Author: Vinod Surendiram
•4:39 PM
Hi all, First of all, I wish you all a Happy New Year !!! I know I've been missing in action for a year or more. Many things happened last year that I could not allocate time for my dear blogy... It's been a year since I first stepped in Germany !! Exactly a year!! I know I've never shared any of my experiences here but I have a good news for all my loyal readers (if I do have any)... Im making a COMEBACK !!! ;) I am sure some of you might have wondered if my blog is still alive.. It's coming back alive once again !!! I am glad that I've gotten few new followers last year eventhough I was not active at all... And I am happy to see all the old faces remaining my blog's followers despite of me not posting anything new... Some of my readers prompted me to write something new last year but everytime I wanted to blog, something would definitely come up and I would put the whole thing to rest and postpone it over and over. But not anymore.. I'll be making a comeback soon, soon after my exams!! And will try to keep my posts going!!! Once again, Happy New Year guys!!!
Peace out ;-) Vinod
Author: Vinod Surendiram
•9:34 PM


Hey there everyone... Finally, it's Christmas!!! Lets hope for a better year ahead... In order to live the Christmas spirit up, I've decided to refresh one of those stories I posted on my blog long long ago... haha... I wrote it almost a year ago during the Christmas period.. Hence, why not rejuvenate it for my readers??? Perhaps new readers can read it too... Here's the link... The title of this story is "The Best Christmas Gift"



http://vinodinwonderland.blogspot.com/2010/12/best-christmas-gift_1801.html

Wrote this based on mere interest... So, dont expect wonders out of it... Haha...
See ya soon blogy!!



Seasons greetings,

Vinod ;-)
Author: Vinod Surendiram
•9:38 AM
Once again, hello people!!! It’s been months... haha... I was tied up with exams and stuffs that I couldn’t post anything up on my blogy. Here I am once again!!! With God’s grace, I passed my exams and I am doing my practicals these days. Well, let’s get straight to the point.. This post is a lil unusual than my previous two posts as I am not here with brand new stories.. That might be a huge letdown to my loyal readers.. (if I have any... haha) But I dont have enough time tonight to post a lengthy story anyway.. I don’t really know what is the title for this post... It’s very random that I couldn’t think of one... Maybe it’s all about what has been running in my mind last week...

Shall I call this the tidbits of life? Food for thought? Haha... I have no idea.. Anyway, maybe it’s something regarding friends.. Yeah.. FRIENDS.. This is not an ‘emo’ filled post or a post with the melancholic tone... So, dont be sad.. Take it as something to boost your friendship a level higher or something to rejoice reading... We have different friends with lots of differences.. I mean, every human being is different from one another.. The moment a baby is born on planet earth, the baby cries.. That’s the only similarity among all human beings.. Or were you laughing out loud when you were born? Haha.. Then you are unique!!! Apart from that, we are very different from one another as we grow up... Different environments, different surrounding, we grow up with different people and so on...



But the ‘verbindung’ in the german language or the ‘connection’ between one another occurs when we can accept the differences of other individuals... This beautiful bond among us is called FRIENDSHIP... It’s beyond physical and mental differences... You might be white, black, brown, yellow, green, red, blue or whatsoever... but you’re human and you have feelings in the first place... Hence, everyone needs friends in his or her life... I am not an exception.. I have a group of nice friends too and Im glad about it.. I wouldn’t say it’s very big as no man is an island... I am trying to make a diverse group of friends... I’ve always wanted friends from all walks of life... Maybe from different races, different genders and so on.. So whoever reading this post, you’re welcomed with open arms to be my friend.. hahaha... Lets put any difference that exists between us aside and lets make a beautiful bond called friendship... Okay.. so... Accepting the differences is the important rule..



THE PROBLEM...




Jeng Jeng Jeng!!!






Well, that heading gives a tense or serious tone to this post... So, I’ll write it in a different way to avoid problems... LOL... Let’s put it this way... I am gonna write an open letter to a person.. It can be one person or maybe two or maybe more.. That’s not the point... Just take what’s good in it and apply it in your life!!! Then your friendship will be colourful!!! But I seriously feel like expressing the content of this letter to a person or maybe two or maybe more... Haha... Now I realize why do people label me ‘secretive’... So here’s how the open letter sounds like... Ignore the ‘jeng jeng jeng’ part... I got it from my senior, Alex.. LOL.. Hope he doesnt see this...



The Open Letter
:)

Dear Friend,

Why have you changed so much? Is there a problem between me and you? We can discuss if we have any.. It’s been awkward to mix around like this even though we dont say it out.. There’s a tense tone in our friendship and I doubt how long will it last... The only moments we r close is when it comes to the ‘enjoying’ part... Why is it that we can get along so good during these moments but not during tough times or times when we r suppose to work... Besides, why cant you listen when people tell you something but you expect them to listen to you all the time... Are you the ‘mr know everything’ guy? Well, come on.. Appreciate what others tell you too... It’s important to speak up but it’s equally important to give others the opportunity to speak and listen to them... That forms a healthy and good friendship...




I mean.. lets not be too formal... But still, how will it ever work if you assume that you know every single thing and do all the talking.. I’ve tolerated too many times my dear buddy... It’s lame... Haha.. How will a person feel when u tell him ‘i dont know’ after a long narration... LOL...Imagine... Sometimes I wish I can tell you all this straight forward but I dont want unwanted riffs to occur at this particular moment... So, I hope that you’ll understand all this one day.. one sunny day,.. LOL... I mean you have been a good friend all this while... But why do you behave a lil odd at times... Sometimes, you behave very well to those who r not close to you but... to the ones who r close to you like me.. it’s total different... You listen and agree to some but why not me? Haha...

Besides, you dont really appreciate people who r close to you when they achieve something or they know something... You just rubbish it off... But when someone else does something... you’ll come up to me and say like.. “Hey know what?? Mr X is very talented in this in that.. or in this” It’s okay to express the awesomeness of a person sometimes.. but when I tell u things like “oh I’ve done that before”... you’ll be like... “No, u know what he has even done bla bla bla” just to make that person’s sound greater than me... Why do you always have to be like that??... I mean you dont need to appreciate my actions or speech but at the same time you dont have the rights to pull me down... Do you always expect your friends to be one step below you? Thats lame.. Total LAMEness... and when I tell you about me or someone I know or some facts I know... you’ll be like... “oh, thats ordinary what” haha.. sometime it’s funny when I think about it but sometimes it’s real IRRITATING!! Got that my friend? That’s the reason I dont tell you much things these days... I feel there is no point telling u... The only thing that u receive well from me are my jokes.. LOL... Learn to appreciate the knowledge of others as well... Encourage your friends readers!!!




You have to correct your attitude in order to make things proper... Im not saying im 100 percent perfect but your attitude is seriously AWKWARD! In one word... And one more thing is that at times... you give lame facts which r not true and you make it sound so true.. But when someone gets to know that it’s not true and confronts you again... you’ll give a lame smile... Then how would anyone on earth trust you... Someone has given you the wrong concept that you need to keep giving out facts with confidence so that the world accepts ur ‘intelligence’.. do give your facts only when they r FACTS!! I know you’re clever but once again... No man is an ISLAND!!!

Yours sincerely...


Well I’ve never really commented about a person or maybe two or maybe more this long on my blog... This is the first time because I hope someday you’ll read this and things will be okay between both of us my friend... For those of you reading this post... learn to appreciate your friend and value them for that you’ll only know their worth once they are far away from you... I hope that this post is an eye opener to all of us... Well thats all from me this time around my dear blogy... I came up with this one with an intention.. To make it an eye opener for every single reader.. Friendship is one of the greatest blessings in our life... Let’s make it a positive one... Never pull your friends down guys!! Dont mistake me... This is not suppose to be an ‘emo’ post or whatsoever... It’s for all of us who’d like to boost our friendship with one another!!! Support your friends and talk as much as crap you want!!! Haha... Thats called having fun with friends!!! XD See ya soon guys!!!

COMING SOON: Blog posts in the GERMAN language!!! =)



Peace out ;-)
Author: Vinod Surendiram
•2:50 AM
Well, here am I once again with a brand new story... I thought of taking a small break after my trials and I came up with a story to fill my break time... This is my second typed story with a different genre... Thanks to all my friends for your positive reviews on my previous story.. Glad that all of you liked it very much and thanks for the constructive comments... Some of you could even relate the story to your life.. That was even better and encouraging... Well, I hope to gain the same amount of reviews for this story too... It’s a little bit long but I hope you would enjoy this one... It’s a different genre from my previous story... If my previous story was all about family, this story is a pathway into a new genre... A love story... A different love story... I hope you would enjoy this story too... And yeah, please ignore all my grammar or spelling mistakes.. I couldn’t spend much time on writing this one.. I have upcoming exams and I gotta spend a major time portion of my on that... I was planning to write this story after my major exams but some of my readers wanted me to come up with a different story this break itself... Hence, I allocated a little time on this one... I hope that my loyal readers would appreciate this story... If I have any... Haha...

And one important thing... This story is purely fictional... Any Resemblance to any character, living or dead, places, events or whatsoever is Purely Coincidental...And the images are all from Google Images Search... And the first image is from the movie ‘The Other Man’.. It kinda suited my story... Hence, I fitted it in there... Anyway, my story is not an inch similar to the movie... Most of the other images and both the videos are from the movie Slumdog Millionaire... Do watch the video before proceeding to the next paragraph.. Just to make it a little gempak.. Haha...The author is not responsible for any damages.... And all rights reserved... This story should not be published in any forms using any kind of medias... And yeah... This story has been written in its own way... You gotta understand this first in order to understand the story...

The ones in an ordinary writing without bold or slanting roman italic- Akshaya’s perspective

The ones in a bolded writing – Jaafar’s perspective

Well yeah, this story is written in 2 different perspectives of 2 different people...
The title of my story this time around is The Other Man... The setting of this story is in India... Have fun!!! :)

The Other Man



I was lying on the bed aimlessly... I felt so empty. Life has been very tough these days. Baby Nikki, my daughter, was sleeping peacefully. She turned 4 last week. Young, cute and innocent...

All of a sudden, he popped in my mind. Out of the blue... It has been years I must say. Almost 15 years... The effect aging had on me was kinda clear to myself. Not as active as what I used to be... I am 35 now... And it feels like everything happened just yesterday... I’ve heard many times before that love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends in teardrops... That was true enough in my life... Even until today, I am not sure whether he was my friend, lover or whatsoever... All I know is that he came into my life like a thunder without warning... And left the same way... But one thing, he changed me completely... My name is Akshaya. Before, I was the ‘modern’ type of girl... How do I define modern?? Well, like most teenagers living in the year 2011... I had a social networking account. I spent most time in it. Then yeah, parties with friends... I was status conscious. I was from a rich background.. My father, Mr Gupta was a big shot at that time... I wore revealing clothes and I never gave a damn of what people think of me and so on... I was just living my life... I was just being myself.. But yeah, as what most teenagers would agree these days, life was boring enough... Studies and so on... Hated it so much... I would spend most of my time in front of my dear lappy...



I could still remember the very first time I saw him... It was in my college... Back then, I was 19... And he was one year older... I was walking out of my college and all of a sudden, in front of a sundry shop, I got a glimpse of him... He was tall and slim... 5ft6... He looked more like the Jamal Malik character in the movie Slumdog Millionaire... He was wearing a round collared t shirt inside a checkered shirt... The shirt looked kinda old and a little sandy... He had a book in his hand... I was kinda curious... Hence, I took a better look and got to know that it is a book by the famous writer, Chetan Bhagat... I was confused... Because, to be honest, he looked like a coolie, not like a student.. I was wondering why a coolie would wanna read a book...Then, all of a sudden, I heard the shop owner calling his name out... ‘Appu!!! Take these goods away!!!’ I was like... ‘What kind of a name is that?? Appu?? Haha...‘ That sounded so funny... Anyway, being status conscious, I knew I would never mix with these kinda guys... He was not even a student... He was working at young age itself... Hence, I kinda ignored his existence or almost forgot him for days... Days passed until one sunny day, everything changed... I was driving my car out of my campus.. I was listening to songs while driving... Headphone plugged in... All of a sudden, a young boy ran across a road... I could do nothing at the eleventh hour.. I rammed into him.. And he was bleeding profusely..

I was kinda panic.. I thought of just driving away when Appu came from nowhere and asked me to stop my car... He was very quick and things happened very fast... He carried the boy and asked me to send them to the hospital... I said no... Eeuww.. He was bleeding.. And my car is new... ‘No way’, I replied... He looked at my eyes.... He took a stone and threw it on the head light... It broke into pieces.. He asked, ‘now, it’s not new... is it okay now? Look here, you are responsible for it.. Don’t try to run away...’ Then, I replied arrogantly, ‘do you know who my father is??’ He replied calmly, ‘Ask your mother’... I was like what the hell is going on... To be honest, his reply was kinda made me speechless... When I think back, it sounds a little funny... He made his way into my car and took the
boy to the hospital... I was a little afraid that he might force me to donate my organs if they boy needed any.. Haha... With God’s grace, the boy was alright... I left the scene giving him an angry kinda look... That night, I couldn’t sleep.. No one has been so rude to me... People often looked high upon me because I was rich... Appu was the first one... I saw him the next day... He approached me.. I tried to move away.. But somehow, he made his way...



He said, ‘ I am sorry for what I did yesterday.. I had to. He is innocent.. It was your fault to listen to loud music while driving’... Again, arrogantly, I replied, it’s my wish and it’s none of your business’.. He smiled and gave me a sum of money for the light he damaged the day before.. I looked at him and laughed... Know what? Do you think I need your disgusting money?.. If I want, I can even buy a brand new car with the money I have... I am not like you.. poor boy... He smiled at me and told me ‘The rich would have to eat money if the poor did not provide food...’ I was speechless for the second time in my life... He left... This time around, my feelings for him changed... I felt like he criticized me twice.. And everything he said had a strong base... I decided to apologize... I didn’t know the reason but I felt like doing it... yeah.. that’s how I felt... I approached him and apologized... He looked at me and moved away carrying some stuffs from a shop... He replied nothing... A shop owner was looking at both of us... Once Appu left, he asked me what had happened.. His name was Mr Malek... I told him and he said, “Well, Appu is not like what you think girl.. You should not have been too harsh on him... His real name is Jaafar... People here call him Appu.. We love him so much... He makes us happy during hard times.. Most of the times actually... And he is a like a son to all of us.. I asked him, so what does Appu do... Does he attend college or anything like that? The man replied, ‘No Appu does odd jobs...

He has had the interest to learn since young but poverty stopped him all this while... He does all kind of odd jobs just to make ends meet... He spends most of the time on this street.. Everyone here knows Appu.. A happy go lucky child with a hardworking nature... He is a helping hand too... If he finds any job interesting, he would just pursue it.. Like for example, he washes clothes with the women, he plays with the kids and he breaks stones in the quarry to get some side income... That night... my respect for Appu or Jaafar grew even stronger... A young man with a different quality... I decided that I want him as my friend... However, I felt that his name transformation was kinda weird.. Haha... From Jaafar to Appu... Haha... ‘Cute Appu’, I thought to myself... The next day, after class, I approached him again and apologized for the second time... He tried to move away but I blocked him saying that please listen to me... I said, “ I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry... What else do you want me to say or do... I am really very sorry... I didn’t know that was wrong... How could I? No one was there to correct me all this while like what you did... He tried to move away again.. This time I pushed him and he fell on the bench beside... I shouted at him, ‘You want me to accept your money right... Give!!! I’ll take!!! And please forgive me!!! I kneeled down’ He couldn’t stand it anymore... He laughed as loud as he can...



That scene was kinda cute when I think back... A girl kneeling down to a guy like a love proposal.. Haha.. Total opposite... He gave me the money and I accepted... And I asked him softly, ‘can we be friends?’ He said ‘no’... I asked him why... And he said... “it’s better not to make friends with rich people... You guys are arrogant and choosy...’ I told him ‘I admit I was status conscious before but now I’ve changed a little... I believe I can change myself more if you are with me... Pleaseeeee.... ‘Do you want me to kneel again?’, I asked.. he laughed again and said ‘no’.. He continued, ‘ okay but there are certain terms and conditions to be my friend’.. I asked ‘what??’ He said, ‘First, you should respect and be polite to everyone... Don’t look at their status or whatsoever... Second, you should not talk arrogantly... Third, you should not use headphone while driving... I laughed at the third condition but I agreed.. he smiled... Well, ‘I am Appu, he said... I told him I know... Mr Malik had told me... He sighed, ‘Haizz.. Malek can never keep things to himself... ‘ I laughed and told him, ‘I am Akshaya’... He said, ‘you have a sweet name buddy’... I kinda blushed a bit and left the scene...

Days passed and we became closer... Things went on very well for both of us... We had so many arguments, yet they were all not that serious and I loved it... Finally, a new world opened to me, I thought... Appu, my best friend... He taught me a lot of things that most teenagers nowadays don’t get to experience.. He was like living in his own world... He was a step backwards, generation wise... I can see that clearly... The way he talks and does stuffs.. And that was quite different for me or at least for our generation... Once I could remember, we went for shopping... I chose a nice shirt for him.. he tried it out but he didn’t want me to buy it for him... I asked him, ‘why so? I am your friend right...’ He replied, yes you are... But how would the others on my street feel seeing me wearing new clothes and so on.. They will yearn for it too.. Am I right... They wanna look smart too.. That’s in each and every kid out there.. So, I wanna be the same as them... Please don’t take me away from them..’ I respected him more... He understands and considers the feelings of others... That night, during dinner, I asked him, ‘Hey Appu, I’ve been seeing u on the street all this while... Don’t you have a family to look after.. I am sorry if I shouldn’t ask but i thought of asking’...

Without hesitation, he took out his wallet and showed me a photo.. “This is my family.. Look at how pretty my mum is... That’s my dad, sis and brother’ he told... I was curious by now.. I asked him.. ‘where are they know’? He looked at me for a moment and tears dropped out of his eyes.. He wiped them immediately and told me with a smile.. ‘Akshaya, sometimes, in life, we love something so intensely that we tend to lose them easily.. Yes.. That’s the reason I am afraid of loving someone and building up too much expectations in me.. ‘ He stumbled in his speech when he said, ‘my father and brother were killed in a civil war during my childhood days in the place I was born... It happened in a blink of an eye... Three men, heavily armed broke into our wooden house..’ At this point, he couldn’t help it anymore.. He cried... I was shocked.. This is the first time I am seeing a grown up guy crying like a baby... He continued, ‘I didn’t even know what was happening.. I was seven at that time... They shot my father and my brother who was 12 at that time tried to fight them off but they slashed him into pieces...



I witnessed it.. and my mum covered both me and my sister’s eyes... We were hiding in a box.... All three of us were save but life changed a lot then after.. Being traumatised was one part... The only source of income, my dad was gone and we had our terrible days in our lives... We lived in poverty... One day, I saw my sister lying on the table without a word and I got to know she was no more due to some disease caused by lack of a proper diet... I stopped schooling and did odd jobs then after to make ends meet.. My mother is ill now back in my hometown... I send her money every month for her treatment... He rested his head on the table while telling me... He couldn’t stand it anymore... He broke down into tears that night.. I looked at him... I could feel what he was going through.. I never knew a man who looked so complete from the outside had been going through something like this all this while... I learnt something very important that day... Do not judge a book by its cover... He might look so complete from outside, but inside he is dying... His smiles were fake just to make others happy...



I brushed his hair and told me everything is gonna be fine... I made him stand and wiped his tears... I’ve never done that to anyone... But I felt I had to do it at that time... He needed someone so badly that moment.. All of a sudden, he rested his head on my shoulders and I never said a word... I kept hugging him... There was a moment of silence between us... Suddenly, he took his head away and told me, I am sorry Akshaya... I made you cry listening to my story... He tried to sound as if everything was alright... ‘Look it’s raining!!! He said... Know what...My mum often tells me not to cry because when I cry, the whole world cries with me and it rains... Haha.. Look, it’s true!!!’ Have you tried dancing in the rain, he asked me... I said no... My father would kill me... He said, ‘Oh my God, you are missing things then!! It’s fun!!! Let’s dance... Have you ever come across this quote, ‘Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain... Dont miss the fun!!! Let’s go..’ And yeah, we did dance under the rain that day... It was a different experience for me... It was like a bird kept in a cage for so long has been released... finally...



I felt sick but falling sick wasn’t the thing now.. I had fun and that’s important... That is what Appu taught me.. Live like there is no tomorrow and you wouldn’t regret even if you were to die today... Make a choice and don’t regret... That night, my feelings for him changed a little... But I did not want to think about it too much... I am afraid of things.. So, I just ignored those changes... But I seriously liked Appu more... and his boyish kinda look... Hahaha... He emphasized on many things that our generation don’t even think of doing... We spent time together after class... I even introduced him to my mum... I told her what happened in his life and she treated him like her own son... He would come to my house once in a while... We would do stuffs together and so on.. He changed me in a lot of ways.. He criticized me for the way I lived... For example, he dragged me away from the world of social networking.. He was at my place once and I was logging in my account... He asked me what it was all about.. I explained it.. And he said... ‘Know what, you people these days are funny... You have a nice family and yet you don’t wanna appreciate it... You guys opt to chat and have fun with people who are out of your sight.. You don’t even know them as much as you know your family members and yet you wanna give them a higher priority than your family members... And to add things, you guys poke them... Haha.... That’s funny..

He paused and continued in a wishing tone... How nice if we could switch places... I want my family... I wanna live with them, talk to them and play with them... If I am you, I would not be spending my time on this.. Anyway, it’s just my personal opinion... I replied without hesitation, ‘well, you don’t know about my family.. Daddy is always busy and spends a little time with the family... Mum is busy doing the house chores... He replied, ‘Well you can’t make time, you have to find time... It’s not necessary that you should only talk to them when they are doing nothing... Know what Akshaya... The world is getting busier and so do the people... So, no reasons.. Shut down your lappy now.. And go talk to your mum... I did as he said... I went willingly to talk to my mum for the first time in my life... ‘Mummy, what r u cooking?’, I asked intensely... “Don’t you have eyes ? I’ve been cooking these for years and yet you wanna ask’, she kinda yelled at me.. That’s what she does when she is busy... I went back to my room and told Appu. “Look! I told you!! Nothing is gonna happen... I was happy with my lappy, you made my mum scold me! Hate you!!! I said like a little girl with a red face. He looked at me and said, “hey i’ve got an idea... I’ll write you something and you say it to your mum’... I said, NO WAY!! Not gonna receive any more scolding because of you!!! He asked, ‘do you trust Appu??’ ... I nodded...’ Then do as what I say.. Will you??’ I nodded once again... He took a piece of paper and wrote something... He passed it to me... I went to the kitchen again..I was kinda nervous but Appu assured that everything will be fine.. I started in a soft voice... She yelled at first but then she slowly started to listen...

Mummy, you are the God I bow to as soon I as I wake up every morning...
You are the epitome of love, there is no one like my mummy...
Mummy, you protected me every day and night like the eyelids...
The sky and earth are so small before your love...
A woman becomes complete only when she becomes a mother...
And you are the woman whom I completed as you completed me in this world...
Without you, I am nothing...
Cause you are my everything...
My love, my pearl, my flower and my first love...
Yes mummy,
You are my everything....




She was dumbstruck for a moment... She hugged me immediately... She said, ‘I am sorry dear.. I haven’t spent much time with you for the past few years. My bad... Will you forgive me?? I said, ‘No mum, it’s okay.. It’s just me who isolated myself from all of you’.. She dropped the spoon she was holding and quickly asked me,’ Do you wanna go out dear??’ I was like, ‘ oh my God... How could mum change in a second....’ Happily, with a broad smile on face, I replied, yes mum!!! And we went out that day and had a great day together... As we left the doorway, I looked at Appu who was hiding behind my room door... He showed me the thumbs up sign... We met the next day.. I was on ecstasy.. ‘Thanks Appu.. I’ve never been so happy in my life... How could you do it?? I got back my mum after years.. This is the life I used to live in my childhood days... Where did you get the script?? He replied, ‘haha.. Glad to hear that... I got it from a movie’s song.. Well Akshaya, it’s not important to just watch a movie or to listen to a song.. It’s important to take the message in it... At least for me.. Because I don’t read much movies or read much books.. Never had enough money for these stuffs... So, I try to scrap off all that I can from those few I’ve read and watched... This is one of them... Sometimes, in life you gotta tell how much a person means to you.. You can’t expect them to know.. After all, they are not mind readers...



Then, the Chetan Bhagat book he was reading during the first time I saw him came to my mind.. Hence, I asked, do you love books by Chetan Bhagat?? He nodded.. and continued, ‘Well yeah.. He gives me a lot of inspiration.. I love his books... Well, everyone needs inspiration.. No one can be inspired by themselves.. I am sure Mr Chetan had his inspiration from another person as well.. So, all we can do is the pass the inspiration and the messages around... From that day onwards, he changed my lifestyle.. A lifestyle hardly teenagers nowadays can get... I travelled a lot.. I didn’t lock myself up in the room... Went to my relatives house often.. Helped mum and dad... Relationship was the main thing for me... My social networking account was full of messages and stuffs but I ignored them... I admired everything around me... Kids, nature, flowers, bumble bee, raindrops, and so on... and yeah of course my parents... My dull life became colourful...



But I had zero interest one thing.. studying.. haha.. I was basically trying my best at it but I couldn’t succeed... I started staying back after classes in a shop beside the street to study with Appu... He often told me, ‘One day, I wanna be a successful person and own this street and change the fate of people here’... He had great interest in business studies... unlike me... He would take my books and flip through the pages... He sparked my interest on books too... He often told me... ‘My hero, Aamir Khan has always told that don’t run behind success.. Go for excellence and success will come after you... Yeah, he was an avid Aamir Khan fan.. Study for efficiency.. Be sincere in whatever you do... These were his words... Appu was just an ordinary boy next door but the changes he brought in me were magical... Of course he had great looks.. Cute and handsome boyish kinda look as I mentioned earlier... We did a lot of craziest thing that you can’t even imagine... Once, I could remember, I had an exam.. A public exam and I registered for it in a centre near to my house... Not in my college... And I could not complete my revision for it... I was lazy... But Appu was different... He took my books and read as much as he could.. After finishing up all his odd jobs.. That would be really tiring but yeah... Appu could handle them..



Back to the exam.. I wasn’t prepared at all... I told Appu... I was crying... Appu told me not to give up... ‘There is no point being scared or whatsoever...,’he continued... In life, you gotta face no matter how many challenges you face... Without obstacles, you can’t feel being alive... I continued studying but seriously. I am not a robot to end up my revision in one day before the exam... I’ve never shared all this with a guy.. But I did with Appu.. I told him, ‘Im scared my dad would kill me if I failed in these papers.. He has a good reputation in the society.. among his friends.. I don’t wanna bring his name down.. Oh God... Please help me!!!’ Appu replied, ‘ you should have thought of this when you were making fun of my advices when we were studying... I’ve told you 1000 times, don’t study for the sake of doing it.. just because you are suppose to do it... do it for efficiency and you would be ever ready.. just like me... I read your books but I am far much prepared than you are.’ I told him, “ Appu... Don’t make fun of me...

Think of a solution instead... Please.. I promise I would be a good girl after this.. I’ll study diligently.. Just help me this one time...’ Appu asked me, ‘Will you study after this??’ I nodded... “just once, please Appu.. help me...’ Appu continued, ‘I have an idea but it is very risky and I am doing it for you...’ I was curious by then, What is it Appu?? He asked me, ‘Does anyone knows you in this exam centre.. “Hell no’, I replied.. Never been there before...He continued, what if I sit for the exam using your identity?? I said, ‘That’s so lame of you Appu.. That can never happen... I am a girl for heaven’s sake..’ He replied, ‘no problem, change me into a girl...’ I burst into laughter... Hahaha... That sounded like a stupid idea but that was the only option left.. I decided to take the risk... It wasn’t that hard transforming Appu’s boyish kinda look into a girl’s look... All we needed was a wig and some other stuffs.. And yeah... We made it!!! Appu went into the exam hall as Akshaya..



No one suspected!! Even some guys gave him some love letters and teased him... That shows how pretty Appu looked being a girl... Hahaha... That day was a day to remember... Since then, I studied hard as I promised to Appu.. not for grades... for my self-efficiency.. And that’s the reason I have a Masters in Business Administration today...I still have the photo of Appu dressed up as a girl... Hahaha.. That was funny.. In a nutshell, I could say that he changed my life... I could see that he cared for me not for who I am but just because of me.. That’s exactly what I’ve been finding for all these years... He has never asked for financial assistance even though he knew that I was a rich businessman’s daughter... Once I had an acute throat pain... I told him about it and he was kinda worried the whole day.. He suggested me a way which I’ve never tried before.. He asked me to guggle with salt water.. I was like, ‘that’s kinda new for me.. I think it’s okay... I’ll drink the medicine’... He forced me into doing it and guess what, ‘ It healed the next day!!’ He said his granny taught that when he was young... But yes, scientifically, it is true that guggling with salt water is a cure... Months passed and we became closer... I tried not to think to much about stuffs such as I like him and so on... But I knew my feelings were betraying me.. Expectations start building up in me.. Maybe it’s because Appu was different from many guys I’ve met in my life...



He never took advantage of me... A very decent guy I would say... We have been alone many times but he would take care of me like a little girl... I respected him a lot for that... He has even commented on the way I dress up once... I told him, ‘it’s my wish and rights to dress up as I want.. I asked him, ‘why are you so shallow minded??’ He replied, ‘Yes you are right, it’s okay for you to dress up as you want but please change your nationality at least.. It hurts for me to see an Indian girl born in India to wear clothes like this... Don’t forget we are from a land where culture plays a major part..

Andre Malraux once said, ‘Culture is the sum of all the forms of art, of love, and of thought, which, in the coarse or centuries, have enabled man to be less enslaved’..


Mahatma Gandhi once reflected our nature of being patient by not using violence through his own principle of Ahimsa.. That showed our Indian culture as a positive culture to the world... What will the world think when they see Indian women wearing like what you are wearing now..’ I asked him back,’But I am not the only one wearing like this.. A lot of girls do wear like this’... He replied, ‘If you can’t change all of them, at least change yourself... If you can’t do great things, at least do small things with love.. Will ya?’ I was dumbstruck.. I couldn’t say a word against his statement... For the first time in my life, I felt the responsibility for my country.. Never felt patriotic before... Even after so many efforts by people around me... But that day... I felt my responsibility as an Indian woman to reflect my culture to the world... It’s not that I started wearing saree all the time then after.. It’s just that I wore proper, decent clothes then after...

Slowly, I was about to complete my degree..... I confirmed my love for Appu one night.. It was my birthday.. We had a grand celebration in my house.. Dad arranged everything... I called Appu too... He came and stood at one corner... After the celebration, we went to a disco... All my friends including Appu.. But Appu isolated himself a lot that night.. I approached him and asked him... “What’s wrong Appu?? Why are you isolating yourself? Come and dance...’ With a terrified face, he replied, “I am not used to these kinda wild dances.. They are very violent... This place is not safe Akshaya.. Dark and full of drunk people.. Can we just go somewhere else??’



I was like, ‘ oh God, please Appu, don;t humiliate me.. My friends are here.. Just come and dance...’ I told him several times... But he refused... He said, ‘Can we go somewhere else and dance?? I mean a safer place??’ I got angry by now... I yelled at him, ‘Appu, what’s wrong with you?? Why are you so stubborn?? Can’t you even dance for a day?? You irritate me a lot.. Where else do you wanna dance??! ‘ He was quiet.. He said softly, ‘If you are willing to follow me, I’ll bring you to a better place and we can dance there. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you friends don’t know that you left the disco.. Will you??’ I asked him, ‘Where else then??’ He said, ‘just follow, don’t ask a word...’ I nodded and he kidnapped me out of the disco... There was a bicycle outside... He placed me in front and started riding it... He covered my eyes and took me to... Well, I didn’t know at first... My eyes were covered but I trusted Appu so much... We reached our destination... He remove the blind fold and I realised that I was on the street beside my college.. Street where Appu lives... Everyone was holding a candle and they sang birthday wishes loudly for me irrespective of gender, age, races and so on... I was on cloud nine.. No one has ever celebrated in such a way.. They were all there just for me unlike my previous celebrations where most guests attend to maintain a good rapport with my father.. His business partners mostly... They couldn’t afford a big cake but a small cake was very meaningful... Appu came out of nowhere giving me a birthday present.. It was a smiling Barbie doll... Appu said, Happy birthday Akshaya... No matter how old you get, never forget Appu and whenever you are in sadness, look at this doll.. This doll must always remind you that you haven’t grown up, so there is no need for you to take things seriously... And there is no need for you to be sad.. Never... okay?’.. I nodded...



The street was brightly lit... They celebrated for me... They danced for a couple of songs.. It was very vibrant and colourful I must say.. On top of all, it was far much different from what would have been in a disco...People of all ages were dancing unlike disco where people get drunk and dance wildly... They were all cheering for me... I realised how much Appu has changed my life at that point.. From a status conscious, arrogant girl to the present Akshaya... I danced as well... The dance sequence was more like a scene from the movie Slumdog Millionaire.. The song Jai Ho... It was as if Appu was Jamal Malik and I was Latika... I enjoyed that night... I tell this from the bottom of my heart...





After the celebrations, Appu was riding me back home... On our way back home, I asked him, why did you prepare so much for me Appu? I am just an ordinary girl...’ He smiled and said... ‘No Akshaya... You are not even close to ordinary... You are my destiny’... We were speechless after that.. Upon return, I couldn’t sleep that night.. I was in love with Appu.. I knew he was in love with me too.. I decided not to hesitate any longer and just tell him the next day... I knew there were differences between us.. Example religion and status but I was pretty sure that I wanted him in my life...by hook or crook... I was even imagining both of as couples that night itself... “Jaafar weds Akshaya’, that sounds terrible I thought to myself... Hmmmm.... Yeah, “Appu weds Akshaya” sounds nicer!!! :) Appu+Akshaya=Appuya!! Hahaha

The sun shined... Next day... The day which was about to change a lot of things... I called him out for dinner... It was suppose to be a ‘meet my friend’ dinner.. My friends followed.. But I knew my main agenda was to tell him that I loved him... After dinner, we were all talking... All of a sudden, out of the blue, I said, ‘Appu, have you ever wondered how would it be if we were couples??’ He replied, ‘You must be kidding Akshaya... Hahaha’. I was kinda confused.. I decided to be open... ‘Appu, I love you... Not yesterday or today but for 3 years that I’ve known you... I’ve never been brave enough to even think about it fearing that I might lose control of myself.. But seriously, yes Appu.. Everything changed last night... I admit, I love you’...

Then came the words from him which I wished he never uttered, ‘Look Akshaya, I’ve never liked you in that way... I was just your friend... What can I do if you misunderstand me...’ I felt like my whole world came crashing down... I shouted at him in front of my friends out of frustration, ‘What the hell are you saying... Then why on earth, did you say I am your destiny and so on?’ He asked me in return, ‘Is it wrong to tell a friend she is my destiny? You got the wrong message Akshaya.. Don’t put the blame on me’. I couldn’t stand it anymore.. Out of anger and frustration, I slapped him... I shouted, ‘you are fake Appu!! You made me feel so complete, so special, yet you broke me into pieces in just one day... I regret knowing you!! You fooled me with your words... You are the worst mistake I’ve done in my life and this is the worst day of my life!!! I told him everything that came out my mouth and he was just standing like a statue.. Finally I shouted at him, Now, I know why God took away your family members at every stage of your life’... Upon ending my sentence, it rained and I could see tears dropping out of his eyes... I remembered him saying once that his mum told him, when he is sad, the whole world becomes sad and it rains... Anyway, anger exploded in me and particularly hatred... I told him, ‘I don’t wanna see your face ever again in my life!!! Get lost!!!’... It was raining heavily and I left him under the rain...



Since then, I decided not to trust guys anymore... I lost hope in love and I decided that I would just marry the guy that my dad finds for me... I never saw him again.. I told bad stuffs about him to all my friends in order to forget things as fast as possible... My friends would scold him in front of me... But I knew he deserved those scolding.. He ruined my life... One of my friends told me, ‘love can always be trusted...it’s just the people we love that can make us to lose hope in love’... She was very true... Sometimes people are just too good with their words and I hate it when I fall for it.. ‘I got my lesson now’, I thought...Tears did flow when I think about him and everything that happened between us...



I can’t say he is completely bad now because he changed my life in many ways and made me a stronger person.. I knew I gained a lot from him... But why did he behave like that?? I couldn’t accept it.. I don’t even know where or what is he doing now... He came like a thunder and vanished just like one... I loved him not for what he is but for who I am when I am with him... You know you are in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.. But reality changes at times and that hurts the most... One thing I’ve learnt is that if we are to judge of love by its consequences, it more nearly resembles hatred than friendship.. I’ve heard of all these before but now I realise how true all these were..All of a sudden, the door bell ring and baby Nikki was crying...



I rushed to the door and opened it... To my surprise, it was Appu... or in his real names, Jaafar... He looked very different, a small soul patch beard under his lips and he looked very smart with a briefcase and full formal attire... I was in a deep state of shock... “How on earth did he find me?? Why is he here??’.. My shock was doubled when I saw Karthik behind Appu... Oh yeah, I didn’t mention about Karthik right... Well, Karthik is a successful businessman and Mr Gupta’s son-in-law and baby Nikki’s father... Yes, you are right.. He is my husband... I married him couples of years after the day everything ended between me and Jaafar... We started off nicely but after a few years, our relationship strained.. I did everything perfectly as I’ve transformed into a traditional girl long ago even when I was with Jaafar... However, Karthik was the one who sparked problems in our home... He comes home late... and to be honest, he is an abusive husband... He consumes alcohol a lot and treats me like an animal... He behaves like a savage animal... And his words were terrible... I’ve regretted marrying him a lot of times... If I was happy with him, I am sure Jaafar would not have made it into my mind... at least once again... I would have forgotten who Jaafar is... Few days back, Karthik brought a woman back home... When I asked, he slapped me and left home... Baby Nikki and I were alone until this very day... I was basically lying on the bed with bruises and grief... To my horror, he came back with a guy I used to love... I felt a chill running down my spine fearing that Jaafar might have told Karthik about my past...

All of a sudden, something that I did not expect happened... Karthik hugged me and apologized for his behaviour all this while.. Now, my shock tripled... I was speechless... Jaafar was speechless too... Karthik has never behaved like this... However, I was happy that my man has changed... Finally.. After 2 years of misery, he has changed... Then, he explained everything... It seemed that being angry with me, Karthik flew to the United States of America... That’s where he met Jaafar or Mr Jaafar as what Karthik addresses him, the famous Indian businessman... Jaafar was there to give a motivational talk... After the talk, they met and Karthik shared his problems... Jaafar has told him his past life including my part with him... In fact, that was the major part... However, Karthik didn’t know that it was me who Jaafar mentioned... Same goes to Jaafar.. He didn’t know that it was me that Karthik mentioned... He thought it would be some Indian girl... He was in a shock too... However, both of us pretended as if we didn’t know each other quite well.... Karthik kept telling stuffs about Jaafar... And most of it, to be honest, I knew... That night... all 3 of us watched an interview with Jaafar, the Indian businessman on a tv channel... Apparently, it was an exclusive interview on the famous programme called Meet The Millionaire....



The Interviewer asked Jaafar, ‘sir, what’s the secret behind your success? Jaafar replied, “Going back to my roots, I could still remember my childhood days... Those were the terrible days... I had a tough time growing up and I came to Chennai with a slight hope that things might change... I did not even have a single penny at that time... My secret of success, I would say... A girl... As all of us know, a woman stands behind every man’s success.. But back then, when I was younger, I had a strong opinion that girls find for successful men and cling onto them.. Well yeah... haha.. That was sarcastic but that was what I believed in till I met this girl.. I would not reveal her name.. But she proved me wrong.. She was rich and yet she liked me so much... Without her, I would not have been who I am today.. She provided me with books to study... I never had a degree in anything... But she gave me an informal education without realising it.. I had never been to a college and I never had any business books for my own revision and so on... Interviewer continued, ‘So sir, I believe that she is Mrs Jaafar now...’ Jaafar continued, ‘No, she is not.. I had to leave her at that time and I did... It ended up just like that.. She disappeared just like that... We never met again...’

Interviewer proceeded, “I am really sorry sir.. I thought the other way... Anyway, do you wish to meet her again? And yeah, you said things ended... so, did you feel it was all useless?” Jaafar said, “well no, I’ve never felt that way... She brought a lot of changes in me and I brought a lot of changes in her... She thought I was the one changing her but she did not realise how much she has helped me...education wise, made me a better person, and provided me with love and so on... She changed me too... On top of everything, she gave me a loving family which I needed at that time... I was like part of her family... I can proudly say that our relationship was two ways rather than one way... We both earned something unlike most broken relationships where only one party earns the benefit and the other suffer terrible depression... Regarding your first question, yes I would like to meet her again if she is not married... I wanna marry her and tell her how much I loved her... Know what? The hardest thing in love is not when you get rejected in love, it is when you never get a chance to tell that person you love him or her... That happened in my life... But if she is married, I hope I’ll never get to see her again... I don’t wanna make a mess in her life again‘... Interviewer finished the interview giving me another shock,’ thanks a lot sir.. so, that’s our exclusive interview with Mr Jaafar, the man who recently changed the fate of millions through his Appuya Street Project... He has developed the street and people there are living a better life now.. Thank you sir.. “

As I watched that interview, tears fell from my eyes but I covered it... However, Karthik saw tears flowing out from my eyes... He told Jaafar, ‘Look Mr Jaafar, your story made my wife end up in tears... Don’t worry, you’ll somehow find your queen back... Karthik had no idea that I was the one whom Jaafar mentioned.. That night, I was very confused, ‘If he had loved me, why did leave me? What did I do? Should I ask him without Karthik’s knowledge? Is it appropriate?? I was puzzled up with Karthik and Baby Nikki beside me.. One part of my heart was very happy that Karthik has changed... The other part was very confused...

I never expected this... God has pulled me back into a situation I’ve never imagined... I met Karthik on the plane and upon listening to his story, I felt the need to share my story and change him.. But I never knew the girl that endured everything was my little girl, Akshaya... The first thing that came up to my mind was to get out of the house as soon as possible... I had promised Karthik that I’ll stay for a day in his house... I hope this day ends as fast as possible... The next day arrived.. I was about to leave. I was packing my things intensely.. I heard the door behind me open... I knew it was Akshaya.. I pretended as if everything was okay... She closed the door and said,’Appu, why did you do that??’ I pretended everything was normal and replied, ‘What did i do Mrs Karthik? I am sorry if I had mistakenly done something I shouldn’t in your house’ She replied, ‘Stop pretending Appu.. Don’t worry Karthik is not at home.. he went out for a short while... Tell me.. Please.. Don’t let me live with a question mark for the rest of my life... Why did you say no the other day...??? I couldn’t take it anymore.. I decided to tell her...



Tears came out of my eyes... I am sorry Akshaya... I had to do that... We met through an accident and we became friends... But I slowly found out that you are my destiny.. Yes, I loved you very much Akshaya... Still remember the night I told you that you are my destiny.. I meant it when I said it... But when I went back... that night... my thoughts changed me... My sister whom I lost through poverty came up to my mind... You thought I hurt you by leaving you, but no.. the truth is I was hurt more when I realised I can’t tell you how much I loved you... I couldn’t admit it that time.. If I did, then you would wanna be with me.. I wanted you to marry someone else... Know why? Because I knew I can’t provide you with a rich or a comfortable life... If you loved and married me, of course we would be strong and we can against no matter how many people try to stop us.. Even your father would be one of them... But do you think I’d be happy seeing you suffer in front of me just because of following me... Maybe you would say no, we would be alright.. Yes we will but if at all we live for hundred years and even one day you regret, I would feel like I’ve caused all this to my little girl... I wanted you to be happy, that’s all.. I have given you enough strength and showed you the right path in life... I am pretty sure you won’t have any problems in living a life in the proper way.. Hence, I decided to leave you...

Know what? I liked you entirely for what you were... Your name, your character and everything about you... I just loved you to an extent which I can’t describe... Everything about you... I knew we had other differences as well like religion and so on but they didn’t stop me from loving you... In the end, I had to walk away for your own good... I wanted you to live a happy life with the guy your father chooses for you.. In order to make them come true, I had to make you hate me and I succeeded in that... The only thing was that the words you used on me was too harsh that day... They pierced my heart like broken pieces of glasses... You did not understand me.. Your words were sharp.. But I had to stand it... I can still remember you telling me that God took my family members away with a reason... Yeah... I am stupid, I admit... That’s the reason I cared to much for you in a situation in which others would just marry you willingly.. I am stupid... I endured the toughest thing in love... I loved you but I was never able to tell you about it... Until you witnessed it in an interview... When I got to know you were Karthik’s wife in the doorstep yesterday, my heart was sad and happy... Happy for saving your marriage life and sad for losing you...After the incident in which you scolded me, I couldn’t sleep or eat for days.. I was very disturbed...




That is when Uncle Malek called me to follow him on a shipping cruise for a change... We went to foreign countries to deliver goods.. I needed that trip badly to come back to normal once again... We made some business dealings and I used all the knowledge I got from your books.. Eventhough, I had no degree, some American companies were interested in my efficiency that they hired me... That’s how I grew into a successful businessman... In a way, you raised me to the next level in my life... But look at how life plays on me.. At that time I loved you and you were there but I had no money to provide a nice life for you... Now it is all opposite.. I have money but I don’t have the right to love you anymore... You are the only girl I’ve been close to in my entire life..



She was crying by now... I was helpless... I told her, ‘Look here Akshaya.. Don’t worry.. Certain things in life are fated to be in the way they are... All we have to do is just move on... No matter what happens, life has to go on... Now you are a mother for a cute baby girl and a wife for a man... I am sure everything I’ve taught you will be useful in your life... Even though I am sad that I never get the chance to leave with you, I am happy that God gave me a second chance to correct your life and make things up for my dear Akshaya... I wiped her tears... Don’t worry of me.. I’ll somehow live a life... I don’t know whether I’ll marry another girl or not but let fate decide it... If at all I feel the same way you made me feel last time again, and then yes I would marry.. Don’t worry...

He consoled me... I was surrounded with guilt, sadness and so on... I should not have scolded him blindly that day or told bad things about him to my friends... I made a mistake.. I was wrong when I thought that he played the fool out of me through his words... I was wrong when I agreed with a friend who told me.. Love can be trusted but the people we love make us lose hope in love... She was wrong... When it comes to love, there is nothing as you can trust or cannot.. You have to trust every single thing.. Loving someone is like giving him a gun.. It’s just whether he shoots you or not... The trust that he won’t will make love true and alive... That’s love when put into a sentence... There was a moment of silence between us... It’s very unfortunate that sometimes... we expect and love a person so much to an extent which fate decides to separate us... We can never predict what would happen the next moment... All we can do is say things we wanna say to the person when we have the opportunity itself... There is no point regretting once he or she is gone...



However, I knew I had to move on in life.. I have a kid and a husband to think of.. Anyway, as I promised to him, I’ll make sure I pass down everything he has taught me to my baby girl... I’ll raise her up in a proper way... Karthik came back and we went to the airport to send Jaffar off to the United States... I knew I will never get to meet Jaafar again... Because I asked him moments ago, ‘can we be good friends at least?’ He said no.. He said ‘being friends will just affect our lives and worsen it... Even a simple act of passing down the knowledge he gave me to my kid would be sufficient enough to prove our friendship, he said.... As he was about to leave, he told Karthik, ‘take good care of your wife and make sure things are alright after this... Be a man... A real man doesn’t beat his wife... Got it??’ Karthik nodded... The next time I come to India, I want to see four of yall as a happy family... Karthik corrected Jaafar, ‘well, it’s just three of us’... Jaafar said smiling, “I know... Just add one more member to your family? Okay? We need a Karthik Jr... ‘ Haha... Karthik laughed out loud... Okay I will, he said... Before leaving Jaafar said, ‘hug her and kiss her Karthik...’ Karthik did as what Jaafar said... and Jaafar smiled at both of us... He bid farewell and he left.......



I knew what I did was the only option left... I wanted Akshaya to be happy... And I am glad God has given me a second chance to beautify Akshaya’s life... As for my life, I would just let things happen according to what is fated for me.. Anyway, i told Akshaya that we should not even be friends again because I don’t wanna mess up her life again... The truth is I loved her but I should not love her any longer... Why did I make friends with Akshaya? Why did I like her? Why did I love her forgetting her status? Why did I learn things and become rich now? Why do I have to meet Akshaya again even after she is married? Why should I meet her husband and correct him? Why should I tell Akshaya what happened earlier? Why should I give up on Akshaya? Why should I be happy seeing them together now? The answer for all these questions lies on one word... Destiny...

That was the last time I saw him.. He left my life for the second time.. He saved my life for the second time.. Without him, I would have been an ordinary teenager.. He made me extraordinary... And without him, my life as an adult would have been ruined... He saved it again... Now, I am passing down everything he has taught me in life to my Nikki and Naresh, my son... Yes, he was born last month..... Exactly 2 years after Jaafar left us... Karthik has changed into a very loving husband since then and we lived happily ever after... But no matter what, I have to admit that if Karthik is my man in my life, Jaafar or my Appu was The Other Man in my life.....


-THE END-


Well yeah, that’s all about my story, The Other Man... Hope you enjoyed reading it... But the most important thing is to get the hidden message... The crucial part of this story is the proposal part...

It can be reviewed from 2 different angles when we look at it from two different perspectives... Akshaya and Jamal... Akshaya slapped Jamal without knowing the truth... Most of us are like Akshaya.. We don’t really understand the situation of a person even after knowing him or her for such a long period of time.. Why can’t we fit ourselves in their shoes when they need us the most? All we do is burst out in anger and make things worse... Not to forget is the words and actions that come out when a person is angry... We tend to say things without knowing words can hurt 1000 times than physical wounds if they are used in the wrong way... All we do when we frustrated with him or her to yell stuffs at him or her and make that party weak... To add things, we go around saying bad things about him like what Akshaya did...

In another perspective, we can even consider Jaffar being on the wrong side... He should have explained stuffs to Akshaya... Well Akshaya is just a human being... She is not a mind reader or whatsoever... How would she know what’s running on Jaafar’s mind.. He should have made it clear to her... Most of us fail to give enough explanations in time of need... So, whose fault was it? Jaafar or Akshaya?? You choose...

The other messages include the current lifestyle.. Social Networking and so on... We tend to immerse ourselves into this world that we forget the existence of something called reality... Spending time with family is like a rare stuff in most families these days... In the effort of collecting stones, we tend to miss out diamonds... Hence, don’t allow your life to be controlled my technology... You should learn to use it wisely... Then, life would be even colourful...

Apart from that, we should appreciate Jaafar for being caring.. It is not important to just love someone and marry that person... it is important to love someone in a way that you would even sacrifice your happiness for that particular person... That’s when you know you truly love that particular person.. Love makes the world go round...

Even after all this time,
The sun never says to the earth,
"You owe me."
Look what happens with
A love like that....
It lights the whole sky....

~Hafiz of Persia~



Hence, love people around you and try not to break human relationships, culture and so on with a hammer called modernity... And most importantly, don’t say things without knowing a person well... That’s all for now... Thanks for reading guys!!! I hope that everyone would improve his or her relationship with people around him or her after reading this story... Especially with our loved ones!!! And yeah... I don’t know when I’ll post my next blog post but I am sure it would take a long time as I will be busy in the coming months... Some important exams on the run!!!

Wish me luck and pray for my success!!!



Peace out ;-)
Author: Vinod Surendiram
•12:38 PM
Finally, back with a new post after a long gap... As usual, I was busy with stuffs... Anyway, it's Christmas tomorrow!!! Let's end the year with an awesome celebration!!! To add essence, I've come up with my very first Christmas story... I used to write stories quite some time ago... Once I entered college, I never really had enough time to do so... Hence, I decided to grab this opportunity and come up with my very first typed story... It was all hand written before this... I had to do it in a short period of time... Hence, please ignore those grammar or spelling mistakes if there is any... I couldn't afford to spend much time checking out the grammar and so on... Had many important things to do... Anyway, I hope that you would give positive reviews on my story... And one important thing... This story is purely fictional... Any Resemblance to any character, living or dead, places, events or whatsoever is Purely Coincidental...And the images are all from Google Images Search... Hence, the author is not responsible for any damages.... And all rights reserved... This story should not be published in any forms using any kind of medias... And yeah... This story is written in a different way... Hence, you gotta understand this first... in order to understand the story...

The ones in a bolded writing - present events
The ones in a slanting roman itallic writing - the letter content
The ones in an ordinary writing without bold or slanting roman itallic- past events

Now, sit back and enjoy... Lolzzz

The Best Christmas Gift



It was a usual dark, snowy day... Houses and roads were all white... An old couple came to sight..; Mr and Mrs Wilkinson. They’ve been living here for almost 50 years. Their faces were wrinkled and the effects aging had on them were crystal clear... What can you expect from a couple in their eighties?? The couple had 5 children. John was the eldest followed by Jacob, Anna, Mary and Kristina. The Wilkinson family has always been regarded as a rich family. They were the high class citizens of Yorkshire... The aristocrats... As a result, 4 of their kids were successful doctors..; Dr John, Dr Jacob, Dr Mary and Dr Kristina... They moved out of the house once they were married... Mr and Mrs Wilkinson were proud grannies... Yes, they had cute grandchildren... Christmas was just around the corner...



Hence, they were working laboriously in cleaning their house... Gearing themselves up for Christmas... The couple themselves were very excited for the upcoming Christmas... Being in their eighties, they realised that every Christmas matters from now on. They wanted a special gift from Santa... Even their kids had planned a wonderful Christmas this year for their beloved parents... It took them hours to clean up their house because they had not done this in years... The house was quite dusty... Finally, they reached Anna’s room... As it has not been occupied for quite some time, it was in a terrible condition... Spider webs and etc... The couple entered her room and started their task... Mrs Wilkinson mopped the floor while Mr Wilkinson cleared the dust and spider webs... The room had wooden ceiling with many wooden bars... As some of the wooden bars were already damaged, Mr Wilkinson decided to replace the damaged ones... He moved them one by one... All of a sudden, to his surprise, a purple coloured bag fell on him... He was wondering who might have placed a bag there... The bag has been there all this while... None of them knew it.. It was very dusty and you can see a few holes on it... ‘It must be the rat who made those holes’, he thought... Mrs Wilkinson was taken aback too... Without any hesitation, the couple decided to check the bag out... They cleaned it first and unzipped it... There were 5 things in it:

a) A Photo Album
b) A Man Made Red Rose
c) A Diary
d) A Cassette
e) A Letter

Mr Wilkinson flipped the album... These things apparently belonged to Anna...


19th December 1984
The hospital was crowded... Many people waited with anticipation... Anna was born at 5.43 am... Anna’s father, Mr Wilkinson, was extremely happy with a broad smile on his face...




Both of them never knew that Anna had the habit of writing diaries and so on... Anyway, the photo album was somehow very nostalgic... It brought back those good times Anna and her siblings had during their childhood... Anna has tagged each and every photo perfectly... For instance, My parents, Loving brother, Naughty sis and so on... A smile curled on the couple’s lips... And then they moved on to read the letter... It sounded:


Dear Dad and Mom,

I am sorry... I’ve never told you certain things which I kept in my heart... Both of you didn’t know what happened in real... I never had the chance to explain... You never gave me a chance to do so... I am sorry... Don’t think I am putting the blame on you but this is the truth... You never understood me...




30th December 1984
The naming ceremony was held... Mr Wilkinson proudly said, ‘ Hereby, I, Mr Wilkinson name my princess... Anna Rossalia!!! The crowd cheered...

I still remember... During my childhood, I used to cry asking both papa and mama to give up on your business.. I wasn’t matured at that time... But all I wanted was for you guys to spend time with me... I loved both of you to that extent... The love gestures from mama were priceless... She used to brush my hair when I was 8 and tell me that everything is fine and God is with me at all times... But the gestures were no more as I grew up... Maybe mama was trying to treat me like a grown up... But trust me when I say this... A child needs her parents the most during her teenage years... That’s the toughest period... But you guys concentrated on your business and often left me in sadness... I know my siblings could take it but not me... I am sorry... I am not the same as them... Even Mary and Kristina never complained being younger than me at that moment... But I felt the pain... Family has been my priority at all times... Both of you often went overseas and it was painful to see you going... You forgot that babysitter can never match up a father or a mother...

14th April 1994
Anna Rossalia was 10 years old... There was a family gathering and Uncle Robinson, Mr Wilkinson’s younger brother, asked Anna,’ what would you wanna be when you grow up lil girl???’ Anna said with a cute smile on her face, ‘ I wanna be a singer!!!” Out of the blue, all of them started laughing at Anna... Anna felt embarrassed... But she was puzzled up too... Why are they laughing??,’ she wondered.... ‘Is it wrong to be a singer??’

You never spent enough time with me... I never had many friends in my life too... You guys had much to think about and many people to communicate with... For me, my life revolved only around bros, sisters and both of you... But all of you never showed enough interest on me... I became a lonely girl... You’ve always asked us to consider ourselves lucky for being rich, unlike many people... You’ve always proudly said...’ I’ve provided you with everything you want, Shirts, Toys, nice food and so on... What else do you need??’ But you never knew that life isn’t all about that... Money can never provide an everlasting happiness... It can only provide a short term happiness.. The real happiness is the one that emerges deep down the heart and it can only be formed by love... I would have been much happier if you provided me with love instead of money,... even a small gesture like brushing my hair would have done the job..



15th October 1999
Anna Rossalia won the first place in a debate competition... She showed her parents the trophy proudly... But her parents had to rush to take a flight... They left... Anna Rossalia cried the whole day in her bedroom.

I could still remember we had an argument when I was 18... You asked me, ‘What do you wanna be Anna?... I told you that I wanna further my studies in Performing Arts... I wanted to be a singer... But you brushed the whole thing off saying that I should be a doctor... You said that I should keep the legacy of my siblings going... Then why on earth did you ask me what I wanna be? Is it hoping that I would follow the rhythm of my siblings who never opposed you?? Ever since I was young, I’ve recorded me singing... But you wanted to scrap of that interest from me saying that singing would not contribute even a penny... That night, the argument developed and I shouted at you... ‘You can never take hold of me... I will become a singer!!!!!!!!!!!’ and I closed the door....



29th May 2003
Anna Rossalia entered the Royal Medical College... Her face was dull... Mrs Wilkinson told her daughter, ‘Make sure to take good care of yourself... You are now on your own in a different country... Make sure you don’t get influenced with alcohol... Understand?? Anna Rossalia nodded...

You never knew how much I suffered being away from both of you and my siblings... I knew my siblings were in the same situation... Just that we were sent to different countries... But then, I can’t take it like them... I felt lonely amidst a lot of people around me... I got a few good friends... However, the study pressure was always there... Medicine wasn’t my thing... I knew it... And both of you have always advised me not to get into a relationship... If you had provided me with enough love, why would I wanna get into a relationship???

14th December 2003
Anna Rossalia went on her first date with a Spanish lad, Raul Babioska...

Being away from all of you was very tough for me... The best time is always when I get back to Yorkshire... Home is always the best place... Going back to my college was very depressing... If I was like some kid who wanted to pursue his studies in overseas, then I would have been happy... But all I wanted to major was in Performing Arts in some local college.. You sent me overseas to retain your social status...

9th March 2004
Anna Rossalia’s father received a letter from the Royal Medical College.. It was a warning letter from the administration that Anna has been skipping classes... Mr Wilkinson phoned Anna and scolded her... Anna was giving some lame excuses... Anna thought in her mind, ‘father started his usual dialogue, ‘ “I’ve provided you with everything..... blablabla...

You never knew how I felt... I was angry, frustrated for not being able to major in something I like and scared how am I gonna fare well in the exams... Mama once told me not to even try alcohol... But none of you knew that I went a step higher and started taking drugs... It felt good at first but soon it destroyed me... I was addicted... I couldn’t do much... I was helpless... And yeah... I’ve never told you one more thing... I had a boyfriend... His name was Raul... Once he knew I was into drugs and stuffs, he broke up with me... I didn’t shed even a single drop of tear when he went away from me... Know why dad? I was smiling thinking that, “ even my own family members couldn’t understand me, how would a stranger understand?’ Friends moved away from me... I soon isolated myself from everyone and I was tagged as the quiet kid... Even some of our relatives used to tag me as a quiet kid... Uncle Robinson was one of them... Haha.. I can still remember crying under the rain so that no one would spot me... If only you had talked to me and understood me...



Reading Anna’s letter, Mr and Mrs Wilkinson could no longer hold their tears... Tears flowed out... They never knew their kid had gone through so many things... All they knew was Anna was the most quiet kid in all their 5 kids... But they can still recall Anna crying as loud as possible asking them not to go to work... And the day they rushed to airport ignoring Anna and her medal.... They continued reading the letter...

2nd December 2004
Anna Rossalia came back to Yorkshire for Christmas holidays... Her siblings were very excited during the celebration except for Anna... She reflected a dull face.. All of them were medical students at that time...

Everything became a problem then after.. Studies, Boyfriend, Friends, Parents and so on... My life was secluded with darkness... I never shared with any of you as I had a strong belief that none of you would understand me... I cried almost everyday... I couldn’t tolerate the absence of love in my life like my other siblings... I wished God would end my life... But no matter what I motivated myself saying that life has to go on no matter what happens...



4th February 2005
Anna Rossalia met with an accident in Yorkshire... She was pronounced death at 5.43pm... Her parents, Mr and Mrs Wilkinson claimed her body and mourned her loss... Her siblings were all in tears.... Her room was locked since then and her brother John placed a ‘Rest In Peace’ Sign on her room door... John was the closest to his sister among all his siblings and he knew how loud his sister was despite being labelled as quiet... He knew his sister had a great voice...

I am sorry Papa and Mama... I am a coward.. I admit... I am stupid to have taken such a silly decision... But I couldn’t help it... I never had enough strength to endure this pain... So, I’ve decided to end my life here... And yeah... I have attached this letter with a photo album which I’ve always cried with... realising how much I missed all of you when I was in overseas... I was forced by papa to go overseas which I never wanted... My diary... I’ve picked up this habit since I was 6... You guys never had ‘enough’ time to notice it... A rose... As my remembrance, and a cassette... You might be wondering what is in the cassette.. I’ve always wanted papa and mama to listen to me singing.. but both of you never showed enough interest... I hope that at least when you get this letter... you would hear it... at least once... pls.... And yeah.. I wouldn’t tarnish your social status by hanging myself to death or something like that... I would make it look like an accident... I know it’s gonna be painful but I hope that it would end things once and for all... At the same time, I don’t want you to feel yourselves as a failure in being good parents... I don’t want my mama and papa to feel frustrated... But at the same time... I really wanna tell you how I’ve felt all this years... I am not sure whether I should or should not tell you.. Therefore, I would place this bag in a hidden place and I leave it to God whether to enlighten you by revealing this bag or not.... Whatever it is, I love you all till the very last breath.....

Your Loving princess,
Anna Rossalin


Both Mr and Mrs Wilkinson regretted their mistakes in raising their sweetheart.... But it was too late... It has been 15 years since Anna passed away and everyone thought that she met with an accident... But none of them knew the truth... No one had entered Anna’s room since then... Even her parents thought that fate brought their sweetheart away...The grief and sadness that was in the old couples hearts would not be able to be put into words... Their world crashed down in a second... Feeling despair, Mr Wilkinson proceeded to Anna’s diary... Mrs Anna played the cassette... It was Anna singing her favourite band, Westlife’s song... ‘You Raise Me Up’.. The voice was so sweet that tears kept flowing out of her parents’ eyes... Mr Wilkinson randomly opened a page... Anna’s hand writing was horrible but it was still readable.. Anna wrote;




23rd June 1994- Went hiking with dad... Best day of my life...


Mr Wilkinson quickly searched for his diary... He had a diary too which he kept mostly his business accounts... He flipped to the same date... It said;

23rd June 1994- Anna was so desperate of goin hiking... Wasted my time with the kid in a jungle doing nothing... Ended up getting body aches... Haizzzzz


A drop of tear fell from Mr Wilkinson’s eyes... He opened up another page in his diary...

29th May 2003- The happiest day of my life... Sent Anna to the Royal Medical College... Another doctor on the run!!! =)


He flipped up the same date in Anna’s diary

29th May 2003- The worst day of my life... Felt like dying... I told him how much I wanted to major in Performing Arts and become a singer... He never listened... I am cursed with bad luck I suppose...


Mr Wilkinson wept in front of his wife for the first time in his life... His wife cried too... They hugged each other holding the rose Anna had put inside the bag with the song ‘You Raise Me Up’ playing in the background...

They realised that the purple bag was the best Christmas gift Santa has given them... Yes, this might sound a little odd to some of us to call a grief causing object as a gift but it is... It made them understand who they were to d lil girl they’ve known for years... who their sweetheart was.... and many other things which they never knew... They realised their mistakes which they can never correct... They’ve understood their life on earth... Most of us might not have noticed that it is the purpose of our lives... To understand our lives, to have our lives explained.. This creates the inner peace in each and every single human being... And this exactly what Mr and Mrs Wilkinson had gone through the means of the purple bag... As all of us knew, the greatest thing on earth are not seen by our eyes, they are felt deep inside our heart... And that is exactly what the couple had experienced... It took them 80 years to discover and understand their lives... After 15 years of losing their kid, Anna Rossalia...

T-H-E E-N-D




Whose fault was it?? Anna’s parents or Anna? What do you think??? It is usual to see a father or a mother holding the tiny hand of a kid to ensure his or her safety in public places... But is it usual to see parents doing the same thing to a grown up teenager???...Definitely ‘no’... But literally, it is important for parents to keep holding their kids’ hands even once they grow up as a teenager.. Yes... You can’t leave your kids’ hands all at once... Then they would be lost in a thick forest... That’s exactly what seemed to happen in Anna’s story... At the same time, you can’t be holding it tight all the time... As time passes, you gotta leave his or her hand gradually so that they learn to live independently... This is how life should go on... at least in my opinion...

This story is not only to serve as a usual Christmas story... We should look back and think how a person’s life drives him or her to an extent of ending up his or her life... There are many Anna Rossalias among us... It is just that we don’t know it at this time... They don’t express it much... So, what should we do?? Are we gonna have campaigns and all to stop those people who choose to kill themselves... Hell no... Campaigns wouldn’t work in this problem... Once a decision is taken, it is tough to change it unless you strike the right coin... However, it is wrong for one to end his or her life... We don’t have the rights to end our life... We are gifted to have been given a life by God... No matter how tough it is, we have to cling on... We have to let time play its role... Killing ourselves will never be a solution to our problems... It would only worsen things... Sometimes, the solution is just the other side of our problems... We just don’t know it at that moment... Hence, we should not even think of ending up our lives... Only God has the power to do it... Live like a legend... Don’t end your life like a coward... Everyone has his or her own problems... No matter what, life has to go on...

Hence, is it impossible to stop Anna Rossalias from killing themselves?? The answer is... No.. It is possible.. Have you ever heard of the saying ‘Prevention is Better than Cure’... I could still remember my discipline teacher repeating this saying again and again back in school... haha.. yeah... It is better to prevent it.. How to prevent it??? Easy... Shower everyone with love for that it is the greatest gift you can give a person... You might have hard feelings on a person... Maybe you might hate him and so on... But think again... Do you think you are his one and only problem?? The answer is ‘no’... We don’t know how many problems one single person might face... He might not express it but it is in him... Most of us are not expressive when it comes to life... You gotta agree with me on this one.. Hence, at least as a friend, we can support and cheer him up... That’s what friends are for...

A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are... Do your role as a friend, brother, sister, father, mother or whatsoever... And learn to cherish the wonderful bond called as family... Most people are very materialistic nowadays... They eye money and not love... Try doing the opposite and you can make wonders... Be polite to your family members, not just to outsiders... Most people are humble when it is come to outsiders but not to their very own family members... For example, when a woman accidentally knocks down a stranger on the street, she says sorry in a humble manner... But when her kid interrupts her while cooking, she yells at him... This is one small example... This happens in most families nowadays... These might look like small, minor things but the impact it brings can never be described... When we correct things like this, life would be more colourful...

Hence, as told in Anna Rossalia’s story;



To the world, you maybe just one person..... but to one person, you might just be the world.....


Let’s make a change this Christmas and turn into a new leaf...I don’t know when I’ll post my next blog post but I am sure it would take a long time as I will be busy in the coming moths... Some important exams on the run!!!

Wish me luck and pray for my success!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!!!

Peace out ;-)