Tanvi Gupta
“Our Grandfather kept a garden. A garden of the heart; he planted all the good things, that gave our lives their start.”
If someone was very close to him then surely he/she would say “He was indeed a great man with a pure soul” because he has given his blood to nurture his family and we can’t count his doing’s for the mediocre people.
He was very kind, fun-loving, generous and caring person. He didn’t like to be the limelight in someone’s eyes but rather distanced himself to find true happiness. And his happiness was in his children and his grandchildren. I still remember the summer days when he used to come back from work on his scooter and when we used to hear his scooter’s horn we all used to rush and see what he has got for us and he usually brought the seasonal fruits for everyone. We used to take all the bags from him and would be so happy. And in the evening, he used to take all the children to nearby shop to buy some eatables like candies, lollipops or chips. And on the way back home, we all used to be so happy with our things. I think seeing us happy, cherished him the most.
Since I’m miles apart from my family, I have so many memories down the lane with him that if I start telling it would be uncountable. I can tell few incidences which were very sweet and lovable to share with all, most of my childhood days have been spend at my maternal grandmother and grandfather’s place. I have troubled them a lot by demanding to wear new clothes at the wedding’s place and he used to ask my mother to get new clothes as I used to say “I wore at home, I can’t wear it outside now”. I used to get back on his scooter and roam with him everywhere and I used to sleep most of the times and people used to say, “Your granddaughter is sleeping and she’ll fall down”. And once they lay me in someone else’s car to give a ride back home and within seconds I opened my eyes and said I want to go with my “Daddy”.
I had once incidence with him which made me brave afterwards. On the night of Diwali, everyone was busy burning crackers and the whole sky was lit up with different colours of sparks. He was just standing with all of us, watching from the distance and suddenly one spark of light falls on his hand and he started bleeding so much. I was haemophobic but couldn’t see him like that, so I quickly went and prepared baking powder paste without thinking that whether it will work or not. He gave me strength to overcome my fear.
His sayings for his grandchildren were “No work is big or small, don’t think how much money you can earn in the beginning” we all start from zero and we can learn in every job you do then we can surely touch the heights in the future. He also worked at different levels in his life; started as a school teacher, then as labour officer and finally as a Labour Commissioner. So he has given us his experience in a nutshell.
His daily routine was to get up early in the morning and go for a walk. He listened to the news on radio, go to the temple, go to the shop, bring some veggies and fruits, go for a walk in the evening, help my maternal grandmother with chopping some veggies and spend time with his family. When we all came to know that he has been diagnosed with Cancer, everyone was shattered listening to the bad news. But he always said that he’ll be fine soon and with every passing day our hopes very getting low on seeing his health condition but he never gave up on his health. He fought against the disease very hard but couldn’t make it but for us “Daddy, you were a real fighter”. We will always love you and cherish the times spend together. All of us remember you by relieving the memories they have with you in the past.
Everyone might me wondering why I have mentioned him as my “Daddy”. Since childhood we had been hearing everyone calling him daddy, so we the grandchildren also called him as our “Daddy”. I’m so attached to him that sometimes I get flashbacks and dreams that he’s back with all of us again and we are having good time together. I never thought that he would leave all of us alone so soon because he was a man who had a very strong will power.
It’s been four years since you left us but you are being missed deeply, all your memories are with us making us smile. Your guidance will always encourage me to do wonders in life and make you feel proud wherever you are in this world.
Thank you so much for being a strong motivator in our life. We all miss you.
(The author is Research Assistant Translational Medical Research- Cancer Research Center Kaoshiung Medical University, Taiwan)
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