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I belong to a pucca South Indian family - traditional, filter-coffee loving people. My Pa, Shri V Raghunath Sharma, works for Bank of India, and my Ma, Smt. Nirmala R Sharma, works for Syndicate Bank . Good for them that they work in different banks. Thankfully, no one expects me to tread their path, not even them. The Banking industry is doing great, and for it to remain that way, it is better I stay away, far away. Lucky to be their son, I've been trying to imbibe the good things in them but have been a failure, so far. Pa's a workaholic; haven't seen him relish sundays for quite some time now. Ma's a multi-tasker, managing home and office quite well. Both are Carnatic music freaks, if I may use the word, and aren't quite happy I live purely on the dhinchuk (lots of bass, little or no melody) type of music.
I have a little sister, Akhila's the name. Studying in the VIII standard, she's quite like me at times, and at other times quite unlike me. Gets easily pepped up, like me; and hates maths, unlike me. Likes painting (our room wall stands testimony) and volleyball. Strange part is, we rarely fight. Her word is my command, and I am glad I get to pull her up occasionally.
My grandparents, both maternal and paternal, have been idols I look up to for example. Haven't seen my paternal Grandpa - wish I was born a little earlier . They say handwriting reflect a man's persona, and his, was awe-inspiring, in every sense of the word. My paternal Grandma is a traditional hyperactive lady, and someone I love spending time with. Brought up on culturally high moral values, she doesn't have her food until the rest of us have had ours. Brings in utmost levels of cleanliness and hygiene to whatever she does, be it cooking or regular housekeeping. She's also knowledgeable about the sciences of the vegetables, and can prepare a gamut of dishes that are both healthy and suit our taste buds.
My maternal grandparents are, well, public figures who I would find difficult to write about. My Tata (Grandpa), Dr. K S Narayanacharya, is a well known writer in Kannada and English. A professor in English at Karnataka Arts College, Dharwad, he has over 70 books to his name. An authority on Ramayana, Mahabharata, Srimad Bhagavatha and the Vedas (ancient Indian epics and scriptures), he's been conferred the titles "Ramayanacharya", “Mahabharatacharya”, "Pravachana Kalanidhi" among many others. His doctoral thesis was on the “Influence of Indian thought on the works of T S Eliot & W B Yeats”. He’s toured the country on several occasions delivering Pravachanas (spiritual discourses) on the Vedas and the relevance of ancient knowledge for modern times. This page is too small to even mention all his accomplishments.
My Pati (grandma) , Smt. Kamalamma is another person I admire. A perfect pair they make. She's his first reader/critic, and is one of the few people who can read just as fast as my Tata writes. We on our part are still clearing backlogs. Highly strong in will power, she has a complete control over her self. Can carry on with just a couple of hours of sleep a day ( tried that myself, and gave up.) and like my other grandma, is a culinary expert. Obbattus and Sajjappas are her forte, and my favourites. Both are currently at Mysore, Karnataka, and keep travelling most of the time to various parts of the state and country for Pravacahanas.
That brings me to my Uncles and Aunts. Between them, they cover almost all professions, from agriculture to banking to engineering to auditing to insurance to homemaking, there's one everywhere, and going great guns. My cousins, are equally well spread. Among us we have accountants, biochemists, engineers, and the rest, well, are budding doctors and teachers and what not. Quite a well-spread diaspora. |
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My Family |
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BALAJI R S |
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Never limit your challenges. Instead, challenge your limits. |
