As the festivities have started and Diwali approaches, Some nostalgic moments knock on the door of my heart. when I open the door, some truly fond memories of my daddy take over my heart. At one time, my daddy enjoyed a very reputed position in the prestigious textile company Nirlon group of industries. At that time Nirlon was internationally acclaimed to have association with legendary cricketers like Sunil Gavskar and Ravi Shastri. That time, my Daddy’s aura was such that with the nearing of Diwali festival, our house would be flooded with several gift-wrapped boxes. And then begins our exciting guessing game. My brother and I would first look at the boxes with the colourful gift wrappers and then start guessing about what would be in the box. Of course, that assumption was limited to chocolates, dried fruits, sweets, wall clocks or cutlery. We never expected any extra ordinary gift. The reason was that my Daddy followed a principle that never to accept gifts that are too expensive. Because he believed that by accepting such things you are not accepting gifts, but encouraging corruption! Daddy’s this particular approach at that time was not clear to both of us. But he put it into practice, and so did I with his inspiration. After all, then and today my daddy has always been my superhero! I would like to share a particular incident in this regard. Then we were living in Kadampalli near Jeevanbharati and during Diwali festival, a very big yarn dealer came to us in the absence of my father and he took me and my brother to a nearby big gift shop which was famous for imported goods. In the shop, he told us that he would buy us whatever toy we wanted. At that time I was not that young, but had a little understanding so I didn’t take anything from shop. But my brother Kunal was very small at that time. He was overjoyed with the variety of toys in the shop and chose a big toy train. For Kunal, I have always been a father figure so I tried explaining to him that we should not take this. But Kunal being small, he obviously didn’t understand these things and fell in love with the train. The train arrived at our home, but as soon as Dad came home eventually the train’s destination changed! Dad immediately asked where the train came from and naturally he found out that a dealer of yarn had gifted this. He repacked the train without delay and returned it back. Daddy very politely persuaded him to keep the gift for his family and assured that if my children see something like this and need it, I will buy it for them at the right time. Of course my brother cried a lot that day, because for a child a new toy becomes the center of attraction. For a while, he also assumed that the train was his life. I still remember my dad repacking the train with me. But Dad’s behavior made it clear to both of us that we should never accept corruption in form of a gift! Now it turns out that Daddy gifted me this valuable lesson. This quality has always kept the common man alive inside me and it is because of that quality that I have been able to stay away from the lure of materialism. Speaking of materialism, Daddy was never interested in happiness that could be bought with money. Of course, he had his fair share of struggles in life. And the reason behind this was not small. In fact, he was born and raised in a sprawling mansion like a palace of twenty one rooms in Shahpore.The family owned agriculture land in more than fifty two villages. Desaigiri, a recognition was handed over to our family by Maharaja Shri.Sayajirao Gaekwad! In those times when even owning a bicycle was considered a luxury, my daddy had the famous standard car! But times soon changed, when my dad was studying LLB and grandfather fell critically ill, at that time he was betrayed by people close to him and eventually he expired, leaving the legacy and fortune of the family in downturn. When Daddy shared his childhood experiences and stories of his house, I would listen to them so Intently. When he once took me to the house in shahpore, I could feel the same emotions as if I have lived that life! I could virtually realize what a life daddy enjoyed back then and the extent of richness that he enjoyed as a kid… I felt as if it all happened to me only. But as I mentioned, all the materialistic things were gone and my daddy had to start everything from scratch. In the roller coaster ride of life, he understood that money cannot buy everything, certainly not peace and happiness. Dignity is such a virtue that, whether it is empty or full, proudly sustains our existence! And I’ve always witnessed it, whether it’s an illness or a financial crisis, but my dad’s dignity has always remained intact. On the other hand, when a person who has witnessed top affluence, class and pride faces a downturn and has to struggle financially, he will either become a debtor, commit corruption by taking short cuts or he will end getting frustrated, helpless and depressed. Not everyone has the guts to retain their dignity and start everything from zero. I have never seen Daddy bow due to lack of luxury or even surrender to temptations. Financial scarcity never bothered that man, because he was the King of Hearts! There have been many instances in his life where he could have easily given in to temptations, but he did not. He suffered from slip disc in life, but with his values, he always stood upright. And one of the main reasons Daddy was able to stay upright for the rest of his life was my mother’s constant support. My mother, who was once an officer in the government department, has done a lot for Daddy and our family. But I will need a separate chapter to describe her sacrifices in detail. One of Daddy’s important life lessons, being detached from materialistic things has impacted my life too. Inspired by his ideals, I have learnt to give importance to happiness rather than monetary benefits in life. The joy that is found in the smile of a child, in the satisfaction of an old man, in the relief of a sick person or in the fulfillment of a needy person cannot be found anywhere else. And I have realized this truth because of the things that Daddy has put into practice throughout his life. Maybe that’s why so many times my pages fall short, so I get involved in many social activities from cancer camps to deaddiction camps or education scholarships. After all, life is not always about money, isn’t it? Life is best spent in someone’s smile, in someone’s satisfaction and in the warmth we give to someone.