It definitely has to be my grandfather.
A tall personality indeed !
He lived his life with utmost dignity ,passion and elegance. He passed away at 92 and he was extremely healthy and fit, barring last two months in his life.
After retiring from Army Accounts Department, he settled in Pune and spent his later years tirelessly working for society. He joined Students Welfare Association, a Pune based organisation, working toward providing education and accommodation to students from underprivileged background. He must have spent around 30 years working for this organisation and has played a huge role in growing it.
His day would start with meditation and then making tea. By 9 AM, he would be ready in his white shirt and black trouser, every day! He had this clothing preference before Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs made wearing same clothes everyday trendy. His breakfast would be a nutritious laddu and a cup of milk, a breakfast that is popularised by Nutritionists like Rujuta Diwekar currently. He would have laughed at us today if you told him you are doing these things. He worked for 8 hours a day without complaints. Consistency, moderation and dedication were some of his good habits I wish I can develop.
Apart from his social work, he was an avid TV buff. In his older years, he would hear high and I remember him sitting close to the TV watching Tom and Jerry and laughing like a child. He loved cartoons, sports. He also loved gardening and had few plants in his balcony of which he took good care. He loved travelling and reading. He certainly was a man who took interest in life.
He was strict and none of the grand children dared to behave unruly when he was around. We were not scared of him, it was all respect. We knew he is not the man to fool around with. Sometimes students from his organisation would visit home and tell us, that we were very lucky to be related to a man like him.
I miss him! He was ethical and good natured. He was not a rich man, but money has got nothing to do with a rich life and he certainly led a rich life.
