( This is a tribute to my father who we affectionately called ‘Babu ji’. It was 45 years ago that he departed but his memories remain in our memories as fresh if he has left us yesterday. An extra-ordinary man who fashioned our lives, and more impoertantly our character, and whose legacy is more than a guiding post for us.)
Even after his departure forty-five years ago to the day, his memory has not faded. The emotional intensity of our association with him remains un- diminished. This is perhaps the first evidence of the enormous impact he made on our lives.
His calm courage of conviction and stoic strength of character seem difficult to believe today. As the years have passed, it is clear that they are also impossible to emulate. The high standards he set may subdue and frustrate us, yet they define more emphatically the stature of a man, whose humility, honesty, and dedication to his responsibilities remain the stuff of legends.
Last year I wrote about the upbringing he gave to us. His gentle guidance, his easy persuasion, and his firm and unflinching support particularly in moments of crisis, all made us tread our paths assured of a certain degree of protection and a reassuring fall back if one failed, which we did with unfailing frequency. His everyday gentleness yet steadfastness in the face of adversity remains indelibly imprinted in our minds and psyche.
And the fact that even after forty-five years I never forget to remember him at least once a day, and each day reinforces the belief that whatever I am today, it is all because of his blessings, is the mark of the man he was.
What, then, is his legacy?
I am increasingly getting convinced that imperceptibly, perhaps unknowingly, Babuji by his example was laying the foundations of a great family tradition. His quiet confidence in his own calibre and the potential of his children through his demonstrated conduct was something none of us could have missed. It may not have made sense then, but as years have passed and we found the latitude to use some of the learning unconsciously acquired during our association with him, it does.
His emphasis on keeping one’s integrity, his passion for industry, and his own belief in the intrinsic intellectual capital that God had bestowed on his gene pool, all are guiding principles on which his family and its members could build a tradition and heritage that will set them apart in this world.
And today, as each of his sons has outlived him in age, with the advantage of decades behind us, if one can look back dispassionately, dissecting the ways he would impart his lessons, one begins to find a pattern, a vision, a dream. And I clearly perceive that vision, without a shade of doubt, to be his determination to lay the foundations of a family that will stand out in the world on its own strengths, its own merits and its own capabilities.
A real tribute then to this great man will be to appreciate the efforts he made, recognise the strengths he instilled, and cherish and expand the value system he taught. This must be accepted and adopted consciously, with full understanding and clear conviction. Because only then we can pass it on to our children, who must then pass it on to their children.
If I were to summarise his approach and philosophy, I would say that intellect, integrity, and industry would be the three cardinal assets that we must build upon in our respective lives, careers, and endeavours.
We can collectively endeavour to make his un-spelt dream a reality, his unspoken vision an eloquent manifestation. Perhaps one day we can get together to deliberate and discuss as how to take the process forward.
This, then, will be a true tribute to Babuji.
This alone is the way to redeem our debt to him.
scribo ad LX 