Me : Hello.
Spouse : Cant you wait for few hours at the airport and then leave to your office guest house in the early hours ?
Me :No. I don't want to wait here. I have to reach office early by 7 am and I cant manage with little time left.
Spouse : You are not getting my point. Its very dangerous to travel alone at this odd hour and that too in Delhi.
Me: Please don't worry. I will reach my destination safely.
Fortunately I got my cab and got inside.
Me : I got my cab and am sharing route to you and my siblings too. You can be on call till I reach or else you can take a snap.
Spouse: No. I would stay on call till you reach your place.
Well It was on 10th July 2015 around 1:45 am when I came outside Delhi International Airport and booked my cab to reach Green Park area where I was staying for 6 months now. I have some important deliverable the other morning. My flight got delayed by four hours at Hyderabad due to which I arrived at Delhi at odd hours. I had little fear inside , was cautious and was observing the navigation the driver was taking.
After quite some time the cab driver said. Mam ,Delhi mein ache log bhi rehte hain. Don't worry I will drop you safely. Well within 35-40 min I reached my destination and security guard was stunned to me at entrance of guest house. He asked if I travelled alone or has someone accompanied me. I said I travelled alone. He said aapthoo sherni hoo. I laughed and went inside.
Well I was fortunate that It was all good around. But If something would have happened I would not have got this opportunity to trace out the courage my Father incepted into me.
My School was very near around 500 meters from my house. I completed my 11th and 12th standard through the bus provided by College. Now it was in 2008 that I got my admission into GNITS which was around 25 Kms from my house and I had to travel alone which was too scary for me.
We have to board a bus to reach 20 Kms and then take autorickshaw or bus to travel remaining 5 Kms.
We cant afford college bus as it was too expensive for us. Then fear started hindering me.
First day , I boarded bus from front side and my dad boarded it from backside. I dint even know how to take a ticket. He took the tickets and we reached 20 Kms. From there he accompanied me for remaining 5 Kms.
Second , same way we reached 20Kms and then my dad asked me to travel 5 Kms alone. Luckily I got few college students and followed them.
Third Day, I boarded bus from front side , got inside and to my shock my dad dint board the bus. I was too afraid to travel , I shouted and got dropped in little distance.
I came running to the bus stop where my dad was still standing and I said , I cant travel alone. I will stop going to college. Now this was the moment when our great conversation started.
Dad: Do you have any assignments to submit or any important things to do at college ?
Me : No nothing.
Dad: Lets move around city.
Me: What ? City ?
Dad : Common. I wont leave you till you say I will travel alone.
Me : No. I cant travel alone.
Dad: Board the bus there. It goes to secunderbad from here. He gave me some amount.
Me :Ok.
Dad: Take a ticket to me and you.
Me: I said to conductor. please give two tickets. He asked me for coins. I dint had them.
My Dad gave him coins and took tickets.
After 40-45 min we reached secunderbad. I got down.
Dad: Did you get anything?
Me : You kept coins with you and gave notes to me. This is wrong.
Dad: Always remember. Board bus with proper coins and notes.
Me: I was like aww stuck.
This way we travelled around the whole city from morning 8 am to 2 pm.
He took me to Secunderbad , Mehdipatnam, Kachiguda, LB Nagar, Yousufguda, JNTU and the again Secunderbad.
Now finally at 2pm he said.
Dad: Whenever you are stuck anywhere in the city and at any time ,board a bus to secunderbad and you can reach home from here. You can find buses to every corner of city here. Similarly If you gonna move to some other city just go to central bus stop there. You will always be safe.
Me: Dad Can we go home am tired.
I was too angry with my father. I thought he was just irresponsible. He does not care about me.
I dint tell all this to my mother.
I next stay I got up and decided I will go to college alone and if something happens to me ,my dad will be responsible for that.
I reached college. I missed my English Lab the other day. So English Professor has asked all absentee to meet her.
I went to meet her in the afternoon.
Professor: This is your first year. You need to submit an assignment stating about yourself by next week. I don't want any last minute submissions. You can take your record and leave.
Me: Sorry Mam. I could have come to college yesterday but My dad dint help me so I was absent.
Professor: With lot of Interest and Smile, What ? You are grown up. You still take your parents help ?
Me: I narrated the whole story to Mam.
She was impressed and she admired my dad a lot.
I could not get why she admired him. I just left.
I dint speak with my father for few days. I just avoided seeing him or talking to him.
But Slowly after some days when I was travelling daily I could come across many incidents , could observe many people around , I built a good network of people travelling same route.
After few days I got a special bus which arrives at 7.45 am with vacant seats to take employees from HMT to Golconda. We got habituated to this bus. And within no time I completed four years of my graduation.
Days Passed , where I could realize , my dad made me independent to travel anywhere in the city,
to be cautious of surroundings. He made me map this travel journey to life's journey.
It took 1-2 years time for me to know his actual motive.
Later I had a lot of travel journeys alone from Hyderabad to Bangalore, Mysore, Delhi, Rajasthan. Everytime I start a journey I get reminded of that day 29th Oct 2008 , when my dad gave me immense power and knowledge insights towards life's journey.
Else he would have left me timid and dependent I would not have the same Now I am.
But there was very keen point which I took years to understand.
From my 11th standard to graduation he always noted down my exam dates. He used to wake up early , get ready , asked me to get ready and reached exam center atleast 3 hours before exam starts . He searched for safe place , asked me to sit and study. He always carried water , umbrella and winter wear in his bag. I studied happily utilizing all the time and then go for exam. As soon as my exam completed , he never gave me time for gossiping around . He used to drove me home as fast as possible.
It took years for me to actually understand what he did.
Though he could not afford my education he shaped my education dragging me away from all sorts of distractions. Incredible ! He never knew a,b,c of education.
He had so much intuition and I was very young to understand. And when I started getting his thoughts and deeds I was very proud, and I bow him for his diplomatic and constructive creativity.
This is a well known truth that daughters are more close to their fathers than their mothers.
I proudly call myself , Sony Maltumkar ,Daughter of Mahender Maltumkar , butcher by occupation but gave boons of graduation and post graduation to his children.
