By Kritika Mittal
How do we see ourselves say 10-15 years in the future? Masters of our trade, entrepreneurs and corporates, professionals and crackerjacks in our fields. Basically ‘successful’ in our life may it be domestic or employed. This definition of success depends from person to person, relying on one’s priority list. Now an individual’s priority list would be defined and penned down according to one’s aspirations, financial conditions, besides other factors. But one thing which sadly doesn’t top or even feature on many people’s list is FAMILY.
Now these words and preaching generally seems irksome and vague. All hollow and futile until something unfavorable happens and lessons are learnt or one meets someone; someone who compels you to change your perspective.
During a journey latterly, I was fortunate enough to interact with a fellow passenger. But not just an ordinary man, an experienced aged man, a national level rifle shooter and probably the noblest soul on the planet. A man with kind eyes, an innocent yet a disciplined composure. We got talking casually after he was amused seeing me play Candy Crush. An ordinary journey thus began, and turned out to be much more.
His is a renowned name. In 1975 Shooting Competition, he won one Gold in Trap Shooting and bagged a bronze in Skeet Shooting in 1980. He has won over 40 medals. Success: check. He runs various gun houses , academies and arms factories. Finance: check. He trains police and army personnel. Reputation: sky-high. But the stark thing that set him apart was the gleam in his eyes when he spoke of his family, pure devotion and love.
Speaking of his best friend, ‘his father’, he talked about how he values all that his father had done. He spoke of his son similarly and expressed a desire to become the same to his son. He was reminded of his college conviviality with friends and couldn’t resist a thousand Watt smile. He spoke of how proud he was of his daughters and his better-half. But mostly importantly of a new family member, his daughter-in-law. He voiced his intentions to shower irrevocable love on her and almost teared-up. He said-“If I love her, only then will my son respect me in return.” ( Hats off! There’d be no domestic violence if every male in the society thinks so!)
All of this wasn’t usual, especially coming from an aged successful man. There wasn’t a speck of arrogance in his words. He acknowledges his family’s contributions in his success. He values it more than anything else in the world. He shudders at the thought of distance from his grand-children. He treats a fellow passenger like his own prodigy.
Thus, this was an experience par excellence. Like others, I too am caught in the rat race, future plans, options, career etc. enveloped by a haze. But leaving all of this, that day cleared a part of it. It reinforced the fact that family comes first. No matter what, it should top one’s priority lists.
When everything else fails,
…There’s Family.
