Disclaimer: Any proper nouns referring to any characters or places are fictional. This story is largely a work of inspired imagination, and should not be misconstrued as a biographical account set into future.
Epilogue:
Sitting in front of the screen (of something, the older generations of which could be understood as a TV), the lady in her late fifties, puts the needles and the wool down, taking a break from weaving a sweater for her 5 year old grandson, in respect of the moment that she is about to witness on screen, and in anticipation of what she believes, her husband, like all big things, knows too. She joins her slightly wrinkled hands in prayer. She has got more than one reasons to pray.
(to be continued ..)
Prologue:
4 of them hugged him one by one, asking him to take care, wishing him Goodbye, and left even before it signalled Green. He went back to his berth, waited for his fellow passengers to get settled, as both, the train, and the time, started moving towards his destination. He lay down on his berth, the bags containing his certificates and other valuable documents underneath his head, closed his eyes, but could not sleep any soon. There was a replay of his entire life playing in his mind. Born in a small village-town, graduated to become an Engineer from a reputed institute, working at a Metropolitan city as a decent white collar professional in an AC office at the salary of a couple thousands extra than what would be needed to feed a full family at his native place, and then, that decision. The decision to quit the job, and go back to his native, and learn, study, this time, not for any degree, or for another job, but for his personal fulfillment, and the greater cause, that he always believed, he was born to fulfil. It was a well weighed decision, but it sounded bizarre to most, at times, to his rational mind too, perhaps, but his family and friends had their belief in him, in his decision, and his competence, and will to make it a milestone, in his journey from good to great. He won't get to work in AC for some time now, at least he should sleep now, his rational mind suggested. He slept. Next morning, he would wake up to a more familiar world, minus, all the glitter that he had been into since he graduated, which he never liked anyway.
The Journey:
It was an expected 'welcome home'. He decided he would assist his father in the small family business, his mother and sister in chores, and would unleash his curiosity and his desire to know, to learn, to acquire knowledge, in the time that would remain. It was a slow start, but he wanted it so. He wanted to assimilate for life, every bit of knowledge that he was going to acquire through his isolated attempts. He chose subjects, dwelled into their mysteries that are never taught in classrooms but are so vital to the soul-of-the-subject, and he learnt. The more he seemed to progress, the more he realized he had to explore. The more answers he seemed to have got, the more curious he used to become, his mind throwing more questions, taking his inquisitiveness and his innovation to new levels each time. The more he studied, the more fascinated he would become about knowing more of it. His mind used to bubble with innovative ideas earlier too, now, he realized they were worth pursuing. He would sometimes discuss some of them with his friends. Concerned for what he was into, they would ask him about more tangible aspects of his detour, from a conventional life path. He too would sometimes face questions, from the outside, and at times from within. There would be conflicts within, about where he was headed, but each time, he would convincingly resolve them, to proceed firmly further. Each time he conquered such conflicts, he found himself evolving spiritually as well, a realization, that only strengthened his belief in his journey.
Inspired innately, he worked on one of his many ideas and developed it up to a stage where he could reach with his limited resources at hand. He needed academic guidance, and financial support. He wrote to a couple of professors of various universities, Indian and Foreign. After a wait of over 2 weeks, and repeated follow-ups and progress updates, he got his reply from one of the Professors, one from a European University. The reply was a lot more than just answers. It was an invitation, an offer to come over and pursue this and other stuff under the professor. Intrigued, he stood at the threshold of another decision.
Should he leave his parents, alone after marrying his sisters, and fly abroad to pursue what he is not absolutely sure of, or should he refuse and let his brainchild stop from seeing the light of the day. But why not in India, why not here, he would ask himself. 'You know the answer', his self would tell him. He consulted his friends. He knew what they would suggest, and like always, he was right. He told his parents. He thought he would do what they would say. But, the parents were wiser. They knew the worth of the sacrifice their son had made over a year back, by quitting his job, and pursuing the road less taken. It was their turn to rise above their fears, and be graceful in sending their son ahead. And that happened so.
He didn't sleep in the Air conditioned International Flight. Instead, he wrote, what he was going to look forward to. Against his established notion of not predicting anything, he wrote his predictions in his diary, and a date to come back by.
The next 6 years contributed the most eventful time of his life. Not only that he made his brainchild a reality, he formally completed his post graduation and even Doctoral studies at the University, in the process, exemplifying the term 'innovating excellence', conferred to him, by one of his Professors there. In the latter half of his stay, he used to take Lectures as a requirement of Teaching Assistantship, and there the pool of young minds that he got to dive in, proved to be the most wonderful contribution of his towards the Academia and of theirs to his life. He would never get tired discussing novel things, those, if realized would make the world a better place to live in. At times he used to wonder how he used to be just an above average student till his graduation, and how he became an exceptional and extra-ordinary talent here. Like always, he knew the answer. He was just above average when it came to learning the old, he was exceptional, and extra-ordinary, when it came to conceiving the new, the novel. His professors knew it, his fellow students too did, and the University acknowledged it too. They wanted him to stay back, but he knew his role here was over. He had a more vital role to play, back in India. They requested him to consider coming back sometime, he said, he would, and he did, later, for some time.
The flight back to India was sweeter. His predictions had been outperformed, by his own sheer brilliance, and his destiny, to which he had contributed in no small way.
In the next one year, he married a woman that reminded him of his school days crush and had joined as an Assistant Professor at an IIT near his native.
It was the beginning of another wonderful spell, that is still not over. His wife, a true companion, complemented him in all possible ways. Family and students, that's what his life revolved around for the next 2 decades. What came in the process, were all just milestones - 12 International patents to his name, numerous students mentored by him rising to become great guns in Industry and Academia, extending his 'innovating excellence' brand further, a berth at various MHRD committees, and what not.
But indeed, for him, and his wife too, the most beautiful one was their daughter, who is now, herself a mother, and a successful journalist. His insistence to teach a new subject every 3 years, his continued record for learning a new musical instrument every 5 years, his habit of reading a book at any time of the year, his wife's committment to making his dream - an institution for teaching underprivileged children of the state - a reality in full bloom, his daughter's persistent demands that he should write an autobiography, and his wife's vocal support for the same followed by his firm denial, were just things that outlined his character.
His students loved him, but this never meant that he shirked his family responsibilities, only except when he used to be abroad for some faculty exchange programmes. In line with his promise, he visited his alma-mater, the university that he spent 6 years at, and even though it was over 10 years after he had been there again, the kind of reception that he received during his 3 months of stay there, he recounts that as the most overwhelming one. He wrote some of his experiences on his blog. What followed was a countless trail of followers, of course, most his former students. But he largely remained a shy, introvert person, away from the glitter, contented in his pursuit of innovation.
Even though he authored books which were studied reverently by the students and teachers at various Universities, in India, Australia, Europe and US, he always maintained a low profile. But he rose from being a Silent Diva to a Celebrity-scientist-cum-Academician, when his biography, penned down secretly by his daughter, and shown to him only after publishing, became a quick best seller, with all credit to the wonderful content, and incredible writing and marketing skills of his daughter and her husband, the owner of the house that published the biography. This happened 3 years ago, and since then, he is not known just with in his academic circle. Each, who read the biography, ended up having him a role model, more so because the book so spectacularly highlighted those virtues of his, that have become so rare even in a resurgent Indian society, leave aside the ultra modern western world. The parents loved it for their young children, the teenagers and young professionals liked it for the Adventure quotient of leaving the job behind and pursuing the unknown, and the elderly liked it for the virtues that the protagonist exhibited. All of it for making the daughter a celebrated young budding author, and a successful journalist, an elated wife, and a largely equanimous him.
He is still connected to his old friends. His daughter would still visit her parents twice a year. He would converse with her and his grandson in his native language. His daughter would wonder if her son is more curious or her father is. She would fail to draw a conclusion, like her mother used to fail too, between her and her father. There are still a couple of years before he would retire. His wife and daughter would often joke about what he would do after that. His son-in-law wants him to author motivational books, that he could publish. His students want him to keep mentoring and keep innovating. He would just smile. He knows, as he somehow, always has, what it is going to be, but unlike his first Internatinal flight, he won't predict it. After all, he knows it.
India's leading production house had ventured a movie based on his biography. The movie proved to be a critics' delight to watch, and even went on becoming a hit among the mass audience, despite its biographical content. It was sent as India's official entry to the Oscars for the Best Foreign Movie category and after 7 years an Indian movie made it to the Nominations. Today, the entire country is praying for it, like we Indians always do. Oscar or no Oscar, the result won't have an impact on him. While innovating excellence, he has beautifully evolved to be an epitome of equanimity as well.
Epilogue: (contd..)
"And the Oscar goes to .. 'It started at 24 ..!'"
A tear drops from the right eye of the lady. Her face, a canvass painted with elation, and gratitude! She sees her PDA is blinking with a call alert. It's from her daughter. She mutes the screen sound, and walks towards the garden. A graceful person sits in a comfortable chair with his PDA and the morning newspaper on a small table besides him and with a guitar in his hands. He has just finished replying to the query mails from his students. There were numerous 'good luck' mails that he won't reply to. The birds he feeds daily, are busy having their food. Smiling, he takes the call, and talks to his daughter in his native language. The wife wipes off her face. Smiling, she asks for the breakfast. He nods. She goes inside to fetch it. He resumes innovating certain notes on his guitar, learning to play some new song, one whose lyrics are yet to be written!
