Its been two years since my Thatha passed away. I still feel he is around ,deep down in my heart! This post is a tribute to him…
Born in Kerala he was one of the very few people who went to college in his times. His specialization was Telecom and he worked with the Indian Telephones department(a rare honor then!). I have stayed with him since my first standard and I can easily say that I was one of his favourites! A modern man who insisted that women also work and be financial independent which gave my mom her carrer!! He was so academically inclined that his enthusiasm was infectious!! Right from school days he used to be my guru in “Math” and English grammar especially.
I still vividly remember this incident. Computer Science as a subject was just introduced and he sat and learnt the subject from scratch so that he could teach my cousins! His favorite past time used to be reading! His old tattered oxford dictionary was his cherished possession. He had a bad temper while teaching especially when we made silly mistakes his comment will be “thappidam. Yosichu pannu”(Wrong think and do it). He used to take us to the park nearby in the evenings and get us our favorite Puff and cake from a bakery nearby!His story weaving capability was just outta the world and his method of teaching us english grammar clauses was very unique!With the wren and martin in one hand he would single handedly put our grammar to test! When I was doing my engineering he used to keenly talk to me about my course as I was in the same ECE field. Amazing how sharp and strong his basics were! I used to be stumped on most occasions! My Masters was also in the same field and I still remember the mails I used to send which had so much details regarding the courses I was taking. His joy was to see his grandchildren well educated and shining in their respective carrers. His health condition worsened during Aug 2004. He was so sick during my wedding and he still managed to smile and be there for me! He was so happy when I got my first job in India. Its almost as if he was waiting to hear the news …..He passed away Oct. 2004……He’s left behind such a strong impression on me and I still send him a silent message when something good/bad happens to me!!
Thanks Thatha for everything! Not sure if I got to say that when you were around!
