Category Archives: Family

Swami becomes Sadhu

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A chillum pipe in hand, wrapped in a red cloth, Swaminathan, 51, was relaxing on a plastic sheet.  River Ganges flowed just a few feet away, with all its calmness in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India.  As I observed him, I was keen to know why he had become a sadhu. And, I found out.

Swaminathan was from a well-respected family in Rameswaram.  They were a wealthy family too.  The family business was that of supplying ganja (marijuana) to the spiritual visitors, mainly Sadhus.  Thus even at the age of 10, Swaminathan had easy access to ganja and his friends tempted him to steal some and smoke with them.

One night he slept longer than usual under the influence of ganja.  He rushed to the school as soon as he got up in the morning.  He was caned hard by the teacher because he had not completed his homework.  He felt insulted in the class and felt that he did not deserve to be punished so badly.  He waited outside the school during the lunch break, and when his teacher walked out, he struck the teacher hard with a stone. 

The teacher, of course, complained to the parents. The parents, in turn, felt insulted and were angry. Swaminathan ran to a ground close by, instead of returning home, to avoid the wrath of his parents.   Indeed, his parents found him and dragged him home. They beat him too.  He was tied upside down with a little support of the wall.  After over 12 hours, he was given temporary relief from the punishment to freshen up in the morning.  That was enough of an opportunity for him to run away from home.  Without stopping, he jogged as far away from the city as he could.  Only in the evening, did he realise that he has walked away from home, not knowing how far. 

But he never felt like going back home.  He continued to walk the next day and the day after.  He begged for food and ate whatever he got.  After a couple of months, he stopped and stayed at a temple, which needed a helper for its daily chores.  After the journey all alone, he was a transformed boy now.  He enjoyed the job and sincerely devoted himself to the deity and the temple. Over a period of a few months, he became the first assistant to the temple priest. 

The priest collected all the offerings from the donation box and reported the donations to the temple’s trustees. These funds were used to maintain the temple.  On one such occasion, Swaminathan saw the process of the donation box being opened.  The priest told the boy to hand over half the money to the trustees and keep the rest aside.  To keep his dishonesty as a secret, the priest offered Rs. 10 to Swaminathan. 

This greed shocked Swaminathan, that too from a temple priest!  His conscience could not accept it and he left for an unknown destiny.

Once again, he started walking. He chanced upon the preaching of a spiritual leader.  Swaminathan was impressed with his discourse and sought to offer his services and accept him as his Guru.  He stayed with the Guru.  One late evening, he found the Guru in a compromising position with a lady devotee.  That was the last time he saw his Guru.  He left the temple.

After that, he didn’t stay at any one place for too long. Right now, he was in Rishikesh.  By June that year, he wanted to reach Badrinath on foot. 

Two orange sheets of cloth are good enough for him to cover himself.  A plastic sheet converted from woven cement bags serves as his bed.  His long, braided bushy hair form his pillow.  Someone or the other offers him food on the roadsides of holy towns.  Cash alms from the visitors to the town is good enough for him to buy his daily intake of ganja, a habit which he never disowned.

Once he reaches Rishikesh anyway, he doesn’t need cash for ganja.  Ganja plants are found in abundance in the forests right up to Badrinath.  It would not only be enough for his day-to-day consumption right now, but could also be stored for future use after drying.

Swaminathan has been roaming around the country for over forty years now. He has never considered going back home. He is happy and has no regrets in life!

“What keeps you happy?” was my question.  “No material wants,” was the reply. 

Road to London # 8 – The Influential Hidden Character

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In continuation of earlier blog RTL # 7 – The Route Across India

It is not the first time that she influenced me to take on an adventure. She has supported all my crazy endeavours. She may not initiate the trips. But if I proposed one, she would be enthusiastic about the tour, even for the most complicated and risky ones.  Pushpa, the wife, is not my better half, she is the first half!

In fact, she just might be better qualified to undertake adventure and risky trips. She takes over the gadgetry, which I have never understood.  It is a family joke, particularly by Anand, that it is  because of her I can handle my mobile.

Pushpa Sliding on Australian Sand Dunes 2011

She maintains her cool during testing times of the tours. She accepts that adventure trips have inbuilt calculated risks.  There were times when we had no shelter, but she had no problems. No food, it hardly made a difference to her. She has understood and adjusted to the whatever the situation has demanded.   There have been occasions in our trips together when we had no water to drink, but she didn’t complain.  She prefers tap water to bottled, mineral water wherever she is.  You and I fall ill, not her!

Once when we were in Tibet, our vehicle stalled in a murky place.  It was the dark hour of midnight.   There were no villages for 20 kilometers in any direction. The temperature was minus 10-15 degrees Celsius. And there was a slight drizzle. Every drop of rain felt like a needle piercing your skin.  Boots were getting stuck in mud with every step. And here she was helping me push the vehicle out of the muck.   Ultimately,  we had to walk cold and wet for about a km, in complete darkness. We rested in a road side godown (if we could call it that!) where even a beast would be scared.  The place had a strong stink. It was badly maintained alcohol den, full of beer and was scattered with used cans and bottles.  She has never tasted onion or garlic, let alone alcohol.  But she didn’t even wrinkle her nose when she had to lie down there for a couple of hours of much needed rest.

And oh! That place was owned by a man in his 80s or so. He looked like he was straight out of a western movie, a cowboy, only with horrible, excessive make-up.  He had a spear in his left hand, instead of a gun. Long salt-and-pepper hair and beard – probably unwashed for a long time. He covered it with a cowboy hat.   He was probably wearing new clothes, only that they were bought years ago. His face showed his age in wrinkles. He had extra skin hanging from his cheeks, large red eyes set just above them. Sharp long grey eye-brows.  The place had no lights, it was almost all dark. Just a small dim lamp gave the scene a horror movie feel.  I was outside, in that freezing rain with a driver-guide to see if the car could get on the road. When I returned, the face of the owner, with extra wide eyes, was almost a foot from Pushpa’s face. She was speechless. I dropped in and engaged our host in slow motion, sign language. Pushpa did not complain even about that day ever.

The moment I ask her opinion about a trip, she always has a positive answer. To the extent that some times I take her for granted and forget to even take her consent. Ghar ki murgi daal barabar!

Once in 2012, on a flight to London I mentioned to her that I wanted to drive one day from home to London. She just replied with a “hmmm”, that too forcibly, knowing that it was one of those improbable dreams. However, I knew it is not unachievable, particularly since she would be with me.  She used to drive way back in the 80s when we lived in the Middle East.Quad Driving in Tangalooma Island 2011 With Pushpa as Co-driver

 

A few months ago, she was travelling elsewhere, I called her, “we have a chance to drive to London. Are you interested?”  Her reply was the as quickest as it can be “Grab it”.  It is all through now to make the dream come true.   She is not my better half, she my best half,  Pushpa!  I am really lucky to have such a lady as my companion for these exotic journeys.  She would be my co-driver for “Road To London”!

Written : Badri Baldawa

Edited : Meeta Kabra

                                                                                                To be continued …………………

Road Trip to London # 6 – Family Consent

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In continuation of earlier blog RTL #5 Fitness Matters……...

I was worried that when I express my desire to do a Mumbai-London driving trip, I will have to go through a bout of medical exams.

Way back in 2008, I had proposed to trek Mt. Everest base camp.  My wife is too good a lady and encourages me to do whatever I like!  My daughters were excited and slightly hesitant respectively.  But the son resisted,  “Mt. Everest is not for senior citizens.  It is considered very risky.”  I appreciate my children for their love!  I had to undergo a series of medical and stress tests as prescribed by my daughter, Seema and son-in-law, Nilesh, both doctors by profession, practicing in the UK. I passed these tests with flying colours!

On my trek to Mt Everest in 2008

I had lower spondylitis and syncope problems.  They did not make that an issue.  I did not highlight it to them either.  But they probably did not know the details of four cervical slip discs and a misaligned toe.   Except these, I did not hide anything from them! Other than these, I was physically fit.   Even in academic examinations 40% is considered pass.  So I thought I have passed my physical fitness exams.

It was only during this Mt Everest trek that I learned from the guide that it was vital that even the slightest of health problems like headache or lack of appetite or sleep ought to be revealed to the organisers.  Thereafter, I have been more transparent about my health matters with my family.

I was 63 then.  Now I am 72.

Their love continues to flow with even more intensity.  My son, Anand probably loves me the most and hence is the most cautious.  His was the first resistance I had to pass through for my Road To London adventure. It is a long trip with a lot of inbuilt risks.He was not in town when I had made the decision to go on this trip.  Since, it was an impromptu decision, I could not wait for him to be back in 3-4 days. I sent Anand the details I had. This time too I did not hide anything from him except…….!  I was anxiously waiting for his reaction.

“Enjoy the trip – it should be good fun” was Anand’s response. I was surprised by his support. But it was a conditional “yes”. I am a little carefree about trip gear, in general. I didn’t even carry trekking poles for the Mt. Everest trek! But Anand extra-cautious about any of our journeys, even the local ones, and rightly so. I wanted to drive the distance in my favourite Skoda Superb.  Anand’s condition was that the vehicle I would use would be of his choice!  He had traced what I was trying to hide.

No one else had any concerns. Everyone was thrilled at the thought of such a venture.

                                          To  be continued ….RTL # 7 – Route Across India………………….

Written : Badri Baldawa

Edited  : Meeta Kabra

 

How Reliable is Horoscope Compatibility For Wedding

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My dad’s older brother called, “we have reference for a boy from a well-reputed family in Sangli-Madhavnagar.  Bhageerathi’s horoscope matches his, 35 out of the maximum possible 36 aspects (gunas) match.” Bhageerathi was my most beloved younger sister.

The practice of matching horoscope, called ‘kundli milan’,  before marriage has been a very integral part of a Hindu marriage.

For kundlis (horoscopes) to match, parents consult an astrologer to assess the zodiac compatibility even before the boy and girl meet each other.  A match of atleast 26 aspects/points is considered essential.  It is believed, that this matching indicates how well the couple would get along together.  Obviously therefore, higher the match count, better and longer are prospects of their happy lives together.

We were all very happy to have found a boy to match 35 out of 36 counts for Bhageerathi. Shortly thereafter, in 1963, they were married.  About 2-3 years into the marriage, they were blessed with a daughter.  The year after, Bhageerathi passed away in an accident.

This raises a question.  Can the tradition of matching horoscopes be trusted?

Sure, in Hindu families reading horoscopes and making decisions based on the radings is a respected and accepted practice. However, the accuracy of the reading depends on exact time of birth. For any reason, if the time of birth is not accurately recorded, the entire horoscope could be incorrect.  Further, it is after all an individual who interprets the horoscope.  The reading depends on the depth of knowledge of the person preparing and interpreting it.

Certainly something had gone wrong in matching Bhageerathi’s horoscope.  Otherwise would she not be able to enjoy a long, married life after a match count of 35 out of 36?

There were instances where a boy and a girl liked and loved each other immensely.  When they were to get married, their horoscopes did not match and they were forced to forget each other. There were cases where priority was given to horoscope compatibility rather than personalities. Isn’t it unfair?

Should we deprive those who love each other just because of horoscope readings? Should this tradition be encouraged?  Certainly not…………I feel.

Written : Badri Baldawa

Edited  : Meeta Kabra

 

Family Misadventure

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I got the impression from my studies in school that the foreign invaders had mainly two difficult and tricky routes to enter India – Khyber Pass and Rohtang Pass.   A pass is a narrow path at a high altitude that lies between two mountains.  I wanted to visit them to see how difficult they were in reality.  Khyber pass is presently between Afghanistan and Pakistan and hence not easily accessible.  However, I could visit Rohtang Pass .

Around 1986 I decided to take my family for an adventure vacation.   I selected Rohtang Pass.  My wife Pushpa and our three children Meeta, Seema and Anand, in the age group of 7 to 12, were excited and were looking forward for a week’s fun and pleasure.

Rohtang Pass is a dangerous narrow passage at a height of 13,000 ft between two tall mountains of about 15,000 ft.   It is a dangerous and tricky route as the very name ‘Rohtang’ suggests ‘pile of corpses’.

We took a train from Bombay and drove to Kulu and then Manali.   I engaged a popular travel agent for all arrangements from Manali.   I chose April in anticipation of finding snow around.  It was just the start of season and we were amongst the first tourists that season that wanted to use tents.   The tents were at a beautiful location at the bank of a river that ran next to a mountain.  There was a water-fall very close to our tent.  It was a romantic atmosphere.

We were all very hungry and anxiously waited for our food.  Due to some problem, the cook hadn’t arrived.   One of the other staff members cooked some food.  After 9 PM, we were served some tasteless boiled rice and daal.  None of us could eat.

By then it had begun drizzling and soon it started pouring heavily.    Heavy wind added to problems and the temperature started dropping below 5 degrees C.   There was no power or lanterns and the candles would not survive to the wind.  We were drenched even in the tent due to heavy showers.

The facilities were inadequate to survive the night.   Sleeping bags did not reach.  I was frustrated and had a heated argument with the tour operator.  I lost my patience and decided to quit the place, without realising how to move out of that isolated location.

In the heavy rain we started walking through the pass.  There were no habitants for a 2-3 kilometer stretch.  No vehicles either.   We were all shivering from the cold.  I fell short of ideas.

Just then we saw an army vehicle approaching from behind us.  We signaled the driver to for help and guidance.  He said there was no facility around that place which could provide shelter to us for a night.  He was on duty and didn’t have authority to pick anybody up in his vehicle unless his boss granted permission.

Though he had a walkie talkie, he didn’t want to disturb his senior as it was past 10 PM.   I requested him to, at the very least, drop us till their camp site so that we could somehow manage from there.  Looking at a family with children, he picked us up and dropped us near the entrance gate of their army office.   He told us to take shelter under a shed near the entrance gate till the rain stopped and then find our a way to Manali.  We were not adequately geared to stand to the cold weather.

When we have many problems at the same time, the major one dominates over the minor ones.  Finding shelter was the dominating problem right then.

I requested the security guard for permission to speak to the officer in-charge.    When I explained the situation to the officer, he spared one of his jeeps and instructed the driver to drop us to a hotel in Manali.  He was a God-sent for us.

We reached the hotel past 1 AM and at last had a cozy sleep.

I learnt the lesson, however popular a travel agent might be, we should be prepared and equipped to face contingencies on our own.

 

Written : Badri Baldawa

Edited  : Meeta Kabra

Are We Over Protecting Our Children

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In our social system we tend to over-protect our children.   Protection and care to a certain extent up to a certain age is welcome.  But protecting beyond a limit and age, could harm their confidence.   A specific incident during my visit to the Scandinavian region was when I realised this.

I was driving with my wife in Norway.  That was the longest, continuous drive of my life.  A drive of 46 hours without sleep and just two small breaks for refreshments.

We were driving on a single, narrow, risky road in the Northern most part of Europe.  We noticed a youngster standing by the side of the road asking for a lift, pointing towards the direction we were proceeding.  We were happy to pick him up.  He was a 15 year old German, traveling alone from (then) West Germany.  He would travel by public transport if available.  We were in leanly populated areas where public transport was almost non-existent.  Wherever public transport was not available, he would rely on help from the passing by vehicles for drops.

Our destination was Nord Cape.  Soon he was friendly and part of the relevant conversations on the way went like this:

 Me: Where are you headed to?

He: To Nord Cape to watch mid-night Sun.

Me: Oh! We too.  We can drop you right there.

He: Thank you.  But I will get down at the next town. I will work for a couple of days in a restaurant or a shop there, earn some money which would take me to reach my next stop.

Me: But then why don’t you come with us as we can take you to your ultimate destination.

He: No.  I want to see and experience the places, earn myself and then spend.

Me:  Oh! How much money did your parents give you when you were leaving home.

He: What? …..pause….. just equivalent of an American dollar.

Me: What? Just a dollar, for you to go right upto Nord Cape and watch the mid-night Sun.

He:  Yeah.  Why should my parents give me money?  I am capable of managing and earning for myself to spend on my holiday.

It was an eye opener for me.  No doubt we are emotionally attached to our kids to ensure that they are comfortable, safe and secure.  But then, by providing all the emotionally dictated needs  are we depriving them of the experience they would gain otherwise?

This incident encouraged me to permit my son a month long vacation overseas by himself when he was about 15.  I am sure that must have helped him build his confidence, consciously or otherwise, in his hectic travels later in his life for education and for business.

Experienced and Written By: Badri Baldawa

Edited By : Meeta Kabra

 

Family Culture: East is East, West is West

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Mid night Sun at Nord Cape 25 July 1983

July 1983. My wife and I were on our first of the three trips so far to the Northern most regions of the earth.   We were on our way to watch the midnight Sun. We were travelling by train from Copenhagen, Denmark to Oslo, Norway.

Mid night Sun at Nord Cape 25 July 1983

Mid night Sun at Nord Cape 25 July 1983

Other than us, there was one more passenger in our train cabin.  He must’ve been around 70 and was from Holland.  He was on a vacation.  He left home by a vanity van, which had all the luxuries one expects in an apartment.  He parked his van at Copenhagen before boarding the train for visiting the various islands in Norway for a 45-day trip.  In the Second World War, he was injured and one of his legs had to be amputated.   He was living with his wife on a decent pension.

In a couple of hours, we became friendly and I asked why his wife was not accompanying him on the vacation.  He said:  “Yes.  That’s how it was planned initially.  But on the day we were to leave, my wife fell ill and I left by myself. “

Look at this unimaginable situation.   Just because his wife fell ill, he left her alone.  Instead of staying back to help his ailing wife, he preferred to go ahead with his long vacation without her.   He could have easily waited for her to recover as it would not have made too much of a difference. He was traveling by road and had his accommodation in his own van.

Though this action was normally acceptable in their society, I am wondering whether we would have done the same thing in our part of the world!

Experienced and Written By: Badri Baldawa

Edited By : Meeta Kabra

In 1940s, Why Many Were Born Before 10 June !

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“What is your son’s birth date?” the clerk at the primary school asked my uncle who took me there for admissions in 1950. My uncle was caught unaware.  He never expected to face this question for getting me admitted to school!

I was born at home with the help of Akkamma, an experienced daima (mid-wife) who was devoted to our family for pre and post natal needs. There was no system of celebrating ‘Happy Birthdays’ during those days!  So, parents never bothered to remember the actual birth date of their child!

If I had to check with my Mother for anyone’s birthday in the family, she would quote an incident which happened a few days prior or after the specific birth.  I really appreciate their memories. The deliveries very rarely  in hospitals.  They were mostly at home with the help of daima.   Hence there were no official records. Only a lucky few could afford to wear a wristwatch at that time.  Therefore even the accuracy of the exact time was questionable.

Then how come we all have birth dates? Oh, and even the exact time of birth! In this entire loop, at least in my case, there was one individual who played an important role in determining my actual birth date.

In business communities, the 6 feet long red colour cloth bound bahi-khaatas (books of accounts) were maintained by the family muneems (accountants).  Whenever there was a new arrival in the family, he made a note at the top of that day’s journal “wife of Mr. so-and-so delivered a baby boy/girl at such-and-such time.”

The time noted was as given by the family members.  That became the basis for preparing janam and lagna kundalis (birth and marriage horoscopes) by the Pandits (priests). These were usually prepared years later, as and when the necessity arose.  Else there was no need to remember the birth date.

Therefore, when most unexpectedly the guardian of a child is asked for a birth date, one does not expect to get an answer on the spot.  Even if the guardian knew, there are some other internal and external limitations which needed to be considered.

There were no pre-KG or KG classes then.  For admission to the 1st standard in a primary school, the student had to complete 5 years of age as on 10th June of the year of admission.  If someone was born on 11th June or later, he would lose one year in school as that year was not counted for admission age of 5 years.

And there were other factors too!  An auspicious day was selected for getting admission to school. There was a belief that once you go for a good cause, it was inauspicious to return without having completed the job.  Hence, once you were at the school for admission, there was reluctance to go back home to find the actual birth date.

Even if he wanted to, he would have to trace the books of accounts of five years back, look through each and every day’s notes around the approximate date of birth. A tedious task indeed.

Further, parents considered it an honour to have their child admitted to a school.  It didn’t matter if the age was a couple of months short; the repercussions in the future were not considered seriously in those days.

The school authorities were interested in as many admissions as possible, so that they coult earn enough.   A date which proves completion of 5 years would do.  The parents were conveniently advised to give a date between 1st and 9th of June (of 5 years back) so that the child could be considered as having completed 5 years of age!

Not surprisingly, a good part of the population at that time was born just before 10th June!

Written By: Badri Baldawa

Edited By : Meeta Kabra

For my other Blogs please click on www.smritiweb.com/badri/

 

Support, But Do Not Spoil

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Just like I was  looking for moral and financial support when I started my career, many youngsters need support from people who are established. I have been an active participant in trying to provide similar assistance and support, to the best of my means and limitations, for the last 20 years.  It is a pleasure to share a couple of experiences I learnt out of my experiences on matters of financial assistance.

Majority of the people who seek help come with genuine repayment plans and fulfill their commitments on time.  It is always a pleasure extending support to persons with such an attitude. If the loan is for commercial purposes, there is nothing wrong for the lender to have a fair return, as the objective of the loan was to earn money.

If the loan is for an essential nature, I consider providing assistance ‘free of interest’ as getting them out of the financial strain is an adequate satisfaction.  But the borrower should realise that the lender has given the help depriving himself of the earnings that he otherwise would earn on that amount.

However, I have experienced that this ‘interest free’ tag has a  negative effect.   In such cases, the borrower instead of being grateful for receiving concessions, unfortunately, feels that it was his ‘right’ to have received that assistance.  In certain cases it was taken for granted as a gift.  Besides the borrower conveniently takes the repayment of interest-free loan as a last priority, as it doesn’t cost him to delay the repayments.  In most of the cases, the borrower avoids talking to lender as he considers it is the duty of the lender to ask for money.  In some cases, because of the relationship in question, the lender does not talk about it, converting “good money” to “bad money”.

Who is responsible for this?  The borrower?  No. My experience says, it is the me the lender’s fault, for very many reasons.

  • First of all, the loan given was emotion-based and not merit based
  • Secondly,  I mis-judged the borrower, in his attitude
  • Thirdly, I reduced the value of money, by giving the loan interest free
  • Fourthly, if the loan was given for non-essential purposes, I helped the borrower in  investing the funds for non-productive purposes.

Thus I was the one who spoiled them.  I could have been wiser in taking the borrower in confidence by explaining that I value my relationship with him and wish to avoid misunderstandings in future citing Shakespeare, “neither a lender nor a borrower be.”

Had I said a firm “No” and avoided getting emotional, I could have saved them and their deterioration in quality of attitude.  Above all I could have retained my relations with them!

Written: Badri Baldawa

Edited: Meeta Kabra

What Next – A Dilemma

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On certain occasions in life you are at a dilemma – do I satisfy my desires or take overall responsibilities.  At such points, it is essential to curb our feelings for the larger good. To do what I really want to do would surely give me pleasure. But the pleasure I would get in fulfilling the desires of the entire family would be incomparable.  If I have an opportunity to get ‘incomparable pleasure’, why should I get satisfied with just ‘pleasure’?

In 1965, I appeared for B.Com exams and was contemplating what was best for me to do thereafter.  I had to decide whether to join business or go for a job or pursue further studies. The ground reality was that we were ten brothers and four sisters.  Except one sister who was married, the others were younger to me.  They needed to be educated, married and ultimately settle in their career. There was always a financial crunch at home – even for essential day to day needs.  We desperately needed regular income in the family.

I always wanted to run my own business and I had the confidence that I had acumen for it. It could then be debated – why did I not join dad’s mining business?  The mining business was not giving returns.  To make it profitable, processes needed to be mechanised for which an investment of Rs.15-20 crores was needed.  We did not have adequate sources nor securities to get the large funds to run the mining business.

The maximum financial help I was offered was enough to set up a grocery shop – a very common business occupation at that time. Though business could give better earnings, there was no guarantee of any fixed minimum returns.  A single wrong decision in business could ruin the dreams of the entire family.  It was too big a risk for me to take.  I had to play a safer game.  Therefore to ensure that all the family members are taken care of, I decided against setting up a business.

The other option was to study further which would result in a further financial burden. The family would continue to struggle for at least 3-4 additional years.

Employment gives regular assured income.  It was better to go for assured income by doing a job.  At any later time, as and when I saw the family settling down, I could take the risk of fulfilling my dream of experimenting with my own business. Under the circumstances, I was convinced that doing a job would be the thing to do.  It was a compromise and of course, not a very happy situation to be in. I was still in dilemma

Just then, the results of my final B.Com were declared.  I had secured the top rank in the University.  After getting the results, I went home, took my mother’s blessings and headed to the office room.  I missed my dad.  He was away on one of his trips to the mines. By this time, a few of our family, friends and neighbours who had heard of my results had already collected in the office with a garland to honour me. One common question was,  “Badri, what do you want to do next?”  True, I now had to take a final decision.

I was blessed with a surprise.  My dad had unexpectedly returned from his trip and entered the office, full of well-wishers.  He was not aware of my results.  He heard it from the people already collected there.  I could read his face.  He was a proud father. As if the garland was waiting for my dad.  He picked it up and garlanded me.  What an honour!

The same question was asked again, “what next?” I was still confused.  Before I could answer, dad answered.  “With such bright results, what other option would he prefer other than to take the family responsibility after me.”  I was happy that dad had come to my rescue and took a decision for me.

Dad looked at me and continued “Beta, you study as much as you want.  No limits.  Leave it to me, I will handle the affairs at home. You don’t have to worry about the expenses.   I have energy and strength to take care of all of that. If you study now, you can take care of the family tomorrow!”  I was lucky to have such a dad!

A very sensitive occasion for me.  My dilemma was no more.  I got what I ultimately wanted.  Study further.  I thought for a while, I could continue study now and still earn later with higher status and earnings.  But if I went for a steady income now, it would be very difficult to go for studies later on.

It therefore was decided that I would go for further studies as long as dad had energy.This was the opportunity to show my worth in studies and then take up the challenge of supporting the entire family.  It also reminded me: in business I might earn, but it would be temporary because there can always be losses. But if I acquire knowledge, it would be my permanent asset and I would never lose it. That asset would help me later, whether I go for employment or business.

Vidya Dhanam Sarwa Dhana Pradhanam.

Author: Badri Baldawa

Editor: Meeta Kabra