Happy Father's Day!

At the age of 19, I lost my dad. He was a doctor. I remember sitting in his clinic and watching him treat his patients. Most of his patients came from far off villages. My dad would charge 20 rs ($0.26) per patient while others charged a lot more. Sometimes patients would say, in Kannada, “doctre, ivattu duddu illa, amele kodteevi” (We don’t have money today, we will pay you later). Some patients, who were farmers, would actually give some of their produce as a substitute for cash. I often asked dad “why aren’t you charging higher” and “why are you allowing them to leave without paying.”. His answer was “This is good enough for us but more importantly, this is what they can afford”. As a kid, this was very confusing to me, as I knew there’s no free lunch. Even a grocery store owner would ask for money before handing out a candy. 

Later, when I asked my dad if I should become a Doctor or Engineer, he said “don’t become a doctor if you want to make money, it’s about saving lives”. I picked Engineering. For a long time, I never really understood what he really meant. If you are a doctor and reading this - hats off to you!

My dad died when I was in my first year of engineering. Thousands of people from multiple neighboring villages showed up for his funeral. Looking back, I now realize that while he was not earning money, he was earning something that no amount of money could buy - the hearts of the people he helped. Even today, people in those villages talk about him with a lot of gratitude and respect. 

Now that I am a dad myself, I really appreciate his parenting style. He rarely ordered me to do anything but had the knack of making me feel that I was the one making decisions. For instance, when I was about to join undergrad, instead of asking me not to drink (alcohol), he said “you can always drink but do it with your own hard-earned money”. All through my engineering, I was waiting to get a job and drink with my money, but once I started earning, I was reluctant to spend my money on alcohol for almost 10 years. (Thanks to the Pinot team - I enjoy alcohol now :-) ) 

While he is no longer with us, I cherish his memories. He left me with guiding principles and continues to show me direction even today. Being helpful, selfless, and content with what you have, but with a strong passion for your profession, strive to make a real positive difference. 

"Happiness lies in helping others as much as you can without expecting anything in return."

Love you dad!