All In All Azhagu Raja

All in all Azhagu Raja

Good morning everybody.
First and foremost, let me introduce myself as Raja..., Azhagu Raja (Azhagu - beauty). In fact, my parents named me Raja only. But I thought no harm will be done if I add some beauty to my name as well and started calling myself ‘Azhagu Raja.’ Over a period this name got stuck. Many people even call me plain Azhagu. Sounds nice to hear when someone call you so, excepting when my wife addresses me with her peculiar expression “You and your Azhagu. Writings on my head (my fate).”
Sorry, I got carried away by my name. Back to the story now.

I had been through so many things in my life but never thought I would be owner of a weekly one day. Here I am, the owner, financier, publisher, marketeer -‘all in all’ of this Tamil weekly magazine, ‘Moonjoru’ (a variety of rat). It sells around 1000 copies. Going by the reader’s responses, this magazine is mostly favoured by ladies. I encourage new writers / authors, as the established ones don’t bother about my weekly. They feel the magazine’s circulation is not upto their mark. I don’t worry about these things.There is no dearth of new writers who want to see their creation in print. At times, I myself pen a few stories in different names and fill the pages up.
It was a Tuesday. I was very busy organising the articles for sending them for print, to meet the deadline, when Sangeetha called.
“ Chittappa, I have a great short story which I want you to bring it out in this week’s issue.”
“Dear, dear. You are late for this week. If I don’t release the stories for printing by this after noon, the printed magazine can not hit the market by Friday. I shall positively include your story in the next week’s edition” I said.
“Please Chittappa. It is critical it comes out this week only. My life depends on it. I have the manuscript ready and shall reach it to you in half an hour. Please Chittappa”, she pleaded. You know how the girls, especially nieces, have a knack of making you do the undoables.
“Ok. At least tell me the story in brief”
“It is about a father and his daughter. Single parent as the mother had passed away few years earlier. Father dotes on the daughter. They are very close. All is fine till the daughter comes up with her boy friend and seeks dad’s nod for their wedding. Father is not too pleased. He doesn’t like the boy. He refuses. The girl is adamant. The discussions escalate to unpleasant arguments. Father finally declares that he will disown her if she goes ahead with her plans of marrying that boy. The daughter doesn’t listen and announces that ‘father or no father, she will go ahead with her plans for marrying her boy friend soon. The father, heart broken, goes on a pilgrimage. There he meets with an accident and admitted to hospital, in a serious condition. The daughter rushes to see him in the hospital but could only see him from a distance as he is in a coma. She hates herself for having been rude to her father a few days earlier on the marriage issue. She prays and prays for her father’s recovery. But unfortunately her prayers are of no avail and the father dies. The girl becomes inconsolable and cries asking her father to come back and that she will not do anything against his wishes. But it is all too late. When her father was around she wanted her boyfriend more; now, when her boyfriend is around and there is no one to object to their marrying, she wants her father more, who is no more. How’s the story, Chittappa?”
“It’s fine. But, why do you unnecessarily kill the old man? Let him recover and realise it was his daughter who attended to all his needs in the hospital. So, he could have a change of heart and agree to her marriage. Thus all would end well. What do you say?”
“You don’t understand women sentiment Chittappa. Most of your readers are ladies you say. They would like the the pathos element in my story and it would be a hit.” Once again the niece’s argument wins.
Sure enough Sangeetha reached me her manuscript in an hour. Anyway I did not have much time left and released it for printing after touching it up. This week we had ambitious plans for reaching a circulation at least 1200 copies. Accordingly got everything printed and ready for release by Friday afternoon.
Just then Sangeetha phoned up.
“Chittappa please don’t release the story. It is critical. Please withdraw it from printing. Please.”
I was furious.
“Look Sangeetha. Are you in your senses? Publishing a magazine is ‘no switch on switch off’ stuff. It calls for enormous planning, coordination and execution. Now all copies are printed and about to be despatched for distribution. If I stop it now, I will be ruined. The magazine will earn a very bad reputation if it doesn’t come out for a week. Understand?”, I shouted back.
“Chittappa, I am sorry. You may not know by now that my dad has met with a serious accident this morning and is admitted to ICU. He had gone on pilgrimage after an argument with me about my marriage. I don’t want to lose him. Originally I thought that if he happens to read my story in your magazine he would realise my feelings for him and have a change of heart. But now that the reality is shaping itself after my story, I don’t want the story published. I can’t afford to lose my dad. Please Chittappa help me, please.”
She went on pleading. I felt so sorry. I also don’t want to lose an elder brother just by publishing this story.
I went to the despatch department and found 1200 copies of the magazine in bundles, bound and kept ready. In my frustration I went over to the bundles and kicked them solid with all the strength I had.
“OMG, I have sprained my foot”, I thought and jumped up. It was then I realised that I had kicked hard the side board of my cot and got the foot strained. It was all a dream? Thank God. I am not a publisher or owner of a magazine or any such thing. I am a simple story teller, Azhagu Raja. Big relief. By by Moonjoru.
“Wait a minute. Am I not a single child to my parents? Then where did an elder brother and his daughter come from?”
These dreams are very funny at times.
Cheers,
RRG

 

Thanks for your comments. Pleased that you found it interesting.
Sangeetha first thought that her father would realize her feelings for him through the lamentations of the heroine of the story.
But don’t think too much. These stories are not for applying your brain.
Cheers,
RRG