A Tribute to my Appa Dr.S.Krishnaswamy:
My Appa was a great inspiration in my life and I consider myself lucky to have such a father. He taught us Bharatiar poetry and taught us “Jaathigal illaiyadi papa athai taazhthi uyirthi solval paavum”, he also taught me to be Bharathiar’s puthimai penn and to be fearless. I want to pay tribute to such a man whom I was privileged to call “Appa”.
Imgine a 15 year old boy, suffering severe headaches because of hunger and had to live on one bun and tea a day. His father had sent him to Ambur to live as a paying guest and study his 10th standard. In spite of this he topped the state in his final exams. Next his father sent him as a cement factory worker to the north. When his headmaster heard about this he was shocked, he immediately arranged a scholarship and brought him back to join his 11th grade in Bangalore. This young man was my father. From thereon he studied always with a scholarship and never looked back. He topped all the exams and was a gold medalist in his PhD. He was a great brother and helped his siblings in their studies and career. He was a great teacher with his students in premier institutions like NIH, CDC and IISC. When most people plan their retirement in his mid fifties, he started a company and made it a multi crore turnover company. He was a fantastic human being to be around. He would always encourage us to be curious to learn more, ask questions. He never pitied himself orlose confidence because of his childhood poverty. He always challenged us to dream big, not be afraid to fail. He once told me life is always full of stress, so enjoy the stress, thrive on it and you will go far.
He had a premonition of his own death and told my mother that his mother was calling him. He told my mother twice on the day he died somebody was calling him. He lived life on his own terms and died on his own terms too.
I quote his favorite kural “ vaiyyagathil vaazhvaanthu vaazhbavan, vaanyurarum deivathul vaikkapadum” . He who lives life as a role model in society will be created a God among the high heavens. For my Appa this was mission accomplished.
