The Quintessential Man.
He was born in the throes of poverty. The state of his family when he was born was so pathetic and pitiable that the parents named their youngest son symbolic to someone bringing riches. The whole family was hard pressed for money and still, it was a family full of talent and art. Little did the parents know that their youngest son would be a child prodigy and a messiah to their troubles. Im wrong in telling parents, as the boy's father was working in some other place during most of the boy's childhood. But im doing so, as the boy had that respect and faith in his father and I don't want to question that.
The boy survived the worst droughts in money. There were times when the family had nothing to eat other than some curd in mashed rice. The boy went through all that and he went to school, holding his head high even though his stomach cringed and growled with hunger. And succeed he did. The fire in his eyes to succeed, to pull his family out of the miserable circumstances is a memory still emblazoned in people who knew him as a child. He was there in almost every event in the school. Be it extempore, elocution, debate, singing, dance, drama, games and sports, he carved out a niche for himself. And the students of his class held him with respect. Even though he was a winner, he carried himself with subtle grace and such humility that it brought warmth wherever he was.
As a child, he had a lot of cravings, one of them being his love for Cadbury's chocolate. He felt that pang of poverty in his heart whenever he saw his own schoolmates eating whereas he couldn't afford even a quarter of it. This is a point where many of us give up, consoling ourselves that we are not born lucky, but the sight of that chocolate further steeled his resolve to become someone and show the people the way to live. And he got that chance when he was just a kid. He was auditioned and selected for a movie, a role which had good weight in the movie. The movie was a runaway hit and he became a child artiste. He was called for many other movies now, due to his grandfather's publicity of the boy and he went on to do some more movies, when he finally stopped and listened to his inner voice. He knew he didn't want to do it and he didn't want the fame that accompanied him. As a child, he was drawn to books and books just enthralled him. The sight of a book was a happier thought to him than the sight of an ice cream. He was inspired by the orotund speeches of Swami Vivekananda, impressed by the ideologies of great thinkers like Karl Marx and lenin, and was carried away by the teachings and sayings of great gurus like Ramakrishna Paramhans and the like. He threw away his film stardom and went back to his books, after a long break.
And yet, he rose, like a phoenix arising from the ashes. He was back in his world, his playground and he was ready to assert his superiority, which he did stupendous effort and brilliance. His family had recovered a bit, but it was still too hard. He made a firm resolve and went about his work , graduating with top honours from the college. And then he decided, he would serve the country by joining the civil services. And he studied hard for it, which got him through the exam and he was called for the interview. The interview was where it didn't go as well as he expected it to, so he had to face failure. But failure was nothing new to this mature young man. He decided to give it another try, with the same disappointing result. He would reveal all this, how he felt when he didn't get through and what were the thoughts inside him to his son, a few years later, when the son is faced with a similar situation.
He was not a man to be daunted. He took up another job, and worked through it rising to positions in the company he was with. In the meantime, he married a beautiful and wonderful woman and became a proud father to a son and a daughter. He rose in the company, held various positions and became a man to be loved, feared and respected for all the reasons. He does his puja with utmost sanctity and believes in God, qualities which he passed on to his son and daughter. He is still the master at everything he takes up and he guides, friend and foe alike, along the right path. He is the person many look up to, when a decision needs to be made. He is the quintessential father and husband. He is my Father.
On his birthday, I cant think of a more fitting present than this. Appa, I hope I never let you
down in any way, and if I have done so in the past, it was because I couldn't comprehend what was being told to me. Happy birthday to you and may God bless you with a long life.
The boy survived the worst droughts in money. There were times when the family had nothing to eat other than some curd in mashed rice. The boy went through all that and he went to school, holding his head high even though his stomach cringed and growled with hunger. And succeed he did. The fire in his eyes to succeed, to pull his family out of the miserable circumstances is a memory still emblazoned in people who knew him as a child. He was there in almost every event in the school. Be it extempore, elocution, debate, singing, dance, drama, games and sports, he carved out a niche for himself. And the students of his class held him with respect. Even though he was a winner, he carried himself with subtle grace and such humility that it brought warmth wherever he was.
As a child, he had a lot of cravings, one of them being his love for Cadbury's chocolate. He felt that pang of poverty in his heart whenever he saw his own schoolmates eating whereas he couldn't afford even a quarter of it. This is a point where many of us give up, consoling ourselves that we are not born lucky, but the sight of that chocolate further steeled his resolve to become someone and show the people the way to live. And he got that chance when he was just a kid. He was auditioned and selected for a movie, a role which had good weight in the movie. The movie was a runaway hit and he became a child artiste. He was called for many other movies now, due to his grandfather's publicity of the boy and he went on to do some more movies, when he finally stopped and listened to his inner voice. He knew he didn't want to do it and he didn't want the fame that accompanied him. As a child, he was drawn to books and books just enthralled him. The sight of a book was a happier thought to him than the sight of an ice cream. He was inspired by the orotund speeches of Swami Vivekananda, impressed by the ideologies of great thinkers like Karl Marx and lenin, and was carried away by the teachings and sayings of great gurus like Ramakrishna Paramhans and the like. He threw away his film stardom and went back to his books, after a long break.
And yet, he rose, like a phoenix arising from the ashes. He was back in his world, his playground and he was ready to assert his superiority, which he did stupendous effort and brilliance. His family had recovered a bit, but it was still too hard. He made a firm resolve and went about his work , graduating with top honours from the college. And then he decided, he would serve the country by joining the civil services. And he studied hard for it, which got him through the exam and he was called for the interview. The interview was where it didn't go as well as he expected it to, so he had to face failure. But failure was nothing new to this mature young man. He decided to give it another try, with the same disappointing result. He would reveal all this, how he felt when he didn't get through and what were the thoughts inside him to his son, a few years later, when the son is faced with a similar situation.
He was not a man to be daunted. He took up another job, and worked through it rising to positions in the company he was with. In the meantime, he married a beautiful and wonderful woman and became a proud father to a son and a daughter. He rose in the company, held various positions and became a man to be loved, feared and respected for all the reasons. He does his puja with utmost sanctity and believes in God, qualities which he passed on to his son and daughter. He is still the master at everything he takes up and he guides, friend and foe alike, along the right path. He is the person many look up to, when a decision needs to be made. He is the quintessential father and husband. He is my Father.
On his birthday, I cant think of a more fitting present than this. Appa, I hope I never let you
down in any way, and if I have done so in the past, it was because I couldn't comprehend what was being told to me. Happy birthday to you and may God bless you with a long life.
posted by Sudarshan J at 3:29 PM
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