This is about my father, who is around 89 years old, quite healthy for his age. He is used to travelling by buses and trains to different places. Despite being reasonably well off, he can’t bring himself to spend even a penny unnecessarily on himself. He would always avoid travelling in comfort , for that means he would have to shell some thing extra from his hard earned money. However if somebody was in need of money he would be the first one to help, without even questioning, the authencity of such a request : thus leading himself to be trapped by unscruplous people who are out there to dupe him with their act of sincerity. When anybody points this out to him, he would shrug it away saying, probably he owed that person something from his previous birth, that is why that person has come to collect his dues. He would always dress as if he has no good dress to wear. He doesn’t have to dress like that, but as they say if one has to count every penny spent, from a very young age, it kind of gets stuck with you, for even when you have enough your mind always questions you and makes you feel guilty. He would not even spend once in a while on some tasty food at the resturaunt, even if he is hungry, he would rather come home and eat. In short he is the kind of person who would not spend on himself, but would readily spend on some dud project, which is doomed right from the beginning.
He would readily give loan to people who have no intention of giving it back to him. We are amazed that there are always people who are waiting in line to dupe him all the time. It is not that he is not aware of the losses he has incurred upon himself, but he tends to have great faith in the goodness of human beings. He is hopelessly optimistic. In his entire life I have rarely seen him ever get back the money he lend to someone. And in all his various housing or investment projects he has always ended up as a person unjustly cheated.
Now, recently, he was a victim of a pick pocketer. He was returning back from his home town, ( he is still renovating his mother’s ancestral house), trying to get the contractor finish some remaining work, but as usual the contractor is busy with other important work and has no time to finish my father’s work. He has been paid his money, and so he will finish it only if he can spare some time from his other jobs. My father would go every month spend 10 days only to be disappointed, and dejected. At his age so much tension and roaming around here and there to get things done is definitely not doing him any good. If he is still alive and going about his work, one can only say it is through sheer will power, and determination.
So, this incident happened while he arrived at Madras central station, and was on his way to cross to other side of the station, when somebody cut his very shabby looking hand bag and went off with the wallet in which he had kept Rs. 3, 000, and his original driving license, along with some insurance papers etc. Though why he should be carrying all sorts of unnecesary things, only God knows, but everything went off with the money.
He neither looks rich, nor looks the the type to carry so much money with him, and he is so old and frail looking man, how can one have the heart to steal from him. But whatever may be the reason, the man sure had luck in his hands. My father must have realised it later when he opened his bag for something. Just imagine how shocked he must have been when he realised what had happened. Luckily he had Rs 50 in his shirt pocket, with which he could catch a bus and come home.
Suppose he was with no money at all how do you think he would come home?
One can say he can always hire an auto, come home and pay him. But knowing his attitude towards spending can you imagine him ever spending whatever the auto felllow charges ( the auto fellows would always quote their own price, for these fellows are real cheats who never go by the meter). He would have definitely got into an arguement with that fellow, called the police etc. he would have stood there and fought for justice in this unjust world. I think seeing him so tired after the tiresome journey, God himself must have had pity on him to have left him with enough money to somehow reach home.
I heard this piece of information when I just casually called up Madras to have a word with my father, ( he would only do all the talking, for he is deaf). This news really upset me, I felt so annoyed with this world, why why why ?
Couldn’t they find some one else to loot?
Hasn’t he had enough, why is Universe treating him so harshly in every step of his life?
Is it because he is such a simpleton, that Universe can’t have enough of finding ways and means to make a fool of him, mocking and torturing him endlessly? Hasn’t he lost enough all his life?
Is he not entitled to lead a normal life without any unpleasant surprises confronting him?
Sometimes I feel this world is not the right place for good people like my father. It is not so much about the money, or the things he has lost, I don’t know what , but I feel very strongly that my father deserves the best, but the best is still to come..
But I am sure he must have come up with an explanation for this incident too, and would continue in his journey called "Life", facing all obstacles with a big smile. He must have forgotten and even forgiven the person who committed this crime.
This is my Father, and I love him very much. He will ever remain a source of inspiration to me.
