My father, K. Daniel, passed away on 23rd March, 2002. He was 86 years old. My mother had left us earlier. They lived together for 63 years and raised ten children. My father retired as a school Headmaster. Being a school teacher, he was known in our place as Kunnathu Daniel Sir, and he was well known and much respected. In his 36 years of teaching career, a very large number of people in our place had had the opportunity to be his students. He was also the Sunday School Headmaster in our parish for a long time. He had a key role in the founding and in the development of the parish in our place-- St. George Orthodox Church at Mukhathala. He contributed not only the land, but also his time, money, and efforts for the parish. He worked closely with the Diocesan Metropolitan, the present Catholicose, to build up the parish. He remained the biggest contributor to the parish till the end. He wanted to give one of his ten children to the service of God, which he did. Rev. Fr. Jacob Daniel is his 9th child. My father was also the founder of the local library. He donated land to that too, and supported it all his life. He also took an active part in the life of the local community by holding responsible positions in a cooperative bank.
I take this opportunity to look back at my childhood, and find out what my father has meant to me. As I was growing up at Mukhathala, wherever I went, people identified me readily as the son of Kunnathu Daniel sir. That was my identity. I remember an incident. I think I was about 13 years old. My older brother asked me to buy some cotton (to make cotton swabs) from the local pharmacy on my way back from school. He had some minor ear infection at that time. I stopped by the store, and asked for cotton. I plunged my hand into my pocket to find that I didn't have enough money to buy it. What to do? I had never seen those two people working in that store, and they didn't know me either. But I really wanted to get it for my brother. Without a second thought, I produced my identity. I said, "I am the son of Kunnathu Daniel Sir. I will bring you the money tomorrow". Obviously they didn't know who he was, for they were new to that place. However, when they saw the sincerity on my face as I produced my identity, they let me have the thing I wanted. This identity not only gave me such a privileged status, but it also required a very responsible behavior on my part. Later in life I learned what it means to be the child of God from this. My parents were visible gods to me in every sense of the term. I saw God in them.
Raising the ten children required life-long commitment and sacrifice. In that baby-boom period, life was a challenge to each of those ten children. Our parents moved on each day of their life trusting God. They identified with each of those children, and helped them to build up a life. They cried with them and laughed with them.
I am what I am today mainly because of the disciplined training I received from my parents. Every day of our life began and ended with prayer. Here is an incident. I still remember a question I asked to my sister when I was very young. I asked, "Is it because we pray that the Sun rises every day?" After reading the Bible and singing a song, we would all stand up, face the east and pray. When we begin praying, it would be still dark. By the time prayer ends, the Sun rays would be slowly coming in. My young mind tried to connect these two events, and concluded that the latter might be the result of the former. Morning prayer was as regular as the Sunrise. On Sundays we used to have the entire sleeba/kyamtha namaskaram at home. Then we go to the church and repeat the entire namaskaram there. Thus we used to have the namaskaram two times every Sunday.
Although my parents had high expectations of me, never did they take important decisions for me. I was expected to be responsible for myself. Although I couldn't please my parents for everything, they were always there for me, giving me all the support I needed. Seeing my interest in religious matters they thought that I would be interested in priesthood, and they even encouraged me to go in that direction. However, I had to disappoint them. More than once I was about to submit to their wish, but a voice from my innermost being stopped me. I have never regretted my decision. I would have been a failure as a priest because I am not such a person. My parents loved me enough to honor my decision. I still admire my parents for the freedom they granted me. However, God honored their wish and prayer in another way. My young brother accepted priesthood as his calling.
In addition to being my father, he was my Sunday School headmaster, and also my school teacher for some time. I remember once when he called me from a distance while at home, I was not sure how to respond for a split second, but then I called back, "Present….." as I would do when the teacher calls roll at school. Later that day, I remember what he talked to me about it. He said, "I am your teacher only at school. Here I am your father." I learned all the good things in life from him. He encouraged me to read, write and to be competitive. He encouraged me to set high goals in life, and to take risks to attain the goals. I believe this is what took me to Ethiopia, and later to the United States.
In 94, I was in Ethiopia when my parents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. I couldn't be there with them, and I missed that event. However, I wrote a little poem in Malayalam and sent it to them as an expression of my regard for them. Here is a summary of that poem:
The creator of the world put together a cell from my father, and another one from my mother, and then breathed His own soul in it, and created me.
Then God placed me in my mother's body, the most secure place,
for me to grow from being a cell to an attractive child anyone would look at.
Looking at the lovely baby's body, arms and legs with curiosity
and excitement, they exclaimed, "This little child is God's gift".
They competed against each other as to who loves this child more.
And they were determined that this child should grow according to the will of the creator.
Giving everything I needed, and by forgiving all my mistakes,
my parents raised me with love and care to what I am today.
It is really God who created me and gave me life;
however, God remains invisible to my eyes forever.
The love I see in my parents is the same love of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment