A LOVE STORY - Episode 1

Dear Sridhar,

If you had hinted me in the morning that you don't want me to read it today (15th Jul), I would not have done that......Lo all your efforts have gone waste as I am reading this on 15th itself.......But I appreciate your thought in giving me the preferance and thanks for the same.

Originally Posted by varalotti

Dear Lalitha,
thanks a lot for your kind words. I thought of writing this response a little later. But I did want you to read this on your special day, 15th July. Hence I prioritized responding to you.
love,

Thanks once again for the trust you have reposed on my frail shoulders and it is a great responsibility. Hope to fulfill the same with HER blessings.

Dear Sridhar,

I will have to agree with Sudha that neither Radhika nor Khushboo fit the role of Kamla.
How about the brilliant actress Revathi?

Dear Indhu,
I do believe you dear. And I am happy that you loved my creation. Sitting simply doing nothing letting our thoughts flow freely was a meditation you learned from Dr. Yoga Meenakshi in Keep Fit Hospital. Remember? I used it here.
Our true self is reflected in our relationships, Indhu. So the best way to portray a character is through others. In the case of Kamla, I first chose a faceless cab driver, then her colleague Dr. Rao and finally the hero Arun. Kamla's character is brought out by all these people.

Thanks for your appreciating Kamla's words about ego and love.
Why is Arun depressed? And what is Kamla going to do to him? For answers to these questions, "Velli Thiraiyil Kaanka."

By the way , one small complaint ( ? ) about you , Sridhar : You describe the appearance of all your heroes in such a way that all the readers ( not all……. except one innocent Ilite ..hi hi hi ! ) fall in love with him ! ( am I right , lalitha ? )

What to Indhu? I load all my heroes with qualities I do not have and which I always long to have. Have all the readers fallen in love with him? And BTW who's that innocent ILite? Is it Kamla? Or Devika Menon, who was the one who did not talk about Arun being very handsome? Or Brindha? Or ... I am still breaking my head.
Hi Innocent ILite come out from hiding and show yourself. ha ha ha ha.

I think you are fond of ‘ font ‘ size ( you’ve used it twice in this episode ! ) ! funny comment - enjoyed it !

Awaiting the next episode EAGERLY !( bold -font size 5 ! )

I do love font sizes and they come in quite handy to describe the sound and the importance.
And so, Indhu, a big Thanks to you. Now this thanks is in Font Size 6. How is it?
Love,

My Dear GFs,

I had told in the CR that the second episode for the story will be released only during the next week-end, by about Friday, somewhere between 24th and 26th of July, 2008.

But my wife after reading the first episode and after reading all your enthusiastic fb almost ordered me to release the next part by this Friday. I cant give a commitment now. But I am working towards it.

I have been able to get a few openings and if SHE continues to shower HER grace on me, I'll be able to release it this Friday. Please pray for me.
Love,
sridhar

Dearmost Sridhar

How nice of you, specially Indhu....Sure will keep you in my prayers..No doubt SHE will be there with you..

Love
Vidya

Dear Krithika,

thanks for the long, moving fb and thanks again for the FP nomination.You have created history by nominating an episode of a serial in FP. That has not happened in IL before.

I normally do not exceed 3000 words per episode. In this case I overshot by a cool 200 words, but could not help it.

The best cure for impotent anger is aggression. Did you see the movie Punnakai Mannan? An young boy will be crying and to pacify him Kamal would be hanging upside down. Every time Kamal tries to get down, the boy would start crying again. Srividya would pass by the way and seeing the situation she would slap the boy on his face. The boy would immediately stop crying.

It is a nice way of saying that Kamla had started her treatment right on the road itself.

Road rage is becoming a fast spreading disease all over the world. Many including yours truly are afflicted by it. If somebody finds a magic cure for road rage, I'll be the first person to buy that, whatever may be the cost.

Coming to your story, the whole narration seemed to happen right in front of me and I could clearly visualise/picturize Kamla,Rao and Arun Kumar.

Thanks. That's the best compliment a writer can get.

I was a wee bit surprised that Kamla had the habit of becoming emotionally attached to her patients (being a psychiatrist). I don't know why I imagined her to be more composed (though that's what she portrays outside) and neutral. Probably, women are born with the maternal instincts and exhitbit it in some way, no matter what profession they enter into...:)

This is where we commit a major mistake. You can be matured and composed and at the same time can be passionately attached to your work and clients. I have been a professional for 25 years. I have a theory that if you don't bring passion to the table, the professional is not complete. I have passionately defended my clients, have become sad when they lose a case, have celebrated when they win and never once forgot to send my bill for my services. hi hi hi.

Also, loved the comparison of "thoughts" and "words" with "font size" ! Wow....being a writer, probably you could relate to that ! Splendid !

Thanks.

Interesting hero with a rare mix of good looks, raw emotions and talent ! What next?

Why is he depressed? Is he for real or faking it? Cause appearences can be deceptive !

All million dollar questions. Will be hopefully answered before the end of the serial.

Waiting for your next episode...

Stay tuned.
regards,

Dear Sridhar,
That was mind blowing to say the least, Fireworks have started with this story, I did expect nothing but the best from you and Iam not disappointed. With your words, I could live the story rather than read it. The car scence is what the driver needed to put him in place. Kamla, I can see is very observant to Arun as a patient, and she exudes confidence that comes with power and money. Well, Arun has lost his mom at an young age, is that reason enough for him to clam up ,and for each patient who comes to her can she offer friendship, motherly instincts at the first sitting itself??? I did notice that even the receptonist ogles at Arun well, good lokking and troubled he is. Waiting for the next episode that will be posted earlier , Thank you Indhu!!!!!
Sorry, I needed time to think and write my feedback hence the delay!!!! For a fact I read it an hour or so after it was posted!!!

Dear Sowpar,
I was to have posted it by 9 AM Indian Time on 14th. 14th was a Monday and Rahu Kaalam ends at 9. I wanted to post by 9.01. But had to go to my niece's school to collect her medals and certificates. It was supposed to be a five minutes job. But they made me wait for an hour and hence the delay. But I was happy about that because even before I posted the serial I was given a couple of medals and a certificate of appreciation.

the beginning, to begin with, was super racy...i could see the irate cab driver in his road rage....you won't believe this, but yesterday night, just as i was waiting to see if you had posted the serial, i was randomly browsing to see old posts of yours...and thanks to CV's index, i saw that episode on HIV Thanga Vettai....

Your linking the impotent anger in this scene with what I felt in HIV Thangavettai is quite creative. No, I did not think of that. In fact but for your reminder I'd have forgotten about HIV Thanga vettai.

Kamla is of course very well personified...a woman of substance, who has her head on her shoulders...btw, you dragged not just Kamla, but Kumar too into your story ! psychology always interests me, and am eager to see more of Kamla the psychiatrist,and more so of Kamla the friend....

My Kamla, not only has her head on her shoulders but also has her heart in the right place. I had first designed that character to be a single woman. That wont do justice to our dear Kamla. So in the last minute I included Dr. Kumar in. More about Kumar in future episodes.

a friend who admires you, thinks of you like a kid, and is capable of giving you strong counsel, is the greatest treasure one can have in life...i'm happy for Arun...

You are right, Sowpar. There comes a time in your life where you need a friend much more than a mother, a spouse or a sibling. Arun is going through such a period now.

and i can't agree more when she says that Arun should have atleast one lady friend in whom he can confide...somehow, i feel everyone should have a good friend in the opposite sex - this is one thing which will help us see ourselves better, in a different light, and makes us more complete...infact, i feel people with good friends in the opposite sex are better equipped to handle relationships in love and marriage....

You are right again. When we were in school and college, opposite sex friendships were as much as taboo as lesbianism today.
You know I was instructed not even to recognise my sister when I see her on the road. Only much later did I realise that had I got a woman friend and not a lover, just a matured woman friend, I would have grown into a much better man. Somehow that did not happen. I wanted Arun to enjoy such a kind of friendship.

and yes, by starting your serial in Cenotaph Road, you've brought back a lot of fond memories for me...oh, how many thousands of times i would have gone up and down those roads.... :)
and the building on cenotaph lane....i don't know if you had any specific building in mind, but i was immediately reminded of the building there which has E&Y's office.... :)

I know E&Y's office there. There used to be an ICICI Office near there. I knew there are a few complexes in that area. Chose that to show that Kamla is doing well as a shrink.

now, of course, am all eager to know what is weighing down poor Arun's heart...and its going to be a difficult wait till the next episode... :) :)
way to go, sridhar sir...your words have us gripped, already !

Thanks sowpar. We'll get to know what's there in Arun's heart soon. You might know that I have decided to advance the posting of the second episode from 25th to 18th or 19th.
thanks once again for the nice words, and for a detailed fb.Looking forward to your company throughout the journey.
love,

Originally Posted by sowparnika

and of course,
i love both these choices... :)
esp the Ajith ten years back...for me its Aasai Ajith, singing konja naal poru thalaivaa... :) :)
and who better than khushboo to play a strong woman of substance...

You are right, Sowpar, about Aasai Ajith. Konja Naal Poru Thalaiva Ajith. I would like to have Kushboo to be Kamla. But looks like there is some opposition for that. I am not for Revathy. I'd then go for Kavitha.

Siddharth is good. He is young and is handsome. Radhika is a little too obese for Kamla's role. Why don't you think of somebody else, Jithiks?

Originally Posted by Jithiks

Sowpar, somehow, I imagined actor Siddharth (from Rang de basanti ) as Arun and actress Radhika as the pyschiatrist :). Of course...to each his own...for imagination knows no bounds...am I right sridhar sir? :)