LOVE ALL - Episode 9

varalotti · Jan 18, 2009

LOVE ALL

A Serial By Varalotti Rengasamy

Episode 9

Within four months from the date of its inception WomenWorldWide.com had become a force to reckon with.

With the membership now touching 50,000 it had become the most powerful women’s movement ever since the advent of Women’s Lib.

In spite of all the strength and power it had built in a very short time WWW still remained as the most beautiful love story ever told, a welcome breeze in the desert the world had become thanks to selfishness, greed and bigotry.

Without revealing herself Repentant wrote a detailed post in the Counselling Forum mostly repeating what she had told in the Mods Forum as Prathi.

Her husband touching her feet, and she sobbing in overflowing love, and her transportation from hell to heaven by something as simple as good food and right attitude – women all over the world were crying over the story unmindful of their amused cubicle colleagues.

The story was picked up by most of the crawlers and that brought in more visibility and even more membership to WWW.com.

It was also doing rounds as a forwarded mail. As the originator of the forwarded mail had correctly acknowledged the source of the story it brought many curious Indian women to the site.

For love, doing wonders and miracles was just a plain job description.

varalotti · Jan 18, 2009

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Part 2!

When Yamini’s mobile rang she could not even in the wildest of her dreams imagine that another love story was slowly unfolding before her.

It was a sunny Saturday morning.

“This is Gayathri. Yamini, how are you?”

“Fine Aunty.”

Yamini had switched over to Aunty from Madam long back.

“Can you join me for lunch today, Yamini?”

“Today.. Aunty..”

Yamini had planned to take Kripa out for a lunch on that day. She had told Kripa that she would visit her at her flat around <st1:time hour="12" minute="30" w:st="on">half past twelve</st1:time>.

She had the car and driver at her disposal till later in the evening. She could take Kripa to Spencer Plaza and they would shop for books and clothes.

And then go to Hotel Savera for a ‘long and leisurely’ lunch. Yamini was looking forward to that outing and now she was searching for some excuses to decline Dr.Gayathri’s invitation.

“Please Yamini, I need to talk to you. It’s something very, very important. So please… If you can’t come here, tell me where should I come. But we will have to meet today. Period.”

Yamini was surprised. ‘Why is Dr.Gayathri so adamant, something uncharacteristic of her?’

“Its okay, Aunty. If it’s that important I will come. Tell me the place and time.”

“Place: the same old Rohini International. Time: Around 1 pm. But I don’t mind a change in the time or place if that does not suit you. ”

“No problem, Aunty. Will be there.”

“Then Yamini.. one more thing… I don’t know how to put it across.. It’s quite embarrassing for me. But you know….”

“Why should you hesitate, Aunty? I am like Kripa to you and you know that. So please come out with whatever you have in your mind.”

Gayathri cleared her throat and after a long silence blurted out:

“Promise me Yamini that you won’t tell Kripa about this meeting. And whatever we are going to talk, she should not know. And you will have to promise me, right now.”

Now it was Yamini’s turn to hesitate. How can she give such a blanket promise without knowing Dr.Gayathri’s plans? She was no doubt a good woman.

But if she tried to hurt Kripa in any way well, she had it, thought Yamini. But why should she insist on hiding the meeting from Kripa? Dr.Gayathri’s intentions could not be that holy, mused Yamini.

“Don’t you believe me, Yamini?”

“I do, Auntie. But you know.. Kripa.. is more like a sister to me…”

“Do you think that I am going to hurt her?”

“No Auntie. Not at all.”

“Then why so much hesitation, dear?”

“OK Auntie, I promise that I won’t tell Kripa about this meeting unless I feel that there is something that will hurt her and something she ought to know.”

“Oh silly girl. So 1 PM. Rohini International. Kripa shouldn’t know. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Yamini offered some lame excuse to Kripa and postponed her outing with her to Monday.

varalotti · Jan 18, 2009

Part 3!

When Yamini reached the rendezvous at five to one, Dr. Gayathri was waiting for her there. The ladies were soon ushered into the hotel’s Queen Suite. Yamini was not comfortable with the meeting.

Though she believed in Dr. Gayathri, her condition that Kripa should never know about the meeting still troubled her.

With that condition Yamini did not have the mind to go for a “proper lunch” and settled for a simple fare of vegetable clear soup and Aloo paranthas. Gayathri was also not in a mood to eat much.

She ordered for some fulka roties. The ladies went for a bowl of Green Peas Masala for the side dish.

As soon as the bearer walked away with the order Dr.Gayathri started the conversation.

varalotti · Jan 18, 2009

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Part 4!

“You are aware, Yamini, that Kripa was married to my son <st1lace w:st="on">Ravi</st1lace>, yes, you are right, the same Ravi Subramanian who insulted you at our office.

“Kripa has filed for divorce. I advised my son to grant it but he won’t listen. Instead he is challenging the petition.

And his lawyer has also filed a petition for restitution of conjugal rights – insisting that Kripa should come and live with him. Well that is old story.

“It was the second week of November 2008. You were about to launch your website. <st1lace w:st="on">

Ravi</st1lace> came to me with a glee in his eyes, ‘Ma you know something, Kripa’s lawyer has called for a meeting. He wants you to come with me. He is going to discuss something very important to the case.’

“I had a doubt that Kripa’s lawyer was trying to betray his client. May be he was going to demand some money from us and in return would make Kripa lose her case.

I told my son on his face that I was not for any kind of hanky-panky business.

“And that he also should not go to the meeting. If he did, I will report the matter to Kripa and ask her to complain about her lawyer to the Bar Council of India. Now I could see some fear in his eyes.

Then I asked him to tell Kripa’s lawyer to talk to me. My idea was to advise the lawyer about the importance of his standing by Kripa’s side during her troubled times.

“Kripa’s lawyer called me. His voice was very clear. I started respecting that person.

He told me that there was nothing fishy about the meeting and that he would be the last person to betray such a nice client like Kripa. But the matter was something very important which more than <st1lace w:st="on">Ravi</st1lace>, I should know.

“I agreed to meet him.

varalotti · Jan 18, 2009

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Part 5!
Kripa’s lawyer had a spacious office in Luz Avenue, Mylapore. We went there.

“This is a very delicate situation. My client Mrs. Kripa is contesting a case against Mr. Ravi Subramanian. It is possible that somebody might even accuse me later of breach of trust. So I am going to take a video record of this meeting.”

I was now more comfortable and Ravi more nervous.

“And my advice to you both is that you need not open your mouths at all. Just hear whatever I have to say. From my side I promise you that I won’t use any part of this recording against you in this case or in any other legal matter.

Here’s a declaration I have signed to that effect. This has been duly witnessed and notarized. Are you comfortable now?”
<st1lace w:st="on">
Ravi</st1lace> was a little relieved.

“You know Mr.Ravi, my client Mrs. Kripa has filed for divorce on grounds of incompatibility and domestic violence, albeit at a psychological level. And you are contesting the case. You don’t want to grant divorce to her.

“You know that I am a kind of specialist in divorce cases. Mostly I have appeared for women. In cases like this, when the husbands unreasonably refuse to grant divorce, we always use a simple weapon against them.

“We make our clients prefer a dowry harassment complaint with the jurisdictional Police Station. The husband will immediately be arrested and the news will be flashed across the media.

The Dowry Prohibition Act is biased towards women and we lawyers never fail to make use of that.

varalotti · Jan 18, 2009

Part 6!

“In your case I prepared a complaint and asked Kripa to sign it yesterday. Had she signed it you would have been in jail by now and all your chances of future marriage would have been sealed.

“Pardon me for saying this in your presence, Dr.Gayathri. Mr. Ravi Subramanian, for what you did to her, jail sentence and a bad press are but mild punishments. Had Kripa been my daughter I would not have thought twice to kill you.

“But you know what she said,

‘Ours was a love marriage. The only good thing about the marriage was the absence of dowry. Neither my husband nor my mother-in-law demanded anything from me or my parents. That’s about the only virtue my husband has. I don’t want to deny that also for getting a divorce.’

‘But, Kripa, you would lose the case.’

‘So be it.’

‘If the case drags for a year or two, you won’t have the money to conduct it.’

‘I will pull on with the case till I have money. Then I’ll leave the matter to God.’

‘Don’t be foolish Mrs. Kripa. If you fail in your divorce case, you can never marry again. Your life will be doomed.’

‘Even now I am not that excited about another marriage. Of course as a single woman I do want to keep that option open. But not at the cost of a false smear campaign.

Sir, let me not do the same mistake he is doing. Hurling false charges for getting a technical legal victory.’

The lawyer stopped talking and was staring at us.

varalotti · Jan 18, 2009

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Part 7!

I looked sideward at <st1lace w:st="on">Ravi</st1lace>. He looked stunned.

Yamini at my age I have seen many conflicts between good and evil. At times I have seen good winning over evil and have also seen evil snatching victory from good.

But I can swear that I have never seen goodness delivering such a neat, professional, Mike Tyson-punch right on the nose of evil.

What followed was a perfect knock-out. Evil had swooned and could not even hear the Referee counting from one to ten.

And as evil staggered to rise from its position the lawyer delivered another punch again on the same spot.

“I have handled hundreds of cases. Have never seen such a kind of moral integrity. You owe your freedom and honour to that noble woman, Mr.Ravi Subramanian.

Even if you win this case the fact remains that you have lost. You have lost the love of a wonderful woman. I pity you.

“But I won’t let my client lose the case. I have decided not to charge any fees from Mrs. Kripa and if necessary I will spend from my pocket. I will give my life to see that she wins the case against you.

I wanted you guys to know about her. I have also communicated about this meeting to your lawyer. I am not looking for a magical transformation in you, Mr. Ravi.

But I am sure that this event would get recorded somewhere in the corner of your mind and when you are 70 with nobody by your side you will surely remember this moment and shed tears of guilt and repentance.

And remember neither your wife nor your mother will be there to wipe off those ugly tears. Till then have a nice time. So long.”

Even if that lawyer had stabbed him on his breast that kind of an impact would not have been there.

varalotti · Jan 18, 2009

Part 8!

I had stopped talking to Ravi ever since he broke up with Kripa. He did not care one way or other.

But after meeting Kripa’s lawyer he was thoroughly shaken. He wanted to talk to me. About Kripa. I was not very keen.

Finally one day he caught me in Gmail chat. He told me that he felt very bad about what he had done to Kripa. And was there any way he could make amends? What was she doing at the present moment and how could he help her?

That was when I told him about WomenWorldWide.com. And how you were insulted by him.

And how you revived Kripa from hibernation and how Kripa and you were passionately involved in the project.

“Ok, Ma. Let me see if I can do anything to help those girls.”

He signed off the chat with these words.

Only yesterday I came to know that it was he who master-minded the ad campaign for the website. He spent the money from his own pocket.

Of course he was able to negotiate rock-bottom rates with the ad agencies. But he was decent enough not to charge the bills to the company.

He got the site’s logo from our designer who did the stuff for me. And used it cleverly in all the ads.”

varalotti · Jan 18, 2009

Part 9!

Yamini did not know how to respond. At last the mystery of hidden benefactor was solved.

Had the benefactor been Dr. Gayathri or her own father, her reaction would have been different. But right now she was more confused than grateful.

And what did Dr.Gayathri want from her? Should Yamini advise Kripa to go back to her ex-husband and resume her life as if nothing happened?

Dr.Gayathri seemed to have read her thoughts.

“Yamini I have my own reasons in telling these things to you. You should know about your hidden benefactor.

And let him be hidden as far as others are concerned. Especially Kripa should never know that Ravi was behind the campaign.

“I know my son very well. Sooner or later he would approach Kripa. He might tell her about the campaign and try to play with her life again. Kripa will come to you for advice.

Tell her clearly that one swallow does not a summer make. Ask her not to trust him or take his words at face value.

“You know something? My son knows that I know about the ad campaign. He called me yesterday. He thought I would be happy with his ‘hidden campaign’. I shouted at him, ‘Ravi if you really want to help her, let her win the case. Grant her divorce.’

“He said that he would do that. I talked to his lawyer this morning who confirmed that Ravi has instructed him to withdraw the case. Kripa will be free within a week.”

Yamini now looked at Dr.Gayathri with a new respect. She took enormous efforts to hide her tears from the kind lady.

varalotti · Jan 18, 2009

Part 10!

They had almost finished the lunch. Dr. Gayathri ordered chocolate ice cream for dessert.

“I am not yet finished, Yamini. There is another delicate matter in which I want your help.”

“Please tell me, Aunty.”

“You know that Kripa is not working now. She was handling a few freelance assignments which I sent her way. They are all over now. She is now eating on her savings.

She can survive like this for another three months at the maximum. She is yet to recover from her bad marriage. She can’t take up any fulltime work at least for some more time.

“She’s handling your site’s work most of the time. She loves to do that. But you know she has to have an eye on her finances as well. Her parents are not very rich.

They live in her village and they can take care of themselves. But can’t send money to her.”

Yamini felt guilty. Bala had told them that Prathi was doing a full time job and that she should be paid salary.

Kripa was virtually on the same boat. Whatever logic applied to Prathi, applied with greater force to Kripa. Yamini had never thought in that direction.

Gayathri continued to talk.

“I am ready to help her. But she is too proud to accept money from me. I want a favour from you. I want you to force Kripa to accept a monthly salary of Rs. 40,000 from you.

You need not have to strain your site’s finances, Yamini. I will fully bear the salary you pay to Kripa. You may also consider that as a kind of atonement I have to do for having begotten a son like Ravi.

“But Aunty.. there is no need.. “

“Please let me finish, Yamini. Nobody needs to know this except you, me and Shobana who is taking care of the accounts. I remember Shobana telling me that your company has got 80G exemption. I will make a donation of Rs. 4,80,000 to your company.

“I will also claim tax exemption on that payment so that Uncle Sam foots a part of the bill. You discuss with Shobana and pay that amount as monthly salary to Kripa.

I will make a similar payment next year. Kripa told me that you moderators forced Prathi to accept a salary from the site. Please do the same to Kripa. ”

Now Yamini’s efforts to control her tears miserably failed. She was holding Dr.Gayathri’s hands and was sobbing for a long time.