Today is father’s day. But I could not and did not become a father because I never got married. I do feel that I have missed that experience and struggles which a father undergoes. But I had the great opportunity of watching my own father from a close angle and I even today shudder to think the travails and hardships he must have undergone to bring up his large family of 7 children Those were the days when family planning was unknown and nobody would speak about it. My grand father had about 11 children. I would like to hasten to add here that though I did not become a father in the literary sense of the word, because of the sad and untimely demise of my elder brother, I had to take care of his little daughter whom he had left behind. This made me to understand lot of challanges a father has to undergo.
Here I am talking of my father. Yes, he was always very firm, strict and very rarely did he smile. He had such a serious look on his face, I even today do not know how he ran his retail business in medicines and how he maintained his relationship with his customers But the sacrifices he made for the family would show how kind hearted and loving he was. I always used to think that my father was stingy and would not spend money on himself. Because he was bringing all types of fruits, eatables etc for his children. But for himself he would not spend. Since he had a large family, he had to bring everything in large numbers or in big quantity. When I look back I just wonder how did he afford that ‘luxury’. My friend used to think that I was coming from a well to do rich family. His one son was studying for medicine, one engineering, one was in arts college, one was attempting to become a chartered accountant and his girls were going to colleges.But he did not deny any demand of his children. He was a strict disciplinarian. We were grown up with that discipline. In those days when there were not even radios, which came a little later, the day used to end by 7 or 7.30 in the evening. By 8.30, the entire household would have gone horizontal in their beds. But the night supper used to be served at about 7.30 in the evening, the entire family had to be there. There was a long table and the entire family used to sit around it at the assigned place of each of us. The places could not be changed. My father used to sit at the head of the table. None of us would dare to raise our heads when we sat along with our father. It was compulsory that all should be there at that time. By chance if one was found missing, my father would not eat and he would wait for that person to reach home. He would never ask where he had gone. The very fact that he was waiting for one to come back without eating his supper itself was the punishment for that child. He had a dress which people of that era used to wear. But when the household expenses increased, he changed over to ordinary khadi mundu. He was wearing coat and when he found that stitching a new coat was expensive, he gave up wearing coat. But he did not give up that practice until I think the tailor told him that he could not repair it any more!. He was wearing a Gandhi cap and even this he gave up to save a few rupees. These and other sacrifices my father did were for the sake of his children so that they should get good education and become successful in their life. But as we grew up and as we started our independent life, I found my father became very soft spoken, gentle and calm. He would not get excited any more. But the training he had given by examples made our character and if we the children what we are today, it is only because of our father. In fact he is the real hero of our family. Dad we miss you.