ஒரு கதை. ஒரு உணர்வு. ஒரு உலகம்.

The day looked so new to him. The usual green stretch by the waters, looked splendid than any other times. The trees that stood tall, bent down a little to bow to him. The buzzing road that stretches amidst the greens and waters, still cried loud, with its usual honks and screeches. But, the sound did not reach his ears. He was in all smiles and in complete rejuvenation. “Welcome aboard Karthik!”, greeted his manager. Everything looked pleasant since the dawn, including his new boss's smile. It was Karthik’s first day at work, at his most aspired Journal corporate. After few years of Journalism with amateur magazines, he finally managed to land in a big name, that he always dreamt of. Photography is his passion, even more than that. His heart beat would sound just like the clicks in a camera. Such, is his love! His new Cabin looked plain and simple. But his mind already started to workout a little plan to revamp it, to reflect his personal touch. Right from the policies o...

That night, karthik could hardly sleep. He lay still on his bed, staring at the spinning fan. The beauty she saw in the dimmest light of the dusk, made his heart skip a beat and lose his breath. He felt something choking him and marbles rolled inside his belly. This weird feeling made him uncomfortable but happy. 'what on earth is happening to me?!’, he wondered to himself, 'not all the best moments can rush up on the same day, but it happened to me. Can there be a day better than this!’ He couldn't stop himself from thinking about her and she kept disturbing him in his thoughts often. Next day, he couldn't get a glimpse of her in the morning, but decided to stroll around the park, until he finds her in the evening. The romantic breeze swirled around him, when he saw her in the park, just like the previous day. The lovely dusk, the golden light, the shining moon and the breathtaking angel - what else does one need?! For the first time, he felt an extravagant b...

It was the day of judgement for an iconic MP, for the crimes of murder and witness eviction. A riotous tension was slowly fuming in the court campus and was about to explode any time. When the verdict was out and the MP was charged for his crimes, there was instant outburst in the campus. There were weapons and gun shots, that popped up from nowhere and the uproar was horrific. In this commotion, Karthik got badly injured and he broke his right arm, in lieu of saving his camera. Karthik and his crew were all injured and were taken to the hospital. With loads of bandages on his right arm and a couple of plasters on his forehead, he sat down on his favourite bench by the Waters, to calm down and ease of the tension within him. His mind was raging with anger, but he felt helpless when he iterated the morning incident in his mind. He couldn't understand why the system is so bad and the politicians are downright criminals. He was wondered by the fact that people still believe them...

The days and his life was getting prettier. His thoughts were filled by her and he was dying to know more about her. Some days, he would even rehearse his questions, just like the heroes in movies. He had met her very few times , but never managed even to get to know her name. In those few meetings, she only asked him about the fractured hand and never bothered to know anything more. This evening, he was so determined to stop the kindergarten talks and get into some serious conversation. First, he wanted to know her name and next is to get her number. That was his agenda for tonight's meet. He went to the spot on time and put his work on pause for few hours. She was already sitting there, as gorgeous as ever. “Hi”, said Karthik. He knows his heart was pumping with a loud thud and his legs were little shaky. His body was mildly trembling and he was going breathless on and off. But, he cleverly hid all those phenomenon and appeared composed. She smiled at him and star...

One fine day, as Karthik zoomed to the park, for his divine task of flirting with his crush, he was welcomed with a big shock of Priya crying. Her eyes were red and ‘tear’fall were rolling down her cheeks, profusely. He had no idea about why Priya was crying. Still, he too wanted to cry out loud. An unknown pain spread across his chest region and suddenly some severe anger gushed through his nerves and he literally wanted to uproot the 4 feet thick tree, by which he was standing and throw it away. In this hallucinated anguish, he tried breaking a small branch that dangled just above his head, only to end up with a small cut in his palm. But, the branch remained in tact. “You alright Priya?”, asked Karthik caringly, with his throat choking. She raised her head and looked at him. 'Oh! The merciless world! What did you do to my sweetheart?’, he cursed within himself. “I hope so Karthik. But, I am not”, replied Priya in a shaky voice. He just heard his heart break into piec...

A couple of days later, he came to the park on time and saw her watching the waters,  quiet and composed. She looked dazzling, as ever she used to be. He took a halt near the tree, whose branch could never be broken by him and started to replay his day, in his mind. It was just another day - nothing bad and nothing good. So, he thought it will be ok to meet her. A little ray of hope went flashing in his mind that Priya’s special someone might not be as special as a boyfriend. “Hi Priya!”, said Karthik and sat next to her. “Hi Karthik! How are you?”, replied Priya, with her signature sweet smile. He started to feel better. “I am good! How about you? Are you alright now?” “Yeah, I am fine. Thanks!” He started to feel relaxed and good. He absolutely had no clue, that a lightning is awaiting to hit his head hard, right at the centre. “You were terribly upset, couple of days back. I am sorry, I couldn't make you feel better, then”, said Karthik apologetically. “Pleas...

It was yet another lazy night in the hospital. Priya was on her night duty. She started working as nurse six months back, soon after her University. She put her heart and soul into the job. For her, her job is holy and her commitment is the gratitude towards the holy Almighty. In the sleepy hour of the night, a guy in his late twenties was brought in stretcher, into the emergency unit. His left leg was soaked up in blood and he was screaming in pain. If for anyone else, the patient would have fainted. Such, is the trauma! Priya being nurse in charge for emergency, was in disbelief to find him conscious. A couple of doctors attended him and he immediately underwent surgery. His agonizing screams settled, after chloroforming him. An hour later, he was moved to ICU and was kept under observation. Doctors discussed the treatment and recovery procedures with the person who accompanied the wounded soul. “Nurse! Make sure his family is informed and send me his observations eve...

Next day, after finishing her shift, Priya left early in the morning. Before leaving, she visited Raj, just to find out how he was doing. He was still asleep. She tried getting some sleep at home. But she couldn't. Simply, she couldn't sleep for no reason and in spite of tiring night shifts. She checked the time. It was closer to noon. She got ready to work. Her mom looked at her in disbelief. Still, she managed to convince her that it's way too boring to sit at him and that she likes day shifts, as it generally stays busy. When she reached the hospital, her peers scrutinized her just like her mom. And she managed to answer them the way she tackled her mom. She went to Raj’s room, to continue with her duty. She saw him awake and talking briskly with his Manager. 'Oh God! He must be a beast. Talking so loudly and energetically! Probably he mistook the fractures for scratches’, thought Priya. “Excuse me! Please don't talk too much and strain yourself. ...

That night, Doctor set him off the saline drips and advised to start clear liquid diet. Priya still continued to observe him and updated the records. “Where can I find your attender?”, asked Priya to Raj. “Sorry my father is still stuck. He didn't reach yet” “Anyone else around?” “Nobody”, said Raj in a low voice. “We need to start your diet. Alright, I'll take care”, replied Priya and walked away. After few minutes, she came back with a bowl of rice porridge. She sat next to him and tucked a paper napkin around the neckline of his pyjamas. She fed him the first spoon of the diet. Raj didn't offend or say anything. He clearly understood his physical condition and was finding it hard to move a muscle. IVs on the back of his hands, made them sore and he was certain that he can't even feed himself. He silently tasted the porridge, which had zero flavours. Priya also stayed calm and did not utter a word. Dinner routine came to an end and as a finishing t...

Priya made sure that Raj was taken good care of. His food, drink, medicines and other services were offered to him on time. She was well aware that she has been taking extra care of him. But, she couldn't help it and honestly, she loved her job now, than ever. Later that evening, she saw Raj talking with someone, who was seated by his side and his manager was standing next to him. She entered the room and carried out her routine checks. “How is he now?”, asked that person. He was a bit elderly and must be in his late fifties. He was bald with a dark complexion. He was wearing glasses and looked lean. Priya sensed a bit of resemblance between Raj and this man. Instead of answering his question, she immediately questioned, ”may I ask you who you are?” “I am his father”, replied the man politely. “Oh! Don't you worry about him. He is really recovering well. Soon, he will get back to normal. He might need to stay for some more days just to make sure that his fractur...

That night, as Priya was having her dinner, her thoughts started to crawl around Raj. She was having her favorite meal. Her mom has prepared it to perfection. She looked at her mom, who was busy in the kitchen. She thought how her life would have gone miserable, if her mom was not around. Her mom is her beautician, dietician, assistant, caretaker, secretary and what not. Her mom is her shadow. Priya will lose her mind, if her mom is out and about even for one day. She was able to understand the pain that Raj and his dad are experiencing. The emptiness from inside and out, with which one should learn to live is a lifetime challenge. Time might soothe the pain, but it can't completely wipe off the memories. “Priya what are you thinking? Your food is going cold”, interrupted Priya's mom. Priya sunk into her thoughts and when she came back to the reality, immediately she uttered, “Thank you mom. The food is delicious. I love it” Her mom having never heard any compliment...

Priya wanted to say something to Raj, but she herself couldn't figure out what it is. She stood there, hesitating to walk away and kept staring at him. She felt an overwhelming shyness engulfing her. She couldn't resist smiling at him. Raj, was also undergoing the typical phenomenon. He couldn't take his eyes off her either. His seductive smile, froze Priya. They both encountered the race between calm and calamity in their hearts. Few minutes later, they both came back to reality and Priya rushed out of the door. Raj didn't stop her. He was a bit shy to do so. He smiled to himself and started staring at the door, instead of ceiling panels. He was slowly getting addicted to see Priya. Priya came back after a while, to provide him  breakfast. Raj was alright to help himself, but he pretended that his arms are too sore and wanted her to feed him. Priya clearly knew that he was lying, but that is what she wanted too. As she sat next to him and started feeding, she...

“Dad, are you sure about this business offer?”, questioned Raj, with his head full of uncertainty. “Yes yes, I think we can go ahead with this proposal… Raj, sometimes we long for an opportunity to knock our doors. But, when it actually arrives, most of us don't greet it, fearing that we don't have the calibre to take advantage of the opportunity. I believe in YOU, more than you do and I am sure you can do this”, convinced Raj’s father. Raj’s manager, Pandian was standing quietly, listening to the conversation. The room went silent for few minutes. Raj was deep in his thoughts. “Pandian, why would a company of such a grand portfolio, would choose to partner with us?”, questioned Raj. “Sir, they don't simply do business with anybody in the industry. They are very particular about the quality and trustworthy of a set up. Even though we are small, we are renowned for our quality and uniqueness. That is why they were interested in working with us” Raj doesn't ...

Raj loved Priya to the moon and back. He only felt that his injury was purely a divine blessing. The emptiness that his mother had left behind, seemed to shrink, day by day. He couldn't stop visualising how heavenly his life is going to be, until his last breath. Having come from a financially struggling family, having lost his dear mother at a tender age and having stumbled and struggled in every step of life, this new feel of love towards Priya, gave him an eternal serenity. He never looked beyond his business, until he met her. He had sculpted beautiful idols and had seen many in his life. But, his brain and heart were as solid as the stones he handled. He always worried about his father, the only soul living for Raj. He knew how life has been mean to his dad and he wanted to make his final chapters, peaceful and happy. He hardly thought about himself and never in million years, expected to fall in love. He was only glad that he found a true love. He is happy to carry the ...

One morning, as Priya was happily strolling to Raj’s room, she saw his dad just exiting. He looked at her and gave a pale smile. He didn't bother to ask anything and simply walked away. He looked very low and upset. Priya was worried and felt something wasn't right. She entered Raj’s room and got shook up to find him crying. He was sitting upright, with his head hanging low. Tears were dropping on his palm and he did not move a muscle. A high degree of fear, ran through Priya's mind and a heavy sadness, filled her heart. She slowly paced towards him and sat next to him. She wiped off his tears with her tender fingers. Raj looked up at her and smiled vaguely. He then wiped his face with his hands and gave another lifeless smile to Priya. She had only experienced tickling butterflies, whenever he smiled. But, for the first time, she felt so much pain instead. “What happened Raj?”, asked Priya in a very low voice. “Nothing Priya. I am fine”, replied Raj. He knew that s...

The Chief Doctor examined Raj thoroughly. Raj’s father, Priya and the duty Doctor were all there. Chief Doctor expressed that he was glad with Raj’s progress and that he can be discharged. Priya couldn't accept the reality, but still carried out her duties. She was happy to see him better, but she was depressed that those lovely moments may have to await to be re-lived. But, on top of everything, her tiny, secret expectation grew enormously, in a matter of an hour. Everyday, she would expect Raj to propose to her, like the filmy ways. She used to imagine all the possible cute expressions. Flowers, ring, going down on knees, cards, walk under the moon, candlelight dinners, a romantic letter - she imagined anything and everything. She waited patiently all these days for him to open up. And now she is all desperate to hear the words, ‘I love you’, from Raj. She couldn't talk anything to him, really. His dad left to sort out the finances. She was expecting that the right mome...

Two days later, Priya was back to work. Whenever she walked past the room where Raj stayed, her legs would freeze for a while and then would let her go. His smile, his eyes, his voice and his face kept flashing one after the other in her mind. She couldn't talk about this turmoil to her mom, as she is walking on a blind path and knows not where it is going to take her. She couldn't share her sorrows with her friends at work, because they are all already busy gossiping about her. She is too weak to cry in loneliness, either. It is going to be three days already, since she heard back from Raj. When she met him, she believed that her life is going to be a bed of roses, but she actually forgot that there were thorns too and she needs to deal with it!! That evening, she was called at the front desk of the hospital. Priya went hesitatingly, but instantly went super happy when she found Raj waiting there. “Hi Priya!”, said Raj with his signature smile. Priya was already hypn...