This year, my late father’s death anniversary - 20th of October - fell during the Navratras. He, by being an active and involved parent, forever supported my school. He used to say that Ramaa has always been known as his daughter but he will be happiest when he would be known as Ramaa’s father. So during this Navratri, I spent some time at Delhi Tamil Education Association Senior Secondary School, Mandir Marg, and I brought along with me, to give to the students, Golu dolls as is traditional at this time of the year.
The principal there had also requested me to be the judge of an inter-DTEA competition (there are 7 DTEA schools across New Delhi - Mandir Marg, Janakpuri, Lodi Estate, Pusa Road, Moti Bagh, Laxmi Bai Nagar, and R. K. Puram). The competition was held in the honour of my father and was for classes six to ten. While for class six it was building adjectives, the classes 7 and 8 had to partake in storytelling and poetry recitation on nature respectively. Class 9 had to speak on ‘heard melodies are sweet but those unheard are sweeter’. And finally, the class 10 had to debate on the topic - roots vs shoots.
The whole was organised and conducted equally well. I was very much impressed by the efficiency and coordination of the organisers as the participating students had come from six other branches and had to be back to their respective schools by the end of the school day.
It must be noted that I and the other judges were not told which branch the competing students belonged to, so as to make the competition totally fair and unbiased.
At the end, I shared some of the lessons that had been taught to me by my late father. Firstly, I spoke about the importance of simplicity, and how substance always trumps over style. Secondly, I told the students about how my father used to tell us that the best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own - learn to be aatmanirbhar. Lastly, I reminded them of his most important lesson - that work is worship. It doesn’t matter what you do in life, but what matters is how you do it. One should make sure that one’s work should never suffer whatever may be the case.
It has been over 40 years since my father’s passing away, yet he still lives with us through his love and guidance to this very day. The light of his imparted wisdom shines ever so bright and forever helps me find my way through the darkness.
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