Preface

I feel privileged to have been born of my parents, whom I love more than anything else. Now that I am pushing seventy and retired from active life, I reminisce the many time my parents, particularly my father, Jagat, happened to introduce me and teach me the more minor things in life. At times when I have been depressed or bogged down with something, his teachings and guidance have been a beacon of light in my life, and I have emerged from them with flying colours. Now that I am at the evening of my life, I thought to pen down his life journey and how he shaped his life and learnt to be victorious in difficult situations.

Jagat’s grit and determination are legendary in his work area, and I have been a mute witness since childhood. Even though I scored poorly in my examinations, though disappointed, he always encouraged me to do better next by obliterating the mistakes I made before. Once, during my work career’s initial days, we lived together in Hyderabad. On one of the nights, I suddenly woke up to find my head on his lap and him stroking my hair and asking what had happened and why I was crying in my sleep. How he asked the question was enough for me to come out of my shell and blurt out that I could not sleep since my girlfriend, struggling after losing her parents very early in life and with her younger brother and sister, could not have two square meals at a time. My father patted me on the back and asked me to marry her and stay together to alleviate her day-to-day problems immediately. Such was he – ever understanding and properly guiding me in my life.

Though there are many times that Jagat came to my rescue, this is a small effort by me to remember him, though he remains in my prayers always.

– Udayan Banerjee