THE 'HIGHER' DUTY
Pic.: Nirmala Sundar
Last evening, I spent, almost, two hours in Gunit’s*
bungalow. I was visiting their place after twenty-nine years!
I knew Gunit* since he was in class 9. That
was the time, I used to teach his elder brother, Karan* and four others, in their
bungalow, who were studying for their twelfth-standard board-exams. I was very
close to their family... Though Gunit wasn't my student, he would be very close
to me, very affectionate and respectful. Parents, despite their wealth, had
great respect for teachers, about which, they would be very vocal. “It is
teachers like you who mould our children,” they would say, “You are their
second parents.”
Both the sons were groomed, during their college
days, to get into the family business. Karan completed his B’Com and Gunit his
B’Sc. Eventually both both joined the business full-time and ensured that it
grew well.
What I still remember is, that the family
was very committed to a particular spiritual organization. The Sundays were
dedicated for the ‘seva’ - the ‘service’. Come what may, that was how it was...
for the entire family. I was very curious to know about the mind of the two
brothers. “Are these kids forced into it?” I would wonder, sometimes, “What
makes these young-kids ‘sacrifice’ their Sunday fun – the picnics, socials,
lazying around and chilling out with friends?”
Some years ago, Karan and Gunit lost their
dad. The business is, now, grown and diversified. Karan’s two daughters are
studying abroad and Gunit’s only daughter is doing her ninth in a reputed
school.
Are the wives of Karan and Gunit in tune
with them when it comes to their spiritual organization? “In the beginning, it wasn't so as each one of them had affiliation to their own Masters and
organizations,” last evening, Gunit told me, “We never forced anything upon
them; in stead, we allowed each other to pursue our respective commitments to
our faiths... We mutually agreed it to be ‘our higher duty’. We gave that ‘space’
to each other and, as time passed, they accepted our commitments gladly and
joined the fold. It, then, became easier for us to talk about it to our own
children... None of them show any resistance.”
Gunit wasn't making it up. Last night, I
could see that as I interacted with his 14-year-old daughter. She showed me the
very same seeds which I had seen when Gunit was her age...
Incidentally, yesterday was a Sunday – ‘the seva day’. When I had gone to their bungalow, Gunit and his mom had just returned
from their ‘seva’, which had started at 8 in the morning... The whole Sunday
had gone!
Or, was it this way: ‘The whole Sunday had
been gained”?
It had
to be the latter, sir... It had to be
the latter... The fire I saw in Gunit, last evening, was ten times greater in intensity
from the ‘flame’ I had seen twenty-nine years ago... It was all-consuming,
all-embracing!
In the morning, yesterday, Gunit’s laadli daughter was expected to return from their week-long school-trip
to Greece. Early in the morning, Gunit’s wife went to the airport to attend to
the important duty – the ‘seva’... while Gunit went to attend his - ‘The higher
duty’...
It was all accepted and performed in good
faith... in great trust and joy!
“Dad, I am proud you did not miss your ‘duty’.”
Yes, this was what the 14-year-old had whispered into her dad’s heart, last
evening, as she hugged him on his return from it...
Yes, returned from his duty... The ‘seva’...
The ‘higher’ duty!
*The names changed
GERLAD D’CUNHA
Comments
- Pradeep R
.......... Baanu