A WBM road which was recently laid by the state govt of Andhrapradesh, There were some mango trees with few mangoes beside the road. Behind those trees there was a hill called Peddakonda. The hill was situated near a village called Kondayyvalasa. A BSA company bicycle was slowly and steadily moving on the road. A little boy aged 7 years sat on the front seat of the bicycle which was meant for children. A man in his late twenties riding the bicycle carefully in order to give a comfortable ride to the child. The child was moving his head front to back and vice versa in such a way people may think the child himself riding the bicycle. The boy was humming a song and uttering the words “Ramba ho…..Ramba ho….ho….”, to make the boy happy, the man was also humming accordingly “Ramba ho….Ramba ho….ho…..”. As the bicycle was moving slowly, the man alerted himself and the boy to keep quite as he was approaching a railway track which had no guard guarding it. He stopped the bicycle, observed both sides of the two tracks and proceeded towards the other end. The young boy was observing all this in awe, now he is not at all humming.
I was that young boy and the man was my Dad.
Dad used to take me there to watch some movies, many times Telugu, sometimes Hindi and very few times English. There was a community welfare centre which was established by then newly constructed Vizag steel plant. They used to play movies on a white screen with some old or already used projectors. They would put mike sets for sound. Though the sound was loud, it would lack clarity often. Still I used to enjoy those movie shows.
Dad used to wake up at 06:00AM every day; I would get up along with him. I would try to imitate him in brushing my tooth with my tiny tooth brush. Fascinated by the taste of Colgate tooth paste, I would make most use of it. Yes you are right; I used to eat tooth paste whenever I get a chance to eat it. By observing my acts, dad always come to me and would teach me how to brush my teeth. Sometimes he would catch me while I am busy in eating the paste. I still remember, he tried several ways to stop me from eating tooth paste, eventually he succeeded.
Every day morning he would give me some home work which I should complete the same day evening. And I was always good in doing so. In the evening after completing my home work I would go to play games with my neighbouring children. One Unfortunate day I was not completed my home work. In the evening I forgot everything and went to play games near our village Ramalayam. I came home, had bath and was waiting for Dad along with Mom. Dad came, after he got fresh, he asked me “bring your homework, and let me check”. I was suddenly realised that I did not complete my home work. I admitted the same. Dad got angry with me; he punished me severely by hitting me on my back. I was shivering and crying. I eat nothing. Later after some time Dad came to me, I was still crying. He tried to console me, but I was not. He explained the necessity of completing a given task. I realised my mistake but still I did not stop my crying. He finally asked me to come and eat food along with him. I told him “I don’t eat this food”. Then he asked “what do you want?” I knew he would ask that. I immediately told him my favourite food….Cream biscuits. He told me “ok I will get them in half an hour, but you should stop crying”. I said “ok”. He took bicycle and within 10 minutes he came back, I heard bicycle sound, I thought he would come with biscuits but how come this early. Later I heard some noise which was not clear to me. But I could understand Dad was saying something to mom.
I slowly went to sleep thinking about cream biscuits. I woke up at 06:30AM as usual. But that day I was feeling very hungry. I went to mom and asked for some food. She told me to brush my teeth first. I did it hurriedly. Then Mom gave me my favourite cream biscuits. I was on cloud nine. I was very hungry and I have my favourite food with me. I ate all of them in a lightning speed. Again I heard some noise; mom was saying something to Dad. Dad finished his breakfast. Mom handed over him a lunch box.
I was ready to say bye to Dad as usual. But today Dad did not give me home work. I was very happy because, the entire day I can play as I wish. I said bye to Dad, but to my surprise he was not riding bicycle instead he held the handle and walking with it slowly. After going for some distance he was checking the back tyre of the bicycle. I asked mom, why it is? Mom told that bicycle tyre got punctured. I asked mom “Then how Dad brought me biscuits yesterday night”. Mom told me “yesterday night itself it was punctured, Dad went to the shop by walk and came by walk, by the time Dad reached here, you were already in sleep, he did not want to disturb you, and hence I gave you biscuits in the morning”. I was shocked, because the shop was far away from my home (around 3KM). It means Dad went there by walk just for biscuits that to in night. After a while mom told me another shocking news that as I was slept with empty stomach, Dad did not eat anything and felt very bad for punishing me.
After an hour or two I forgot that entire episode and I became busy in playing games with my friends. In the evening Dad came and asked me whether I completed my previously pending home work or not. I said “No, I forgot”. He said nothing. Actually I was not forgotten but I thought that Dad would never ask me about it. The next day morning Dad gave another home work. I tried to complete it but suddenly I remembered about my previous pending home work. Then I tried to complete the previous one first. I got confused. Eventually I could not complete both home works. That evening I did not go to play games. I forgot the procedure for my previous home work and I could not understand the present one. I felt very sad.
Dad came in the evening and asked me about the home work. I told him that I could not make it as I was confused. I cried in front of him with shame. He then took me in his hands, put his right hand on my head and moved my fore head hair towards backwards. He did it affectionately for few minutes. Then he told me “You can avoid doing certain things but you cannot avoid their consequences”
He explained same to me in detail
“You avoided doing your previous home work in order to enjoy the games; you did not do it even after getting another day for it. But you have to move forward, you got another home work to do. Without completing the first one, you cannot understand the present one. You got confused. You can neither complete the previous home work nor attempt the present one. You could not escape the consequences and now you are crying because you felt like you are helpless”
I realised my mistake and its root cause. That was my first philosophical lesson which I got from my Dad.
