Simple act of caring is heroic

Written by Ayana Shaji, Creative Empowerment Batch 3 

Born in July 1967 in Kaarachal, a village in Wayanad was a boy full of mischief and ambition. I cannot think of another person who cares for us as much as he does. I cannot imagine another person cooler than him.  Shaji Ouseph was the youngest among 6 children born to Annamma and Ouseph. Though being the youngest of all, he wasn't pampered…he paved his own path. From those exciting stories that I heard, I could understand that his childhood was a mixture of both, great joy and misery. His sisters vividly remember how short-tempered, stubborn and loving at the same time he was. People's opinions and judgements never affected him negatively. He is very optimistic about most of the things in life and even if he is feeling out of sorts, he never showcased it.

My father started his career as a teacher in 1994 and later on became a firefighter. He is a great storyteller. When it comes to the evening walk, that was the story time…he would go on elaborating the precious funny stories of his childhood. And yes…he had the most elegant way of delivering them. The story which intrigued me the most was the one he said about his schooling. He never bothered to study until 10th grade, when the appreciation of a single teacher changes the entire course of his life.  My dad used to walk miles to reach school every day barefoot. It was during his 8th grade he bought a pair of black fancy shoes with the money that he earned by going to part-time bookbinding work. The struggles were there always, as he had to figure out his own path with little or almost no guidance and support from others. He had a great passion for knowledge which made him go back to pre-degree (12th ) once again to pursue Math after completing his polytechnic diploma. My dad is a jack of all trades and he has tried various activities in his life. He made sure that he made the best use of all the opportunities he got. He was into theatre…which explains why he is such a good storyteller, he tried out martial arts, chess, and swimming and in his late 40s, he enthusiastically joined football, volleyball and badminton matches. Unlike my mother, my father is not someone who spends a lot of time praying. His religious perspective is slightly different as he says it's not important to go go to church to pray and so on, to which I don't agree. Raising three children is not an easy task. He never forced his children to do what they didn't want to, instead, he guided them beautifully to make their own decisions. He encouraged us to express ourselves and our opinions and always reminded us to be ourselves and celebrate our uniqueness. As my younger sister is growing, I can see a clear reflection of our father in her. She is confident, creative, organized, extremely caring and also short-tempered like my dad. My father moved to Dubai when I was in 1st grade. The struggles he has been through were never shared with us. It was easier to quit, but he continued to squeeze out every drop of that opportunity. I always admired his hardworking nature, and the dedication he puts into everything he does, be it small or big he believed that one must give the best one can in all one do. 

My dad never gave utmost importance to money. He always says that real wealth is health and happiness. Be it a friend, family member, colleague, superior officer, a stranger…he always said to others what he believes is right and never sway away from it.

 I once asked him to share a motto to which he cling on to, and his response was:

“ Live a life with no regrets and not hurting any soul”.