(This is a poem addressing my daughters & my
Nephews on the passing away
of “aNNa” ie. their grandfather)
Every time I pass an unsolicited advise,
Comment, or turn on the preachy voice,
You may, in all sincerity, question mentally
Did your dad lecture you similarly?
Now that “aNNa” is no more,
I can do a bit of heart-pour
And admit that he never lectured,
Or argued a point beleaguered
He let his actions do the talking,
No quotes, no grandstanding
He’d prove his point silently,
Quashing my counters convincingly
So, what did he teach me?
Did he teach me mechanical engineering
Or my love for just tinkering ?
Did he teach me his electrical stuff
Or to play childhood card games like bluff ?
Did he teach me how to sketch
Or tie knots like a clove-hitch?
Did he teach me how to ride,
Or dive head first from the pool-side ?
No, these I learnt from other sources
Like friends, peers, books & teachers.
What I learned from him was greater,
More fundamental, though wider & deeper.
I learnt about dignity of labour
When he’d shake hands with local barber
With a genuine smile on his face
And a respectful “appa” in his voice.
I learnt about an honest days
work
When he’d toil without a shirk
At the factory – hours on end
Or in the garden, plant-tend.
I learnt about loyalty
Never having heard him say a word faulty
Against any of his employer
In his over 30 year career.
I learnt about patience
When, in situations tense
His would be the measured voice
Heard over the din & noise.
I learnt about discipline
his diaries describe what I mean
or for a different kind of proof
you should see the garden on the roof
You say, Learnt, learnt, learnt ?
Nothing taught – everything learnt ?
No, he did teach me a few things
Things that make us better beings.
He taught these by his actions,
Not mere intonations
He taught me that even a man could,
On situations shed a tear or two
He taught me not to be narrow-minded,
To graduate from being broad to open minded
He taught me the value of money,
Appreciate nature & hold a disposition sunny
He taught me that drive comes from passion,
But, this also needs to be mellowed with compassion
For the generation that follows us,
Please do remember these words
For we can make the world proud
Just by following the footsteps trod.
Ravi.
