

ட்ரெய்னிங்ல சொல்லிக் கொடுக்கறாங்களா?" பொரிந்து தள்ளினேன். எல்லாவற்றையும் பொறுமையாக கேட்டுக் கொண்டிருந்த ஆஷா மிஸ் "பேசி முடிச்சிட்டீங்களா? ப்ளஸ் டூ படிக்கிற உங்க பையன் இடம் மாறி உட்கார்ந்தது என் மடில, உட்கார வச்சு கொஞ்ச சொல்றீங்களா?" என்று அவர் கேட்டதும் என் மொத்த கோபமும் அருகே நின்றிருந்த என் மகனின் மேல் திரும்பியது. அந்த இடத்தை விட்டு அவன் எப்போதோ ஓடிப் போயிருந்தான்.

Vaanathai Pola 287

Raman and Major Param both waited as Brigadier Prakash Malhotra's wife came forward and welcomed them both to come into the house with warmth but her face belied her true emotions that were raging in her head.

The moment they both sat down she too sat but very close to Param and enquired worriedly, ' Major, any news about my husband?'

' No ma'am but I am confident that we will know more by evening.'

' Major, I have to confess that this is a rather peculiar and strange situation and has never happened before. He left yesterday morning and it is nearly afternoon now and he has neither called me or messaged me. I am beginning to worry now.'

Major Param consoled her, ' Ma'am, you know what department he heads and what his work means. So, maybe it is some kind of minor emergency that he is taking care of and hence the delay.'

His explanation did nothing to console Saakshi Malhotra who smiled wryly, ' Then why are you here, Major Param. You are one of the heads of the Indian Army's Criminal Investigation department and you are here having flown from delhi.'

She stopped and then switched her look to Raman who looked back with a calm and serene face and Major Param apologised for forgetting his manners and quickly introduced Raman to Saakshi Malhotra as a representative from the legal department.

Flashing a slight and perfunctory smile, Saakshi aimed her guns at Major Param, ' Why you, when there is a local CID department in Chennai to handle a missing persons case, even if it concerns a Brigadier.'

' Ma'am, I do what they tell me to do and go where they send me. But to answer your question honestly, I think I have been deputed from Delhi for one simple and obvious reason and that is who your husband is and what he was doing.'

Raman leant forward slightly in an effort to convey with his body langauge to Saakshi Malhotra that they were all part of one team and to also establish a bond of trust. For that sometimes made people open and speak their minds with clarity and honesty.

'Ma'am, more than anything, your husband was very close with the defence minister and was also well liked by the Prime minister. With them as friends do you think the army would lag or linger about dragging their feet on this case. Never, and that is why they have sent Major Param himself to assist and find and bring home your husband safely.'

Saakshi Malhotra thanked Raman for his kind words and thanked Major Param for coming down from delhi and then suddenly began to cry but with dignity and a bent head.

Raman and Param sat watching her cry and then after a few moments Saakshi Malhotra slowly lifted her head and said, ' We have been married for nearly twenty years and so with that in my heart and also because I love my husband so much, I am going to tell you something.'

Raman's sense tingled and he went on full alert and both he and Major Param eagerly looked at Saakshi Malhotra.

She looked at them and then without even her knowledge her hands went to her chest and with tears spilling out of her eyes, said, ' I think my husband in danger. Terrible danger and I fear the worst for him.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-s4YJc6VmI

Word Count: 1

Baakiyalakshmi Musings An actor shares......

I too have a guru, a secret teacher, master who is close to my heart and although he is the Cosmic dancer taking on another part, he still remains dear to my heart, soul and thought and plays a vital and integral part of my daily life. Be it if at home or at work.His name is Mr Dakshinamurthy and unlike the many teachers, I have seen, been and experienced, this one is the quietest one of them all and even beats my two favourite teachers, Parvati and Malati who themselves are exceptionally quiet and calm souls.

But my master, Guru takes the cake, apple and barrel when it comes to silence and from that was born my own rather sad and handicapped silence that is still mutating and evolving and no end in sight.

I know it sounds weird and creepy, but believe me, it is not, for the morning hours between 2.30 and 4.30 am are the quietest moments in my life and in my pandora box world.

The birds are asleep in the dark along with the two and four-legged creatures but for a few rodents who dare to step out and are never seen again and the only time I hear their high-frequency chittering is probably the last they hear it themselves along with me for my apartment block is cat country.

In the silence I sit waiting for the wispy threads of thought to take shape and buzz and approach like wasps and I snare them and choose one gossamer string and it tugs back and my fingers settle and type out the silence which is not without sound but filled with thought.

An absence of light does not mean the absence of life or objects and in the same vein, silence is not empty but creation itself.

All of you by now know that I am a part of this Vijay tv serial called " Baakiyalakshmi" which has been on air from August 2020. I play one of the main characters who is called whose wife is Baakiyalakshmi. My character has been married for 25 years and has three children. Two sons and one daughter. The eldest son is Chezhiyan and works in the IT industry and the younger one Ezhil is doing his final year engineering which he drops out from as he wants to get into the movie business and become a director. The youngest, my daughter Iniya is in the 10th std. All five of us along with my father Gurumurthy, a retired headmaster from our native village and with my mother Easwari whose each and every word is as caustic as acid, live in a four-bedroom Independent house. That makes the population seven and I have to include our maid Selvi who is a mini version of Easwari.

The story begins with this setting in place but then all is not well in the house which carries the nameplate Gopinath.

I, Gopinath, am a man blessed by God to have a dour face and to go along a dour soul. He hardly ever smiles and hardly ever speaks out of turn and only does so when it is absolutely called for and imperative. But all hell breaks loose if his word and rules are broken and they are broken again and again by his wife and son Ezhil.

One of the reasons for Dour Gopinath is a gloomy chap is that he has never recovered from a broken heart that was forcibly broken by his own father who forced him against his will and wishes to marry Baakiyalakshmi when Gopi was in fact madly in love with someone else.

That someone else was highly educated, attractive and someone whom he respected a lot and probably worshipped the ground she walked on and all for nought.

25 years have passed on and Gopinath is now part of a bank and handles loans and their recoveries.

A customer has defaulted on loans worth crores and has been doing so for many years and so Gopinath decides that it is time he went and met the person and goes to meet the defaulter whose name is Rajesh.

The door opens and Gopinath begins to verbally assault the woman who stands behind the door and timidly informs him that her husband is not there and has been missing for three years.

Gopinath does not believe this and screams his head off and demands that the woman come out from behind the door and talk to him face to face.

The woman steps out and steps out from the veil of 25 years for the woman is none other than Radhika who Gopinath had loved and wanted to marry but could not do so.

So, this is the gist of the story and the scenes are all about each character and how they behave in any given circumstance.

Please trust me and believe me when I tell you that I too have a sense of humour and can joke and turn monkey tricks that may or may not evoke an occasional laugh from people around me. But, not when I am doing something that involves my focus and total concentration and that means when I am on set and in character.

But then what you want, need and what you get is much akin to a person new at the art of juggling.

You are at home fast asleep and are woken up ( F..k). You are lost, drowned in a book and are disturbed ( WTF).

But an actors ambience and settings are far worse, for the number of people on set is huge and runs into 30, 40 or more. Top that amount of people along with their mobile phones and you have a circus in constant motion.

My experience has taught me a lot of tricks about acting and has polished my skills and prepared me for any kind of role and situation although sadly, it has been a long time since a character, shot or a scene has asked more than what I could deliver and honestly most of the time, I am left craving to do more, give more but my Earthly Guru Nadigar Thilagam constantly whispers to me

( Appaaaaaaa, vendaampaaaa. Appuram Over-actingnu solluvaanga).

Television works on a tight and limited budget of time and money. So, work has to begin daily at 9.00 am and finished by 9.00 pm

( usually 9.30 or even 10.00 pm).

My character Gopinath has the toughest job for unlike the other characters around him who are painted white or black, he is white, black and a lot of vague colours in-between and which have to be displayed for the camera.

Crap, I have to state here that I found it very difficult at the beginning for the noise levels were so high that even my own thoughts were often being drowned and swept away in the useless and unnecessary cacophony of voices, noises and ringtones.

Respect. No respect for what he or she is doing at that moment and that goes for everyone from actors to the unit members.

Respect. What do you mean?

I mean one does not eat at the same place where one shits does he or she?

Yup, you caught my point and drift.

You and I see that every day in this beautiful land from peeing, spitting and emptying their noses in public along with all the traffic violations. They do that for they have no sense of the value of the land and the freedom that they enjoy and the same which was gifted to them by thousands, lakhs of people who sacrificed limbs and lives for that.

Every second is money. The Producers money and yet so much time, energy and money are wasted every day and why because they just don't care.

A senior actor said, ' Why so serious and why do you have to get so involved when it is just a tv serial? Chill.'

I looked at the actor totally lost for an answer for how does one answer such a flippant and careless question.

I do it and I answer it with the help of my Guru Dakshinamurthy who taught me how to be silent in silence and also when drowning in the sounds of silence and work.

This gift from my guru is equal to Karna's kavacham and kundalam and protect my ears and heart and so I go to work even when senior actors around me call me " Gobi Manchurian aka Gopi" and make fun of me and right up to that moment the director yells " action."

Yes. Action, for actions in the end, speak louder than words.

Knowledge

To know it not wanting to know

through news and learning

knowledge about bad and sad and mad

for it means walking the narrow ledge

the tightrope of life

with hands, free and spread open

to balance and for balance

and what little is left in balance

in the account of life

hands free step by step

not rooted with hands open

like Christ the Redeemer

Knowledge

Know it is a ledge

now on edge

The story goes back to the marriage of Shiva and Sati. After marriage, Rishi Dadhichi had invited Shiva and Sati to his Ashram. When the duo were seated there, amongst the many rishis, Shiva saw Rishi Atharva and asked him why he was being uncomfortable/hesitant to speak with Shiva.

Rishi Atharva replied that he had composed a wonderful doctrine of Knowledge and wished it get testified by a wise. And there can be no-one wiser than Shiva himself. Shiva blessed Rishi Atharva and started testifying his thesis.

The doctrine consisted of day to day things, material needs, health and medicine. Shiva, after reading it, declared that the book was so necessary and was so well written that it should be titled as the fourth Veda. (Earlier, there were only three Vedas: Rig, Yajur and Sama)

Though everyone praised Atharva Veda; the four manas putras (mind born sons) of Brahma aka the Sanat Kumars (Sanak, Sanatan, Sanandan and Sanat Kumar) did not agree to the fact that Shiva, a hermit, had the authority to instantiate the fourth Veda amongst the ones created by their Father.

They went to Prajapati Daksha (father of Sati) who asked them to have a Shastraath (debate abiding to scriptures) with Shiva. The quad approached Dadhichi's ashram and challenged Shiva. Shiva happily agreed to it.

Dadhichi arranged the seating arrangement in such a way that Shiva’s seat was facing north and Sanat Kumars’ were facing south. It hurt the ego of the quad who argued that due to their immense knowledge they should have the respect of facing north. Shiva agreed to that to, and sat facing south.

Everyone appointed Devi Saraswati, the mother of the Vedas, as the judge to decide the result of the debate. And finally, the big debate began. While the Sanat Kumars fired numerous Vedic verses, Shiva, the maha yogi, countered each of them giving rational arguments backed by the initial three Vedas.

As the Sanat Kumars humbled, Saraswati declared Shiva as the winner. Sanat Kumars were still confused with the fact that how could a fourth Veda exist when already three were created by Brahma and how could Rishi Atharva have such immense knowledge.

To which Shiva replied that when Lord Matsya (an incarnation of Vishnu) was pinning down the demon Hayagreeva, one blow after another, to retrieve the Vedas which he had stolen from Brahma; after spitting out three Vedas, Hayagreeva ran to Shiva to beg for protection. Shiva replied that no one in this world can save Hayagreeva from Vishnu but he blessed him that, upon his death, at Vishnu's hands he would be able to retain the knowledge of the fourth Veda till his next Birth. Atharva is none other than Demon Hayagreeva, reborn. Brahma has four heads, so definitely there must've been four Vedas but the fourth one never reached humans until now.

The Sanat kumars praised Shiva for his glory and begged his pardon for making him sit facing the southern direction. Thus, they instantiated him as Dakshinamurti (the lord facing the south)

பெருந்தலைவர் காமராஜர் முதல்வராக பதவியேற்பது தனது அமைச்சரவையில் 7 பேரை மட்டுமே சேர்த்து கொண்டார்... அவர்களில் ஒருவர் #கக்கன்...

இவருக்கு ஒதுக்கப்பட்ட துறைகள்

#போலீஸ்

#பொதுப்பணி

#விவசாயம்

#சிறுபாசனம்

#கால்நடை_பராமரிப்பு

#உள்துறை

#சிறைத்துறை

#நிதி

#கல்வி

#தொழிலாளர்_நலம்

#மற்றும்

#மதுவிலக்கு...

கண்ணை கட்டுகிறதா... அது தான் உண்மை

இத்தனை துறைகளின் அமைச்சராக இருந்தவர் .. பத்து வருடங்கள் அமைச்சராக இருக்கும் போது வெளியூர் சென்றால் தன் துணிகளை தானே துவைத்து கொள்வார்..

ஒரு முறை அவர் திருச்சி மாவட்டத்தில் பல நிகழ்ச்சிகளில் பங்கேற்ற பிறகு இரவு ரயிலில் சென்னை செல்ல வேண்டும்.. நிகழ்ச்சிகளை முடித்து திருச்சி ஜங்ஷனுக்கு வந்த போது அவர் செல்ல வேண்டிய ரயில் கிளம்பி விட்டது.. அடுத்த ரயில் அதிகாலையில்...

அமைச்சராக இருந்தாலும் யாரையும் உதவிக்கு அழைக்கவில்லை.. ரயில்வே அதிகாரிகளையும் அணுகவில்லை... பேசாமல் ஒரு #துண்டை விரித்து பிளாட்பார பெஞ்ச்சில் படுத்துவிட்டார்..

நடு இரவில் ரோந்து வந்த ரயில்வே போலிஸ்சார் யாரென்று தெரியாமல் லட்டியாய் இரண்டு தட்டு தட்டி எழுப்பினர்...

#யார்_நீங்கள்

#எழுந்து_செல்லுங்கள்

#இங்கெல்லாம்_படுக்கக்_கூடாது

என்றனர்

அதற்கு அமைதியாக பதிலளித்தார்..

#அய்யா_என்_பெயர்_கக்கன்

#நான்_போலீஸ் #மந்திரியாக_இருக்கேன்

#அடுத்த_ரயில்_வந்தவுடன்_சென்றுவிடுகிறேன் என்றார்

அதிர்ந்தனர் போலீஸ்காரர்கள்

#அய்யா_மன்னித்துவிடுங்கள்_நீங்கள்_முதல்_வகுப்பு_ஓய்வறையில்_போய்_படுங்கள்.. என்றனர்

வேண்டாம்.. இந்த வசதியே எனக்கு போதும் என்று அந்த பெஞ்ச்சிலேயே படுத்து உறங்கிவிட்டார்... அவர் ரயில் ஏறும் வரை அங்கேயே போலீசார் நின்றிருந்து பத்திரமாக பார்த்துக் கொண்டனர்...

இதை இன்னுமொரு செய்தியாக படித்துவிட்டு மறந்துவிட்டு போகாதீர்கள். இதை படித்த பிறகாவது கட்சி சார்பை துறந்து நேர்மையாணவர்களுக்கு ஓட்டளிக்க உங்கள் மனதை மாற்ற முயற்ச்சியுங்கள். மற்றும் கட்சி வெறி கொண்டு திருடர்களை ஆட்சியில் அமர்த்த ஓட்டளிக்கும் முட்டாள்களை திருத்தவும் பாடுபடுங்கள். இதுவே நீங்கள் நாட்டுக்கு செய்யும் கடமையாகும்.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9kf9gx42n0

Word Count: 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYZr3ok7Mbk

Word Count: 1