Do you think Sheikh would be a good role model for Tabassum after her mother's death? Name any two qualities the young girl can learn from him?
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Answer:
My grandfather was my biggest role model. He was a genius, hard worker, big achiever, simple, patient, duty conscious, loving, caring, enquiring and a father figure!
My grandfather was in fact a role model for the family, community and any human being. His traits have had a strong influence in molding us and made us who we are. He is physically no more but he lives in our memories and his spirit lives with us forever.
He had a tough childhood, loosing parents at a young age. He had to study amidst severe conditions. He had to cross a small river to go to school. He would keep his clothes folded in a backpack, swim across and wear them again after his swim. They dried by the time he reached school which was a few kilometers away. He studied under a street light in his village. Hardworking became his second nature and would never bat an eyelid to work hard. This became one of the fundamental secrets of his success in life and at work.
As he studied, he was also helping his stepbrother with his college education, by sending a part of his scholarship money from Indian Institute of Science (IISc) at Bangalore. The institution was well known for producing high capable students and my grandfather was one of them. He had a very high IQ and was very sharp at grasping things. He would supplement his initial grasp with thorough study and analysis. He studied at IISc under the able leadership of Indian physicist, Sir C V Raman, the Noble Laureate and Bharat Ratna. My interest in physics and curiosity about nature was kindled by my grand father’s scholarship in physics.
He was married to my affluent grand mother. His father-in-law, a competent criminal lawyer in his times, decided to get his daughter married to him, due to his unshakable trust in my grand father’s capabilities to succeed. My grandfather was happily married and had three children – a boy, a girl, followed by another boy. He was duty conscious towards his family, work and life.
His passion for excellence brought him laurels, in every mine and every power station he commissioned. He dedication to his work at Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) took him to new heights. In his own words, he would run to take care of sick machinery even on weekends, even when children were also sick at home and needed his attention. In his later years he regretted the price he had paid for his passion and would advice me to be aware of prices and tolls that dedication takes. It was one of the lessons that went deep in my heart.
He was a charismatic and benevolent leader, who served and helped people as much as he could. Creating jobs and employing the qualified people into appropriate positions were part of what he excelled in. At Neyveli, he was known as a Godfather who was always there to address people’s grievances to his best ability. Noticing his excellence in technical and operational areas and his leadership capabilities, he was offered the top position at NLC – General Manager.
He was so humble that he refused this top position, as he wanted to be technical and not get distracted into administration. Titles and positions did not lure him as much as technical competence. Even after his retirement he was a consultant to reputed government sector units like Tamilnadu small Industries (TANSI) and Tamilnadu electricity board and our own factory, Entvent tools and services. He was thorough with the subject matter in every meeting he attended and presented with clarity along with required facts and numbers.
His purity was very obvious at the very first sight of him – White hair, white shirt and White dhoti. His wisdom was unsurpassable. He had gone through a lot in his personal life with a sick and senile wife and every hardship only made him wiser. He fondly recollected his wife’s younger days and regretted that she did not even realize the great heights he had reached. He redirected his later years towards spirituality and prayers. He was a great devotee of Goddess Sarawathi, the Goddess of learning and did pooja (ritual in remembrance) and meditation with care and unsurpassed devotion. He spent time at Ramana ashram at Tiruvannamalai. My grandfather was undoubtedly a self-realized man.
From our family point of view, he was an unquestioned leader, holding up the fort for his family to thrive – his sons, his daughter, his daughters in law, his son in law and six grandchildren. He insisted on the togetherness of the family at all costs. He was very accommodative of individual preferences and constraints, without letting go family values. His prime focus was on unity, education, health and future.