Making father proud

Today, I met the proud parents of a number of my students who graduated today. The happiness was simply infectious- the parents and the graduates were so happy and joyous. My father never got to see me graduate, but I am sure he is watching me from up above and guiding me. I hope he is pleased to see that his son has given his all for the benefit of students- the future of society. My father was extra-ordinarily honest and ethical, and he set a high bar for me. I hope you are proud of me, father.

Swarag Narak

Today I played the song Leena O Leena from the movie Swarag Narak. My father really liked the song, and had bought the EP record. It was a surprise buy. We all enjoyed the song and listened to it often.

Public gardens

Another wonderful memory- dad taking my sister and myself to Public Gardens and buying us salted/peppered peanuts. I was very young then and he would carry me for a while. I also remember going to the Parade grounds with father to watch the beautiful parades and the tanks and other equipment.

Making pyjamas

Today, I remembered my father making pyjamas. A man of diverse interests and excellent skills, he would take our measurements, get cotton cloth, cut it and stitch it using our Singer sewing machine. He would intentionally make the pyjamas loose-fitting so that they would be very comfortable. He also made handkerchiefs and shirts for us. His unconditional love, not just for his children but for all people, moves me and amazes me.

Summer of 1976

In 1976 I finished 10th class. Brother Stanislaus had passed away, and Brother Emmanuel had taught us. I became good friends with him. A couple of years earlier, Little Flower high School, one of our arch competitors had started a Junior College called Little Flower Junior College. In the two years it had built quite a reputation. Our goal was to go there for our 10+2 college. rumour had it that Brother Emmanuel would become the Principal of LFJC. I had to write an entrance exam for LFJC. I remember my father dropping me off for the entrance exam, and I wore a tie for the first time for the interview. My dad helped me put it on. After the interview I was admitted. My father gave ma fabulous HMT watch as a gift for getting in. It is a rock-solid beautiful stainless steel watch. My 10+2 years were the best years of my life in many ways- I made great friendships, I learnt a lot, and had genuine fun. I also gained a tremendous amount of confidence, and came into my own.

Spinning

One of my pleasant memories is that of dad showing me how to spin a lattu- he would wind the thread and launch it so that it would spin beautifully. Eventually I became good it at it and could actually launch it so that it would spin in my hand. Those were the days!

Parasmani and Vinta Kapuram

There are two records that my father had in his collection that always hold a special attraction for me. The Parasmani LP had Lata and Kamal Barot singing"Hasta Hua Noorani Chehra"on one side- a beautiful rhythmic composition of LP- their first gig as composers. My father liked this song a great deal, and would often play it towards the end of our musical evenings. The other side of the LP had a fabulous Rafi number- "Salamat Raho," a favorite of mine, with the LP beat that became their bread and butter.
Another fabulous record was Vinta Kapuram. Master Venu composed the brilliant tune 'Atu Panupu Etu Nuvvu" for Krishna in this movie. Only much later did I come to realize the greatness of Master Venu- He also composed the songs in Baatasari.

Carrom Board

This week we bought a carrom board. My father was an excellent carroms player. I used to play with him and he would often let the kids win. His specialty was the opening break when he would try to get one carrom in each of the four pockets. He was also very good at making sharp cuts.

Warm thoughts on a warm day

Today the temperature rose to the 80s and even the short run I undertook made me tired. Which made me wonder how my dad biked for more than an hour each way in 100+ degree weather, day after day in the summer. The roads in Hyderabad were and are bad, and getting a flat tire was par for the road. What was the source of energy and drive that made my father keep at it? It did take a toll on him later on.
One of my favorite records from my father's collection is CID. This movie had wonderful songs by Rafi and Asha. My father and I both enjoyed the music.

Geology and Star Trek

Today I saw the new Star Trek movie with my brother, mom and my elder sister. It was an entertaining movie. I remembered my father describing the formation of the earth and explaining how the Himalayan mountain ranges were formed from the ocean. It was so beautiful a concept, and he would show how these can be deduced from the type of rock formations.

Value of a paisa

I remember my dad telling us that we did not know the value of money. He used to say that if we earned a paisa (penny) we would know how much effort it takes or how hard it is.
At the time I used to get upset, but now I realize how hard it is to earn a decent living, and how difficult it was for him, to put in gruelling work hours and raise four young children. I miss him so much.

Sholay and Anta mana manchike

My dad once came back from our hometown of Nellore. He then told us about the movie Sholay that he had seen there- it was a big blockbuster. He really liked the movie, and could relate to many parts since he was there in Chambal valley for quite a while. I saw it much later. He also saw the movie Anta Mana Manchike with Bhanumati. We went along with him and saw it. It was a very entertaining movie as well.

A Happy Birthday

Tomorrow is our mother's 74th birthday. All of us are with her together- something that has not happened for many years. Of course, the main person is missing- my father.
I don't remember my mom celebrating her birthday- she would always make something special, usually a great dessert, on my father's birthday and on our birthdays.
I remember a trip to Tirupati with my dad- going with him in his Jeep. It was a heck of a drive. Afterwards, we got the laddus and enjoyed ourselves.

Designing the Sofa

My earliest memory of our Himayat Nagar home includes a beautiful sofa my father had bought. Later, I remember my father drawing a beautiful design for a new sofa, with very artistic touches and beautiful curves. He then had it made by the Carpenter Mestri. It really was a beautiful sofa, with nice depth and comfortable back. The top had a beautiful curve.

Kanhaiya

One of my favorite songs while growing up was "yaad ayi adhi raat ko" by Mukesh, a record my father had in his collection. For many years I thought that Kalyanji Anandji composed the tune, but I realize now that it is SJ. Of course, the song on the flip side, Ruk Ja O Jane Wali Ruk ja, should tip anyone off that is a SJ tune.
By dad was also very fond of songs from Challia- Dum Dum Diga Dig, a beautiful rhythmic number from Kalyani Anandji, was his favorite.
We also had songs from Choti Bahen- Mukesh gems composed by SJ. One of the finest songs by SJ was in Katputli- "Manzil wahi hai pyar ki" by Subir Sen. His voice is very similar to Hemant Kumar- it would be interesting to find out why SJ used him.

Being curious and well-read

This evening our family was assembled in the living room and we discussed a number of topics- one of them being our father and his wide interests. Even though he grew up in a small town, his interests and tastes were very varied and cosmopolitan. It is unfathomable to me as to how he gained interest in western music- he had a huge collection of army marching band music, in addition to songs like Come September. He was exceptionally well read and knew in depth about many topics. An amazing intellect, blessed with the desire to know.

Honors

As I was recognized for some work today, I wished my father was there to see it. It would have meant a great deal to him. His world revolved around us. The amount of effort and interest he put into our upbringing is simply unfathomable. Unfortunately we did not have many awards or ceremonies for him to enjoy. Hopefully he is around us and watching all the activities.

Gleaming, Ringing Raleigh

My dad had a black Raleigh bicycle. Every weekend he would clean and oil it and keep it in top condition. Even after many years of use on the rough Indian roads, it was in great shape and looked new. Father would always test the bell..I remember the sound to this day.

When I went to IIT my dad bought me a used Raleigh bike as well- this was a green one. I used it for five years and then brought it back home.

Spending time with Lucy

Everyone in our family is fond of the Lucy Show. My dad was also hooked and he would watch it anytime it was on. We did not have many sitcoms at the time, but this was very good. When I was at IIT it used to air on Sunday mornings.

Going to our grandparents' village

When I was in school, the best part of summer was going to our native village. We would first go to Nellore, where our father grew up. The we would go to our village, home of our mother and her parents. The village was only a couple of miles from the Ocean. It was a truly amazing setting, with coconut and palm trees everywhere. Some years, my father would be on a tour and he would come to the village in his Jeep. This was always a big deal, and all the local children would come to see it. My father was greatly loved in the village, and he was a favorite of his mother-in-law. It was a great experience- the joy of childhood.

Rolling up Half sleeves

I always remember father wearing half sleeved shirts. Of course, being in Hyderabad, it made perfect sense. The funny thing is that I am always wearing full-sleeved shirts. When I was at IIT, I used to wear Kurtas which were also full-sleeved. Perhaps I felt that my arms were rather thin, or I wanted to look formal, or both- I have always dressed fully. Of course when I run I am often wearing T-shirts and tank tops and shorts. Father used to wear shorts when playing table tennis with me or when cleaning around the house.

Da(r)d

As the song "Na Jane Kya Hua" from Dard is playing in the background, I am winding down my day and thinking about the music I enjoyed with my father. I re-discovered an old song by Mukesh and Lata - "Ibddaye Ishq Mein Hum" (I had thought it was Suman Kalyanpur, but my brother set me right). My father had songs from Aradhana- Na Hrudayamulo nidurinche cheli- was a favorite of mine. I had memozied its lyrics. Another favorite of mine from my father's collections was 'Atu panupu itu nuvvu."This was a wonderful composition by Master Venu. My dad had a great fondness for rhythm, something I also inherited.

Dad'd Favorite Foods

My dad had a sweet tooth, and he loved sweet stuff. Mangoes,especially the kind called Banginapalli, were his favorites. He also liked a type of bananas that were very sweet. His favorite prepared desserts were laddu and mysore paku. One of my favorite memories of desserts is having Tutti Frutti or Vanilla Ice Cream at Hav-Mor in Hyderabad after we got our report cards at the end of the school year, in April.

North Indian Food

My dad and mom spent many years in Northern India. My mom was telling me today that my father would eat chapatis a lot in Northern India. As my parents lived in tents, they had a cook who would make the meals. My dad would always invite his friends to eat at our place.

Hemant Lata Duets

Father loved Hemant-Lata Duets. There is no duet more beautiful or romantic than the incredible number by Hemant Lata in Patita - "Yaad Kiya Dil Ne Kahan Ho Tum." Shankar Jaikishen were brilliant in this movie, composing the other gem, "Andhe Jahan Ke, Andhe Raaste" sung by Talat.

Father also loved songs by Yesudas, especially the Chit Chor songs. He also bought the songs from Toote Khilone, especially the Yesudas number "mana ho tum."

Antha mana manchike

I remember spending a few days in Nellore and my father and our relatives went to see the move Antha Mana Manchike. It had Bhanumati in it.

Just stories

My mom was describing a dream she had last night, where she was at a train station and a young man took her into a room full of statues of Shirdi Sai Baba and explained to her the life story of the Sai Baba. It shows the depth of my mom's devotion to God.

My mom also told me about her father's mother's mother, Lakshmamma, and her mother in law, Rangamma. The latter single handedly worked hard and over time acquired 60 acres of farm land. That is simply spectacular. However she also made her daughter-in-law also work very hard, grinding rice kernels. Laxmammma apparently would tell stories to my mom when my mom was 10 or 12 years old, Laxmamma being in her seventies then. After her mother-in-law died, Laxmamma managed the fields and the farming, as my father's mom died at a very young age.

Flying...kites

One of my fond memories of childhood is that of flying kites. When I was very young my father would take my sister and me to the open space near our house and he would fly the kite. He would let the kite go very far- it would take a long time to bring it back and wind all the string. The specialty was that father would make a long tail for the kite, so that when the kite is flying, the tail would be blowing in the wind, creating a beautiful moving imagery. It was a sight to behold. There is hardly any kite flying now!

Playing table tennis with father

One of my most enjoyable childhood memories is playing table tennis with my father. He had designed a beautiful dining table and had it made by our carpenter. It had a decolum top. After lunch or dinner, I would take some notebooks and arrange them across the table - these would serve as the net. We would then play the best of three sets. This was a lot of fun as my dad was in good shape then, and with all his biking he would move very well. I have a feeling that he intentionally made me win many times, so that I would feel good. The immense love of a father.

AN Amazing Focus

Today my mom and I were discussing my younger sister and how she would forget to eat when she was into something. She inherited that quality from my father. He would not get up until he had finished what he had started. On a weekend, he would start cleaning the bulbs, lamps, his bicycle, and other things and he would eat lunch after completing all the cleaning- this often meant eating lunch at 3:00PM. He would drink coffee, a habit I inherited in good measure. I don't have his power of concentration, and his interest in mechanical things.

Camping

Today our mom was telling about the times when my dad was on his geological survey field work and my parents would live in a tent for weeks or months at a stretch. My dad would come back to the tent around 5:30 PM after completing field work. He would then take my sister and I in his Jeep and we would go to the nearby town and spend some time in the lights before returning to the tent. At the time, there were only lanterns in the tent, and the dinner was in the lantern light. A very very tough life, but a de-lightful one! The love of my parents for me and my siblings knows no boundaries- it truly symbolizes the essence of Atman, or the supreme one-ness of being.