Seetha Kalyanam Vaibohame

All is well that ends well

Shivu's dream of becoming a cricketer, unfortunately, came to an end tragically, due to an injury. The expectations were high. People had their money set on him but during one of the Ranji matches, he fell and he fell hard, breaking his ankle. Along with his bones, his dreams, morale everything shattered. He learnt that the same people who praised him, cut all ties with him. The injury was so bad that in spite of surgeries and physical therapy, he could not run like before.

Shivu was disappointed, depressed and even lost his will to live but his family stood by his side through it all. They stuck with him during his emotional turmoils. Even little Sowmy handled his anger and desperation with grace. The other person who stood by him was Anusha. She helped him with his school work everyday. His entire family noticed how she, very efficiently, became the calm to his storm. Even though she had her own battles, she stood by his side.

Anusha was very different from them all. She was almost like a female version of Shivu. She was quiet, shy and introverted. One could clearly see though, that she yearned for a family like this one. Having been separated from her father, whom she loved a lot, she found her solace in Arun. Although she did not speak much, it wasn't difficult to sense her yearning. Seetha had a natural maternal love for Anusha. She also became a very dedicated student. Her love for music was genuine and she was one of those who put in extra effort and time to sincerely practice.

Shivu slowly started coming out of his dejection and depression and a new found interest helped him. He started to show interest in cooking. He started to spend time with his mother and that's when both the mother and son realized that Shivu was a gifted cook. He picked up recipes quickly and the dishes her made were outstanding. It was therapeutic. So after his 12th standard, when Shivu told his parents that he wanted to go to culinary school, they were happy to help him. In those days, boys taking up cooking as a profession, was not considered a good thing. Kitchen was looked up on as a place for a woman. It wasn't a "respectable" profession but Shivu changed it. After doing a one year culinary course in India, he got a scholarship to go abroad, to Italy, to learn more. He managed to get a degree in culinary arts and went on to complete his management course with Hotel management as the major.

Anusha went on to compete a degree in B.Com and MBA. The two of them decided to start a restaurant. Shiva managed the cooking, menu etc while Anusha managed the finances and business. It flourished. They became one of the earliest establishment that offered not only Indian cuisine but also international. Although it was a struggle initially, in 5 years they has established a name for themselves and were raved for the quality and consistency. Soon Shivu proposed to Anusha and she accepted immediately. This was not a surprise to anyone. They had literally grown up together and had stood by each other through thick and thin.

Sowmya too had taken up a career in an unexpected field. She was the most multi talented one of all so Arun was not surprised when she told him that she wanted to become a film maker. Sowmy was a story teller. The day she had discovered her father's comic books, she had taken it upon herself to build on it. Although Ramu and Somu were the main characters, Sowmy had discovered more characters and built the story. She had, in fact, wanted to get it published for her father's sake. She went on to study visual communication and graphic designing. She ended up making an animation series based on Ramu and Somu, which ended up becoming a super hit.

It aired once a week on one of the most loved channels. The idiot box which had been black and white at the time they bought it, had not become a flat screen and color TV. Cable TV and several channels were now ruling that world. Options were now plenty. It was also an age of internet and YouTube. Although Sowmy had several opportunities to make short films and feature films, she stuck to animation and good positive story telling. She wanted to world to know that her father was the one who sowed the seed of story telling in her so her show would always say "inspired by my father Arun Krishnan".

All the three children did well in life. They learnt from their parents that life was not about money alone. Money is not what gives you happiness. The trust that is instilled in you, the respect you give and take from each other, the strength that you build from each other, the support system and the beautiful memories that you make and create are all that makes on successful. Ranju, Shivu and Sowmy grew up seeing their parents thrive and sail through all odds. They experienced the unconditional love they showered on each other and the kids. They learnt from their parents that a couple were partners in the true sense. They helped each other succeed. As parents, they always treated the children with respect and trust hence giving them the confidence to achieve their dreams and never be afraid to fail.

Yes, they all had their good days and bad days. It was not always glorious but to learn that it is ok to take 4 steps backwards only to gather the strength and courage to move 10 steps ahead, with determination, trust and an ample amount of faith was something the children learnt from their parents and were sure to take that forward to their children in the coming years. They also learnt that when nothing works, surrendering completely to Pillaiyar and handing over the petition to Him, does wonders.

Brinda Subramanian

Hope you have all enjoyed this story. I wanted to keep this story positive. I did not want to bring in any conflicts. I understand that life isn't always a glory but, in my life experience, positive thoughts bring positive results. That's called manifestation. Manifestation is to believe that a positive thing has already happened. Then you will have no doubts.

Love you all guys and thank you all once again for the tremendous support and tons of love. See you soon. Until then tata, bye-bye.