My father is my hero, no doubt about it, I guess every daughter feels so, at least most of them. I wasn’t the pampered one at home, though I was the youngest in the house. But his stories inspired me to write something about him today.

He shared once many years back, one employer had promised my grandfather that he would offer a job to his son, but the employer decided otherwise. My father reached on time to his office sharp at 9 and realized that the employer wasn’t there in office.

Determined to get a job, he spent the whole day waiting for him to arrive. The employer fully aware of the situation thought of playing a game with my father. He was present in the office that day but asked his personal assistant to communicate otherwise. My father refused to leave his office, though the clock struck 6 and then 9. That is when the employer realized that this guy is too determined to get a job and might end up staying over in the office.

Meanwhile, my father didn’t have anything to eat or drink and neither did he have the money to buy something for himself. Seeing my father’s willpower the employer called him inside and offered him a job & something to eat. He was mesmerized by his determination and his urge to get what he wanted at such a young age. He was truly inspired and gave him a job with a higher position. This incident is still etched in my memories as if it happened right in front of me.

 Many years later, when I had completed my 12th exam and the results were announced, the college circular was out declaring that they were open for admissions. I decided to send a family friend who stayed close to the college to enquire if the selected students list was out and he agreed. I kept following it up, and he kept saying that the list was not displayed yet. I kept calling him for an update, but he never took the trouble to go to the college and check the list. Meanwhile the second list with the names of supplementary students came out and the third list came out as well.

That is when I received the news that admission was about to be closed, and me and my father went rushing to the college to enquire. The professor yelled at us for not coming on time when the first list was announced. He was very rude to such an  extent that he said that we could look out for a new college. Unfortunately, in my hometown, there was only one college, and we were in a helpless situation.

I lost all hope and sat on the stairs and cried. My father counselled me and convinced me not to lose hope. He didn’t give up. He went to the professor and explained the situation and requested him to consider my case as a special case. He was excellent at convincing people, and I could see that within a matter of 15-20 minutes, the professor was willing to offer me a seat. This was truly a life-changing incident for me.

I can never thank him enough for what happened that day. This taught me a lesson for life that when you put your heart into something, you will get it. You should never doubt your abilities and truly believe that things will turn in your favor. Your strong belief has the power to change your life. He has been truly a source of inspiration for me, and I look up to him for taking strong decisions in life. His positivity towards things truly inspires me. I am so fortunate and proud to be his daughter.

Ms Shobana L,

Mathematics Professor

(m/o Sourav Vishwanath  of grade 10 and Yaamini Vishwanath of grade 6 B)

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