THE DESERT LAND

M. A. PEEROLI

Title

The desert Land

First Edition

April 2022

Revised Edition

June 2022

Copy Right

M.A. Peeroli

Author

M.A. Peeroli, M.A., B.L., (Mobile 9442291093) Plot No. 15/D.No. 1/187-1-1, Sri Meenakshi Amman Nagar, 40 Feet Road, north 7th street, K. Pudur, Madurai -625007. (E-mail [email protected])

No. of pages

XVI + 88 = 104

ISBN

979-888667175-9

ii

DISCLAIMER This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

DEDICATION This book is dedicated to all, parents, families and friends

Other Literary Works of the Author

English - (Poetry)

- The Vision

Tamil – (Poetry)

- Niththiraip Payanangal Siragugalin Suvaasangal Nathi Thazhuviya Naanilakkathali iii

WHERE ARE THEY GOING TO...? Decades past but the things have not changed. Even the deadly threat of Covid 19 has not changed the attitude of the personalities. We see and could hear the exploitation everywhere and in everything. There may be some ‘good Samaritans’ here and there, but what of the whole of the society. ‘Know thyself’, Bible says, but no fear of their own conscience and of the God. Swami Vivekananda said ‘try to understand yourself which is the first step to know God’. But people are not aware of these things. Heard that when a lady approached a known medical representative for help in getting Oxygen for her father suffocating with Covid 19, she was asked to succumb to his ill desire and lost her father. What a heart breaking incidence. In this modern scenario the moral sentiments are getting diminished. That there is no sincerity of true love and affection of any sort, say whether it happens between parents and children or between friends or lovers or even between the man and wife in the status of married life. No truth in life and all are falsehood which has a colourful play in the stage of life. During 1981 what has been contemplated as prevailing in the society, when I published my first edition of my book “The Vision” still worsened on the passing of times. Where are they going to and for what iv

The American Poet Robert Lee Frost said ‘These woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I sleep’ The main theme of his poetry is the despairing state of man in his life. In all of Frost’s, ‘the reader sees encapsulated in verse, a depth and level of human emotion that is not easily discerned by the eye but rather felt and nurtured in the heart’. Many families have been spoiled due to improper governance of parent, though they strived hard in bringing their children to a standard of life by sacrificing much of their comforts. But what for, the very concept is being defeated that showing partiality among children and of giving much importance to some neglecting others automates and affects the harmony of relationship and leads to detachment from the family ties and of separation. And their attitude not to respect and value the feelings of their own children made everything to nothing and they might have lived their ego but afterwards nothing left to look backward with pride besides hollowness. At certain families the excess of showing affection to one against the other has gone to the extent of again spoiling the harmony of relationship. Whoever chatters is timely that makes no validity and of no permanency that is not understood by many and carried on with the emptiness as of wholeness. v

Adam Smith said “The desire of being believed, the desire of persuading, of leading, and directing other people, seems to be one of the strongest of all our Natural desires” – The Philosophy of moral sentiments. There is a famous quote, “Solve the Problem, or leave the problem, don’t live with the Problem”. But majority of people neither solve nor leave the problem but lived with it and ultimately end up with extinguishing their life God has gifted. Whatever be their education, knowledge and prosperity, is of no use. There is a saying “you have to fight through some DARK DAYS to earn the BEST DAYS of your life” Most of the people misconstrue, what were their DARK DAYS to be the BEST DAYS and thereby unaware of the best days to behold. And have seen the wives enjoying all the comforts not caring the wellbeing of their husbands and even the death does not seem to have any bonding. Contrary to that have we not seen the wife even in poverty carrying her ailing husband and begging for alms for the treatment and vice versa the husband. Where has gone this bondage, caring and the real love and affection in a sophisticated way of living. Again there is a great quote “DON’T LET someone else’s opinion of you become your REALITY”. Again to repeat “Know thyself”, do not let yourself being carried away by the act and words of others. vi

I could not understand why such things are happening which could have been avoided if diligent and taken care of. To quote a saying, “Know Your Worth”, “Never let anyone tell you, you’re less than the Value you know you have”. The eulogy, flattery, toadying and much more will never silhouette the personality of a person; rather end his destiny and having floated with all these, when everything one day not there to support and the mind unable to realise the reality thrown many persons to the state of delirium and ends their life uncared. The values of ‘Love’ is mostly lacking in the society among all kind of relationships and not being considered as the very core of relationship but of trivial which results in a major disastrous happening, breaking of relationships, disgusting attitudes and of uncared and unknown deaths. Peoples are totally practical and seem to be not caring the values of sentiments and sensitiveness in their relationships which is the cause for such sorts of incidents. Mother Teresa said “We don’t need to do great things; we just need to do little things with a great deal of LOVE”. Hope the readers may catch glimpses of the truth in it and could try to value the real values of the life God has gifted us. The concluding verse of ‘The Desert Land’ of my poetry book ‘The vision’ occasioned to this fiction. vii

At yonder Flutter the feathers And the desert mind Full of thorns Thrown to strange caprice. Humanity and the humane Buried; barren at the heart. The New moon Shines bright And the indifference Haunts the mind Heavy with nepotism. The soar of the Cuckoo Dried conscience And the forsaken Aspiration Lost forever But the pretended souls Gain glories. The sky and the sea And the Universe viii

Wide enough; but the destiny Gets locked in And isolated. Scar of dried streams And the barren lands The happening of uncertain All woven throughout The desert land. Everything around Glitters But of inconsistency.

Sincerely, M. A. Peeroli, M.A., B.L., (Mobile 9442291093) Advocate, High Court, Madurai. (Chief Commercial Inspector (Retd.), S.Rly, Madurai), 19th February 2022. ix

NOTE OF HONOUR - ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS S. Jayabaskar, M.A., (Eng. Litt.) Chief Commercial Inspector, S. Railway (Retd.) Dindigul. He has read in depth and suggested if he found any alterations required to be made, adding of adjectives, conjunction and preposition. He has also pointed out if there were any misspelt words to be corrected. His efforts put forth are commendable. And above all come forward to give his foreword which enriches this fiction. I am very grateful for his interest shown in making out this fiction that when asked at the initial preparation stage of the plot whether it could be possible for him to read and give his feedback, he readily accepted and travelled along with me throughout the making of this fiction. His contribution has been indispensable in bringing out this fiction successfully. I thank him honestly.

V. Radha, M.A., (Journalism & Mass Communication) Protocol Inspector, S. Railway, Madurai. He has always been my well wisher on my literary carrier right from the publication of my second poetry book in Tamil 'Niththiraip Payanangal', encouraging by posting his reviews and appreciations on social media.

x

When I have written the preface and was in dilemma whether it could be appropriate to be placed on preface section, contacted him over phone and asked whether it could be convenient for him to give feedback within two days. He asked me to send the same and given his opinion within half an hour as, “Super sir, it deserves everything to be in preface...good summarisation...Please add this as preface which is more appropriate to the book. Thanks and God bless you...All the best...” I sincerely thank him for his prompt response and appreciation.

AND Sujitha (The Muse inspired me throughout)

The fictious inspirational character Sujitha has been indispensable in this novel that travelled along with the principal character Raju throughout the fiction and guided him. The character lingered on in mind as of real for so many days even after the completion of the fiction. xi

FOREWORD - OPTIMISTIC PERCEPTION The perceptible narrative style and the plot of the writer remind the 18th Century novel ‘Tristram Shandy’ by the Anglo -Irish novelist, Laurence Sterne. The two plots concurrently running one over the other from the beginning to the end, the life of Raju and Aravind the two protagonists and the dissertation of the family drama has been vividly portrayed. The foibles, contradictions and the affections of the members in the family drama have been so closely observed, the corny with coarse and the philosophical with the inane. The author has brilliantly designed the plot that paramount importance is given to the dissertation of the behavioural perception in the family drama and the contradicting attitude of every member towards others with all their foible, propensity and potency. The Author intentionally avoided meticulous names of characters and places of occurrence of the incidents in the life of the two main characters, Raju and Aravind as far as it could be possible that the mind of the readers not to be stressed with immaterial details. The author has formulated the fiction in such a way as that of poetry writing to avoid burdening the minds of the readers with multitudes of details and within a couple of sentences he is able to tell what he has intended to say. I feel that it could be possible for him as the author, being a Poet himself. xii

The author has been very conscious that the sequence of the story should not overburden the minds of the readers and at the same time the concept of the plot is understood. The characters Kumar and Sujitha helped the author in bringing out the theme as desired by juxtapositioning the narrative with the conversation dialogues throughout the fiction. The poetic touch is seen throughout the fiction, whether it is of love, sorrow and of misfortunes. The story ends at the sea shore where it has began.

“During a summer night, days after the New Moon day, he was sitting on the shore of the sea roaring pleasantly to the tune of the gentle breeze crawling along with the stretch of the shore.

He

could see the crescent Moon visible through the covered clouds and the stars twinkling here and there in the grey sky”. The concluding part of the fiction,

“....Raju took Sujitha on the same time, days after the New Moon day. It was a summer evening and just before the dusk. The environment was lovely and beautiful. The day light gradually was diminishing by the dusk hovering over the atmosphere. The bluish sea appeared dark in colour by the fading of the xiii

twilight and the roars of the waves were mild and rhythmic”. The last line, “Raju lifted Sujitha gently and both

started moving back ... ... ... hand in hand silently” created some sort of probability in the mind of the readers that we could feel the divine love between Raju and Sujitha and the author has explicitly shown the possibilities of such effects at many occasions. Whether of showing the love between Aravind and Kavitha and the misfortunes in the family of Aravind and again the love drama and misfortunes of Raju, not even a single word flaunted but at the same time the minute details emphasised, enrich the story and added to the rich personification of the characters. “She was just descending from the stage like an

angel without wings”. “Kavitha was sitting by the right side of Aravind.

She had bent her legs upward and was

holding both the knees with her palms, resting the ankles in a slanting position”. “Her unfastened hair just swayed to the tunes of the wet breeze caressing that way and her eyes were filled with pleasant rays of hopes”. xiv

“He could sense her feelings melting.

She

leaned on his right shoulder and her lips throbbing for words. Aravind could feel the palpitation of her heart beats and the sensuous longings”. “When

Aravind

lifted

Kavitha

from

the

seashore she lost her stability due to her legs being wet with water and unable to balance herself in the damp loose sand and also her saree fastened to her legs due to the salt water, collapsed on Aravind and to steady herself she put her other hand around the neck of Aravind. She was cautious not to let down the sunglass and note pad in doing so”. “Raju observed that Sujitha had been silently sobbing at heart on hearing the sufferings of Raju. The tiny particles of tears rolling on her cheeks from the corner of her eyes wetted her lips”. “Raju felt the sound of sobbing near to his heart and the loud roaring of waves from the seashore. He sensed the touch of Sujitha who leaned on his left shoulder and felt the hotness of her tears on his cheek”. xv