விட்டு விடு....Let It Go !!

விட்டு விடு !!

ஒரு காட்டாற்றை சொந்தமாக்க நினைத்தேன்

தவறு என்னுடையது தான்.



{ Rough Translation.....I wanted to own a Brook,,,mistake is mine }

A Cuckoo s Feast

                                              A DRAGON FLY ENJOYING THE SUN

                

                                                       MOUTH WATERING

                                           A CUCKOO TOO IS INTENTLY WATCHING

                                             SHIFTED ITS POSITION AND WAITING

                                                                EXPLORING OUT

                                                                  CAUGHT HIM
                              ( LOOK AT THE WAY THE CUCKOO TWISTS HIS HEAD ! )

                 

                                              SAFELY HELD IN ITS BEAK

 

FLYING BACK

MAJESTIC FLIGHT BACK ,RIGHT

What A Sunday

Sunday or no Sunday ,I go up to terrace to feed the crows, a habit of many years..The crows by now used to my this action perch up as soon as I open the door..Today two things happened ..Firstly I wanted to capture some moments with them on my camera..and oops not one crow was ready to grab the morsels of food I offer them...hmm...any how I placed the food and plonked myself to click away..after sometime one fella landed up and the second thing which happened..read on...

SUSPICIOUS...Hmm...At What I was holding in my hand...

What the Hell this guy is doing..crow looks asking

Anyhow let me go ahead with my Breakfast

As I lowered my camera and Looked up ::Whats this cat doing up on the Roof , I wonder

Aaha..Now I know why only one crow came for the rice I offer..there seems to be something for which they are waiting for..up there on the roof

Cat disturbed by Me..I wonder

Alert!!!Something in the Air !!Was it he ( the cat ) or they waiting for !!!

There he comes..my Breakfast, I almost heard the cat saying... Suddenly I remembered ,this morning I didnt hear or see my friend Squirrel at all...oh that means our friends ..cat and the crows are wanting to feast on the squirrel..predators..should I feel sad or thats the law of nature..Hmm

Now the cat was saying "let me not Hurry "

Oh my ,where did he vanish ..cat seemed to say

That instant, realising perhaps the Squirrel had slipped away, the second crow landed on my terrace for the leftover food

Can I or Cant't I

Suddenly the cat looked up at me and seemed to say" Hey man, so you are cause for my distraction"

Now ,what to do..the Breakfast seems to have slipped away

Its all because of you

What a Day, a Sunday at that..saying that the cat started moving away

A good twenty minutes later, as if nothing ever happened that sunday morning..I found the Sqirrel back on the Tree..Breakfast with Berries..what a life

CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO ENLARGE AND ENJOY THE NATURE

Many A StoryLine In Life Go Like This

INTERPRET THE STORYLINE THE WAY YOU WANT BUT PLEASE YOUR LEAVE YOUR INTERPRETATION IN COMMENTS PLEASE !!!!

Hats off !!

They are lying on the steel wires, just like wooden planks which just got washed away, forming a human bridge to enable people to crawl over their bodies and cross the stream to safety

No one other than the indian armed forces has ever done, or will ever do, such a good job !!

Army jawans providing relief during the recent sikkim earthquake.

Long live the Indian Army.


This has been forwarded by my cousin Raghu ,I couldnt resist but post this. This is my 50 th post and it couldnt be better

As the clock ticked away...

Friday ,the 29th of july , we landed at IGI airport from Jammu. Time 4 PM. Since we had about 3 and a half hours in hand before our onward journey to Chennai , my son & my colleague wanted to make a quick dash to Sarojini market. So left to myself checked in & then my feet started moving towards the Cookie shop .Sometimes the Sweet tooth takes over the motor control of the brain ,I guess. Selecting a piece with a very high calorie content I settled in one of the chairs in the remote corner.

Suddenly all hell broke loose.

A Bomb disposal squad bus halted outside & Through the gate next to me, Jawans trooped in by dozens .About 10 jawans quickly cordoned off the Check in counters .Another group of jawans with Two trained dogs took position ,very close to me.I froze & my already opened mouth could not take the bite off the cookie though it was tantalisingly close .

One jawan was the focus of the other jawans & I realised that he was going to defuse the bomb. Out at a distance near the checkin counter ,I could see a Trolley & on it a Blue suitcase . So that must be the culprit ,the Sherlock Homes in me thought .

GhanShyam ( GS )was his name & he looked around with all calmness. How could he. He was going near the most dangerous thing & that nature of his, simply was amazing, keeping his cool.In no time his four colleagues put on his special suit & finally a white cloth on his head before putting on the helmet & the Visor.With Small steps he was walking towards the box with all sort of Gadgets in his hand. He was scanning the suitcase with a handheld device & at the Same time from the cables which were running from his suit another team was connecting it to monitors & watching it intently. Some communication between them & Ghanshyam slowly started walking back & as soon he came close they removed his helmet & the white cloth was so wet with his sweat, they had to change it.

Next the the two trained dogs were taken to sniff the suitcase & for some reason they went close but sort of refused to sniff . It was strange I thought. Maybe out of disappointment ,the Jawans again wanted Ghanshyam to go to the suitcase ,with a some sort of xray machine . Maybe they suspected something which the dogs could not sniff. Again GS walked towards the suitcase & positioned the machine. He had to do that several times till the Jawan monitoring the Laptop could be happy with the images obtained. A senior jawan was monitoring the time &; he was looking a little tense . Perhaps he knew time was running out. I looked at my watch & it said 10 mts to Six. Would these guys normally program it to go off at fixed time like 6 or would they time it random.Again ,me the Sherlock was at work .

Anyhow ,now it looked like the diagnosis was complete & they were moving big steel boxes close to the suitcase ,slightly away from our sight. Suddenly I saw two senior officers rushing in & the jawans came to attention. From my NCC experience I knew one was a captain ,tall ,agile & every bit of his body telling that he was a highly trained Commando , stern but with a smile in his eyes. Avinash was his name.

He quickly went thru the diagnosis on the laptop & after quick exchanges with the Jawans ,looked at GS & gave him the thumbs up signal.

GS was handed over a long rope ,which he had to hook on the suitcase & tug it in to the steel trunk.Pin drop silence everywhere . He tugged once ,twice ,the suitcase wouldnt budge. All eyes on GS & Avinash . What next. With the same glint in his eyes Captain Avinash exchanged Quick glances with GS & rope was unhooked. GS was handed over a 6 feet pole with a hook.It meant he had to physically lift it up like fishing. It would be dangerous. Rope was at least 20 feet long,but now he would be much closer to the evil designs.

Gently GS lifted the suitcase & carried it towards the Big steel trunk kept further away from us & gently placed it in ,to everyones relief ,so far so good.He gently closed the Trunk & started moving away. All of us couldnt help but clap hands & Bharath Mata ki Jai was resounding everywhere. It was a proud moment , I thought. GS removed his helmet ,again profusely sweating & the team quietly went about packing their gadgets.

People were patting Ghanshyam & the team. Avinash continued to have the glint in his eyes as the team was getting ready to move.All the eyes focussed on these brave guys.

In the melle ,I almost lost my balance & fell on the floor & dropped my cookie. As I lifted up myself ,at the distance Did I see a jawan lift the Suitcase out of the Steel trunk ,with bare hands. More jostling & again when I saw that corner the Jawans & the steel trunk were missing. Did I imagine ? Was it a Routine practice of Bomb disposal? Did the Jawans know of it ? Then why was GS sweating so much ? Was it the reason Avinash had a smile in his eyes ? How does it matter ,I am proud of my Jawans .

I waited for my son & colleague to return. But ,didnt know What to share with them!!

a Raja & A Raja's

Generally I am not into politics but being an Indian how can I not follow politics & get triggered by it. Oxymoron stuff !!

Ours is a Strange country , full of Paradoxes which makes life a lot more interesting ,talking useless nothings.For we are Indians ,we take life as it comes & move on leaving everything to destiny ,if at all one such thing exists.


There is a Raja who sits on over One Lakh crore worth of treasure ,knowing fully well if it is transferred to Swiss bank none will know & for generations they simply have to have a laid back attitude & fooling people in the National game called Politics .But they chose to do business on Pepper & other such spices, since that was the directive given to them centuries back .

And then there is A. Raja who knew exactly where the pile of One lakh crore was & ensured it was siphoned off to far away lands & himself lands in Tihar, perhaps for few days or months ,till the heat subsides ,for our focus will be turned away by our own Hyper active TRP driven channels ,many of which have been mouth pieces of many A Rajas & their Bosses.

National debates on so called National channels will ensure the One lakh crore treasure ,which the "POOR " Raja has been safe gaurding for centuries, is Brought into the SAFE hands of Politicians who will ensure ,they are kept safe , but in Switzerland or in some obscure island .They will also get huge support from New fad of Candle light bearing brigade ,who will contribute more carbon to the atmosphere & add money to the coffer of candle manufacturers

Let me conclude saying he is not a Raja but The Raja ,who safe guards public property as Public property.Hats off, Travancore Rajas

long live India , mera Bharath mahan

Hmmmm

When the Apple of the Eye becomes ones own Achilles heel..

Tsunami

Its sad ,terribly sad..My son posted in his FB & I reproduce the same


Tsunami is the name you gave... Bouncing Back is not new to you.... Then you did it alone but now the world is with you. Good Luck Japan

RAHUL S. GOPAL

Thavam :: the penance

Thavamirinden Avalai meendum peruvadarkaga
Indru than puridadhu andha Izhappe oru Mayae endru
Thavamirundadhu Edarkaga ?


I was in penance to get her back
Just realised the loss itself was a Maya
What for was I doing the penance

Ninaipadaellam nadandhu vittaal : If wishes were horses !

The anchor wanted her to berth,
The looming storm in the distant horizon
the adventurous she ,was getting carried away though
the anchor plunging down, suddenly felt the twang
The chain broke
perhaps rusted with assumptions, presumptions & taken for granted
He saw her moving away
Slowly settling down fathoms deep
He prayed for her ,to weather the storm

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The Ones That Flew Away From CU s Nest

Noted cartoonist R. K. Laxman once said he gets away from the pressures of cartooning by drawing the crow, which is his favourite bird. "The crow is an intelligent bird and Indian folklore is full of stories of the crow."
His is a sort of old obsession of the crow, mine too,perhaps to a limited extent.




Sitting by the window sill , looking at the lone tree & watching the crows was & is my past time.Near my house ,this tree used to be occupied by a pair.After the beautiful mating season when the time came to build the nest,the pair were very selective in the shape & size of the twigs.The selection of father crow (FC ) was not always perfect,the mother crow( MC )very choosy many a times ,discarded it .The job of building the nest to the critical requirement was always with MC and FC often used to be perched near by & going around the various branches & watching MC doing the intricate job.It was a pleasure to watch the nest being built.
As the days advanced,with eggs in the nest & later after their hatching ,MC became very busy . But FC always around ,hopping from one branch to the other ,perhaps not knowing what to do. Wanting to contribute but not knowing how to !




This was very funny, I used to think. FC could definitely do many things.

The two baby crows ( BC )were growing & the family seemed to be happy & contended. Then one morning ,as I was watching,a gypsy took a shot at the MC & she fell down the tree.It was heart breaking. A million crows from all over assembled & the db was extreme.FC was cawing almost endlessly.Once the gypsy vanished from the scene ,taking along the MC,the FC was still cawing & hopping around the nest not knowing how to take care of the BC,at least till their wings were strong enough.

I was very worried too, since I always knew the FC was an idiot, who never learnt. But strange is nature that FC soon took the role of ARDHA NAAREESHWARA, a perfect blend of a male /female, in this case a father & mother . The BC were growing & FC, for a change ,looked very busy taking care of them.Two other crows landed up to help,perhaps,grandparent crows.




And then one day ,the two BC were bold enough to jump out of the nest & then from the tree. They were learning to fly .FC was watching proudly. The nest was not going to be occupied by BC any longer. They started flying longer distances & perhaps to test the boundaries of a different kind.

FC ,now all alone ,was as usual ,hopping around the branches,looking at the empty nest & not knowing what to do !



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My two sons have just recently left the shores of India for their higher studies, one to Rochester,NY other to Aberdeen,Scotland

The Envelope.... A Solace ?

Are the beautiful moments of yesterday,
The only soothing envelope for today's Hurt ?




Often I had been faced by the Question ..WHY ME ...but then Anger is an outcome of Disappointment & Hurt an outcome of Expectation

What I forgot in between was the Beautiful moments of past ,a reliving & that they could bring back happiness !!

The immediate Trigger for this post are due to the following lovely posts...My thanks to them


http://ksriranga.wordpress.com/2010/09/26/a-zen-story/
http://wwwscribblingsonthewall.blogspot.com/2010/10/re-construction.html


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Oh Laila !!

As Laila decided to caress the shore
Going back in time, he sat there, wishing
She was not a silly coquette
Somewhere he felt ,its much better to have been used as a stepping stone


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Simple ,isnt it !!

What is Ammas views now, asked Radhika

It is the same dear. She is refusing to budge,answered,Radhikas father Pratap.
Radhikas face fell.

They were on Video chat.Radhika in a far off country & Pratap in chennai.

I will keep trying ,don't you worry.Pratap was trying to cheer Radhika.

Pratap a successful finance professional, in Chennai& Revathi his wife.Radhika their only child,now a citizen of a different country, wanting her parents too to migrate for good.

Radhi had sent the scanned copy of the Ad in their local newspapers,couple of weeks back.The rules for migration were very simple,it appeared.

Both she & her ever doting father have been trying to persuade Revathi,in vain.Though,Revathi was a MSc in Biological Sciences ,a gold medalist at that,chose to remain a home maker.

Pratap was at it it again..What do you say,Revathi. Today also Radhi was asking me.Why not we simply move.I don't think we can have any more happiness than being with our Doll.I have also had enough of my profession. This window for parents to migrate ,with citizenship, is just for three months.So we don't have much time left.We can always come to India once in a while to visit the temples which you are so fond of.

Revathi just had her characteristic smile & said it could be the other way,visiting their daughter once in a while.She simply refused to budge. How could she ..

That night as she was lying on the bed ,sleep deserted her & her thoughts rolled back in time..

Revathis was an arranged marriage & they had a very peaceful family life till the usual social pressure & associated murmurs led them to the doorstep of gynae & then an IVF clinic.They were confident,it must be something minor,more to do with her extreme shyness. The usual tests on both of them & on the date of discussion only Revathi could make it since Pratap was delayed ,courtesy,a board meeting.

Revathi,said the Doc,I have good & bad news for you.You are quite ok but Pratap is sterile. That was the gist, but fairly forthright,despite a verbose sermon,which was a necessity.It meant she could give birth to a child but perhaps with a seed from other unknown stranger.

Take your time,Revathi, These are difficult decisions & perhaps irreversible,said the Docter in her soothing yet professional voice.

A KUNTIan dilema was faced by her.She recollected the evening phone call her hubby had made to her,which in a nutshell exuded confidence that both of them were perfect but for her shyness.He had gone ahead even citing both their families had dozens of kids of all ages.She also fully realised how much Pratap wanted a baby & that too a girl.Besides he was a person who couldn't take disappointments easily,at his age.

It was indeed difficult especially when she wanted to go through this without him knowing the details but only to satisfy him on the progeny...
it so happened that evening she went to a discourse where the Swamiji dwelving into philosophy of life came out saying nothing belongs to us in this world & whatever we think is ours is also not ours.

That was it.she made up her mind.

A deep breath,Revathi called the doc if she could go ahead merely with her consent,explaining briefly the dilemma faced. It was agreed she will go the IVF way but to keep everyone in loop satisfied,semen will be frozen & stored,though it would serve no purpose

And finally, Radhika was born,Revathi as the biological mother& the father unknown..
Did it matter,perhaps no,but the Kunthian question remaining as an eternally unanswered issue.

Time rolled by,the secret ,getting buried by the layers of time ,deep in her heart.A doting father,a brilliant kid in Radhika,was excelling in every aspect of life,academics & otherwise,finally landing her as a citizen of the supposedly most advanced country, full of opportunities,sponsored by the ,worlds biggest IT company.

And now the fate was staring at their faces,in pressure building up on Revathi to migrate along with her hubby...

She was worried ,very worried,for one of the condition put up by that country was to bring in only Biological parents,identified with the now famous DNA finger printing which would clearly establish the.....

and she knew what that meant...



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...of a different kind

It was the month of March,and the place Atlantic city.For a guy from southern part of India,Rajamanikkam was already numb with the temperature being sub zero.The time 7 pm.He had come for a conference and found all the hotels near the convention centre just impossible ,for his company had given him a princely $40/day.The year 1985.He was guided to a motel & was assured there would be a free pick up from the motel to the convention centre.

As he walked in ,he found an Indian face at the counter & felt very relieved.Mukesh ,as the guy at the counter called himself, was the owner ,receptionist & perhaps all in all of the motel.Pleasantries exchanged and Raja booked himself for 6 days & was led to the room by Mukesh,in his wheel chair.Raja wanted to sleep off but the time difference kept him awake. He walked down to the reception & Mukesh welcomed him with his trade mark smile.What started as a small talk soon drifted into all kinds of topics & they chatted away like long lost friends. Mukesh mentioned his wife,Parimal, was working in O'Briens and would be back by 2 AM & his only daughter Prerna, was 3 old years.It was close to midnight & Raja excused himself and hit the bed.

Morning went off to the convention centre & spent the whole day there. The sheer size of everything in USA was sheer delight & he was awestruck. As he was returning back saw a huge hoarding which said: O'Briens,nothing to top this,everything topless :Evening as he was talking Mukesh ,he mentioned about this & wanted to know what O'Briens did.Mukesh replied it was one top class Bar cum restaurant housed in a famous casino.

On the third evening it was Mukeshs birthday and evening he wanted Raja to join him.Parimal had taken off that day & they sat for a quiet dinner.By then all the three had bonded well as good friends,though they knew each other just for three days.Mukesh had fallen in love with Parimal but his family had rejected his idea of marriage to her,for they didnt approve the nature of her job. So he had walked out & got this motel as his share of family business.Parimal joked,:: We were thrown out,rejected & when mukesh was seriously injured in a pile up,the blame also came on to me. I am so damn lucky,you got it!! :: Prerna was very attached to Raja.

Years started rolling at their own pace,Raja visiting USA every year,and became ANNA ( elder brother ) to Parimal.When Prerna turned 10 ,Mukesh & Parimal wanted to put her in a boarding school in India.After several rounds of discussion with Raja, decided to enroll her in a wonderful school in Kodaikanal. Raja obviously was the local guardian.Every six months Prerna was back in USA to her parents and everything appered fine. Meanwhile Parimal took over O'Brien & became very busy.

Prernas Tamizh was as good as locals & she was part of Rajas family in every function and festival.One Diwali Prerna ddnt turn up at Rajas house & spent it in her schoolmates house. Later Raja came to know it was at Kulasekhara Pandians house & whose only son Adhitya Pandian was her schoolmate. The Pandians were one of the biggest business houses in Southern Tamizh Nadu.

Soon out of school and into college,Prerna shifted to Chennai. Adhitya & she continued to be in touch and love naturally bloomed. Raja kept Parimal & Mukesh informed of this,& they seemed to be quite happy about it & wanted their daughter to take her own decision.

One fine day,Prerna sat across Raja .

Prerna : Uncle I want to marry Adhitya.

Raja : Thats a good news ma,Have you discussed this with Adhitya.

Raja was worried that the Pandian family was too rich and they may be looking for family of equal status.

Prerna : yes ,uncle, Adhitya has spoken to his family too and they have accepted his idea.

Smart girl, Raja thought to himself

Raja : Thats fine then, Lets break the great news to Mom &Dad .

Prerna was silent & after few seconds said

I have told Adhitya ,everything for me is my Uncle i.e you ,besides they may not accept what my Mom is doing back home..Sorry Uncle

Raja was stunned..It was Rejection of a different kind

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TRISHANKU

Its going to be two years dear,whispered Akash into Aparnas ears.

Hmm,thats going to be long time,its going to be one hell, missing you already.

and Akash added::this time communication is going to be diffucult too,I am going up there,where its going to be 24 hours of duty.

You mean facing our neighbours, Aparna asked

Yes hun & its going to be CI,Counter Intelligence & so may have to move across the border too couple of times.

She knew Akash was waiting for an opportunity like this & would have opted for this move.Without him it was going to be tough managing life.Even in Chennai,many a times Chats,SMS,off liners,and rare calls used to keep them going. Such was their situation.Akash was everything to her, always bringing cheer to her.In the same way,Aparna gave so much of balance & solace in the tough life he was leading.

Dhruv was 3 years old and Aparajith just 1. Managing both was fun but demanding,but being a home maker she could handle it well.Akash always encouraged her to do higher studies and perhaps take up a job too. He had very high regard for her capabilities but Aparna was clear ,nothing ,till the younger one was 3 & ready for school.

Akash went off to the border & time started moving at its own pace. So their communication was more of sms & calls rare. Being in operation Akash had strictly told her no calls from her & he would only call.And unfortunately due to the nature of his job,calls were tough to make.

In those rare moments of togetherness on the phone,they just used to pour out. Akash was a very considerate human always giving his ears to Aparna ,listening to all her problems & of course give her enough encouragement to face life.Always his words were soothing & Aparna was relieved of all her tensions by merely talking to him.Their good morning sms with a lot of sweet nothings would run for few pages, if printed.These sms became a sort of addiction & a competition as to who would be the first to send morning sms !

Meanwhile Aparna joined a school as a teacher & Aparajith was enrolled in the same school. Akash was happy for her & was sure this would give her the necessary diversion from the mundane life she was leading.She had also told him of her school being strict & it was no no for mobiles. She would always sms him after return from school, after 4 pm.

It was 230 in the afternoon ,Akash's mobile rang ,call was from Aparna. He didn't pick it up as he was in a meeting. Second time, third time..Akash was worried .School time,still a call from her ! She wouldn't be calling repeatedly unless it was an emergency. He excused himself from the meeting & called back to her phone.

A gruff voice was heard on the other side ::This is Aparna's husband speaking. What the hell you think you are doing man.I will bash you up......

Akash switched off his mobile .Aparna had left behind her mobile that day at home & her hubby had gone through all the sms exchanges..

Akash thought to himself about their relationship..Was it an Oasis in their life or they were just chasing a mirage of happiness....


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The Difference is...

Suparna :I always wanted to ask you ,Rajesh,Is Mamallan your fathers name

Rajesh Mamallan :Why do you ask that dear ?

Suparna : I heard you South Indians generally carry your fathers names first alphabet as your initials

Rajesh : Oh come on,you and your knowledge on South Indians,thats only with few communities...mine is...why dont you simply refer to google

Suparna : come on show off,she retorted, Why dont you simply spell it out..(She loved that haughtiness of Rajesh )

Rajesh : well it would say,Mamallan means a great wrestler and it would also say he built..

and before Rajesh could complete Suparna could realise he belonged to the great family who built the famous...

Suparna : you are a blue blooded rascal

Both laughed at it and slowly moved towards their respective hostels. Suparna was being transferred to different city and would badly miss Rajesh's company.But she was not sure if he would miss her. Rajesh too was very fond of her and didnt know if he was in love with her.

The weekend they wanted to be in each others company, and one thing led to the other and..

Two days later Suparna was leaving and Rajesh dropped her off at the airport.

Sms ,emails were keeping them in touch & one day Suparna called up Rajesh

Suparna : Rajesh, doctor just now confirmed, I thought I should share it with you

Rajesh : You should have been careful Suparna.You know all these are complicated.

Even at his insensitive outburst Suparna was only enjoying his impulsive behaviour.

Suparna : Now Rajesh, and before she could complete,

Rajesh blurted it out : wash it off sweetheart

It was a heart wrenching silence from Suparna

After this incidence, though they were in touch , it was icy and still Suparna couldnt take her mind off him. Rajesh was married off in their traditional manner with another blue blood family.

Years rolled by, Suparna moved over to London & Rajesh had a chance to pass by it.
Suparna invited him over for a dinner.Moving up in life in just 10 years time, she had bought a mansion of a house. Rajesh was taken aback by her affluence ,which he could never imagine despite his background.

Relaxing in their sit out and catching up with old times and suddenly they found themselves relaxed,though not totally.

Rajiv, come here and introduce yourself, Suparna suddenly exclaimed

Good evening sir, I am Rajiv, after a pause, Rajiv Mamallan, said the young boy ,all of 10 years

Rajeshs' jaw dropped

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Varieties of Hues and a Rainbow

THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO CEEDYS TAG OF ASKING ME TO WRITE A TAG OF A SHORT STORY ON COLOURS

Kaushik knew he had hit the purple patch of his life.He had been offered the receptionist job in a prestigious multi divisional organisation.Manimeghalai alias Megha,his colleague, was soon his best friend turned into his fiancee and finally his wife .

A happy life they were leading,Megha explaining the various hues of life so beautifully that even the colours of anger ,jealousy soon became colours to be appreciated.She used to joke what was life without a bit of jealousy or anger.Afterall they were like pickles in a multi course meal without which even the best of food would be insipid

Kaushik could visualise each of them and together they used to laugh about the colours.Even though Pink & Gray were her favourite colours and his Blue & Brown,they realised that their favourites were shifting constantly like the Dancing dunes Of Jaisalmer.Perhaps, that was the moods of life, getting depicted.

One day as Kaushik sat beside her & held her hands he knew soon her vibrant Rainbow VIBGYOR colours would merge as a white light and she would be gone.He also knew she faced it all with a smile and her only worry was leaving him to lead a life of his own.Her whispering words were the last he heard and she was gone in a moment.

13 years later, on this 13th day of September,Kaushik sat wondering as to why Megha never told him about the colour of life he would be leading in his life,without her.

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KUMIKO

Her blue eyes were amazingly beautiful.She was sitting there all alone in that corner table in what appeared to be a coffee shop right in midst of the huge department store.Perhaps she sensed my eyes were on her and gave a casual glance.Did I catch a smile ,I donno.I went past her,and I thought she was still smiling.

I had left India,barely three weeks back,and had been appointed in this giant of a Japanese company.They had given me a lovely apartment ,facing the famous Lake Biwa. Being a specialist in Dioxin in the field of Environmental Engineering ,me getting this job was a cakewalk.I knew by Japanese yardstick,my job would be ,lifetime assured.

Strange place,strange language and in spite of all these,I thought I belonged here.I fitted in there as a glove.The three weeks just flew off and today was the day when I decided to explore the neighbourhood,and where did I land.The girl with the blue eyes just drew my thoughts to her again & again.I wanted to walk away from that scene and did precisely that. A confirmed bachelor and at 38 never thought I will get attracted to a girl.She must be very young,not more than 20,what the heck! why is the thought going back to her.

Being from a conservative family,hordes of relatives always at home,both from fathers side and mothers side,a perinial competiton,who brought in more relatives,often culminated in fights between Mom &Dad,left me peaceless.Sisters in law problems were overpowering too..All this made me disgusted to the extent I decided I will never marry.It had gone into the psyche too much.

Back to the room,the disturbance caused by her Blue eyes was distracting me from everything I did.I was wondering if I would ever meet her again.The week passed by with Dioxin keeping me busy,but that saturday I wanted to go back to the deparment store.It was like old times,in younger days going to the temple on specific days and waiting for the heart throbs or crushes to appear ! Will she be there.

I knew it .She would be there.Sitting on a corner seat just like the previous week.The red tops & blue jeans made her look ravishing.Her eyes met mine & this time I knew I had to say at least a Hi.In a typical Indians hesitating way I approached her and out came a feeble Hi.With her smile still there she offered me a seat.We spoke for sometime and this continued for some days.I decided ,I would invite her home.It took me one hell of an effort to utter those words:: Can I take you home? ;;
Again the smile,You have to ask mama san,pointing to the elderly lady taking care of the payment counter.By that time I had bought couple of things in the Deparment store,for which I had to pay up.So here was the oppurtunity I thought.As I stood at the counter, I built up a small conversation,& then finally asked mama san,if I could take her girl out.Mama san perhaps knew by this time about my fatal attraction,still kept a straight face and asked,Who Kumiko ? I answered yes. She became a little serious and said ,kumiko is a wonderful girl.Please take care of her.

Surely mama san.She handed over the bill to me and I paid out.

I was bubbling with joy and perhaps Kumiko too.Literally jumped across to her and told her we could move out of that place.Carrying all the packets,we walked across to the car and drove down home.

The excitement of taking Kumiko was too much for me.Opened the door ,in the true chivalrous way made kumiko enter the house first.In my excitement I was not sure if she entered the house with her right leg in .Who cares,she is home.Closed the door behind.Told Kumiko to make herself comfortable,and dropped the packets in kitchen & in bed room.

Kumiko had made herself comfortable on the couch.She was looking absolutely ravishing.The tug she gave me,when I went past her ,gave a hard knock on my Brahmacharyam,which I had religiously protected all these years.

Kumiko : I am feeling a little exhausted honey.

Me :: Dont worry sweetheart,when I am around,I will charge you up totally.Just give me few minutes.Lemme freshen up.

In five minutes flat I was back to her,She looked a tired kitten.She wanted me next to her.Sat next to her,not knowing what to do next, held her hands.Surprisingly,it was slightly cold.Dont worry sweetheart,in just few seconds I will warm you up , I thought to myself.

Me:: how do I go about it sweety, err ,Kumiko..As I told you ,this is my first time,you have to guide me

Kumiko :: Just unbutton my blouse ,and dont waste time please.Her half closed eyes looked lovely.

Me :: Easier said than done, I thought to myself as I slowly unbuttoned her blouse ,with unexplainable excitement.

And there it was .....the control panel where I had to stick the electrical cord in to Charge her Exhausted batteries

KUMIKO WAS AN EMOTIBOT ( A ROBOT WITH EMOTIONS ) WHO MIMICKED EVERY ACTION OF A HUMAN MINUS THE TICKLISH ISSUES OF LIFE ..AND BESIDES THEY COULD BE PROGRAMMED TO SUIT ONES LIKING TOO...It was year 2020,when more men & women wanted emotibot as lifetime companions devoid of tensions of & in life


( This story is dedicated to the wonderful writer Late Mr Sujatha )

TC
CU