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

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MUTHU KODI KAWARI HADA

Image
Pic.; Ashwin Mohta M y Hindi was always bad. It still is. One reason for this was, that they introduced Hindi for us only in 6 th standard. Or, was it in 8 th ? I don’t remember… I only remember struggling to write and read… leave alone speak! But, I loved Hindi movies, and, strangely, I could understand the dialogues and the lyrics of the songs… I used to sing those songs (of course when no one was around me!) as if I was the lyricist… One of the songs was a very funny one. ‘Muthu Kodi Kawari Hada’. It was from Mehmood’s super-hit comedy – ‘Do Phool’. I was a 15-year-old high-school boy when I had heard that song (not watched the movie). I could grasp the meaning of two words – ‘Muthu Kodi’… which meant ‘Give kiss’… But, what ‘Kawari Hada’ meant, I have no clue till date! It was just like ‘Why this kolaveri di’... Yes, why ask? Simply enjoy the beats… And, the beats are great… The rest... Who cares? Really! So, whatever bit of Hi
Read more

"HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS NOT A FAIRY-TALE... IT IS A CHOICE"

Image
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone… It has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” – Ursula K. Le Guin,  The Lathe of Heaven T welve years ago, when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got married, the world began to hail the couple as ‘Brangelina’. It became a fashion for couples around us to call themselves so… Norbert and Teresa renamed them as ‘Noresa’…  Amol and Vishaka baptized their relationship as ‘Amoshka’… and, Salman and Nargis became ‘Salgis’! I and my wife, too, got tempted to re-christian our matrimonial relationship as ‘Germa’... That is, Gerald and Anima, to be precise! B efore I proceed any further, let me make it very clear, here… that, I have no business to judge on the break-up of Brad Pitt and Angelina’ Jolie’s marriage. I have no inclination to go into why, how, what when etc behind it… The couple ‘chose’ to split. And, it’s their choice… Only they know how good or bad… how joyful or painful that
Read more

SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

Image
“I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty. I laugh when I hear that people go on pilgrimage to find God.” - Kabir T here is a universal human weakness – and it dates back to the days of fallen civilizations – and it is: to place people on pedestal and trying to be smothered by them, feel loved and protected in their company… worship them as mentors, heroes,  gurus, Mahagurus and Satgurus… Make these mortals larger-than-life cut-outs, worship them as flawless, pure and give one’s all… And, then, ‘take’ everything from them blindly as divine… Give everything to them blindly… Eventually, what happens is:  one more dangerous bondage… What was supposed to free you now becomes a new prison… It’s sad to see this happen! T his room, where I am writing this Post, has no image of any deity. I have no image of any Guru or Master around me… My question is: “Am I not able to feel close to Almighty God?  How does it matter
Read more
THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...