The centenarian
My father-in-law, had he been alive, would have turned 100 on August 30.
It was on this day, 30 years ago, that I first met him. His family had celebrated his 70th birthday in the morning and later that evening had come to my grandmother’s house. To see me. They were seeking to arrange a marriage of his younger son with me. I was twenty then.
My father-in-law and my grandfather were of the same age, so initially I found it difficult to see him as a father. But soon I realised he was far healthier than my grandfather.
My father-in-law was a health freak except that you didn’t have such terminology those days. Every morning, as he woke up, he would exercise for an hour, a practice he kept going almost till he died. He was so nimble that he could bend and flex and even do handstands.
I remember the first morning I woke up at my new husband’s home and walked out to meet the family only to see my father-in-law at his handstand. I was not used to anything like that, especially from a senior person. My family didn’t believe in exercising and as you aged, you were supposed to get “old.” So I was shocked and amazed but chose not to say anything till I was alone with my husband who put me at ease.
My father-in-law had a very good appetite. His daily meal included all five tastes, there was variety in whatever he ate and he ate quite a plateful. But he never overdid it. Not that he was ever worried about putting on weight for such jargon was unknown to him. Even at 83 when he died, he had no health issues. He passed away in his sleep, a natural death.
Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Sept 01, 2018)
gulftoday.ae/portal/37bcdf48-ed87-43e1-ad97-a05f0fc9eff8.aspx
Shri.M.K.Ramakrishnan's birth centenary slide show presentation - 30th August 2018.
Click the link below to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a-zdCF695c&feature=youtu.be
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyam
www.facebook.com
It was on this day, 30 years ago, that I first met him. His family had celebrated his 70th birthday in the morning and later that evening had come to my grandmother’s house. To see me. They were seeking to arrange a marriage of his younger son with me. I was twenty then.
My father-in-law and my grandfather were of the same age, so initially I found it difficult to see him as a father. But soon I realised he was far healthier than my grandfather.
My father-in-law was a health freak except that you didn’t have such terminology those days. Every morning, as he woke up, he would exercise for an hour, a practice he kept going almost till he died. He was so nimble that he could bend and flex and even do handstands.
I remember the first morning I woke up at my new husband’s home and walked out to meet the family only to see my father-in-law at his handstand. I was not used to anything like that, especially from a senior person. My family didn’t believe in exercising and as you aged, you were supposed to get “old.” So I was shocked and amazed but chose not to say anything till I was alone with my husband who put me at ease.
My father-in-law had a very good appetite. His daily meal included all five tastes, there was variety in whatever he ate and he ate quite a plateful. But he never overdid it. Not that he was ever worried about putting on weight for such jargon was unknown to him. Even at 83 when he died, he had no health issues. He passed away in his sleep, a natural death.
Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Sept 01, 2018)
gulftoday.ae/portal/37bcdf48-ed87-43e1-ad97-a05f0fc9eff8.aspx
Shri.M.K.Ramakrishnan's birth centenary slide show presentation - 30th August 2018.
Click the link below to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a-zdCF695c&feature=youtu.be
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyam
www.facebook.com
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