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Monday, October 19, 2015

So long, Farewell !

The bike ride to aunt’s place through the streets with father is still vivid in my memory! I had just been admitted in one of the public schools despite the meagre income which my father earned. I had purchased a new pair of shoes to attend the school and the moment I reached her place, I announced, see my shoes have not broken! Everyone had a hearty laugh.

To me like most children my parents were my world and like Lord Ganesh who once was asked to compete with this brother to circumambulate around the three worlds, I too would have gone around them thrice to have won the race!

I learnt the art of being self-reliant from him and he not only preached but practiced what he believed in. When we were still kids we would see him help mother in cooking and at times prepared things that surpassed our mother’s cooking! Once when one of his friends visited us and asked who cooks at home, in all innocence, I said, mostly ‘papa cooks and sometimes, mother cooks’ which sent them in peals of laughter and for many years they oft repeated this anecdote when visiting us! There were times when he stayed alone but never did he depend on anyone to cook even a single meal for him. On the contrary, if someone visited while he was alone, he would treat them to a full meal or snack depending on the time of the day!

He learnt many things just by observing people at work and could take on any task from mending clothes, stitching his pajamas, washing his clothes, ironing our clothes when we attended school, so that we never go out shabbily dressed. Having served with the British Army personnel during the Second World War, he was always punctual for everything, be it attendance in office, morning and evening walk, yoga session, timing for meals, social events and even time to go to bed. One could almost set his watch looking at the routine in action! He remained a teetotaler and vegetarian with very simple way of life. There are countless memories that drift like a cloud on a windy day as I look at the void created by his absence.


I was the lucky one who got to stay with him till the very end which came just a few days after he celebrated his 90th birthday. He was confined to the bed for 15 days before he breathed his last, on the midnight when the Father of the Nation was born, 02 Oct! On 04 Oct in the wee hours of the morning at 4.45 AM both  my wife and I lay on the bed, slowly talking when we were startled by a gleeful cry of a small child! We both simultaneously, climbed out of the bed and looking at each other asked, ‘did you hear it’? We looked at our mobiles thinking there was a prank but they were silent like the rest of the house! May, be it was god’s way to tell us to move on in life, something father had always believed in and taught us!

24 comments:

  1. Ohhh!! Sorry for your loss, Rahul sir. Nothing can fill the void left by our loved ones esp. parents. That explains your absence all these days. I wish the almighty gives you strength to move on. Hope to see you sharing more memories of him.

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  2. I was wondering why you haven't written in a long time. Then I saw your post yesterday and bookmarked it.
    Loss of a parent leaves an unexplained void in our lives. Hold on to the memories and feel his presence. I am sure he is with you, watching you, holding your hand at every step.

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  3. I think you will remember him in every step you take in your life. Sometimes our parents...no, most of the time, they influence us without our knowledge. Happy to know about him. Great person! Take care, Rahul!

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    1. He helped me immensely and his wisdom will be missed besides many other things!

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  4. Sorry to hear about loss of your father! My prayers

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  5. Rahul sir , sorry to hear this, my condolences .. Take care sir...

    Bikram's

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  6. Your father had an admirable personality and he gave you values which will always remind you of him.Parents don't go away,they live on in us.May he rest in peace.

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  7. So sorry to hear about your father. He sounds like a wonderful man and father.

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  8. So sorry to hear about your loss Sir. Just a few things in the post have so much to say about your Dad. He made a wonderful person I am sure. The last sums it well, life moves on.

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    1. Thanks Manjulika! A loss which cannot be described!

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  9. Sorry to read this. Some voids are permanent. May he rest in peace.

    My condolences, Sir.

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  10. I am so sorry to have read this post late and so late in offering my condolences too. He has indeed given you hope that he is around when you heard the voice of a child and he surely is be with you if not in physical form.

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    1. A sincere thanks for these words that give me strength to move on, Zephyr

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  11. You father has been a role model how to live with perfection and his approach towards self serving was awesome. Hope he guides you at every turn of life through his living span and continue to do through memories of him. Take care

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  13. My condolences for your loss, Rahul. Your father was a great man. I am very late in reading this post, but after your email to me, I wanted to read your tribute to your father, so I searched for this post. I'm sure your father is with you in spirit, guarding you every step of the way.

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    1. A big thanks for those kind words, Rachna! I hope your father too continues to guide you !

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