Yesterday evening we'd received the news that my cousin, Kala's, father-in-law had passed away in his sleep. He was badly diabetic but his end seemed to have been peaceful.
Vadaambil Sivasankara Pillai was all of 75 and a widower. His wife - a trifle elder to him and no, I haven't seen her - had passed into the mist of time quite a while back and their only son - Unni, as we call him, is Kala's husband. A soft spoken gentleman, he was loved and respected by the people around for his philanthropy and helpful attitude.
During my visits there, in the past, I have always had very interesting conversations with him and in the process learnt a lot about the local happenings, customs and traditions. And it was during those interactions that I realised as to what a reservoir of knowledge he was. A keen observer of people, he would go out of his way to understand their worries and problems, often ending up in providing help for many. When stricken with Leucoderma, after suffering the initial loss of confidence, he came back in a strong manner to exhibit his tremendous zest for life. The example that I'd like to highlight on this quality of his was when he'd learnt driving in his late 60s and bought a Maruti Zen to drive around! He'd the ability to laugh at life and kept himself busy by taking part in a number of social activities of his hamlet.
His funeral was scheduled for 12 o'clock today and I'd to pay my last respects to him. But by the time I'd finished my work at office and we'd reached Kayamkulam, it was about a half past one. I stood in front of the burning pyre and mumbled my apologies for being late. His favourite reclining chair stood at the verandah, overlooking the spot, empty but perhaps, pregnant with stories of its frequent user! Wish it had the power to speak!!
RIP Vadambil acha. My humble prayers and thanks for your valuable time that you gave me during my visits.
Tailpiece.
After spending a trifle over three hours with the family, we kicked off back for Kochi and it was a smooth drive all the way back.
Vadaambil Sivasankara Pillai was all of 75 and a widower. His wife - a trifle elder to him and no, I haven't seen her - had passed into the mist of time quite a while back and their only son - Unni, as we call him, is Kala's husband. A soft spoken gentleman, he was loved and respected by the people around for his philanthropy and helpful attitude.
During my visits there, in the past, I have always had very interesting conversations with him and in the process learnt a lot about the local happenings, customs and traditions. And it was during those interactions that I realised as to what a reservoir of knowledge he was. A keen observer of people, he would go out of his way to understand their worries and problems, often ending up in providing help for many. When stricken with Leucoderma, after suffering the initial loss of confidence, he came back in a strong manner to exhibit his tremendous zest for life. The example that I'd like to highlight on this quality of his was when he'd learnt driving in his late 60s and bought a Maruti Zen to drive around! He'd the ability to laugh at life and kept himself busy by taking part in a number of social activities of his hamlet.
His funeral was scheduled for 12 o'clock today and I'd to pay my last respects to him. But by the time I'd finished my work at office and we'd reached Kayamkulam, it was about a half past one. I stood in front of the burning pyre and mumbled my apologies for being late. His favourite reclining chair stood at the verandah, overlooking the spot, empty but perhaps, pregnant with stories of its frequent user! Wish it had the power to speak!!
RIP Vadambil acha. My humble prayers and thanks for your valuable time that you gave me during my visits.
Tailpiece.
After spending a trifle over three hours with the family, we kicked off back for Kochi and it was a smooth drive all the way back.
No comments:
Post a Comment