So often we get so self involved in our daily activities that we forget to or keep delaying doing something - this is probably one of those times for me. Taking some time off the daily routine gives one the time to think and catch up with the important things in life.....so here I go....possibly this will be one of the two posts I will publish today :)
A few months back my family lost its senior most member - my grand father. It was a very challenging and retrospective time for me as it brought to the fore how distances matter. (Even though we live in an age where our scientific revolutions have minimized distances between places, nonetheless physical distances do matter especially in time of joy or sorrow. Moreover even staying connected is not something that can be assumed in the world today.) I received the news once I arrived back to Singapore from India and it was impossible to reach back in time for the last rites. However (and learning from my past life), I did make it to other events that happened later - and trust me that one might not value these when attended but does when they are not - guess that is basic human nature.
Anyway enough about me and what I did - possibly this is a rant because I did not put down this post earlier.
So my grand father was a self made man and one whose explorations and travel is still something I aspire towards. From being born in a small village in Garhwal (present day Uttarakhand) to being one of the few male professors in a girls college in Lahore to being one of the prominent astrologer/ priest in Moradabad to being a semi-retired businessman in Dehradun, his life stories were always inspiring which were compounded by his story telling abilities. More so his complete dedication to God (which implied a rigorous 4 hr daily routine for prayers) is probably something I have inherited in part. It was probably this respect that he displayed towards God also make him respect earthly beings as much. My grand father was probably one of the most open minded person in his generation. From breaking the stupid superstitions (despite being an astrologer and a priest) to valuing each one at parity despite their background to expressing his views in a simplistic and straight forward way, he brought to life many principles I aspire towards. In addition, this open mindedness also laid the ground for fun in life - from smuggling eggs in to our household as white potatoes to hanging out with his friends to being as much friends with my grand mother as her husband - again probably something I have taken in from him. In the other direction, he also exhibited what being respected entails and how to handle them in best possible way - personal discipline, extreme restraints and obligations all of which were countered effectively by maintaining a peer like relationship with the 'respectee'. Another thing that I have possibly taken from my grand father is his habit of thinking back on good or bad memories and trying to bring out the positive in each experience - though I will agree here that I couldn't master it as much as he did. So both of us can go on to describe what an awful experience we have had in something but always concatenate it with what we would have done otherwise and what we got away from it.
His personal impact on me was probably more than what he imparted to me at 'philosophical' levels - he was probably the friend a lonely child had, the one who would steer my way when I was in doubt through always positive feedback, and being the one to guide me on the most complex things I will face in life (which were again so beyond his time and generation that even I was amazed on his far sightedness). Plus he was the one with whom I could confide on anything because I knew whatever I said was safe with him and also not something he wouldn't have heard before - or may be he was just pretending that. Coming back to the fun things, it is always good to remember how he with my grand mother were the first to teach me how to play cards - and he was the one to teach me how to cheat in card games (and how my grand mother could always catch him doing so).
But more than everything else, I think the most important thing I take away from him is the concept of unconditional feelings towards an individual - and I will not elaborate on it here - that is something only for me :)
I am so sure that with the life my grand father lived, he would be smiling away in heaven. This is to you....dada ji :)
......13 Dec'14
A few months back my family lost its senior most member - my grand father. It was a very challenging and retrospective time for me as it brought to the fore how distances matter. (Even though we live in an age where our scientific revolutions have minimized distances between places, nonetheless physical distances do matter especially in time of joy or sorrow. Moreover even staying connected is not something that can be assumed in the world today.) I received the news once I arrived back to Singapore from India and it was impossible to reach back in time for the last rites. However (and learning from my past life), I did make it to other events that happened later - and trust me that one might not value these when attended but does when they are not - guess that is basic human nature.
Anyway enough about me and what I did - possibly this is a rant because I did not put down this post earlier.
So my grand father was a self made man and one whose explorations and travel is still something I aspire towards. From being born in a small village in Garhwal (present day Uttarakhand) to being one of the few male professors in a girls college in Lahore to being one of the prominent astrologer/ priest in Moradabad to being a semi-retired businessman in Dehradun, his life stories were always inspiring which were compounded by his story telling abilities. More so his complete dedication to God (which implied a rigorous 4 hr daily routine for prayers) is probably something I have inherited in part. It was probably this respect that he displayed towards God also make him respect earthly beings as much. My grand father was probably one of the most open minded person in his generation. From breaking the stupid superstitions (despite being an astrologer and a priest) to valuing each one at parity despite their background to expressing his views in a simplistic and straight forward way, he brought to life many principles I aspire towards. In addition, this open mindedness also laid the ground for fun in life - from smuggling eggs in to our household as white potatoes to hanging out with his friends to being as much friends with my grand mother as her husband - again probably something I have taken in from him. In the other direction, he also exhibited what being respected entails and how to handle them in best possible way - personal discipline, extreme restraints and obligations all of which were countered effectively by maintaining a peer like relationship with the 'respectee'. Another thing that I have possibly taken from my grand father is his habit of thinking back on good or bad memories and trying to bring out the positive in each experience - though I will agree here that I couldn't master it as much as he did. So both of us can go on to describe what an awful experience we have had in something but always concatenate it with what we would have done otherwise and what we got away from it.
His personal impact on me was probably more than what he imparted to me at 'philosophical' levels - he was probably the friend a lonely child had, the one who would steer my way when I was in doubt through always positive feedback, and being the one to guide me on the most complex things I will face in life (which were again so beyond his time and generation that even I was amazed on his far sightedness). Plus he was the one with whom I could confide on anything because I knew whatever I said was safe with him and also not something he wouldn't have heard before - or may be he was just pretending that. Coming back to the fun things, it is always good to remember how he with my grand mother were the first to teach me how to play cards - and he was the one to teach me how to cheat in card games (and how my grand mother could always catch him doing so).
But more than everything else, I think the most important thing I take away from him is the concept of unconditional feelings towards an individual - and I will not elaborate on it here - that is something only for me :)
I am so sure that with the life my grand father lived, he would be smiling away in heaven. This is to you....dada ji :)
......13 Dec'14
