#அப்பா

                 Yes as Vijiraja  says I am an Appa gondu.😁 and proud of the fact. 

                    Last October when Appa passed away at age 96 , the West Mambalam Public Health Centre conducted a remembrance meeting. 

     

                     While the doctors remembered him for his jovial nature , the nurses remembered him for the extra care he took about their welfare. Salaries upgraded , nurses family quarters, crèche etc . The handymen remembered him as the know all. The one to give a cost effective solution to all those electrical, plumbing and miscellaneous worries. The ayahs remembered him with love and the sweepers , how he would not tolerate even a speck of dust. The administration remembered him as the man with the powerful voice . One man who could change the mood at a meeting and get people to do things his way. I have myself seen him write copious memos everything in detail  not missing even a single aspect of the running of this hospital. 

             No he was not a doctor. He was a retired army officer.

He used this fact and the vast experiences he had gained,  for the improvement of his beloved hospital.

               He served that institution for more than 35 years without any monetary consideration.

             This was how he was and how I saw him all my adult life. 

             He was not  one to hug or cuddle or to talk in the emotional vein. He did the right things. He showed by example.

                2 of my brothers tried for the defence services taking him as their role model. One  successfully joined the airforce and retired as wing commander. 

                   His word was law at home. Yes he was strict.

     Yet people  coming to him for recommendation letters got more then they asked for. Taking personal interest he would call up his contacts again and again. 

                    I have seen his softer sides so many occasions  living as I was just 2 kms away.  

                      I have had his complete support when I went through crisis after crisis in my life. . The  strong will to overcome all troubles and yet be cheerful,  this is what he taught me .