HE - Episode 3

Dear Padma,
thanks for the detailed review. In fact till I read the first review I was not sure of myself. I had packed so many things in Episode 3 and if it had bombed the loss would have been terrible. Your post was the first to reassure me that the planes I sent (I mean the words) landed exactly in those places I wanted them to.

What you say about companies is quite right. It is a pathetic and an ironic situation that they want to catch the attention of millions of customers by advertisement; but do not take care of the individual customer.

This time when I was in Chennai, we went to the Spencers Mall. In a huge shop called West Side my wife picked up some clothes. It was 11 in the morning. There were quite a few sales girls. But there was only one girl at the billing counter. They had another counter (another half a dozen counters) and they had people; but for same strange reason they did not want to open another counter.
The girl in the only working counter was spending aeons for checking the returns made by another customer. I asked her if she had any idea to open another counter. She did not say anything. We left our purchases in the counter and walked out of the shop. And believe me the shop is owned by TATAs.

I am sorry to learn about the lady who lost her husband in Cauvery. If she remains unmarried for the rest of her life, life would be hell for her. Not that remarriage works in all cases. But if there are no children it surely works.

I know about a girl who lost her husband in a drowning accident. More than her family her deceased husband's family insisted on her getting married again. Her ex father-in-law was present for her engagement function. She is now happily married and has children.

In the 1976 plance crash Writer Savi's daughter lost her husband. The writer found about another man who had lost his wife in the same plane crash. Seeing that both the persons were of the right age, he made them see each other and talk about the crash. It eventually led to their marriage.

I am sure your husband is going to be mad with me, for his morning coffee on Saturdays is going to be delayed for another 12 weeks (or more or less, I don't know)

Thanks Padma, once again for the detailed feedback. Now be a good girl and gear yourself up for HE 4. I haven't even written a line so far.
regards,

 

Dear Rajameenakshi,

Thanks. Men normally take a lot of time to take the plunge especially in cases like this. But remember Madhavan has not asked anything. As of this moment, they are only friends. And colleagues too.

I had to take out Rishi to give Priya a berth. Nothing like being an EA to the person you like.
But where it will lead to? I don't know.
Now do read it again and make your second post. Tell me what scenes you liked and what you didn't.
regards,

 

Hello Vandhana,

No cook can tell you whether the food she cooked is all right or not. Cookery experts, like Chitvish and you, always have a nagging doubt whether the item prepared is not up to the mark.

As a person who cooked this serial, I too have similar doubts, and that concerns all the episodes. So I cant say whether you are right or wrong. But I will have to say it here that Indhu, my wife, who rarely appreciates me, today patted on my cheeks to say that she loved the 'racy' episode.

And as a cook, Vandhana, I am not sure whether I can agree with her too.

The speech was something which I myself wanted to make if invited to a convention of ad agencies. Whatever was there in my heart I put it into the mouth of Madhavan.

No need to be sorry, Vandhana. You have every right to say these words. You know something, your words have sown the seeds of another serial, which I plan sometime after HE. That would be out and out romance. I remember meeting the Executive editor of Anandha Vikatan a few years ago. He told me that he personally loved my short stories. For the 1999 Valentine's day special issue, my story was chosen. And he told me that I can elaborate the story in to a full novel.

Well, in HE, I am not concerned with romance. I can't afford to, because I will have to have one eye on the progress of the story and the future events. A little too much of romance now, will entail a lot of questions from ILites when the story takes a sharp turn. I had to almost tie my hands to keep the romance under control.

Now that you have read my side, you can start counting. It is just 157 hours from now.
ha ha
regards,

 

Hi Mals,
I appreciate your candour in talking about the men whom you know. We always remember the temptations we resist; and not the ones we yield to. That's how the human mind works.

I am happy you love the last paragraph. I had to see the whole of a remaining story in a fraction of a second before writing that.

It's an honour for me that this story is going to be in your memory for long.
Thanks for being there, Mals.
regards,

 

Oh, Jaya, you are making me breathless by statements like these. I post the episode in parts so that when you move from one part to the other, you will have time to breathe, to relax, to blink etc.

Thanks for the kind words. You have paid the best complliments to the writer by saying that you were lost in thoughts for an hour after reading the episode.

Next episode is just 144 hours away. Please stay tuned. Thanks once again,
Love,
sridhar

 

Dear Chithra,

You know the third exam for our CA Inter was a little challenging. The paper was Auditing. The first two were problem papers. (Accounting, Tax). The third was out and out, theory. When I wrote the exam they had a confusing schedule. Every subject was numbered Paper 1, Paper 2 etc. Now Paper 4 was on Day 3. Many students got confused and had come prepared for the wrong exam. It was a great relief when I came out of the exam hall.
And I have a similar feeling when I read your FB. Yes, I have passed the third exam too!

Writers, like books, wine and friends have to become better with age. A writer friend used to tell me, the day you do not become a better writer compared to the previous day, you should stop writing. While writing B&B I was nervous. I had a story to tell and wanted to tell that as fast as possible. But in HE (even more than in SHE) I am almost living every moment of the story.

I had to insert Madhavan's speech even though that may be a drag on the story, only to bring home the importance of values. Palkivala spoke of stockmarkets during the Harshad Metha period, 'We are constantly talking about value (market value, stock value etc) and have forgotten about values.' That one line is the inspiration for Madhavan's speech.

What Priya went through is called the Stress Interview. In fact I have been invited by Business Schools in the town to act as a judge for stress interviews. The candidate comes on the stage. A thousand students are watching. It will be a State Meet. And we used to ask the most irritating, the most embarrasing questions. I have experienced many times what you call as "vaangi kattikarathu." But I will be very happy to see the smartness in the students. The embarrassing question and answer is a remnant of that part of my life.

While I thank you for your elaborate feedback, I request you to be continuously watchful of this serial. Pull me up when it is not up to the mark and pat me when it is.
Thanks once again,
love,