28,29,30 and 31

My father and grandsons

Below i narrate three episodes of my late father with his grandsons : After seeing Pilku at the age of 14/15 he told me that he was also like him at that age: lean thin and tall. One day his history teacher (an Englishman) equated him to a Marathi warrior who was lean, thin and tall and later became a strong person by regular exercises,proper food. My father told me how he took to wrestling and became captain of the team of the DAV College Kanpur from where he graduated and took law degree....One day he took Silku to the weekly market at Fatehpur. He was then about 10 year old. My father bought a bundle of 'Badh',used for repairing the ‘Charpais’.As  he was finding difficult to carry it by hands, so he kept it on his head and was walking happily . My father stopped to have a word with Munimji,a neighbor. He saw Silku carrying load of 'Badh' on his head. He asked him,'Don't you feel shy of carrying the load on you head ? You are son of a DIG.' Silku replied that he was son of the DIG but not the DIG.So why he should feel shy.  My father was very happy with his answer to Munimji.......He was very keen that one of  his grandsons should settle down at Fatehpur and look after ancestral property. He also thought of opening a clinic where one could,after medical degree, practice. He thought that Babloo,being the youngest, could keep his wishes.  Babloo happened to visit his grandfather when he was about ten. My father asked him to settle down at Fatehpur and his entire plan for him. Babloo told my father that he would do as he wished. My father was quite happy. He told me about it. But after talking to his grandfather he went and told cousin sisters living with my father that he won't stay at Fatehpur, that he had told the grandfather that he would stay at Fathehpur so that he did not feel bad. My father was disappointed. I assured him that i would come and stay at Fatehpur after retirement from service . But he did not believe me as he had come to know, i now had a flat in Delhi. I told him that i would let out Delhi flat. He did not believe. Keeping my promise to him i renovated/rebuilt the ancestral house after his death. I went there twice in a year and lived at least for ten days each time for about 30 years. The house was maintained as it was during his time. When travelling became a problem for us, i sold out the property

Quotable Quotes :"Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom."Hannah Arendt