Author's note : Happy Happy Birthday my darling friend 🩵🐒
Here goes a special chapter as your birthday gift 🎁😌 I hope you enjoy it. ✨🤍 Have a fantastic year ahead and continue being my support system always 😍😘 Will always look forward to your long comments in my chapters 😻Stories_By_Nivashini

~ 04.08.2024 💗
.............................

After what felt like an eternity, Rojun finally landed in Chennai airport, frazzled by the long flight journey. Their nest, their home, their nation....

✨

Upon reaching home, Roja and Arjun were greeted with smiles, hugs, cheers, stories and ofc a whirlwind of questions! 💗
The siblings had a ton of questions to ask about the new places. However owing to Kalpana's reprimands, they promised to let the couple rest and then do the question answer session.

Just then Arjun's phone rang.
He attended the call, went inside and spoke for about 5 mins. 
When he came back his face was in full bloom.

Paati : Mogathula iruntha Avlo tiredness um poi Ippo ivlo fresh ah irukka! Yaru da phone la? 

Arjun : Ennode license ah Medical Council President munnadi reinstate panni official ah Naa marubidiyum practice pannalam nu announce panna oru function vara Saturday irukku! 🤩

After hearing this piece of news, Arjun's happiness became contagious. An air of happiness enveloped everyone. 🌟

Prathap : Ennapa solra☺️
Ithu inga Chennai la nadakutha...
Illa Delhi la nadakutha

Arjun : Delhi la nadakuthu pa. Appothan whole medical council ode ella board members um iruppanga nu.

Yashoda : Appo namma Delhi poganuma Arjun?

Arjun : Ama athai, Saturday evening 6:30 ku function start aaguthu. Namma morning flight ah pudichu Delhi povom. Anga hotel la oru night ku room pottutu fresh up aayitu, function attend pannitu night anga stay pannitu Sunday early morning flight ah pudichu return vanthurlam.

Arjun elaborated, explaining his plans to the whole family.

Deepa : Saturday morning flight ah?!
Inniki Thursday evening aayachu, innum oru naal than irukku. Ellarum masa masa nu ninnutu irukkinga. Evlooo vela irukku. Dress choose pannanum, hairstyle decide pannanum, accessories, shoes yeppapaa.... 🤯

Ashwin : Appo Anna anni kitta trip ah pathi questions kekkanum nu sonna?

Deepa (running up the stairs to her room) : Adei koorketta anna!! Ippo athuva mukkiyam. Arjun Anna ku Ithu ivlo mukkiyamana function. Ippo Enakku ithuthan mukkiyam....! 🏃🏻‍♀️‍➡️

As she scurried up the stairs, everyone laughed behind her. After all she was more like a child even though she was 22 years old.

Arjun : Ava pogattum ma. Unga kaiyala saptu ennamo Romba naal aana mathri irukku. Romba pasikithu. Sapadalama?

Kalpana : Ungalukaga ungaluku pudichathu laam samachu vechirken. Vaanga☺️

Arjun : Rose uh! Namma Naveen kum oru ticket potruvom. Naa avanukku phone panni sollidren

Roja : Kandippa sir! Avar illamaya? Naa sollanum nu nenachatha neengale sollitinga 😁

After a piping hot dinner, a ticket booking session and a long day of travel, Rojun retired to bed, promising to pack their luggage the next day.

The next day the sun rose bright and Roja was up early, offering prayers in the poojai room. She felt happy to get back to her routine life after the vacation.
Arjun however was groggy. All the travelling had made him tired and all that he wanted to do was to sleep till the afternoon. But Roja? She had other plans. When it was 8 am, she decided to wake Arjun up.

Roja : Sirrrr...! Mani 8 aachu. Ezhunthiringa!!

Arjun : (groggily) Roja, konja neram thoonga viden Roja! Ippo enna avasaram? 😴

Roja : Enna avasaram ah?! Naalaiku Intha neram flight la iruppom! Maranthu pocha? Neenga thane sir nethu ellarkum tickets book panninga ? Innum 24 mani neram kooda illa sir. Packing nu onnu arambikave illa namma! Deepa room ah poi paarunga..innerathuku room ah ye Thala keela thiruppi pottu iruppa.

Arjun : 😩😩😩😩

Roja : Romba siningathinga sir! Ungaluku 5 mins than time. Athukulla ezhuthiriche aaganum Neenga. Solliten!

Saying this, Roja turned to leave but Arjun caught her hand from behind.

Roja : Sir! Enna sir panringa..kaiya vid-

Before she could complete, Arjun twirled her and pulled her towards him. As a result Roja also fell on the bed, right on top of Arjun.

Roja : Patta pagal laye silmisham ah. Enna poga vidunga sir 🙈

Arjun : Packing Enakku mattom thana? Unakkum thane pannanum?

Roja : Ama sir pannanum..
Kitchen la velai ellam mudichitu Naanum panna than poren.

Arjun : Namma rendu perum sernthu than panrom packing

Saying this he got up, went to the cupboard and retrieved a paper bag. He came back and handed it over to Roja

She was surprised but opened the bag eagerly. Inside were two boxes.
One of them contained a suit and another one had a saree. Both were perfectly complementing the other.

Roja turned to Arjun who had a twinkle in his eyes. 🤩

Roja : Enna sir ithu...? 😯

Arjun : Ithuthan Namma function ku pottutu poga porom Roja 😌

Roja : Sir...eppo sir ithellam vangininga

Arjun : Athellam anniki court hearing mudinchu Avanga sonnangale, President vantha appram function veppom nu. Appove naa decide panniten Rose uh. Australia kelambarthuku munnadi oru 2-3 naal time irundhuchu la, Appo naane poi Enakku oru suit, athukku match ah unakku oru saree um vaangitu vanthuten Roja 😌

While Roja was looking at him in some kind of disbelief, Arjun continued.

"Appram athula saree ku match ah blouse um irukku. Naa than unnode oru blouse ah alavukku eduthutu poi athey kadaila stitch panni vaangiten. Nee itha kattitu Vantha mattom pothum...!" ☺️

Roja : Intha alavukku Neenga yosipinga naa nenaikave illa sir...Athuvum Enakku oru chinna hint kooda kedaikalaye. Naanum ithey room la than irukken 😧

Arjun : Athuthan Arjun! 😎

Arjun pulled up his non existent collar with pride while Roja had a hearty laugh 😆

While the duo was laughing, two little munchkins made their way into the room through the open door.

Arjun : Malar! Kaushik! Vaanga vaanga! Neenga school pogala? 🧐

Kaushik : School Inniki leave uh! 😏

Arjun : Yean da? Inniki enna vishesham

Malar : Founder's Day function. Engaluku ellam leave. Teachers mattom than poganum 😏

Arjun : Athu sari. En chellakutties yean moraikaranga?

Kaushik : Pinna enna mama? Neenga ippolam engala kandukarthe illa. Neengale yosinga..
Kalyanam nu busy aayitinga. Athukku appram license vechu etho prachanai, appram veli oor poitinga..Ippo function. Enga kooda time spend panrathu kooda illa. 🫤

Arjun : Acho! Ithuthan ennode thangapattus kovama irukka kaaranama? Sorry da kutties. Neenga solrathu correct than. Ennode thappu ku compensation ah Naa Ippo onnu thara poren ☺️

Malar : Enna mama thara poringa

Arjun : Gift! 🎁

Chorus : Gift ah 🤩

Seeing both of them excited, Arjun went to the cupboard and got another bag. He handed it over to Malar and Kaushik.

Roja : Sir enna sir, Santa Claus mathri gift ah alli kottudhu. Innum evlo bag ulla vechirkinga 😂

Arjun : Naa ennode pondatti ku gift vaangarapo en laddoos ah marapena. Athunala unakku saree vangarapo avangalukum dress vaangitten 😉

Turning to the excited kids...

Ithula unga rendu perukum dress irukku. Ithathan neenga naalaiku function ku pottutu varanum. Itha mama ode anbu parisa vechikonga, illa ithana naal unga kooda time spend pannathathuku naa kudukara fine nu vechikonga..athu unga istam 😁

Both of them opened the package right away and saw two cute dresses. They were adorable & perfect for the siblings

"Mammmaaaaaa!!!!" 😍😍😍

Both of them threw their arms over Arjun, enveloping him in the biggest possible hug with their tiny hands. All their qualms were forgotten in no time. ❤️

Roja : Unga pasamalar padathukulla Naanum varalama? 🤓

No sooner than she asked this, both the kids pulled her hands and brought her closer to them. Then all the four of them enveloped themselves into a love jam. ✨

_______________________

New Delhi | Function Venue | Saturday Evening 6 pm. 📍

The air in the function venue was jubilant, with important dignitaries and famous doctors arriving. Arjun and his family arrived too, the function organisers had sent a car for their pickup from the airport, to drop them off at their hotel and to pick them up again from the hotel and then bring them to the venue.

All the family members were ecstatic, wore big smiles on their faces, and were decked up neatly & elegantly. 🌟
Roja wore the saree which Arjun had picked for her, along with minimal makeup,  jewellery and free hair. Arjun too looked fantastic in a complementing coat suit. 🖤

They were given a warm welcome. A few doctors were waiting at the entrance and greeted the couple upon their arrival.
Arjun had a separate path which had a silk carpet and which led directly to the stage while the rest of the family settled in the front rows, in seats meant for them.

Arjun walked through the carpet and reached the stage, where there were big chairs.
Roja felt proud to see her beloved hubby up there on the stage. There was a huge banner on the stage which read -

🌟🖤 "CONGRATULATIONS DR. ARJUN PRATHAP"  🌟🖤

It also had a big picture of him in doctor's coat & stethoscope, the same which was pictured in their room.

Shortly after Arjun went and sat on the chair , a doctor walked upto the stage.

He was Dr. Vicky Gandhi.

Dr. VG : To all the ladies and gentlemen present here this evening, I take immense pleasure to welcome you all here. This function, as you all might know, is to honour and recognise Dr. Arjun Prathap's contributions in this field as a doctor, and to reinstate his license, officially. It has been quite a rough phase for him, for the past few days, with unnecessary allegations and the unfair cancellation of his medical license. However, Dr. Arjun has managed to prove himself guilt free and also punish the actual culprits behind this. I take this opportunity to congratulate Dr Arjun, on the behalf of all the doctors of the medical council, for rising against all odds and I wish him all the very best in his future career in medicine. 🎉

There was a huge round of applause, after which Dr. VG continued.

"May I now welcome the honourable President of the Indian Medical Association, to take over the stage for a few words please"

Upon this the President came up to the stage, and took over the mic from Dr. VG.
Everyone clapped vigorously including Arjun

President : I would like to heartily congratulate Dr. Arjun Prathap for clearing all the misgivings in his name. The IMA would also like to apologise to him for the hasty action of cancelling the license, without verifying the facts. This is definitely because of certain higher position holders in the IMA, whose names I wouldn't wish to take here, at the moment.
Dr. Arjun has always been a valuable asset to the medical fraternity, and with great pride I would like to announce that having cleared all the discrepancies, Dr. Arjun would be taking back his position in the IMA, and would also be getting his medical license back, which would enable him to practice as a doctor for many years to come.

In the presence of many esteemed doctors and their family members, I would like to call Dr. Arjun to collect his license and the honours. 🎖️

Upon hearing the President, Arjun felt goosebumps, as he got up and neared the President who he definitely considered to be his role model. He also saw his family in the front row, clapping vigorously, eyes sparkling with pride, and many other doctors present, cheering and applauding him. ✨👏🏼☺️

Out of the many people, he noticed three people who were giving him a standing ovation. One was Roja, ofcourse 👏🏼
While the other one was Dr. Mehra and his wife Mrs. Mehra. Yes! They were there with their little son to applaud Arjun!  ✨

Arjun : Doctor, I would like to call a very important and special person in my life onto this stage to collect this license, alongside me.

President : Please go ahead Arjun!

Arjun walked upto the mic.

Arjun (over the mic) : Mrs. Roja Arjun, my better half, please.... ❤️

Roja was astounded and speechless by Arjun's sudden gesture.

While she stood transfixed, Kalpana nudged her.

"Koopadran la. Po Roja...!"

Paati : Ama Roja! Poitu vaa maa

Roja walked upto the stage & stood beside Arjun. The President took a shawl and put it over Arjun. He then handed over precious scroll of paper to him which was rolled and ribboned up. Both Roja and Arjun took the scroll together, hand over hand, after sharing a brief eye contact for a couple of seconds
✨✨✨✨
The hall erupted into a thunderous round of applause 👏🏼

🎖️✨🌟📜🌟✨🎖️

Dr. VG came over to the mic once again

Dr. VG : Now before we invite Dr. Arjun to speak a few words, there is a small AV highlighting Arjun's journey so far, which hasn't been easy at all. So may we have the AV please!

An AV started playing in the hall, which showed Arjun as a med college student, his achievements as a med student, his graduation ceremony, the time he had spoken about how his personal life and family incidences shaped his career and his future goals and plans as a paediatric surgeon. It also showed his graduation as a paediatric surgeon and a few selected tricky important cases which Arjun had saved. As the AV was played, Rojun stood on the stage, hand in hand, taking in every bit of the moment which was meant completely for them. ❤️

After the AV, Dr. VG called over Arjun to speak a few words.

Arjun : First and foremost, I would like to thank the organisers for organising such a wonderful function, which genuinely makes me feel appreciated and honoured. The AV has truly showcased my life and career in a nutshell.
It's indeed true that it was my personal life and certain untoward happenings in my family that fuelled my passion to serve humankind and save human lives, as a result of which I took up this profession. But today, if am about to practice again as a doctor, I certainly owe it entirely to my family. They have been my pillar of strength, support and motivation during these tough times, when I myself had lost hopes. They have been so helpful in each step of my mission to retrieve my license and prove myself guilt free, that I can surely say that it is impossible without their contributions. Special thanks to my dearest siblings Ashwin & Deepa for going that extra mile in this mission. I can never forget the risk you took for me Deepa! ✨

This speech would be incomplete, if I do not mention my better half, Mrs. Roja Arjun. She's one of the best things that has happened to me in my life. Seeing this function and all the arrangements today takes me back to a day in the past, that made me realise the true love that Roja had for me. It was during one such function, during one such speech, when Roja had risked her life to save my life. That incident, though ghastly, changed my entire life and gave me a valuable lifetime gift. 💝

As a wife, this quest for truth hasn't been easy for her. We got the news of the cancellation of my license on our wedding day - the kind of rude surprise which no bride would want on her the day of her wedding. I was completely devastated but my wife maintained her composure and confidence and never doubted me even for a minute. She was the one who tried to lift my spirits too. Since that day, she has been running endlessly along with me in this quest for truth, that finally comes to an end today.

Thank you, thank you so much Roja, for coming into my life and making it beautiful! ✨🌹

Hearing Arjun's heartfelt speech, the whole family (specially Roja) was moved to tears.

Dr. VG : Wow! What a beautiful speech & a beautiful couple!
May we have a dance, as beautiful as you both are, Mr & Mrs. Arjun? ☺️

Roja and Arjun serenaded their love for each other on the stage, by performing a dance together for Kadhale Kadhale from '96. 💃🏻🪩🕺

(Author's fav. You are free to imagine the song you want 😌)

Though most of the audience didn't know Tamil, it was a lovely performance and everyone enjoyed it throughly. ✨🪩

The function continued with people coming and congratulating Arjun, food & fun. Finally at around 10 pm the function concluded and the whole family returned to the room, tired but hearts brimming with joy, ready to take the flight back home the next morning 🌟

________________________

Monday morning 10 AM | Chennai 📍

Arjun was back to his second home ~ his hospital as a doctor, after a long time. Roja though delighted, missed Arjun terribly as she was used to having him around all these days. She decided to pay a visit to the orphanage to meet her family as it had been a long time.

Roja : Athai...!

Kalpana : Enna Roja?

Roja : Athai, Naa Inniki ashramathuku poi Shanthamoorthy appa vayum mathavangalayum paathutu varava Athai?
Ivlo prachanai la avangala kalyanathuku appram poi paaka vaaipe kedaikala.

Kalpana : ithellam nee kekkanuma Roja? Dharalama poitu va...! Avanga kooda un aasai theera evlo neram irukkanamo irunthutu va. Avasarame illa ☺️

So Roja happily packed the stuff she bought in Australia for them and left to meet them. After spending good 3-4 hours of time with them, Roja realised it was almost 2 pm. She hurriedly decided to leave for home.
She came out of the orphanage and was about to climb into the car when she felt a gentle tap on her hand.

It was a small boy, whose age could have been no more than 4. What he said next bewildered Roja 😳

"AMMA...!"

To be continued.
Thanks for reading ❤️