Role Models

Every kid has a role model that they look up to, follow, copy body language and go to the extent to dress up like one. These are role models who tend to change from super heroes, sportsmen, movie stars, political leaders, philanthropists & spiritual gurus. I started thinking about the number of people who have inspired me into what I am today and I found someone who has always been a role model.

It feels just like yesterday that I was listening to all his stories about how he had to work his way up, walk miles to get to school, study in a language that was never taught in school when he was in college and still help other students in there classes, part time job in his grand fathers shop, design projects in his free time and wish that he would have the necessary money to support his family, fight for the love of his life to finish her engineering who would later be his better half, face adversities in life almost single handedly and with the confidence and smile that “this shall also pass”. Since I knew this person for the most part of my life, I always used to wonder about how he can stay without comparing, when all your classmates that you helped get through college become millionaires and all he could say is a simple, I don’t think before helping, No Expectations!

It wasn’t that he planned for the future well in advance either; he led a life where he took every day as it comes, tried to live each moment and also imparted that quality in people he came across. This resulted in like most cases, people belittling his skills, principles and also getting judgmental at his methods. If you look through the pages of history, almost all the great minds in the world never cared about what other people thought. There is a certain deal of arrogance associated with it, but some could do it with elegance without offending others. This was one such person. He had learnt some of the biggest lessons that life could teach at a very early age to not have ego, control anger so as to not regret any words or actions that one might do.

So why is it that we all feel we have met this person. He sounds way too familiar, probably because it’s your DAD, an everlasting role model.

Happy Birthday Dad

- Manoj Ganesh (Ever grateful Son)