Dear Son (now my Dear Prithviraj),
This series takes a lot of time to come up with emotions to write. In the meanwhile I wrote 1 more blog and some unsolicited advices on Facebook.
The world has suddenly changed in these past 2 years where we are struggling with a pandemic. This is an unprecedented situation we all are in. The nature is in no mood to spare anyone! We do not know when this will end.
You are 2 and a half years old already and have started speaking a lot of things. You understand what a human must understand at this age. We have observed at times you behave very well when it's least expected. You now know how your dadu looked, his name and some stories you make out of his photographs.
I am recording some more of his essence in this letter for you to read when you are able to. He was a fearless man when he advised:
" THE ONLY THING WE HAVE TO FEAR IS FEAR ITSELF".
I always remember when he used to scold or motivate me when ever I was fearful as a child. He would push me without saying he's looking at me against anything I feared. The best way to not to be feared is to face the fear itself. I remember when he used to wake me early in the morning at around 5 to take me for swimming when I was around 7-8 years old. He and his friends would push me into water and encircle me and I had to swim towards each one of them when I didn't know how to swim. Out of fear I tried every excuse to not go for swimming but he made sure he takes me every morning. It took time but I learnt how to swim and the fear was gone. Fear eats us from inside. But then how not to be fearless? Smile! and read on...
He held high standards, chivalry, fine behaviour that won him enormous amount of respect. That's something you need to be really careful about.
"MANNERS REVEAL FAMILY, SPEECH REVEALS EDUCATION"
One can have great speech but it's the manners that count. Just imagine if there was no money, and everything depended on your moral standards, the way you behaved and the way you treated people, how you would be doing in life?
He always made sure that the driver who has accompanied a guest is served first! His contagious smile won him a lot of friends and lot of respect from all.
You know, I never saw your dadu deep into religion. But I realise that it was most important to be available for humankind. After he physically went away from us, we got to know about a lot of people which said that he helped him in getting the treatment done in hospitals, he helped them with various other things which we didn't know until he was there and even at times when he himself was short of resources but never short of smile. Always remember:
" THE HANDS THAT GIVE ARE FAR BETTER THAN LIPS THAT PRAY"
That doesn't mean prayers don't count, that simply means a stitch in time saves nine. Some times our simplest of actions, prove very valuable for others.
These virtues are easier said than practiced, but "NEVER MIND FAILURES AS THEY ARE QUITE NATURAL".
Baby, from being my father you now know him as your dadu. These valuable lessons are for life. They are the virtues that will build you, they have built me. Difficult to live by each word, but definitely worth every effort living like him.
And the best part:
"SMILE COSTS NOTHING BUT MEANS MUCH"
Lovingly yours'
* All sentences in capital are excerpts of my Dad's diary.
