ANTONY. K. VADUKUT – MY PAPA - PART II !

Things started to change...slowly! Truck load of things, which he used @ Sharja arrived @ Cochin harbour in a couple of months after his return; but that was never to reach our home as listening to some tricky-heart melting story, he had given all those things to one of the subordinates he had in his company, almost for nothing. That shameless man came to our house one day & invited us to his house; we went there in our car and had tea with his family, as a token of his love for the things he got from My Papa! We never met him in our entire life, again! He continued with his spending & he continued helping people as immensely as he had been doing all his life. He believed the money he had earned will last for 3 generations, at the least! He helped people who asked for help & he invested money in businesses where he had little knowledge, only to help people & save them from drastic situations. As usual HE NEVER CALCULATED or LISTENED TO HIS BRAIN! He never distrusted people & was there for them whenever his help was required. But, the people as they are never were thankful to him, as they BELIEVED HIS HELP & INVESTMENT IN THEIR DISASTORUS INVESTMENT PROPOSITIONS AS THEIR BIRTH RIGHT! Most of the time he drew a blank, investing in unknown (to him!) businesses to help people! People who came, asked & had his money for almost free in their businesses cheated him day in & day out; & he continued trusting them as no man has done before! In 3 years almost all the money he had amassed had gone disappearing. His income was almost to nil. His drunkard & disloyal friends still had something or other from him...His friends & relatives too shamelessly squeezed whatever they could from him.....He continued spending the last pennies......!

All his life he had been GIVING; and he never knew or learned to ASK! People ill treated him, cheated him, tricked him right & left.....And he never complained! We, too had our problems & difficulties mounted to Himalayan proportions; My Papa was careless, as he thought there will come a way out, out of the blue.....! But that day never came! Our family struggled...struggled to no end....! As time rolled on nobody was his friend...all the tail wagers had gone into thin air...forever! With his knowledge, experience & efficiency in the managerial sector, he joined Muringur Divine Centre-A religious rehabilitation centre- near Chalakkudy in Thrissur district & involved in the activities there, as a service to the society! As is his efficiency & experience, he rose to a dignified position there, in no time. After spending around 10 or so years @ Muringur, he shifted his work ground to an orphanage in Alway, in Ernakulam district. He was playful always...made & told good jokes as well! Once, when I was on my way to pick one of my friends from the Nedumbassery air port, I saw My Papa going in the direction of Alway on a moped, the same direction I was travelling, where he was staying at that time; we crossed him @ a crowded junction and moved ahead as we were already late. But, when we reached the very next junction we got ourselves into a traffic jam due to a bus accident. As we waited there, I saw My Papa, whom we covered kilometres ago pass us on his moped and vanish in the distance as there was enough room for the moped to move on; I remembered the day I stood picking up the pebbles & lost the race, eons ago in Bombay; I thought he out ran me with his moped! I used to call him on his mobile as I am settled in Bangalore for the last 6 years....Usually, he too called me & we had good chit chat over the phone. But, sometime when I called him he would not take the call; then after some time, may be 1 hour or so, he would call me back.....then, I would not take the call....then, after 15 or 30 minutes I would call him....then he would not respond....It was some sort of a game, like Hide & Seek, I thought he was interested in.....! I voluntarily obliged to My Papa’s game!

I too didn’t fall pretty behind in the games like this; 3 & a half months back, in November 2009, I with my wife Varsha of whom he was very fond of, my sister Reena & my friend whom more than three years ago I went to pick from Nedumbassery Airport when My Papa overtook me on the moped, went to give a surprise visit to My Papa @ the orphanage @ Alway where he was spending his time. I called him up on his mobile 09744830091 & made certain that he would be there when we reach there without intimating him about our imminent arrival. But, when we arrived there he was not there; just 10 minutes ago he had gone to a nearby Ayurvedic Treatment Centre to have a body massage, which he had been undergoing for the previous 3-4 weeks. We told the priest running the orphanage to keep our arrival a secret. He arrived after 30-45 minutes & he was surprised to see all of us there unannounced. We were given food & after spending another hour or so with him we returned!

That was my last visit to Kerala....In the month of November 2009. I was completely involved in the work of the organisation I work for, Unicorns International, all these months. I travelled a lot....I met a lot of people, as usual...Some time I thought of going to Bombay with My Papa again that we could travel the Old Memory Lanes Together Again! One year back, in April or May, I even suggested this to My Papa to which he talked positively. But, the trip didn’t have taken place; hence, I occasionally thought about that. After my return from Kerala in November last, in December My Papa was hospitalised due to some problems with his kidneys. After the treatment he was brought back home to recuperate & regain his health. As Naturopathy was introduced along with Allopathic / English Medicine, he was not given his favourite food items & he was totally restrained from having His Favourite Burning Oil! He didn’t like all this.... He complained against the uselessness of the treatment without giving him his wish list of food items! He didn’t like Allopathic or Naturopathic Medicine. As he was The Man of His Heart & never his brain, he wished aloud for his favourite dishes & didn’t like to take medicine. Then, he had a scar on his left foot, due to scratching & it didn’t cure as he had Diabetes and he refused taking medicine regularly. As usual, he talked with people who came to see him with a pleasant face, as he had been doing all his life. I remember, his face was pleasant always.....in good weather & in bad...the pleasantness was always there!

On 2nd of this month (March, 2010) I was travelling on train to Kerala again. At 9.58am, sitting inside the Island Express, I selected My Papa’s mobile number 09744830091 on my mobile & pressed the call button for a second & disconnected it the very next second. I thought, I should not inform him of my coming to meet him....Sometime he might not take my call as he may play his favourite game of Hide & Seek with me. Why should I give him a surprise as he would surely be waiting for me there at home.......? In the night of March 1st he had asked My Mom to fetch his slippers that he was going, to which My Mom told something in the negative & went to take bath. But, when she came back My Papa was gone....Never to wait for My Mom to bring the slippers for him! He knew he was going; that’s why he asked for his slippers...He simply went to the other side....HE DID WHAT HIS HEART TOLD HIM.......He never listened to others & his brain and when he felt like doing something, HE DID THAT...ONLY LISTENING TO HIS HEART! He walked from this life to another one wearing no slippers, with a pleasant face, registering complaints against no one & listening only to his heart, that too A REALLY RARE & BIG ONE! But, he forgot to take his calculator with him as he went walking with no slippers on, as I found out when I reached home; it was placed forgotten on my cot, in my room; of course, of what use it had been for him in his life? Hence, it can be that My Papa might have left it on my cot deliberately.

When I reached home he was lying down in the coffin, waiting for me .........his eldest son with whom he played games of various sorts....in time....I thought this one another game of sorts he invented to surprise all....After a couple of minutes of my arrival the coffin was lifted & I held the coffin on the right side of My Papa’s head....the face was pleasant as usual....He lied there well dressed with shoes on, no slippers. He weighed quite a lot & we were 8 persons who carried the coffin & only I understood that it was the weight of his REALLY BIG HEART. Then we reached the parish church & after the rituals inside the church went to the grave yard for the LAST PART OF MY PAPA’s MORTAL JOURNEY. The coffin was lowered near his grave & then the lid of the coffin was closed & the coffin was lowered into the grave & the grave was closed. My Papa -Not My Papa whom I knew- was there inside the grave but My Papa I knew, I realised, was somewhere around.....He might ring me up from somewhere someday to plan about our much delayed journey together to the Memory Lanes of Bombay... I realise, when the next time I go to the airport @ Nedumbassery I might see My Papa overtaking me on his moped... I know, when & if we go to the orphanage he spent his time @ Alway again, we will be told that My Papa has gone outside just now and will return soon, to be surprised by our visit. And, when he fails to pick up my call on his mobile 09744830091, I know pretty well that he is playing his usual games with me, as My Papa had been all my life and he will ring me up after some time.....!