A tribute to my father who
is 80 today!
Who is he? What does he
stand for? Honesty, integrity, charity, strength, loyalty, compassion, dependability,
perfection.
Some musings...
I am humbled when people
swear by him. There was a conflict in a property dispute and the opposing party
agreed to settle only if my dad asked them to. He underwent a loss to get out
of the deal to not be in a situation where he was asked to compromise his
integrity.
I remember when I was a
kid, my ma was very nervous one day. My dad was travelling and could not be
contacted. Some money had to be paid out urgently to a business associate, else there would be negative repurcussions.
She called the bank manager and he unhesitatingly issued a bank draft with an
unsigned cheque in his drawer. My father would never fail him. He didn’t! I treasure this anecdote.
There are lawyers and
accountants and income tax officers who vouch for his knowledge and thorough
understanding of relevant issues. If he writes a draft it needn’t be reviewed ever.
It is more right than right.
He has a knowledgeable
insight on current issues be it politics or finance or anything else which can
be rarely disputed. He stays abreast with happenings all over the world. If he
doesn’t know he says so.
He learnt computers when
they came on the scene and taught me as well. Perfection! I cried when he
discarded reports on excel cos the margins weren’t right. I did and redid them and
I learnt Word and Excel like nobody else. At a more basic level Mr Ahmed of the
EPABX in his office calls him to consult him for protocols in the machine still,
he knows as much as the creators. He has taught himself!
Nobody goes away empty
handed from his doors even if it is a small amount, his trust ensures it. He
has given like nobody, unconditionally. His rights to huge estates, he
relinquished without a thought so that amicable peace could be maintained.
40 years ago the UP/Marwari
society was backward. He along with my ma gave us a voice and the courage to
be. We drove to college when there were no cell phones to check our whereabouts.
We were all educated. I did my Law and CA when girls barely graduated. He and
my ma ensured I married Debabrata, a Bengali against strong social disapproval.
He stood by our decisions always, provided they were fair. He taught us self
sufficiency and the spirit to never back out of a problem. To complete what we
have started - however. I carry on till this day. Relentlessly. The stubborn
streak persists.
Despite his odd temper and
fuss he has stood by all of us and given us the best anyone could ever want. He
is self effacing, quiet, not very ambitious
and did not make it to the Forbes’ lists. Yet in God’s list I am sure he
is there at the top!
People who really know him
swear by Satish Babu. A legacy... a tough act to follow. The best gift
ever would be for people to say I am like him. I try to be meticulous, scrupulously
honest, and giving. Have a long way to go still. My kids have to get there, to excel,
like their nana. Thats non-negotiable.
Happy 80th
birthday!
