When I got up today, I tuned to the radio as is my wont to listen to morning devotional songs broadcast under the program “Vandanvar” but unlike other days today was a special one and it was ‘Father’s day’. On hearing the same, my mind immediately slipped to remembering my father whom I lost a couple of years ago. There is no special about a son gloating about his father, but yet noted writer Mrs. Sudha Murthy says there is something extraordinary in every ordinary human being. So my father was also an ordinary man of the world but had an extraordinary zest for life.
My earliest impression of him was when I was about five years old and attending my Pre Kg classes in small town, Surpur, where I used to accompany him during his daily evening walks and comeback with my favorite biscuits or chocolates. I also had a queer passion for puppy dogs and my father used to be a willing patron in supporting my cause. I was pampered to an extent that my every wish use to be catered then and there and without delay.
Father was a man of soft and tender nature and I remember only once he was aggressive when I was adamant and not heeding his words. Otherwise in my entire forty odd years of association with him, he was never once rude with me and was not even interfered with my affairs and such was his liberty to me.
On my completing secondary school leaving examinations, he was very pleased and told my brother to get me a Bicycle and it was very prized possession in those days for me and I used to enjoy its ride with gay abandon in all corners of Gulbarga town.
Father’s was a contented life, as he was brought up in a fairly well off domestic conditions since his father was gainfully employed with Indian Railways. He never hankered for power or pelf and was not much bothered about worldly affairs and was rather naiveté in that aspect.
Father served the state revenue department for over 30 years without blemish that too in a department that was rotten with canker of corruption. Whenever I used to accompany him to his office, his genial nature among his colleagues was quite palpable when much younger colleagues of him talking and joking with him without inhibition and was a popular figure in the office. He retired from the service without much fuss and settled to the retired life without any ranker.
Father served the state revenue department for over 30 years without blemish that too in a department that was rotten with canker of corruption. Whenever I used to accompany him to his office, his genial nature among his colleagues was quite palpable when much younger colleagues of him talking and joking with him without inhibition and was a popular figure in the office. He retired from the service without much fuss and settled to the retired life without any ranker.
Father’s routine used to be packed with series of activities from dawn to dusk and in that visiting temple once in morning and in the evening was compulsory and after that he used to be engrossed in reciting hymns and reading scriptural texts. Whenever he was in mood he used to became nostalgic and recall memories of his schooldays. As he was a student of D R Bendre, he always used to remember his revered teacher with his style of poem recitation and impeccable diction. He was particularly fascinated by B.M.Sris's translated work of “English Geetegalu” and in that his favorite poem was ‘Character of a happy life’ and he used recite geelfuly in Kannada ‘Aenu Sukhio Tanu, Huttinalli Kalikeyali Innobbara Ichhelli Elladiravavnu, Tanna Kavyua Mantra, Nijada Nadateya Tantra and Endu Tilidiruvavnu”.
In his advanced age, Father withstood the thunder storm of passing away of my mother and it was a serious blow for him at that age but quickly recovered from the shock and accepted the god’s verdict gracefully. He felt very much the absence of my mother and her memory rankled in him all the time but never allowed his spirit to dampen a bit and took the setback in his strides and moved on with the life by turning deeply spiritual.
He was not a success to the external eye but he was at peace deeply with himself very much. He never aspired for exalted status in his life but he had enough social grace to speak even to a person who was in the lowest rung of social strata. He never ran behind anybody for any personal favor nor he feared to speak his mind irrespective of persons stature. His typical uncompromising nature caused enough hurdles in his professional life but he never deterred by the obstacles instead walked tall fearlessly.
As a human he was great, not because he was my father but because he had laid more emphasis on heart than head. He had utter disregard for self-promotion, He was never in favour of hoarding wealth instead he was so simple a man to an extent he could not claim even many of the things that were of his rightful claims.
On this this day, I salute the man, who had indefatigable zest for life and an examplar in his conduct. And I also miss him dearly and remember him always.
