WO/MAN (Arthanaareeshwaram)

Clarity

"... Thus; everyone has the brain of a man. However, Arjun, you have the heart of a woman."

Arjun looked perplexed.

Parthasarathy smiled. A smile that would melt anyone’s heart.
“And I don’t feel ashamed to confirm to you that I too have the heart of a woman.”

“No! You are the perfect definition of a man. Don’t confuse yourself. See, I warned you. But you never listened to me. Being with me has messed up your mind.” Arjun started rambling.

Parthasarathy laughed. A laughter that sounded like music to Arjun’s ears. “I know what I am speaking Arjun. I am not messed up. I am in fact, trying to clear your mess. The reason why I call the heart a female, is that it is associated with feelings and emotions. Those that are known to us. We know what we feel. We know why we feel something. And all that is known, is considered a female.”

There was a long pause.

“You are not against nature. You are a marvellous creation of this nature. You don’t know your potential Arjun. You are a complete being. You are a perfect mixture of the Male and Female. You are more complete than any of us. Let me explain you the concept of Arthanaareeshwarm. The concept of the unknown and known.”

“Swami! My brother is teaching the world about us! He is teaching the world about Arthanaareeshwaram.” Parvati squealed excitedly. Shiva opened his eyes and smiled at her.
“Yes love. The time has come for the world to receive this knowledge.”

“Dr. Arjun! Firstly, I would like to congratulate you for receiving the prestigious award for your book. What made you write this book about transgenders?”

“I am sorry to correct you Mister, but my book Arthanaareeshwarm is not about transgenders. It is about a basic principle that guides the universe. It seems that you haven’t read the book or ... have you forgotten to wear your spectacles while reading it?” Arjun spoke with a smile.

The auditorium burst out with laughter. The journalist who asked the question, hung his head.

“Dr. Arjun, is it true that you are a gay?” Another voice yelled from some corner.

Pin-drop-silence in the Auditorium.

Arjun was behind the podium, on the stage while the media representatives flocked near the foot of the stage.

Arjun’s smile wavered for a second, while his eyes searched the Auditorium. The moment his eyes met a familiar pair of dark ones, the smile returned on his face. “I am a normal human like any of you here. I do not understand why you ask me this, because it has got nothing to do with my profession or the book I wrote. But if you insist on the answer, it would be a Yes.”

Murmurs filled the Auditorium.

“How does it feel to achieve so much?” Another reporter questioned.

Arjun frowned.  “I just became a cardiac surgeon and well, wrote a book. Is that too much?”

“No … I mean … achieving all that despite …”

Arjun understood where this was heading. “Me being a gay?” He completed the question and the reporter nodded.

Arjun laughed. “If I were in your position, I would not have asked this question because it sounds silly. If you would have told me that a blind person conducted a surgery, I would have considered it an achievement. No offence meant.
But you see, I have perfect sense organs, a pair of upper limbs and a brain to perfectly co-ordinate all these. So, there is nothing to be astonished. It is just too ridiculous to judge anybody based on their gender. It is not only the gender, but why this bias based on colour, creed, religion, race, caste or any other damn thing for that matter? For god’s sake, we are all humans and let us treat each other like a human.”

Arjun descended the stage, ignoring further questions, clearly indicating the end of the press-meet and, his patience.

He had lots of patience when he had to save a life. But he was allergic to unnecessary debates and discussions that only aimed at kindling differences among people.