Today we are so into the modern world ,connected by wires visible and invisible, that it is difficult to imagine a world which was before.
Amidst those times of simplicity, rose a boy from a tiny village from U.P. Walking bare feet for 16 kms daily for education, escaping farming sessions with the dogmatic elders , surviving with a basic t-shirt during the north Indian winters were just a few things which were the 'regular accepted' ways of life for him . Fascinated by the English language which he had been exposed to in bits and pieces made it appear exotic and this man decided to discover it more. Trapped in a closed world, he knew he had to make difficult choices if he was to build a life for himself and he didn't know if he could.
So the little boy dreamt that day, of growing up and becoming a professor of the English language, of imparting the same magical knowledge to more and making them educated. He knew he would have to leave behind all that he had seen and known but he decided to take that risk. The ways of the city, the appearances and struggles were all alien to him, but after all fearlessness ran in the family.
Today I sit and wonder how all of this was possible back then when today we spend so much time contemplating and planning and being careful, losing so much action time. The story of the little boy is not a fictional one, it is the story of my grandfather , Mr.Vasudev Pandey. As I sit back and reminisce after his heavenly abode, I see achievement written all over his journey. Coming to the city, building a palatial house ;a family;a name for himself was a dream which came true for him, and paved the way for ours in the family. Always standing for his beliefs without any hesitation, his peers felt inspired by him and his students were in absolute reverence till the very end. I remember my mother telling me the story of how the DCP of our city handed over his revolver to my granddad telling him to use it to scare off people when they came to threaten him, but my granddad's valour was the only weapon he needed. He never hesitated, he always went for it and he did it with no fear in his heart.
If he has left us, it is only with inspiration, positivity, a never dying spirit and his voice which will tell us that there is no need to be scared, we just need to keep moving forward with purity happiness and belief in our hearts. From someone who achieved so much, he was an extremely humble and sweet fellow. Never did I ever hear him talk of himself or of the feathers in his cap, which seems so rare these days as most people go about selling themselves in day to day situations, with a genuine belief of being perfect. My granddad was a man of strength, fighting till the very end with his brave heart even the toughest enemy of all - time. His struggle was synonymous with his achievements as he never stopped but kept pushing himself forward.
Hence, if this incident has given me something , it is an 'energy', a 'passion', a deeply soothing fearlessness which pushes me to live the rest of my life without being afraid. I may go wrong, I may go right, but the important part is to keep evolving.
I love you Papaji, and I always will.
Amidst those times of simplicity, rose a boy from a tiny village from U.P. Walking bare feet for 16 kms daily for education, escaping farming sessions with the dogmatic elders , surviving with a basic t-shirt during the north Indian winters were just a few things which were the 'regular accepted' ways of life for him . Fascinated by the English language which he had been exposed to in bits and pieces made it appear exotic and this man decided to discover it more. Trapped in a closed world, he knew he had to make difficult choices if he was to build a life for himself and he didn't know if he could.
So the little boy dreamt that day, of growing up and becoming a professor of the English language, of imparting the same magical knowledge to more and making them educated. He knew he would have to leave behind all that he had seen and known but he decided to take that risk. The ways of the city, the appearances and struggles were all alien to him, but after all fearlessness ran in the family.
Today I sit and wonder how all of this was possible back then when today we spend so much time contemplating and planning and being careful, losing so much action time. The story of the little boy is not a fictional one, it is the story of my grandfather , Mr.Vasudev Pandey. As I sit back and reminisce after his heavenly abode, I see achievement written all over his journey. Coming to the city, building a palatial house ;a family;a name for himself was a dream which came true for him, and paved the way for ours in the family. Always standing for his beliefs without any hesitation, his peers felt inspired by him and his students were in absolute reverence till the very end. I remember my mother telling me the story of how the DCP of our city handed over his revolver to my granddad telling him to use it to scare off people when they came to threaten him, but my granddad's valour was the only weapon he needed. He never hesitated, he always went for it and he did it with no fear in his heart.
If he has left us, it is only with inspiration, positivity, a never dying spirit and his voice which will tell us that there is no need to be scared, we just need to keep moving forward with purity happiness and belief in our hearts. From someone who achieved so much, he was an extremely humble and sweet fellow. Never did I ever hear him talk of himself or of the feathers in his cap, which seems so rare these days as most people go about selling themselves in day to day situations, with a genuine belief of being perfect. My granddad was a man of strength, fighting till the very end with his brave heart even the toughest enemy of all - time. His struggle was synonymous with his achievements as he never stopped but kept pushing himself forward.
Hence, if this incident has given me something , it is an 'energy', a 'passion', a deeply soothing fearlessness which pushes me to live the rest of my life without being afraid. I may go wrong, I may go right, but the important part is to keep evolving.
I love you Papaji, and I always will.
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