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| My father - My God |
My Father - Lives Ever
He is short. He is stout. He is powerful. He is simple. He loves nice things of life. He adores his juniors. He often fights with high-ups for the sake of his protégées. He fights hierarchy; he gets transferred to ‘Agency Area’. He serves his department without prejudice. Most of his service has been in very backward regions. Basically, he loves his birthplace, the Godavari Delta very much. He strives to get transferred to his native district all his working life. It never happens. But, he is never discouraged. He believes in the government sponsored education system so much that he admits me, his only son, a son he sired after an agonizingly long wait, in a newly conceived residential system of education ( a la gurukul), a model school, far away from home. By the time his son finishes the high school; he falls ill and becomes helpless.
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| My father with his B.Ed Classmates |
He suffers from diabetes. The understanding and management of the disease is limited in those days. He develops a condition called diabetic retinopathy. He loses his eyesight at a man’s most productive age of mid-forties. Takes a long leave from government service and comes back to his native West Godavari. The silent killer is slowly eating away his organs, steadily closing vital systems of survival. He passes away in his native place leaving behind a young family.
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| My father with his colleagues of education department |
He loves us all. He knows that his call of duty has taken us away from all our near and dear relatives. It has forced us to live in dismal conditions. Yet, he has successfully built a strong family. My mother, though uneducated in today’s standards becomes the guiding force of our family. We siblings have become not only responsible but also contributing persons to the society.
Yes. He is my father. I am proud of him. I salute to his spirit. I still miss him. After all, I am my father’s only son. Dear world, this is my father and I proudly remember him on this Father's Day. He lives forever in our memories and minds, We know, we can always seek guidance and blessings from him.
