A LOVE STORY - Episode 13

My dear Kamal,
thanks and thanks and thanks. I would also love to go on and on. Because I love writing it. And more than that I love words of praise coming from genuine friends like you. But all good things, they say, have to come to an end. And I have posted the final episode today.
love,
sridhar

 

Dear Sowmya,
Welcome to IL and Welcome to my forum. I am happy that you thought that you could use ALS as refreshment. That's a compliment to my writings and I thank you for that.

I am really moved to know that you read ALS continuously even during office hours and finished it up to this episode in two days. That should be more than 40000 words, the standard size of a novel.

You are right, Sowmya. Love is such a magical word. And so far we are used only to grand declarations of love. Like giving one's life or sacrificing love for the sake of lover and so on. They are good in their own way. But what really moves us is small gifts, small concessions, simple professing of love and manifesting in mundane things like what we eat and wear. That way love looks realistic and attainable.
All of us are capable of such love, Sowmya. But we are waiting for the magic person or for a magic time to show it. there are no such things. This is the time. And the person who lives with us is the magic person God created exactly for us.

I could see that you have become emotional. Reading your fb I too followed suit. I have posted the next episode already. Waiting for your loving fb.

After reading your fb I wanted to invite you to the Bangalore meet. But when I went there you had already sent your note of apology. I was a little sad. But there is always a next time.

love,
sridhar

 

Hi Roopa,
thanks a lot. This is a story with no "twists". And if at all there is a twist, it will be a twist for something better as you will see in the 14th episode (final) which Iposted this morning.
thanks once again for the fb.
love,
sridhar

 

Dear Malathi,
thanks for this pep-post. Whenever I felt tired and exhausted editing the 7000 word episode, I used to remember these words. I got refreshment.
Only this afternoon did I realise how much tiredness and exhaustion I had accumulated into the system. Thanks to absence of power I came home by 3 and had time till 4 45. I thought I will just lie down for 10 minutes. But when I got up it was 4 30.
thanks once again for those kind words.
love,

 

Dearest Indhu,

Twenty five years of life, nine books, five serials, 300 short stories and articles, 6000 posts here in IL - It took all these things to get those words from you. Words which Naren got from Kamla just for organising a trip or getting some gifts.

They squeezed mine too with double the power as I wrote them

you are right.

You are right. That's why I used a particular term to describe their love. Let's see whether you can find out the term in the final episode.

My legs have already started aching. So let's... (I'll complete the sentence outside IL. You have a lot of "adi aatkal" here)

You would have by this time known his role in the next episode as well.

Great choice, Indhu. First I didn't accept. But after listening to your elaborate arguments I couldn't refuse.

I am floored by your involvement in the story. I am going to the Guiness Book of World Records. Here's a lady who reads her husband's story and appreciates that too. Your name will figure in this year's record. Advance congratulations, dear.

These small nuances were not there in the original outline. They were not even in the outline for this episode. Looks like the angel who helped me with this episode should have been a woman while living in this earth.

Possessiveness within limits is the sure sign of true love.

Don't do that, my dear. I have given a commitment to your parents that I will see to it that you don't cry. So if your mom hears the sob, she might think that I have breached my promise.

Vidya Arun said that loves makes every one a poet. Looks like it is true. See how poetically you have described your feelings. I love the way you have put it, Indhu.

You can and you have.
thanks for the lovely fb,
love,
sridhar

 

My Dear DD,
thanks for the understanding. I have given the final episode and now I have started replying to this episode as well.
Love,
Your SriPa

 

My Dear Daughter Vidya,
You (and Kamla) could not have come at a better time. Writing the final episode was quite a struggle. I am not used to writing two hours at a stretch. My work culture is similar to the way I post the stories. Mini Adai format. Even my professional work, I do in pockets. Even if it is a time-consuming work I divide into pockets and alternate every pocket with some other work. But on that night I had no option other than to write at a stretch. I was exhausted. Then I came to the net and your fb and Kamla's were there. Reading these two I could build up enough energy and went till 11 45 pm on 7th to complete the first draft.
I have been longing for selfless love. Both to receive it and show it. And both these things I find it very difficult. When I read about selfless love I melt. I have shamelessly cried even while seeing some cheap movies because though the story and screenplay were cheap, the love was not. Almost in frustration I created characters which I could never be - Arun, Vidya, Kamla, Naren and Sethuramalingam. See, I have not broken my promise. I am a good person. But I don't have that kind of love which I want. That kind of love which I could portray even in a sideline character like Marimuthu or Dr.Sekhar.

Well when I was writing these lines (I should have edited this part at least twenty times) I was almost sure that you and Arun would have this kind of response for it. That only increased the love in my mind. I asked four persons for the exact meaning of the mantra. They gave the overall meaning. I was not happy. I wanted a word by word meaning and some basic grammar rules. I called up my Sanskrit teacher (I learnt Sanskrit for two years 1999-2001) who explained that that was Vedic Sanskrit and has no relationship with the literary Sankrit. And then he gave the meaning word by word. When I wanted Kumar to savour the meaning I thought first I should do it.

Your presence in the site was a great booster for me. I think I told you earlier. Anyhow let me tell you again. In 1999 I wrote this as a short story. There were no Kamla, Kumar, Marimuthu, Naren, Creditors or whatever. There were just the two people. Vidya and Arun. Vidya was the name of the very first character I created for Ananda Vikatan. (Asaiyil Oru Kaditham story) Indhu wanted a boy for us while I preferred a daughter. Indhu had even named the child Arun. So I combined these two names - a would have been son and a daughter created by me for this story. Only when I was about to post the CR I remembered your name and I had goose bumps. There may be several Vidyas and several Aruns. But Vidya-Arun, yes, I think it is rare. That gave the first big boost for the story which was sustained by your moving fb.

Tell your dearest Arun that if my character Vidya was expressive, my daughter Vidya is only ten times more so. And if he has any doubts, ask him to read your post on holidays and the post about your friend. Once he reads them he won't have the heart to ask you again.

You are right in wishing for the proximity of people like Kumars, Naren, Sethuramalingams et al. It is a very rare blessing. The least we can do is have these people in our hearts. If we can start a movement when every one has read ALS and before taking any decision they ask themselves - What would Vidya have done in this case? How will Kumar handle this situation? What will be Kamla's response to this? How will Arun look at this problem?- then yes the world will be full of nice people. The heaven above will lose its value to us.

Vidya, you know what's quite moving about your fb? The fact that you and Arun are readig together. When I wrote the earlier serials like HE ILites used to say, 'Sridhar, I made my husband wait for his morning coffee while I finished the episode.' I used to cry within my mind that I have committed the sin of delaying somebody's coffee. I know how cruel it is.
But in your case you and Arun read it together. And when I read that Arun promised to you on your b'day that he will sustain the bond created, I felt like winning a booker.
For what more do I want as a writer and as a Dad, than your happy married life?
Love,
sridhar

 

My Dear Friend Kamla,

Welcome and welcome back. When you told me that you were going out of your place when ALS was in full swing I was a tad disappointed. But then I consoled myself that you are going for a happy purpose and felt happy. You have more than compensated your absence by this long, comprehensive fb to the story. If ALS is published as a book I would love to put this fb on the blurb. The book will sell if not for the content at least for the fb.

You are right. That's the starting point of all good performance. We wish to humour somebody; but to that person it does make a difference. Even that thought - of reading this just to humour a dear friend - was quite loving and I should thank you for that.

We now have tubelss tires and rimless glasses. At one time it was thought these things could never be made. But then not only these things were made but also became the rage, fashion and in some places even the standard. Similarly ALS is a villain-less novel. The conflict was never between good and bad except in one instance. Otherwise it was always between good and good only to outdo the other in terms of love and kindess.

That's like getting a Honoris Causa degree from a University. I shall cherish them till I live.

I too want them around me. I know it's difficult. So I decided to have them in my heart and hold them as my models. A high order for me, but I have started trying.

When I decided upon a woman psychiatrist for the story I started looking for names. I wanted the name of a real person who should be good enough to inspire that character. Then I remembered somebody telling me about you. The person read all your posts written till that time and came to a conclusion that you are a soft, loving, considerate, humorous and a tactful being. My Kamla was born.

I really feel bad that I could not meet you either this time or during last year when I was in NJ. Had I met you I could have correctly described your physical attributes and even some of your mannerisms. I had to satisfy myself with just describing your internal beauty.

With Kumar my description was purely a guess. What I wanted to be at that age I projected on to Kumar. But I was sure that your Kumar should be no less than mine. He should also be a loving gentleman for is he not keeping Kamla happy, smiling and enthusiastic all these years? May be he is not that equipped in whiskey or Vedanta. But that does not make him any less loving. You do have the young Arun and Naren in your sils.

That was the best part of ALS. I have already gained enough gfs to fill a whole building. But this time I was collecting daughters. And like my gfs each one of them is a priceless gem.

It looks as if my Dr.Kamla is blessing Arun. Thanks a ton.

Thanks again. That's the only way I can make us aware of our heritage. Instead of preaching if it comes in the story then it has greater value.

thanks. ALS 10 was Her gift. I had planned something else but the scene unfolded of its own. I did only a scribe's work there.

I can go on thanking you for the kind words. But still I wont be able to exhaust the gratitude and love in my heart.
Naren and Ritu.. a nice thought. But I have better options for him. By this time you might have known that he has become the great Kamla's sil.

Like Vidya read Arun's novel several times, I should have read your fb at least a dozen times. I used it as a refreshing drink to ward off the exhaustion of sitting before the system for long hours. Reading your fb, suddenly everything seems worth the while.
love,
sridhar

 

dear mindi,
I have been missing you for a while.Happy that ALS 13 brought you on board. I did not have the heart to apply the brakes any time earlier. I wanted them to meet just to tell ILites that everything's fine. And then in the final episode I continued with the happenings. Of course that was the toughest part.
And thanks Mindi for the nice words you have about my serial. Looking forward to your kind support in my future ventures as well.
love,
sridhar