My Father, My Teacher

My relationship with my dad has always bordered on being volatile. There were several ups and downs earlier in my life but the more recent years had brought about some stability. I had started understanding my father a lot more and he me. The earlier years were as much a battle of different personalities as it was perspectives towards life. My dad was a very hard working person who came from a very poor family and became successful. I was from a not so poor family who struggled a lot to get somewhere in life. The similarities in our lives were the struggles we faced, the dissimilarity was the background. One other thing was common between us, neither had the strong support of their family in trying to achieve what they wanted in life.

By the time I got married to Kavitha the differences had reached their peak. I was struggling to keep pace with what life was throwing at me and the age and immaturity did not help either. Slowly I fought back and gained some balance and stability. Nethra was born and my move to India happened. It was around this time I believe I started understanding my father a bit more and realized there was a lot in common between us. I realized that if I survived in India I would be able to live anywhere in the world but it was not survival that I was after, it was success.

My father taught me to be invisible within the crowd which in turn brought respect. When its very hard to reach someone you learn to respect the little time you get with them. He taught me never to take a shortcut to make money. That made me get a business relationship where a lot hinges on trust and that trust has been the backbone of success for me.

What he never learnt was to be street smart. He tried but his morals and ethics did not allow him to overlook certain aspects. He was always at the receiving end of things professionally, I guess there were more stories of how someone cheated him than of his success. In his failure he taught me how to be successful. Finally death cheated him as well, the doctors certified him healthy but it turned out otherwise. I guess my father taught me the most in his death. The responsibility of keeping a family together brings the most arduous challenges and true satisfaction when you see your family happy. Its within these challenges and happiness I found maturity.

It has been six months since I lost my dad and it feels yesterday. My father was my greatest teacher and I am a reflection of what he taught me in life. I failed to accredit him when he was alive but I will never fail to remember him every day of my life. My Father, My teacher.