2:00 PM.
The second the clock struck, Kerala stood still. Students across the state held their breath, fingers trembling over their phones and keyboards, the Kerala HSC Results Portal refreshing like it held the fate of the universe.
And inside Anandham Veedu—you could hear a pin drop.Anandham Veedu – Dining HallAnand sat at the table, eyes locked on his laptop, his fingers hovering over the mouse. His mother, Veena, stood behind him, hands clasped tightly together near her lips, praying silently. Her heart pounded louder than any temple drum. The air was thick. Still. Sacred."Click it, monu," she whispered, voice trembling.Click.The screen blinked once… twice…And then it loaded.
Name: Anand Rajeesh
Roll Number: 1633
School: Trivandrum Central Higher Secondary School
English – A+
Malayalam–A+
Physics – A+
Chemistry – A+
Maths – A+
Computer Science – A+
Total Score: 97%
Veena gasped. "Aiyyo Daivame!" Her hands flew to her mouth.Anand stared.
Blinking.Frozen.Mouth slightly open.Not breathing."Amma… 97%." he whispered.
Veena let out a tear-choked laugh. "You did it! You really did it!"In an instant, she hugged him tightly, crying into his hair, the tension of months washing off in sobs. "I told you, monu. I told you you'd fly."Anand's voice cracked. "six A+ amma… six.""It's not marks," she said through her tears. "It's you.
At Party Office – Kerala Youth Progressive Headquarters.At the party office, Rajeesh Raj sat calmly behind his polished desk, surrounded by officials frantically checking their children's results. Phones buzzed. Cheers echoed from corners. Panic too.
Rajeesh leaned back, opened his personal tablet, and entered the login quietly.Anand Rajeesh – 97%. Six A+.He didn't smile immediately.He simply exhaled through his nose. Slowly. The corners of his mouth lifted a little—not pride worn loudly, but something more precious:Relief.Respect.Love—silent, but firm.His phone rang. It was Veena.He answered with just two words:
"I saw."Her voice broke on the other side. "He's glowing, Rajee. He's never looked like this before."Rajeesh stared at his tablet, eyes softening."Let him have his moment. He earned it."Across Trivandrum – The Thozhans' Victory At Abhi's house, there was a plate of puttu flying across the room as he screamed, "I passed maths! I got 82!" His mother started crying from the kitchen. "Ente monu! I told you tuition money won't go waste!"At Aryan's, his dad accidentally dropped a cup of tea when Aryan shouted, "84%! I GOT 84%! IIT might say no, but SRM won't!"At Adithyan's, he was doing literal namaskaram to his result screen. "78% only daaa but I'm alive!.Group Chat Rebirth – "Thozhans 5 Life"Anand: "6 A+. 97%. I'm shaking."Abhi:"We're BURNING SRM DOWN, da! The four pillars are ready!"
Aryan:"We're LEGEND, da. This year's result won't just be numbers. It's a declaration."Adithyan: "Somebody print our faces on banners and fly them across Kerala."Anand:"SRM is not ready for what's coming.""Thozhans... we did it."
"Now let's go build our future."Back in Anandham Veedu, Anand stepped out into the open nalukettu courtyard. The sun beamed down gently as the jackfruit trees swayed.He stood there quietly.Eyes closed.
Head tilted up.For the first time, he didn't feel like the boy born into a powerful house.
He felt like a man who earned his own crown.
And far away, sitting in the shade of power, his father smiled again. Silently. Proudly.
The evening sky blushed in soft orange as the sun began to dip behind the coconut groves surrounding Trivandrum Central Higher Secondary School. The once-bustling playground now echoed with fading laughter and the distant chirping of birds settling in for the night.But right under the old banyan tree, near the broken basketball pole, five boys stood in a tight circle, their hearts louder than the fading sounds around them. Abhi, Aryan, Arjun, Adithyan, and Anand—the Thozhans—the heartbeat of every corridor they walked through in school, now stood at the edge of something far greater."Da, it still doesn't feel real…" Abhi whispered, eyes wide with disbelief. "From school benches to SRM admission? I thought I'd be stuck here forever eating Amma's stale idlis and failing physics again."
Arjun chuckled, tossing a stone and watching it roll. "I swear I was ready to open a chicken shop if I failed maths. But daaa, 79%! That's God's humour."Aryan nodded, grinning. "My Appa actually said 'I'm proud of you' today. Bro, I was about to faint on the spot."Adithyan raised both hands dramatically. "And I survived without any supply! I'm telling you—miracle. Full-on miracle. I'm throwing a thanksgiving party."And then they all turned to Anand, standing a little apart, his arms crossed, a quiet smile playing on his lips."97%, da," Aryan said, nudging him. "six A+. You're not even human. What are you? RAM with legs?"Anand laughed, eyes still on the horizon. "*You all think I wasn't scared? I was dying inside. But when I saw those marks… I didn't feel smart. I felt... ready."They grew quiet.The kind of quiet that only comes between boys who had grown through the same desks, the same mistakes, the same first crushes, detentions, fights, and dreams."So that's it then," Abhi said slowly, voice softening. "We're done here. School is over. Uniforms… over. Same benches, same bell, same boring morning prayer... gone."Adithyan kicked the dirt with his shoe. "Now comes hostels, classes, midnight Maggi, and probably ten heartbreaks."Arjun stretched, cracking his fingers. "And maybe for the first time, we decide who we become. No teachers. No parents. Just us... and the world."Anand looked around at each of them, his heart suddenly heavy with a strange mix of nostalgia and excitement. "We're going into this together. That's all that matters."Aryan grinned. "You really think SRM is ready for us?"Abhi howled. "Daaa... SRM is going to remember our names FOREVER."They all burst into laughter.Then—without planning it—they raised their fists together, forming a tight center.Five fists. Five dreams. One pact.Anand whispered, his voice firm and full of fire—"We don't survive this journey.
We own it."They touched their fists down to the earth below them.A promise.
As the evening melted into twilight, and the first stars pierced the dusky sky, the five boys walked away from the school that shaped them—
—not as children anymore…
…but as young men marching toward a new world.The city would sleep.But somewhere inside that fading playground,a legacy had just begun.
The golden gate of Anandham Veedu creaked open as Anand stepped through, his bag slung over his shoulder, dust still on his shoes from the school playground. But this time, as he crossed the courtyard under the twilight sky, something had changed in the very air around him.
He wasn't walking in as a boy anymore.
He was walking in as Anand Rajeesh, Top Scorer, State Talk, and above all... the Son of the House who made them proud.
The main hall was glowing with warm lights. Veena stood near the large wooden swing, still dressed in her cream saree, her hair pinned neatly, face glowing with a rare mix of grace and overflowing happiness. Beside her, in his usual crisp mundu and light grey shirt, was Rajeesh Raj, speaking into his Bluetooth earpiece, his voice calm but undeniably proud.
As Anand stepped in, he noticed the change immediately.
The large living room, usually quiet and regal, now hummed with whispers and celebration. On the center table lay bouquets, fruit baskets, and an open box of Mysore Pak—gifts from party members, business allies, and even extended relatives.
The landline phone on the side table was still blinking. Missed calls. Well-wishers. Influential names.
Everyone knew.
The son of Anandham Veedu had scored 6 A+, including the main language paper—Malayalam, a subject even toppers often stumbled on.
97.5%.
A rare score.
A headline-worthy result.
Veena turned as she saw him enter. Her face broke into a light gasp. She walked quickly and held his face in both hands, like she still couldn't believe he was real.
Veena let out a soft laugh, and then—hugged him. Tight. Her elegant poise broke into that of a mother who had held back tears all day."I told everyone you'd bring glory to this house. Today, you became your father's son—and my entire world."Rajeesh ended his call and looked up. His eyes scanned Anand silently, taking in the sight of his son—not just his face, but the weight he now carried, the calm confidence in his step.
He walked over, slow, deliberate. There was no drama. No clapping. Just a quiet authority.
"Malayalam too?" he asked.
Anand nodded. "Six A+. 97.5% overall."
Rajeesh didn't say anything for a second.
And then—he placed a hand on Anand's shoulder.
It wasn't a hug. It wasn't a pat.
It was something more powerful.
"Now I know… You're not just ready for college," he said, voice low but heavy.
"You're ready for life."
Anand's throat tightened. That hand… had never rested on his shoulder like that before. Not once in his seventeen years.
Behind them, Veena wiped her eyes quickly before anyone could see.
Just then, a staff member walked in with a tray full of sweets and an envelope.
"Sir, the Chamber of Commerce has sent a letter. They want Anand to attend the Youth Excellence Felicitation next week. He's the youngest on the list."
Anand turned, stunned. "Me?"
Rajeesh gave a rare, faint smile.
"The world has begun to knock at your door, monu.
Now, answer it like the man you've become."
That night, Anandham Veedu didn't need firecrackers or loud music.
The lights were brighter. The walls echoed with whispered pride.
And in the silence of a father's hand and a mother's tears—
a crown was placed without a word.