The man who has influenced me the most

When I say that there is a man who has had the greatest influence on me, it is none other than my grandfather.  He is a great man, though he never will acknowledge that. I don’t exactly remember when I came to consider him my role model. But I can confidently say that there is no other person in this world who has gained more respect from me.

When I was a child, I remember, I used to be very scared of my grandfather. He is a retired school head master. He is tall, lean and healthy. He was never very good at dealing with children, and hence generally kept away from me. He has a very booming voice, which I guess, had contributed to my fear factor.

During those days, my parents and I used to stay at a different place from my grandparents house and came home only once in two weeks. My grandfather used to coach girls from the village, to play volleyball. He has coached hundreds of students so far, from whom he never asked anything in return as kind or cash. Those were mostly children from poor or lower middle class families, the parents of who found it extremely difficult find enough resources to send them to school. This is one aspect about him that has had an influence on me.

My grandfather was never at ease with kids. He considered that it would be better to keep them at bay. My grandfather’s approach to kids changed, I can say, drastically after spending one whole year with my brother, aged 2, when my parents had no one to look after him back where we stayed. I reckon only after that did he start appreciating the fun one could have with kids around.

The next turning point was when my parents got transferred to branches (they work in bank) nearby my grandparents’ house and we shifted our residence to that house. I was about 10 years old then. The friendship that formed between my grandfather and me was gradual. But the bonding has turned out to be very strong.

I have told you he was a school headmaster when he retired. In fact he is much more than that. I call him a walking encyclopedia. He has the knowledge gained through extensive reading. He was my story narrator, studying partner, teacher, and many more. He is the best story teller I have ever come across. Though it was my brother who changed my grandfather’s approach to children, it was I who gained maximum out of him. My interest in science interested him, I suppose. His knowledge about different subjects always amazed me. He could talk about any subject so extensively and informatively that I could actually visualize what he was explaining.  When he narrates a story, you experience being in the scene of the story.

After my tenth standard in school, I left home to do my higher school and college education. But the bonding between my grandfather and me has stayed intact or rather grown stronger over the years. It is delighting to realize that both of us enjoy each others’ company a great deal.