Talking about tragedies in the preceding chapters, I have also to tell you about two most important personalities whom we lost early. I have already told you that all humans are mortals and our beloved father was no exception.
While we accept the above theory, we keep lamenting about their loss by recounting the circumstances that may have led to their early end and continue to dwell on controversial thoughts for a long time, assuming that certain timely preventive action could have saved them. This may not be true but in many cases it provides a consoling effect for the dear and near ones.
Our father was in his early sixties when he had to leave this world probably in 1957. He was a chronic diabetic for more than twenty years and he also suffered from stone formation in kidneys. He was very careful and very strict in his diet.
We have known him to be very active and energetic until he was about 55 years of age. While our Taya Abba, the other partner in business, liked to stay in the shop to control, our father was the one to move about and travel to Bangalore, Madras and sometimes to northern India for purchases etc. He hated sitting in one place. He used to tell us many interesting stories and strange habits of people living in northern part of India which we used to listen with utmost attention.
One such story was like this:
In those days there were no banks so as to carry drafts to far off places. Hundies also were scarce, probably good ones for nearby places like Madras. It was therefore necessary to carry cash if you were on a purchasing errand. On one occasion he had to go to Lahore for purchasing wheat in bulk and arranging its dispatch by train. He had two thousand Rupees (about $14,000 in today's money) on his person in shape of currency notes and Rupee coins of pure silver which he used to tie around his waist in a narrow sack like thing. He invariably did this when he went to Bangalore or Madras on similar purchasing missions.
While in Lahore he had to stay in a small improvised hotel recommended to him by someone. The rent for lodging only was one Rupee per day (about $7 a day in today's money). During the night since he could not sleep with all the money, he had to entrust it to the owner of the hotel. There was nothing wrong with that in those days but disturbing thoughts did not allow him to sleep for the whole night. What if, he thought, the owner refused to confirm receiving the amount. No one would believe a stranger he was convinced (imagine loosing Rs. 2000/= (about $14,000 in today's money) in one go). Two thousand was equal to 200 times today in purchasing power.
If he went back empty handed the business would probably had to be closed down or they would have to start from a scratch. Luckily I believe the person with whom the deal for the purchase of wheat was finalized on the previous day came to the hotel in the morning to take my father to his business center. He was a well known figure in that area and there was no more problem in retrieving the money from the hotel owner who knew the local business magnet. Our father said that he vowed never again to carry that much amount in strange places. Even if nothing unusual happened the thought of loosing was enough to break one's heart.
One of the elderly persons who was listening to the story questioned as to why my father did not stay in a big, reliable hotel. The answer was that business could not be done that way as all such expenses would have to be reflected on sale of the items purchased, which would be anything but competitive.