A flirt in a bookshop

 

The name board read, 'Ruchi's bookshop'. It was a small book store with couple of rows of book racks.

It was manned by a young lady. The store looked empty with no one around.

As Karan approached the attractive-looking assistant at the counter, she looked at him from head to foot with a playful smile.

Puzzled at her strange behaviour, he stood silent for a few seconds, when she asked, "What can I do for you?"

"Do you have a copy of Fairy Tale by Stephen King?'

“Yes, we do have," she lingered with her smile returning on her face and added "If you do not mind, I have a proposition to make."

Karan looked at her quizzically with his eye brows raised.

"It is simple.  If you give me a hug and a smooch, I will give you the book free as a complimentary copy.”

Shocked as he was, Karan couldn’t believe his ears.” Did I hear you correctly?” he asked meekly.

“Yes, you will give a peck after a hug and get the desired book free.”

When he stood silent dazed at her audacious reply, she said,” Have no fears. No hidden camera. It is just I am in a crazy mood.”

He looked around unbelievingly at the empty store. The prospect of thrill overcame his natural discretion as he nodded his head slightly.

“Come behind the shelf there. It is safer there,” the assistant said with a mischievous smile,

Excited, he went along with her as she held his hand.

He looked both sides of the aisle and seeing none, he gave her a slight hug and bent down as his hands brought her face close to his.

Unexpectedly, a young lady emerged then from behind the next shelf coughing loudly. Taken aback he withdrew instantly, even as the assistant spoke to her, “Anu, you lost the wager with very little effort on my part. The guy fell hook, line and sinker at the first suggestion of a hug and smooch for a free copy. Thank God for His small mercy before it became too late for you to mend.” Baffled at the sudden appearance of Anusha, his date of about a few months, Karan looked at his furious friend and the cunning assistant of the store.

“Fie on you, Karan, you double timer. When you told me last evening, you were going to this bookshop in the morning, I rushed here much before you came as I wished to surprise you with the book you mentioned yesterday. It was then my best friend Ruchi, who owns the shop, suggested to me 'Let us test him for his loyalty to you," spoke Anusha angrily.,

Continuing her tirade, she said," Even as I said no to her, she laid a wager. She was pretty sure you will fall. But I was damn sure that you will not let me down and yet you fell so cheaply and miserably for a paltry book. Get lost forever from my life” she shouted in anger and started crying.

Karan laughed loudly and said, “Anusha, listen carefully before you let your imagination run wild. It is your best friend Ruchi who had tricked us both. When she spoke yesterday of a plan to play a prank on you, she had only mentioned it is on her best friend without mentioning your name. I swear upon god that I never knew you were the best friend she spoke about. Ruchi is actually my cousin. I agreed when she said, “Let us enact a drama to see how sensitive and rash my friend is in judging her boyfriend. She warned me that her friend would be watching from behind and overhearing us and that I should play my part well. Finally, we both were made to look like fools.”

As Ruchi was laughing uproariously, both Anusha and Karan pounced on her and said in chorus “You wily brat, we never thought you would play your naughty joke on both of us,” with Anusha adding with a contrived anger “You have to give  a complimentary copy to each of us  as a compensation.”

 

The magic of the kite

Dinesh and his wife Savitri along with their 6 year old son had come to South India on vacation. They had been planning this visit for a long time. Chennai was their last point. They had not seen a beach in their life. They had reserved one day in Chennai only for this purpose. When they went early in the evening, they were taken in by the bewitching beauty of Marina beach. The warmth of the long stretch of sands, the view of the vast expanse of sea with its roaring waves in the azure back ground and the accompanying cool breeze transported them to heavenly joy. Both had wanted to stand in the water and enjoy the waves lashing at their feet. They had never envisaged the great problem that arose from their son Varun.Eversince he came to the beach, he was cross and irritable.He did not want to walk on the sand. He complained of pain in the leg. He cried that that they should not go near the water. He was throwing up all sorts of tantrums. Not all the cajoling and appeasing with candies, ice cream, and ponyride would make him budge. He stood adamant refusing to move and wailing at the top of the voice. He was afraid of the water. The couple were at their wit’s end not knowing what to do. They didn’t want to miss enjoying the beach but were averse to make the boy cry further.
It was then one young boy of Varun’s age who was returning back home with his dad came towards Varun. He handed over the thread of the kite he was flying to Varun.Varun was elated and got immersed in keeping the kite afloat in the sky. He stopped crying and was able to stabilise the kite with the help of his daddy. All his petulance had vanished and he was walking with his parents towards the water. There was no resistance as he was busy keeping the kite in position.Dinesh and Savitri took turns to stand in the water with the waves breaking on their legs, and drenching their clothes. It was an exhilarating and new experience. The sun was still shining but they had to leave to catch the night train to Delhi.
When they started walking back towards the waiting car on the road, they saw a young boy again of Varun’s age crying and refusing out of fear to move towards the sea. He squatted on the sand, and wailed hysterically with his parents looking helplessly.Varun was amused. His parents smiled remembering the antics of Varun a couple of hours before. They were surprised when Varun walked towards the crying boy and handed over the thread of the kite that was still floating up in the sky. The same metamorphosis from fear to joy came about in the boy’s face with Varun walking proudly with his parents towards the car.Kpartha12@hotmail.com

A snap decision

http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=db63f980-678f-422a-8be3-49429311926c

by KParthasarathi 07 Feb 2009

Sanjay was the last recognised batsman at the crease. It was the final of an international one day series and with the series evenly poised 2-2 each. He was facing the last ball of the 50th over. A sixer was needed to win the match. It was a do or die situation. He was the cynosure of all the millions of eyes on the ground and before TVs. His future depended on what he did today. The stadium was packed to the full. There was an eerie silence with the hearts of viewers in their mouths. The suspense was punishing with the commentators going silent with their fingers crossed. As the bowler was walking back to the starting point, there was a flash of his life from his child hood days like a film on a screen.
The couple in their thirties with their two children were the last to get down from the train in the last station. The compartment was empty. The husband and wife took their small luggage in one hand and the children on the other. Just as they were moving away from the train, they heard a wail of a baby. They both stopped wondering where from the cry had come. The shrill cry from a new born babe came again from within the compartment. The man went up and saw a babe of hardly ten days old under the seat. It was clear to him that it was abandoned. The wife too had followed him and looked around. There was not a soul seen. He said, “We cannot leave the baby here. We will take it and leave it at the police outpost here.” The moment she took the baby in her hand, it stopped crying and broke into an innocent smile. It was cute looking baby boy. She turned to her husband and said, “Why not we keep this baby ourselves? The police will surely hand this over to an orphanage. I don’t wish this gift of God should go there.” The husband meekly pointed out that they were already leading a hand to mouth life and that addition of one more member would strain their tiny budget. She put her foot down telling emphatically that they could share whatever they had amongst the five and that the baby should be retained by them. That settled the issue. The baby boy grew up as a member of their family. They bestowed the same affection and care as they gave to the other two children.
Sanjay looked at the bowler running menacingly towards him to bowl the last ball. The entire crowd stood up on their feet in high anticipation. His mind was blank to the noisy surroundings and his eyes were focussed at the bowlers arm. Sanjay hit the ball with all the strength at his command and presto the ball fell on the roof of the pavilion with a thud. There was a deafening uproar with his team mates running in to lift him in their arms. His country had won. As he walked back to the pavilion with other players forming line on both sides, the applause from the stands was deafening.
Declared the man of the match, one of the commentators approached him with a mike and said, “This is a memorable occasion in your life. You have been instrumental in bringing the trophy to our country. You will be showered with riches and goodies in plenty. What would you like to say on this unforgettable occasion? To whom would you ascribe this outstanding feat?”
Even as he wiped the tears from his eyes, Sanjay replied without a moment’s hesitation ”I dedicate this achievement wholly to my loving parents. My thoughts go back very long. Twenty five years ago, they took a snap decision at a railway station that changed the course of my life. I owe everything to them today, tomorrow and forever.”
There was a puzzled look in the commentator’s face and the millions who heard him. Sanjay continued,” The snap decision they took that day transformed an abandoned boy from an orphan to a loving son.”
kpartha12[at]hotmail[dot]com

Revenge

- by KParthasarathi 06 Feb 2009

“Ravi, what you are doing is not right. You have been running around with Vinita when you are already engaged to Sarala.It is not fair once you have committed to marry someone else. Even though you are not yet married to Sarala, it is plain cheating. You must move away from Vinita for the good of both” said his friend Ram.
Ravi laughed and replied “Oh don’t be such a prude. My marriage is slated only three months hence. How does it matter to Sarala what I do till then. Vinita and I like each other. How does it bother you?’
“Didn’t you tell me that you had assured Vinita that you will marry her? She is trusting you and giving herself to you in the hope of both getting married. I would not approve of this” said Ram
Ravi with an impish smile said “Forget it. It is all common in love and if she is foolish she will have to pay the price.”
--0--
“Sarala, you have been dating Mohan for almost three years and have gone very intimate with him going out with him now and then to holiday spots. How can you ditch him and settle for Ravi? Is it not a clear betrayal?” asked her friend.”
”Tell me what am I do when this Mohan is virtually a pauper and lives on his meagre monthly salary. He keeps counting money even when he takes me out to cheap joints. No doubt he keeps me happy. But I cannot imagine a life of want when all I need is luxury and a foolish husband who will shower money on me and allow me to do what pleases me most. Ravi is garishly rich with huge business interests and property. I will nevertheless be intimate with Mohan as hitherto even after my wedding to Ravi but will not marry him” replied Sarala
“You are not only an untrue lover but also a likely cheater.Fie on you” said her friend.
--0--
“Vinita” called her roommate Sharanya.”I hear you are getting married to Ravi and that both of you are already going steady and intimate. Is it true?’
“Yeah, he is madly in love with me and has promised to marry me within three or four months. You know I need someone in the circumstances I am placed.”
Sharanya asked her “Did you not tell him that you tested positive for HIV? How can you spoil a young man’s life? What you are doing is totally unethical and dishonest.”
“He never asked me. Why should I volunteer information that would take him away from me?” said Vinita
--0--
In life God has His own mysterious ways to punish the wicked. None can cheat Him. People think they are clever only to be overtaken by revenge from unexpected quarters.

kpartha12@hotmail.com

The good Samaritan

- by KParthasarathi 16 Jan 2009

I was travelling to Howrah station by taxi. I had to reach Chennai the second day without fail. The pressing work in the office did not permit me to leave the earlier day. Even as the taxi was nearing Esplanade I felt giddy. I could not sit up with everything swirling upside down. I felt an urge to throw up. The driver turned to look at me anxiously but I motioned him to proceed. By the time the vehicle reached Howrah station, the giddiness became worse. An old porter nearing sixty came towards the car and sized up the situation in a jiffy after a small chat with the driver. “Don’t worry, I will carefully take you to Coramandel Express and put you in your berth. Can you get down from the car?” he asked. I had a heart attack a couple of years back. I was worried but was not sure whether this was connected with it. It was the first time I had this problem. But I was determined to reach Chennai come what may. I struggled to come out but could not stand. He took my luggage in one hand and with his other arm around me, he gently took me a few steps away and made me sit on a raised kerb. He requested me to wait assuring me that he would be back within five minutes. He came soon with a trolley and asked me sit on it along with my box. When I declined he said “Sir, don’t you want to go to Chennai? We have only thirty minutes more. Please sit and do not bother about others. You recline on your box.”
I was at the entrance of the compartment within five minutes. I could not get up due to vertigo. I was still reclining on the box on the trolley. Some of the passersby looked at me amusingly while some had anxious look in their faces. It was then one young man of around 27 stopped by my side and asked “Any problem, Sir? May I help you board the train. What is the coach and seat number? There is not much time left. Would you like to undertake the journey in this condition or cancel it?”
I managed to tell him that I must travel without fail and should be at Chennai on the second day. He took me in his arms and along with the porter virtually lifted me to take me to my berth. He said” Do not worry. I am also travelling to Chennai. I am travelling in the second adjacent compartment behind this. I will request the TTE to allot a berth next to me by exchanging. I will come in half an hour. Just lie down and relax.” I could not thank the porter adequately but stuffed a hundred rupee note in his grateful hands.
After about forty five minutes the young man came to my side and said “ I have managed to get the lower berth for you. I will be in the middle berth. So everything should be fine. Please do not worry.” He escorted me along with my luggage to the allotted seat. As I was still giddy I could not talk to him much. He brought me coffee which I could not drink. I slept off the whole day. I was feeling slightly better. The next morning I was feeling slightly better but could not sit up for long. That young man vacated his seat to enable me lie down. He sat here and there. He got me coffee and some lunch and frequently enquired of my condition. I was touched by his kindness and helpful nature. Being unwell I could not talk to him much except for the expression of thanks once a while.
When the train reached Chennai Central, he offered to drop me at my home on his way to his place. I told him that I was expecting my nephew and thanked him again for his good nature. He thrust his card in my pocket and left when he saw my nephew. When my wife and daughter who had reached earlier saw my zombie look became worried and made anxious queries. I had finalised on a good match for my daughter and the man chosen was to come along with his parents and sisters for seeing my daughter in the evening. I was therefore particular about not missing my train. The local doctor said everything was fine and gave me a tablet. I became fine once I was with my family.
It was 5pm. My daughter had already visited a beauty parlour and was looking at her dazzling best. Sweets and snacks were ready. The jasmine and rose flowers spread their fragrance along with joss sticks to create the right ambience. We heard the noise of a car drawing up. We all stood up in readiness to welcome them. It was then I received the utmost surprise when I saw the young Samaritan who helped me in the train entering my house with parents and siblings. He stepped forward and asked “Uncle, how are you now? Feeling better? What a pleasant surprise to meet you here.”
My wife and others looked at me bewildered. When I explained how I could make the trip with the help of the young man, there were peals of laughter. I expressed my apology to the young man about my not having seen his card. Needless to say, he became my son in law.Kpartha12@hotmail.com
www.kparthas.blogspot.com

Unsullied affection of the young

by KParthasarathi 07 Jan 2009

Mami as she was called must be in her early forties. Frail and slim, she had a care-worn look with hairs gone grey in patches. There was melancholy and forlorn look in her face that expressed no emotion. She worked as a cook in that big bungalow of a large well to do family. She came at 6am daily and left only at 6pm taking care of the kitchen whole time. It was a tiresome job with members of the family coming at varied times for breakfast or lunch with their own preferences for the food. She had to make many dishes not knowing who will eat what. The quantity cooked would therefore be liberal. There were servants also to eat the leftovers.
Mami was not this poor when she married. Her husband was working in railways workshop. He was loving and considerate to her. Life was peaceful though not comfortable.Mami managed to live within her income. They had a son whom they affectionately called Ambi.Tragedy struck their family when a truck collided from behind with the young man’s cycle when he was returning home one evening. She had none to look to, after her husband’s death with her parents having passed away much earlier. She had no siblings. She had not studied beyond class nine and cooking was the only skill that she knew.
The family she worked for was decent and allowed her son also to eat in their house in the day time. The ten year old boy came to her employer’s house at 8am daily on his way to school to take cold rice that she saved the previous night. He would be back from school by 1pm but would wait outside the kitchen for his mother to call him when she can serve him. There was clear instruction that that till everyone in the household ate the food was not to be given to the many servants in the house like gardener, maid, driver and an errand boy. They ate only around 2-30 or 3pm.Mami made her son also to wait despite his pleadings that he was hungry. The boy would drink water and lie folded with hunger in the rear veranda. Her maternal instincts would torment her at the boy’s plight but the obligations of duty steeled her determination to wait. Some days the members ate on time and on many days there would be delay.Mami could not summon enough courage to mention about her boy’s predicament to the lady of the house whose shadow never darkened the kitchen doors.
The only daughter of the family along with Anil, her son of Ambi’s age, came to live in the palatial house when her husband was transferred. The boy took a liking for Ambi and played with him in the evenings. They became friendly. One day when all the members were at the dining table at 1pm ready to eat, Anil was not there. He had returned from school. They called his name several times. There was no response. The servants searched all over and found him lying in the first floor in the bed. He refused to come telling that he was not hungry. His mother shouted at him telling that it was already late for his lunch and that he should come down immediately. When the boy did not budge, the grand mother said that she would fetch him. The boy was close to her.
“Anil, what is the problem? You are a nice boy. Why are you adamant today?” she asked lovingly.
“Grand ma, I am not hungry.”
“How could it be? You ate your breakfast of dosa in the morning and a cup of horlicks.It is nearing 1-30pm.It is not good for your health to take food after this long gap.”
“Is it so? Are you sure?” Anil asked
“I am very sure about it. Be a good boy and hurry along with me.” She said
“ Grandma , if I can be hungry after eating dosa and horlicks and a long gap would do no good to me, how come Ambi can eat the left over around 2-30pm after the morning cold rice he eats daily?”
The truth behind the question hit her like a hammer and the plight of the boy tormented her guilt conscience. She called mami and as she came running asked her, “Mami, how heartless can you be keeping your boy hungry so long? Did it not strike you to bring the matter to my notice? I want you from tomorrow to give your boy the food immediately after he returns from the school irrespective of who had eaten and who had not. Is it clear?”
Anil jumped with joy running down the staircase to wake up his buddy.Children are very perceptive.They keenly observe,listen and absorb the messages of the actions around.But the hearts of young are pure and innocent. They see no difference amongst them. It is pure affection for each other unsullied by the wiles of the elders.Kpartha12@hotmail.com
www.kparthas.blogspot.com

Unwelcome attention

by KParthasarathi 02 Jan 2009

I am very happy here and am always surrounded by care-free people, who keep laughing, jumping and doing what they like most. No one tells me to do this or that. I can be what I like to be. There is so much of vacant space with many big trees providing cool shade and breeze with benches underneath to stretch along. I never like to be confined to my small room and always wish to be in open space looking at the sky. Even a passing dog or running squirrel interests me. Many people come and talk to me on their own. Frankly I am not a mixer and would like to be left alone with my thoughts. I know many subjects from economics to philosophy though the latter is is my favourite subject. I have read many books but most of what I have read has oozed out of my sieve like memory. I try to remember the same. I am not spiritual or religious but yet often think of the creator who made this world and all the beings in it. But these friends who surround me are unintelligible to me though they passionately try to make me understand what they keep telling me. When I do not evince interest, they leave me alone to pursue my thoughts. Everything is orderly in this place, an old age home, I think. I am comfortable except for one thing that disturbs me a lot. I should tell you in detail about this young lady who is bothering me with her constant unwelcome attention.

She has made it a point to come almost daily failing which on alternate days. She does not go to others but makes a beeline towards me. She comes and sits by my side too close to my comfort. Something must be bothering her for she is always in tears. Even her smile is strained. She caresses me with her hand and strokes my head. She invariably brings some snacks or sweets in a small box for me to eat. However much I decline she would not leave me without ensuring my eating the stuff. I have told her in angry tones times without number that I would wish to be left alone and have asked her why she was troubling me always and not others. But she would not get upset. Funny she called me her appa (dad) and said she did not know others nor had she any interest in them except me. Frankly I do not know this lady at all though her face is familiar and reminds me of my long dead wife. She is no doubt kind to me but I wish to get along with thoughts undisturbed. I am actually planning to write a book on how a man can maintain his faculties at the optimum level by constant practice .But she daily breaks my chain of thoughts and my treatise is getting delayed .Am I wrong in expressing my annoyance at her and speak to her harshly? But she cries making me more miserable. I don’t know whether I have developed a fondness for her.

I have seen her always approaching one man in white pants and shirt near the office building. That man is not good. I think he is a cruel man as he has hurt me many times dragging me to his room with his henchmen. She should not go near him for her benefit and safety. I told her of my apprehension many times. But she just smiles and ignores my caution.

Today after she met me, she started moving towards the office, I followed her without being noticed. I wanted to be of help in case some harm came to her. When she went inside the office and I hid behind a partially closed window to overhear the conversation. I heard her asking him “Is appa improving? I do not see any sign of improvement. I could see no sign of recognition in his face.”

He replied “Sorry madam, it takes long time in some cases. We are doing our best and even made him undergo shock therapy. Let us hope he becomes ok soon. Pray to God.”

I could not understand about whom she was talking to him. I was determined to ask her when she came out who her appa was.

Kpartha12@hotmail.com

http://www.kparthas.blogspot.com/

Lalitha's baby

The door of the labour room opened and a nurse clad in white with gloves on hand called “Anyone for Lalitha?”Even as I stood up to enter, Lalitha’s mom rushed in. I too followed her but stood at a distance. The nurse said “Mami, you have a grandson. Lalita is fine but a little drowsy. Come in and see the baby.”

The nurse gave in her hands the small baby wrapped in white sheet. It was too delicate and thin with the eyes shut. The tiny fingers were closed. I could get a glimpse of the baby. My mother-in- law hugged the baby close to her chest even as she wiped the tears from her eyes. The nurse asked her “How is the baby? It has a very good complexion and plenty of hair on its tiny head. Whom has he taken after? I don’t think the baby resembles his mother.”The old lady said “The baby looks just like his father.” I was immensely happy as I could not see the baby at close quarters. There were other nurses cleaning up and attending on Lalitha. The nurse took back the baby and said that she would call her after an hour. My mother-in-law went out of the room.

I lingered there for some more time. The nurses didn’t take notice of me and were busy with their duties. I saw Lalitha asleep with a trace of smile in her face. I didn’t want to disturb her. I went near her and held her hand softly. We had been waiting for this happy moment for a long time. She longed for a baby boy and I wanted a girl. She was lucky to get what she had wanted and must be very pleased. We loved each other very much with each one trying to please the other. She wanted her son to become like me, tall and handsome as she always said. There was no sign of Lalitha opening her eyes and was probably under the influence of sedative. I had a close look at the baby who will be the apple of our eyes. We had discussed even before we knew that a boy would be born about his future endlessly. As the nurses were getting tense with the chief doctor coming in, I quietly slipped out of the room and sat a few rows behind my mother-in-law.

The nurse came out after a few minutes with a form in hand and approached the old lady. She asked “What is the name of the father? Has he not come? Where does he work? We must fill in all the details?” My mother-in-law took her sari end to her eyes to wipe even as she was sobbing. I said loudly, “Hey,Nurse, I am the father. I am here.” She did not seem to hear. The old lady said to the nurse even as all the visitors in the lounge heard her ‘The baby’s father was killed in the last week’s Mumbai massacre. He was in the police. Lalitha does not know yet. We have not broken the news to her as yet.” There was a stunned silence and disbelief even as I was screaming “I am here. Why is it no one taking note of me.”

I get scared now and am worried for my dear Lalitha.

kpartha12@hotmail.com

Misunderstanding

- by KParthasarathi 22 Dec 2008.

The phone rang. It was Rangan who said “Do you know Raju Mama has been admitted in Apollo hospital last night? I hear his condition is critical. The doctors are planning for an open heart surgery which may be tomorrow itself. I thought I should tell you since you are very close to him.”

I asked him “Who told you? Was there any call from his house?”My thoughts went to Raju Mama, my mom’s youngest brother. An extremely pleasant and jovial person, he had a special liking for me amongst his many nephews. Possibly it could be for the reason that I resembled him or play cricket, a sport he loved very much, in first division level. We used to attend cricket matches together whenever they took place in Chennai. We used to differ violently on many matters relating to the game and players. He had strong likes and dislikes which coloured his judgment. Be that as it may, this common interest brought us together.

It was with shock that I received the news. He was in his fifties but enjoyed good health with no complaints of blood pressure, sugar or cholesterol that he had ever mentioned. Nevertheless, heart attacks are silent killers giving no advance warning and come when most unexpected. He had young children, some still school-going and one daughter to be married. I did not think he had saved much or had any paternal property to fall back upon.

When I rang up his house, there was no response. This gave me worry. I rang up another cousin. He also mentioned that he had heard it from his niece and that in all probability the surgery could take place the next day. He added for good measure that he had news the surgery was a major one with fifty percent success rate. He also added that Mama was in intensive care unit.

It was 3 pm and I decided to rush to the hospital immediately. I started praying that Mama should come out of this ordeal unscathed as he had huge responsibilities towards his family. As I went inside the sprawling and jam-packed lounge of the hospital, I saw Vignesh talking to a relative with a cup of coffee in his hand. He was laughing and showed no sign of anxiety. I rushed to him asking “How is Raju Mama? What is the latest news?” He asked me in bewildering tone “What happened to Raju Mama? Is he here? Any problem? I came here to meet a colleague and happened to see our relative here.”

I could see none else known to me there. When I approached the help-desk dealing with admissions, they could not locate easily under the name of Rajagopalan in ICU.They said one by the same was in room L418. When I rushed there, I saw Mami standing outside talking to someone.

“Mami, what happened? Why did you not seek my help? Is Mama free from danger? How is he now and when is the surgery?” I asked her. “What are you telling? Mama is fine. He had this problem for a long time and was suffering silently. When it became unbearable, he went to the doctor. He said surgery is the only option and is slated for tomorrow”, she said.

"Who is the cardio vascular surgeon and who is the cardiologist attending on him” I asked anxiously. “What are you blabbering? Why cardio-doctors for piles operation? It is very minor and he will be sent home very soon. Go and see him inside. He is ordering all sorts of dishes from the canteen and enjoying himself”

When I went inside, the TV was blaring. He had a plate with pakoras and heartily welcomed me. “Nanu, don’t be upset with me. I didn’t want this piles business to be known to all. My children have all gone to Coimbatore for a marriage. So I chose this time.Mami stays here with me. Please don’t publicise this,” he said.

“Mama, I was greatly worried when I heard you had a serious heart ailment and was to be operated.” “Which fool told you? I told a few days ago that idiotic nephew, I forget his name readily, that I had heart-burn after eating the molagai bhajji (Hot delicacy with chillies). When he perhaps heard that I am in the hospital, he must have embroidered on that news to tell his cousin, graduating my problem to a heart ailment. May be in two days someone would have told you that I had kicked the bucket.”

News travel fast and often get garbled according to what one wishes to hear. A perfect misunderstanding without any basis, this one was. The moral is: do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. The lesson is to check with the source and not trust second and third hand purveyors of news. Most rumours have no legs to stand upon. So many relationships are broken for believing what all we hear without checking the veracity of the rumours we are given as news

Kpartha12@hotmail.com

http://www.kparthas.blogspot/ .

The only child

- by KParthasarathi 09 Dec 2008

Rajee and Ramjee made an ideal couple. She is an engineer working in a multinational bank. He is also an engineer with an MBA to boot working in an IT company. They had a nice apartment with two cars and were earning very well. While she is charming and attractive having won a Miss college contest, he was a tall, dusky and handsome guy. They loved each other and life was passing smoothly. She did not however like his frequent jaunts overseas on official business.

She was fond of babies and yearned for children. Even while young she used to carry in her arms the babies of her siblings much to their relief and play for a long time with them. Unfortunately they were not blessed with one even though she desired one very much. She was disappointed but never made public of her longing. Ramjee however did not show much enthusiasm for an early child possibly because he wanted their carefree romance to continue without a child to spoil it. Her parents were also not unduly worried as in some cases delays are common. The couple was also very young.

It was therefore a matter of great jubilation when Rajee conceived finally. She was thrilled and very excited with happiness. While Ramjee appeared happy for her, he did not show much enthusiasm. Possibly he felt that they were being burdened with a child so early. That could be the reason he did not share the joy with Rajee fully though he was very considerate and supportive throughout her pregnancy. All the religious functions associated with the birth of child were gone through with gaiety by families on both sides.

She finally delivered a charming baby boy. The parents on both sides were delighted. It was a month after the advent of the new born. One night as he was lying in the bed with her nursing the baby, Ramjee spoke softly. He told her." Rajee,I think it is enough with this one child. You wanted one very much and you have it now. No one will speak about you with derision.”

She asked in surprise "Why do you say all these? I have been watching you. You have not been your usual bubbly self and often morose. If you do not want more children, it is ok by me. Why do you have to put such a long face? I have not seen you playing with the baby too.”

“I have to tell you now, Rajee.I love you immensely but unable to suffer the terrible ache in my heart for a long time. It looks as though it will burst. I cannot share it with anyone else. I have decided to bare it all. Listen carefully. When we didn't get a child and you were anxious about it, I decided to test myself medically. Unluckily I had found that I can have no progeny and that I am physically unfit. The condition it appeared is beyond repair. I had not the heart to tell you then and kept it to myself. I hope you understand the full import of what I am telling you. I do not want to get anymore into this. Take it from me my love for you is not a bit reduced for whatever reason.”

She was shocked and uttered a cry as she fell on him sobbing inconsolably. When she regained composure and started to speak, he said ‘Rajee, No need. Let it remain with you forever. I am not interested. Don’t be afraid in the least. I have no intention to let you down. My lips are sealed. This baby is our son. Only ensure that we don't get any more. Do you understand?”

Kpartha12@hotmail.com

www.kparthas.blogspot.com

A tryst with a beggar and a failed dream

by KParthasarathi 03 Dec 2008

A tryst with a beggar and a failed dream I was living in Delhi then. I had a dream one night when God said that I would be seeing Him before the end of the week. It was a Wednesday night. I could not recollect the form of god but the message was clear that He would be revealing Himself to me. I was not a very religious or a spiritual type even though I said my prayers daily. It was part of my daily routine to light the lamp after my bath, offer flowers and utter a few slokas.I would remember god only the next morning. I was naturally surprised about the dream and tried to recollect whether I had read some stories of God the previous days. I could remember none. I brushed it aside like any other dream and went about my daily routine. I did not mention about my dream to my wife though I used to tell her all the happenings of the day. Still the dream kept coming to my memory frequently with no incident of such a nature happening

A friend had come from Bangalore who wished to visit Agra, Mathura and Brindavan that Sunday .Both of us went by car. My wife excused herself from making the trip. We finished the Taj and the Krishna temple at Mathura. We were tired when we came to Brindavan.There are innumerable temples in Bridavan.We chose to visit the most popular Banke Bihari temple which is located 100 m down a side street. The approach is very narrow. The curtains before the Deities are not left open like at other temples. Every few minutes the curtain is pulled shut and then opened again. It is said that the brilliant eyes of Banke Bihari will make you unconscious if seen for too long a stretch. It is said that Banke Bihari does not like the sound of bells or conch; therefore they are not sounded in this temple. The temple was jampacked.

After the darshan, we came out. I was wondering whether the god in the dream meant this darshan as his revealing himself. The narrow road was lined with beggars seeking alms. As we walked back towards our car one old man came behind me asking me for money. It was late and I was extremely tired and hungry. I ignored him and kept walking. The man would not let me go and came close behind me incessantly asking for some amount. His persistence made me annoyed. I told him that I would not pay even a paisa if he pestered me like that. He followed me all the 100metres.Just as we were nearing the final stretch of the narrow road, he tugged my shirt and said “You have come all the way to have the darshan of the lord but you would not even turn to look at me , let alone give me a small amount.” I got angry at his audacity in pulling my shirt and shouted at the top of my voice “Go away, I say”. The man stopped following me and after a few yards, I turned to see whether he was still there... No, he could not be seen. I stood there looking for him. He had just vanished in the crowd. I was struck with remorse whether I was unduly rude to an indigent beggar. I was now in a mind to give him even hundred rupees to atone for my boorish and bad-mannered behaviour. But he had melted in the thronging crowd. My appetite was lost and throughout the journey back I was mum and lost in thoughts about the incident. His bent figure with his cringing appeals haunted before my mind.

As I was narrating the incident while lying in bed that night to my wife and the failed dream of mine, she sat up immediately and said “What an unlucky man you are? Could you not realise that it was the lord himself who was pursuing you till the end of the road? Will any beggar chase a person for 100 m and waste his time? He would rather go and ask someone else. God has kept His word. You have failed to see Him in the form of a beggar. Your dream has come true and you had refused to see the dream that had come true. You could not perceive the presence of god immersed as you are with the thought of Him in his traditional form. Did it not strike you at all there is something more in his relentless following you?”

I felt there was a clear message for me from god that I should show compassion to the poor and be gentle to them. It is only in acts of such kindness that God is pleased. What a fool I had been to miss the significance of the dream and my failure to connect it with the beggar. In all my subsequent visits to Brindavan, I looked for the beggar. But he is not there. I am a changed man now.

Kpartha12@hotmail.com

http://www.kparthas.blogspot.com/

Lasting love

- by KParthasarathi 01 Dec 2008

I have a friend married for ten years who has fallen in love with a colleague of his. The one nub is both are married and have children. But he claims that his life has turned brighter and the days are more exciting. I could notice that he dressed well these days and his hair groomed at regular intervals. Earlier he paid little attention to personal appearance and had to be virtually driven by his wife to hair dressers when the hairs started curling up. There was now a spring in his walk though his desk suffered from mounting files with him talking on mobile most of the time and leaving the office promptly. “Partha, I know you would not approve of this but I am deeply in love with Sumitha. Not that I dislike my wife Ranjani but I love this girl more and cannot shake her from my mind. My guilty conscience pricks me when I see Ranjani in the nights but I am too far in this relationship to retrace.”

“Does your wife know?” I asked.

He said “No, though she keeps asking me why I work late in office almost daily and also attend on Sundays. Poor thing, she doesn’t know. I am really at my wit’s end how to tell her that I have decided to separate from her. She loves me so much that she cannot see that I have lost interest in her. This is eating me day and night. Can you advise me how I go about it?”

As he burdened me daily with his romantic troubles, I looked at my wife who was sleeping by my side. She had grown a little old and there were strands of grey hair which she did not hide by dyeing. There were black rings below her eyes and new wrinkles that I had not noticed a month back. She appeared nevertheless as beautiful and charming as she was when I went to see her first time at her parents’ place. She lacked the initial enthusiasm but she never disappointed me when I needed her. She didn’t mind my going out for a binge of beer with my friends or playing bridge at the club on Saturday nights. She kept herself busy teaching the kids and looking after the house in ever so many ways. Our love for each other was intact and not a whit reduced. We did have our bouts of fun and tiffs too. On Sundays I would get the breakfast from a nearby restaurant making her stay in the bed for longer. Once in a while I would lend a helping hand in making the lunch. She loved pizza with its varied dressings. I never relished them. Whenever we went out for eating, she would always order things that I relished most like lasagna or Chinese noodles. When I press her to have pizza she would decline telling that she had it the day before at her friends place. But there would be surprises of unannounced pizza deliveries in the afternoons for her. She never complains or goes to another room for sleeping despite my heavy snoring. She puts up with my tantrums when I fail to find my car-keys or socks or mobile.

I was no less considerate to her. Having come from a large family, she never knew to cook just the quantity our small family needed. She did not have the heart to pour the excess down the drain immediately. Instead to salve her conscience she would store the left over in the large fridge for a couple of days before discarding them. I knew my budget on food can be cut to half but I never made a fuss. She had no dress sense or made attempt to acquire fine dresses. She was satisfied with simple material. I had to take the help of my cousin to choose fine party dresses for her. It was a case of each one trying to make the other feel comfortable and we found love in abundance between us despite the passing years.

One day as I was returning from an official tour, I met my friend in the airport. I requested him to accompany in my car, have a cup of tea at my house and get dropped later at his place. When I reached my home, my little daughter of six years came running towards me greeting, “Appa, you are back. I am so happy.” I lifted her bodily and smothered her face with kisses before I let her down. My son of ten years was standing shyly and I went near him and patted him on his back asking him “How are you, youngster? Who took the maximum wickets in today’s ODI?” He snuggled by my side happily. Then it was the turn of my wife. She was standing at a distance as my friend was present. I dragged her towards me and embraced her tightly saying, “Ignore this chap. He doesn’t know how to lead a joyous life”. Even as she was struggling to get out of my cuddle, I planted a couple of kisses on her forehead to her great embarrassment and my friend’s mirth. My friend asked me “How long were you away on tour?” I said just one night. I could see he was stunned by the look on his face and the unbelief that a day’s absence could bring such intense and loving greeting.

Later when we were alone sipping tea I told him” You asked my advice about your problem. I have one to give if you care to follow. Keep away from Sumitha for a month with no contact and spend the time with Ranjani and your children as you saw us here today. Give her all the love and the children your affection. Have fun and take them out. Just for one month. If you still feel at the end of the month, your passion for Sumitha is unabated, you do what pleases you. But you owe Ranjani this much for her trusting and loving you as she does since day one.”

He agreed. As I expected the togetherness and the flush of warmth did the trick. It was a month later that he told me that he had told Sumitha that they break off the relationship as he could not leave his wife and children.

It is necessary to recognize that for love to sustain and grow there must be mutual trust and reciprocity - it is not a one way street.

Kpartha12@hotmail.com

http://www.kparthas.blogspot.com/

Honesty pays

“You are not a worldly wise man. It is my misfortune that I am married to you. When all the drivers like you bring 400 or 500 rupees extra daily, you are putting on a foolish image of a good man and making me and the children suffer as a consequence. While the other women buy clothes, mixie, TV, mobile etc,I keep borrowing small amounts from them frequently. Why can’t you be like others adjusting the meter and bribing the policemen?” wailed Ravi’s wife loudly.
Ravi, an auto rickshaw driver, calmly replied “ I cannot be dishonest even if it means suffering for us. There is no point in your crying and making scenes. Be content with what you have. God would surely reward honesty.”
“It is easy for you to preach. I have to take our son to the doctor. His fever has not come down for the last three days. He is not sipping even a spoon of tea. Where is the money? Nobody is willing to lend. Give me five hundred rupees and then keep preaching your lessons to others” she replied angrily.
Ravi slammed the door and left without taking his breakfast. He knew that his wife was frustrated due to want but he had no mind to earn money by devious ways. He can work harder but not demand more than the prescribed rates. Ravi was sitting in his auto brooding over his poor earnings and was waiting for his next fare. He reluctantly decided if God doesn’t show him the way,he would also turn like his fellow drivers. It was extremely hot and sultry even around 11 am in the morning. He had parked the vehicle a little away from the auto stand under the shade of a tree on the side of the busy road. It was a commercial area with several shops and there was the milling crowd on the road. Not a blade of grass moved and the leaves were all still. Ravi was not an avaricious type unlike other members of his ilk. He generally accepted the fare as shown in the untampered meter and gratefully acknowledged any extra given by the passengers on their own volition. As this was not to the liking of the other drivers, he generally kept away from them.
“Can you take me to Adyar” asked a tall man in his thirties. Ravi looked at the neatly dressed man and noticed that he was glancing behind his shoulders frequently as if someone was following him. Even before he said he was willing to take him, the man jumped into the auto and sat in the corner closely huddled to the canvas cover. When Ravi tried to start the auto, the passenger said “Not immediately now. Please wait. I will tell you when to start.” When Ravi asked him whether he was expecting anyone else to accompany him, he denied even while he was looking behind thro the rear window of the three- wheeler.
Ravi could not help but be puzzled by the man who was obviously tense , restless and kept fidgeting with his watch as if he was expecting some threat to him. He did not put out his head outside the auto and kept watching thro the narrow opening at the rear of the vehicle. When Ravi asked him after ten minutes whether he can start the vehicle, the man pleaded with him to wait a little longer promising him extra for the waiting. He said “I am waiting for someone and at the same time avoiding someone else. I am compelled to seek refuge in the cover of your vehicle till the person comes”
Ravi left the man in the auto telling him that he would buy a cigarette from a shop nearby. He was making small talk with the friendly shopkeeper about the passenger waiting in the auto. When he returned after a few minutes, he was shocked to find the man was not in the vehicle. When he looked in, he found a leather bag and a hundred rupee note on the seat. When he opened the bag he found it stuffed with lot of money. He was confused and baffled at the discovery. He turned round with the bag in hand looking for the man who had mysteriously vanished. He realized that he should not have left the man alone in the vehicle especially when he found him nervous and edgy.
It was then he heard a distraught man running towards this side of the road with a constable. There were other idle passers- by also coming along with them. He saw the constable stopping now and then and asking the people some questions. When he approached the shop keeper, Ravi saw him pointing out to his vehicle and telling him something. When the policeman came running followed by the distressed man, Ravi knew the game and offered the bag to the constable.. The man who had vanished was a chain snatcher and pick pocket who used his vehicle as a hiding place till such time the commotion subsided. The man who was with the policeman shouted in glee ”Sir, this is my bag snatched by the thief without my knowledge by cutting the strap.” When Ravi’s explanation of the incident corroborated with the version of the shopkeeper the constable handed over the bag to the owner. On verifying the contents to be intact, he instantly offered Ravi Rs 1000 and asked him to meet him at his residence the next day. He said ”I have hundred employees working for me and I have found very few honest men of your type. I have a great use for men like you. You need not drive three-wheeler anymore but can earn much more being in my employment in the stores department.”
God’s ways may appear inscrutable but there is a method in them.Kpartha12@hotmail.com
www.kparthas.blogspot.com

Sound sleep

- by KParthasarathi 09 Nov 2008

“I have requested you countless times not to leave by the early morning flights. You not only trouble yourself but put everyone in the house to considerable inconvenience. I don’t know why you persist in harassing others” exploded Sumitra in anger to her husband.

Murali replied softly “Why do you have to raise your voice? Our office is into austerity drive since the last year. We are avoiding night’s halt in a starred hotel. We leave in the morning and return by the evening flight. As a senior executive, I cannot myself break the rules. How does my early morning departure affect you anyway?”

“Ha, ha.How considerate are you to others should be seen to be believed? The whole house is woken up at 3 am as if it is Deepavali night. Lights are on in the hall, kitchen and everywhere. You may plead you get up only at 4am but you should not forget you are the cause of early morning bedlam. You wake me up at 5 am asking whether I had seen your new pair of socks or spare kerchiefs. You don’t pack your things in advance and raise a hell at the eleventh hour. I am not going to put up with this anymore of this nonsense. Our child and I will go to bed at 10pm sharp bidding you bye bye. We will not wake up to see you off. Do remember not to set the alarum in our bedroom. You wake up by your own device and go out of the bedroom quietly remembering to close the door.”

“Don’t be telling lies. It is my mom who gets up early in the morning to switch on the geyser, make coffee and boil milk. Dad remains awake to wake her up as she cannot hear the alarum.She even offers to make quickly some upma or dosa. Most of the days you keep snoring loudly in deep sleep even when I leave the home for airport” contested Murali

Rajamani iyer and Kaveri were listening to the heated conversation in the adjacent hall from their room but kept quiet. They knew that it is best not to intervene in their discussions however untrue the statements hurled at each other were. Murali being a marketing man frequently went on short tours of a day or two. He always took the early morning flights. However careful and quiet one tried to be, there are bound to be noises of the doors opening, the running water, the shower and the conversations with his hard of hearing mom that is a bit raised.Iyer would hardly sleep those nights switching on the light now and then and waiting for the alarm clock to ring and Kaveri waiting for him to nudge her. They will get up at 3am, get the hot water and coffee ready and keep waiting for the clock to strike four to wake up Murali.He will not get up on time and as the clock ticked by the aged mother will be restless and the old man will be walking from one end of the hall to the other. Around 4am Kaveri will go near the door of the bedroom and call gently “Murali, Murali, it is getting late.” There would be no response for a while but iyer will hear Sumitra telling Murali in low voice that his parents are calling.

He will finally come out hurriedly around 4.20 am and get ready in a jiffy making loud noises and intermittent conversations with his parents. The TV will be on to catch the day’s news while his mom would have put the Sri Venkatesa Subrabatham on the tape recorder. When he left the house at 4.45am the house would turn very quiet like the hurricane ravaged coastal town after it had left had left.

This was the scene when Murali left this morning also. Iyer switched off all the lights and retired to bed.Kaveri had already slept. Both of them who had hardly slept would catch a few winks before the day broke open. At 6am the servant maid rang the bell and finding no response rang again. Normally Iyer would have kept the door slightly ajar and be waiting for the milk and the newspaper. But this day he was fast asleep after the sleepless night. Sumitra got up fuming at the early morning disruption to open the door. The maid asked “Where is the periyavar (old man)? Is he not well? “Sumitra replied in acerbic tone “Nothing is wrong with him. They both are still sleeping like a newly married young couple knowing well this donkey is there to do all the drudgery. It is my fate.” The maid who knew the truth kept mum. The aged couple were blissfully asleep unaware of the caustic comments of their bahu whom they loved dearly like a daughter.

Kpartha12@hotmail.com

The revelation

by KParthasarathi 29 Oct 2008

“Shyamala !” I was startled as I lifted my head from the book. I did not expect my husband Rajesh to call me so loud though I was sitting adjacent to his bed in the ICU.He was still connected to various equipments with tubes crisscrossing over his body.

“I will agree to the divorce. Call the lawyer for signing up the papers.”

I looked around and found no one within earshot. The nurses were busy with patients in other cabins. I said putting my fingers on my lips “shh…shh.., this is not the time to speak or worry about such matters. Relax please.”

“I am at peace. After what I witnessed, I concluded that there is little point in saving our marriage.” He said panting slightly for breath.

Shyamala and Rajesh were married for five years. It was an arranged marriage. No couple could be as incompatible as they were. She did not like the people, things and the values he liked. They were diametrically opposite to each other even on the food they liked or disliked. She hated his mom as much as he loved her. While he was an introvert, she was a bubbly fun loving extrovert fond of meeting people and outdoor activities. To make matters worse, they had no children. He worked for long hours and returned late. She came back home by 5.30 invariably. Though they never quarreled, she was sulking always and went to her parents place on most weekends.

She started confiding her problems with Shankar her colleague who gave her a patient ear. He empathized with her and took her out to coffee shops whenever she was low in spirit. They became friendly and had similar tastes. In the course of a few months he occupied her mind totally and she longed for his company even on weekends.

He also liked her very much. Being a decent guy and knowing that she was married to someone else, he kept the intimacy within boundaries. When he had come to her home one day when her husband was on tour, he did not encourage her advances. He gently explained to her that she would regret such relationship and suggested that she first take a divorce from him. He added that he would wait as long as it took to get the divorce.

When she sought separation from her baffled husband, he was not willing to agree. He said most young couples work for long hours in the offices in the competitive environment and that she should cultivate other meaningful hobbies to keep her engaged. He did not understand that the estrangement was not only due to physical distance but also mental remoteness. She insisted on a divorce by mutual agreement as it was quicker than through the legal methods. He demurred and told her to wait for a year more expecting some change of heart.

Coming back to the present, she asked “What is it you were saying that you witnessed? Why the sudden change of heart? “

"Tell me the truth. Don’t you remember the events of yesterday when you and your friend were here? You might have thought I was dead and gone when the doctors were endeavouring their best to save my life.” replied Rajesh

She recollected the events as they happened the day before. When he had some discomfort while in office and was quickly admitted in a nursing home.Shyamala accompanied by Shankar was at his bedside within a matter of minutes. As ill luck would have it, he suffered sudden cardiac arrest.They were asked to stand outside the cabin. She could see what was going on inside The doctors resorted to giving him shocks with a defibrillator. He did not respond immediately and there was anxiety writ large in doctors’ faces. They did not give up and continued administering repeated shocks. She surmised when he did not respond, he was a goner and leaned on the shoulders of Shankar in a state of shock. He also put his arms tightly around her to comfort her and said “Do not worry. Everything will be fine.”

Rajesh continued “When they were giving the shocks, you did not see me floating in the air over my body. I saw clearly you falling over him and the warm hug given to you by that fellow and his assurance that things would be fine soon. You thought I was dead and that the shocks failed. It was at that moment one of shocks worked to revive my heart and brought me back to life. I didn’t know earlier about your secret liaison with this guy. Fortunately or otherwise, this para normal experience opened up my eyes. Now that I know the way things are, I would not like to stand between you and your lover. Even though our nature is very different, I loved you still. But after this revelation I will give you the freedom and sign the papers anytime you bring them.”

Kpartha12@hotmail.com

www.kparthas.blogspot.com

The harmonium

- by KParthasarathi 24 Oct 2008

Lakshmi always rushed to the door from the kitchen with a tumblerful of rice when she heard the soulful music from the harmonium coming from a distance. She liked to watch him play the instrument effortlessly accompanied by his soft rendering in his sweet voice of Thyagaraja keerthans or bhajans.The man in his late fifties came invariably around 8.30 ,one or two minutes this way or that, in the mornings. Clad in dhoti passing through the legs without any shirt to cover his bare chest, he had a turban like head gear in yellow cloth with a long portion falling behind his back. A glistening brass vessel spherical in shape hung on his shoulder. He seemed to forget the surroundings when he sang with his eyes half closed pouring out his soul in praise Sri Rama.It appeared to Lakshmi when he played on the harmonium gently passing his fingers over the keys, he was plucking at the heart strings of the very god in whose praise he was ecstatically singing. Even the hardened soul not given to aesthetics cannot miss the richness of his voice and the devotion in his dulcet music. He did not linger beyond a minute or two for the lady of the house to offer the bhiksha.An unchavrutti Brahmin he lived on the offerings and would return when the vessel turned full. He never collected more than the day’s requirement. Lakshmi was taught classical carnatic music as a young girl. Her dad had bought a harmonium years back to keep the rhythm. She had learnt music for eight years and could sing well and relish good music better. With children grown up and the household chores taking her time, she left singing totally. Her two sons had no aptitude for carnatic music.

The mendicant knew by long experience that this lady would not fail to drop the rice. She would rush to the door even when he was a few houses away and once he reached her door she would walk slowly to savour for longer time the matchless patterns of music that he created from the harmonium. Though a poor man in rags, she had a great respect for the man whose music and musical imagination she felt would have received wide acclaim had he been exposed to the connoisseurs and the Sabah secretaries. Most probably he had scorn for such publicity to what was purely a musical expression of his devotion to his Devatha. He was like a flower ’born to blush unseen and waste its fragrance in the deserted air’ though he never thought on those lines. She occasionally made small talk with him if he had failed to turn up the previous day. His songs lingered in her ears on some days long after he left.

He was not seen for three days continuously. She was a bit worried whether he had fallen sick but knew not where and whom to enquire. When she mentioned his absence to her husband, he mocked at her and said “Why do you worry about that poor man. He is just a dignified beggar singing the names of the god to invoke the sympathy of the housewives?’ She became angry and did not pursue the conversation with him. She silently prayed to god for the well being of the singing mendicant.

As if in answer to her prayer, she heard the next day the song from outside her door without the accompaniment of harmonium. She hastened with the rice to see him standing without the harmonium hanging from his shoulder. He looked weak with his cheeks sunken. She asked him “You were not seen for three days. What happened? Were you not well? Where is the harmonium?” He hesitated for a while and slowly replied “There was a minor accident. As ill luck would have it, a cyclist dashed against me and I fell down. I escaped with minor scratches. The harmonium which fell a little away was run over by a speeding tempo and broken to smithereens. It is bad time for me. My lord Sri Rama is testing me. This instrument helped in attracting the griha lakshmis like you. I am now compelled to sing louder the names of the lord.”

She requested him to wait for a few minutes and rushed inside to the puja room where she had kept her harmonium. It was kept covered in cover made of red velvet cloth. She stood for a minute with her eyes closed before the god as if seeking His permission to take away the harmonium. She hurried back to the front door and offered the harmonium without a word to him. When he raised his eyes from the instrument to hers, she could see the surprise and the warmth. She slowly removed the cover and asked him “Please accept this offering. I am in fact selfish and wish to hear your divine music from this harmonium that once belonged to me .It was lying idle in the puja room and would now be put to better use for which it was intended. Do not hesitate. I am like your daughter.” He wiped the tears of joy and gratitude from his eyes and smiled at her. She requested “Can you please sing the piece “Nithi sala sukhama, Ramudu sannithi seva sukhama” for me once?” He kept silent with his eyes closed for a few moments and then sang the timeless piece softly spreading the mysterious joy and tranquility that only the devout can invest in their music. After the song was over, he took a small quantity of rice from his vessel and sprinkled on her head blessing her “Dheerga sumangali bhava” Kpartha12@hotmail.com

A Celebration of Sharing

by KParthasarathi 28 Oct 2008

It was Diwali that day. The air was thick with fun and revelry and echoed with the laughter of children. The houses were all decorated in multi-coloured serial lights. The children were seen running hither and thither bursting crackers and lighting sparklers. The smell of elachi, kesar and other spices wafted from the kitchens that were preparing scrumptious sweets and namkeens. One could see well-dressed men and women hurrying in cars to make the last minute purchases of dry fruits, gift boxes, sweets and clothes. Gopal and Vijaya were sitting morose in the veranda watching the brightly-lit houses across the road. Gopal put his arm around Vijaya and gently patted her comfortingly without uttering one word. Both knew what was passing through each other’s mind.

Exactly a year before, the scene was different. Their boy of eight years, Sunil, dragged both of them out to help him in lighting the fireworks. For a month in advance he was busy making endless list of crackers he wished to buy and deciding how much of the money should be for the light and how much for the sound varieties. He liked long Lars that would bring to a stop the entire neighbourhood with its noise and dazzle. He also had a fancy for the multi-coloured fountains and flower pots while his dad had a weakness for rockets. The boy and this dad would go with a predetermined budget only to be exceeded by several times. They would come home with large packets that would be almost impossible to finish.

They were lighting the crackers after it grew dark. Sunil, despite his love for the fireworks, was a timid boy and afraid to light up the noisy stuff. He would ask his dad for help. There was a slum close by and about half a dozen urchins, half-clad, in unkempt hair, stood outside the fence and watched the display with awe. For the poor and the deprived, Deepavali was like any other day of toil and hunger. The children would with covetous eyes watch the vast spread of crackers of assorted varieties in a corner. When one of the crackers did not go off, a boy from across the fence ran inside to pick it up .Gopal shouted at the boy “You fool, don’t go near, it may burst” It was then Sunil had said, “Can I make a request, Dad? They are all very poor and do not have the money to buy even a shirt. They are as young as I am.Can I call them also to join in the fun?” His mom said “No, give them some crackers and send them away. You don’t have to rub shoulders with them.” Sunil was adamant “Ma, I want them to enjoy as much as I do when Dad lights up the crackers. They will be here only this evening for two hours. Please do not say no.” Gopal intervened to say, “Vijaya, let them also enjoy. Had I known Sunil’s mind earlier, I would have brought some clothes too.”

Sunil was very happy and called the children to come in. For the next two hours it was a riot of laughter and gaiety amidst the glittering light and colour. The entire lot was finished except for stray items which Sunil gave away to the boys. When they started to leave, Vijaya called them in and said “Don’t go away. Come inside and wash your hands. I will give you some sweets and snacks to eat.”

The beaming and happy face of Sunil was still fresh in their minds. Despite all the care and treatment the boy died last year struck down by leukaemia, a few months after Diwali. When Gopal saw Vijaya crying, he said “Get up, let us go and get lots of crackers and sweets for Sunil’s friends. They are bound to come looking for an encore of last year’s happy experience.” She readily agreed and wanted him to buy some shorts and T- shirts too for the boys. When they returned back with the bundles, it was just in time as the boys were turning disappointed in seeing the house bereft of the brightness, noise and more particularly the boy. Gopal called them inside and gave them the new dresses. Then under his supervision, the little urchins enjoyed to their hearts’ content the lighting of the crackers. One little girl in that group innocently asked “Uncle, where is the boy who played with us last time. We enjoyed this more when he was around. Has he gone out of station?” Vijaya could not suppress her tears and covering her face with her sari she cried aloud. Gopal told the girl “Sunil is no more. We did this as we felt he would be happy if he could see you all in smiles today.” As the entire lot of urchins stood as if frozen, the little girl said “We are very sad. Had we known this earlier, we would not have made all this merriment.” Vijaya pulled the little girl to her side and said “Don’t feel sad. Sunil is feeling happy wherever he is. Come each year on this day for making him happy.” Kpartha12@hotmail.com

Lalita's revenge

- by KParthasarathi 22 Oct 2008

“Lalita, a call for you from some Aravind” called her colleague as she was searching for some file in the shelves. As she went slowly towards the desk, she wondered why he was calling her after nearly five years since she walked out of his house. It was an arranged marriage and her parents were happy that Aravind was well educated and in a good position. It was all hunky dory in the initial years when it was all fun and revelry. As the years passed by, she found it hard to get along with him. He was an easy going and fun loving guy with no sense of responsibility towards his family or the house. Given to drinking and endless partying with all kinds of people, he insisted on her accompanying him. When she found the crowd indecent, she refused. He came late in the nights often inebriated and dropped by some woman. He was not giving enough money to run the household or for paying the bills and whenever she complained, he abused her in anger. When her two children grew and were put in school, the position became intolerable. They hardly spoke to each other. The last straw was his philandering and staying away from the house for a few days. It was then she decided to walk out to her parents place. That was five years back. Ever since she refused to accept his calls or meet him. She did not inform him even when her parents passed away.

“Lalita, I wish to meet you soon. Can we meet at the hotel near your office during lunch time tomorrow? Please do not refuse.” he told her.”Whatever for?” she asked with acerbity. “I cannot explain over phone. Please allow me to meet you personally to tell you” he pleaded. She wondered if he had mended his bad ways and wanted to live with her again. She decided not to readily fall for any of his baits though she agreed to meet him sharp at 1pm.She was expecting that he would come up with lots of explanations and ask her to live with him again.

She was at the reserved table five minutes earlier. It was past 1.15pm.There was no trace of him. She decided to leave the place. As she stood up she saw Aravind entering the hall in an immaculate suit. He looked handsomer than he was when she left him though the hairs at the temple had turned grey. He expressed no apology for being late. He said casually “I was held up in a meeting and knew you would wait for me” he said. This arrogance did not go well with her. When the waiter came and she found him reading the menu card, she expected him to order. As he showed no signs of doing so, she ordered two thalis for both. He kept mum looking hither and thither at the different tables and their occupants. After some embarrassing silence, she asked him “How are you? What is it you wanted to speak to me about?”

He replied “I am sorry, we had to break away. We found we were not getting along well. I am not finding fault with you. This is actually good for us.”

“Yes, what is it you wanted to discuss urgently?” she asked suppressing her disappointment and anger about his not asking even one word about the children.

“You see after you left, I became friendly with my friend Swarna and she started living with me. She doesn’t complain as you did and makes do with whatever I give her. She is now expecting her baby and wants me to marry her immediately. I have come to request you to help me in getting the divorce. We would only be regularising the present situation of being apart”

How self centred and remorseless this man was she thought. He has approached her only to get out of the tricky situation and has no tinge of regret for spoiling her life. When she kept quiet, he pressed her for her reply. She said “Let me think about it. We have been separated for five years without divorce. No harm will come to wait for some more time for divorce proceedings.”

“No, I cannot afford to wait. If I don’t marry her immediately, she is threatening to take me to police that I made her pregnant promising to marry her. She means it and I will be behind bars. I beseech you to help me out of this problem”

She quietly got up even as he was begging for her consideration. When he touched her hand as she was leaving, she turned and said “Stop harassing me. Take your hands off me. You have not changed. You continue to be a worthless rake. This serves you right. If you follow me one more step, I will scream and complain.”

Kpartha12@hotmail.com