TODAY IS PATIENCE DAY
“There are two great
days in a person’s life:
the day we are born,
and the day we discover why.”
Willian Barclay
One
of the nicest feelings in life – I suppose, in everyone’s life – is when we receive
wishes on our birthdays… Most of us wait for them… I do. Yes, I do.
And, I need not
describe as to how it feels when our near and dear ones forget to wish us on
our birthdays!
All of us have
been on both sides of this seesaw, and know how do those moments feel like!
The topic for
today’s blog has come from one such familiar moment
“Good
morning Guru.” It was Shripad from Coimbatore, “Aaj kya hai?”
“Arre baap re!
Sorry Raja… So sorry… ‘Happy Birthday' to you,” I wished Shripad.
This has been a
tradition for more than 15 years, ever since Shripad and his family went back from
Mumbai to settle down in Chennai. Presently, they have moved to Coimbatore.
Shripad, the
only child of his parents, was born with certain physical and mental
disabilities. He was brought to me when he was in his final-year B.Com. During
every lecture, his mother would sit on the last bench while Shripad preferred to
sit close to me on the first bench… The class used to be packed and I would be fully-charged…
“Siiiiir,” he would press the break, and go about asking something, so slow,
that it would make me and everyone in the class restless… But, then, I would
look at his mother’s face, who would be so calmly writing down every word I taught/dictated in my class (even though she wasn’t from a Commerce
background), knowing well, that Shripad’s notes would be incomplete and even
incorrect (He vehemently insisted on writing each line though, putting everyone’s
patience to test!) … This went on for full one year!
The very next day
after his final exams, Shripad invited my wife and me for a dinner at his
place. They did not even wait for the results to come… The next week, all of
them moved to Chennai and settled there.
For some years, Shripad
worked for TVS company, which absorbed him on their social-security scheme.
Then, after they moved to Coimbatore, Shripad started his own little venture…
It is digitalization of photos from people’s old albums…
“Guru, please
let your family and friends know about it,” Shripad reminds me, “I will do an
excellent job.”
Shripad also
calls me on every 2nd October and greets, “Happy b’day Guru.” That’s
when I remember Baapuji’s birthday. “Guru, to me, you are Gandhiji.”
That’s too much…
But, with Shripad, nothing can be too much, you see. If he thinks so, so be it…
It is his birthday today. As usual, I had forgotten about it, till he had
called, a while ago, to ask – “Guru, aaj kya hai?”
“Raja, aaj ‘Patience Day’ hai,” thanks for reminding.
GERALD D’CUNHA
Pic’s: 1. www.happybirthdaymsg.com 2. Shripad Raghunathan
Video: Talent Replay
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