Avaiyathu Mundhi irupa seyal

People who know me personally will be surprised to see me saying I am influenced by my dad, because I don’t have a lot to remember about him. I am not even sure how he looked. I lost my father when I was seven years old. I did not have much time spent with him. But still he influences me a lot till date. He has given me what a dad gives to his son. I am ever thankful to him.
Thiruvalluvar says making a son learned one is the duty of father. If at all any one taught me how to study, it is my dad. In the school people teach you how to read and write and may be how to score marks. But I have rarely come across teachers who taught me how to understand and apply learned stuff in real life.
My father taught me by making me to teach him my 2nd Standard English, math and tamil. I have also taught him 3rd std History. He later taught me to read newspapers and magazines. He subscribed "Gokulam" for me. We used to read together, he will help me by holding my finger as I was doing "ezuthukootal". Even when I was under 6 years old, I knew well that there are many things unknown to us and books help us learn them. The fire of inquisitiveness he ignited still burning and the thirst to know the reality is never quenched.
The greatest thing about my dad is his great sense of humor. He used to tease me a lot for my absent mindedness. He would count all my fingers once I am back from nursery school and would report that I brought all my fingers back and did not forget any of them at school. Sometimes people say I have good sense of humor. May be the seed is sown by him.
My father did a greatest help to me when he took us to paramacharya of kanchi. I have very faint memory regarding this. But later on somehow I knew Paramacharya is none other than god personified. I am ever thankful for his darshan despite I was very small kid then.
As if he guessed his death, he took us to so many temples. Although I don’t remember all the temples we visited, it was really a greatest experience. My father was a great lover of temples and sculptors. Though we never conversed on that, whenever I spend hours together at temples, somehow I feel my dad inside me.
My father was a brave man. I have never seen him afraid of anything. Even at his death bed he was consoling my mom saying my elder brother has bright future and not to worry about future. For some reason, he always stayed awake in the nights. I have hardly seen him sleeping.
During nights, he would sit in thinnai. The local thieves with all their weapons who would go on stealing properties would say "Hi" to my dad and would talk to him for few minutes. He was not afraid of them. He would say they are his friends. He was not afraid of snakes too. Our house had lot of visitors from snake kingdoms. Never seen him afraid or panicky.
He was dharmakartha of local Narasimma swamy temple. That was a abandoned place when he first overtook the in charge of that temple. He renovated it and called archeological people to visit the temple to read the "Kal vettu". I was told it was a chola temple. I am not sure about its authenticity. Before his death he wanted to perform Kumbhabhisheka to the temple. I remember his last meeting with village elders (they visited him), on the day he was leaving to get admitted to the hospital for the last time, I think he told "Naan thiumbi vandhiduven, vandhu kumbabhishekam nadathuven". (My memory is vague, but sure remembering saying something like this). He was socially very active. One might ask what the greatness in that. He had very poor health. He was born as blue baby and also lot of other complications. But we have never seen him complaining. Instead he worked for public cause. He lived happily and always optimistic.
I have inherited so many qualities from him without my knowledge. I don’t know what the philosophies my dad believed in are. I never had a physical father-son talk. All my life I missed him a lot. I am sure had my father been alive, I would have grown up in our village. Probably would be taking care of agriculture. I might not have been living in U.S.A. I still feel living with a great personality like my father is better than living anywhere else. By the way, My father was a lawyer, our village was Krishnagiri in dharmapuri district.
"Pithru devo Bhava".

Note: "Avaiyathu Mundhi irupa seyal" from a thirukural, which is as follows
"Thanthai Maganuku aatrum uthavi avaiyathu
Mundhi irupa seyal"