Stories / Novel – The Halo Reams      
A Surprise Letter
by TA Ramesh

The next day, when Kannan returned from the factory, he saw that a letter was waiting for him on his room table. It was beyond his surprise; he did not think that a letter would come for him that day – that too from Balu! He felt that Balu’s letter would be having something surprising or some unprecedented news for him. He was interested in some new news or to see some important matter in the letter. He opened the letter and read it with a cool mind.

My dear Kannan,

I thought I could write you a detailed letter. I was able to write only a brief one – I mean my previous letter. Now I feel I can write you a detailed one.

I could realize how much mental tension you would be having. However, such tensions are not new to you for you have been putting up with such things all along and logically such tensions may also prevail for the future also. You must take some rest. You better get a vacation for a few weeks and proceed on to some distant holiday resort.

Coming to our friends I have this to say. Selvam, the learned lawyer is to busy to write any letter to me. The would-be lawyer, Gopal is still busier than the lawyer himself. The tax officer is fully immersed in the service to the Nation that he has hardly anytime to think or remember about his past friends. That being the case I have come to the conclusion that I must also retaliate these fellows rather than reconciling with them. I have wasted too many carrots and it is time to take the stick. That is it!

When I scaled through your letters of the past, I was enlightened. I have to say that you have done your best to give me the best explanations for topics like Life, Ambition, Aim, God, Fate, Providence and Self-Respect in the modern sense. They are new and interesting to me also. In your letter of last month you wrote me about the value of friendship and the necessity of desire for man. In this letter I give below my opinion regarding Friendship and Desire.

In your articles the stress you have laid upon the value of friendship is real. But when I apply my concept of non-attachment, this sort of attachment with friends also may fall under its gamut. Could you explain how this could be reconciled with non-attachment? As far as I could think, I feel that real friendship needs not create any attachment which could act as a barrier to one’s spiritual development. When you have a real friendship with another, you become one and the same with him. His enjoyment is yours… and vice verse. More over, you must have a realistic approach in your friendship. Any event of life coming in between your friendship must not be allowed to create any sentimental side effects.

If your analysis is realistic, you should feel that it is the Stars above us which govern us and be prepared for any contingency. Then you could not be overwhelmed by your sentiments with respect to your friend. But as such certain amount of feeling is a must for human mind. So, they could not be and should not be suppressed. Perhaps, I think, the fineness of one’s own feelings about others shows his mental maturity. Therefore, the feelings we have about our friends are well justified. This may not be called as weakness.

Be it a weakness, it deserves some praise,
We love the play-place of our early days.
The scene is touching, and the heart is stone,
That feels not at that sight, and feels at none.
- W. Cowper

You have also dealt with the quality of desire. Desire is the root cause of all miseries, I could say. But you are also correct in saying that evolution could take only in the presence of desire. What I want now is to scrap out all desires from my mind. Desire is like alcohol. It makes you hot to the blood to do a thing. Once you get involved in things, you are entering into a battle field. Then, there is no fun if you cry about your miseries. So, I wish I have no desires. I wish I could suspend all my activities and blissfully content with what I have.

Please write detailed letters.

Thanking you,

Friendly yours,

Balu

After going through Balu’s letter, Kannan punched it, kept it in a file and put the file in his bureau. He changed his dresses. After having a tiffin and coffee, he again went to his study room. As he had posted a letter to Balu i.e. copy of the letter to Gopal, he felt he could write to Balu after he received a response for it.

Actually he had a sense of satisfaction, since his sense and Balu’s had a slight coincidence as far as their friendship with their Haloens was concerned. In general though it seemed Balu’s opinion was similar to Kannan’s, there was difference like the love of Nature of Shelley and Wordsworth. Though both of them were interested in the same ideal, their ideas of approach to it were quite different. Kannan felt so.

Then he opened his bureau, searched for his diary a while and found it out. Taking his black cover diary, he went to his bed room. The breeze was gentle and cool. He lay on his bed and fell in a sort of reverie for a while.

It was a Saturday night. He wanted to fulfill his urge to write something upon his favorite themes such as Nature, Life, Love, Friendship, Joy, Truth, Beauty, Peace and so on. He felt very glad as the next day would be a Sunday. He thought that he could have such a desire to write on such themes but that should solve his ambition of becoming a good writer one day. He was interested in writing poetry, essays and novels. He knew there was not much scope for poetry. So, he decided to show his power of thought in the art of writing novels. He did not even think about writing a novel so long. He thought and thought what sort of a novel he could write. But he could not get any idea.

The time was approaching 8.30 p.m. He got up from his bed and from his reverie too. He had a satisfied dinner that night. After a stroll in the balcony, he went to his bed and fell asleep.

– Continued

January 6, 2008

The Halo Dreams : A Novel 
Writing a Novel | The Park | Philosophy | The Confusion | The Conversation
The Appointment | The Journey | The First Publication | The Change
The Secret | The Painted Veil | The Halo Magazine | The Debts | The Break
A Letter | A Surprise Letter | The Literary Muse | The Souvenir | The Questionnaire
The Reconciliation | The Lake | The Final Meets | The Surprise | The Settlements
The Result 

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