Kuppaswamy Iyengar

Article written by Amith Govind for certificate course HOSD 2015, Christ University

Born to family of 14 children my grandfather faced many deaths of his loved ones at a young age. The family soon began to lose hope in the younger children.  “Grow like the garbage at the corner of the street,” was what his grandfather said before naming my grandfather Kuppaswamy Iyengar. ‘Kuppe’ means garbage. This had a positive effect on my grandfather. As a child he wanted to prove to people that he could live a long life, forgetting the fact that it’s going to take a long time to do so. Being born a farmer’s son he spent maximum time on the field, be it playing with his mates or learning the art of farming. Eating the healthy farmer’s meal of a ragi ball for breakfast, plenty of rice and curry for lunch followed with Indian bread for dinner. It goes without saying that there were many more tiny meals in between. This kept him in tiptop condition throughout his younger days. Not once did he require any doctor’s assistance. I for one can say that my grandfather has definitely achieved his goal and has proved everyone wrong as he is alive and kicking even at the age of 86.

Since the age of 14 to this day not once has anyone washed his cloths for him. Not once has anyone watered his plants for him. Not once has anyone washed the vessels he has used.  Not once has he been to the doctor with any serious health issues. He wakes up, waters his plants, goes for a long walk, washes his cloths as well as my grandmother’s, finish his daily prayers and then sits with the newspaper and coffee In hand. To emulate him is not an easy task but it will prove to be useful in many years to come.

My grandfather is highly passionate about flying objects. Starting from flying kites to watching the launch of a new rocket by ISRO. It always leaves him mesmerized.  This was the main reason behind his fight for a job in HAL. Coming from a village, it was never an easy task to get high income and high recognition jobs as those given by HAL. Crossing all the hurdles he did manage to land the job leaving him ecstatic. At first the job wasn’t as glamorous as he thought it would be. It was one amongst the menial jobs of doing the clerical work. But just as no great life story begins in rainbows and sunshine, my grandfather worked tirelessly to go higher up the ranks to a point at which he was satisfied with himself.

The stories that my grandfather enlighten me with are more or less etched in my head. Starting from treating his group of 13 friends to a sumptuous meals of 7 dosas each with just 1 ruppee to the hysteria he experienced when he sat in the cockpit of a fighter jet.

“We are all story tellers and we are the stories we tell.” This quote never fails to remind me of my grandfather. Whatever be the distance, be it a few kilometers or be it a few trillion lightyears to heaven he will live on by the stories he told me.

My grandfather never fails to inspire me. Being a father to four he went through a hard time in maintaining the family. I must say he has excelled in his duties as a father as I can see all his children living happy lives all around the globe.

The best thing a grandchild can give his grandparents is time. No expensive shoes, no fancy clothing, no God’s idol instead precious time. As a matter of fact, one must be honoured to be able to listen to history itself on a first hand basis.

The fact that my grandparent’s days on earth are numbered did take a toll on me. The realization wasn’t a sweet one. It left me distraught for quite a few weeks but the outcome was something I was supposed to start doing many years ago. At this point I never lose an opportunity to spend time with my grandfather. I sit and listen to all his stories for many hours even if im exhausted because the joy in his face in seeing someone willing to listen to him is enough to rejuvenate me. He makes it a point only to tell me the happy or the value filled stories and never shares his pains. He always talks about the people who make him happy and the people who respect him for who he is.

The sole problem that my grandfather faces is hearing. This was caused by the fighter jet he sat in. So much for love. Apart from this there seems to be no other hindrance in his path to live a happier, longer life.