“Good morning, thangam!” a voice rang, accompanied with his customary cough. (thangam means gold in Tamil). My thatha – my grandpa called out affectionately to me, sitting in his favourite armchair placed in the left corner of the veranda, in front of our house. This was his morning ritual, reading the newspaper while simultaneously sipping his morning tea.

I responded, “Good morning, thatha!” It was a pleasant Sunday morning – I had managed to get a few days off amidst my hectic articleship days and had dashed off to my hometown to spend time with him. I sat beside him on the floor, with my coffee cup, pulling out a section of a newspaper from the stack arranged before him. While reading the newspaper, as usual, a lot of questions came to my mind. I did not need to Google or surf online. Because the man sitting on the armchair is my very own Wikipedia. Shooting tonnes of questions is a natural habit of mine – answering them patiently, one after the other, was his. Thatha would pick up a particular news item which, according to him, would be useful to me. That is how he injected the habit of reading newspapers in me!

Gradually he started to inquire about my work and workplace, “How is work?”, he asked.  “All good, thatha”, I replied in an unconvincing tone. “What makes you give a confused reply, thangam?” he gently asked. Without a second of hesitation, I poured out my heart to him. “I miss home terribly, thatha. I miss our family terribly. I miss you terribly!”, I cried. “Sacrifices are essential for you to achieve your goals, thangam. Coming out of your comfort zone is the real game of growth”, he quoted. “What is the point of having goals and growth in this uncertain life, thatha?” I asked. “Oh! That was deep – let me try and answer that”, he said.

 “To have a goal is to stay focused. An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. If you are sincerely working towards something that you feel is important and honest, the positivity you feel and radiate is priceless. Who said goals must be higher and bigger? All you need to consider is, are you happy in the process? And you need to suffer at times to realise how precious the gift of happiness is. Life is a balance of both, thangam”, he added.

How could this man have apt answers for every single question? – my mind voiced to me. Be it doubts or my accomplishments. The first person within my family I would share these with, would be him. He would get more excited than I would, witnessing my triumphs. Whenever I shared my achievements with him, my family knew what would be his reaction – they could give anyone a running commentary without even having witnessed the event. Each time, tears would roll down his cheeks and he would rhythmically tap his thighs, to express his emotions.

Once, I narrated to him an incident where I was appreciated for moderating a motivational session. After his customary response, he wiped off his own tears and asked, “How are people out there?” “People?….” I dragged, “Yeah! They are good, thatha”, I added.

He looked at me with love in his eyes and said, “People are different, thangam. You may like some and dislike others. But learning to tackle people – now that is an art. Your world has widened now. It is not just our family anymore. Make conversations and explore different minds. Do not get attached though. Someday we are all going to leave our bodies. There is no point in attaching ourselves to people and material things, which are the root cause of all major suffering. Be who you are and not a reflection of what they are. Amidst a lot of negativities in the world, be a person who spreads positivity and love. If you give love without any expectation, it will come back to you in unexpected ways, thangam. Trust me!” he said.

It took me a few seconds to realise that I was not in a philosophy class anymore. “Sure thatha!”, I replied. I felt truly blessed having this one person in my life who would give me proper answers, even though their questions were unasked.

Suddenly, I remembered that my tuition teacher, who had taught me during my school days, had invited me over to her house. I told my thatha of my decision to visit her sometime in the next week – the reason being laziness, which both of us knew.

“Life is too short, thangam. Everyone has a very limited time. Life is unpredictable! Who knows what will happen the next minute. Embrace the present. Just live the moment! Do not make your people wait for you ever. Else, the regret would be huge”, he said and got ready to go to his room for his morning shower before breakfast. “Ok thatha. I will visit her today at 5.00 pm”, I replied. “That’s great!”, he replied.

It is now eighteen months since thatha left us. I sit on his armchair in the veranda, with my cup of coffee – a pile of newspaper stacked beside me, and of course, my mobile phone ready to clear any doubts I may have. I now ask myself questions – and wait for life to answer them. I cherishing his teachings – which remain etched in my heart like inscriptions on the temple walls. My source of comfort and learning is no longer outside of me, my thatha resides within me, in my heart – something for which I am truly grateful!

About the Author:

Sutharsha Rajaprakash, a B.com graduate, is currently undergoing her articleship at an eminent audit firm in Coimbatore. Born in a typical Indian family, she dreams of creating her own identity and legacy. Her happiness lies in penning down the thoughts which overflow from her overthinking mind. She loves to post quotes, poems, and review books through her Instagram handle (sutharsha_rajaprakash). Mythology, self-help books, along with biographies and autobiographies, are the genre that interest her. She is a great movie freak and an avid music lover. Her passion for singing allows her to find solace amidst the hustle and bustle of life. An aspiring public speaker, she has won many elocutions and extempore competitions. She loves both the extremes – interacting with people and the state of solitude. She has an insatiable craving towards travelling, tasting different cuisines, and exploring different cultures. Her immense belief in the universe aids her in manifesting a life just the way, she wishes it to be.

She can be reached at sutharsharajaprakash@gmail.com